now?
Busying myself however I can, I rinse my dishes and throw a load of clothes in the washer while I wait for his reply. When I'm finished with my few household chores, I notice he has already texted me back.
Dalton: Not at all. I will be here all day.
I message him back and he sends me directions. It's not too far out of town, so it shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes to get there and the farmer's market is on the way. I haven't been there in such a long time and would love to start going again.
Just as I'm getting into my car, my phone rings. I look over at it and see that it's Amelia.
"Hey, chica," I answer.
"Hey. Don't leave yet. I'm coming with you."
I roll my eyes because I know she's being overprotective and maybe a tad bit nosey.
"No, you're not—"
"Marin. This guy could be a bad guy. You have no idea." I sigh into the phone.
“Last night you were ready for me to give you the dirty details of our passionate love making that never happened, and now you’re concerned that he’s a crazed lunatic?” She only sighs in response.
“I—”
"Please, Amelia. Let me do this. Let me learn how to be me again. The me without Benji." I will never move on if they don't let me. All I hear is how it's OK to move on but then everyone coddles me like I'm a small child.
She doesn't say anything so I continue on. "I'll be fine. I promise. I will text you when I get there and as soon as I get into my car to leave."
"Ugh. Fine. You're a big girl, I get it." Smiling, I know I've won this battle. It's a small one but one step forward. "Just … I love you, OK?"
"I love you too, Am. I will text you in a bit."
We say our goodbyes, and I punch in Dalton's address in my GPS. OK, Marin, big girl panties. Time to put them on.
******
I ease my car down the pothole-ridden, dirt driveway and see the garage up ahead. It is definitely a mechanics’ garage. Nothing fancy. There is another short driveway to the left, and I notice a small yellow double wide home sitting at the end that has the appearance of being cute and homey. It seems to be well taken care of, and I wonder for a fleeting moment if that is where Dalton calls home.
The garage itself is much bigger than I expected. It reminds me more of a small warehouse with three large garage doors and an entrance door all on the front. In an effort not to be in the way if anyone shows up, I pull my car closer to the entrance door than the actual garage doors.
After I get out, I take a second to look around and get a better look at the area. It's a wonder anyone even knows this place exists. But places like this rely solely on their established customer base and word of mouth. The sign at the end of the road is pretty small, so I'm sure that doesn't help drum up anything new. Maybe I can show Dalton how to create a website.
I was nervous when I first left the house this morning, but now I'm getting excited and think this might actually be fun. It feels good to step outside my little bubble every now and then.
Not sure whether I should knock or just walk in, I don't get a chance to make the decision. A man inside, who is not Dalton, I might add, spots me and slowly walks to the door.
"Well, hello there, pretty lady." He greets me with a smile. I grin at the streak of grease smeared across his face. He must be one of Dalton's employee's. He’s a very good looking guy, and he definitely knows it. I can see how his confidence would be a turn on to some women, but that’s not something that’s ever been attractive to me.
"Hi. I'm here to see Dalton. He's expecting me." His smile grows.
"Yo! D-Man! Your lady friend is here!" he yells behind him then turns back to me. "He's in the office cleaning up."
"Thank you," I answer as Dalton appears from a door in the back of the garage. Goodness, he looks good. He has on an old pair of jeans that hang low on his hips and a tight … very tight black t-shirt.
"Marin. Come on back here and see if you can breathe some life
Busying myself however I can, I rinse my dishes and throw a load of clothes in the washer while I wait for his reply. When I'm finished with my few household chores, I notice he has already texted me back.
Dalton: Not at all. I will be here all day.
I message him back and he sends me directions. It's not too far out of town, so it shouldn't take longer than twenty minutes to get there and the farmer's market is on the way. I haven't been there in such a long time and would love to start going again.
Just as I'm getting into my car, my phone rings. I look over at it and see that it's Amelia.
"Hey, chica," I answer.
"Hey. Don't leave yet. I'm coming with you."
I roll my eyes because I know she's being overprotective and maybe a tad bit nosey.
"No, you're not—"
"Marin. This guy could be a bad guy. You have no idea." I sigh into the phone.
“Last night you were ready for me to give you the dirty details of our passionate love making that never happened, and now you’re concerned that he’s a crazed lunatic?” She only sighs in response.
“I—”
"Please, Amelia. Let me do this. Let me learn how to be me again. The me without Benji." I will never move on if they don't let me. All I hear is how it's OK to move on but then everyone coddles me like I'm a small child.
She doesn't say anything so I continue on. "I'll be fine. I promise. I will text you when I get there and as soon as I get into my car to leave."
"Ugh. Fine. You're a big girl, I get it." Smiling, I know I've won this battle. It's a small one but one step forward. "Just … I love you, OK?"
"I love you too, Am. I will text you in a bit."
We say our goodbyes, and I punch in Dalton's address in my GPS. OK, Marin, big girl panties. Time to put them on.
******
I ease my car down the pothole-ridden, dirt driveway and see the garage up ahead. It is definitely a mechanics’ garage. Nothing fancy. There is another short driveway to the left, and I notice a small yellow double wide home sitting at the end that has the appearance of being cute and homey. It seems to be well taken care of, and I wonder for a fleeting moment if that is where Dalton calls home.
The garage itself is much bigger than I expected. It reminds me more of a small warehouse with three large garage doors and an entrance door all on the front. In an effort not to be in the way if anyone shows up, I pull my car closer to the entrance door than the actual garage doors.
After I get out, I take a second to look around and get a better look at the area. It's a wonder anyone even knows this place exists. But places like this rely solely on their established customer base and word of mouth. The sign at the end of the road is pretty small, so I'm sure that doesn't help drum up anything new. Maybe I can show Dalton how to create a website.
I was nervous when I first left the house this morning, but now I'm getting excited and think this might actually be fun. It feels good to step outside my little bubble every now and then.
Not sure whether I should knock or just walk in, I don't get a chance to make the decision. A man inside, who is not Dalton, I might add, spots me and slowly walks to the door.
"Well, hello there, pretty lady." He greets me with a smile. I grin at the streak of grease smeared across his face. He must be one of Dalton's employee's. He’s a very good looking guy, and he definitely knows it. I can see how his confidence would be a turn on to some women, but that’s not something that’s ever been attractive to me.
"Hi. I'm here to see Dalton. He's expecting me." His smile grows.
"Yo! D-Man! Your lady friend is here!" he yells behind him then turns back to me. "He's in the office cleaning up."
"Thank you," I answer as Dalton appears from a door in the back of the garage. Goodness, he looks good. He has on an old pair of jeans that hang low on his hips and a tight … very tight black t-shirt.
"Marin. Come on back here and see if you can breathe some life
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