Page 16 of Real

H climbs into the car. “Then let’s go get some ice cream.”

I get the passenger door open on the first try. “But aren’t I supposed to stay under the radar?”

He searches my face. “It’s hard to tell you’re made of plastic in the sunlight. It brings out the texture in your skin. We can probably go to a drive-through, and you won’t even need to cover your head.” He reaches over and tucks my hair behind my ear. The shell of my ear tingles along the path of his fingertips. He stares into my eyes, and I’m overwhelmed by how pretty they are in the sun. There are flecks of yellow and brown amongst the green.

The engine of a car near us roars to life, and H looks away.

“We should probably get going,” he says. He slides his key into the ignition and looks behind us. The initial movement backward is a little jarring. Riding in the car is completely different this time. When I was riding with Candlewick or Steppe, I hid my head under a hoodie.

I can see the road clearly now, and watching the world whiz by while H drives is exhilarating. It’s exactly like the TV shows and movies, except it’s bigger. There are trees everywhere, and the road stretches before us like an infinite black ribbon. Cute stoplights shine red, yellow, and green at every intersection. H turns on his sad music, and it all seems too beautiful to be happening to me.

We slow down next to a building with a big sign that says “Menu” at the top. The sign crackles, and a voice says, “Order when you’re ready.”

I’ve seen this on television. I’m at a real drive-through. I cover my mouth and try to hide my excitement. I wonder if there’s a person wearing a uniform at the window with one of those head microphone things.

H is looking at me with a smile on his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just… we’re at a drive-through. I’ve never been to a drive-through before. Are they going to give us cups with little lids?”

He chuckles. “Probably. If we order drinks. Do you want a drink?”

Right. We’re ordering ice cream. That’s not a drink.

“I don’t have any money,” I remind him.

“That’s okay. I’ll pay. What do you want? The food at this restaurant is pretty cheap. You can get whatever you like.”

I scan the menu. There are all sorts of things.

“Um, how about a hamburger, a grilled cheese sandwich, chicken, french fries, onion rings, and a shake?”

He laughs. “I thought you couldn’t eat solid food.”

“I can’t, but I can smell it.”

Dorian never ate any of the things on that list. He liked salads, soups, and fresh produce. I’ve never smelled a hamburger before. Candlewick said they were delicious.

H rolls down his window. “Okay, we’ll have a hamburger, grilled cheese, chicken tenders, fries, onion rings, two vanilla shakes, and a lemonade. Anything else, Buddy?”

I shake my head. I don’t know what possessed me to ask for that much food. H probably thinks I’m ridiculous.

He drives forward to the window where a young maniswearing one of those head microphone things. He even has a little hat! He takes H’s card and swipes it through his little register. I get so caught up in watching him that I forget to be self-conscious.

The man hands us our food without asking about H’s robot or even noticing that I’m not real.

“And here are the vanilla shakes. Have a good day.”

He hands H a tray with three drinks and two big paper bags. H gives me the first paper sack. It’s hot to the touch. I open it, and the delicious scent of hot food rushes at me.

“Hold on one second,” H says. He drives forward until we’re in another parking lot. This one looks connected to the restaurant. H parks in the corner of the lot.

“Okay. Go ahead. Let’s smell this stuff.”

I stop. Why would H want to smell food with me? He can actually eat it.

H reaches into the bag for me and pulls out what looks like a sandwich. “Grilled cheese.” He brings it to his nose and breathes in deep. “Damn, that smells good. I never take the time to notice. Here, you try.”

He gives it to me. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by how kind he is. He just bought me clothes, and now we have a pile of food, not because I need to eat but because I wanted to smell it.

---