Free Control by M. S. Willis Page B

closely.
    Matt
returned to the table and gave us our drinks.  He took our food orders and
I ordered two fried eggs, sausage patties and a bowl of grits.  David
ordered a salad.  When Matt left the table, I laughed at David’s choice in
breakfast.
    “What?! 
At least he isn’t looking at me like I’m going to keel over any second from a
grease induced heart attack.”
    I sat
back in my chair and placed my hands on the table in front of me.  “Grits
with fried eggs and sausage mixed in are good. You should try it
sometime.  My mom used to make that for me every Sunday and I love it.”
    David
shrugged his shoulders and then picked up the green concoction that Matt had
placed down in front of him.  He tilted the glass back and forth and
watched as the thick liquid slowly moved from side to side.”  I made a
face of disgust and David smiled.
    “Bottoms
up!”  David took a large swig of the smoothie and his face puckered in on
itself.  He frantically looked from left to right and then sprayed the
table in front of me as he spit the drink out.
    “Oh my
god, holy crap and heaven help me, that stuff was disgusting!”  He grabbed
a stack of napkins from the side of the table and started mopping of the puddle
between us.  I tried not to laugh, but it forced its way out and some of
the other patrons turned to look at us.  When David had finished cleaning
the table he pushed the stack of soiled napkins to the side and looked up at
me.
    “Do me
a favor.” He whispered. “When Matt comes back, order a vanilla shake and
pretend like it’s for you.  I’ll slam it when he isn’t looking.”
    I
chuckled.  “Did you want me to order some real food for you while I’m at
it?”
    “Please?”
    I
chuckled again and nodded my head in agreement.

Chapter Five
    David
and I ate our meals and then left the restaurant; David being one phone number
richer.  He had a shit eating grin on his face and I was happy for his
Matt induced ego boost.  We drove out of town and started on the long
route to The Center.  If we took the highway, we could make it to my
folks’ place in forty-five minutes tops, but if you added another thirty
minutes to your drive, the scenery was definitely worth it.
    I drove
along the curvy roads that cut through the state forests.  The roads were
never busy and occasionally you would be passed by a family heading to the
springs or a fisherman towing his boat towards the beaches.   Florida
is surrounded by water and the limestone shelf it sits on often collapses,
creating natural lakes and springs.  The roads were lined by the trees and
grasses and every once in a while you would see a gator sunning itself in the
side ditch.  Between the natural scenery surrounding me and the sound of
the air rushing past me, I was immersed in this ride.  There were days
where I was so upset I would make the drive just to experience this serenity,
even when I had no particular destination in mind.
    We
arrived at the Center and my parents stepped outside to greet us. Momma gave
David a huge bear hug and then made her way over to me while Daddy shook
David’s hand and clapped him on the back.  Momma grabbed me and pulled me
tight to her and gave out an excited squeal to have her arms wrapped around
me.  She wasn’t shy in her hatred of my transportation so when she got to
hold me in one piece, she always acted like it was the last time she would get
the chance.
    “Now
move over Maia and give me a chance to take a look at our girl.”  Daddy
came up beside us and tickled Momma to get her to move out of the way. Momma
laughed and stepped aside so Daddy could take a look at me.  He grabbed me
by the shoulders and held me away from him like he was inspecting me before
pulling me into a hug.
    I shook
my head when he pulled away and laughed. “You guys act like you didn’t just see
me a week ago.  Trust me, nothing has changed in that amount of time.”
    Daddy
winked at me before saying, “Just checking