Page 16 of The Road Sometimes Taken

8 - Snacks?

Manny mulls over the list. “Okay, this is not that bad. Are you planning on road-tripping with a U-Haul?

“No, silly. I’m pulling a trailer with the van!” I exclaim, taking my notebook from him and putting it on top of the flower side table.

“You’re planning on road-tripping,andpulling a trailer, with that Powerpuff Girl bus?” Manny questions me with a surprised tone that mirrors his expression. I’m so annoyed at this whole conversation that I’m about to throw allthe plans out the window.

“Yes, I’m taking my girl with me back to Baker. I’ve told you this how many times now?”

“Okay, okay, but I thought you meant you would load everything up and send it back with movers and then just drive your bus, Cara. Can that even sustain a long trip like that, pulling a trailer full of stuff? And boy. Buses are boys,” he corrects.

“Are you giving me a gender lecture right now, Manuel? If I want my bus to be a girl, it’ll be a girl, and yes, it can. It’s in great condition, I take it to the shop every other month.”

“Vans are girls, and I guess you do call it a van even though it’s a bus,” he quips and I give him a death stare. “Okay, okay, just in Spanish I guess,” he groans, raising his hands and then pinching his nose. “But like have you thought about how much easier it would be to road-trip without pulling a trailer?”

“Manny, I’m on a teacher’s salary here. Do you know how expensive it would be to ship all my crap?

He lets out a breath, looking me in the eyes and considering his next words. Then he says, “In a perfect world, if everything from your list was ready tomorrow, could you leave tomorrow?”

“Yes, but that’s impossible,” I say.

“Leave the impossibilities to me, sunshine. Can you do that or not?”

“Yes, I guess.” God, he’s insufferable.

“If I could have someone here to pack your stuff, would that be okay with you?”Pack my stuff? What stuff?

“What stuff?” I ask sipping on my coffee, I close my eyes and moan because this shit is so good, I need to inject it into my veins.

“Your stuff. What was on your list? Ah yes, living room, bedroom, etcetera, etcetera.”

“Who’s gonna pack my shit, Manuel? Not all of us grew upwith hot daddies and nannies,” I add and he physically shrinks. Mr. Zabana is actually a total asshole and he might be good looking for his age, but I don’t play around with older men. I’m too much of a child to embraceadulthoodthis early. I know I’m almost thirty and I shouldgrow upor whatever, but we haven’t reached that point and I’m not rushing it. The rise I get out of Allie and her brothers about me calling their dad hot though? Worth it.

“Stop calling my dad hot, please. I have contacts; is that okay with you?” he asks. He’s being so docile and respectful, I wonder what happened to the Manny who is usually goofing around and not taking anything seriously but his job.

I nod gently and he smiles at that.

“Okay, let’s go.” Manny stands up and walks toward the door.

“Let’s go where? I’m tired, I look like shit and I want to take a nap.”

“You could never look like shit,” he scoffs with his megawatt smile. Then he adds, “We’re going to get some checks on that checklist of yours. I know how much you like to cross things off.” He winks and I grab my bag, following him out and into the van.

“Wanna drive?” I ask as I wiggle my eyebrows, thinking that he will say no. Manny surprises me when he opens his palm and lets me throw the keys at him.

“Might as well get used to driving this explosion of girliness.”

“Oh do tell, why do you need to get used to it?” I ask, walking around the passenger side and hopping in the front seat.

He gets in the van and adjusts the seat while he swears in Spanish. His sleeves bunch up at his forearms, drawing my attention to them and I get caught staring because when myeyes meet his, he shows me the cockiest grin and says, “Well, I’m driving this thing on this bucket list trip, aren’t I?”

Manny pulls out of the parking lot and heads into town.

Four hourslater and I’m exhausted, but… hyped? Ready to fall asleep, but giddy? I can feel my body bouncing in the seat both figuratively and literally. Manny drove me around town until I got everything I needed. We bought our weight’s worth of snacks and drinks, grabbed scrapbooking supplies, and some other things we needed for the trip. Well, I needed, I guess. Manny, forever the gentleman, drove around without complaints. He carried my bags as I shopped, and overall was great company. His phone never stopped ringing but other than answering a few messages and a call here and there, he didn’t remove his attention from the task at hand.

We decided to grab takeout for dinner and head back to my place. He ordered sushi—or his assistant ordered sushi, I guess—and we’re pulling up when I see a U-Haul parked right outside my place.

“Manny?” I ask but he stays quiet and just parks the van. He silently walks around to open my door and offers me his hand like I need help to get out, but I take it anyway. I grab some of the bags of stuff we bought, but he takes them from me and carries them inside with the takeout bag, too.

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