Chapter 6

“Everything is organized. Please make sure the closing duties get done,” I told Kait as I finally clocked out.

The last hour moved as slow as snails, I never thought it would be over. Gabriel and I haven’t spoken since he figured out how to perfect the task I gave him. He seemed as nervous as I felt. I grabbed my black backpack from under the counter and headed to the door.

“You coming, Gabriel?” I asked nonchalantly.

Gabriel jumped up from the plush chair located next to the dressing room and followed me out. The bell on the door chimed as we walked out to the gravel parking lot. Silence sat awkwardly between us as we walked to my car. The only sound that echoed through the air was from the gravel crunching under our feet .

“So.....” I awkwardly breathed, waiting for Gabriel to take the lead.

After a few more moments of silence, I furrowed my brow and clenched my teeth. “Are you hungry? We can go eat at this amazing burger place.” I asked frustrated.

“Sure. Are we walking there?” Gabriel stared at the ground.

“No, the restaurant is too far. You can take your car and follow me.”

“I walked here. I can ride with you,” Gabriel shifted weight onto his left foot. He acted so nervous, especially for someone who immediately came out and asked such a personal question earlier.

“Well, ....” I kicked the gravel. “I don’t usually allow strangers to ride with me, but I guess that will be fine. Just an FYI, I carry mace so no funny stuff.”

I inserted my key into the door pad and unlocked my car. Gabriel entered on the passenger side and stumbled with the seat belt. He held on to it and didn’t buckle up until he observed how mine worked. I put my sunglasses on due to Gabriel’slight making the inside of my car radiate brighter than the sun.

“Why are you wearing shades at night?” Gabriel’s eyebrows arched.

“My eyes are sensitive to the street lights and headlights,” I lied. I did not need him to find out I was basically freaking nuts.

“I understand,” Gabriel fiddled with the buttons on the door. The window went down and he held his hand outside in amazement. “That’s pretty neat.”

“It’s just a window. Does your car not have electric windows?” I asked, wondering how someone could be so fascinated by a window.

“No,” Gabriel answered without thought, still amazed by the window rolling down.“So, what do you want to see around here? I guess you need to know where the nearest Walmart is,” I changed the subject as I pulled out of the parking lot and headed into the typical downtown traffic. He smiled softly and watched my every move.

“That’s the local courthouse,” I nodded towards a gray cement building with cement steps connected in front of the fancy doors. The courtyard was filled with oak trees, black metal benches, and small ponds glistening in the moonlight with goldfish bubbling in the cool water.

“Beautiful,” Gabriel took in every detail as we passed down Main Street. We took a left at the stoplight.

“There’s a local pharmacy, they are open 24 hours,” I pointed out. “Now we are turning onto MLK, the location of Walmart and basically every known store in Houma is located here.”We passed some local restaurants, Walmart, McDonald’s, Best Buy, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Gabriel remained silent and concentrated on the places around him. He appeared to be amazed by every little detail.

“So where are we headed?” he asked as I merged into a turn lane at a red light.

“A local burger joint about a minute away,” I answered and accelerated as soon as the arrow turned green.

We continued to ride in silence as I pulled into a parking lot with a few cars. I let out a sigh of relief. The fewer people in a building meant less light and dark shadows in my view. We got out of the car and walked into the wooden building with simple wooden tables and metal chairs. Chatter and the sounds of fryers filled the building and the aromacoming from the food made my stomach growl. Gabriel kept looking around, taking every detail in.

“Um ...I guess you can order for me,” he bit his bottom lip and sat at the table closest to where we stood. I shrugged my shoulders and did as he asked. There was no point in making a scene by trying to get him to come to the register with me.

After I ordered, I returned to the table with two cups of sweet tea. Gabriel stayed busy today concentrating on the surrounding art.

“That is an interesting painting,” Gabriel said as he studied a painting of a cabin surrounded by moss trees, the green swamp, and a gator sunbathing on the bay.

“Part of our heritage,” I explained as I sat down.“Interesting,”

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Oh, umm... a small town in Washington. Mostly trees and clouds there.”

“Is that why you left? You wanted to be in a city?”

“Oh ...yeah and for other reasons.”

“Gotcha, well I’m actually from Ohio but I moved here with my grandparents when I was five.”

“That must have been awful considering everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, I umm...assumed your ranting earlier this morning, you were talking about yourself.”

“Yes, yes I was.”

Our conversation was interrupted by a young waitress dropping off our food. She smacked bubblegum while smiling with enthusiasm. Her light shone bright with a pink tone, but not nearly as blinding as Gabriel’s “Mais, y’all enjoy!” she said with a Cajun accent.

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Gabriel continued our conversation as soon as the girl walked away.

“Me too. So what made you ask me such a personal question earlier?” I asked in between taking bites.

“I told you it was the start of a pickup line,” Gabriel stared at the food in front of him.

“Well, you’ve been so quiet since you asked me. You aren’t even eating your food. Do you not eat burgers in Washington? ” I pointed at his full plate. Gabriel immediately ate a french fry.

“Mmm, the food is fantastic,” He started eating robotically taking a bite after I would. “I am quiet because I want to get to hear everything about you and let you speak with no interruptions,”

“Well, I told you the main tragedy that shaped my life. You also know where I work and that I attend the local college so I can become a good therapist. You know, someone who actually listens to their patients. I live by myself. I have an older brother and my grandparents that live not too far from me. I have a cat that keeps my company. You must think I am shallow because I don’t believe, but I’ve seen too much in my life. I would love to believe, to be comforted by the thought of someone bigger than me and protecting me at all times, but there is too much evil in the world for me to honestly believe. Plus why would innocent people and babies die? The world is so confusing and I have so many questions.”

“You do not have to explain yourself. Maybe the answer to your question is, because God needs angels and warriors. Plus the Sin that arrived on Earth because of Lucifer’s fall made humans immortal, so death has to happen unfortunately. While alive, your soul basically picks a side, who you will return with after death.”

“Interesting, you seem to be highly educated about the topic. What do you think he needs angels for?”

“I umm...used to study religion. I wanted to become a pastor but changed my mind. He probably needs them to protect people or as guardians,” Gabriel answered not skipping a beat.

“Interesting. I never thought of it that way. It is a lot to take in,” I finished eating in silence while Gabriel picked at his food.

“I guess it does not matter what your mind believes, but what your heart does,” Gabriel said as we stood up to leave minutes later.

“I guess so,” I shrugged and led him out of the door..

“So, where are we going next?” Gabriel asked as we got into my car.

“The marina. It’s a little park under the twin span bridges next to the water,” I answered as I put my car in reverse.

Gabriel continued to take in every landmark as we drove.

“The water is shining so beautiful, just like you,” He whispered as we pulled up by the water glistening in the moonlight. We spent the rest of the night laughing and talking. We sat on the dock and watched a tug boat pass. Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood and goosebumps filled my arms. Someone was watching us, but when I looked around, no one was in sight.

“Are you okay?” Gabriel scooted closer to me.

“I thought someone was watching us,” I let out a nervous chuckle. “I guess I’m just paranoid with it being so dark out here.”

“I do not see anyone, but do not worry. I will always protect you,” Gabriel smiled and grabbed my hand.

I jumped from the electrifying surge that flowed through my veins, then blushed and wrapped my fingers around his. We sat for a while in silence, hand in hand, enjoying the presence of each other. My hand started to go numb from the constant electric shock, so I pulled away hoping the feeling in my hand would return. Thankfully it did and when it was time to leave, I felt happy and relaxed. My head was in the clouds. I was so busy thinking about what Gabriel and I could become, I didn’t question why Gabriel didn’t need a ride home. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face; I was happier than I’ve been in a long time.