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"Are we really going on a road trip?" Chris asked excitedly as Eddie buckled him into his harness.
"We are," Eddie told him cheerfully.
Eddie got into the driver's seat and took off, and soon enough Chris's excitement gave way to a mid morning nap. Since they'd gotten up so early to leave, Eddie wasn't surprised. Driving in silence, Eddie couldn't help but think back over the last six weeks.
His Tia Pepa had stayed for a month, helping him take care of Chris and teaching him how to cook enough to keep himself and a four year old fed. She'd also helped him sort through his things in the house, donating what he didn't want to keep, and packing the rest in the pod that had shipped out first thing this morning.
Now that Eddie was cleared to drive, he and Chris were going to make their way — slowly — to LA. Neither one could be in the car for long stretches, but Tia Pepa couldn't stay with him forever, and he'd have her and Abuela's help in LA. Not to mention the various cousins and extended family.
Then there was Evan, who had recently moved to LA himself to join the LAFD academy. He wouldn't be getting in for a few months, and in the meantime he was working as a bartender and bulking up for the job. Eddie wasn't sure what to think about the friendship he'd struck up with the former stranger he'd accidentally texted a little over a month ago.
They'd texted sporadically since then — Evan seemed to have all kinds of random facts memorized— and it was nice having another adult to communicate with, even if Evan didn't use punctuation when he texted, so he sounded like a teenager. He'd assured Eddie that he was 23, and had even sent him a selfie from the bar he worked at as proof.
Eddie had sent his own selfie back, making sure there was nothing identifiable in it, because he felt awkward not reciprocating. And Evan was gorgeous.
Shannon and Eddie had been co-parents and friends, but never truly in love. He still wasn't sure why she'd fled from their life in the middle of the night, but her pointed text to never call her again had left no ambiguity. Eddie had to think that she'd had some kind of nervous breakdown — something his parents were particularly good at provoking — that had made her leave them the way she had.
Though their shotgun marriage had been in name only, and they hadn't even had sex the last time he'd been on leave, Eddie still felt awkward about noticing how attractive Evan was. Evan had absolutely nothing to do with Eddie's move to LA, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was a good idea to actually meet in person once he was there.
Not right away, because Eddie was still using a cane, and he didn't want to be at a disadvantage if worst came to worst, but eventually.
Soon enough, the timer went off on his phone, reminding him to pull over and stretch with Christopher. He found a gas station and pulled over, figuring they could get a snack for the road while they were at it.
Waking up Chris and getting him inside was a bit of an adventure, but his awed little expression upon seeing the rows and rows of snack food was well worth it. Eddie just hoped that this road trip would be worth it — getting away from his overbearing parents was reward enough — and that he could give Chris a better life in LA.
He had no idea that this would be only the first of many short road trips he would take in his life, with Chris and Evan — Buck — at his side.