Only You

Chapter 61: Not Good News

Molly sighed.

"Hmm?"

She stretched her leg across the couch. "You ever look at the bottom of your leg and think, 'gee, that looks awfully similar to that of a chicken leg that sits on a dinner plate.'"

Nick stared at her. "No, I can't say I do."

"Neither did I, until now." She lifted her head from his shoulder. "You ever think of giving up meat?"

"Nope."

"Hmm. Why not?"

"I just haven't."

"Well, what if one day we get chickens, and then we go to the supermarket and get some frozen chicken for dinner? Then, after cooking the thing, we look at our plates, and bam, there's a connection between a living thing and what we're eating. How could we eat a chicken when we have some of our own roaming the yard?"

"Molsie, lovely, why do we have chickens?"

"I don't know. I want fresh organic eggs."

"Uh-hum. Well then, I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable eating chicken."

"You think they have feelings?"

"I don't think someone could honestly answer that."

"Right, I don't think so either. I was talking to someone, and she was saying that animals freak out before they get killed because of instinct, not because they're scared." Molly sat up. "First, how do you know if an animal is scared? Second, humans work on innate instincts too and that obviously doesn't mean that we're feelingless."

Nick held back his smile because he knew where the conversation was heading.

"Animals sense the weather. You know I'm not into the whole science department, but there's something there. I mean, it's better than humans."

He waited.

"You know, I feel like there's something to going vegetarian."

He laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I was just betting with myself as to how long it would take you to conclude that verdict. You came to it faster than I had expected."

"I'm serious."

He took her hand. "I'm not saying you aren't."

She was about to continue speaking when her phone began to ring. "One second, my mom's calling me back from earlier. We're not through talking though; I'll be back in a few."

"Okay, beautiful."

She got off the couch and went to take the call outside. As the front door closed, Dan walked out of the kitchen and came to sit on the coffee table.

"Spring break," the almost seventeen-year-old stated.

"Spring break?"

"Yeah, some friends are thinking about going on a short vacation."

"Uh-hum."

"Would it be cool if I went?"

"A short vacation?" Nick laughed. "Where, how long, with whom? Details, bud."

"Jerry's aunt has a beach house. Two, three nights. Just a small group of friends."

"Where's the beach house?"

"Savannah."

"That's far."

"Yeah, but part of the trip will be the ride."