After Tuesday (16 page)

“Well?” Liam urges, “Are you going?”

“Nah, I have to work in the morning. Good luck though.”

Tomorrow is my first day back at the restaurant since before summer break. I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with school, work, and the soon-to-come track practices. Schedules make me happy; they’re reliable and keep me constant.

 “Thanks,” Liam replies, looking over my shoulder.

“Hey there,” Autumn says to Liam before pecking him on the cheek. “Oh, hey, Ruby. Are you coming with us to the game tonight?”

“Uh, I think so. Brent and I haven’t talked about it yet. It’s a home game, right?”

“Nope, it’s away. We’re all going though. Didn’t Brent tell you?” Autumn asks.

“I haven’t seen him since first period. He didn’t mention it then.”

“That’s because I wasn’t planning on going,” Brent says into my ear from behind me, effectively startling me from my conversation with Autumn and Liam.

Instead of giving my heart a workout with every greeting, couldn’t he just walk up to me like everyone else? Who am I kidding? I love it.

“Oh, is that right?” I turn around to face him. “And why not, may I ask?”

“Hey, Liam.” Brent nods in his direction. “Sorry, I’m backing out, man. I have other plans for tonight.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow,” Liam says to Brent.

Liam drapes his arm over Autumn’s shoulders as they walk past us, waving good-bye.

“So, what are these other plans?” I playfully accuse, turning to Brent.

“Nuh-uh, I’m not telling you. You already agreed to go out with me tonight, and I’m holding you to it.”

“All right.” I feign annoyance, sticking out my lower lip.

“Awww,” he teases, “I thought you liked surprises.”

“I like
your
surprises,” I tell him, taking his hand.

As we walk out the door to the parking lot, Brent asks, “How was your day?”

“Good. Calculus sucked, but English was out of this world,” I singsong.

“Oh, yeah, why is that?” He smirks at me.

I nudge his shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe a certain English partner was able to catch my eye this morning.”

When we reach my car, he brushes the back of his hand down the side of my face, puckering his lips in thought.

“Her light shines through the tunnel to my heart, clenching every pulsing beat with radiance and luminosity.”

“Who wrote that?” I ask, not recognizing it from today’s lesson.

“Ask me tonight,” he says. He kisses me quickly and then opens my car door for me to get in. “I’ll pick you up at seven,” he adds, tapping the roof of the car, before he heads back to school for practice.

I start driving out of the parking lot but not before I let my eyes follow Brent for a few moments longer.

***

When I pull into the driveway at home, I find an empty house. I’m not surprised since my dad tends to work until four in the afternoon. During the last two weeks, he’s been diligent about putting in good hours. I have to admit that I’m surprised at how well he’s been doing. This week, he made dinner for us twice, and we even sat down together. We haven’t done that in more than a year.

Earlier this week, I went to a meeting with him. I’m really happy to see he’s getting better. At first, I was worried that he might struggle with the proximity of my Uncle Jas, especially since my dad works with him, but it really hasn’t been an issue. Jas seems supportive. He even joined us for dinner this past week.
Maybe I need to give everyone a little more credit. I shouldn’t be so hard on all of them.

Regardless, it seems like my dad is truly moving forward. We’re slowly becoming a family once again. Of course, it’s nothing like it used to be, but I’m happy to see the light in him again. It makes me realize how much I missed having a father and how much I missed him.

I go to my room to change into my running clothes then head out on my usual five-mile route to the lake. Dragon joins me as I take a leisurely jog, enjoying what might be the last of the summer weather before the cool air begins to settle over the town. When we reach the lake, I take off my shoes to wade in the chilly waters to play fetch with Dragon.

It’s a beautiful day, and I can’t help but smile at Dragon, my first and sometimes only friend in my little world. He knows everything. No one else knows that I live with a recovering addict, or what things were like before my dad made the decision to get help. I know these secrets have been holding me hostage since we moved here. Now though, I think I’m ready to face them.

I get the sinking feeling that it’s time for me to stop denying what’s going on in my life and how it affects me. I guess it’s time to deal. Maybe I’m in recovery, too, and this is part of the process. I need to recover from the life and the sickness my father and his family brought to us, infecting us all. Maybe it’s time to accept it all and possibly let a few others in as well.

Enough with the deep thoughts. It’s time to go.

“Dragon!” I yell and then whistle.

He bounds out of the lake, shaking off excess water, while I put on my socks and shoes, so we can head back home.

***

After I shower and dress for the evening, I come out to find my dad in the kitchen, going through the mail.

“Hey, Dad,” I say cheerfully.

He vacantly looks up from the letter he’s reading. “Hey, Tuesday.”  

He’s off.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. Nice outfit. Are you going out tonight? You look really pretty,” he says with a somber look in his eyes.

“Thanks. Yeah, I’m getting picked up after dinner.”

“So, am I ever going to meet this guy? I know you’ve been keeping him a secret from me. Are you embarrassed or something?”

The truth is that yes, I am embarrassed. I could never tell him that though, especially now that he’s doing so much better while on his path to recovery.

“Dad,” I falter. “It’s not that at all. I, uh…tell you what. Why don’t we all have dinner together next week?” I offer.
Maybe I am ready to make that leap.

“Well, isn’t he picking you up tonight?”

“Yeah, but can we do it next week?”

He assesses my face, knowing we’re still walking on eggshells with our relationship. I’m trying, but after years of keeping to myself for so long, sharing parts of my life is really difficult for me, especially with him. I’m working on it though.

“Sure, Tuesday, but I’m holding you to it.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I say happily before I kiss him on the cheek.

He laughs. “So, that’s what it takes to get a kiss out of you?”

“I guess so,” I say, shrugging my shoulders.

Turning to the refrigerator, I start putting dinner together for both of us. We sit down to a meal of pasta and breadsticks in silence. I’m not saying it’s uncomfortable, but I can tell something’s on his mind.

“So, what do you think you’re going to do tonight?” I question him.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe watch a movie and go to bed. I’m beat from the week.”

“What about a meeting? Isn’t there one on Friday nights?”

“Yeah, but I’m tired, and I don’t need one today.”

“Okay.” I look down at my plate while I swirl the noodles around in the sauce.

“Stop worrying about your dad. I’m fine.”

He’s right. I shouldn’t worry about him, but I do. Maybe I’m hypersensitive to everything due to the newness of our current relationship.

“All right. Are you done?” I ask, pointing to his plate.

“Yeah, thanks,” he says, handing the plate to me.

I stand and take the dishes to the sink. Looking up at the clock, I realize that Brent will be here to pick me up in about five minutes. I know he’ll be on time. He’s never late.

I head back into my room to grab a jacket. When I walk back into the living room, I find my dad flipping through the channels. Sitting there, he looks okay, but something isn’t right. I can sense it, a bad feeling prickling up my spine. My dad has never been much of a talker, but he seems extra silent right now. He seems to be focusing really hard on the television. I glance at the screen.
Aw, Animal Planet.
I like that channel, too. It looks like a show about whales is on tonight.
All right, can’t say I blame him.

“You cool?” I ask him, heading for the door.

“Yeah, you go have fun.”

“I work in the morning, so I won’t be too late. See you later.”

Closing the door behind me, I wait outside for Brent to arrive as I think about what I just said to my dad. It sounded like something a married couple would say to each other. I don’t know why I said it, but I know, for some odd reason, I wanted to reassure him that I’d be home soon.

A minute later, Brent’s car pulls into my driveway. After I open the door, I settle into the front seat and turn to smile at him.
What can I say? He makes me happy.
Being next to him is fast becoming one of the most comfortable and natural feelings on earth. I can see he’s trying really hard to hold back his laughter.

“What?” I say defensively.

He smiles at me, showing off those damn dimples. “Why are you so wonderful?”

“Stop it,” I tell him, lightly swatting his arm.

He kisses me quickly on the cheek. “What? I thought girls like that sort of thing—compliments and stuff,” he says jokingly while he backs out of my driveway.

“Maybe, but nobody means it when they say it. It’s a ploy to get the ladies. I’m on to you, Mr. Cromwell,” I tease.

“True.” He places the car into drive and then accelerates forward. “But I already have you. Why would I need to win you over? I’ve already got my prize.”

Raising an eyebrow, I ask, “Oh, you think so?”

“Yeah. Is that a challenge or something, Ms. Miller?”

“Maybe. You up for it?”

“Oh, I don’t know if you could handle my stealthy moves,” he adds with playful sarcasm. “They are wicked.”

I laugh. “Oh, really? Bring it. I can’t wait to see your
so-called
moves.”

“You asked for it,” he says as he continues to drive down the street.

Chapter Fifteen

When he puts the car into park, I ask, “What are we doing here?”

We’re at the end of the path on his parents’ property near the lake.

“I told you. It’s a surprise,” he says, getting out of the car.

As he heads around to the back of the car, I follow and watch him pull out a duffel bag before he closes the trunk.

“Well, at least, this confirms you aren’t looking to pick up where we left off last time we were here,” I tease, referring to the front-seat action.

“I wouldn’t mind that, but no, that’s not why we’re here. C’mon,” he says. Grabbing my hand, he leads me toward the water.

The sun is setting fast, giving the illusion of orange glass sparkling across the surface of the lake. As the wind whips around a little, rustling the leaves on the trees, it creates a calming background rhythm in the air.

When we walk over a small ridge of rocks that abuts the water’s edge, I stop abruptly. Brent pulls me to the right as we negotiate over the rocky surface. I keep my eyes on his feet, so I don’t trip. When the ground starts to smooth out, I glance up to see a canoe tied to a tree, floating in the water.

“Is that yours?” I ask, pointing to the canoe.

“It is now. The club sells a few for really cheap at the end of every season, so I grabbed one this year.”

“Oh.”

“I guess you probably know now where we’re going. It’s not like it’s really hard to figure out.”

“I love that island,” I tell him as the memories wash over me.

“Me, too.” He closes his eyes for a moment, breathing deeply. “All right, get in.”

I climb to the bow and grab a paddle from the center while Brent steadies the canoe. He unties the rope attached to the tree before he carefully joins me inside at the stern.

Paddling out, I can’t help but take in the beauty of the evening. The water is so calm, the lake is silent, and the view is more beautiful than I’ve ever seen. This is the first time I have taken to the water with Brent at sunset, and I can’t deny the overwhelming feeling of minuteness compared to the overall scheme of things.

Peace takes over me as I accept the simplicity of it all. Where I am right now, in this time and this place, is perfection.

Life really can be as simple as a boy and a girl on a boat. Nothing more, nothing less.
Why do we sometimes let outside elements get in the way of what is meant to be simple?
Relationships should be simple.

When I look back at Brent, he smiles at me.
Yes, things with him really are simple.
There’s nothing complicated about my feelings for him. Take everything out of the equation—the good looks, the popularity, the athletic ability—and all that is left is Brent. Those other things don’t matter, not at all.
I love him. Simply him.
It’s nice to have this moment to realize that it is simply him I want.

By the time we reach the island, the sun has almost set, and I am in awe of its magnificence. In this light, the landscape has a haunting and mysterious feel. I don’t know why we’ve never come here before at this time of day, but I’m glad we’re here now.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask, looking around.

“Follow me,” he says, leading me to the beach on the other side.

It’s the same beach where I first felt I might be falling for him.

After Brent sets down his duffel bag, he clears a place in the sand and then piles wood together. Recognizing what he’s doing, I start gathering some twigs to start a fire. Once we get it going, he pulls out a blanket from his bag, laying it near the flames. We sit side-by-side and look over the flames into the dark sheet of water. The sky has become black, and the stars are out to greet the bright white moon above as they reflect light on the fluid mirror below.

“We should have come here every night,” I whisper through a bit of breathlessness.

“Maybe,” he says, looking up at the moon, “but this place is special. I kind of want to keep it that way.”

“Yeah, it’s special for sure.” When I turn toward him, I see the firelight reflecting off his face, creating his beautiful profile. “All right, I’m dying to know about the poem you were so secretive about earlier. Who wrote it?”