Her comment took him by surprise. He looked to be a tad embarrassed. “Good idea.” Upon his return, she handed him the boxes. “Here. Make yourself useful. Ready?”
“Lead the way, my fair lady.”
“Thank you, fine sir.” Journey couldn’t help it. She was in a good mood. He was here and safe. All was right with the world. As the climbed into the Subaru, she thought to ask, “Would you like to learn how to drive?”
“I would indeed. Now?”
She laughed. “Not now. I’ll talk you through some of the instructions and sometime soon we’ll have a go at it.”
“Good. I look forward to it.”
Once she was settled behind the wheel and he was buckled into the passenger seat, she pointed out a few parts of the car and what they did. “This is the start button. It doesn’t work unless you have the key with you.” She held up the key. “Before you press it, you need to put your foot on the brake.” Journey demonstrated. “The brake is what stops the car.” Pressing the start button, she started the engine. “This is the gear shift. P is for Park. R is for Reverse and D is for Drive.” She kept her foot on the brake while she put the car into Drive. “Now, I press the gas pedal which releases fuel to the engine and makes us go.”
With a laugh, she put the car into motion, and they headed down the road to Fredericksburg. As she drove, she explained a few rules of the road to him. She also pointed out the lights, the wipers, and the blinker.
“Seems straightforward enough. Are you sure I can’t try?”
“Not now. I’d like to get to the post office in one piece.”
Reno found this amusing. When they arrived in town, he waited in the car while she went inside to mail the packages. Upon her return, she discovered him behind the wheel practicing what he’d seen her do. “Good thing I took the key with me.”
“I wouldn’t have left you behind,” he assured her with a smile. “Or I would have spun back by to pick you up.”
She waited for him to climb from behind the steering wheel and return to his place. “You have to have an operator’s license, or you’ll get a ticket.”
“Explain,” he insisted as he refastened his seat belt on the passenger side.
Journey fished her wallet from her purse to show him her driver’s license. He studied the ID thru the plastic window. “Your birthday is coming up soon,” he announced with interest. “And why do you look so strange in this picture?”
She snatched the wallet back. “Nobody takes a good driver’s license photo.”
“I bet I will,” he announced solemnly as he played with the buttons to lock and unlock his door.
For a moment, Journey gave the idea some thought. “Getting a license will be a challenge. You don’t have a birth certificate or a social security card. Proving your identity would be next to impossible.” She frowned at the thought. “If you stay, we’re going to have to find someone who makes fake ID’s.”
“You don’t look too excited at the prospect. Don’t you want me to stay?”
Journey gave him an amused look. “I want you to stay. And we’ll worry about the ID’s later. I’ve heard stories of people who create fake ones by using the records of a deceased person.” She winked at him. “You’ll just have to change your name to Mr. Whoever, Percy Wombat or something similar.”
Now it was his turn to frown. “I want a more dignified name than Percy Wombat.”
She shook her head with pretend exasperation. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Pulling out into the road, she headed downtown. “Now to buy you some new duds. Do you want to stay with cowboy clothes, or would you like to go for a laid-back Austin look with knee length shorts and a UT t-shirt?”
“Like him?” He pointed out a guy ambling down the sidewalk in exactly the type of clothing she’d described.
“Yea, that’s pretty close. He looks comfortable.”
“No, thanks. I want to feel like myself. I don’t have the legs to wear something so revealing.”
Journey could’ve argued the point. She’d seen him undressed – mostly – and there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with any part of him. He didn’t have a gym body. Rather he had real muscles from real labor. Honest, hard work. Reno Black was a man’s man.
“We’ll get you fixed right up.” She traveled slowly down the main drag until she spotted a men’s clothing store. In the window were models sporting several different styles of clothing. One of those styles was distinctly western. This was Texas, after all.
Upon entering the upscale store, a smiling clerk came to greet them. “Good morning. How may I help you?”
Journey started to speak, but Reno beat her to it. “Hello, my good man. I would like to purchase some apparel.”
“Very well.” He eyed Reno’s clothing, coming closer to examine the material. “Vintage. Interesting. Worth a pretty penny, I vouch.” He shook his head. “If you’re looking for this sort of thing, I can’t help you. I wish I could. Are you with a movie company? I bet you’re searching for period costumes, aren’t you?”
Reno glanced at Journey for help.
“Uh, no. We’re not with a movie company. We’d just like to see some western apparel. The outfit he has on is genuine, you’re right about that. He’s visiting with me, ruined his clothing, and I had to dig in the attic to find something for him to wear.”
The gentleman seemed to buy her story. “I see. Well, follow me.”
With
