Page 34 of Two Chances With You

All satisfied, I turn up the volume on the radio, and I change the station, frantically searching for who knows what other song. Then, without letting him see me, in the dim light inside the car, out of the corner of my eye, I glance at Step.

I can’t believe it. Me, Gin, in a car with him.If my folks knew about this.I don’t know why, but it’s always the first thing that pops into my mind. I mean, what if my folks knew that right now I’m in a car with a stranger, that is, with someone they think is a stranger, what would they say?

I can just imagine my mother.“What, have you lost your mind? Ginevra, you should never put your trust in anyone. I must have told you a thousand times…”Oh, there’s no two ways about it, whatever it is, and I don’t know why, but my mother always says that she must have already told me it a thousand times. Who knows? One thing is certain. She’d never expect this.

And after all, what could I tell her? You know, it was just to fill up my tank. How could I explain to her the way things really are? No, I don’t want to think about it. I can’t even believe it myself.

“You know who you reminded me of earlier?”

“When?”

“When I was changing the tire, and those three morons arrived.”

“No, what did I remind you of?”

“Richard Gere.”

“Richard Gere?” Step asks.

“Right, in that scene inAn Officer and a Gentleman, when he and his friend go out with those two girls and they step into a bar. But at the door, there’s a guy who starts hassling the girls, and Richard Gere does everything he can not to get into a fight, but in the end, it’s more than he can put up with, so he punches the guy’s face in.”

“So was Richard Gere a third dan?”

“No, dummy. That was straight out of full-contact boxing.”

“Wow, you know your way around this stuff.”

“I already told you that. I’ve done kickboxing and taken a few full-contact lessons. Don’t believe me? Sooner or later, I’m pretty sure I’ll have a chance to prove it to you.”

“Oh, that seems more than likely. And anyway, more thanAn Officer and a Gentleman, I think the reference we’re looking for is a different one. Ezekiel 25:17: ‘And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers and you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.’”

“Oh, modest, aren’t you? Anyway, you likePulp Fiction.”

“Yes.”

“And you like it a lot, too, to judge from the way you took care of them!”

Step smiles and goes on driving. Who knows what he was trying to say with that line. Better not ask, I guess.

I watch him as he drives. His left elbow is resting on the sill of the car window, and his left hand is propping up his chin. His right hand is up high, at the top center of the steering wheel, gripping it firmly and accompanying the curves gently. He has a tattoo on his wrist, right next to a half-cuff gold bracelet. The tattoo seems to me to be a…I lean a little to take a closer look at it.

“It’s a seagull.”

“What?”

“It’s a seagull, the tattoo I have on my wrist.”

He smiles at me, taking his eyes off the road for a moment.

I can sense myself blushing, but I’m sure he doesn’t notice. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

“And you keep your eyes on your own tattoos.”

“I don’t have any tattoos.”

“Wouldn’t your folks let you get just one?” Step smiles in an obnoxious way, clearly mocking me.

“My folks don’t have any say in the matter. It was my own decision.”

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