Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 83

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Second Chances in New Port Stephen - Chapter 83

Nick opened his mouth to protest. It couldn’t be the same; he was a different person now. Hell,
Eli was a different person on multiple levels, some of them legally binding. And yet—“You really
think so?”
Tian-yi nodded. “I do. And whatever it is you want, I want you to have it.”
Nick hadn’t realized until that moment that he’d harbored even a sliver of doubt about his dad’s
acceptance, but now it was like an elephant had been lifted off his back. Suddenly, a lot of
things seemed possible. Things Nick hadn’t allowed himself to even think of before.
He hugged his dad one-armed, his fishing pole dangling from his other hand. His dad wasn’t the
biggest hugger, but he returned it with a fierce slap of his own arm, squeezing Nick tight.
“Thanks, Dad,” Nick said into his scratchy scarf. “Whatever happens, I’m glad you’re here.”
His dad gave him an even bigger squeeze. He’d always been bigger on actions than words. Then,
after a moment: “We’re scaring away all the fish with our talking. I bet there isn’t a trout for
miles now.”
Nick laughed, and they parted. They fished for hours, though Tian-yi was right: nothing was
biting. Nick told his dad a little about Eli—not the really personal stuff, of course, but how much
they’d been hanging out lately—and his
dad told him about Mei-hua and how she had a chihuahua that she loved like a baby. Nick said
he wanted to meet her sometime, and his dad said that could be arranged.

-- 188 of 228 --

By the time Nick dropped his dad back at his house, he felt different. Lighter than he had that
morning, more hopeful. Motivated to do something he’d never done before, just to see how it
would go. While waiting at a red light, he realized he was close to the public pool where he and
Eli had joined their first junior swim team back in the day. He hadn’t thought about that pool in
ages, even though he drove by all the time. He wondered—no, surely they’d be closed the day
after Christmas. So many things were.
But some weren’t.
When the light changed, he impulsively flicked on his turn signal. He had some time before the
Manatee opened for lunch. Maybe the pool’s schedule would be posted somewhere, even if it
was closed.