Lovely Hues | Fillie AU

Chapter Fifteen

Finn felt like such a dunce for making Millie walk to their first real date but he had no other options. Even if his bike weren't in the shop, asking her to hop on the back of it in a dress would've made him feel even more stupid than the walking did and he wasn't about to ask her to borrow her 1940 Ford coupe to take her out. That wouldn't have made his ego feel great, but maybe that would've been okay.

Regardless, it was a beautiful evening, and judging by the papers, one of the last of the season because the Fall was finally starting to catch up to them. The Indian summer was nearing its end and Millie had told him that walking was more of a treat than anything else because once the winter hit, they'd be begging to be able to walk outside without layers upon layers and clothing on. And if his Canadian winters were anything to go off of, then Millie was very right.

As they walked, Finn tried to think of something to say but his brain was suddenly like a thought desert. Dry and empty with mirages of pleasant conversation that he couldn't get to. On all of the walks they'd been on, Millie's children created a sort of buffer and often lended subject matter to their conversations. Whether it was Louisa bringing her mother little flowers, or the boys throwing a toy out of the stroller, there never seemed to be a shortage of things to talk about. But now, alone, Finn was afraid that his date would find him a colossal bore.

". . .The breeze is nice." Millie offered up, successfully ending the silence. And Finn chided himself for not thinking of saying that first. It was so simple.

"It is," he agreed, "It makes the warmth mellow out to the perfect temperature. . .I'd hate to get there and be drenched in sweat."

Millie chuckled, "You and me both. Back in June, it was so hot that we all felt like we were melting all day and night, we were so desperate that we almost bought an air conditioning unit."

"Oh wow, I heard those can cost close to four-hundred dollars. . .that's half a car right there."

Millie nodded, "I know, and we could never afford it but it was so dreadful. We were like puddles of ourselves and we could barely sleep. If it had gone on any longer, I probably would have sold my car to get one."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures but I know now more than ever how much we rely on our vehicles. I feel so hamstrung without my bike and I'm just me. I don't know how I'd fend with a whole family and no car to carry them."

"Well, it's not like we really go many places and when we do, it's so close that we walk. But those times do arise when I find myself more thankful for my car than my legs. Those occasions are typically in the winter months though."

They turned onto a side street that ran parallel to First St. to avoid being on the main road. People were kind of gawking at them as they drove by and Finn could sense Millie's unease about being stared at.

"Did you buy your car here in Wisconsin? Or did you have it shipped?" Finn realized he didn't really know how long she had been in the states. She said Louis died about five years ago, but how long had they been here before that happened?

"Here." She said, "Louis bought it about a year or so after we arrived, once he really started seeing profits from the farm." she cleared her throat then added, "I had wanted to buy a car in New York after we got off the boat but my husband had such a budget-oriented mind and, even though we very well could have afforded it, he wanted to be on more solid ground and in the end, I think it was wise. I don't know if we would have been able to afford a house the size we have if we had just bought a car. . .possibly, but I don't know."

"Your house is quite beautiful." Finn replied, "Almost Victorian looking."

"Oh I'm sorry." Millie said, turning her head toward him quickly as they walked, her hand squeezing his arm, "I didn't mean to bring up my husband on our first date, it just came out and I can't imagine what you must be thinking of me so willy nilly throwing around stories of him and us and—"