Free Symby by Steven Heitmeyer Page B

walking. He hadn't thought about the heat. Eventually succumbing, he removed the overcoat and held it in front of him. He broke into a slow jog. He had no idea whether he was capable of jogging an entire mile, but he was going to try. He wanted to get to Missy's house as fast as he could.
    Jody pulled up in front of Missy's house in less than twenty minutes. He now knew the upper limits of his newly renovated body, because he had just come up against them. He was taken aback when he viewed the tiny, weathered shack that provided shelter for the girl he loved most in the world. She may have come from California, but she clearly wasn't from Beverly Hills. Jody was still panting and sweating when he rang the doorbell.
    Both of Jody's parents answered the door. Her mother looked a lot like Missy, a petite brunette with a moon-shaped face highlighted by huge, emerald, sparkling eyes. The heavy, black pouches under her eyes revealed that life had been a struggle for her, at least lately. Missy's father didn't look at all like Missy. He was good-looking in a different way. He towered over Jody, even at Jody's new height. Broad-shouldered and tan, he looked like a man who had spent most of his life working outdoors. This was true, Jody knew. According to Missy, he had started his own lawn care business in California. His business had expanded to the point where he primarily contracted for work and supervised his five employees. Now he was starting over alone. Despite his impressive physical appearance, he too displayed the effects of caring for Missy. He looked haggard. Jody's trepidation at meeting Missy's parents dissolved instantly when he looked into their eyes. They were nice people.
    Missy's mother greeted him pleasantly. "You must be Jody, correct?"
    "Yes, I'm Jody, Ma'am," answered Jody politely. Jody's father spoke next. Jody was surprised and spooked by his stern demeanor.
    "We had no idea until now that Missy had a boyfriend," he said. "So you two have been sneaking around behind our backs, eh?"
    Jody flushed. This was totally unexpected. Missy's father suddenly broke into a wide grin. He laughed and extended his massive hand.
    "Just kidding son, welcome to our home," he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm Ken, and this is Missy's mom and my wife, Lisa. Missy's in the back bedroom. Follow me, but you two behave yourselves, O.K.?" He laughed again. He obviously thought Jody's relationship with Missy was cute.
    Jody followed Missy's parents to the back of the house, a trip that took almost no time at all given the small size of the home. The only floor consisted of a small family room which flowed into the kitchen on the left side, a small room on the right that had been closed off with sliders and Missy's bedroom in the back across from the kitchen. Jody guessed that the room with the sliders was designed as a living room, but was now being used as Missy's parent's bedroom. There was no second floor, so where else could they sleep? Jody calculated that Missy's house had less than half of the square footage of his small cape.
    Missy's father knocked on her closed door. "Missy, you've got a visitor. It's Jody," he said. "You said I should I kick him out, right?"
    Missy's father obviously thought he was funnier than he actually was, but Jody didn't fall for his teasing this time. Missy's muffled voice wafted through the door.
    "Daaaaaddy!" Missy whined. "Stop teasing and just let him in."
    Ken opened the door and motioned Jody inside with a wave of his hand. "Welcome to Missy's world," he said. "Be careful, son, you never know what might get you in there. She's not known for her neatness." Missy moaned again. Jody was surprised when Ken closed the door behind him. He was really starting to like Missy's father.
    Jody had never been in a girl's room before. He didn't know what to expect. His first observation was that Ken might not have been kidding about Missy's organizational skills. There was stuff all over the place.