Golfing

The truck was filled up, and we took off. I was excited for the upcoming days and, especially the surprise. I had a working theory that if I didn't play it out in my head, Roxanne wouldn't be able to visualize it. I put my foot down on the gas because we had a reservation, and Roxanne asked, "Do we have somewhere special to be?" I countered, "I have this telepathic thing figured out. You can't figure it out if I don't visualize it playing out." She taunted, "If you say so." I thought, "Damnit it. I may have been wrong about my theory, but I had a hypothesis." Due to the earlier statements I was worried about having a baby, so I imagined having a kid. Roxanne sheepishly smiled and said, "You are smart, I'll give you that." due to lack of eye contact, I thought I had just jumped head-first into a woodchipper, which was on fire for good measure. Roxanne looked at me and laughed. She continued, "You have quite an imagination. After the Jimmy incident, I wondered if I could have kids. My mom's sister was infertile, and I was curious if I could have kids, so I took a test. It said I was infertile." All I could muster was, "I'm sorry. That was stupid of me." She said, "It's okay. That was bothering you, and I am glad you asked it. Have you ever thought about kids?" I responded. "I have. I'm worried that if I had kids, they would end up like some of the kids we have seen in the hospital, whether for severe trauma or mental health reasons." She nodded and said, "I was worried about those things too, but I have helped more kids in my time than I can count, and it was satisfying." I giggled a little, and Roxanne said, "Do tell."

HANK'S POINT OF VIEW July 2031

I was excited about golfing with the family of my godmother, Brenda, and hanging out with her grandkids, who were around my age. I drove to her house, and we all had lunch. All of the guys piled into a few vehicles and headed out, but only after getting stopped by Brittney, Brenda's daughter-in-law. I was riding with Brittney's older sons, Bruce and Jeremy. Brittney ordered, "You boys will take care of your younger brother and take him with you. Your dad doesn't want to go." I knew where this was going and had a feeling who was going to get stuck with the nine-year-old. Jeremy blurted out, "Why do we have to deal with Braxton? He's a little brat who doesn't listen." Brittney said, "You will take care of him, or else you'll lose your gaming privileges." Bruce conceded, "Fine." Brittney walked away, and Braxton rode with his uncle and his cousin, who was his age.

Once we got to the golf course, we all separated into different golf carts, and to no surprise, Braxton was left out. One of the uncles asked me if I could take Braxton, and I knew I had no choice. I told Braxton, who had never golfed, "You better behave and listen to me." He acknowledged the request, and we were off. His uncle let his son drive, and Braxton asked, "Can I drive?". Allowing Braxton to control the helm was a terrible idea, but it also allowed me to sit back and drink the four beers I had brought. I suggested a deal, "If I let you drive, you will take photos of me." I'm not sure he knew what I hinted at, but he proved me wrong with a snarky tone, "I'll help you get a girlfriend." I let him drive us the whole day and gave him golfing tips. Braxton drove the golf cart surprisingly well and listened to my recommendations. For a nine-year-old, he was golfing sufficiently. He rarely listened to anyone, but most of the time, he listened to me, and for one second, that made my heart wish for kids in the future. When we returned, I told Brenda, "Braxton listened to me and was golfing well. He is also quite the cameraman." Brenda responded, "Wow!! That's unexpected. Braxton doesn't listen to his parents or me." I was shocked that he did listen to me and I couldn't figure out why. When dealing with kids at work, I was terrible and usually left that for Jacoby or Chester, who both had kids. My parents came and visited about a month later and were surprised when Brittney told them how I was with Braxton. Even at dinner at our favorite restaurant, the other cousins ignored Braxton, and I played a game with him on his little gaming tablet. 

My mom found me after dinner and said, "I know you don't want kids, but your dad and I would love grandkids. With a bit of improvement, you'd be a great dad." I knew that that statement would have a negative connotation, but it was less aggressive than usual. She had half of that, right, but I did have my shit straight to care for myself, but not quite there for a kid yet. I told her, "I'd have to find a girlfriend first."

HANK'S POINT OF VIEW PRESENT DAY

Before Roxanne could react to my story, I had a realization. One of the main reasons I adored her was her level of maturity and how attractive she was. Roxanne responded, "If your mother and I meet, I'll clarify that you would be a great father." The thought of that cage match between my mother and Roxanne seemed entertaining. Roxanne had my attitude but with an extra flare of intelligence, and my mother wouldn't know how to handle that. I laughed and nodded at the statement. I looked at Roxanne as she was on her phone, and her expression looked as if a light bulb had gone off in her head. I asked what was up, and she said, "Do we have time for a pit stop that will take us 30 minutes?" I looked at the clock, and doing 80 in a 65 helped. I said, "Sure. What's the plan?" I tried to do the telepathic thing and could only see a glimpse. All I saw was a white van covered in yellow flowers. Roxanne smiled at me and said," Very good. You're working on it. We will get off the highway in ten miles and head down a dirt road for about five miles." I wondered where this was headed, but I wanted it to be a surprise.