Chapter 10: Arianna
We eat at the lovely restaurant Dell had chosen for his family. It’s precisely our style and I feel perfectly at home.
Afterward, though, we go to Railroad Park. It’s a pretty scenic area of downtown with walking paths. There, I start to see what he means. I’m overdressed. Most of the mothers have on jeans or some form of workout clothes. I wonder what this VA Hall is like. The restaurant or the park? Which way do I dress?
Back at the hotel, I quickly look up the VA Hall and the American Legion. These look like very honorable organizations devoted to veterans and national pride. It might be a little dated, sure, but I can see that everyone in the pictures looks friendly.
But they’re all in jeans and normal shirts. The old men wear their ball caps with words on the front describing their service.
Okay, so my couture outfit is all wrong.
Dell didn’t even bring any of his own trademark suits. Just jeans and button-downs.
So I change into something plainer, navy stretch pants and a long loose sweater. This is better. I’m determined to fit in.
This will be fine.
Still, by the time five approaches and Dell requests our car to be brought around, my stomach is filled with butterflies. It’s bound to be hard to meet your future in-laws. But we have a surprise baby and a secret to shield.
I plan to stay glued to Dell’s side.
Hasmund. Hasmund. I have to think and say Hasmund.
“What if I gave you some nickname?” I ask as we wait for the car.
Dell shifts Grace in his arms. She’s fussy, as if our anxiety is fueling hers. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Honey Bear or Sweetie Pie or something.”
This makes a small smile appear. “Honey Bear?”
“I’m just sure I’m going to call you Dell accidentally.”
“Maybe the nickname should be Dellish, then,” he says. “I could be called Dell-icious.”
“Oh, Dell. Hasmund. Honey Bear.” I trip over all the words.
He wraps his free arm around me. “It’s going to be fine.”
“No, I’m going to screw this up.”
“You can call me Doodles,” he says.
I sputter my reply. “Like what Grace does in her pants?”
“Okay, maybe not.”
An SUV pulls up, white and nondescript.
“This us?” I ask.
“Yes, just what I asked for.”
There isn’t a porter to open the door, so Dell does it himself. The valet runs around. “Here you go!”
Dell hands me Grace. “I’ll get the car seat locked in.”
I sit on the front passenger side, Grace on my lap. “You ready for an adventure?” I ask her.
She drools down her chin in response. Teething.
She wears classic pink, a little checked dress with a matching sweater. Is it too much? Can a baby be overdressed?
I’m unsure about everything now.
“All ready,” he says.
He looks like a normal dad, his hair falling from its perfect wave over the exertion of installing the seat. We’re a long way from having a driver, a butler, and people who do those sorts of things for us.
It’s good. It feels real. I pass him Grace and he buckles her in. The seats are fabric instead of leather. The dashboard is simple. A base model car. It seems right. We shouldn’t be ostentatious.
Dell gets behind the wheel.
“You remember your way around?” I ask.
“This town isn’t that big,” he says. “But I have noticed some changes. A few more tall buildings. The park was different.”
“This Legion Hall, do you know it?”
“Like the back of my hand. My uncle Travis was in Vietnam, so the whole family practically lives up there. They do a lot of suppers and events. It’s like the social hub of my neighborhood.”
I settle back in the seat. This will be fine. Like a reception. Food, drinks, people chatting at tables. Nothing I can’t handle.
We drive away from the hotels and office buildings of downtown and out among normal neighborhoods and businesses. I’m eager to see the city where Dell — Hasmund — grew up.
Doodles. I snort a laugh.
“I’m glad you’re feeling relaxed,” Dell says. “We can work this room. We’ll have them all well in hand.”
“Recap,” I say. “We’ve had an on-and-off-again relationship but are committing now.”
“Other facts stay the same. You own a daycare,” he says. “And I work in finance.”
“What about pictures? What if people upload things and comment? Nobody knows Grace is yours.”
“Hasmund McDonald doesn’t exist. They can type that name in all they want.”
“But Arianna Hart does.”
“We’ll avoid giving anyone your last name.”
“But what if someone who knows you as Dell sees a picture?”
“Seems unlikely.”
“But if anybody does…” I glance at the backseat.
He frowns. “All right. I think I’m missing an accessory.” He peers out the window. “If it’s still there, I should see…” He turns the wheel. “Yes.”
We exit the highway and pull into the parking lot of a gas station. The place is enormous and the lot is filled with eighteen-wheelers. I glance up at the sign. Flying J Truck Stop.
“I’m just going to run in right quick,” he says.
I’ve never seen a place like this before. I turn around to look at Grace, but she faces backward and we don’t have a mirror installed. I can see her kicking, though, fingers reaching for the toys hanging from the canopy.
After a moment, Dell emerges from the store holding a ball cap. He tugs the tag off and tosses it in a trash bin as he approaches the car.
When he gets in, I ask, “A hat?”
“Totally in line with the company,” he says, dropping the car into reverse to get us out of the lot. “And will totally keep me incognito in any pictures.”
“Isn’t it rude to wear hats indoors?” I ask.
“Only during prayers and the National Anthem,” he says. “Otherwise, fair game at all times.”
Wow, okay. “I feel like I need a handbook.”
He laughs as we start navigating back roads. “Oh, trust me, there are no rules other than that there are no rules.”
This does not make me feel better. I pluck at the sweater, feeling warm despite the season. Maybe I should run into the truck stop and buy an outfit.
Dell picks up my hand from my lap and lifts it to his lips. “Don’t fret, Arianna. Remember that at the end of the day, we walk away.”
I try to feel more confident with his assurances. But my brain wants to argue. There’s holidays ahead! And a wedding!
I start to think we should elope.