Chapter 5 - Welcome to the Neighborhood
During the following nights, Gavin restlessly packed his room. Bailey noticed new boxes piled at the top of the stairs each day, and she found it unbelievable that he had so many belongings.
"Wow, did you have this all crammed under your bed or something?" Bailey asked as he carried them out of his room and down the stairs to the back of his semi-trailer.
"I cleaned out my closet," he replied on his way up.
"May I help you?" she asked following behind him.
"If you're going to do anything, you're going to stay out of my way." He responded. Bailey smiled at his words spoken in a way she had come to understand very well, just as Faith understood them. Faith sat on the floor of his room looking through a photo album in the corner. She decided to sit beside the little girl and look through them with her. Gavin proceeded to sweep the empty floors, as he had taken his dresser, mattress, and frame out to the trailer already.
"Who is that?" Bailey asked looking at the picture with Faith. The little girl was currently staring at it quite fervently as if it were an eye spy brain teaser.
"I don't know…" Faith whispered in a hushed voice.
Bailey drew her brows together. With an angled jaw and deep set, dark eyes that appeared to be closed, the man's attention was upon the bundle of joy in his hands. His lips were pressed against her tiny left hand, which he held with his thumb and index finger. Upon closer inspection Bailey saw that his dark lashes were clumped together from moisture in the photo. "I think you do…" Bailey replied. The man had black hair and Bailey saw his bare ring finger with the infant against his chest.
Gavin suddenly looked up at the two women sitting in the corner. "When did you get your hands on that?" he asked. Faith suddenly closed the album and put it behind her back. Gavin pursed his lips together and went back to work. Once he was done sweeping, he went about mopping the wooden floor.
Bailey and Faith continued through the album.
There were several pictures of the baby. They saw the dark headed man bottle feeding her, bathing her, and playing with her. He had a pleasant look about him. He appeared youthful and energetic in some photos but exhausted in others. For what appeared to be the child's first birthday, the infant sat in the highchair with a little piece of chocolate cake smeared everywhere. Younger children and older adults were celebrating in the background.
It wasn't long before Gavin had finished his work and began to watch them flip through the pages slightly irritated. He leaned against the handle of the mop. "Let's move on, shall we? I have other shit I need to do today."
Faith closed the album at once and scrambled to her feet. Bailey raised her eyebrow at him, "Are those pictures of you?" Gavin shrugged his broad shoulders. He grabbed the mop and broom, putting them on his shoulder and then carried the heavy bucket of water down the stairs as if it was nothing. Bailey followed behind him, hearing his heavy footsteps.
Back in the kitchen, he poured the water down the drain and put the cleaning supplies in the back of his semi-trailer. Bailey was going to drive behind them in Gavin's Ford. "Faith, who are you riding with?" she called out at the girl who stood between the two vehicles.
Faith looked at the grey Ford pickup truck and then back at the black Peterbilt semi. Its two silver stacks gleamed proudly like horns, as Gavin took care of his beast of a machine well. He kept it waxed like a trophy, sparkling from rim to rim. Faith remembered faintly the semi show he once taken her too. All the lights had been on full display in the night extending over the cab and down the trailer. It was more beautiful than a Christmas light display.
His poor little pickup truck was neglected in comparison to the semi. She then headed to Gavin who hoisted her into the passenger side of the semi, which she had named Napa. The little girl loved riding in the semi, loved the sweet rocking motion that used to lull her to sleep in the cab. Bailey wasn't offended because she knew how much the little girl loved her daddy's big rig.
The plan was to unload at the duplex outside of Mahomet and car pool back to Veedersburg so Bailey could get her jeep and return to Attica. The amount of travel they had planned exhausted Bailey. Sher didn't understand how he could be on the road so often. How could he stand the solitude of being a recluse? Often times, Bailey listened to her music and let her mind wander. Gavin probably did a lot of thinking on the road, even more so when he waited at docking stations to be loaded, especially with as big as his trailer was.
While Bailey followed behind the Peterbilt she saw the cars that passed them all the way there. Gavin was like king of the road, driving as if nothing else mattered but the task at hand. She appreciated how the roads were dry, otherwise following behind him would have been like driving in a hurricane. Nothing was more upsetting to her than getting passed by a semi under such weather conditions.
After she had looked over his polished semi, she looked around the interior of Gavin's grey Ford. The black dashboard was slightly dusty. The steering wheel was lackluster and it smelt of diesel fuel and stale cigarettes. She patted the steering wheel with a frown as if it were a neglected old pet living in the shadow of an impressive replacement. She wondered how Gavin could afford to keep both of them running with as expensive as diesel fuel was getting. She then began to wonder just how much money it cost Gavin to maintain his own Peterbilt. She saw car lots, but not semi lots. Where did people even buy them? She knew that not all semi drivers owned their own 'rigs' as Gavin called them, but they were all required to have a commercial driver's licenses. Perhaps such things existed, but were merely overlooked, because they were never her focus until she was aware of them.
Bailey had both hands upon the thick steering wheel as she viewed the box shaped end of the trailer. She saw the driver's side mirror jutting out on the side. Gavin's platinum blonde hair reflected in the glass a little over sixty feet away. He was so hot-headed and she wondered if driving a large semi was the source of his ego. Perhaps it wasn't even his ego Bailey felt overwhelmed by but his overpowering masculinity.
After what felt like an eternity of driving, Bailey pulled into a nice little neighborhood. There were kids in some of the yards and the grass was green. There were even white picket fences.
When Gavin turned on his hazards, Bailey decided it was best to stop gawking and start paying attention. She stopped the truck and saw from the side that Gavin was getting ready to angle his semi-trailer into the long driveway on her right. She looked in her rearview mirror and put the Ford in reverse. When she was a good distance away, he backed in. The driveway was long and the front yard was large. She was amazed at how well he had done. Across the street, Bailey saw a man get out of his car and walk towards the duplex.
It was tan colored and two stories. The door was blue with a gold handle and she didn't remember seeing this duplex when they last came. Perhaps Gavin had found out about this place through the same realtor as the other duplex. Either way, she parked the Ford on the side of the road and walked towards the passenger side to retrieve Faith. The little girl hopped down with a yawn and slightly messy black hair. Obviously, she had slept in the cab on the way over. With the house unlocked, Gavin went in to greet the realtor again.
"Hey there Gavin," the man shook his hand eagerly in large open living room. It had a raised ceiling so it felt very spacious. The man wore a pair of khaki pants with a blue button up. His hair was brown, yet fading grey. When he smiled, the corners of his lips were deep with wrinkles and his straight white teeth gleamed. He had a band on his ring finger and he wore a tie depicting Scooby-Doo.
Bailey noticed this all as he shook her hand as well. At once, she had a feeling of trust towards him. "It's nice to meet you, my name's Bailey and this is Faith." she said. He then offered to shake Faith's hand, but the little girl simply looked at it shyly while clinging to Bailey's side.
"Welcome to the neighborhood! My name is Ben," he said warmly. Faith looked up at him with another yawn and then let her tired eyes explore the space. Bailey stepped away from her a little bit to allow Gavin to hold Faith's hand and lead her around the house. Bailey stayed put, admiring the site.
"I think they'll like it here Bailey," he directed her and then moved to the large window behind them to open the blinds.
Beyond the backyard lined with trees was a playground. Bailey found her place beside him to peer out. There was a large slab of cement for the patio. "I think they will too," Bailey said, then stepped back from the window and followed him over the tan carpet to the kitchen. There was plenty of room in the wooden cabinets and the floors were tiled white. The countertops were also white. The fridge, stove, and dishwasher were all silver though, like the handles to the drawers and the light switches. It was nice to see things matching for a change.
Bailey then looked behind her. The kitchen was open and attached to the dining room. When she walked into the dining room, she saw into the living room through the dual fireplace. There were a pair of double doors adjacent to the fireplace which led to the back patio. It was then that Gavin came down the stairs with Faith. The little girl was following behind him with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong honey?" Bailey asked while walking to her.
Gavin looked concerned and Bailey knelt beside her. She drew the girl into her arms and pressed her head against her shoulder. At once Faith wept. The realtor frowned in an awkward position and Gavin placed his hand on his forehead waiting to hear from her in the silence.
"It's so nice here," Faith said.
Gavin's hand dropped to his side at once as if a wave of relief had washed over him. The realtor smiled warmly. "Come on," Bailey said excitedly. "Let's start moving in then you can get your room together. I hear if you are helpful today, daddy has a surprise for you." She tugged on Faith's hand. The two men followed them to the back of the semi, which had been pulled up to the now open garage. The garage door lead directly into the living room and Faith couldn't have been more enthused.
Gavin had put the lighter belongings at the end of the semi-trailer, so while he unloaded them, Bailey and Faith took them inside from the garage. "Well, Gavin, I left the keys to the house on the counter, sorry I didn't get them to you sooner. Let me know if you need anything else today. I'm going to get back to the wife and kids."
"Thanks Ben," Gavin replied with a nod.
When the trailer was completely unloaded, Gavin went up the stairs to Faith's room. She had one of the two bedrooms at the top of the stairs. He was surprised to see that Bailey had already helped her put together her bed and put away her clothes in the dresser. It was a good thing that the dresser was made of plywood, otherwise it would've been a little bit more difficult for him and Bailey to get up the stairs.
"Gavin," Bailey looked up at him, rolling her eyes. "Faith tells me you have a swimming pool in your bathroom." To that, he busted up into laughter.
Bailey and Faith followed him into a room down the hall. Again, he was shut off from the rest of the house, for it was the only room at the end of the hall. When he opened the door, Bailey looked amazed. It was huge. There were two walk-in closets and when Bailey went into the bathroom, she saw what Faith had been talking about.
"Really?" she looked back at him. He stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest in a haughty stance.
"Hey. I think I deserve it," he told her, his head full of hot air. "I'm a big guy."
"Sure," she rolled her eyes at him playfully and continued to eye the Jacuzzi.
"Besides, maybe one of these days I'll find someone to share it with."
Bailey shook her head at him from side to side. "You better not," she joked quietly, conscious of Faith's ears. Gavin smiled, but Bailey could see through his proud façade as his smile lessened into a smirk at the two sinks, meant for more than just his self. The little girl then inspected the two doors to her left once more. One was for the shower, the other for the toilet.
Later on in the evening, just as the sun was starting to set, Gavin cooked some corn bread and baked beans. Faith loved it when he made cowboy food. They ate at the dining room table and talked to Faith about how she had all the time in the world to acquire new friends throughout the summer. The little girl was more than happy, but she was so tired from moving today. She told Gavin how she had her room arranged and how she liked having her own bathroom across from her room.
"Oh yeah! Which reminds me, I almost forgot about your surprise! Where did you put the keys to my truck, Bay?"
She faltered for a moment. Bailey then reached in her pocket and handed him the keys. He disappeared from the table and then came back in with a box which had been in the metal bin in the back of his truck. Faith went to the box at once. It came to her knees, and was so wide she could've fit inside it. It had been folded shut and she opened it eagerly pulling out clumps of newspaper. She then began to remove its contents one by one. There was an orange shower curtain with green, yellow, and red polka dots. She wasn't used to such colorful things. She found a matching bed set, pillow cases, and a soap dispenser. He had also found her a matching rug for her bathroom and a toilet seat cover.
As she rummaged through the box, she found shampoo, conditioner, and little bathroom accessories such as towels and washcloths, colorful scrubbies, and hair ties. All of this added color to her bleak-looking life and she couldn't wait to personalize her room.
"Daddy, are you sure it's alright for me to have all this?" she asked. Gavin bobbed his head again feeling as if he could've sheltered her more from their struggles.
After dinner, Gavin walked up the stairs behind the two young women and helped put up the shower curtain. The rest of the house may have still been in need of unpacking, even his room, but Faith came first. He wanted to make sure she was comfortable. He could unpack all tomorrow while she got out and met the neighbor kids anyway. When he walked back into Faith's room, he went to put up her new curtain in front of the white blinds. Outside, the sun was setting. "What time is it?" he turned to the two women.
Bailey checked her cell phone, "It's almost eight o'clock."
"I didn't realize it was so late," he remarked, putting the finishing touches on the room. They then loaded up into the Ford. As he climbed into his pickup, he groaned, "Good grief woman!" and adjusted the seat back so his knees weren't crammed into the dash. Bailey laughed at the sight, which looked as if he was attempting to get into a clown car. On the road now, Faith fell asleep in between them and leaned against Bailey. The woman had her hand rested against Faith's shoulder. Despite how loud the truck was Bailey also found herself drifting off on the long car ride back to Indiana.
"Are you going to be able to make it home safe?" Gavin asked, glancing over at her.
"Yeah," she replied. She moved in her seat and stared at him as he drove. He had one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the stick shift. He knew how to drive it much better than she did, commanding the roaring engine as they merged onto the interstate, shifting gears effortlessly as though it were an extension of himself. The dim dashboard lights shined off his sharp, angled facial features and his muscles in his tank top. The lights were white, making his platinum blonde hair contrast his tan skin even more. His dark eyes glanced over at her.
"Faith is going to like it here," he assured her, seeing her expression. He couldn't tell if she was worried or just tired.
"What about you, Gavin?" Bailey asked, resting her head against the window.
"If she's happy, I'm happy," he shrugged. "I can't describe it, but I feel like this time around things are going to be different living here again. We'll be able to make fresh memories with a positive start. I never want Faith to grow up thinking it's alright to give up on anything or run away from things when life gets rough. Sometimes I feel like I've failed to teach her that which is why coming here means so much to me. It's also why I appreciate you."
Bailey appeared thoroughly touched by his words. Faith did look up to her and admire her, for she had remained steady in the girl's life. "I'm sure she'll understand when she is older. Right now, she's still so young Gavin." Gavin looked thoughtful and cracked a widow just before he lit a cigarette. He offered her one, but she passed.
When they pulled up to the old house, Bailey stirred and carefully moved so that Faith didn't wake. The girl was sound asleep. Gavin got Bailey's door for her and walked her to the Cherokee. "You are more than welcome to come and visit us or invite Faith over. Just shoot me a text," he told her.
His hands were in his pockets as they lingered for a moment longer. He had one knee bent and appeared rather relaxed. Bailey had her back against her Cherokee, her right hand around her left arm, and peered at him in the moonlight. The sky was clear and slightly chilly with the absence of the sun. A light breeze blew the curls of her bun lightly around as they both stood back to look at the house. The engine of his Ford purred on loudly and the parking lights threw a dim orange color across their skin.
"You'll be alright?" he asked, but it came out as more of a statement. She may have been looking at the house, but his dark eyes had remained intent on her. Her profiled silhouette resulted from the orange parking lights, but he could clearly see the moisture that had formed in her eyes. They sparkled down her cheeks like fire. The reality that they wouldn't be returning to Indiana was dawning on her. She knew that she would see them again, but not as frequently. The distance between her and Faith was overwhelming.
She told him quietly, "I just need to man up."
He gave a soft laugh at her use of his words. He then became silent when she wrapped her arms around his torso. The warmth of his chest, the smell of his cologne, and the callousness of his hands all became a memory embedded in her mind as he returned her embrace for once. The smell of her sweet perfume, the way his arms wrapped around her petite frame and pressed against her bare shoulders. They stayed put for a while longer until Gavin could no longer stand the sentiment. "Enough of that shit," he drew his brows together, pulling away from her.
Bailey wiped away her tears. "Yeah. You better get her to bed Gavin, it's past her bedtime," her voice quivered.
Just as he opened the door to his Ford, he paused, "Are you sure you're alright to drive?"
Bailey nodded her head.
He then got in and shut the door. Once the Ford had backed out of the driveway, he turned his headlights on and gave it some gas. The engine roared and only after she couldn't hear it any longer, did she get into her Jeep. When the door was shut, she wept whole-heartedly, and when she could cry no more, she left the blue house behind.
Bailey made sure the coast was clear before she entered her house, for she didn't want to be bothered. She headed straight for the shower to clean herself up after a long hard day of moving. A warm shower cured her of her tears. It warmed her soul and washed away the aches of her muscles and her heart, just as Gavin's own shower did. He let the warmth relieve the knots in his muscles, the stress of the day, and the worries of tomorrow. As he moved from his room to the living room, he peaked in on Faith before heading down the stairs. He had carried her inside, all the way up the stairs, and laid her in her bed, among her new covers to sleep soundly. He found his place upon the couch in his boxers though, for he hadn't even put his own bed together yet. It was hard getting to sleep that night, but he was too tired to perform any other tasks.
Morning came sooner than expected and Gavin woke with his cell phone in his hand. For a moment, he looked confused as he sat up on the couch. He had slept hard, but he was aware of his reluctant declaration. As to take his mind off of it, he got up and moved into the kitchen. There was so much work to be done today, but his coffee had to come first. It was over his cup of coffee that he realized how quiet it was in the house. There was a great desire to fill the silence so he decided he was going to hook up the TV first thing. It was sitting on the stand in front of the widow that gave way to the patio and back yard. It took him a matter of minutes to hook the cable up along with the DVD player. It seemed like just yesterday VCRs were the thing, just as cassette players were, but discs were taking over.
He then looked through a box for his movies and CDs and organized them under the TV stand. When he had picked one out, he played it in the DVD player and listened to music while he drank some more coffee. The smell woke Faith and she came from her room. Next on his list was to make breakfast. "Good morning," he told her warmly.
She came down the stairs and opened up the fridge. For her, she drank a bottle of orange juice. Gavin had put the refrigerator's contents in a cooler for moving and had unpacked it yesterday. There hadn't been much so the fridge was rather empty looking. He would have to restock it either today or tomorrow. He noticed his list of things to do was getting longer and he only had a two-day transition to get it done before getting back to work.
"I think we're going to have a simple breakfast this morning," he told her, knowing it really didn't matter to her as long as she ate something. Quickly, he whipped her up a bagel with cream cheese and peeled a grapefruit for her. He knew that she liked this odd combination. He then went to get dressed for the day. When he came back down, he had on a plain navy-blue t-shirt, with a white paint stain, and jeans. Even though it was summer, he loved his jeans.
"Why don't you go change, brush your teeth, and get ready for the day. Summer begins now," he smiled at her. "There's a playground out back, you'll never know who you're going to meet today."
Faith rushed to her room and Gavin began to unpack the rest of the kitchen boxes. He put away the silverware, the cleaning supplies, the canned food, the boxed food, and the plates. There was a downstairs bathroom beside the garage. It was small and only had a toilet and sink, which was just enough for guests.
Once he was out in the garage, he looked around his primary domain. Currently it was a disorganized wreck. He opened the garage door and began to organize at once his tools, his power drills, his large brooms, and various motor vehicle solutions. Most importantly were the trophies he had won from truck shows. He put them on display on the shelf space beside the breaker box.
By the time he was done with the garage, he felt at ease with the world and retreated to his bedroom. He passed Faith on his way up the stairs. "Can I go out and play at the playground now?" Faith asked him. Her black hair was pulled back into a pony tail, exposing her beautiful face. Her long neck, angled jaw, and innocent eyes were no longer hidden. She wore a pair of jean shorts, her converse shoes, and a white t-shirt.
"Sure Fay," he smiled at her. "Check in every hour, alright?" he asked, handing her his old pocket watch. She nodded her head and made a dash for the back door.
Once he was in his room, he opened the blinds to let the light in while he put his bed together. He made his bed, unpacked all his belongings and put them away. He then unpacked all his bathroom supplies too. While he did so, he found a long-legged spider in the corner of his large tub. He sighed heavily and bent over to watch it. It was still, waiting for prey, but it wouldn't catch much here. It would either die waiting or relocate. Perhaps it was already dead? He moved his finger closer to the corner of the web and the spider cringed drawing its long legs closer to its body. He smirked, feeling kind of sorry for the tiny venomous creature, and simply went about the rest of his day.
By the time the house was completely finished, his cardboard box stash had over fifty boxes. Back in the living room, he looked through the windows at the playground. He wanted to ensure that Faith had a good childhood and he refused to dwell on his mistakes. It was way past Faith's time to check in by three hours. Luckily, he saw her playing with the other children. They were swinging and smiling.
When Faith came back inside from playing, Gavin was in the garage detailing his neglected truck. He had the radio on and a cigarette in his mouth. "Faith, do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked as the web of smoke exited his mouth. She shrugged and handed him the pocket watch. He thus discovered that it was dead. "I try," he laughed, put it back in his pocket, and continued to wipe down his dashboard. "How is playing going?" he asked.
"It's good. I've made some new friends. Alex lives next door to us. She has red hair just like her brother and her sister. They are each a year apart, she says."
"Awesome." Gavin smiled at her with the cigarette still in his mouth. "Don't forget, later we are going to go see your cousins," he reminded her. "You have about one more hour. I'll call for you when it's time to go."
Faith nodded her head and disappeared out of the garage. Gavin continued to service his loyal vehicle. With Armor-All he made the black interior gleam, freeing it of dust and ashes. The windows appeared as if they were open and the black cloth seats were free of receipts, crumbs, cigarette wrappers, boxes, and beer cans. Even the floor mats were spotless. He then put it in reverse out into the sun to give it a good wash. His semi was parked on the side of the road now and he planned on taking it out to the shop when he was finished. He worked hard on his Ford until he was forced to remove his tank top which was drenched in sweat.
When his work was done, the grey paint gleamed and he stood back to smile at it proudly. "That's a nice Ford you got there," a woman came out of the right duplex. She came to shake his hand and he saw that she had fair skin and curly red hair beneath a white sun hat. The hat shaded her emerald eyes from the sun and her hair came to her shoulders. Her short bangs were parted to the right. She wore a light blue sundress against her petite frame.
"Hey, the name's Gavin," he introduced himself, his eyes squinted in the sunlight. His tanned skin glistened with sweat and his tank top rested around his neck, having been thrown over his shoulders.
"Nice to meet you Gavin, I'm Cyndi," she told him with a smile. There were faint laugh lines at the corners of her soft pink lips. Her teeth were white and straight. "Where are you from?"
"I'm from Champaign, but my daughter and I just moved back from Veedersburg, Indiana."
"Awesome! How long have you been driving?" she went on to ask about his semi.
He raised his brows and turned to look at his trophy. The stacks glistened in the sun, beautifully parallel to one another. "Since I was eighteen. It sure helped me when it came to moving yesterday."
"I bet!" The woman lightly laughed and looked down at her bare feet. She had an ankle bracelet on her right ankle, along with a rose tattoo. "I really need to get out of this sun. I burn so easily. Won't you come in for a drink?"
Gavin looked back at his Ford. He pulled the tank top from his neck and wiped his forehead and chest with it. "Ma'am I'm awfully dirty and sweaty. Besides, won't Mr. Cyndi mind?" He then hung it over his right shoulder.
"There is no Mr. Cyndi." she told him. "Is there a Mrs. Gavin?" Gavin shook his head no honestly. "Tell you what I'll bring it out to you. What do you drink?" Cyndi asked.
"If you really insist, water is fine," he replied.
"Oh stop," she laughed. "You are too funny. Come on, I'm serious, Bud Light? Busch? What?"
Gavin tilted his head with a smile. "I need to drive later Miss Cyndi." he told her.
"Just one won't hurt you, trust me on this, I'm Irish." she raised her perfectly arched brow at him.
"Do you have Bud Light?" he asked. He admired her stubbornness and her fiery personality. A name like Cyndi fit her well as he thought about the cinders within her fiery, emerald eyes. When she came back outside, she handed him a can of Bud Light and took to drinking what he assumed was wine. It was in a clear wine glass, purple and bubbly. Perhaps it was champagne of some sort? She then sat in the shade on the steps. He came and sat a little way away from her on the concrete driveway.
He opened the can and drank it. It was chilled to perfection. "Thanks," he told her, looking at the other houses. There were lots of people about, none of them appeared to care about anything else but enjoying the summer fun. Children played in sprinklers, the dogs barked to one another, and the adults sun bathed on their patios.
"So, are you German?" The woman had not taken her eyes off Gavin. She assumed so since his hair was platinum blonde. He had his knees bent and his arms rested on top of his knees with the can in his right hand.
"No, but that's a good guess," he told her looking in her direction. "My last name is Paradiso."
"Ah, you're Italian," she smirked.
"I believe I have a little bit of everything in me Miss Cyndi, even a little Irish," he said taking another swig. His teeth gleamed in a smile and Cyndi enjoyed his humor.
It was then that all four of the children came running around into the front yard. Faith plowed into Gavin, knocking the can from his hand. "Faith!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing? That's alcohol abuse." He put one arm around her and ignored to the can that rolled away from him.
"Daddy, I love it here! I'm having so much fun playing. Can I please stay here when you go? Alex, Dakota, and Braxton are going to have a water balloon fight."
"Your Grandpa and Grandma haven't seen you in a long time, Faith, and I'm sure your cousins want to meet you too. I promise you guys can play all day tomorrow."
The other three children became sidetracked as they moved towards Gavin's semi. "It's so big!" the shortest of the group said, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at the machine. Faith ran to them at once to tell them about her daddy's semi.
Gavin glanced at Cyndi. Her pink lips were drawn into a smile as she watched him from the corner of her eye. She then got up and moved towards the spilt can. "Don't worry about it," Gavin moved for it instead. "I'm sorry about that."
"Would you like another?" her voice chimed in a lovely tone.
"No, thanks, I should probably go clean myself up if I'm going to look presentable today." He stood straight in his tan Timberland boots and crushed the can between his hands to put it in with the recyclables in his garage. She saw the flex of his muscles when he did so and she reached for the handle of her front door.
"Let me know if you need help with anything," she smiled at him and then shut the door behind her. Gavin stood frozen for a moment; his mouth slightly agape. He most definitely admired the spirit of this bold, fearless woman.
Once he had taken a shower and dressed, he debated whether or not to take his semi so that he could at least drop it off at the shop to clear room on the road. "Faith," he called for her. The children were playing tag in the front yard and he motioned to her that it was time to go. She appeared sad until they showed envy that she got to ride in it. He hoisted her into the semi and the beast of a machine roared to life. The children looked absolutely amazed and Faith waved goodbye to them as they drove off.
She then turned her attention to Gavin. "What are you smiling about?" she asked, but he did not respond.
Faith and Gavin drove through the small town out into the country, where they pulled up to a large garage meant for semis. Gavin called this 'The Shop' and he backed his semi in line with the others. Once he had finished, he shut off his truck and went to get Faith from the passenger side. He was always afraid she would miss a step and hurt herself. He then walked her across the gravel driveway to a tan house across the lawn. The smell of food wavered in the breeze and the voices of children and adults diffused through the air. When they reached the house, Gavin got the door for her. He swung it open and they walked through as if stepping back into the past.