Thomas was up for a pony ride, as well as a camel ride, and a llama ride. He also wanted to sit on a rhino statue and a turtle on the way out. Nicole got plenty of pictures as they basically shut the place down. They hit a gift shop again on the way out.
The excited conversation all the way home was about how cool the zoo was. Nicole was not nearly as animated as the Wolfes were, but she joined in because she’d had a great time, too. When they pulled up to the house, Adam was there, waiting.
“We went to the zoo!” Thomas beamed as soon as he was out of the car. He charged his father and tried to tell Adam about the trip, but all anyone could understand was the word zoo. Adam smiled and nodded, looking a bit confused.
“It was Dane’s first time!” Luke said as he went over to his father.
Adam’s brown eyes went wide, and he looked at Danny. When he saw Danny, it seemed that he remembered who she was and what she had been through. His gaze softened and he seemed somewhat sorrowful for her circumstances. Glancing at Danny, Nicole could tell that she wasn’t moved by her older brother’s expression.
“Did you two thank Dane and Nicole for such a fun day?” Adam asked his sons, hands on their shoulders.
The pair went back to their aunt and her partner. There were thanks and hugs all around. Danny and Nicole made sure the duo had all of their souvenirs with them as they got into their father’s car. Adam didn’t drive off immediately. He stared at Danny, his eyes slightly wet.
“I’m sorry you missed out on so much stuff as a kid,” Adam said softly.
Danny waved him off. “You don’t know what I really missed out on,” she said and then turned her attention to the boys. “Bye, guys. I hope you come back next weekend.”
“We will!” Thomas said, waving goodbye already.
“Let’s go to Fun Land,” Luke said with a bright smile. It was an amusement park geared toward small children.
“We’ll see, buddy,” Dane replied. There were more goodbyes before Adam eventually drove away.
***
Nicole and Dane sat down for dinner after they made sure Haydn had food in his bowl. Nicole’s dear friend and coworker, Mina, had been kind enough to bring the pup back to them, so they didn’t have to make the trip. They were also happy to hear that Mina had walked him before bringing the dog home.
“So, how was your first trip to the zoo?” Nicole inquired, as if she didn’t know. The little smirk on her face told the whole story.
Dane grinned and decided against holding back. She wanted Nicole to understand how amazing the whole day was and how much she appreciated it.
“It was great! Don’t think I don’t know why we went there, too. Thanks for trying to give me bits of a childhood, angel. You’re one of a kind. I really appreciate this,” Dane reached across the kitchen table and held onto her partner’s hand. “You’re the best.”
Nicole shook her head. “You deserve normal things in your life, just like anybody else. There’s no reason that you’ve never been to the zoo as a child. That’s just a shame. How about we go to the aquarium when we have the boys again?”
Dane shrugged. “I’ve never been, but it sounds cool. They got sharks?” She watched a lot of nature programs now, finding herself curious about the natural world, and sharks seemed very interesting.
Nicole nodded. “Several species.”
“Cool! I look forward to it.”
Antibodies
“So, what are we doing now?” Mina asked as she and Nicole wandered down the street. They were supposed to be at the gym.
“I want to get Danny a promise ring,” Nicole replied. Why is this such a hard concept to grasp?
Mina’s face scrunched up. “Why?”
“To let her know she’s important to me and I’m working toward bettering myself for marriage just like she is.” It took a lot of self-control not to say duh. There was no need to be rude. She was just anxious and a bit upset, but not with Mina.
Mina arched an eyebrow. “And you need a ring to do that?”
“That’s generally how a relationship works. You have a ring, do you not?”
Mina waved it off. “A wedding ring and an engagement ring, but because I’m actually married. Last I walked down crazy-relationship road with you, you ended up in a domestic partnership that you don’t want to call a marriage, and now you want to get an engagement ring that isn’t an engagement ring.”
Nicole sighed. “Maybe I should’ve just brought Clara.”
Mina scowled. “Ouch. I’m losing best friend status over asking questions and being me?”
Nicole sighed again and realized she was being hard on Mina. She was bothered, though, and couldn’t take it out on the real person it was directed toward. She took Mina’s hand and smiled at her for a second.
Mina chuckled. “So, now you want to tell me what’s up?”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s just, Danny’s mother came over a couple of days ago, and I’m a little messed up over it.”
“Why are you messed up over it?”
Nicole scratched her head with her free hand. “Mina…I don’t think either of us will ever be able to really imagine what Danny’s life used to be like, but imagine thinking for twenty-five years of your life that no baby pictures of you existed.”
Mina took a moment and stared ahead of them. Her brow furrowed and her braids shifted slightly. She glanced at Nicole and shook her head.
“I don’t even know how to feel about that,” Mina said.
“I know. It seems like nothing to us. Somewhere out there, we both know there’s a ton of pictures of us that no one even looks at anymore, but there are tons. The idea of no baby pictures is something we can’t even fathom, but this was Danny’s reality up until a couple of days ago.”
Mina shook her head again. “I don’t even know how to take that. How do you not take pictures of a baby? Shit, I took pictures of my first car when I got it.”
“There’s so much in Danny’s life that’s like that. I wish I could tell you.”
Once more, Mina shook her head. “You don’t have to. So, the hunt for a complementary ring for a complementary promise?”
“More than that. All of Danny’s life, she’s been told you’re not good enough, you’re not worth it, and you can be thrown away. I need her to know she is worth it, she is good enough, and I would never throw her away.”
Mina nodded. “You’ll need a hell of a great ring to say all of that. Unless, of course, there’s more.”
“I don’t want to make a grand gesture out of it. Danny’s best days are when we do something normal and completely boring. I figured I’d cook for her and play some of her favorite jazz music while we eat.”
“She really is a cheap date.”
“One of the many things I love about her. Sort of like you being crabby and mistrustful, but Shawn keeps you around,” Nicole said smiling.
Mina laughed and lightly pushed Nicole. Nicole laughed, too, and they were fine again. Mina always reminded Nicole of her cousins on her father’s side, the ones closer to her in age.
“What kind of ring would Danny wear? She doesn’t really wear jewelry, right?” Mina asked.
“She doesn’t own any jewelry beyond her piercings.”
“Maybe you should get her a promise eyebrow ring.”
Nicole laughed again, but didn’t respond as they came to the first store. They walked in and went right to the ring display.
A sales rep appeared in front of them. “May I help you ladies?”
“Just browsing for now,” Nicole answered.
“Anything in particular?”
Nicole thought on it for a moment. Did she have anything in mind? She glanced down at the plain promise ring on her finger. For a brief second, she considered getting something that matched her ring, but then thought better of it. Danny deserved a unique ring that fit her personality.
“I don’t really have anything in mind right now,” Nicole replied.
“All right. Feel fre
e to call me if you need anything,” he said.
Nicole nodded, her eyes focused on the rings. Mina looked them over as well. She pointed to a couple, but they didn’t speak to Nicole. They weren’t good enough for Danny.
“You think she could pull off a guy’s ring?” Mina was looking at several men’s bands.
“I don’t think it would look particularly attractive on her if it’s too big. She has long, graceful fingers. She used to play piano, after all.”
“So, her fingers are too good for these?” Mina teased.
Nicole only snorted. Nothing really caught her eye, and they ended up leaving without making a purchase. There were several shops, though. Surely one would have a good ring.
***
Dane growled and resisted throwing her game controller. Instead, she pushed back on the sofa. Terri gave her a sideways glance while flashing a teasing grin. Dane made sure to focus on the television, even as it reminded her that Terri had won, yet again.
“Your mind’s not on the game,” Terri said.
Dane only snorted. She knew it was obvious. She was losing so badly each time they played, she might as well just sit on her controller. She probably should’ve told Terri to find something else to do with her afternoon, but she really wanted a distraction. She wanted someone who wouldn’t look at her and wonder if she needed to talk. Unfortunately, Terri proved to be the wrong candidate. Well, there were worse choices. Had she invited Crow over, she’d have had a therapy session on her hands right now.
“So, what’s going on? Trouble in paradise?”
Dane snorted. The last time Terri had seen her upset, she and Nicole had been having a little communication trouble. But, that was months ago. Everything was all right with them, now.
“It’s nothing like that,” Dane replied. It is my damned mother. No, Christine. It was Christine.
“You want to talk about it?”
“Nope. Just want to kick your ass in this game.” There was nothing to talk about because she didn’t have a freaking clue how she felt about it. Hell, she didn’t even know what it was.
Terri gave a soft grunt and they started up a new game. Dane was mostly button mashing. She couldn’t really focus like she wanted to.
Was Christine the problem? Dane had lived her life with this ghost hanging over her. It bothered her, yes, but not like this. This was raw, new. It didn’t make any sense. Why was it new? Because she’s playing with you now. Before, you knew where you stood, and now you don’t have a fucking clue about anything.
“Dude!” Terri threw her hands up.
“Huh?” Dane turned to her.
Shaking her head, Terri scowled. “You’re not even trying! You stood there while I walloped you. Now, what’s going on?”
Dane scratched her head. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on. There’s just something on my mind.”
“What something?”
Dane rubbed her forehead. “That’s just it. I don’t know.”
She couldn’t make sense of it, even if she tried. Was she more hurt? Less hurt? Did she care more or less? No, she was just confused.
“You wanna talk about it?”
“I can’t really talk about it. I don’t know what it is. It’s bugging me, but I don’t know why.”
Terri sighed and gave her a little half-smile. “I wish I could help…or at least get a better fight out of you.”
Dane shook her head. She didn’t know what to say and didn’t really have a comeback for the tease. Thankfully, she didn’t have to think of a smartass comment, as she noticed Nicole’s car pull into the driveway.
“Guess that’s my cue.”
“You don’t have to leave, you know?” Back when Terri first started hanging out with Dane, Nicole hadn’t been too happy with Terri being there when she came in. Of course, that was because Nicole thought Dane and Terri were going to get together, which was pretty crazy. Since then, Terri didn’t like to stick around too long when Nicole showed up.
“I know, but you need someone to talk to, and I think she’ll have better luck if I’m not here.”
Dane couldn’t really argue with that and it was the best excuse Terri ever had for leaving right after Nicole showed up. She might as well let Terri have this one. She walked Terri to the door just as Nicole opened it. Terri greeted Nicole and bid farewell to Dane in the same breath. The door shut before Dane even realized Terri was on the other side of it.
“She seemed like she was in a hurry,” Nicole said as they watched Terri drive away.
“Yeah, she wasn’t having much fun with me.” Dane shrugged.
Nicole studied her. “Why? You two aren’t fighting, are you?”
Dane grinned. “I think that was the problem. We weren’t fighting.”
For a moment, Nicole’s forehead wrinkled and then she smiled. “I get it. Why weren’t you fighting?”
“Yeah, my mind wasn’t in it.” Dane ran her hand through her hair. Before Nicole could ask questions, she decided to redirect the conversation. “You were gone much longer than usual. Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. How about you?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She put her hand through her hair. Noticing green eyes on her, she quickly dropped her hand. “Uh…why the bags?” She nodded down to the grocery bags in Nicole’s grip. Usually, Dane handled the grocery shopping.
“Oh.” Nicole smiled. “I’m going to make you a nice dinner.”
Dane blinked. “Why?”
“No reason.” Nicole disappeared into the kitchen.
Dane decided to leave her girlfriend be. Returning to the living room, she turned off the game and picked up her writing pad. She might be able to sort herself out through music. Writing a song might be the way to go. If she couldn’t get lyrics, she’d just pick her guitar and try to get the music.
***
Nicole hummed as she worked in the kitchen, trying to keep up with Danny’s light strumming. She had poked her head in on Danny, not too long ago, and saw her struggling with a blank page on her writing pad. Now, she was trying something that sounded almost like the blues, but was a little too up-tempo.
“Something’s bothering her,” Nicole muttered. She saw it in those grey eyes the moment she’d entered the house. At first, she thought something happened with Terri since Terri left so quickly, but then again, Terri always left minutes after she came in.
Now, she knew it was bigger than Terri. Danny was stuck on her music. She couldn’t write lyrics and everything she played had that same weird blues-rock quality to it. She stopped abruptly every couple of minutes, let out a frustrated sigh, and started playing something else that sounded very much like the thing she’d just stopped playing. This was probably about Christine.
“Maybe she’ll talk about it over dinner. I don’t want her to carry this around with her.” Nicole sighed.
After she put the food on, she was tempted to go talk to Danny, but decided to wait. Danny seemed to be trying to work through it on her own, through her music. She might be able to do it, even if the music told a different story.
So, while waiting for the food, Nicole went to take a shower. She didn’t say anything to Danny when she went through the living room, and Danny didn’t look up from her guitar. After her shower, Nicole decided to dress up for the occasion, if only to lift Danny’s spirits and it’d be fun. She donned one of her little black dresses and made her way back to the kitchen. Danny looked up from her guitar that time. Nicole smiled at her.
“Uh…you going somewhere?” Danny asked.
Nicole laughed. “I have a date.”
“You do? Lucky dog,” Danny said with a lopsided grin.
“I suppose. Hopefully, I’m not stood up.”
Danny ripped off of the couch and limped up the stairs, probably going to change. Nicole took the time to make them plates and set it up pretty. She poured fruit punch into the wine glasses. Glancing out, she wanted to see if Danny was on her way. The coast was clear, so
she went to a drawer and pulled out the little ring box she’d stashed there earlier. She smiled and secured it by her chair as she heard approaching footsteps.
“Hope I’m not late,” Danny commented with a smile, as she stepped into the kitchen.
Nicole smiled back. “Of course not.” She took in Danny’s appearance. Danny had on beige shorts with a white shirt and a dark blue vest. “You look kind of fancy,” she added with a smirk.
Danny smiled back. “Says the woman in a dress.”
“I wear dresses all the time.”
“Yes you do.” Danny’s gaze went to the table. “Now, to what do I owe the honor?” Danny asked, as she moved over to the nook.
“It’ll explain itself as it goes along,” Nicole answered as she sat down.
Danny nodded. “This about my mother?”
Nicole sighed, wishing Danny hadn’t jumped right into that. She’d like to have a fun, good dinner, before they approached that elephant in the room. “You tell me, is it?”
Danny shook her head. “I can’t really figure it out. She makes me crazy.” She made a show of circling her ear with her index finger.
“How so?”
“That’s just it, I don’t know. I don’t know how I feel about her, or her visit, or her pictures, or whatever the fuck else. Nick, I just don’t know, and I don’t know what to do. It makes no sense to me. How can she make me this nuts?”
Nicole reached across the table and took Danny’s left hand. Danny squeezed and took a deep breath. Nicole waited. Danny needed time and she’d give her that. They ate in silence for a while.
“I like your orange chicken, especially with these beans,” Danny said, after swallowing one of several forkfuls.
“I thought you’d like it this way.” Nicole enjoyed playing around with meals when she got a chance to.
There was a beat of silence. “Why’d she share her father with me?”
Nicole wished she had an answer for that. She wished she had any answer for Danny when it came to Christine. Nicole had already fumbled this once. She had no business tackling it again, not that she had any business tackling it the first time.
Bandages Page 7
