Not as hungry

Pete had wondered if Nikki had a significant other in her life, but her enthusiasm to get together and hang out with him made him pretty sure she didn't, at least not right now. He remembered that day with the jetski and a laugh slips out, the twinkle returning to his eyes for just a moment.

Hearing about her search for her dad, Pete nods. He'd known when she was younger she'd had a desire to find him, so he wasn't surprised she'd pursued that.

Once the conversation turns back to him and Lewis though, Pete's gaze drops again. It was time for honesty, no matter how much it hurt. Sighing, he lets the pause lengthen for a few moments as he gathers his thoughts. His fingers pick up a fork to fiddle with.

"Lewis... has been an alcoholic for years now." Pete purses his lips and finally looks up to Nikki again, controlling the emotions connected to the subject. "Our mom, she... it wasn't an accident. We were visiting some needy folks in the bad part of town and she was shot in a driveby shooting. Both Lewis and I were there when it happened. She died at the hospital that same night."

Pausing again, his fingers continue to spin the fork in his hand. "After that, Dad went to pieces. I was on my own but Lewis was still at home and he didn't handle things well either. He struggled a while and I thought he'd come out of it, then I found out he'd started drinking. It got worse and Dad kicked him out of the house. He's been sharing a place with some friends of his ever since, but he can't hold a job for more than a couple weeks... he's in debt up the yingyang but any extra money he gets goes towards the next bottle."

Pete searches Nikki's face, knowing that this information might hurt a bit for her too. "I try to help him when I can, but it's hard. There's only so much I can do. Got him some help once, but a month after he was on the right track, he fell off the wagon again. And now... now I just see him once in a while when I'm off duty so I don't have to arrest him for drunken disorderly or disturbing the peace. And Dad... he moved back to Grandad's old place in Utah about three years ago."

The fork slips from Pete's fingers, clanging on the table, but he lets it just sit there. "I always knew God was somewhere there in that whole mess so even after I got in a bit of trouble there for a while, I came back around and have tried to stay on the right path since. Still going to the same church. Lewis though..." He shakes his head. "He hasn't seen the inside of a church since Mom's funeral."

Suddenly they're interrupted by the food coming and the plates are set before them with some light conversation with the waitress. Alone again though, Pete looks down at his sandwich. He wasn't as hungry now.

Looking to Nikki again, he forces a smile. "Time sucks. Sometimes I wish I was back in high school again. But... it's not so bad, ya know? Not for me, anyway."


Justin laughs, but not to make fun of Beth. "Don't worry. Sometimes I still forget what I'm doing. A couple weeks ago I tried to cast without releasing the bale. The lure snapped right off and went flying into the middle of the pond."

Once she's got the cast reeled back in, Justin cocks his head around her shoulder to see her. "Want more help or you think you got it?"