The Science of Growing Apart

18- Diana

I think Casey felt such a bond toward my dad because he didn't have very many fatherly figures in his life. Most of his childhood, it was just Eleanor and then Micah came into the picture when we were fourteen at about the exact same as I did. But Micah was still young, only twenty two at the time and definitely wasn't ready to be a role model for a growing teen, even though he tried his best.

So because Casey didn't have a father, I shared mine and at some point down the line, he just kind of became our dad. He even started doing some things with just Casey when I didn't want to go. They would go on fishing trips together without me and I was always so curious about what they talked about on those trips.

I didn't mind sharing, especially since I adopted Eleanor as my sister and he had to share too. For the four years of our friendship, we adopted each other's broken families and it all became a beautiful mess but it was also kind of cohesive and it worked.

Which is why I wasn't surprised at all when Casey wanted to come bowling with me, my dad, and Diana on Tuesday. When we arrived at the bowling alley, he was practically bursting with excitement and even though my dad was not much of a hugger, Casey barreled into his body so quickly that he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"Wow, I didn't even get an introduction like that," I teased him as I reached around them to see Diana, who stood laughing beside my dad. She was a tall, lean woman with olive skin and light brown hair peppered with some gray. "Hi, I'm Josie. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"You too," she smiled politely at me and then glanced at the two hugging men. "And this is Casey, I take it?"

"Oh, no this is just some guy. No idea who it is," I said jokingly. "He's probably harmless. I hope."

"I'm going to go get us drinks. Is beer okay for everybody?" Diana asked and then we all nodded and she headed toward the bar.

"It's good to see you too, Casey," my dad said with a warm little laugh. "It is you, right? I can hardly recognize you, you've tripled in size."

"It's amazing what late stage puberty can do to a person," he responded, even though I knew he worked out and I didn't know why he would put it all on puberty when he had clearly worked hard to create all that he had going on. But knowing Casey, the working out really was just for the routine of it, to burn some stress, and the body that followed was a side effect of that.

"Diana's cute," I told my dad. "But how's your lady friend going to take it when you get beat by your own daughter?"

He let out a deep, throaty laugh and patted my shoulder. "I don't think we'll ever have to worry about that, kiddo."

I returned his laugh with one of my own and said, "Don't underestimate me. I learned from the best."

"The best is still the best," he assured me with just as much competitiveness as me. He was the one I got it from after all. At the lane, we all started trading our regular shoes for bowling shoes.

"Well, I already know that I'm in for a humiliating game. I probably haven't bowled since the last time I came with you guys," Casey said, tying up the rented bowling shoes. "So I'm definitely going to be rusty. You'll have to go easy on me, Mickey."

Dad laughed and gave Casey a sympathetic pat on his shoulder as a way to say 'no way in hell, bud' because my dad never went easy on anybody, not when it came to bowling.

"Why didn't you bring Rebecca?" I asked Casey as Diana returned to the table with four beers in one of those drink holders and then started putting on her own pair of rental shoes.

He glanced in my direction before quickly averting his gaze to the floor. "She's busy studying. And I don't think she'd want to come bowling, really. She's kind of a germaphobe."