Thorns & Oranges

Keep The Change

Chapter Thirty-Three

"No parking tickets, do the speed limit, and don't wreck."

"Thank you, Dad. I'm pretty sure I know how to drive."

Even my sassy remark couldn't offset my brother at this point. He was as nervous as a mother hen as he stood inside my door as I was about to leave. He kept looking around and then giving me the "Are you sure you want to do this?" look. We'd already agreed I would drop it by the shop in the next couple of days so he could tint my windows like I wanted. He'd attached the tracker when the car sales man let us take it for a test drive. Where it was, exactly, I didn't know. I just knew it was in the car and gave me a nice, happy, cushiony safety bubble.

"Be safe."

Those were his parting words as he closed my door and let me drive off the lot without him. I glanced back using the rearview mirror and I could've sworn he was teary-eyed, with worry lines on his face I hadn't seen in years. I didn't know why, it wasn't like this was my first car. My brother was being sentimental today. Maybe it was how the morning started, with the intense hug, but he was reluctant to let me leave by myself. I had to convince him I would be ok and there was no need for him to follow me before he let the salesman hand me the keys. Originally they weren't going to let me take the car today, he said a few things needed to be tweaked with it, but my brother, being the suspicious Thorn he was, told the guy we were driving it off the lot today or not at all.

I don't know what it was but it felt good to be behind the wheel of my own car again. Freedom was lighting me up on the inside, the leash my brother had me on lengthening exponentially.

Texting while driving was a big no-no so I sent one while I waited at a rather long stop light.

Me: Hungry?

I wasn't expecting one back. In fact, I was sure he had better things to do than meet me for lunch but I promptly got a response, all before the light turned green. 

Houston: I'm always hungry. I'm a guy.

Me: Have lunch with me?

Houston: When?

Me: Now would be good. I'm starving.

Houston: Fine. Saunders Bar & Grill. Thirty minutes. You owe me a drink.

Me: Aren't you on duty?

Houston: Details.

I had to remember where Saunders Bar & Grill was. If I recalled correctly it was on the rich side of town and that just made me wonder why he'd be all the way out there. Or why he even thought they'd let me into a place like that. Hesitantly, I GPS'ed the restaurant and the thing started belting, very loudly I might add, directions to me. Normally, I liked using the thing but since I hadn't changed the voice yet, I felt like I was being yelled at by a stranger.

And no one likes being yelled at by strangers.

It took me about twenty minutes to get there and for the last ten, as I waited for Houston to arrive, I sat in the car and poked at my GPS, trying to change the voice. I was in the middle of deciding between a male British accent like Jude Law and a Hispanic accent like Antonio Bandarez when there was a knock on my driver's side window. I held up a finger to my unknown visitor and focused on the decision I was about to make.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

I flashed Houston a smile before settling on the British voice and turning off my car. I had enough men with Spanish/Hispanic/Latino accents giving me directions in life right now. There was no need to have it invade my driving experience as well.