The Leaves 03 (Nico) (19 page)

“Hey, Nico.” Cole shook my hand. “Sorry to barge in on you like this. I tried to call your cell, but anyway, we’re here. Aimes wants to get her leaf. The rest of the gang should be by soon.”

“It’s all good, Cole.” I walked over to Anika, “How are you?”

325/510

“Having a whale of a good time?” She laughed, her round belly prominent in a maternity t-shirt that said, ‘The baby made me do it.’

“I bet.” I smiled down at her. “You look beautiful.”

“You’re just saying that.” She had just been passed baby Luke and was whispering to him.

“Have you ever known me to say much of anything? Why waste words on a lie?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Okay.” She laughed and handed the baby to me. “Now, that is something you wear really, really well, Nico. Aimes, check it out.” I turned toward her with this little thing cradled in my arms and Aimes blurted out, “I think I just came… sorry, sweetie.” She said to Gus. “Seriously Nico? You were hot before, but now you’re like, off the charts.”

“Amelia.” Gus said her name and nothing else, and Aimes went oddly silent for a while.

326/510

I gave the baby to Gus with an apologetic nod. “It’s the hormones,” he whispered with a slight hint of his Texas drawl. “Between you and me, she either wants to screw my brains out or cry. I am not complaining,” he said and smiled.

Eventually the rest of Anika’s family arrived for their leaf. At the wedding, back on New Year’s Eve, a few of us had stood around, sipping our drinks, shooting the shit, and talking about how wonderful it was that Anika was marrying Cole. Everything she and Cole had been through was behind them… or about to be. A few of the men had decided to get an oak leaf tattooed like Anika’s, similar to the one Cole had done.

His words the night he got that will never leave me. “
Your pain is my pain, Anika. I
can’t take it away, but I can wear it with
you.
” Yeah, he loved her. He loved her deep, a lot of people did, and this was their way of showing her just how much. I was giving 327/510

Aimes her leaf tattoo. Everyone was emotional, but in an effort to stop herself from crying again, Anika started talking.

“Isn't it weird? I mean, I always think of my boobs being specific to sex, not feeding a person. I think it's creepy. I'm totally doing formula,” Anika stated.

I had listened to hundreds, maybe thousands of different topics of conversation while giving a tattoo. But listening to Amelia and Anika discuss lactation was a definite first.

“Dude, guys get to whip it out conveniently and pee anywhere they want. Girls, this is the first time we get to whip out a tit and have it be for practical purposes. But I'm not an ambi-feeder, so I have a B.ll.T."

I had a feeling I was about to learn a lot more about breastfeeding than I had ever wanted to know.

Anika gave her a “please explain” look.

“Well, I'm right handed, so I lay Luke across 328/510

my stomach, kinda propped on my left elbow, right?”

“Right.” I watched Anika arrange her arms as if following an instructional video.

“Then I flop out my left tit and squeeze a little boob juice out so he can smell the goodness, like boob-coffee.” Anika was now cupping her breast, which I couldn't help but notice had increased at least a full cup size since I'd seen her at the wedding. I had to stop. In fact, every single person in the shop was listening to Aimes now. I turned off the buzzing machine to wait out the story.

“And it's totally sweet. Gus has tried it, he loves it, and thank God because, oh yeah, that's what I was trying to tell you, about not being an ambi-feeder. So, it's totally easy to feed him on the left side, but when I try on the right, it doesn't work as well… hence, not an ambi-feeder. So, I end up always having a really full left boob, big left tit, B.ll.T. and the right one, starts to hurt a little when it gets 329/510

full because baby never feeds as much on that side. So at night in bed, Gus takes a little drink for me so my boobs won't hurt. He calls it dessert.”

Just then, Gus appeared. All six feet of former marine. “Sugar, maybe you could take it down a notch on the sharin' of the intimate details of our life?” I watched her giggle and look up at him.

He wasn’t mad at all. In fact, you could see, if anything, he was amused.

I took a break while Zack gave a tattoo of an oak leaf on the back of Anika’s brother, David. He was actually her half-brother, one she didn’t even know she had until Cole had located her dad. Amazing how it all turned out for her. Talk about a happy ending. I stood outside in the brisk air, waiting for Lark who said she was just having a shower and checked the messages on my phone.

“Would you like some company?” she said in that low, sexy voice of hers.

330/510

“I was just sending you another text. You look nice.” I smiled and pulled her from the two steps above me into my arms. “How did it go?”

“She loved my ideas, and I have my first bridal gown client.” She beamed.

“I knew it,” I said and kissed her. She couldn’t stop smiling, so the kiss turned into a giggle. “Come on, I want you to meet someone.” I only told her to come down to the studio. I didn’t tell her why.

I led her in and all eyes were on her.

“Lark!” exclaimed Cole. “Come on in and have some food. Have you eaten? Doesn’t matter; we have tons. I wasn’t sure how many people would be here.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” she said, smiling all the way as Cole shoved a plate at her, but then spun her back to Anika, taking up residence on a rolling stool. “And my wife, Anika.”

331/510

“Oh, I loved that flower corset,” Anika gushed. “So beautiful. Actually, come and talk to me outside a minute. I need some air that doesn’t smell like cilantro.”

“Baby, are you all right?” Cole came to her side, full of concern.

“Ugh, I’m fine. I just need to walk up and down the sidewalk a little. Now, go away.” She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

Since my girlfriend was outside with Anika talking about God knows what, I got Zack and Becca and pulled them behind a screen.

Then Cole popped his head in along with David. His dad, John, kept an eye out as Gus and Aimes whispered over the baby.

“Becca can you come help out for a week?” I asked.

“When?” She took out her phone to check dates.

“As soon as possible?” I grinned.

“Why?” Zack asked.

332/510

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch and opened it.

“No fuckin’ way, man. You can’t get married before me and Teense, man.”

“Will you keep your fuckin’ voice down, you idiot? I have to ask her first, you fuckhead. I don’t know when, but I want to take her to the cabin for a week and do it there.”

“When do you want to go?” Becca asked with a huge smile on her face. She looked up from the ring and simply said, “Pretty.”

“Next week?” My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Anika approves.

She’s really tired.

Doesn’t want to ruin the party.

XO

“Cole, man, time to go.” I held the phone up so he could read the message.

“I knew it!” he said, looking toward the door. The others seemed to sense that the 333/510

two of us needed a minute and walked away as Cole said to me, “Thank you for doing this, Nico. The ring is beautiful. Where did you get it?”

“I know a guy.” I winked. “But I can hook you up, no problem.”

“I like you happy, Nico. And… don’t tell my wife, you know my world begins and ends with her, but Lark? She is stunning. I hope she says yes.” He patted me on the back and started to grab Anika’s bag, “Sorry about the mess. I’ll ask David and John to clean up.”

“It’s cool, man. Go. Let me know when the kid comes, yeah?”

“Of course,” he said and stopped. “You helped her. You and Aimes were the only ones who knew what she went through. It was like, artist to artist, you understood what it meant to her to cope this way. Her leaves and the other women you help. What do you call them?”

“My Birds,” I said.

334/510

“Do you mind if I ask why?” I leaned back against the padded chair behind me where I’d given thousands of tattoos, “My pop was born out in the desert, near Hemet. He doesn’t talk much about his pop… touchy subject… but he told me his pop was a ‘lost bird’ and then later he mentioned the term ‘split feathers.’ I finally looked them up. They are the names given to Native American kids who were adopted out of their tribes to be assimilated into white society. In some cases, the kids were living in poverty, high mortality rate, that sort of thing, so it probably saved a lot of lives. But a lot of them never knew where they came from, their heritage. Every woman I’ve given a tattoo, like Anika, something was stolen from them. You can see it in their faces. You can feel it when they tell you their stories.

They’re lost birds, too.”

“Fuck, Nico.”

335/510

I pulled my hands down over my face and looked down as I gripped the ring, “It’s easier now.”

Cole, as cool as ever said, “I completely understand.”

***

“I’ll take some to Zack tomorrow. He has a fast metabolism.” I pulled the covers over us as she took up residence against my chest.

“Thanks for letting me be a part of tonight, Nico. That was pretty amazing.”

“Lark?”

“Yeah?” she answered as she tucked herself even closer.

“I need you to take a week off. You tell me when, and I’ll arrange it with Zack and Becca, and her staff can help cover the studio.”

336/510

“Where are we going?” she asked. Her excitement made her pop up and stare down at me.

“It’s a surprise.” I grinned.

“I’m gonna love wherever we go,” she said.

“Are you sure about that?” She took a deep, cleansing breath, and, as she scooted back into me more, said, “As long as you’re there, I’ll love it.”
Chapter 15

We had to postpone our trip together. I hadn’t realized it was peak wedding season.

The spring madness of weddings got the ball rolling for potential brides, and Lark’s work-load had increased. Hank and my pop had transformed the cottage into a temporary workspace for Lark. Eventually, they would gut the empty shop next door and do it up right for her, but it apparently needed a new roof. In the meantime, they built a small platform, carpeted half the room, and put in a three-way mirror. Mom and Ramona went antique shopping and found a great display cabinet for all the headpieces, veils, bouquet corsets, and ring pillows. My contribution to 338/510

the cause, aside from manual labor, was to make her a sign.

I went down to the beach and gathered a few choice pieces of driftwood and took them out to my parent’s place. Pop had every known tool, polish, paint, and tarnish under the sun. All that was missing were shells that I bought from one of the tourist shops downtown. I rifled through the garage and found a couple of weathered boards, and all I needed to do was cut them to the right size.

My pop, among his varied skills, was good with his hands. This meant, not only did he have the right tool for the job, he taught me to use it. I donned protective eyewear and flipped the table saw on, making one even cut through the first then the second piece of wood. Easy. I continued with sanding and drilling holes, staining the wood, and, finally, putting the whole thing together.

I made sure the words stood out, and, with an extra corny touch I knew my girl would 339/510

love and Zack would never let me live down, the sign was complete.

The day spent out at Mom and Pop’s gave me some time alone with my thoughts. It could have been a good thing or a bad thing, but I was impatient to propose to Lark. It didn’t change the fact we were both committed to a future together. After the incident with her ex at the mall, it seemed to propel us to a new part of our relationship. Still, I wanted to see her wear my ring, and giving it to her at the cabin was important to me.

I drove back to our place. Mom and Ramona had dusted, mopped, and tidied what was already spotless. Pop and Hank sat on my porch, and it occurred to me, I had over-looked a small order of business with Hank Andrews.

“Hey Pop. Hank.” I greeted.

“Whatcha got there, Nicolas?” my pop asked.

340/510

“Think you can hang this for me? I need to do something before Lark gets back.” Pop winked at me. He seemed to understand I needed a minute alone with Hank.

He took the sign and the hardware to hang it and left us alone.

I decided not to beat around the bush. “I’m gonna marry Lark. I bought a ring. That all right with you?”

“Jesus, Nicolas. Took you long enough to ask me.” Hhe chuckled.

“I don’t have a whole lot of experience with this sort of thing.” I smiled, trying to remain cool and confident in the moment.

“When are you gonna do it? You know, so the wife and I don’t have to go crazy with anticipation.”

“When I take her away for our trip. I’m taking her up to my cabin. I’ve never taken anyone there before. It’ll make it more special.” I stared out toward the ocean, the 341/510

afternoon sun giving off that sparkle that made you squint.

“That sounds like a really good plan, son.” Third time in my life a man called me son, and it hit me in that place, deep down.

“Thanks, Hank.” I smiled and walked away. God knows what I might have said or done if I stood there a minute longer.

No sooner had Pop finished hanging the sign did Lark appear with two bags filled with supplies for her new shop.

She dropped the bags.

I walked up behind her and wrapped her in my arms while we looked at it together.

The front window was arranged by my mom’s expert eye. Right in the middle stood a framed article from the local magazine that had featured Lark as an up-and-coming business woman. A mannequin bust displayed one of her veils, a bouquet of silk flowers was wrapped in one of her signature Cluster Corsets, and silk rose petals were 342/510

scattered with a white sand dollar and smaller polished shells.