Chapter 11: A Gift From Stony.
***Thursday, August 15, 2304***
On Thursday afternoon Alicia texted that she would be in late Friday night, but not to pick her up since the committee had arranged for a limo service. It was the first good news I'd had since White Girl Pride Day and perfect timing coming into a three day weekend. Everyone had Friday off to commemorate the great victory in the Battle of Dallas, the one that changed everything when the blacks achieved final dominance in the year 2093. I'd use the day off to get the house perfect for my wife's return. Then I'd have Alicia back to myself.
Thursday night as I left the office around 5:45 I saw Stony alone in the parking lot. Her junker had quit on her again. I was still a little peeved with her but knew I had to help. She was after all a kid, a really good kid, who meant well even when she got inappropriate. I got out the cables and tried, but this time nothing. I looked under the hood and found that her charm manifold, the thing that converts free electrons to a steady current, was clogged with dirt. I tried cleaning it out with some rags but nothing helped. It was too far gone. Finally I had to tell her we should leave it in the secured lot, that I could give her a lift home and a ride in on Monday.
When we got in my car, a pretty nice two year old Prima Nocta purchased with my 12% company discount, Stony was being super grateful and so nice. I realized I had no idea where she lived so she had to direct me towards Tonyplay, which is one of North Porter's nicer suburban neighborhoods.
In the car she smiled, touched the back of my hand, and asked, "Still friends?"
I smiled back and said, "Still friends." With someone like her it can end just that quick.
I may have got a little full of myself right then. A big shot. A celebrity. Married to a Pharaoh-finalist. Killing it at work. A knight in shining armor alone with a pretty black girl. Can you blame me?
We loosened up and chatted like before, just the usual news and office gossip. Arnie's wife was pregnant again. Fred pinched Rhonda's ass in the break room but she wasn't going to report him since he was usually a nice guy. Alicia would be home the following night. Tommy had lost the Gibbons account and was in dangerous territory with Roger. Judy in Accounting came in 19th place and we were all really proud of her too.
We grew quiet driving down a very pretty forested lane. Dusk was coming on.
Stony touched my hand softly to show she knew how much I missed my wife.
"Hey, ever been to Lake Tony?"
"Aahhh. I don't think so."
"Pull in. This next right...beyond the big sycamore...kind of hidden...yeah, here...it's really nice, especially this time of evening...no one's ever around."
I pulled in the heavily rutted dirt road and we were able to take it all the way up to a little bluff overlooking the lake. I parked and we looked out through a stand of pretty trees to the shining lake before us. The sun was about set.
"Isn't it amazing? I think this is the prettiest place in town. I just love it."
"Yeah. It is nice." Leave it to Stony to cheer me up.
We undid our seatbelts and reclined a bit for comfort. We sat quietly for a while, just enjoying the breeze and scents and staring out over the water.
Stony started to tell me about her family, how her Dad had passed when she was just five, how her Mom was a bookkeeper. That money was pretty tight and that she and her Mom loved each other like crazy. That her Mom was fierce and strong and proud and how they argued more now that Stony was an adult. How she, Stony, had exactly one boyfriend in high school, and how he turned out to be the single biggest loser in the history of Black America.
Her voice was unrushed and soft and peaceful. Soothing. I felt bad about some of what she said, but happy at least that she and her Mom loved each other so much. And that she appreciated the hardship her Mom suffered. She has such a good heart.
We went quiet again and enjoyed the last remnants of sunlight shining up the lake. We heard birds cooing in the bushes and trees, the hoot of an owl in the distance. The breeze was light and refreshing after the heat of the day. A scent of earth and flowers and pine was in the air. I asked Stony did she want some radio music but she just shook her head slowly.
Finally Stony asked, "Do you think Bri meant it?"
Even though the memory of it was the farthest thing from my mind, I knew immediately what she meant. I played dumb just in case.
"Meant what?"
Stony rolled her eyes at me. "You know what I mean. That weird thing. You know feasting on that girl."
"Yeah."
"Yeah she meant it? Or yeah you know what I mean?"
"I don't know. I couldn't believe it either. Bri is a pretty crazy girl sometimes, even if she is married to an upper."
"Yeah. But she's really nice."
"Yeah, she is. But pretty radical if you ask me. She makes me nervous."
Stony giggled at that and we let it sit there for a bit. We were quiet again.
Stony sounded a bit hoarse when she said, "Weird I know but I...can I tell you? the actual truth?"
I suddenly realized this was getting dangerous. A white man with a black girl in a car by a lake.
She didn't wait for my answer. "It's just you're the only one I can really talk to."
"Yeah, same here." Which sort of popped out of nowhere since I'd never even thought that to myself before. I was amazed at myself, at my own feelings, and yet, somehow, it did feel right.
"And it like...don't get mad...I know it's crazy but...it like kinda made me hot."
I was nervous, didn't say a word. Checked my nose.
"You know, like later, when I got home and went to bed. And I...you know...just kind of pictured it for the first time in my life."