Jessica stifled a snort at his question. Dad was famous for being philosophical and asking random questions. I rolled my eyes. "Daddy, seriously?" I implored, looking at my mom for help.
Mom shrugged her shoulders. "It's a fair question," she replied.
Zach, the diplomat in our group, took a stab at answering. "Well, sir, it feels good."
"In what sense?" Dad asked, cutting a piece of bread from one of the six loaves the waitress had set on the table.
Jessica kicked me under the table. We exchanged a look as I groaned. "Shoot me now," I muttered to Dan under my breath.
Mackenzie disguised her snicker with a cough as her dad patted her on the back. "Come on, Dave. We should probably give the kids a night off before we grill them," he said in his normal jovial way.
Mackenzie's dad was always the go-with-the-flow type of guy. "Why worry about today when tomorrow is another day" was his motto. His easy, breezy spirit would have driven any woman nuts, but Mackenzie's mom took his attitude in stride. She was the more analytical and practical one in their household. She took charge of the finances and made sure the bills were paid and money for retirement and Mackenzie's education were diligently put aside each month. Mackenzie's dad often joked that he would have to die first because he would be lost without her around. Her dad was a dreamer, which was why he was my favorite of my friends' parents. I understood his "live for today" motto. Maybe it was the artist in me.
My eyes moved across the table to Brian, who was looking at me with amusement as Dad tried to interject another question about our future into the conversation. I groaned, wishing Dad would give us a break at least tonight. Brian winked at me, opening his mouth to ask Dad a question. Without thinking about it I swung my foot out and kicked him soundly on the shin.
My kick only seemed to amuse him and Dan, who was adding insult to injury by shaking with silent laughter next to me. I turned to glare at him, but he distracted me by placing a warm hand on my thigh, which was only covered by the thin fabric of the dress I wore.
At the moment, Mom finally ran interference by changing the subject. I smiled at her gratefully. It wasn't like I was embarrassed. My friends knew my parents as well as I knew theirs. Growing up we all knew if we wanted extra ice cream, Mackenzie's dad was our man. If we wanted to do something outdoorsy, Dan and Bria
n's parents were our go-to parents. My dad was on duty when we needed help. It was a role he was good at, and we were all grateful for it.
Glancing down the long table at our large party, I realized just how lucky all of us were. Our parents weren't perfect, but they encouraged and supported us. At times they may have even bullied us in the right direction, but it got us to this point. We may not have always gotten everything we thought we wanted, but they never let us down. They showed us if we worked hard, we could achieve anything. "The world is our oyster" was one of Mom's favorite sayings.
Little did we know, our oysters would be shucked before they could ever produce a pearl. We were nothing but grains of sand blowing away in the wind. Forever lost.
Eight
"Where we going?" I asked as Brian drove out of my depressing neighborhood and merged onto the highway.
"Fun Spot," he answered, heading west on I-4.
I turned in my seat to look at him. Was he screwing with me now? His jaw gave nothing away as he kept his eyes on the road ahead.
"Fun Spot?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He took his eyes off the road long enough to flash me a grin. "Yeah, Fun Spot. Have you been there?"
"Um, hell no," I answered, sounding like a total snob. His question was ridiculous. We lived in theme park porn. If you wanted to go on thrill rides, you headed to Universal Studios or Busch Gardens. If you wanted a strong dash of nostalgia, you hit one of the Disney Parks, but you definitely didn't go to the tourist trap Fun Spot. I said as much to him as the wind whipped through the open windows blowing my hair into my face.
"You've been missing out," Brian declared after I laid my theme park analogy out for him. "Fun Spot's not that bad. Plus, you forgot to mention its best attribute," he said, turning his blinker on and moving across two lanes so we could exit.
I propped my feet up on the dashboard. "Do tell," I said dryly.
"It's never busy."
Five minutes later his words proved to be true as he parked in the relatively dead parking lot.
"I can't believe this place can afford to stay open."
"They make enough to keep the power flowing," he said, heading toward a gate that was marked employees only.
He held the gate open for me. "You work here?" I asked, feeling a little bad about all my smack talk about the place.
"My friend Nick does. I help out on the weekends sometimes for a little extra dough." He waved at a couple guys hanging out by one of the rides but kept walking. "I just need to drop a couple tickets off."
I nodded as if I was listening to his words, but my attention had been snagged by one of the attractions. I stopped in the middle of the walkway to watch as two people climbed aboard the ride. Their friends whooped from the sidelines, egging them on. Even from a distance I could tell the girl was terrified. In a past life, I would have been too chicken to strap myself to a bunch of oversized rubber bands that sent you flying in the air. Those days were over, the ride drew me to it like a magnet. I watched as the attendant buckled the teenage couple into the round capsule. The girl looked ready to spew. Her face had taken on a greenish tint as she clutched the bar in front of her. I could tell she wanted to get off the ride, but her boyfriend wore an expression I recognized from my own reflection. It was a haunted look.
Brian stopped talking as I watched the ride slingshot into the air. For a moment its occupants were free. I wondered if they would continue flying into the air if the rubber bands snapped. I edged closer toward the ride. I wanted that freedom.