Mike turns on the radio. “Would music help?”
“Yes, and talking. Anything to distract me from the fact I’m in a car.” Tommy looks a little pale.
So when Mike starts driving, he starts talking, about everything and anything, just wanting to keep Tommy distracted. To begin with, Mike has to carry the conversation, while Tommy sits stiffly in the passenger seat, just about answering. But after a while, his anxiety seems to ease a little.
“So, do you still play football?” Tommy asks.
“No. I hurt my knee years ago and stopped. And it’s gotten worse with age. Nothing like a bum knee to reminded you that you’re an old man.” Mike snorts.
“You are not an old man,” Tommy says as Mike turns onto Tommy’s block. “God, you have a serious issue about your age.”
“I do not.”
“So, if I asked you out,
