Chapter 17

17

PORTER

I couldn't believe my luck. Here, I had been trying to convince myself that Gina didn't really care, but she had driven all the way out here to find me. It was obvious she thought I would be angry, but the anger had dissolved the moment I saw her face in the diner. Only joy remained. She had followed me into the real world.

I went to work that day with a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon on my face. No one could get me down, not bitter customers or sarcastic Derrick. I had packed a lunch for myself, another one of those normal people milestones that I seemed to be hitting left and right. Before treatment, I had never eaten lunch, choosing to use the time off to get high or get drunk. Now, I had my cooler like the rest of the guys, with an apple, a banana, some nuts, and crackers. I still hadn't graduated to cooking, but the drink I brought along was a protein shake instead of beer, so that was enough of a breakthrough.

I sat down in the employee lounge, which was really just a back room with a table and a fridge. I grabbed my lunch and ate it as the rest of the guys shuttled in and out, remarking on my newfound hunger.

"I see you're eating better," Mr. Matthews said.

I nodded over my banana.

"No sandwich?" another worker asked, sitting down next to me.

"I'm off of sandwiches for a lifetime." I grimaced, remembering the soggy tuna fish and bleached ham and cheese of the past few weeks.

I smiled at the delivery driver after the paperwork was signed and all the logs had been removed from his truck. He gave me a strange look, as if people in our line of work shouldn't be too happy.

"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

"I have a date," I said stupidly.

"Ah." He tilted his head back and laughed, climbing into his rig.

When the workday was done, Mr. Matthews came by personally to thank me. It might have been something my counselor encouraged him to do or his way of checking up on me. Either way, it was endearing. I felt like I owed him a lot, and maybe with his help, I could manage to stay in line.

"Good job today, Porter." He clapped me on the back.

"Thanks," I said.

"You seem happy."

There was no way I was going to tell my boss that I was planning on seeing his daughter later. There was only so much support one man could offer another, and I knew I had a hell of a lot more to prove before Old Man Matthews would see me as anything even close to good enough for his girl. I didn't want to chance a lecture or a disapproving eye, so I concocted another reason for my high spirits.

"I'm gonna get a TV."

"Nice, what brand?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I dunno. I'll see when I get to the store."

"Okay." He gave me a weird look, like he thought something might be up. Then he shrugged it off, giving me the benefit of the doubt. "Have fun."

"Thanks," I said, hopping into my truck.

I drove straight home instead of going to the diner. I wanted a chance to shower and change before meeting Gina. A day of hard labor left me sweaty and grimy, and I wanted our first date to be memorable for something other than my body odor. The communal bathroom on the third floor was in use, so I went down to the second floor. That bathroom was available but wasn't the one I habitually used. The water pressure was low, so I had to spend twice as long rinsing off. I finally managed to get clean, wrapped my ass in a towel, and hiked up the stairs to my room.

I had few wardrobe choices, but I did have a couple shirts that looked better than my work shirts. I opted for jeans and a white polo, threaded a belt through the loops, and crowned it with my dad's old belt buckle. I had no mirror, so I just had to hope that I looked decent and not too much like a father who just went golfing. It had been long enough that I wondered if Gina would still be there when I returned to the diner. Turns out, I didn't need to worry. Pulling into the parking lot, I found her waiting outside, leaning up against her Mazda, smiling.