Reach out

 

Rico knew what his dad would say when she met Carmen. His dad would be afraid she was too depressed with that sour look on her face.

"Don't worry, we're just friends." Rico winced back. Of course, everyone who came to the rink referred to her as his work wife. Which wasn't true, but whatever. She did work hard. And sometimes, he felt he left her with a lot to do. He was pretty sure she thought he was only there to have fun, but he'd asked her to go to the gallery with him and surprisingly, she said yes.

However, she didn't dress up for the occasion. It wasn't like he'd said, "Oh, could you dress up?" Definitely, Carmen was one of those who would tell you, "Take it or leave it."

Of course, he thought of Liv. Perhaps he was in a rut. It was hard to say. He didn't mean to.

In the next breath his dad told him he'd changed. "You're letting your hair grow out." At least, he hadn't said, "Get a haircut."

So there he was with Carmen and thankfully, Sammie hadn't dressed up either. Of course, Vada was dressed to the nines as if she might own the place. And just as he suspected, there were a lot of guys gathered around her. 

He was certain she might break out in a Madonna song about Some Girls. Vada knew she was the life of the party.

Naturally, Carmen was straight-lipped. She didn't let on anything, but Rico went to get her punch anyway. After all, it wasn't exactly high society at the University. At least not tonight. There were other University students there. Gabe looked relieved that Rico could at least hang out with him while Sammie had to follow some of the colleagues that Vada knew so well.

"She's not nervous, is she?" He asked Gabe about Sammie thinking he was glad he could step in since Mario was out in the Black Hills with Bren on their honeymoon. 

"Possibly, but don't tell her I said that," Gabe smiled as if it was all new to him.

Rico nodded. He turned to Carmen who was practically a statue. "Do you need a cookie?" He asked. She said she only wanted punch.

"I'm good," he thought he saw her press a smile, but it went by so fast he couldn't tell. Rico nodded. He wasn't sure if she even liked being in the same room with him. Yes, maybe he needed someone upbeat. Someone who could turn the world on with a smile, just like that old TV show.

They walked around for a bit looking at all the art. A lot was shocking and abstract. Dark and very dreary. But seeing Sammie's paintings was like seeing a ray of light. It was different and sweet like her. 

Rico stayed clear of Vada. For once, she didn't approach him. It was like she was working. This was her world.

Carmen still wondered why she said yes to this outing. After all, Carmen didn't date. It just wasn't something she did. Of course, she'd seen a lot of drama at home with her sister. Yes, Carmen had been busy with her older's sister baby. Maybe that was why she never thought of dating. 

It was a sad situation. Yet, it was her and Kenny for the most part. He was in kindergarten now. Still, she felt she'd deserted him tonight even if he said he'd be in his room just watching YouTube. He wasn't one to bother his grandpa who was always in his recliner with a glass of bourbon and coke watching sports. And her mom was cleaning the casinos.

She sneaked over to the table of cookies that she knew were from an uptown bakery. She took the baggie from her bag and tucked a couple of cookies away for Kenny. She knew he'd like a nice surprise in the morning.

When she turned to see Rico, he didn't say anything about the cookies. "Let's go for a walk," he said. She nodded. He wanted to walk around campus. 

There was a bit of a winter chill in the air, but it wasn't bad. Just sweater weather. It felt odd not to see a crowd around him. After all, many loved him at the skating rink. She thought he was so animated, unlike herself. Sometimes, she felt as if she was in OFF mode and there was no switch to turn her on. Except for Kenny and all his stories and dreams. She did want to be there for him. As it was she felt she'd neglected him. After all, he was the one who hugged her and told her he loved her every night.

She listened to Rico now, who said he'd thought about going to college here. He was already taking a few core college classes. "But sometimes, I think I should just go back to Texas. How about you?"

"I don't try to think too far ahead," she told him. She was taking a college class in calculus but she was having a hard time. She wanted to drop it. "Maybe I should just go to that beauty school."

"Beauty school?" He looked at her as if she'd really lost it.

"I like to do nails," she told him.

"Oh." He nodded as if maybe he could see that.

"But I like animals too," she then said.

"Yeah, that would be pretty cool," he sighed with a smile. She was lagging behind then, but Rico reached for her hand and suddenly it felt like magic, perhaps. She couldn't help but stare at a standstill. 

He smiled at her then as if maybe he'd wanted to hold her hand for a while now.