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up
longingly at my lucky hat, still up in that Satan tree.
    Bad idea
going to meet a girl without my lucky hat. I think about giving the tree one
more go, but dismiss it. No need for a repeat performance of yesterday’s
humiliation.
    I need to get
strong again. If I were honest with myself, I’d admit I’ve been slacking off on
all the instructions Dr. Lee and Francesca left me about guzzling protein
shakes every few hours, taking a load of vitamins, and focusing on light cardio.
I stare at the hat. Really throw some eye daggers at it. Things are going to
change. I’m all in from this moment on. Ready to pack on some muscles. Woo Amanda
good and hard. Climb that motherfucking tree like a champ and start saving the
holy hell out of the world whether it wants me to or not.
    ***
     Bubba gets
me to Denver in a couple of hours, and I manage to pound back three protein
shakes on the way.  It’s amazing how many calories I can put down and still
look as weak and skinny as Olive Oil. I hate thinking about that or what
Amanda’s going to see when I knock on her door.
     I like to
bring her a little present every time I see her. Nothing fancy. Just a small
thank you for not changing the locks, and because I have a feeling that she
doesn’t get a lot of visitors. These times when we’re together are special for
me, but I think they’re really special to her.
     I pull into
a little flower shop and greet the shopkeeper, a tiny old lady with hair as white
and fluffy as cotton. Definitely somebody’s adorable grandma, which is my luck,
because I happen to be great with grandmas. A couple of smiles, and a few
“pleases” and “ma’ams” later, and Nancy is hopping all around the place,
pulling out flowers galore for me. She brings back this bouquet filled with
flowers I couldn’t name if my life depended on it, but they’re beautiful.
Citrus orange flowers mix with bright yellow ones and sprigs of white dance around
the sides to set it off. The price tag is $49.99.
     I haven’t
gotten around to telling Tarren yet, but we’re almost completely broke. So, I
pass on the big, beautiful bouquet and go for a handful of lilies instead for
$9.99. Nancy, my new best friend, wraps them up for me, and she does a really
good job, putting a ribbon around them and this nice clear plastic wrap. I know
she’s giving me extra even though I bought about the cheapest thing in the
store.
     While she’s
doing her magic, a man walks into the store hand-in-hand with a little girl.
The girl is stork skinny, all legs and arms topped with wild curly hair. Inside
the store, she immediately pulls out of her father’s grip and starts touching
and tugging on everything. She actually skips. It’s real cute.
     “What do you
think Mom would like?” the dad asks.
     “Uhhhhh,”
the girl says. I can’t tell kid ages at all, but she’s real young, maybe five
or six. “Everything.”
     “Everything,
huh? I don’t think we could fit everything in the car. How about you pick out
one bouquet. Whatever you think is the most beautiful.”
     I make sure
not to stare, since I’m not really looking to come off as a major creep. It’s
just that I like this. Normal people doing normal people stuff. I don’t get
much opportunity to see what the rest of the world is up to with their lives,
so when I do, I try to remember it, especially nice people like this father and
his little girl. Helps sometimes when we’re digging graves in the middle of the
night, checking into another forgettable hotel room, or putting 700 miles under
our tires in a single day.
     I lay the
flowers carefully on the front seat of the truck, pull off a leaf, and tuck it
into Sir Hopsalot’s cage for him to nibble on. Then I stop at WalGreens and buy
a bottle of whipped cream and some condoms. Ribbed for her pleasure. I’m a thoughtful
kind of guy.
     The sun is
just setting when I finally snag an empty parking spot in Amanda’s apartment
complex. I wander around a little