“Hmm. Maybe that’s why I pick them off my burger but don’t mind them in potato salad or whatever.”
“It’s a valid reason,” I nodded my head seriously. “Warm pickles are just gross.”
“Noted,” Rowdy laughed. “Tell me something else.”
“You go.”
“I’m allergic to evergreen, pine, and fir trees.”
“Like rash allergic or stop breathing allergic?”
“Rash, sneezing, that sort of thing. Not deadly as far as I know.”
“I’m allergic to raspberries. They give me hives.”
“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind. I’m allergic to fresh tomatoes - they give me blisters in my mouth.”
“Ketchup and spaghetti sauce are okay, though?”
“Yes ma’am. And I can eat my own weight in salsa, but it can’t be fresh. Has to be cooked or canned or whatever.”
“Okay, so no tomatoes in salads or on sandwiches and burgers. Good to know.”
“This one may be a game changer.”
“What? Is it horrible?”
“Some people think so. I think it’s delicious.”
“Okay. Sock it to me and I’ll decide.”
“I eat my Chick-fil-A waffle fries dipped in half mayo and half ketchup.”
“No way!”
“I told you it was a game changer.”
“I do that, too!” I yelled. “People think I’m just gross, but it’s so good that way. And on the nuggets, too.”
“Yep. On the nuggets, too.”
“It’s kind of nice to know that I’m not the only one.”
“I think it’s kind of nice to know that when we eat there you won’t give me a ration of shit about it like Leia does. What about Lexi?”
“She thinks I’m disgusting.”
“They’re young. They don’t know shit yet.” Rowdy laughed. “What else?”
“I can’t stand to have the covers tucked in at my feet. I have to pull them out so my feet can be free.”
“What about the monster under your bed? Can’t he get you that way?”
“What are you? Four?”
“No, I just appreciate that there might be creepy crawlies out there, so I make sure I don’t give them the opportunity to join me in bed.” Rowdy tilted his head and added, “Or pull me out of it screaming as they drag me through their portal and eat my soul.”
I laughed so hard at his serious honesty that I had a hard time catching my breath. Here was this big, strong man telling me he was afraid of monsters abducting him while he slept.
“I know. It’s irrational and I’m a grown ass man, but I’ve had that same fear since I could remember. My mom used to make sure and tuck my feet in tight right after she kissed me goodnight.”
“I don’t think my mom ever tucked me into bed,” I shrugged. “I’m not even sure she knew which room was my bedroom, now that I think about it.”
“I can’t imagine that. Not being close to your kid, you know? I live for the talks I have with Leia. I wouldn’t know how to breathe if she was too far away from me.”
“Same.” The mood in the cab of the truck got heavier as we thought of our daughters and how horrible it would be to not have them in our lives. “Is your mom nearby?”
“No.” Rowdy huffed out a breath. “She died in an accident when I was 10. I came home from school and the cops were waiting for me. They stayed with me until we could get in touch with Dad at the rig and he came home. Luckily, he was only an hour or so away.”
“The rig?”
“Dad is a roughneck. Well, he was back then. He’s moved up the food chain and now he works at a desk telling the roughnecks what to do.” Rowdy slowed the truck to wait for a car to pass and then turned us into the diner parking lot. “It was hard without Mom. Dad had to go back to work and I stayed home alone while he was gone.”
“At 10?”
“Yeah.” Rowdy laughed. “I ate a lot of sandwiches and made sure that my sheets were tucked into the foot of the bed every night.”
“I can’t imagine. That had to have been so lonely.”
“Yeah, it was.” Rowdy admitted as he turned the truck off and turned to look at me. “I had some shit happen and I realize now it was probably because I was left alone so much. But we moved here to get a fresh start and Dad took a local job. Less pay, but he could be home with me and Leia every night. It all worked out. While he was local, he took a few classes and when he was able to leave us alone for a while, he went back out in the field and was able to work his way up the ranks to where he is now. We sort of grew up together when Leia was born.”
“How old were you? How old are you now?”
“I just turned 25; I was 13 when she came along. She’ll be 12 in a few months.”
“Holy shit.” I was stunned. “What about her mom? You mentioned that you needed to make sure she didn’t have access to Leia.”
“Well, sweetheart, if that story can’t be told over cold beer, it should be told over Martha’s pecan pie. Let’s head inside and get a booth and I’ll tell you all about how I became a single dad at the ripe old age of 13.”
6.
ROWDY
“What’s your favorite pie?” Sierra asked me as she looked over the menu.
“Pink lemonade pie.”
“What?” Sierra asked as she glanced up at me from the menu in front of her.
“Pink. Lemonade. Pie.”
“I have never heard of that.”
“I’ll make it for you sometime. My mom used to make it all the time for me. I could eat the whole damn thing if she let me. Shit. What am I saying? I can eat the whole damn thing. When
