I nod, staring down at my hands. “I’ve been tinkering around with Procreate on my tablet at night, just something mindless to do, and I started to realize that I’m pretty good at it. I thought that digital art might be something I could, you know, get into.”
“Seriously?” Dad asks, completely facing me now. “Do you have any of your work with you that we can see?”
Excitement blooms in my stomach as I grab my phone from my pocket and flip through my photos until I find some of the simple mountain designs that I’ve been working on. I’m surprised at how excited I am as I hand my phone over to Dad. He holds the phone an arm’s length away, just enough to be able to see it without his glasses.
“Wow, Cooper, you drew this?” When I nod, he blows out a low whistle. “This is really good, son.”
A sense of pride rushes through me. “Thanks, Dad.”
Mom takes the phone from Dad and peers at the screen. “Would you look at that. Oh, these are lovely, Cooper. Are there more?” She starts scrolling through the pictures on my phone.
“Mom, you’re not supposed to scroll through someone’s pictures.” I reach for the phone, but it’s too late.
“Cooper Chance, why are there nudes on your phone?”
“There’s nudes?” Dad asks. “Nudes of our son?”
“I’m not nude,” I say, snatching the phone away and stuffing it back in my pants. There goes that momentary joy I felt. The ferry is docking, and I’m happy to get off this vessel and end the conversation, even though it means “chick hunting” with my parents. “I’m wearing a towel. It’s a progress picture. I’ve been working out.”
“I’ve noticed,” Mom says while adjusting the buttons of her vest. “You have quite a few muscles.”
Please . . . please let someone end this.
“Either way, nudes or not,” Dad says, “those drawings are really good, Cooper. I’m glad you’re pursuing something in another field, especially since it seems to bring you joy.” Dad claps me on the back. “Maybe you can draw some pictures for me to color in.”
“Oooh,” Mom sighs happily. “How delightful would that be? Your dad can color something other than swear words.”
Oddly, I think his coloring swear words is endearing.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I reach for it while the captain’s voice crackles over the sound system, offering us directions on how to get off the ferry.
I glance at my phone screen to catch a text from Palmer. Texts from her are sporadic at best, but they always have something to do with her travels.
Because I need the distraction, I unlock my phone to see she texted my brother and me.
Palmer: [picture] In Australia, swam with sharks and a guy who looked like a long-lost Hemsworth brother. See him in the background? He asked me out. We’re getting drinks later tonight. Should I ask him if he’s a Hemsworth?
Keeping the distraction going, I text her back.
Cooper: There are only three Hemsworth brothers. Maybe a cousin. Either way, don’t embarrass yourself.
Mom and Dad both stand with their small overnight suitcase, which I try to take from Dad, but he refuses to let me carry it. He tells me I can’t look like a “bag man” because it would be a turnoff to the ladies. Whatever that means. We work our way off the ferry as my phone buzzes again.
Palmer: Oh, do you mean don’t embarrass myself—like the time you spilled your drink all over your date and instead of apologizing or asking to buy a new shirt, you just got up and left . . . without another word?
Cooper: It was a bad night, a bad date, I did her a favor.
“Which way do we go?” Mom asks when we make it onto the dock.
“Well, straight right now,” I deadpan, “unless you want to end up in Elliott Bay. But after this, we’re going to grab an Uber. Rideshare is past the dock and down the street on the right. I already have a car coming.”
“He’s so efficient,” Mom says as my phone buzzes.
I usher my parents in the direction we need to go, feeling like a sheepdog with a daunting task of herding a couple of geriatrics while I read the text.
Palmer: What’s it like to not care about how anyone perceives you?
Cooper: Freeing. Try it.
Palmer: You didn’t say anything about the sharks.
Cooper: Because you see the end of a tail and that’s it. The picture is mostly you with the guy in the background and you’re not even swimming. You’re on a boat, outside of the water. Did you even get in?