RYAN
I was the happiest I’d ever been. Tinsley was in love with me, with all of us. She wanted me to be a part of her life and our son’s life and today, today was the day I would meet Lucas and start building our relationship.
Tinsley’s mom and Lucas would be home around eleven. We made plans to meet up at one after she got her mom off to the airport. We’d be going to do one of my all-time favorite things from childhood, putt putt golf.
I felt my stomach doing cartwheels as I pulled up to the miniature golf course and arcade. I was not normally a nervous guy, but I was meeting the most important person in my life. And he didn’t even know that yet.
We’d decided to let nature take its course. If it felt right, we’d tell him. If not, we’d wait and let our relationship continue to grow before we introduced the subject.
I saw them waiting out front for me and my heart skipped a beat. There he was, my perfect boy. And dang if everyone wasn’t one hundred percent right about him being my little twin. He was my spitting image.
As I walked toward them, Lucas’ eyes got as wide as saucers. “Dr. Harris Rutledge! What are you doing here?” he asked in amazement.
“Actually, I’m here to see you buddy,” I replied. “Only you can call me Ryan. That’s what my friends call me.” I gave Tinsley a little wink and she beamed at me.
“Mom, you know Dr. Rutledge, I mean Ryan, that’s so cool,” he said.
“Yes, you know how mommy’s been working with the studio that makes his movies. But actually, Ryan and I have known each other for a very long time. We both grew up outside of Chicago. We even went to high school and college together,” she said with a smile.
“Wow, mom, you’re even cooler than I thought,” he replied and ran towards the entrance.
“So far so good. Your reputation clearly precedes you,” she said with a laugh.
“I just hope the real me isn’t a let-down.” I said as I held the door open to let her by me. Lucas was already at the ticket counter where the attendant was letting him pick out the color of ball he liked best.
“Here it is, my favorite color, icy blue,” he said as he pulled it from the bucket.
“That’s my favorite color too. It matches my eyes. Well, your eyes too I guess,” I said looking at Lucas’ sweet face. “I’ll have to go with my second favorite color. The color of your mom’s eyes.”
“That’s my second favorite too!” he said excitedly.
“Wow bud, we have a lot in common,” I said ruffling his hair as he looked up at me with a brilliant smile.
“We sure do!” he said and raced towards the first hole.
As we made our way through the putt putt course, I could hardly believe my luck. Lucas was such a great kid. He was smart, polite and super funny. He was also full of cool trivia. Tinsley had really raised him well. Not that there was any doubt in my mind about what a great mom she was.
When we got to the eighth hole, Lucas turned to me and asked, “do you mind helping me with this shot. I’m not sure how to line it up.”
“Sure, big guy,” I said. Lucas and I approached the green and I talked to him about the angles and how he could use the bumpers around the hole to his advantage. Then I stood back and watched with pride as he got a hole in one.
“Holy cow!” he exclaimed. “Did you see that, Ryan? I got a hole in one. I’ve never done that before, have I, mom?”
“No sir, you haven’t. I have never been able to explain the shots to you the way Ryan just did. You know geometry is not really my thing,” Tinsley said with a laugh.
Lucas went on to get three more holes in ones now that he had the concept down. We decided to celebrate with milkshakes. As we made our way toward a picnic bench to sip our shakes Lucas turned to Tinsley and I.
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful cause I know I just got to go to Disney, but this has been one of my best days ever,” he said.
“For me too buddy. I really appreciate you letting me spend some time with you and your mom today,” I said.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asked.
“Sure thing,” I replied.
“Is this what it's like to have a dad?” he questioned sweetly.
I looked at Tinsley and she nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.