“What’s he like?”
“He’s really great, so much fun to be around. He’s funny and smart—so different from Rad—” I stopped. I hadn’t said Rad’s name out loud in such a long time that it felt like I was breaking some kind of taboo. “Not that I’m thinking about Gabe in a romantic way,” I added.
“But you’re still thinking about Rad?” said Lucy cautiously.
“Of course I am. I think about him all the damn time.”
“Oh, sweetie. The two of you had something pretty special. I mean, anyone could see that.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “He was the only person who understood me in a way that was profound, in a way that mattered. How can you get past something like that? Something that meant that much—” I stopped, feeling the same old anxiety rear its ugly head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Anyway. Let’s not talk about Rad anymore.”
“Okay, then, why don’t you tell me about your new friend?”
“Well, he’s been teaching me to drive—”
“You’re learning to drive? Audrey, that’s amazing! When did this happen?”
“I got my learner’s permit a few weeks back.”
“Oh, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I guess I wasn’t sure if I’d go through with the lessons and how I’d do. But it’s actually going well. Better than I ever thought! Gabe thinks it won’t be much longer before I can go for my test. We’re doing lessons practically every day.”
“That’s really nice of him.”
“I know. I’m so thankful.”
“So what else do the two of you get up to aside from driving lessons?”
I told her about our hiking trip. “We took some pictures. Do you want to see?”
“I’d love to! Send away!”
I texted her some pictures we took on the mountaintop that morning.
“Holy shit, Audrey. That’s Gabe?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Boy, you weren’t kidding about the view. And I don’t mean the mountain scenery. Is he like a model or something?”
“No, he works for his uncle at the local auto shop.”
“Seriously, Audrey, and I don’t say this lightly—he is magnificent. Like, probably the most beautiful person I have ever seen. Ever.”
I laughed. “He’s really smart and funny. And I’m learning a lot from him.”
“You are?”
“I am. He has a way of taking something complex and making it dead simple. His mother is a teacher, so maybe that’s where he gets it.”
“He sounds like a heck of a guy,” she paused. “So you’re telling me there isn’t an attraction there? Not even a bit?”
“I like him a lot, but as a friend. I can’t think of him as more than that.”
“Audrey, please,” she said, unconvinced. “I’m already half in love with him, based on those pictures alone.”
“Who are you in love with?” I heard Freddy’s voice in the background.
Lucy clapped her hand over her mouth. “Oops,” she said, her eyes brimming with laughter. She turned her head back. “I’m just chatting to Audrey.”
Freddy’s goofy face appeared next to hers on the screen a few moments later.
“Hey, Audrey,” he said with a wave.
“Hey, Freddy. How’s it going?”
“Great, can’t complain. We went bowling yesterday. I beat Lucy for the first time.” He beamed as Lucy rolled her eyes.
“My arm was sore. Your momma made me roll a mountain of dough the day before.”
“No excuses, babe.” He grinned.
She gave me a wry smile. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, for as long as I live.”
He kissed her cheek and playfully ruffled her hair. “Nope, you definitely won’t.”
I laughed. “Congratulations, Freddy.”
“Thanks, Audrey. How are you doing all the way over there?”
“Really good. I’ve made some new friends, and I’ve taken up hiking.”
“You? Hiking?” He gave me a dubious look.
“I have pictures to prove it!”
“Here, babe, check these out.” Lucy showed Freddy the pictures I sent.
He whistled softly under his breath. “So that’s your new friend, huh?” He teased.
“Yes, Lucy’s kind of in love with him.” I laughed.
“I don’t blame her. I think I might be a bit in love with him myself.”
Every Saturday—rain or shine—Gabe and I went for a hike in the woods. It was something I looked forward to each week. Gabe was always great company. He was such a cheerful person that no matter what mood I was in, he could always wrangle a smile from me.
During our long hikes, I learned that Gabe was a movie buff. His taste was eclectic. He loved action flicks—anything by Tarantino—but he also loved quirky, introspective films like Being John Malkovich. His absolute favorite was a toss-up between Scarface and Over the Top, the latter being a B-grade movie about an arm-wrestling tournament, starring Sylvester Stallone. We saw it one night at his place, a one-bedroom flat above his uncle’s workshop. It wasn’t a movie I would have picked off the shelf at Blockbuster, but I did find myself enjoying it a lot.
One Saturday, we had just finished our routine hike and were heading back to Gabe’s car when we were simultaneously struck with a wild craving for quesadillas.
“Want to go to Fiesta?” he asked. Fiesta was a Mexican place in town.
“Great idea.”
“Do you want to drive?”
“Sure.” He handed me the keys.
We arrived at Fiesta, and I was delighted to see there was a parking space on the street, right out front.
“It’s way too tight, Audrey.”
“I’m going to give it a try.”
“Okay, but it is really narrow, and this is parallel parking we’re talking about. I don’t think I could get in it, and you know my parking skills are out of this world.”
I laughed. “Bet you ten bucks I can park it.”
“I’d feel bad, taking your money.”
I signaled and began to reverse into the spot, biting my lip in concentration. A few moments later, to Gabe’s surprise, I had perfectly parked his car. He got out, a look of astonishment on his face. I was next to him a few moments later, surveying my handiwork.
“What did I tell you?” I couldn’t help but gloat.
“Looks like you’re ready for that test.”
Less than a week later, Gabe dropped me off at the registry for my driver’s test. I was a bundle of nerves, so he gave me a quick pep talk before wishing me luck and setting off on foot to his uncle’s shop.
The test itself was a lot easier than I expected. My driving instructor, Bob—a wearied middle-aged man with a handlebar moustache—barely spoke as we drove around the main streets of Delta, along the test track that I had already done a thousand times with Gabe. Every once in a while, he wrote something down on his clipboard.