CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Dr. Ezra requires that we all take the same vehicle. Ultimately, the guys decide that Angelo has the better vehicle for this excursion, and we all meet at his place at six o’clock Friday night. Per Dr. Ezra’s instructions, Angelo drives, I sit in the front seat, and Jarel and Matt sit in the back.

It’s immediately weird.

We’re supposed to keep the radio off for the first half hour of the trek, and the hope is that someone will start a conversation that is good enough to carry us through. Discussing high school is off-limits, as is any political news or other topics that may be highly controversial. Angelo, Matt, and I all try to tell a story from work, but the conversations fizzle rather than spark.

After thirty-one minutes of attempts, Angelo turns on the radio, and we focus on the music for the remaining ninety-four minutes.

When we arrive, Angelo drives slowly. There are almost no lights in this… park?

“Anybody ever been here?” Angelo asks, following the vague signs to the restaurant.

“I had no idea this place even existed,” Jarel says.

“Me neither, and I’ve camped plenty,” Matt says.

“Val, this dude is licensed, right?” Angelo asks, turning off the radio.

“I researched him. He’s eccentric, but legit.”

When Angelo pulls into the parking lot of the restaurant, we all look around like he made a mistake.

“I thought it would be a restaurant that’s part of a lodge or something,” Matt says. “This is an… Italian bistro?”

The restaurant can’t seat more than thirty people, and there is soft lighting, small candles on the tables, and a full bar.

We each step out of the SUV and stretch before walking inside. As soon as we walk in, a server points to the back.

Dr. Ezra waves at us from a large, round booth, and we hesitantly walk over.

“Eccentric indeed,” Matt whispers.

“How was the drive?” Dr. Ezra asks.

“Fine,” I say.

“How long did you make it without music?”

“Thirty-one minutes,” says Angelo.

“If we do this right,” Dr. Ezra says, “on the way home, you’ll make it at least thirty-two.”

I chuckle, and the guys relax a little.

He moves out of the booth and pulls up a chair. “Everyone have a seat. You three sit relatively close together. Val, you sit slightly apart from them.”

I sit on the edge, closer to Dr. Ezra. The guys fan out in the rest of the booth.

“I asked Val not to give me physical descriptions of any of you. I want to see if I can figure out who is who based on your answers to a single question.”

Angelo looks over at me, and his entire expression says, Who the hell is this guy?

“What’s the question?” Jarel asks.

“What is your favorite color?”

“That’s the question?” Matt asks. “You think you can figure us out based on our favorite color?”

“That’s the question,” Dr. Ezra says.

“All right,” Matt says. “Mine’s silver.”

“Russian purple,” says Jarel.

“Evergreen,” Angelo says.

“Easy,” Dr. Ezra says, and points from right to left. “Angelo, Jarel, Matt.”

All correct.

“How the hell could you have known that?” Angelo asks.

“Angelo,” Dr. Ezra says, “you like evergreen because you’re a fan of nature and renewal. Also, despite being the quietest of the group, you were the first to look at Val for her take on the situation.” He holds up his index finger. “You see? It wasn’t just the color. It’s how you respond to the question.”

He turns to Jarel. “Jarel was the first person to ask what the question was. That goes with his ‘take charge’ attitude. He’s the natural protector and leader of the group. And with a color like Russian purple, he likes things just a bit dark and mysterious, likely as well as beautiful sunsets. But, hey, don’t we all?

“And Matt piped in with his immediate skepticism, and loving silver likely refers to the brightness of the stars, so he would be the one who took Val to the planetarium, and with his scientific background, he might be the most skeptical of the group.” He points at them. “Angelo, Jarel, Matt. Easy.”

Angelo looks at me again, then back to Dr. Ezra. “Well, damn, all right. I’m impressed.”

“I always open with that,” Dr. Ezra says, “to make a point. I know I’m, well, this,” he says, pointing at his yellow and green polka dot tie, “but I am very good at what I do. If you do what I say, you’ll likely leave here much happier and healthier, at least in this relationship, maybe in general. If you don’t, you’ll feel about like you do now, maybe slightly worse.”

“Blunt,” Jarel says. “I like that.”

“Thought you might,” Dr. Ezra says. He claps his hands as a server approaches. “Order whatever you like, and let’s get started!”

***

Over appetizers and entrees, Dr. Ezra asks the guys a series of background questions that are good to know but aren’t particularly personal, so no one seems uncomfortable.

Everyone discusses whether their parents are alive, if they have siblings, their education, and their profession. When he asks each one how well they like their job, I look over at Jarel, but he simply says, “Fine. Pays well.”

For dessert, Dr. Ezra insists we share one large soufflé. “If you can’t share a dessert, you certainly can’t share a life partner.”

No argument here.

“Before we go,” Dr. Ezra says, watching us dig into the dessert. “I want everyone to tell one happy story. Not a mixed feelings story. Not a story that’s going to keep you up thinking about it or cause you nightmares. A completely happy, positive story that happened before you turned twelve.”

The guys all turn their attention to me.

“A completely positive story from childhood? I’m going to need a minute,” I say.

Dr. Ezra furrows his eyebrows slightly and cocks his head. “Interesting… So, who wants to go first?”

“I will,” Angelo volunteers. “I was six when Layla was born, and I was beyond thrilled because Latrice was pretty domineering, and I thought it’d be cool to have a sister who was younger and wouldn’t boss me around.” He chuckles. “Man, did I predict that wrong. Anyway, once Layla was old enough to sit up, I’d place her in this plastic laundry basket. It had holes in it, so she could see out of the sides, and I used to spend hours pushing her around the house. She’d laugh, squeal, and clap. Sometimes, if I stopped, she’d start crying or chanting for me to come back. I got a lot of exercise pushing her around the house and making her happy.”

“That’s nice,” Dr. Ezra says. “Thanks for sharing.”

Angelo and I exchange a smile.

“Who’s next?”

Matt raises his hand.

“Such the teacher,” I quip.

Matt laughs. “I know… My sister and I were really close too. She’s three years older, and when I was five, she taught me how to catch fireflies. I felt bad about keeping them in a jar, so I’d only keep them for a few minutes before releasing them again, but during the summer, we spent hours in the backyard just catching and releasing fireflies. I think that was what initially sparked my interest in science.”

“That’s lovely,” Dr. Ezra says. “Thanks for sharing.”

Matt gives a sheepish smile, and I wink at him.

“Who’s next?”

Jarel and I exchange a look.

“I’ve got one,” Jarel says. “My favorite aunt was a basketball coach for a local high school. She’d actually gone pro, but she quit after she got pregnant with her first child. She saw my potential, and she really encouraged me. When I was nine, she started taking me to the courts, and she even had me train with her girls sometimes. That’s why I was able to get so good at basketball. She saw something in me and was willing to nurture it.”

“Good for you and her,” Dr. Ezra says. “Thanks for sharing.”

Again, everyone turns to me. “I still don’t know. You want a story that’s seventy percent happy? I have a few of those. Or one that starts happy? Got plenty of those too.”

“Maybe something with Bea,” Jarel offers.

“Bea… Sure. When we were young–younger than we should’ve been if I’m honest–we used to go to the animal shelter after school and play with the animals. We started volunteering when we were still in single digits. Usually, we walked the dogs. Sometimes, we’d help clean litter boxes or give baths. The staff loved us, and we really enjoyed doing that together. That’s probably part of what drew me to my current profession after I finished college.”

The truth is that even that story is only ninety percent happy. The reason we started volunteering so young was because we were trying to keep me out of the house as much as possible. But, hey, the guys don’t need to know that.

“That sounds sweet,” Ezra says. “Thanks for sharing.” He leans forward. “Remember those this weekend. Remember them for yourself and remember them for others. There’s some hard work ahead, but remember that we are the sum of our parts, and that includes our good memories.”

We return to small talk as we finish our dessert, and when we’re done, Dr. Ezra stands to leave.

“Where’s the check?” Jarel asks.

“No check,” says Dr. Ezra. “All part of the weekend. Come along, and I’ll show you where you’re sleeping.”

This is an all-inclusive experience, but I haven’t told the guys that it’s costing me a small fortune. Unless someone asks, I’m keeping that information to myself.

Dr. Ezra gestures for Angelo to follow his car, and he leads us a mile farther into the woods until we arrive at a small cabin. It’s definitely closer to a house than the cabin Angelo and I stayed in, but it’s still quaint and cozy.

Again, I think we had all expected to see a series of cabins, like in a state park. Instead, it’s just us.

We take our luggage from the back of Angelo’s vehicle and Dr. Ezra hands each of us a key. “Here we go,” he says as he opens the door and turns on the light.

The cabin contains a small living room, a large kitchen, two bathrooms with showers, and three bedrooms.

“You’ll use the bathrooms and kitchen, but these are not your bedrooms,” he says. “There is food in the fridge, but you’ll eat most of your meals as a group either in the restaurant or outside.

“If we’re not using the bedrooms, where are we sleeping?” Matt asks.

Dr. Ezra takes us into the kitchen and opens a second door onto the back porch. In the relatively flat area that some might refer to as a “yard”–but it’s definitely still the forest–he’s set up an enormous tent. A string of icicle lights are wrapped around limbs and other structures to illuminate the area enough that we won’t trip if we get up in the middle of the night, but the area is still dark enough that we can see the stars in the clear sky.

“We’re sharing a tent?” Angelo asks.

“If you can’t share a tent, how can you share a life partner?”

“We’re going to hear that a lot, aren’t we?” Jarel asks.

Dr. Ezra smiles. “Not as much as you think, I promise.” He walks toward the tent, and we follow. “But there’s a reason that Val learned so much from you all when you spent the night together, and sleeping in a tent requires flexibility and collaboration.”

The tent is so large that even Jarel can enter without bending down. There is a sleeping bag against each wall, but otherwise, the tent is empty.

“Elect one of you to set an alarm on your phone to wake up in the morning. Only use the tent for sleeping. We’ll eat breakfast at seven, so get some rest.”

“Where do you sleep?” Matt asks.

“My friend lives nearby,” Dr. Ezra says. “During these weekends, I stay with him. Meet me at the restaurant at seven, and don’t be late. Tomorrow will be quite a day!”

***

After he leaves, the four of us get ready for bed. Jarel and Angelo take their showers tonight; Matt and I will shower in the morning.

Matt and I are wearing t-shirts and pajama pants, Angelo is in pants and a tank top, and Jarel is wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Our clothes look significantly more comfortable than we all feel.

Thanks to Dr. Ezra’s list, we all bought headphones and earplugs, our own pillows, and extra blankets. By the time we’re all in the tent, it actually feels cozy, and I snuggle into my cocoon.

“Who’s setting the alarm?” Angelo asks. “Val?”

“Sure,” I say. “Have to be there at seven, so… six fifteen?”

The guys agree, and I set my alarm before plopping the phone next to my pillow. “Thanks for doing this with me, guys. I think it’ll help.”

“I hope so,” Angelo says.

“You’re welcome,” says Matt.

“Of course,” Jarel says.

We all say ‘goodnight’, and I don’t know about the guys, but I fall asleep almost immediately.

Tomorrow will be a good day.

I hope.