Next Stop Funnel Cake Read Free

Webber?"
    Nick looked at me and, as I usually did when someone wanted to talk to me, I shook my head no. The only people who asked for me at the park were disgruntled vendors or people calling to ask us to switch paper companies.
    "He's not here. Can I take a message?"
    Nick's face transformed into a smile, and he actually picked up a pen to write something down.
    "Let me make sure I have this right. Your name is Andrew Baxter. Uh-huh. And he has the number?"
    I was out of my chair at this point, trying to get Nick to hang up the phone.
    "Oh, sure, I can take the number down, just in case."
    I reached for the receiver, but he pushed me away.
    "I will, Andrew. I'll make sure he gets the message. No, thank you."
    Nick hung up the phone and started to laugh. As I slumped back into my seat, I braced myself for the onslaught.
    "So, who's Andrew and why is he calling you here? Forget to give him your number after you kicked him out of bed?"
    "He's my old guidance counselor. I bumped into him the other day when he was here with his family. He gave me his card and wanted to catch up."
    "Let me guess. You never called him back."
    "Nope. And I'm not planning on it."
    "Why? If he wants to catch up with an old student, what's the big deal?"
    I didn't answer him right away, but by the time I was ready to, he was already talking.
    "You like him, don't you? Did you have a little crush on Mr. Baxter back in the day?"
    "No. It's not like that."
    "The hell it isn't. Call him. He clearly wants to meet up if he went through all the trouble of calling here."
    "I can't."
    "Why?"
    "Like I said, when I saw him, he was here with someone. And they had kids."
    "So?"
    "So, even if I do like him, nothing can ever come of it."
    "All the more reason to call. Have a coffee with the guy, tell him what he wants to hear and get on with your life. He probably saw you here and wants to know why you're not some big success. This is the guy who helped you in high school, right?"
    "Yeah."
    "So, talk to him. Maybe he can help you out again or something. Get you back to school, like you want."
    "I don't need his help."
    "You're being silly about this Travis. Like always."
    "Can we drop it, please?"
    "Sure. If that's what you want."
    He walked the message over to my desk and set it down. I glanced at the number and, for a moment, thought about picking up the phone. But I couldn't. I crumpled up the paper and threw it into the trash. I could tell Nick wanted to say something, but when I met his eyes, he seemed to think better of it.
    Much to my surprise, Mr. Baxter called a few more times over the next few days, but luckily, each time he did, I really was out of the office, driving that stupid train. Each time I saw the little pink message slip on my desk with his name, I tossed it. Like I had with his business card. He'd give up soon, I was sure.
    * * * *
    The train pulled up to the last stop and everyone streamed out in various directions. My shift was nearly over, one of the few where I didn't have to stay until closing. However, my replacement was nowhere to be found. Should have known. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned, expecting to see the new kid my uncle had hired in his own stupid overalls. Instead, it was Mr. Baxter. It was impossible to keep the shock off my face.
    "Travis, hey."
    "Hi, Mr. Baxter. What are you doing here?"
    I hadn't meant it to sound nasty, but there was an edge to my voice it was too late to hide.
    "Um, well, I wanted to see you. You hadn't returned any of my calls, so I figured I'd show up and take my chances. I ran into Clayton Strauss running one of the games. He told me where I could find you. He also said your shift was over and that you might be available this evening."
    "He did?"
    "Yup."
    I wanted to find Clayton and kill him, but there wasn't time.
    "Well, my replacement seems to be missing in action, so it looks like I'm going to have to run the train a little while longer. Sorry you came all this way for nothing."
    The words