The Paralyzed Dream (COMPLETED)

Chapter Eight (Heavily Revised)

     "Thank goodness we are here. I am starving." Slade said, pulling into Connie's ice cream parlor. 

     "I'm pretty hungry, too." Lacey admitted. Slade was already helping her out of his truck and into her wheelchair. 

     "So, what do you recommend here, food wise, I mean." Slade asked Lacey as he looked up to the menu board once they were inside the small shop. 

     "Personally, I recommend the Reuben sandwich, but I have a hankerin' that you're not much of a sauerkraut guy, so I would either go with the roast beef melt or the fried bologna sandwich." Lacey replied. Reading the menu board, she wasn't surprised how little it had changed in the time since she had been here last. Granted, there were several new sandwiches offered, and different ice cream flavors, but pretty much everything else was the same. 

     "I think I am fixin' to go with the roast beef melt." Slade ordered. Turning to Lacey, he motioned for her to order. 

     Lacey rolled her wheelchair closer to the counter where she placed her order. "And I will take the Reuben sandwich, please." 

      After Slade paid and got their drinks, he turned to Lacey, asking, "Would you like to sit inside or out on the patio?" 

     "Patio is fine." Lacey smiled, unsure why she was still so nervous. Looking at Slade, Lacey wondered if he, too, was nervous. If he was, he certainly didn't show it. 

     Slade, being the gentleman he is, held open the door for Lacey, allowing her to choose their seats. Settling on a table on the far end of the patio, under the shade, Lacey set the brakes on her wheelchair after sliding under the table top. She was thankful the table had chairs and not benches, so she could roll her wheelchair right up to the table.  

     Slade took a seat across from Lacey at the little table. The two made small talk until Slade's name was called over the microphone, telling him their order was ready. Coming back a few minutes later, Slade set the tray of delicious smell, steaming sandwiches down on to the table. Before doling out the plates, Slade took off his cowboy hat, then held out both his hands. "Let's say grace." Slade said to Lacey. 

     Lacey reached across the table, slipping her hands into Slade's warm, calloused hands as he said a prayer. Tuning out the prayer like she had gotten so good at doing, Lacey tried thinking of other things instead of his prayer. Slade's soothing, deep voice seem to draw Lacey in, however. She didn't want to tune it out; in fact, she wanted the opposite- she wanted to listen to his voice more. 

     For the first time in a long time, Lacey actually listened to the prayer that was being prayed. He thanked God for the food, for the beautiful weather, and for Lacey and their time that they were getting to spend together. Lacey smiled when Slade said that; her smile only grew when Slade slightly squeezed her hands, his thumb slowly rubbing little circles on her hands.

     Quicker than Lacey would've liked, Slade concluded his prayer, letting go of her hands. After handing Lacey her plate and sandwich, Slade said, "Now, I hope that you don't mind, but I was thinkin' that we could get ice cream here afterwards as our dessert, then I have one more little surprise for you." He added a wink to the end of that sentence. 

     Lacey swallowed her little bite of sandwich before replying to Slade. "Yeah, sure. Ice cream sounds so good, actually. I was goin' to ask you if we could get ice cream after this." Lacey chuckled. She kept her hands around her sandwich so she wouldn't fiddle with her hair like she always did whenever she was nervous. "The ice cream we ate the other day was actually Willie's."