Like a Boss - Annabelle Costa Page 0,56
around to it, I guess.”
Early fall is the prettiest time of year to go to the frog pond. Summer is too hot, although summers are quite short around here. The leaves are just starting to fall and there are tons of joggers around, but more commonly, couples holding hands. “You bring guys here a lot?” Luke asks me jokingly.
“Never,” I answer honestly.
“Good,” he says.
We stroll through the park and eventually come to the frog pond, which is a large pond in the middle of the park. In the fall, they have swan boats with rows of seats that paddle passengers in a circle around the pond. “Do you want to go on the boat?” I ask.
“God, no,” Luke says.
“I’m sure they’ll help you,” I insist.
“That’s okay.”
I slide my hand around the back of his neck. “Come on. It’ll be romantic.”
Luke squints through the sun at the boats. “We can give it a shot, I guess.”
Luke and I get in line for the boat. Admittedly, he’s the only person in line who’s sitting in a wheelchair. But they must get disabled passengers from time to time. We ask about it when we buy the tickets and the older woman behind the counter assures us someone will help us.
Sure enough, when we get to the front of the line, two guys immediately approach us. They’re both teenagers, the same age Luke and I were when we first met, probably working here as a part-time job during the weekends. “Can we help you to board, sir?” one of the boys asks.
“Uh, yes,” Luke says, eying the boat. It doesn’t seem like it’s close enough for him to board comfortably on his own.
All the people in line are watching us as Luke lines his wheelchair up with the edge of the pier. “How would you like us to lift you?” one of the boys asks.
Luke gives the boys instructions for one to lift him under his legs and the other under his arms while I move his chair cushion so he’s protected from the hard wooden seat of the boat. As the boys get into position, right away it becomes painfully obvious why he didn’t want to go on this boat.
“You got him?” one boy says to the other.
The boy holding his legs nods. “Yeah, I think so.”
I cringe at the way they’re talking about my boyfriend like he’s a piece of furniture. These two kids don’t know what they’re doing. Luke must really love me to have agreed to this.
Luke sucks in a breath as the two boys haul him into the air, and I take a step forward, ready to call the whole thing off. This isn’t worth it. But before I can get the words out, they’re lifting him into the boat and it’s a done deal. Luke adjusts his legs and I can tell that he’s having some trouble supporting his trunk in the seat, but he holds the side armrest and seems somewhat stable.
“Thanks,” Luke says to the boys. Then he fishes in the pocket of his jacket and fumbles as he pulls out two twenty-dollar bills. “Can you make sure to stay with my chair while I’m in the boat?”
The way the boys look at the money, he may as well have given them a thousand dollars. They’re practically tripping over themselves, promising to watch his chair.
I climb into the seat next to Luke and they keep the boat only half full. Initially, he seems nervous and keeps glancing back to make sure his wheelchair is visible, but then he relaxes and even puts his free arm around me as we glide under a bridge. “This is nice,” he says. “I’m glad you talked me into it.”
“Occasionally, I’m right,” I say. Although truthfully, I’m still feeling anxious from having watched his precarious transfer from his chair to the boat.
In the swan boat, we’re just like any other couple. Anybody who saw us, who didn’t watch Luke board, would never know he was disabled, at least if they didn’t look too closely. Some people would wonder what a great-looking guy like Luke was doing with someone like me.
The dismount from the boat goes more smoothly, but despite having a good time during the ride, Luke seems incredibly relieved to be back in his chair. I can’t blame him.
The sun drops in the sky and it’s getting chilly, so we go see the latest psychological thriller that hit the theaters last week, then go grab a slice of pizza after.