place.

"No," I said and focused on the trees moving by outside.

"You know, I always hoped that you would end up with him," Dad said, surprising me. We had never talked about my love life. "He's a good man, and I knew he could have made you happy. But it's his loss, you know? Someday you are going to find someone that sees how special you are, and they will love you for it."

He took his hand off the steering wheel, something I've never seen him do before, and patted my cheek. "If moving out here is what you want to do, then I'll let you." He smiled at me and then settled into a comfortable silence.

*******

The first morning that I woke up in the house, everything was bathed in a beautiful yellow tint. Remembering the last time I had seen this color I made my way out to the huge wooden porch, overlooking the backyard. I sat down in that same white plastic chair and leaned my arms against the railing. I felt happy for the first time in months. This yellow tint felt like a sign, from God maybe, that everything was going to turn out okay. I stood and stretched, getting all the kinks out of my muscles. I patted the railing twice.

"Thanks, I needed that."

*******

"So Camble, how you feeling buddy?" Rhonda asked me early one morning.

"Well, thank you." She’d always called me buddy, a fact that I loved, it made me feel like I really was her kid rather then guest living in her and Mac's house. "How are you?" I sat down at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee.

"Fine, just fine dear... Speaking of fine; did you know Emily and Peter's grandson moved into their house?" Emily and Peter Timmy had gone to high school with Mac and Rhonda. They'd remained friends over the years, and they later became mine also. Even now, months after their passing, I had urges to go mow their lawn or take the Sunday paper by.

"What does that have to do with being fine?" I asked, and shook my head.

"Everything; he's a nice piece of ass." I gasped at her and started laughing, shaking the whole table along with me.

"Rhonda, you're sixty-five years old; you aren't allowed to say that," I said, and rubbed a hand across my face, although hearing that from her wasn't that big of a surprise. She and Emily used to have cussing battles at every gathering we had.

"I think you should go by and see him; I'm sure he's lonely," she said, ignoring my comment on her age.

"And I think you should stop trying to set me up," I said, standing.

She reached over and hugged me tightly to her small frame.

"You haven't had sex in a while buddy; it's time to get back in the game," she said, patting my cheek and handing me the keys to my truck. How the hell did she know that?

"I'm never telling Mac about my love life again," I mumbled, walking out the back door. He had a big mouth.

Rhonda had tried setting me up with every man that passed through our city since before Rick was arrested, not even taking the time to stop and find out if they were