“No,” she said quietly. “Not at all. I think I understand what you were talking about. I’ve never been to a service like… that.”
We joined the line outside and grabbed a plate full of food before sitting down to eat. Bob had already pulled out his guitar and was entertaining the children, who danced as he played and sang. A few of the parents stood around, clapping as he played.
“Does he always do that?” Marissa asked between bites of casserole.
“Yup,” I said. “Every Sunday. I think he enjoys that more than anything else.” She smiled.
“He seems so good with the kids,” she said.
“He’s a good man,” I said. After we finished eating, Marissa went to help my mother and a few of the other ladies clean up. I grabbed a Coke and headed to a bench that sat on a patch of ground overlooking a large draw. Two of my old hunting buddies, Bill and Joe, waved me over and we talked about old times. After a while, I heard Bob walk up behind us.
“You fellas mind if I have a word with Jim here?” he asked.
“No problem Bob,” Joe said. “See ya around,” he added as he and Bill headed for the picnic table.
“Beautiful country, ain’t it?” Bob asked. I looked at the rolling hills and the trees that covered them.
“Yeah,” I said. “Don’t get much better than this. But I know you didn’t chase them boys off to talk about the scenery. What’s on your mind, Bob?”
“You’re right,” he said. “I didn’t. How well do you know this Marissa girl?” I shrugged my shoulders.
“How well do you ever know anyone?” I asked. “I thought I knew Jenny, but you see where that ended up. I reckon she got blinded by money and fancy cars and hooked up with some medical student.”
“Jenny,” Bob said, nodding his head. “Yeah. I felt bad about that. I thought surely the two of you would, you know. Hell, boy, we all thought the two of you were made for each other. I guess things happen for a reason.”
“What are you getting at, Bob?” I asked.
“Look, I’m not your daddy, but I’ve always loved you like a son,” he said, putting his arm around me. I nodded.
“I’ve thought of you as a second father, Bob,” I said. “You were always good to my mom and I appreciate that a bunch.”
“I just want to make sure you’re thinking with your big brain here, not your little brain, if you know what I mean,” he said. I smiled at that. Bob could be salty at times without getting profane. I guess that was one of the things I really admired about him.
“Have you thought about where you might be in, say, nineteen or twenty years?” he asked. I looked at him wondering where he was going with this. “Seriously? Where will you and Marissa be by then? What will you be doing?” I shook my head.
“I really haven’t thought about it,” I said.
“Maybe you should,” he said. He looked out over the draw at the rolling hills beyond. “Go on,” he added, “take a look out there and think about the future. Let’s do it together, you and me.” I looked at the hills and started thinking…
…
The next two decades seemed to fly. It was a bit like watching a movie on fast-forward. Marissa and I married and enjoyed a nice honeymoon in Las Vegas. I got a job as an IT consultant for a private firm that services realtors and small financial companies and was doing quite well.
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