Shannon Waverly - Three For The Road

“I can’t wait to see it. Where are you now?”

“Still in New Hampshire, west side of Lake Winnipesukee, about forty miles south of where I bought the bike, although I must’ve put a hundred and forty on it yesterday up in the mountains.” He paused, his sharp builder’s eye sweeping the grounds.

“I wish you could see the motel I stayed in last night, Brad. Separate cabins, each about the size of a garden shed, painted this bright fifties aqua. It’s the genuine article, too, not some fake retro setup with an eye on the nostalgia buck. I’m calling from a phone booth outside the motel office ‘cause there aren’t any phones in the rooms.”

“And you’re having a good time?”

“The best.” He hadn’t taken a vacation like this in so long he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed being on the road, totally alone and freewheeling—how much he needed it. His construction business had thrived this past year, and he’d been working full-tilt all that time, unaware of the wear and tear on his body as well as his spirit. But already he felt better, and he’d been gone from home a mere two days.

“Only you, Pete. Only you.” Brad laughed. “So, are you still going to ride her home?”

“That’s the plan.” That had always been the plan. Pete had flown up from Tampa on a one-way ticket, with only a duffel bag and a certainty of his luck.

“What I’d like to know is,” Brad said, “what are you gonna do with one more antique motorcycle?”

“Love her, cherish her, till the road runs out for either one of us, what else?”

Brad chuckled. “That reminds me, somebody stopped by the apartment yesterday who maybe wishes you’d think about her in those terms.”

Pete was glad his brother couldn’t see his face. He suspected it had fallen to somewhere around his knees. “Sue Ellen?” he asked, trying not to hesitate. Hesitation might give his brother the impression he cared more than he did.

“Uh-huh.”

“What did she want?”

“Came by to hand-deliver her reply to our wedding invitation.”

“Cutting it close, wasn’t she?”

“Sure was. Jill had to call the country club last night with a final count.”

Pete swallowed. “So, is she coming?”

“Of course. She is Jill’s cousin, after all.”

Pete got to his feet and moved around the phone booth like an agitated tiger in a too-small cage. Two teenage girls, walking slowly in his direction and trying to pretend they weren’t checking him out, giggled.

Brad said, “I’m reluctant to give people advice, especially my older and so-much-wiser brother, but now that her divorce is finalized, this might be a good opportunity for you to explore the possibility of getting back with her. She’s a gorgeous lady, Pete, and if you ask me she’s still real interested in you.”

“No, she isn’t.”

“No? Then how come she’s been calling you three times a week? How come she’s been coming by the office?”

“She’s thinking of renovating her house, dummy.”

“A house that was built only six years ago? Come on, Pete, open your eyes.”

Brad was getting a real kick out of this. So were their sisters, Pam and Lindy. They saw it as the ultimate romance, Pete and Sue Ellen, high school sweethearts, getting back together after fifteen years of unfortunate separation.

Pete saw it as a good time to hit the road.

“Listen, kid, I’m not interested in getting back with Sue Ellen, and I don’t want any matchmaking going on at your wedding, hear?”

“Yeah, I hear.”

No, he didn’t. Pete could tell his brother was smirking.

“Look, just because you’re getting married doesn’t mean everybody around you should do the same. Hell, you’re getting as bad as your sisters.”

“It might not be a bad idea to start thinking about settling down, too, Pete. I think I saw a few gray hairs on your head the other day.”

“Yeah, well, they’re my gray hairs and I’ll thank you not to worry about them. Hell, I’m never going that route again. Once was enough for a lifetime. For several lifetimes.”

A few seconds of uneasy silence followed, then Brad said, “Not to change the subject, but when can I expect my best man to get home?” The reminder of Pete’s disastrous marriage had effectively killed the discussion. Pete felt his equanimity return.

“Do you need me sooner than Friday? Not this Friday. The one before the wedding, I mean.”

“Of course I need you. I’m getting as nervous as a turkey in November.”

Grinning, Pete picked at a small tear on the right knee of his jeans. “Well, hell, I’m hardly the guy to have around if what you’re looking for’s support. My advice would be to give up this deranged idea of marriage and come on the road with me.”

“You just haven’t met the right girl yet,” Brad replied righteously. “Wait till you do. You’ll be eating your words.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”

“And don’t you go sounding so sure of yourself. But to answer your question—no, I don’t need you. Just be here the day before the wedding. We have to pick up our tuxes and go to the rehearsal.”

“Sure enough. How’s the rest of the family holding up?”

“Good. Pam has decided to have the rehearsal dinner at her house.”

“That isn’t necessary. You know I offered to take everybody to The Sand Dollar.”

“You’ve done enough, Pete. Besides, she really wants to do this.”

“Well, in that case... Has Lindy’s husband made it into work this week?”

“So far.”

Pete sniffed. He didn’t like his brother-in-law a helluva lot. The guy had a serious drinking problem. But he was family, and so, when he said he needed a job, Pete gave him a job.

“How are Abby’s tonsils?”

“Pete, will you stop worrying about the family, already!”

Pete almost said he didn’t know how. He’d been at it too long. But that might come out sounding like a complaint, which it wasn’t, so he just shut up.

The two teenage girls were nearly abreast of the phone booth now, walking stiffly, eyes straight ahead. Pete slouched a little—enough to look disreputable, yet not so much that he’d slide off the bench—and sent them his sexiest half smile and a slow nod hello. Their eyes rounded and their faces turned red as thermometers about to pop. As soon as they’d passed, he sat up, laughing to himself.

“So,” Brad said, “what are you going to do with the rest of your vacation?”

Pete felt a warmth like new love melt over him. “I plan to hit the back roads, do my Jack Kerouac thing, look for America in the slow lane.”

“Man, do I envy you.”

“You should. I don’t have to shave or change my socks for the next nine days if I don’t feel like it.”

“Have fun, but do me a favor? Take a shower before crossing the town line, okay? I’m not sure even I could stand you that ripe.”

“I’ll think about it. Take care, Brad.”

“Hey, you will be here by Friday, right?”

“Yes, I’ll be there. Have I ever let you down?”

When Brad answered, his voice held more emotion than Pete had intended to elicit. “Never, big brother. Never.”

“So, okay.” Pete uncoiled from the seat. “Till then, hang tough. Jill is worth it.”

“I know.”

“I hope so.” Pete ran callused fingers over the heart-enclosed initials someone had scratched into the black paint of the phone. “Don’t let this get around, it’ll kill my image, but I’m the one with every reason to be envious.”

Brad was quiet awhile before mumbling, “Thanks, Pete.”

“For what? See you Friday.”

He hung up quickly, but continued to stand there staring at the phone. He’d added that remark about envying Brad merely to bolster his brother’s confidence and get him through the prewedding jitters. But just for a second...