Soulshine (2 page)

wait a minute. There is something else.”
“What"ll it be?”
She pulled out the envelope and placed it gently on the

counter. “Happy birthday.”
“Happy…? Oh… you had asked me a few months ago
when my birthday was, didn"t you?” Michelle smiled. “And you
remembered? I"m impressed!” Michelle was now beaming. “I didn"t forget. I wanted to get you something special. A
card is all I could afford.”
Evan opened the card and read it. Michelle had included a
personal handwritten note to go along with the card"s sentiments.
“I love it. Thanks, Michelle. I will keep it always.”

Michelle realiz ed she was lost in her thoughts. “Evan, do you remember the day I…?”
“Gave me that birthday card?” Michelle smiled, glad that Evan read her mind whenshe paused. “Yeah… the funny part is that when you asked me my birth date, I practically had to come up with an estimate for you. Of course, you didn"t know that then. Oh, Michelle, that card told me exactly what I needed to do. I was already in love with you, you know. The only thing left for me to do was not care what the modern world thought about us being together and just make it work. I"m glad you gave me that birthday card. It was the best birthday present I ever received.”
“Evan, I don"t know what I woulddo without you. It"s not like I can just start a new relationship with someone else. It would get too complicated. I am so afraid that I will be lonely for the rest of my life.”
“Don"t even talk like that, Michelle. I"m not dead yet. Let"s face it. I"ve come quite a long way to give up now, don"t you think?”
“Evan, you"ve never been in a situation like this. It"s all my fault.”
“Michelle… don"t.”
“Evan, when I stepped out of the room earlier while the doctor was checking on you, I… um… called my mom.”
“You what? You didn"t tell her where we are, did you?”
“Yes, I did. Oh, Evan, I need someone I can trust. You have been everything to me since I graduated high school. I have avoided my parents for eleven years.”
“What if your parents come all the way up here and see you… and me… like this? Michelle, they are not going to expect to see you looking like you do. We agreed that…”
“Evan, I"m twenty-nine going on a thousand. That"s how I feel when I look at you now. I used to feel forever young with you until this accident. Now I wonder how I can cope. Evan, I need my mom.”
“So she"s coming, isn"t she? Is your dad coming also?”
“He"s busy with work still. My mom is definitely coming. I didn"t know what else to do.”

Michelle entered the sundry shop with her mother. Mary Fleming was a distinguished looking lady. Her hair was always styled and a smile was ever present on her face. Michelle headed for the counter where Evan was just finishing waiting on a customer. Mary gave a sly gaze as her daughter made sure Evan noticed her. Michelle was sweet and unassuming. Mary got a kick out of Michelle"s crush on Evan. She saw the innocence in her daughter and trusted her, even at the tender age of thirteen. She also had observed Evan for a few years while frequenting the sundry shop and admired the way he would never embarrass Michelle or make her feel foolish for having such a silly crush.
He’s just a nice young man
.
Maybe someday, Michelle will find a man like him. Too bad she’s not about six years older.

“Hi, Michelle.” Evan smiled at her. Michelle always made him smile. Her cute charm was all that was needed to produce that effect. He noticed that Mary had also entered the store and went over to the dairy case. He wanted to flirt with Michelle but wanted to make sure he didn"t say anything to make her mother keep Michelle away from the store. “Hi, Mrs. Fleming!” he exclaimed as Mary approached the counter with a gallon of milk and a carton of eggs.

Mary placed down her items and smiled. “Hello, Evan.” “And how are you today?”
“Good… thank you. And yourself?”
“Good… always.” Evan smiled as he looked at Michelle

standing there as if she had something she wanted to say. “Uh… mom?”
“Yes, dear?”
“Um… I was wondering. You know how you say that if I

do my homework early, I can invite someone over for supper some night?”
“Mm-hmm?”
Michelle looked up at her nervously. “How about Evan? Can we have Evanover?”
Mary wasn"t sure how to answer Michelle"s request. Michelle had just turned thirteen. Evan wasn"t even going to school. Mary had seen him working the sundry shop during weekdays for at least a few years. Despite his boyish looks and manners, he could very well be over twenty. Mary considered asking Evan his age, but thought the moment to be wrong. It would seem that there was a condition being placed on the invitation, if in fact she agreed to it.
Then again, Evan may politely decline anyway. Does he really want to be the guest of a child for a meal at the parents’ home?
“Well, Michelle. Why don"t you ask Evan for yourself?”
“Then I can? Oh, mom… thanks! You"re the best! Evan, will you come over?”
“Uh… that depends on what date you plan on getting that homework finished early.”
Michelle blushed. “Oh… right. Um… I"ll do it tomorrow!”
“Deal.”
“Great! We live at 32 Grove Street.” Michelle"s heart was racing. “We usually have supper at six o"clock.” Michelle felt as though she needed to keep talking. She had no idea how to stop, but also had no idea what to say next. Mary bailed her out.
“Honey, I think Evan knows where we live. He has walked by and waved to us on the porch, remember?”
“Oh, yeah. How could I forget? I just get silly sometimes.”
Mary smiled at Evan. “I hope you like pot roast.”
“That will be fine, Mrs. Fleming. Thanks for the invitation.”
“It was all Michelle.”
“But she did need your permission. And after all, you"re the cook, right?” Evan looked at Michelle. “Thanks for thinking of me. And don"t worry. If you are not done with that homework, perhaps I can give you a hand with it.”
“Ahem,” interrupted Mary. “She must do her
own
homework.”
“Ah, of course. Hey, Mrs. Fleming… I"ll see you tomorrow night. I"m not working, so it will be a nice relaxing day for me.”
Mary smiled, picked up her bag, and started away. Michelle gave one last smile, larger than usual, to Evan, turned and followed her mother. As they got outside, Mary thought to herself.
Well, tomorrow evening will provide a good atmosphere and opportunity to find out some things about Evan, like his family background, his age… oh, listen to my thoughts. He’s just a nice guy. It’s not like he and Michelle are dating. Still, it would be nice to know what family he is from… where he got his good manners, etc.
December 11, 1983

Michelle leaned over close to Evan and put her head on his chest. “You know there"s no way you can die on me, don"t you?”
Evan tried to get comfortable, wishing he could get out of the hospital bed. “Michelle, my darling girl, I am praying this minute for both of us… and especially for you.” He then pondered the situation deeper. “I never thought about death, you know... at least not until tonight. I guess that I have been very lucky until now.”
“I didn"t think you
could
ever die.”
“There"s the rub, sweetheart. Eternal youth does not equate to immortality. A youth can still be killed with a bullet, and any man can clog his arteries with years of reckless eating. I spilled a lot of blood when I came into contact with thatoak tree.”
“But people aren"t supposed to have their bodies disintegrate as the result of car accidents.”
“No… only people who should be dead long before they have their accidents.”
“Evan… if this is the end of your life… I should end mine before something similar happens to
me
.”
“Don"t talk that way, Michelle. I was afraid you would think that. Look… you will always be young and beautiful. I hope to God that you will also be with me. But you need… we
both
need to face the possibility of life without each other. And we both believe the soul will at least live forever in an even better state.”
“If
that’s
what you believe… then why did you not let life take its natural course regardingme?”
“Believe me… I have been asking myself
that
question all night. If I go
way
back to the first most fateful decision I ever made, I would have to say I did it in the name of curiosity and science. After all, I really
was
a curious
young
man back then. When I made my
second
most fateful decision ever, I was hopelessly in love with the cutest little girl I ever had the pleasure of meeting. So to answer your question… I can think of no other reply than to say I was being purely selfish.”
“Why didn"t you at least
ask
me if
I
wanted to live the same life as you? Or even wait until I was older and ask me then?”
“Would you have still been with me had I waited that long? I fell in love with the sweet little child in you, Michelle. And I love the woman you have become. But I have loved gazing at the child for all these years. I could not have risked you having any suspicions. Perhaps I also wanted to keep you young before a high school boy or college man swept you off your feet.”
“And what man will want this little child now?”
“You are only childlike in appearance now, Michelle. You are also a very intelligent woman. Your youthful appearance attracted the man you wanted some seventeen years ago. It will happen again.”
“No, Evan. When I was twelve years old, I may have been a cute little girl. Now I"m a freakish old woman.”
“Twenty-nine is hardly old.”
“Twenty-nine will become thirty-nine and then forty-nine, Evan.” Michelle started to cry.
Evan wished he could set everything right. For the first time in his life, he was scared. More scared for Michelle than he was for himself, but scared nonetheless.
The twist of fate escapes no one,
he thought.
And sometimes fate can look like a cruel illusion.

Mary made certain that she prepared a fine meal for the Flemings" special guest. Not her fanciest feast though. After all, Michelle needn"t be encouraged to consider this anything more than an evening with her parents and her first major crush.
Evan is a nice guy, but Michelle will be over this crush in less than a year,
Mary thought.
I’m just glad that Evan will eventually let her down easy.
Mary could not possibly think Evan would be anything remotely cruel to her little girl. She did her best to believe that he would never let her sweet little girl keep believing in something that will never materialize.

Fleming”, said Evan as he sat down at the dinner table. “No trouble at all. I make pot roast at least a couple of
times a month, don"t I, Michelle?”
“Uh, yes… you do. Daddy, have you ever met Evan?” John Fleming looked up from his newspaper and cleared
his throat. “Yes, I do believe I have seen him down at the sundry
shop. Of course, I don"t go there often. Your mother does most of
the shopping. I"ll get the occasional pack of cigarettes or
something she forgot to pick up.” He cleared his throat again and
asked Michelle, “So, how did you two become… er… such good
friends?”
Michelle was visibly nervous, so Evan did his best to bail
her out. “Oh, Mr. Fleming... your daughter has a great heart. She
has always been so kind to me, and when she invited me over for
dinner, well… how can anyone say no to sucha nice kid?” Michelle felt bad that Evan had referred to her as a
kid
.
She had known Evan for a few years and he always treated her as
an intellectual equal. That"s one of the things she liked about him.
Of course, it was his good looks that first attracted her, but his
warm personality was evident after the initial attraction. Evan
sensed her dismay at his remark, but he wanted to enter Mr.
Fleming"s good graces and he did not want to reveal his true
feelings to John.
“Did I say kid? You know… that"s the wonderful thing
about Michelle. She is very mature and not silly like the other girls
her age. She"s sort of like a throwback to another time… like
Shakespeare"s Juliet. Did you know that the Virgin Mary was
thought to be fourteen years old when she was betrothed to
Joseph?” Evan smirked nervously.
I suppose that last thought
would have been best kept to myself
.
“Well, I think
that
charminglegend remains a mystery,”
huffed John. “Regardless…
different period and culture.
you are talking about a vastly Michelle will
not
be engaged to anyone by next year… I can assure you.” Evan tried his best to make light of the conversation.
“Well, I"m certainly glad to hear that, Mr. Fleming. I was worried
that some schoolboy was going to take her away from me. After
all… I"m hoping that she will be inviting me back for dinner when
she turns eighteen. Please, just a small amount of pot roast for me,
Mrs. Fleming. I"ll have plenty of vegetables though… thank you.” Michelle again looked dismayed. She wanted Evan to like
her
now
... not having to wait another five years. Evan picked up
on her disappointment and gave her a wink as he put his hand to
his left eye, feigning a headache so her father would not detect the
wink. Evan hoped that the discretions he would need to use during
the course of the evening would not end up turning Michelle away
for good.
Mary jumped into the conversation as an ally to Evan and
Michelle. “John, these kids see each other a lot. They"re just
friends.”
Michelle looked at Evan, then across the table to her
mother. “Um… well… we don"t see each other
that
much, Mom.
Just when you send me to the store, or when I happen to go there
for an ice cream bar.”
“Of course, dear. But that still happens a few times a
week.”
Michelle giggled. “Oh, yeah… right.” She had started to
worry that her mother possibly knew that she sometimes would
sneak over to the sundry shop when Evan was finishing his shift so
they could sit and talk about things, usually either what has been
going on at her school or the wealth of information and seemingly
endless experiences in Evan"s life. Michelle even recalled Evan"s
first kiss, which took her by surprise. It came about a couple of
weeks after she gave him the birthday card. It was almost a half
year later now. As the late spring evenings lingered long after the
sundry shop closed, hardly a soul would pass the bench outside the
store. It was there that the first kiss took place. Evan and Michelle
never talked about their future because of Michelle"s young age.
There was never a compelling reason to rush anything. It suited
both lovers. Michelle sometimes worried that Evan would want someone his own age someday, but she was too much in love to
end the relationship over that particular insecurity.
“So Evan… tell me about your family. Where do you
live?” asked Mary.
“Well… uh… I don"t have a real family. That is to say… I
don"t have a biological family. Part of my compensation for
working at the sundry store is that I get room and board from the
Cacharellis. They own the store… a great couple.”
“Well, that"s nice of them. Do you mind if I ask what
happened to your parents? Your last name is Troy, isn"t it?” “Uh… yes it is. Well… um… I remember being very
young when my grandfather started taking care of me. Just before
he died, he talked to the Cacharellis… knew them well, in fact. He
was responsible for getting me the job. Then when he died, the
Cacharellis took me in.”
“You said you were very young when your grandfather
took care of you. Did you knowyour parents?”
“Uh… I really don"t remember them.”
“Are they alive?”
“Uh… no. No, they died somehow. Grandpa never really
divulgedthe details.” Evan got visibly uncomfortable. “I"m sorry if I pried,” said Mary. It must be painful not
knowing whathappened to your parents. You"re such a nice
young man. Your grandfather must have been a good influence on
you.”
Evan cleared his throat. “Yes… yes… he sure was. And
the Cacharellis also.” He paused. “And speaking of the
Cacharellis… I wanted to ask both you and Mr. Fleming
something. They are having a cookout in their yard, next door to
the store, this Sunday. Can Michelle be my guest? It would just
be a small way of thanking her for this wonderful meal.” “I think that Michelle is a bit young for dating, Mr. Troy,”
gruffed John.
“I"m sorry, sir. I wasn"t thinking of it as a date, especially
since it would be in my employer"s backyard. How about if Michelle just stops by the sundry shop after school on Monday and
I will treat her to one of myspecial ice cream sodas?”
“Oh, Daddy, that sounds great. Can I?”
John looked at Mary, who gave a reassuring smile and
simple nod. “I suppose so,” said John. “But make sure you do
your homework.”
“Oh, I will do it immediately after supper, Daddy. Thank
you, thank you. I love you.”
“Evan… I see that you ate all the vegetables. Would you
like some more,” asked Mary.
“Please, Mrs. Fleming. That would be great,” replied Evan. “Are you sure you don"t want more pot roast?”
“Oh… yes, Mrs. Fleming. I just don"t eat that much meat.
It"s healthier, you know... especially if you want to live a long,
healthy life. Once the arteries are clogged from years of eating too
much of the wrong things, there is no way of undoing the damage.
You did a great job on dinnerthough.”
Mary gave Evan an extra helping of vegetables and bread.
After the meal, the parents allowed Michelle to walk Evan to the
door. Evan wanted to plant a kiss on Michelle"s lips, thought the
cheek would be more appropriate considering Michelle"s father
was somewhere close by, and then settled on a shoulder tap so as
not to cause any grief for her. Then he said in a soft voice, “I"ll
make sure my shift ends when I buy you that soda.” Michelle
grinned widely, the smile that Evan fell in love with a year earlier.
There may have been no cookout, but there would still be a date.