| |
Milo
WHAT’S GOING ON? YOU seem sad.” Jules said softly.
“No, it’s ...” Milo put away his phone and looked across the river to the opposite shore. “It’s almost time for the Austin Cove Bass Tournament. Josh used to enter every year. I’d carry the cooler and bait, and just hang out with everybody. Being here just makes me think about him, I guess. Feels weird that I’m not going to be part of that this year.”
“I’ll do it with you.”
“Do you like to fish?” He grinned. “I didn’t know you liked stuff like that. I’ve got my fishing pole in the trunk. All we need is some bait.” He lifted a rock and plucked up a worm before it could slither away.
“No. Ewww.”
“I’m just kidding. Thanks anyway.” He tossed the worm into the grass and they both laughed.
This hidden part near Austin Cove was his private sanctuary that he never expected to share with anyone. He was delighted that she had agreed to meet him there and especially happy that she was able to navigate the terrain without needing his assistance. Ebony had driven as far as the mile marker on the highway, and Jules followed the narrow path down the embankment to reach him.
He still had not worked up the courage to meet her parents. And he didn’t want to ask about her recent doctor’s visit. It was the last one before she was to start college. Soon she would be living two hundred and eleven miles away. He had decided not to mention that either, although it’s all he thought about lately. So, there he was at a loss for words again. Say something nice.
“You have on new fingernail polish. It’s pretty.”
“Really?” Jules smirked at him and turned away.
“Yeah, it is new. Right?”
“You don’t care about my fingernail polish, Milo.” She smiled at him. “Do you?”
“No, not really.” He blushed. “But it is pretty.”
“Well, thanks. It was nice of you to notice.” She touched his hand. “I think something else is bothering you, though. But, if you don’t wanna tell me, that’s okay.”
She brushed her hand across the blanket Milo had spread on a cushion of straw, smoothing down the creases. She reclined on her side and looked up at him. He moved closer.
“Well, I had a couple of phone calls this morning.” Milo leaned onto his elbow and lowered his voice. “Randall shared the recording I made at Evan’s Pier with the police chief.”
“Really? What happened? What did he say?”
“Everything came through loud and clear. But he told Randall that it’s not enough. Nothing he can do with it. Can’t be sure of this and that. It doesn’t prove anything. A waste of time, really.”
“Oh, that sucks.”
“Yeah, it does. And, then there’s this voicemail from Ms. McGee. She found some information about my family. It was a closed adoption, so I’ll probably never know who my mother and father were. Or, if they’re still alive."
“Oh, I’m sorry, Milo.”
“Well, she did find something that is going to blow my mind. That’s how she said it.” He made a sound like and explosion and laughed. “She just sent it to my email so when I get back to the restaurant, I can print it out.”
“What do you think it could be?”
“I’m not sure I want to look at any of it, to be honest. Moe always says, “What’s done is done and can’t be undone.” That’s because I used to burn the roux all the time.” He smiled and looked at Jules. “It’s true, though. You can’t change what happened in the past. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Well, I hope it’s good news even if it’s a lot to deal with. I’m helping Eb with late registration. All this stuff is killing me.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ve got a ton of college applications to fill out for next year.”
“Really, which ones?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “The ones Randall likes.”
“What about you? Which one do you like?”
“Me? None of them, if you ask me. But nobody asked me.” He stood up and helped Jules to her feet. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“So, why are you doing it?” She picked up the blanket, folded it in half and handed it to Milo. He rolled it into a log and tucked it under his arm.
“I don’t know, honestly. I guess I have to do something. It’s either that or trade school or intern at Simon and Kinsey.”
“Sounds like you don’t like any of those ideas, huh?”
“Not really.”
“Okay, so what if ...” She let go of his hand. “Let’s take all of those options and put them in a box, tie it closed with a string, seal it with duct tape, stuff it in a garbage bag ...”
Milo laughed. “Where are we going with the box?”
“We’re going all the way to the end of the river and we’re going to toss it in.” She smiled and pointed to the water and flung her hands forward. Then she turned and looked at Milo. “Just like that.”
“Then what?”
“Then you decide what’s next.” She took his hand again.
He looked at her hand in his, the glittery blue nail polish and garnet birthstone ring, and rubbed his thumb gently across her fingers. “I guess what’s next is ...”
“What?”
“I think you should be with me. I mean ...” He froze. He wasn’t prepared for the expression on her face. If she felt the same way, this would not be a surprise, at all. Didn’t she expect him to say that eventually? Maybe so, but just not today. His timing was off. Again.
“Is that Eb?” Jules asked and tilted her head at the sound of a car approaching on the highway above them. Milo didn’t answer her. He was imprisoned in the question still hanging in the air between them. The familiar car horn blasted and echoed down the hill. “She just started a new job and had to pick me up earlier today. I totally forgot.” She pulled her hand back.
“Jules come on! You’re gonna make me late!” Ebony shouted from the car and sounded the horn once more for good measure. Jules turned to walk away.
Milo grabbed her hand and held it tight. He didn’t care that she could feel the sweat on his palms. He braced himself. “Answer me first.”
She stepped toward him. “I think you should open Ms. McGee’s email and stop being afraid,” she said and pulled her hand away. She pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and stared at him.
He willed himself not to respond to her rebuke. His face flushed hot as he stood there waiting for the answer he needed, refusing to look at her because his eyes would betray the mask of confidence. He searched for a neutral place to settle his gaze. Brad’s voice rushed into his thoughts, “Put your head up. The ground ain’t got nothing for you but a grave.” Right. He had said what he said. It was what he meant and what he felt. He focused back on Jules still standing in front of him.
He lifted his chin and straightened his shoulders. “Make a decision and stand your ground. Is this the hill you wanna die on, son?” The words resounded in his soul. He didn’t want Jules to move away. She didn’t have to leave. She could take college courses online. And, if Birston didn’t offer that, then she could pick a different school. Yeah, she’s the one.
Jules turned and swatted her way through the tall wildflowers as she tried to find the path back up the hill. The sweshwe print of her dress blended into the coneflower, rudbeckia, columbine and jewelweed blooms. With each step, it was as if she was vanishing into the place he loved most. It’s over. His heart sank as his emotions exhaled hope and the loss enveloped his thoughts. He watched as she reached the base of the embankment where her friend had parked. She stopped, cupped her hands to her mouth and shouted up the hill, “Go on without me, Eb.” She turned back to him, and he met her halfway. She traced his face with her fingertips once more and kissed him until his dreams came back to life.