Shoe Strings

although he could tell by
the quirk of her lips she was goading him.   “Because when you raft the Powollachee, you’re going to have to do some
rowing.   You may as well learn now.”
    “Who said I was rafting the Powollachee?”
    “You already admitted you’re bored with this.   You deserve a little excitement in your
life, Angelita, and I’m the one who’s going to give it to you.”   In more ways than one, he thought.   She did too, if the look she gave him
were any indication.   He was happy
to row if that meant they got to the cabin sooner.   “That’s good.   Use your whole body to row, not just
your arms.”
    Thirty seconds later, she stopped rowing and placed the
paddle on her lap.   “This is harder
than it looks.   No wonder you’re in
such good shape.”
    A crack of thunder had her eyes popping out like
saucers.   “Jesse, how much farther?”
    “I don’t know.   I
haven’t rafted over here since high school.   We’ve been on the water for an hour and
a half.”   He shrugged, even though
he knew for certain they weren’t anywhere close to being done.   And they’d stopped for lunch.   She wasn’t going to be happy.   “It could be a least that much farther.”
    ***
    DJ’s Biscuit House had mostly cleared out from the Saturday
rush.   Kerri Ann and Ty snagged a
corner booth and settled in for the best biscuits in town.   She watched Ty eat his first biscuit in
three bites and in less time than it took her to unfold the wrapper from the
one she’d ordered.   The kid had a
hollow leg.  
    “Slow down and taste it, Ty.   You might enjoy it more.”
    His only reply was a full-mouthed smirk.   He was hopeless.   “You and your dad have a good time last
night?”   She knew she needed to go ahead
and dive into the prepared talk she’d rehearsed in the car on the drive
over.   She found it hard to
concentrate on anything after the kiss Bryce had given her as they parted this
morning.  
    He nodded and swallowed, washed it down with a slug of
Coke.   “We fished for awhile and
watched a ballgame.   And I started
on my homework.”
    “Did you?   Well,
that’s something new.”  
    “How was your date with Bryce?”   He sat grinning at her while she fumbled
with how to answer.
    “It was fine, just fine.   Thank you for asking.”   Her mouth was suddenly so dry she could
barely swallow.   After a sip of tea
and a big breath, she attempted to explain.   “How do you feel about me and
Bryce…dating?”
    Ty shrugged, clearly more interested in his biscuit than his
mother’s love life.  
    “Because I think we’re doing that now.   Dating, I mean.”
    “Okay.”   He took
another colossal bite.  
    She watched him chew and chew and chew before swallowing and
taking another bite.   That couldn’t
be all he had to say about the matter.   “I didn’t know how you’d feel about me dating since I haven’t done a
whole lot of it since your dad and I split up.”
    “I’m fine with it, Mom.   Bryce’s great.”
    Bryce is great, she thought, but this conversation wasn’t
going at all how she’d planned.   It
couldn’t be this simple.   “A lot of
kids have a hard time watching their parents move on and start to date other
people after a divorce, no matter how long it’s been.   Most kids hold out hope their parents
will get back together and they’ll all live happily ever after.”
    “Mom, I know you and Dad aren’t getting back together.”   He slurped his drink and she could see
the mound of food travel down his throat.   “I’ve known that for a long time.”  
    “Well, I…that’s very mature of you.   I’ve always wondered how you felt about
us not being together like a family.”
    “We are a family.”   He reached for a napkin from the dispenser on the table.   “I remember the way you two would fight
when Dad lived with us.   It’s better
this way.”
    “You remember…?”   She felt the familiar pang of guilt.   She’d hoped he’d forgotten the anger and
harsh words they’d uttered to each other on a regular basis.   “I’m sorry for that, Ty.   Those couldn’t have been pleasant times
for you.”
    “I don’t blame you, Mom.   You or Dad.   It didn’t work out.”   He shrugged.   “I get that.”
    As the conversation headed toward boggy ground, Kerri Ann
decided to swallow her pride and set him straight before he had a string of
marriages behind him.   “Ty, I think
you need to