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Melinda May couldn’t help but stare when Coulson drove up to S.H.I.E.L.D. academy in a red convertible. But he seemed oblivious to the crowd of curious cadets. He just got out and started inspecting the car’s pristine paint, rubbing imaginary scuffs with his sleeve.
May cleared her throat. “Nice car.”
He looked up and beamed at her. “Thanks. Her name’s Lola. She’s a 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. Perfectly restored.”
May rolled her eyes at him. “Lola?”
“My dad named her.” There is that hint of sadness in his voice that Melinda recognizes from every time his father comes up. “He and I worked on her together when I was a kid.”
“Hey Coulson, nice wheels!” Garrett comes over and gives the car an appraising look. “What is she, a ’59 Vette?”
“’62 actually.”
“Very nice. So can I take her out for a spin?” He runs his hand along the car’s body, and Coulson winces slightly.
“Don’t touch Lola.”
Garrett grins and raises his eyebrows. “Lola?” May scowls and waits for Garrett to say something mocking Coulson, but thankfully he just raises his hands in mock surrender. “All right, geez, Coulson, relax. I’ll leave you and your girlfriend alone.”
As soon as Garrett is out of earshot, Coulson sighs. “Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to bring her here.”
“You can park it in the auxiliary lot. It’ll be safe there.”
“Yeah.” But Coulson doesn’t seem too eager to put his car in cold storage. He circles it, either inspecting it for damage or admiring it. “Do you want to go for a ride?”
“Where?”
He shrugs and gives her a lopsided smile. “Wherever. Come on.”
May should get back to her room to unpack and do some studying, but she realizes she’s not quite ready for the break to be over. “All right.”
Coulson actually opens the passenger door for her. She isn’t sure if it’s because he’s trying to be a gentleman, or because he doesn’t trust her to open the door. She doesn’t know much about cars, but it’s obvious that a lot of time and money has gone into taking care of this car.
They pull onto the highway and head west. For a while they ride in comfortable silence. May has never ridden in a convertible before, and she feels young and carefree watching the trees whizz by. She glances over at Coulson. Right now their lives at S.H.I.E.L.D. academy feel very far away. They could be any two college kids going for a ride on a summer day.
“So how was your break?” Coulson asks.
She shrugs. “Fine.”
“You went home, right?”
“I did. How was your break? How’s your mom?”
“She’s good. She sold the house, so I had to help her clean out closets and pack stuff.”
“She’s moving?”
“Yeah, she got a good offer, so she’s selling and moving into an apartment. It’ll be a lot easier for her not to have a house to take care of. No more yard work or shoveling snow. But I had to clean out my room and decide what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to throw away.”
“Is that why you brought Lola back here?”
He nods. “My mom’s not going to have a place to keep her at her new place, so it was either bring her with me or find someplace in Wisconsin to store her.” He sighs. “It’s weird to think of my mom not living in our old house, but I guess that’s part of getting older.”
May stares out the window. “I know what you mean.”
“Did you get to see your dad over break?”
“He came by the house for a day, but besides that it was just Mom and me. She had to work a little, but most of the time she was home.”
“That’s nice.” He glances at her. “How’s your mom?”
May shrugs. “She’s still trying to get me to quit S.H.I.E.L.D. and join her agency. She kept reminding me that it would only take one phone call.”
Coulson gives a sympathetic grimace. “That must be awkward. But she must be proud of you if she wants you to join her agency.”
May sighs. “I know she means well, but I wish she could accept that I want to be in S.H.I.E.L.D.”
“My mom’s not happy I’m in S.H.I.E.L.D. either. She wants me to move closer to home. She asked if I could at least get stationed in Milwaukee after I graduate.”
Coulson pulls off the highway into a small rest stop. From the top of the hill, they can see the narrow highway winding through the forest below. It is so quiet and peaceful, just the two of them.
For a while they just enjoy the view in silence. Finally Coulson says, “It’s weird going home now. It was nice to see my mom again, but it’s not like it was when I was in high school. I hung out with some friends who were home from college, but I couldn't exactly tell them what I'm really doing. It doesn't really feel like home anymore, and things will be even more different once my mom moves out of our old house.”
“I know what you mean. At least when my mom had to work over Christmas when I was a kid, my dad was there, and I could see my friends. But not this time.”
“The whole time I was away, I kept thinking about coming back here. I got so bored that I actually missed classes and training." He smiled at her a little nervously. "I even thought about calling you a few times, but I didn’t have your mom’s number, and I couldn't get it from the operator.”
May smiles. “That’s classified,” she says, “but I think I can trust you with it. Next time I’ll give it to you.”
He looks out over the forest and sighs, then turns back to her. "We should probably head back. Do you want to drive?”
May raises her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”
"It's okay," Coulson says. "I trust you.”