Sarah’s eyebrows were as high as they could go on her forehead. “And how did that work out for you?”
“Pretty well, actually. She taught me about kissing and holding hands and such, and then we started going out on dates together with some other kids who were dating.”
“Oh, really? So, this girl we’re going to check on was your girlfriend. How long did that last?”
“It was about three-and-a-half years, from the time I was thirteen up until just before I turned seventeen and would have started my junior year in high school. We were together in the same foster home for a couple of years, and then I got sent to live on a farm, so we only got to see each other in school and on weekends after that.”
Sarah sat quietly for a moment, and Noah looked over at her briefly. “If you’re wanting to know if it was a real relationship, it wasn’t. Each of us was just the convenient way out of a bad situation for the other one. She wanted someone to hang out with and do girlfriend things with, and I needed to cover up the fact that I didn’t need a girlfriend at all. It was a workable solution. And if you’re wondering whether it was a sexual relationship, yes, it was.”
Sarah lowered her eyes to her lap. “Did you—I mean, was it like us? Did you love her, the way you were talking about loving me the other night?”
Noah didn’t say anything for a moment, and Sarah finally looked up at his face. “Noah?”
“I’m trying to figure out how to explain it,” he said. “Molly was my friend, nothing more. When we were pretending to be a couple, it was just that, a pretense. We each needed a camouflage to cover up how we were different from everybody else, so we were obviously the ideal solution for each other.” He looked over at her and smiled, then turned his eyes back to the road again. “When I was busy and couldn’t see her, it didn’t bother me a bit. With you, I’ve come to the point that when you’re not around, I find myself wondering where you are and what you’re doing. That may not seem like much of a difference, but from my perspective it’s pretty profound.”
Sarah still had her hand on his arm, and slid it down to entwine her fingers with his. “I think I understand,” she said. “So, when we get there, I don’t have anything to worry about?”
Noah’s eyebrows lowered and he glanced at her. “Worry about? What do you mean?”
Sarah suddenly laughed. “Never mind,” she said. “If you don’t understand why I asked, then obviously I don’t.”
“Could you two keep it down,” Neil grumbled. “A few of us are trying to sleep back here.”
Sarah looked back to make a face at him, but he hadn’t even opened his eyes. She squeezed Noah’s hand and leaned back in the seat. It wasn’t long before she dozed off and Noah was alone once again.
It was almost eleven before he had to stop for gas, and everyone woke up as he pulled off the ramp. “Gas stop,” he announced. “Anybody hungry?”
“I am,” Moose said. “Where are we?”
“Almost to Kansas City. There’s a half-dozen restaurants here, take your pick.”
They chose a small truck stop that had a KFC attached and Noah filled the tank while the rest went inside to use the restrooms and freshen up. When he was finished, he pulled the car up to the building and made his own way in to find the facilities.
Sarah was waiting for him when he came out, but Neil and Moose had already gone over to the restaurant side. There was a buffet and they were already making their ways along it, piling chicken, corn-on-the-cob and other side dishes onto plates that looked like they were about to break. Noah ordered two more buffets for himself and Sarah and they followed the guys to a table near the windows.
Neil was already working on his second drumstick by the time they sat down, and Moose was almost finished with a breast. Sarah stared at them for a second and said, “You guys are pigs.”
“Hey!” Neil said. “Moose is a pig, I’m a growing boy! I have to eat to keep up my strength.”
Moose put down the bones and looked at Sarah. “He’s right, I’m a pig. Especially when it comes to fried chicken.” He picked up another breast and bit into it.
ELEVEN
Sarah took the wheel when they got back on the road, and they made good time across Missouri. All four of them fell silent as they passed Columbia, but they were back to their jocular camaraderie just a few minutes later. The trip was long, and they passed the time by talking about many different things.
They stopped for dinner near Indianapolis, grabbing burgers and fries at a McDonald’s and eating in the car as they drove. Three hours later, Noah decided they should stop and get a room for the night, so they found a motel in Cambridge, Ohio and got two rooms.