Page 25 of Topaz

“Well, in Cali it’s hard to think about other places,” he admitted. “We’ve got everything because the state’s so damn big. We go from nearly subtropical to snow. Deserts to giant lakes and farmland.” He mused thinking about his old home. At times, he missed traffic jams that were more than three guys on bikes trailing a semi. Warm weather, near perfect temps year round. But the snow was thicker and lasted longer in Montana. Not to the point he’d be going crazy, but he now understood the idea of cabin fever.

“But you really talked to him,” she said. “The kid isn’t even four and you were telling him stories about the states. Like the reason Florida is shaped like a gun is so you can fight off the alligators trying to move from Louisiana swamps. And here I thought it was a panhandle.”

“Can’t be a panhandle,” he said with a surety he even believed. “Florida’s too long, now a pot sure. Just be glad I could have told him it was like his ding-a-ling and that’s why there’s so much water at the end.”

“Let me guess, The Keys are really kidney stones?”

“Obviously, you’ve visited them,” he joked as they had the most civil conversation ever between them. “He’ll remember Iowa is short and fat because it’s like a pig more than me telling him it’s between Minnesota and Missouri. It’s not like I did it with every state.”

“Did you teach him a power fist for Wisconsin?”

“Okay, so that one wasn’t my fault,” he stated. “There was a meme that was shared, kinda like Michigan is a mitt. Who knew?”

“The man who comes from the backward J state.”

“Right? See, and everyone knows Italy because it’s a boot. No other European countries are known, but Italy, everyone knows them.” He smiled, the knot loosening a bit more. “They have a great marketing department.”

“And Arkansas?”

“No so much, what’s your nickname again?”

“The Land of Opportunity,” she said, as if a little bit of pride was warming her chest.

“That why you left?”

The silence was back. Cold and harsh.

“Topaz?” he asked a bit softer knowing not only was he a daily reminder of someone she’d like to forget, he’d hit a nerve. Raw and unwanted. “You try and help me with the ropes?”

“Sure,” she said, coming out of the bad place he’d sent her. “Let me see what I can do over here.”

The rumble from a loud vehicle noise vibrated the single window by the door.

Onyx’s heart felt like it skipped a beat.

They were out of time.

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