Chapter 18
The TV blared a repeat of Seinfeld as the bus sped down I-35 to Kansas City. Everyone was zoning out, tired after another day on the road. Especially John. He was kept busy most of the day without a chance to rest. He was quickly fading on the couch. Mike was already asleep in the chair and Robby and Gennie sat at the table snacking on potato chips and pretzels. They were joking amongst themselves, when a particularly funny quip by Robby made Gennie burst out, startling the two sleepers from their rest. They thought it was funny, but John was grumpy. “Shut up dude. I’m tired.”
“Go to bed Rzeznik,” Robby groaned. “You too Malinin.” He’d gotten enough sleep and wasn’t overly tired. Nor was Gennie who’d slept most of the day. As Mike and John shuffled off to bed, Robby got up to get something to drink. “You want something?” he asked her. She shook her head. He got a beer for himself and resumed his seat at the table across from Gennie. Making himself comfortable on the bench seat, he checked to see that the other two had gone to bed. He jerked his head to the side, “He really likes you, you know,” little expression in his voice.
Gennie didn’t know what to say. Did he think this was a good thing or a bad thing? She decided to go with stating the facts. “He pretty much clued me in on that. There’s not much point in it though, is there? I’ll be gone and forgotten in no time.” Stating that simple fact cut to the bone, but she chose to be pragmatic.
“Is that really true?” he said again in the matter-of-fact tone. No clues for her to go on here.
She raised her eyebrows, a questioning look on her face. “Isn’t it?”
Robby shrugged, “Doesn’t have to be, I guess.”
She kept up the flat delivery. “I’m not interested in being a dalliance, a plaything. That isn’t me.” The thought was intriguing, but she was mature enough to realize it wasn’t in her best interest. It wasn’t fair to her. There were an abundance of pretty girls who would welcome the chance to be that to him. He didn’t need her help; there were plenty of diversions to be found.
Robby got a serious look in his eye, his voice tinged with reproach. “You have no idea what he just did for you.”
Gennie was puzzled. She’d regarded Robby as a friend. Was he turning on her? He wasn’t being his usual self, that’s for sure. Her eyes narrowed. “Where do you stand on this? ‘Cause, from what I heard in here earlier, you don’t want anything happening here.”
“Then you didn’t hear the whole argument. Cause that isn’t it at all.” Gen looked him in the eye good and hard, trying to figure out where he was coming from. Evidently, he picked up on this and decided to elaborate. “I’ve never seen him so happy before. He gets something from being with you and I think it’s a good thing. So…whatever happens happens.”
She shook her head, “That’s not what you said earlier. What about this other girl?”
“Gen, I meant it when I said you didn’t hear everything before. There are two sides to this and you think I’m on the wrong one.”
“What?”
“You heard me tell him not to fuck up,” he pointed his finger in her direction, “this. You.” He took another drink of his beer, then shaking his head, he snorted, “Huh, y’know, Johnny’s always been a believer in fate and divine intervention and that kind of crap. I think fate divinely intervened upon his ass when he met you. He doesn’t even know it,” he shrugged. “Or maybe he does. He had a feeling about you when he first saw that submission sheet of yours.” He laughed and took a swig, “What? You can’t you feel all those angels pushing you toward him?”
Gennie cracked a wry smile; she loved his sarcastic humor. “No. No angels.”
“I know I sound like a junior high kid, but are you even interested in him? You seem to be a little uh…standoffish. That’s not how he’s usually regarded, you know.” He chuckled, “Hell, maybe that’s why he likes you!”
Gennie blushed. “He doesn’t know you’re talking to me about this, does he?”
“Nope.”
“Then why are you?”
“I wanna make sure he doesn’t fuck it up.” He rolled his eyes. “As hard as it is to believe, he’s really still a shy guy inside. I saw him having the time of his life with you last night, and if I’m not mistaken you were enjoying it too. But now he doesn’t know what to do. You’re kinda distant to him, at least that’s what he thinks, and I don’t want him to blow off what could be the best part of his life because he was afraid to go for it. Y’know?” He peeled the label off his now empty bottle. “I ain’t sayin’ that it’s gonna be easy. Shit, man, I don’t know if it’s even doable. You’ve got pretty different lives. I know that he’s afraid to do that to you.”
She shook her head a little, confused. “Do what?”
“He’s afraid that he could screw up your normal life because his is so insane. I know he thinks that. He sees this,” he waived with the bottle, indicating all the trappings of his lifestyle, “as a liability. It could only get in the way in a relationship. He can’t be like other people anymore. At least, not now.”
She smiled recalling John’s comment on the first day she met him, “It’s just a job, right?”
Robby chuckled, “And I get paid just a little.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “I’m not misinterpreting your feelings for him, am I? There is something there, right?”
She was quiet for a moment as she contemplated her response. Was ‘Hell Yeah!’ an acceptable answer? Ever since that impassioned instant on the elevator, her heart skipped a beat whenever she laid eyes on him. Not wanting to sound too eager, she opted for a simple nod. A long moment of silence hung between them like a heavy blanket, threatening to smother their conversation. Seconds elapsed until Robby finally spoke, his eyes intently concentrating on the tabletop. “He told her goodbye.”
Puzzled, Gennie shook her head. “Huh?”
“On the phone. Tonight.” He fidgeted a little more with the beer bottle then looked up at Gennie, whose face cried out for understanding, validation. She didn’t know what to say. “Just thought you might like to know that,” he added, getting up from his seat. He tossed the bottle in the trash. “It’s two thirty. I’m gonna hit the hay. G’nite.” He smiled and leaned to kiss her on the top of her head.
She looked up at him, still stunned. “Wait,” she pleaded, catching his eye. “Why did you just tell me this?”
“Because he’s my best friend, my brother, and I don’t want him to lose you.” He winked, and put a finger to his lips, “It’s our secret.”