Chapter 4
Gage – 2006
As Natalie entered the diner with her friends, I glanced up from my book. My heart did this strange flip-flop thing, and I quickly looked away, embarrassed by my reaction.
Although I hadn’t recognized Natalie right away in the ER last night, I definitely remembered her from high school. She’d sat next to me in math class, and I remembered her being incredibly smart without being condescending like all the other brainiacs. She’d also been kind, taking care of Sheela Murphy at that party even though Natalie’s kindness was the last thing Sheela deserved back then.
In hindsight, I regretted doing nothing to stop the rumors Sheela had spread about Natalie’s family in high school. I supposed I was simply too selfish to say anything. Ever since losing my leg, I’d been trying to be a better person, which was why I’d invited Natalie to dinner. Well, that and the fact she was hot. I was a guy after all.
Closing my book, I scooted out of the booth and came to my feet. Natalie said goodbye to her friends and walked toward me.
“Hi,” she said, smoothing back her hair. “I can’t believe you’re still here. We got slammed at work, and I didn’t have your number. I thought you’d probably given up on me and gone home.”
“Oh, ye of little faith,” I said, teasing her. “Of course, I didn’t give up. I told you I’d be here. Besides, I have a good book.”
She took the book from me and read the title aloud. “Ender’s Game. That’s one of my favorites.”
I grinned at her, amused. “You’ve read Ender’s Game?”
“I have. My Uncle Leo is a huge science fiction fan. He has trouble reading now because of his eyes, so I read aloud to him almost every afternoon. Sometimes he listens to audiobooks, but I enjoy reading to him.”
“Really?”
She nodded, and a beat of awkward silence fell between us.
I gestured behind her. “Should we join your friends?”
She glanced over her shoulder, then back at me. “Not tonight. Let’s just sit here, okay?”
I nodded, and we took our seats in the booth, across from each other. Smiling, she handed me back my book. “Are you a big reader, Gage?”
“I am now.” I reached for the salt shaker and slid it from one hand to the other. “Growing up I never read for fun, but my platoon leader force-fed me a couple of his favorite paperbacks until I was hooked. Now, I always have a book going.”
“Me, too.”
The waitress came to the table, and we both ordered hamburgers, fries, and a drink. I was glad Natalie wasn’t one of those girls too self-conscious to order anything but a salad in front of me.
After the waitress left, I asked Natalie about some of the other books she’d read with her uncle. She listed a bunch I’d already read and several I hadn’t.
“You lived with your uncle in high school, right?” I asked, remembering the older man coming to school when Natalie had been suspended for stealing makeup from Sheela’s locker. Later, it turned out that Sheela had left her makeup bag at home. Natalie’s suspension had been lifted, and Sheela had apologized for the accusation, but I imagined it didn’t repair Natalie’s damaged reputation.
“I’ve lived with my uncle ever since the third grade,” Natalie said.
I nodded, and our conversation turned to movies. Natalie was shocked when I confessed I’d never seen one of her favorites.
“It’s about a pig, right?” I asked.
“Yes, but Babe is about so much more than a pig. It’s got humor, drama, love . . . honestly, it’s the best movie ever. You have to see it.”
“Is it better than The Godfather?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen The Godfather, but I’m sure it’s better than that.”
I put up my hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll see the pig movie with you if you promise to see The Godfather with me.”
She laughed, and her face flushed the slightest hint of red. “The way you just said pig makes me think you’re not aware that pigs are one of the smartest animals on the planet.”
“I know they’re smart. I read Charlotte’s Web.”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “You know it was the spider who wove those messages in the web and not the pig, right?”
“Of course.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
“No.”
She laughed at my admission, then proceeded to educate me about Charlotte’s Web. She also told me all about the intelligence of pigs, which according to her were one of the most underrated animals.
“Did you know that pigs can find their way home from miles away?” she asked.
“No, I didn’t know that.”
She nodded, enthusiastically. “A farmer in Ireland once sold a pig to another farmer, and that pig walked nearly three hundred miles to get back home. Can you believe that?”
I laughed. “That’s pretty incredible.”
She stared at me. “Sorry, that probably sounded really nerdy. I didn’t mean to go off on pigs like that.”
I shook my head. “Don’t apologize. I like hearing you go off on pigs like that. It’s interesting.”
A companionable silence fell between us as we smiled at each other. Then, Natalie turned the conversation to me and my work at the center. “That’s a really good thing you’re doing, working with those kids.”
I shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal. I’m sure you’ve impacted their lives more than you can imagine.”
The waitress arrived with our order, and as we ate, we talked about what we’d been doing since high school. Natalie had graduated from nursing school last year and was planning on going back for her master’s degree. “I love working in the ER, but having my master’s would allow me to teach and earn—” She glanced up at me, suddenly embarrassed.
“It would allow you to earn more money,” I finished for her.
She stirred her soda with a straw. “Sorry. I don’t mean to sound greedy.”
Picking up a French fry, I shook my head. “You don’t sound greedy. Money gives people opportunity. That’s just a fact of life. I recognize that.”
She was quiet for a minute, then she said, “I just want to have a good job so I can pay my bills and take care of my uncle. He’s done a lot for me, and I want to return the favor.”
“That’s understandable. And admirable.” I had a sudden urge to reach across the table and take her hand. Not wanting to scare her away, I refrained. “You have a good heart, Natalie.”
She gave a bashful smile. “You’re one to talk. You turned down an opportunity to play basketball in college in order to join the military. You suffered an injury, and now you work with disadvantaged youth. If anyone has a good heart, it’s you.”
I shook my head. “As I told you last night, I like working there. The guys see my leg and automatically feel sorry for me, so it’s easy to connect with them.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Why do they feel sorry for you? Your prosthesis doesn’t seem to hold you back.”
I shrugged. “It does on the court a bit. I try not to use it as an excuse because I know I’m lucky to have survived the explosion. Still, missing a leg makes things a little more challenging.”
“I bet.”
The waitress came to the table, checking to see if we needed anything. We both shook our heads no. After she left, Natalie asked what I was studying in college.
“Marketing,” I answered.
“What are you going to do with that?”
I found myself telling her about the full-time position I’d been offered at the center. “I think it’d be a great opportunity for me, and I think I could really make a difference with those kids, you know?”
“That’s wonderful, Gage. Are you going to take the job?”
I hung my head. “No.” Saying the word aloud made me realize how sad I was about needing to turn down the offer.
“Why not?”
I wiped my mouth with my napkin and pushed my plate away. “My parents are expecting me to work for our company.”
“And . . .”
“And that’s what I need to do.”
Natalie took a sip of her drink. “You don’t sound very excited about that.”
“You’re right, but my mother’s great-grandfather founded the company. It’s been in our family for generations, and I’m expected to do my part to keep it going. I’ve already done my own thing by joining the Marine Corps and working at the center. So, as my parents say, it’s time to get serious about my life.”
She sat back in the booth and studied me carefully. “Your parents didn’t approve of you joining the military?”
I shrugged. “They were supportive in their own way, but now they feel I need to focus on what I’m meant to do. Besides, working at the center wouldn’t pay much. I know it’s not all about the money, but as you pointed out, one does have to pay their bills.”
“Yes, one does.” Her formal tone caused both of us to smile.
“Still,” she continued, “you don’t sound very happy about working for your family’s company.”
“No?” I asked, sarcastically. “You don’t think I sound passionate about the canned vegetable business?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Um, no, you don’t.”
I sighed. “You’re probably right, but sometimes you have to grow up and find happiness outside of work.”
“True, but . . .” Natalie leaned forward, resting her forearms on the table. “If you could do anything you wanted, and money or family pressure wasn’t a factor, what would you do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on. Surely, there’s something at the back of your mind. Some hidden dream? Wasn’t there something you always wanted to do as a kid?”
I pushed out a slow breath, surprised I was going to answer her question. “Well, I’ve always wanted to open my own gym. Since I’ve been working at the center, I see a huge need for more after-school programs. I think it’d be satisfying to have my own gym and use basketball to teach life skills that kids can’t get from watching TV and playing video games.”
She nodded. “What would your parents say if you told them you wanted to make a difference in the world by doing something like that?”
I chuckled. “They’d say, ‘You’ve already given a leg for this country. Isn’t that enough?’”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “They wouldn’t really say that, would they?”
“No, but they would remind me that our company gives thousands of dollars to charity every year. By doing my part to keep the business strong, I’d be able to make an even bigger impact on society.”
“That’s true. Charities always need money, but . . .”
“But what?”
She bit her bottom lip and looked at me in a way nobody ever did. It was a way that made me feel everything was different about this simple meal we shared.
“I think it’s important to do something you love, Gage. If I didn’t love being a nurse, I couldn’t work as many hours as I do. Nor would I want to stay in that field. Life is too short not to follow your dreams.”
Frustration surged through me because she was exactly right. “That’s great and all, but you can say that because you don’t have the same family pressures I have.”
“No, I don’t.” Sadness filled her eyes, making me regret being so direct. Of course, she didn’t have the same family pressures I had. As far as I knew, her uncle was her only family.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“No, it’s fine. Your situation is different than mine. If I were in your position, I’d probably make the same decision.”
Silence fell between us. I wanted to ask if the rumors about her family were true. Instead, I teased her about being a bad influence.
Her head snapped up. “What?”
I grinned. “Everything you said about having a career you love is exactly right. I’m glad you called me on it, even if I don’t do anything about it.”
She blinked. “So, you don’t think I’m a bad influence?”
“No, I think the opposite.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “You helped Sheela when she drank too much at that party. Everyone just stood there staring, but you stepped up and took care of her by calling nine-one-one. Everyone left while you stayed until the ambulance arrived.”
Natalie dismissed my comment with a scoffing sound. “I stayed because I was the only one who was sober.”
I smiled. “Well, that too. Given how badly she treated you, that was impressive.”
Natalie shrugged. “People die from alcohol poisoning. Staying with her was the right thing to do.”
“It was, but she didn’t deserve it.”
“No, she didn’t.”
I studied Natalie carefully, wishing I could go back in time and make things better for her in high school. Wishing I’d been less self-centered and more aware of the goodness in the girl who sat next to me in class.