Chapter 121: Chance Encounters
Ranger’s POV
“Babe?”
“No.” Steph stretches and buries her face under the pillows. “You’ve woken me up at hours not known to me for the past few days. Go explore. I’ll be here when you get back.”
There’s a thought to make me smile.
“Should I ask for a room with two beds from now on?”
She sighs in obvious relief. “You don’t mind?”
“No.”
I kiss her and leave. I’m off to investigate Charlotte.
She’ll be there when I come back.
Hopefully.
Well, I’m taking her car. Where could she go?
Sigh. I grab the keys and leave before my brain starts calculating the possibilities.
—oOo—
Charlotte is often described as one of the most beautiful areas in the country. I want to find some way of romancing Steph, making sure she has a good time and finding a new way for us to have fun together.
I assume that if I can come up with a romantic date night idea in Baltimore I can do it in a city that prides itself on Southern gentility and warmth.
So far, I’m not coming up with anything.
This trip has been a good learning experience. Living with Steph is a lot different from hiding out with her in her apartment or mine. I came home to candles and pictures and shoes in the middle of the floor. There’s a woman in my bed every night and she’s a blanket hog. I’m growing addicted to the smell of her shampoo and my bath gel on her.
I’ve learned something else new about her: PMS requires a delicate balance of sweet and salty snacks, the sooner the better. I had to put on the fabric mask and make an emergency run to an all-night grocery store for Cheez-Doodles, candy bars, salt and vinegar potato chips and hot chocolate. “With marshmallows, Carlos!”
I looked at my basket and thought, I look like a college student!
The cashier looked at my selection and smirked. “Honey, I’ll hold this. Go get some Gatorade and Mountain Dew.” I stared at her. “Trust me. Oh, and Chex Mix and a frozen Sara Lee pound cake.”
The pound cake convinced me that she knew some secret of the sisterhood I didn’t (obviously). I took it all back to Steph. “Chex Mix! How did you know? And pound cake! How do you always know what I need?” I was kissed, enthusiastically. “I was going to call and ask you to add that to the list.”
“Babe.”
I couldn’t watch. She tore into all of it as if it were her last meal, sighed happily, and burped. No, that qualified as a belch. She belched. It was so funny I had to laugh.
“Yeah, yeah, ha ha ha.”
“What did you eat while on the RangeMan diet?”
She made a face. “Healthy cake and kale chips! It was terrible! No snack food at all.”
I leaned back against the headboard and smiled. “That reminded me of the lumberjack breakfast.”
She stared at the pile of empty wrappers sadly. “Let’s hope not. Uggh … I’ll have to run extra miles to work it all off! Crap!”
“Did you pass the last monthly check?”
“Yes.” She sighed. “At 74%. I gotta get back on it. I liked the ‘street cred’ I had at 80%.”
Me too, Babe. I shook my head. “Sleepy now?”
“Yeah, but no spooning. I can’t stand to be hot.” She hit the bathroom and took another shower. I laid back and smiled. She came back out, got comfortable on her back and I got as close as I could without disturbing her force field.
Hilarious.
This is new and weird and, so far, interesting. Could I live like this forever?
So far? Yes, I could.
—oOo—
It takes thirty minutes to get to RangeMan Charlotte and the guys chose an … interesting location. It’s midway between I-85 and I-77, inside 495, which is good, and has decent highway access. Plenty of shops around, two parks nearby, and the pictures online showed a four-story building. A little digging online and our new offices are located in a high-crime area, i.e., potential contacts and informants can drop by without looking out of place.
Tank was involved in this purchase. It ticks all his buttons.
I park at one of the nearby businesses and start a quick jog around the neighborhood. Ten minutes in, I spot someone I didn’t expect to see.
“Changed your jogging time?”
Armando stops and stares at me. “Sir?” he asks, peering closely. The fabric mask is in place. I nod and he wipes his brow. “Yes, sir, I did.”
I motion for him to lead because I want to see where he goes. We jog through the park behind the RangeMan building for an hour. Finally, he slows when we’re within sight of the building.
“Welcome to Charlotte, sir.”
I nod, panting. I need to get moving again. I slacked off a little over the last week. “Can I get in without being seen?”
“No, sir. The men watching the monitors are good. Even if you scramble the cameras, they’re always watching doors and windows.” He smiles. “I know. I trained them to go look the moment a camera was scrambled.”
I laugh mentally. “Explains why I can’t sneak into Miami.”
“You trained us to look, sir.”
I consider this. If the founder of a security company can’t walk into his own building and trust that the men will keep their mouths shut, it’s time to shut the company down. Besides, I’m not a fan of being cold and sweaty.
“Schedule?”
“I have a staff meeting in fifteen minutes. After that, I’m free.”
“Knock off. I want a full report.”
He nods and we enter the building. The moment I’m spotted, I can hear conversations die. Heads pop up over dividers and men back away slightly, staring closely. I make eye contact with Rod, who pales, and follow Mando to the showers. I step out and Rod’s there with RangeMan SWAT and a dry pair of socks.
“Sir. Welcome to Charlotte.”
I accept the clothes and stare at him. “I’ll speak to you after I get a tour of this building.”
He pales and swallows hard. “Yes, sir,” he whispers.
I dress, reapply the mask, and follow Mando to the conference room. It’s completely silent. I take a seat in the back, against the wall, and watch.
Everyone is curious to know who I am and if I’ll speak, but Mando runs the meeting with a firm hand. Good. This is the Armando I remember from the military but I see flashes of … something in him.
I decide to leave and roam the building. Everywhere I move, the men stare. I feel like I’m in Miami again. I can tell that they’re 75% certain it’s me, but the fabric mask is making them pause.
“Sir.” The young man who stops me looks annoyed.
“Yes?”
“Do you have a visitor’s badge?”
“What?”
“All visitors must wear a badge. I don’t see one. We don’t allow people to roam the building at will.”
I’m staring at this baby-faced little boy in surprise. Takes a moment for me to register the men biting their lips and watching avidly.
This is the Charlotte ‘Hal’. The men set him up and are waiting for me to knock him down. I don’t look like Ranger but I must be someone important. I came in with Mando, he hasn’t introduced me, and I’m roaming at will. Unless Mando’s lost his mind, there aren’t that many people I could be.
Except they don’t know that.
“My apologies.” I incline my head at him. “I was curious. Where do I need to be?”
“Follow me.”
I follow him to an empty conference room. He directs me to a chair and turns to leave.
“Name?”
“Franco.”
“You’ve been set up, Franco.” He’s silent. “Go ask the men who they think I am.”
He leaves and comes back. I’m standing against the wall smirking. He’s pale and shaky.
“Sir … sir, I—”
“Followed protocol. Unknown person walking the halls, no badge, no escort. You did the correct thing. Now, do you actually know who I am? Not a guess. 100% certainty.”
“No, sir.”
“Perhaps you should find out.”
He leaves. I wait. He returns swallowing hard.
“I’ve been authorized to allow you free access, sir.”
I straighten and extend my hand. “I don’t mind having an escort, Franco. Care to show me around the building?”
—oOo—
Mando’s POV
The staff meeting ends and everyone is nervous.
Ranger is on-site!
The moment he stepped into the conference room, hell, the building, all conversation died. Everyone was watching him. They’re pretty certain it’s him but they aren’t sure. I was tempted to intro him but I know Ranger.
The official story is that he isn’t here. Don’t do anything to contradict that. If the men think they’re looking at Ranger, fine, but don’t confirm or deny anything.
My first inspection by leadership and I get Ranger, not Steph. Shit! At least if Steph had checked us, I’d feel confident I might pass Ranger. Now I’m nervous as fuck.
Rod’s pale. Ranger’s words to him in the locker room were cool. This is judgment day for him. Me too. Only Chase looks calm and unconcerned. I dismiss everyone and turn to him.
“You’ve already spoken to him?”
He nods. “He and the CO popped up on our stakeout last night.” He turns to Rod. “Be ready to explain why you told me and Mando he was here. He was irritated by that.”
Rod’s pasty but he nods. I head to my office. Every man is silent. I stop in front of Luis. “Which way did he go?”
“He’s with Franco.” Luis smiles. “Franco didn’t recognize the visitor on sight.”
My brow rises. “And?”
“Apparently, the visitor doesn’t mind that. He does mind failure to adhere to protocol.” Luis reddens. “So Franco made out like a bandit and gets to escort the boss around.”
That’s Ranger for you. Franco will never forget every detail about Ranger’s face and body. Staring around the room, I can tell that half of the men are jealous of Franco and the other half are embarrassed. I nod.
“That could have been any one of you.” I see some heads lower in shame. “Do you know, definitively, who that is?”
Heads shake.
“Here’s a scenario for you. I run into someone outside that I know. Maybe it’s Tank’s relative, or Ranger’s, and I know who they are at first glance. I invite them to follow me in the building. I put them in an office, tell you to watch them, and step into my office. My guest leaves that office and starts wandering. Do you stop him or not?”
Immediate response. “Sir, yes, sir!”
“That’s exactly what just happened.” I look around the room. “So, what you’re all telling me is that, at this very moment, we have an unknown roaming around our building?”
The men are quiet, looking at each other. “No, sir,” Luis says. “Franco got confirmation from Rod that the visitor was to be allowed full access.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“It’s Ranger, sir. Right?”
“I don’t know. Did Rod introduce him?” Luis shakes his head. I look around the room. “Anyone know, with absolute certainty, that you just saw the CCO?” Heads shake. “Then why were you allowing him to roam in the building?”
There’s silence on the floor.
I shake my head and start walking to my office. “If that is Ranger, and I’m not saying it is, and he was checking this office out, we’ve all just failed SOPs. Brush up, gentlemen. No more security breaches at the security company.”
I step into my office and dial Mari. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hello! How’s your day going?”
I kick back in my chair. “It’s OK.” The CCO has popped up and is examining my building. After months of reminding the men to adhere to protocols, without fail, Ranger pops up and all the men forget, gawking at him. Rod’s probably in his office wheezing, trying to get a grip, as nervous as I am to hear what’s going to happen to him. I’m about to hear my fate pronounced and I’m not sure I’m ready. And you’re my rock in the insanity. I call you first. “How are you?”
“Out Christmas shopping! I can’t believe it snuck up on me this year! Since I’m not making gingerbread houses and planning dinner, I didn’t have the constant reminders. Do I need to get anything special to decorate the building?”
I consider this. “Like?”
“Maybe we could decorate a tree. I could speak to Lourdes about planning a meal, putting something special together. I don’t know. Lula and I were kicking around ideas—”
I hear a commotion in the background and sit up. “Mari? Mari! Is everything OK?”
“Yes!” She sounds breathless. “One moment, mi amor.” I hear bunch of voices in the background and one very familiar voice, apologizing a lot.
Mari is laughing. “Well, Mando, do you have something to tell me?”
“Perhaps … I hear a familiar voice in the background.”
“I’ll bet you do. Guess who I ran into, or really, who ran into me?”
I grin. “Who?”
“Stephanie.”
—oOo—
Steph’s POV
Mariela’s on the phone with Armando, telling him how she ran into me. I’m resting my feet and enjoying the scene.
“Exactly! I turned around, coffee in hand, and someone bumped me. I spilled coffee all over myself and the woman started apologizing and offered to buy me another cup and I looked at her and said ‘You’re Stephanie, aren’t you?’“ She listens then laughs. “Uh huh. I recognized her from your description. So now we’re at Starbucks having coffee. You want anything?”
Mando replies but I can’t hear him. Mari makes notes. “Well, I’ll coordinate things on this end. Have fun today!” Whatever Mando said made her smile and she answers him back in Spanish. “I‘m sure everything will be fine, my love. You’ve done a wonderful job and I’m sure Chase will give an honest report. You’ll be fine. If not, we’ll drown our sorrows in grape juice, make love, and look for jobs tomorrow. No matter what, we’ll be fine. I love you.”
She hangs up and turns to me. “Well, seems our men are hanging out together, so why don’t we?”
“Sounds good!”
—oOo—
Earlier
Romance goes both ways. What you demand of the man you love you must also give him.
Ranger planned a great date for us. I came up with a fun idea.
Does that count?
He gave me the over the top romantic date night I’d always dreamed about. Out under the stars, a romantic picnic dinner, making love, with fun and laughs the entire time. OK, so it ended with the two of us trying to avoid a search party.
He was right. My crap luck made that inevitable, but it didn’t ruin the moment. We both laughed about the fact that it just made the night seem right.
Although the stakeout was fun, it was work related. I want to give Ranger something fun and romantic that doesn’t require him to be in public. I also need something we can do that will leave us happy but not desperate for sex.
I’m completely crapping out.
I finally got up and dressed and left our hotel room. Ranger picked a hotel near the airport, following his ‘hide in plain sight’ philosophy, and he’s got the car.
I’m hungry and carless. I finally went around to the lobby to ask about nearby restaurants and the clerk pointed up the road.
“There’s a soul food place and a Salsarita’s about five minutes away walking.”
“Where’s the closest mall?”
She smiled. “SouthPark Mall. Largest mall in Charlotte and the best mall in the state, really. Nordstroms, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Belk’s, everything you’d want. It’s about 15 minutes away.”
“I don’t have a car,” I reminded her.
“Oh.” She pulled out a piece of paper and checked. “The bus stop is right outside and it’s a thirty minute trip. The bus will arrive in five minutes. Get on the one going east and it’ll take you right to the mall, miss.”
I left and, just as I was leaving, I saw the bus pulling up. I ran for it, and caught it just in time. Sure enough, thirty minutes later I was in heaven. I shopped until I was ready to drop, then headed to the Starbucks.
I walked in and got in line behind the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen in real life, who was casually but intently scanning the store. Our eyes met and I was stunned by her perfect face. Bright blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes, her look was questioning but guarded. I kept looking, although I felt a strong need to apply another layer of mascara. She was pregnant, one of those women whose pregnancies other women envy. She was just pregnant enough for you to know she was pregnant but not pregnant enough for you to try to put a hand on her belly and she was dressed in a casually chic outfit that most women try to pull off and never really can.
In short, I wanted to hate her on sight but I was too envious. I felt the way I had when I first saw Candy. If I were a man, I’d drool.
She finally turned around when her phone rang. I wasn’t trying to listen, but the moment she said ‘Lourdes’, my ears perked up. Once she mentioned speaking to Lula, I realized who it had to be. I reached forward to tap her on the shoulder and introduce myself when she turned, her coffee in hand.
My hand bumped her coffee and she dropped it. We both jumped to avoid getting splashed.
“Sorry! I’m so sorry! I’ll buy you another, Mariela!”
She shut her mouth with a snap and examined me closely. I was still apologizing and she put a hand on my arm. “You’re Stephanie, aren’t you? Calm, Stephanie. Calm down.” She smiled. “I had a decaf caffe misto with non-fat milk.” The barista had come around to wipe up the spill, so I placed my order and sat with Mari, who was teasing Mando about his failure to tell her they might have visitors.
“Well, I’ll coordinate things on this end. Have fun today!” Whatever Mando said made her smile. She answered him back in Spanish. “I‘m sure everything will be fine, my love. You’ve done a wonderful job and I’m sure Chase will give an honest report. You’ll be fine. If not, we’ll drown our sorrows in grape juice, make love, and look for jobs tomorrow.”
I smiled, pretending not to hear or understand what was being said as she and Mando said goodbye.
—oOo—
“Well, this is not the way I ever expected to meet you but hello!” she says, beaming.
“I know! I expected something calmer, but it’s nice to meet you.” I point to her stomach. “How much longer?”
“April and it won’t be a minute too soon.” She sighs. “I’ve hit the ‘graceless’ period, when the bump is just big enough to bump into everything and I’m finally pregnant, not just fat!” She smiles. “But I’m sure you don’t want to talk pregnancy. How’s the shopping?!”
We sit and talk shopping until we run out of coffee. She buys round two and we discuss where to go next. I follow her from the store as she makes arrangements with Rod to babysit tonight while we have ‘an adult dinner’.
An adult dinner? Oh no …
We climb in her car and she takes me back to the hotel so I can drop off my bags. We pick up her daughters and head to RangeMan Charlotte, which isn’t too far away.
I can tell the difference, though. The area we were in was clearly the expensive part of town. We’re in a more … interesting area now. It’s not scary, per se, but this is clearly home to working class people. Lots of car washes, dollar stores, pawn shops, and discount stores.
“To look around, it doesn’t seem that bad, does it?” Mari says, turning into the parking lot.
“No, it doesn’t. This is the bad part of town?”
She nods. “Coming from Miami, if this is the hood, I’ll take it.” I agree; Trenton’s bad area looks bad. This place doesn’t look bad at all. “But this is the minority section of town and the crime rate over here is twice that of the rest of the city.” She shrugs. “OK, so they don’t have a Starbucks. They’re ten minutes from the airport and twenty minutes from the upscale part of town.”
I’m still looking around, frowning. “So why buy over here?”
She smiles. “I guarantee you, in twenty years, you won’t be able to buy in this area under half a million.” My mouth drops. “Basically, if you cross the other side of 77, you enter another world and this is too close to city center, the airport, and the best parts of town for anyone to ignore for long. If I were the realtor, I would have told Tank to buy here too. The location is just too good.”
“I thought you were … actually, I’ve never known.”
She smiles. “Art appraiser and agent. I’m dabbling again. The arts scene here is fantastic.”
We walk in quickly, Mari with both of her girls firmly in hand. Mari waves at the RangeMan manning the desk and we hit the elevator for the fourth floor.
“Just so you know, this building is spread out. You know how monitoring is always on the fifth floor?” I nod. “Here it’s on three. Mando will have to give you a list of the changes, but you basically knock everything in Miami down two or three floors. Bobby’s apartment will be on this floor.”
“OK.”
Heads pop up to identify the visitors. Mari waves but the men are stiff, staring at me.
“Do I have something on my face?” I whisper.
“You’re the CO,” she replies. “First time they’ve seen you.”
Alyssa takes off the moment she spots her father, Elena right behind her, and he laughs and lifts each girl high above his head. “Muñequita! Have you brought me something good?”
“Yes, Daddy!” Alyssa answers, jumping up and down. “Miss Stephie’s come to visit!”
She mangles my name and it sounds the way my grandma pronounces it. Mando smiles at me. “Hi, boss. Welcome to RangeMan Charlotte.” Mari takes Alyssa’s hand and heads to Rod’s office, Elena having toddled toward him the moment she spotted him in the doorway.
“Thanks.” I’m still looking around. “This place looks huge!” And the men are still staring at me. I wave and no one twitches.
“It is. Spread out, really. Want a tour?”
“If it ends in the break room with a sandwich, sure.”
“Good idea,” Mari says, returning. “I could use a little something too.”
“At ease,” I call. No one shifts. “Relax.” Still nothing. “OK, my next command will be for everyone to stand on their heads.”
Finally! A few chuckles as everyone relaxes.
“Have you met Lourdes, Stephanie?” Mari asks.
“No.”
“Then let’s go get a sandwich and meet the newest housekeeper.”
—oOo—
Ranger’s POV
Franco and I end the tour on the first floor. This building is massive, much larger than anything I would have chosen, but looking around, I see why Tank settled on this.
We climb the stairs back to the third floor. The men are buzzing.
“Man, they’re both hot!”
“Yeah. Mari’s still my fantasy girl”—the men nearby laugh—”but the CO just made the—”
“Sir!”
Everyone turns around and stares at me. I raise a brow but never stop moving to Mando’s office, shutting the door behind me.
“Why this building?” I ask, getting comfortable on the couch. Mando puts the paperwork down and kicks back.
“Everything existing in Charlotte is large and spread out, sir. Other potential buildings were in high-traffic areas but were twice as expensive and didn’t have the potential upsides this did.”
“Which are?”
“We don’t have a parking garage yet, but we can build. We have the room to grow here.”
I agree but that’s a thought for another time. “So?”
He looks around. “I like this location.”
“How did you end up here?”
His jaw clenches. “I’m on probation, sir.”
“Why?”
“Because I lost the plot in Miami.”
I bark a laugh. “Interesting way of putting it.”
He smiles faintly. “I did. I put the family ahead of business. I never should have done that.” He starts to explain but I motion for him to stop.
“You put your sanity before all else.”
We’re quiet, looking at each other.
“I understand.” I lean forward. “My brothers have put me on probation.”
He sits back, staring at me in shock. I nod; I know I don’t have to tell him to keep his mouth shut.
“I put my sanity before RangeMan.”
“Steph?”
I nod. He looks thoughtful.
“I cannot condemn you for putting your sanity first. It would make me a hypocrite.”
“Yes, sir,” he whispers.
“I want to know what’s changed.”
He sits back and thinks. I stand. “Don’t answer me now. Think about it. Stephanie and I won’t leave until tomorrow. Give this some thought.”
He stands, still looking thoughtful. “Sir, if I may ask?”
“Yes?”
“What changed?”
“Same thing I expect happened to you.”
—oOo—
Steph’s POV
This is my worst domestic nightmare.
Ranger and I are joining another couple on an adult play date.
An old married couple at that. Mando and Mariela move in sync in the kitchen. They’re affectionate, pet names and light touches. They have little inside jokes and sly looks that have meaning. They fill in each other’s sentences and hand over items before they’re asked for. Mari places chips and salsa in front of me while Mando pops two beers and hands them over.
You want to barf watching them. They’re the couple you pick on, wondering how many years it’ll be before they divorce. They’re the couple you know will live their entire lives together, happy, with kids and grandkids and great-grandkids who think they’re ‘just so cute!’
They’re the couple everyone envies.
Every time I’ve been at one of these, I’ve felt ill at ease. Maybe because it’s because I’ve been with the wrong people, but there hasn’t been a moment where I haven’t felt a bunch of pressure.
‘You’ll be next!’ A happy sigh. ‘Invited to a dinner party with the Mrs. Orr, the First Lady of New Jersey!’ A moment of silence. ‘Pay attention, Stephanie and stop pretending to gag! This is your future. Dickie will make an excellent Governor someday and it’ll be your job to be a gracious hostess.’
Barf. No, I won’t. I refuse to do this. This is ridiculous! Who does this? Who cares about this?
‘Oh! I’m having a vision!’ I’m sure you are. ‘I see you having six babies! All boys! Strong healthy boys!’
Where did I put my pill? Perhaps I should take two …
Ranger is chatting with Mari about the art scene in Charlotte. Mando and I roll our eyes at each other. I know Ranger knows a lot about a lot of things, but art?
“How did you get into art?”
He smiles and rolls the beer between his hands, studiously avoiding the chips. Mari gave him jicama to dip with and he finished it off bare, no salsa. “Art appreciation class in college. Most fun I ever had.”
“Really?” Mari asks, beaming.
“Yeah.” He laughs. “Take Les with you to a museum and see what kind of conversation you can have. He was taking art as an elective his senior year of high school and he got bonus points with his teacher discussing his trips to the museum. We’d sit in front of a painting for thirty minutes, an hour, staring at it, pretending to be art critics.” Mari laughs. I’m trying to imagine this and …
“Les would see stuff that required an acid trip?”
“As a starter.”
We all laugh, Mari most of all. Ranger shakes his head. “I would try to see what he saw; we’d stare and discuss it. Les never saw what I did at first and vice versa.”
“Lester is very abstract,” Mari says, heating oil to stir-fry the veggies I see in front of us. “Tank?”
“Put the two of them together. Bobby and I would leave Tank and Les arguing over some abstract piece and go look at the sculptures.”
“My kind of art,” Mando says. “I like to be able to identify what I’m looking at. I don’t want to feel like the artist is playing a joke on me.”
Mari rolls her eyes. “Ten years! Ten years and I still can’t get you to appreciate the genius of Rothko!”
“I can do Rothko. Get me a paint roller. I can do Pollack too.”
Ranger raises his beer in a salute.
“I think you’re alone on this one, Mari. I call with the guys.”
She laughs. “I’m always alone. I love abstract. Mando picks on it but I love the art scene here. I can pick up works from unknown artists and really enjoy their point of view.” I watch Mari stick her tongue out at Mando playfully and Mando kisses her. Ranger drains the last of his beer and smiles.
We’re having stir-fry veggies with chicken, rice, beans, avocado salad, and flan. I can’t wait to try this. Ranger’s been eyeing the flan all evening. We sit in the dining room for dinner and have a great time. Mari has a piece she picked up on the walls and we all critique it over a glass of wine (Ranger has water). I’m relaxed and laid back, really enjoying the evening, and Mari gives us a primer on abstract art.
Art discussion over dinner. There’s something you don’t get every day.
—oOo—
Mando’s POV
I love my wife. She’s kept the evening light and amusing. No discussions of work. No talk of RangeMan. Just Charlotte, art, and Steph and Ranger’s trip so far.
“So I finally get Ranger to pull over so I can pee and where does he pull over? At the worst rest stop in all of Jersey!”
Mari and Steph laugh uncontrollably. Ranger’s lips twitch.
“It’s like they go out of their way to find the worst places to stop!”
“I know! I think I would have been OK squatting behind a tree!”
Mari shakes her head. “Want my advice? From a woman who’s road tripped with her husband?”
“Yes!”
“OK, here it is, my five rules for road tripping. One, find a bathroom every time you stop and go. Even if you don’t think you need to, go anyway. You’d be surprised.”
Steph takes out a pen and pad and starts writing.
“Two, make up a list of appropriate questions.” Mari looks at me. “The first time Mando and I road tripped, I asked him about wedding locations. He nearly lost control of the car.” Ranger leans back and laughs. Steph turns red. “Been there?”
“Different question. Different subject.”
Mari nods. “Right. Make up a list of predetermined questions. No surprises, and stick to that list of questions. That way you know what’s on the list to discuss and it doesn’t feel like you’re being ambushed. If you want to make it random, so you don’t feel like you’re checking off a list, write each question on a slip of paper and each of you draws one.”
“Good idea,” Ranger murmurs.
“Three, also known as ‘The driver is the king of the car.'” Ranger and Steph laugh. “Don’t become a side seat driver unless you are officially acting as the navigator, in which case I must say, invest in a GPS unit!” Steph falls over on her side laughing. Ranger’s shaking his head. Mari leaves with Ranger’s glass and returns with a full one. “Don’t critique how fast or slow the other person drives. Don’t fiddle with the heat or AC unless you have dual temperature controls. Agree on music before—”
Both Ranger and Steph have tears falling down their cheeks. I haven’t seen Ranger laugh that hard since my wedding. I smile. “Been there?”
“Ranger has no appreciation for Metallica.”
“Or Megadeth, Anthrax, Garbage or the majority of the heavy metal you played. Journey, Genesis, the 80s soft rock? I’m OK with that.”
He waits. Steph shakes her head. “The allure of Shake ya Ass is beyond me.”
“Show me whatcha workin‘ with,” I mutter and Ranger nods his head on beat. Mari slaps my arm. “What! It was the club jam in college! We danced to that and more Celine Dion than I ever want to admit to.” She blushes and Ranger grins.
Mari and I glance at each other. “You’re alone there, Steph,” Mari says.
“Fine.” She makes a face. “What else?”
“Four, it’s OK not to spend every moment with each other.” She smiles. “Mando and I had our first huge fight on our first road trip. That’s how I came up with these rules. We both bought into the idea that on a road trip we should spend all our time together and be romantic and do things we never do and yeah, you should but it’s not like you’re going to live like that all the time. You’re already in a car, for a long time, over a long distance. You’re already spending a lot of time together, so make some time to be apart.”
“We’re good there,” Ranger says.
“Yeah, they are, Mari,” I reply, looking at my wife. “After all, you found Steph at the mall and Ranger came to RangeMan.”
She nods. “I know, but make it a point to do that at every stop. Be romantic and romance each other, but get away from each other for a little while. Too much togetherness can drive you insane.”
“Good point,” Steph mutters.
“Not enjoying my company?” Ranger asks.
“You don’t need to watch me floss my teeth.”
He grins. “I’d prefer not to.”
She rolls her eyes at him then turns back to Mari. “Number five?”
Mari smiles and grasps my hand. “You’re on a road trip with this person for a reason. You enjoy his company. You like being with him. He makes you laugh and he makes you mad. That’s pretty much how it’s gonna be for the rest of your life. You trust him and he trusts you.” She smiles at me. “You know the old saying? You put two cats in a bag and they’ll either fight to the death or become friends for the rest of their lives?” Steph nods. “That’s a road trip.”
“You were both solo operators. Relationships require give and take,” Ranger says, smiling at Steph. “I’ve road tripped plenty with Tank, Les and Bobby. It made us who we are. You road-tripped with your crew to Houston.”
“That was a short distance!”
“Doesn’t matter. Rules still apply.”
Steph nods, lost in thought.
“Exactly,” Mari says. “It’s the first big test of any relationship. Can you make it to the end without killing each other? If you can, you’ll probably make it to the very end without killing each other.” Mari smiles. “And since I drove up here with my girls in the backseat, wishing Mando was with me the entire time, I’ll say this now: If you can do it once you have kids, nothing will break you apart.”
—oOo—
Mari and I wave as Ranger and Steph pull off. I lock the house up tight and join Mari in cleaning up the kitchen.
“I had fun tonight,” Mari says, smiling.
“Me too.” By the time we moved to the family room to talk, I was comfortable again, at ease. I kiss Mari. “Thank you.”
“For?”
“Not allowing the evening to be dominated by work.”
“I think all of you forget to leave that building behind sometimes. Besides, I need adult conversation too! I’m a stay-at-home mommy. My brain needs exercise!”
I laugh. “You’re still as sharp as the day I met you.”
“Keep telling me that, Mando.” She sighs and leans against me. “Sometimes I think my brain’s rotted away with Dora and Miguel and Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina and play dates and ballet. I was desperate for some adult conversation tonight!”
“Need more time away from the girls?”
“No. I need more people to talk to.” She tilts her head back and smiles at me. “Talking to Stephanie tonight was fun because she doesn’t have kids. I had to remember what it was like to talk to someone who could only nod at your pregnancy stories. I call Cindy if I want to moan about being pregnant.”
I rub her back and smile.
My son! I made that! I rub her belly and my son pokes my hand. “Hello son,” I whisper. “Everything still cozy in there?”
“Talk to him tonight, after I go to sleep,” Mari says, rolling her eyes. I talked to each of our children while they were in utero. I want them to know, every moment of their existence, that Daddy loves them.
I check the caveman instinct for a minute. “I’m picking Ranger up on the way in tomorrow. Steph will have her car and they leave for Atlanta tomorrow afternoon. I’m not sure what her plans are.”
“Shopping. We agreed to meet up again.”
Good. Everything squared away. We turn the lights off and go to bed.
—oOo—
I want to know what‘s changed.
I’m sitting in the living room, in the dark, when Mari walks in. “Mando? Querido?” I open my arms and cover Mari with the blanket once she’s comfortable in my arms.
We sit quietly before she pokes me. “Well?”
“Ranger asked me what’s changed.”
“And?”
I look down at her. “Everything.”
“Then why are you out here at two a.m. instead of in bed warming my feet?”
I chuckle. “Because nothing’s changed.”
