He stopped for breakfast at the little trucker's cafe in front of the motel. He had been in there enough to be a regular and know which waitress to ask for. He had seen quite a few in his lifetime, but those in that dive were something else. The jukebox cranked up as a young teen girl walked back to her parents' table. The music that came blaring out was none other than the Backstreet Boys.
Perfect, Kevin thought. He pulled his baseball cap lower on his face, studying the menu intently. He had been enjoying this life of anonymity, moving about without the pressures of being a Backstreet Boy. Here, he was just Kevin. There had been a few times when he missed the others and wondered what they were up to during this break. If there had not been for that big fight between them before the last show, it would be easier to call one of them up. He hadn't even spoken to his cousin. He could at least call me, he rationalized. I'm not the only one who can dial a phone. He glanced down at his mobile clipped to his jeans. The light blinked, showing it was fully charged and ready for a call.
As he was eating breakfast, he overheard the girl talking to her parents about the upcoming tour. She was informing them of her plans to camp out all night to get front row tickets. Kevin hoped there would be an upcoming tour for her to camp out for. Leaving half of his food on the plate, he got up and headed toward the counter. He paid for his meal and headed out, disheartened by the girl's optimism and the truth that only he knew. Maybe he'd go see Maggie today. She always made him feel better the way she chattered on about nothing and listened to him as if what he had to say was the most important thing in the world. There should be more people like her, he thought, the kind that welcomes strangers like a long-lost friend.
******************
Maggie was standing at her dad's antique car, getting madder as she listened to him.
"Maggie May, that stove is just shot. You should see if you can't find you a new one," he said, cranking the Dodge Swinger.
"Daddy, there's no way I can afford one right now."
"I know that. But you need to try. Unless you plan on grilling out every night. You know how you are around fire."
"But you always said that if you can't pay cash for it, you don't really need it," she reminded him.
"You're a lot older, now. You are responsible enough to pay for it in installments. Trust me, it's for the best. Have them deliver it, too. I need to get back home. You're mother's complaining we don't spend enough time together. She's retired and I still work. Go figure."
Maggie stepped away as he backed into the street. This day was just getting better and better. She walked to her porch and studied the storm door. Looking at it, she moved around, allowing the sunlight to hit it in different directions. She reached out and ran a hand across the top window, putting pressure on it.
CRACK!
Half of the glass fell onto the porch, shattering in three large pieces.
"What are you doing?"
She looked up quickly. She had been so involved in looking at the door that she didn't hear Kevin arrive. "Oh!" Maggie exclaimed. "Good morning. I was just looking at the door and thought I saw a crack. Apparently it broke when it fell last night. It'll be all right."
"So what are you going to do about it?" He asked, stooping to pick up a piece of glass.
"I guess go and get another one. You want to come?"
He grinned down at her. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, no make-up on her face. She looked cute, her complexion flawless.
"I can, if you don't mind the company," he said, following her to her truck.
***************
"What were you doing at my house, anyway?" Maggie asked as they walked into Lowe's. "Let's see, doors. Wouldn't you know it, they're all the way at the back. I wanna look at the stoves, first."
Kevin walked besides her, shortening his usually long strides to stay with her.
"I thought you might need some help with the door. Why are you looking at stoves? I thought your dad was going to come by and fix it."
"He did come by, but the thing is beyond fixing. It's dead. Kaput. Gone to the big kitchen in the sky. It was probably the first one in town when electricity was put in. I just wanna see how much these things actually run."
She looked at the wide variety of stoves. Kevin never realized there were so many. The more Maggie looked, the more disheartened she appeared. Finally giving up, she sighed heavily.
"Well, I guess cooking on a charcoal grill won't be too bad," she told him, walking away. "These things are just ridiculous. Let's go look at the doors. I think I can handle those a little better."
Kevin walked with her as they made their way to the back. She carefully looked at different types of storm doors, reading the information on each one. She called over a young man who worked there and began grilling him about the doors. As he was nervously explaining the different features, Kevin leaned in to Maggie.
"I'm going to look at the tools, if you don't mind. This door shopping is too feminine for me. I'll meet you back here in a little while."
Maggie laughed as he sauntered off. Kevin went back to the kitchen appliance area. He cornered a worker, dragging her to the stoves.
"I want to buy this one," he said, placing his hand on the one Maggie had really liked. "But here's the deal. I want it delivered today to this address. I don't want her to know who it's from. It's a surprise."
"We'd like to deliver it today, sir, but we can't. It's out of stock and another order won't be in until sometime next week."
"Then deliver this one."
"I'm sorry, sir, that's the floor model. We can't sell that one," she told him. "I don't think you understand," Kevin said, towering over her. "You can and will sell and deliver this one today. I don't care how much it costs. Do you understand?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I can't do that."
"Is there a problem here?"
Kevin turned to see the manager of the store. "Yes, there is," he said. "Is there a private place we could discuss this matter?"
**********************
Maggie and Kevin stood back, admiring their handy-work. The new door gleamed in the afternoon sun. Maggie squinted and shaded her eyes against the glare. She tilted her head to one side, then the other, carefully inspecting the door.
"I think we hung it upside down," she announced after a few minutes of silence.
"What do you mean, upside down? It's perfectly fine like it is," Kevin told her, insulted by such an accusation.
"Look," she said, going to the door. "I'm not a professional door hanger, but I think the door's supposed to swing open wider. See?"
Kevin moved closer, opening the door himself. "I don't understand. We followed the directions exactly."
Maggie ran a hand down the doorframe, her face suddenly registering understanding.
"Oh, my gosh! I can't believe it! We put the hinges in backwards!" She told him, laughing.
"Well, hell," he said, snatching up the screwdriver. "You know I don't do this very often, right? Don't blame me."
"Don't worry. I would say you've never done this before at all. Right?"
Kevin smiled at her, knowing he was busted. He chuckled as he loosened the screws from the hinges. Maggie was holding the door when she noticed a delivery truck drive up.
"What the hell?" She asked, then cringed as she realized the word had slipped out.
Kevin turned his head and grinned. He glanced at his watch. Right on time. Maggie made her way out to the truck.
"Maggie Martin?"
"Yes," she answered, puzzled.
"Got a delivery for you," the guy said, jumping down from the cab. "We're supposed to hook this one up and take your old one."
Maggie followed him. "My old what?"
"Stove. Top of the line in here. Just sign this and we'll get started."
Maggie took the clipboard and looked at the paper. "There's some mistake. I didn't order a stove. Don't bother unloading it."
Kevin was close enough to hear her. Uh-oh, he thought. "What's going on?"
"They're delivering a stove I didn't order. They need to take it away,” she said, shoving the clipboard back.
"Ma'am, we have strict orders to deliver and set up one model number 23049832784 to this address."
"I don't understand," Maggie told them.
"Maybe it's a door prize," Kevin suggested, motioning for the men to continue their job. "Didn't you register for something when we were there today?"
"Yeah, a garden rake, not a blasted stove. This is insane," she said, rubbing back the hair that had escaped the ponytail.
"Just take it, Maggie," he encouraged. "What harm could it do?"
"A lot when I have to pay for it."
"Oh, don't worry about that," one of the deliverymen said. "It's paid in full, along with a five-year warranty. Pretty damn good deal, if you ask me."
**************
Maggie and Kevin sat in the living room that evening after the deliverymen had left. Maggie shook her head, still in shock.
"I just can't believe it. Daddy said he didn't do it. He was the only one who knew what happened to the old one. Well, there's you, Kevin, but you were with me the entire time. This sounds like a mystery for Scooby-Doo and the gang."
Kevin laughed, startling Thunder into barking. He reached a hand down to pet him. "Hush, boy. Sometimes mysteries are nice, you know? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Today, when your old oven was gone and the door was broken and you had to buy a new one, you didn't get mad. I would have. What's your secret?"
"Oh," she said, dismissing the idea with a wave of her hand. "What's the point in getting bummed or mad when something goes wrong? I have to remind myself that no matter how bad things seem, there is always someone out there who has it worse than me."
Kevin looked at her. There were so many facets to her. She was a really good person. In a way, she reminded him of Brian. He'd like her, Kevin thought, smiling.
"What?" Maggie asked, rubbing Dusti with her foot.
"It's, well, nothing. Does your TV work?"
"Sure, why?"
"Kentucky is going to be playing in a few minutes. Want to watch the game?"
"Oh, I think you've been here too long," she laughed, turning on the TV. "You've already got the bug!"