Page 82 of Doing Life

Abby was patient, waiting for him to haul himself up. They got up the first set and then rested for a few heartbeats on the landing. Then they started up the second flight.

He could do this. He had this. And if something happened, he could ask for help. That was the hard part,wasn’t it, the whole asking for help part. He hated feeling like a blind dude with a bad leg.

But the simple fact was, that was what he was, or at least it was part of what he was now.

He managed to get up to the top of the second set of stairs.

“Okay, Abby. Door.” There was a hesitation, then a firm tug, and she led him right over.

“I got the door for you, sir.” The voice was young, male, and eager to help. “Your dog is real pretty.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.” He smiled, and he was surprised to find that he meant it. “Her name is Abby, and she’s amazing.”

“I got the second one, Bubba.” That voice belonged to a girl who sounded younger. His smile just grew. Thank God for Texans.

“Forward Abby.” She let him right on through. “Thank you very much y’all. Have a good day.”

“No problem, you too. Come on, Kayleigh.”

The big lobby echoed, and he stopped, a little disoriented.

“I don’t suppose one of y’all could point me toward the information desk?” He asked, and the little girl made a squeaky noise.

“Bubba?”

“I got this. No problem, I’ll come help.” The young man came right up next to him. “Should I take your hand or just talk to you? I don’t… I don’t know what to do, but I’ll do it.”

Sweet kid sounded more worried than he was, and that calmed him. “If I could just take your arm and then you could take us over to the information desk, it would be a big help.”

“Yep. Yes, sir.” His hand was taken and put on a skinny arm that felt like a twig. This kid had to be damn near six-foot-tall already, and if he weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, Lance would swallow his tongue.

“Lead on, MacDuff.”

“My name is Aaron. Aaron Radican.”

God save him. This kid was too young to have ever even heard of Shakespeare. “Thank you, Aaron. I very much appreciate it.”

They walked a half dozen steps to the desk, and his hand was placed on the cool wood.

“Miz Anderson? This man here needs to ask you some questions, and I got to go because Momma’s waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Granny.”

“No worries, Aaron, y’all run along, have a good day. Tell your granny I said hello.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Lance grinned, as the hurried footsteps faded. “Good morning, ma’am. I’m trying to find the elevators. I need to go to the third floor please.”

“Of course. Do you need help getting to a certain room?”

“I’m headed to courtroom three-oh-four.”

“Okay. Sure. Would you like me to walk with you or just give you directions?” She sounded like she was smiling, her voice steady and calm. He could picture her in his mind, her hair flat-ironed stick-straight, her professional little shirt done in pink and white stripes. Texan to the bone.

“I’ll try directions. If I get lost, I’ll just ask someone for a hand.” He was being fucking brave, right? He had to do this. It was like a really hard exam.

“Yes, sir. I’ll walk you to the elevator, though. This foyer is like a giant cavern.”

“Thanks.” He smiled in what he hoped was her direction.

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