Page 58 of The Roadie
While Brett placed his duffle bag in her bedroom and changed his T-shirt, she grabbed a light jacket and then they headed out.
They crossed 59thStreet and entered the park on 6thAvenue. The row of food trucks reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch, and Brett hadn’t eaten since he got on the plane. “Let’s grab something. You must be starving.”
His stomach growled, and he laughed. “I am. But let’s just get something light. I want to take you to dinner later.”
She bought a dirty water dog with sauerkraut, mustard and onions, a big salty pretzel and a diet coke from the hot dog cart, and Brett got a gyro off the food truck. Just inside the park was a bench that faced the path and they sat so they could eat. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until the combined flavors of that Sabrett hotdog and toppings hit her tongue, and she ate three big bites without pausing.
“You’re really enjoying that.” Brett chuckled. “You haven’t said a word in five minutes.”
She covered her mouth with her hand while she chewed, embarrassed that she was eating like a heathen. After she swallowed, she drank some soda and wiped her mouth. “I’m such a lady, aren’t I?”
“That’s what I love about you, Kira. You’re classy and sophisticated. You’re an heiress, but you sit on a park bench and stuff your face with street food and crowd surf in a mosh pit.”
“Technically, I only crowd surfed once, and that was in a music video.”
A passing squirrel stopped as it ran across the path and perched on its hind legs to sniff the air. It scurried closer, inquiring about a tidbit from their meal. “He’s so cute,” she whispered, trying not to scare him away.
Brett broke off a piece of his pita bread and tossed it on the ground, where it bounced and landed a few inches from the squirrel. The little guy grabbed the crumb with his front paws, sat back on his haunches and nibbled on it.
Kira let out a small laugh. “They’re adorable when they eat like that. I once saw a squirrel eating a full-size Nutter Butter cookie while he held it between his little hands. It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” When the squirrel was done with the morsel Brett had given him, he looked up asking for more. Kira tossed him the last piece of her hotdog bun. While he ate it, she took the pretzel from the bag and shared it with him, flipping a few large pieces his way. Brett offered him the last corner of his pita as well, so the critter had a smorgasbord in front of him.
A pigeon joined the squirrel. Then a few more landed next to them. The squirrel ran off with an elbow-shaped piece of the pretzel, leaving behind a half dozen pigeons to squabble over the remaining bits on the ground. Another pigeon flew down from the air, flapping its wings in Kira’s ear, and she shot to her feet and darted away.
Brett followed her, almost colliding with several more birds that were targeting the scraps left behind. Just when he thought he was in the clear, a pigeon darted straight for him. He ducked out of the way at the last second like Neo from The Matrix, which made Kira laugh so hard her side hurt and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. “You narrowly escaped that one,” she said, when her laughter died down enough so she could speak.
“No. I didn’t.” He held up his arm to show her a nice white splotch of bird poop on his sleeve.
She laughed up to the sky and held her stomach. “I guess you can say you’re officially a New Yorker now.”
“Very funny, smarty-pants.” He wiped his sleeve with a napkin and threw it in a nearby garbage pail.
Arm in arm, they walked deeper into the park along the asphalt path. It was a strip of black in the middle of dense greenery. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this oasis of nature still existed on the island of Manhattan among the towering skyscrapers. Maybe that’s why she loved it so much.
Her hand slipped from Brett’s waist, and he took it. They swung their arms as they walked, like teenagers often did, and it made her smile. She didn’t need any grand gestures. A simple walk in the park was the most romantic thing in the world to her. Brett made her happy. That’s all there was to it. They found a way to breach the long-distance barrier and be together. Neither one had to give up everything to be with the other. They each gave up a little and met in the middle. He redefined his work as a roadie with Bulletproof and cut back on the tours, and she was scaling back her hours so they could have time for one another. That’s the way relationships worked. “I’ve been delegating some of my business trips to junior executives, so I won’t be so busy. And you know what?” She looked up at him and smiled. “The company didn’t fall apart. I realized that I don’t have to do everything myself. I’ll still handle scouting the cutting-edge bands, but I can effectively delegate some of my work.”
“I’m glad. You work very hard. You deserve to take it easy.” He pressed his lips together in thought. “Do you think your family is going to be mad that you’re moving to California for half of the year?”
“No. I think they were expecting me to move there full time. Angel actually brought it up one evening during dinner.”
“Really? In a favorable way, or in a don’t-you-dare-leave-us way?”
“He pointed out that I have the company jet at my disposal, and that both me and Audra can fly back and forth at a moment’s notice. Immortal Angel tours the West Coast all the time. It’s not that big of a deal.”
He guided her to a bench so they could sit down, “You make me really happy, Kira. You’re so easygoing and fun. You’re smart and sophisticated. You’re giving and unselfish. Sweet and honest. Plus a million other things that I love about you.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she teased, but he didn’t smile. He was being serious and watching her intently. It left a warm tingling feeling inside of her, and she swallowed. “You make me happy too.” The sound of children laughing diverted her attention, and she realized that they were sitting near the playground. It was her favorite place in the park, and just being here made her emotional. It must have shown in her expression because he touched her chin and turned her head to face him.
“I know,” he said. “I brought you to this spot on purpose.”
He knew this place held special memories for her, and it made her heart swell. She had barely touched on the subject, basically mentioning it in passing conversation, but it registered with him. “You remembered?”
“Of course, I remembered. When I’m not with you, I replay our time together in my head. It’s stupid. I know. But I miss you, and it helps.”
It was such a sweet and sensitive statement that it made her tear up. Her shoulders fell and her head lolled to one side. “You’re so sweet. I miss you all the time too.” She touched his cheek with her hand, and he kissed her palm.
“I remember that you told me this place brought you comfort and held a special place in your heart.”
“It does. I have so many happy memories here. It resonates family and togetherness and the love and bond that I shared with my sister and father growing up. We suffered a devastating loss when my mother passed. Not just me and Audra. My father too. I think the time we spent here helped heal his heart as well. This playground brought us closer together during a very uncertain time in our lives.” She quietly reflected on the sentiment that this place infused in her soul. Brett watched her with uncertainty, and she thought he might be questioning whether she really wanted to spend so much time away from New York. She nodded with reassurance. “I want to go to California, Brett. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. I’m willing to move there year-round.” She displayed a lighthearted smile. “I can still live in California and be a New York girl. You can take the girl out of New York, but you can’t take New York out of the girl.”
