Forever This Summer

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  “Mine? Don’t you remember…?”

  “Okay… okay, we’re over that. Anyway, I still saw them together.”

  “You didn’t say anything?”

  “Nope, ’cause I was in the car with my mama.”

  “So what? Doesn’t mean he likes her.”

  “Well, you’ll see what is going on with them when you get back home. I’ve told you, so my best-friend work here is done.”

  No time to add that to my list of things to worry about. Bookmarked. “Actually, your best-friend work is only beginning.”

  “Whatever it is, you know I’m in.” She cuffed her ear. “Listening ears on high?”

  “Okay. Remember, I told you Markie’s mama abandoned her. We need to help find her mama.”

  “Correction. You need to help,” she said and sat up. “My mama gave me one thing to do while I’m here and that was to stay out of trouble.…”

  “What if I told you that was just half of what I need your help with.”

  “Still listening.”

  “I’ve told Markie. But this is your lane. Know how Sweet Apple and the Boys and Girls Club are always holding fundraisers for trips and stuff,” I said.

  “Ah, yeah. That’s how we were able to go to regionals and stay two nights at the Best Western.”

  “We can put on a fundraiser here. But instead of selling candy bars or hosting a bake sale, we’ll have a talent show. Bigger than this town has ever seen.”

  “Talent show? That’s my middle name.”

  I stood up.

  “I told you this was all you. We’ll call it Bogalusa’s Got Talent?”

  “OMG. You do need me. That’s absolutely the most boring name in the universe. But I get it.”

  “And the funds we raise can go to…”

  Nikki sniffed. “To getting the funk out the air?”

  I didn’t want to tear up thinking about it like on my Causeway ride. I wanted to be stronger.

  “I can one-up that. Help kick Alzheimer’s behind.”

  “Like our St. Jude’s walk,” she said.

  “Yep. Helping Markie isn’t the only way to help Aunt Vie.” I took a knuckle to the corner of my eye before a tear fell.

  “Wow. This really means a lot.”

  “It does.”

  I didn’t want to tell her about the hurt when Aunt Vie thought I was Markie, or how I saw Aunt Vie raise her hand to Mama and break her heart.

  A minute later, she flipped through my notebook reading what I’d planned so far. And I pulled out the pages that I had printed from the library about talent show ideas.

  She glanced at them. “Looks like I got here just in time. I’ve got better ideas than these right here,” she said and tapped her forehead.

  “I don’t doubt that at all,” I said.

  It took us about thirty minutes to shower, do some upsweep style with Nikki’s hair, and get downstairs. We wolfed down pancakes and sausage in record time. Grandma Sugar said that she had a million things that would keep Peaches busy so that Nikki and I didn’t have to have her tagging along.

  “Oh wait,” I said before we jetted out the door. I sprinted upstairs and grabbed one pencil and put that behind my ear and stuck another one in one of my twists in case Nikki needed one.

  No sooner than we were outside, the paper-mill smell was so thick, we could skate on it. Before we left the gate, I went to the backyard and wheeled out the bike.

  “We need that now?” Nikki said.

  I looked up to make sure Mama wasn’t somewhere in earshot.

  “It’ll be too risky to come back and get it.”

  “Gotcha,” Nikki said.

  I wheeled it next to me. A neighbor shaking a throw rug over her porch railing waved.

  “Tell your mama I’m coming for tea before she leaves,” the lady said, draped in a broccoli-green housedress.

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said.

  While we walked, the smell of the paper mill gave way to the scent of boiling peanuts, but Peanut Man was nowhere in sight. I didn’t know what I’d say to him when I saw him again. Even though he delivered me to Mama, he could have made more of a big deal about it.

  “Where are we going?” Nikki said and adjusted her spaghetti straps. A tubetop-like T-shirt was underneath as her bra stand-in.

  “To the park where I was supposed to meet Markie yesterday. It’s a good place for us to talk even if she’s not there. I really need you to do me a favor and be nice to her. I mean… don’t be mean.”

  She stopped in front of me. “Are you really serious? Not only were you about ready to get grounded for her, now you’re telling me how to behave. What’s up with you and this girl?”

  “She’s just had a harder time. Harder than—”

  “Don’t go there. Don’t compare our lives to hers—that’s not fair. I wasn’t going to mention this, but I gave up attending a cheerleading camp in Athens to come here.” She pointed to the ground like she meant that very spot. “You could at least act like you appreciate it. Before you have me playing backup dancer to the girl.”

  “Didn’t mean it like that. I do appreciate you coming. Wow. I know how much you love those.” I took my hand off the bike for a second and stretched out my cramped fingers.

  “Really. I’d never know it. Before we can even have any fun together, everything is about Markie, Markie, Markie. And from the looks of things, she’s gonna get both of us locked in your room, no phone, no TV. And, news flash, her mama didn’t abandon her yesterday. So why the urgency now? I say we strictly focus on the talent show.” She pulled out her lip gloss and we started walking again.

  Every word Nikki said was like a mosquito bite. “You’re right. I’m doing a little too much. But there’s lots of reasons why she’s more concerned about her mama now. Aunt Vie is one. She’s really close to her. And you know that’s changing.”

  “Okay, you left out that information,” Nikki said and smacked her lips. “Want me to push the bike?”

  As we walked, her eyes rolled over everything like she was videotaping.

  “This place is quaint. Q-u-a-i-n-t. Quaint. Did I spell it right?”

  “Think so. But why are you spelling it in the first place is the question.”

  She pulled out her cell and we listened to Siri spell “quaint.”

  “After the fake eye shadow, there’s another reason why I almost found myself grounded for the entire summer. C in English. C minus really. That back-to-school laptop is off the table until I get my vocabulary words up.” Nikki stopped again to straighten her jean shorts that cuffed at the knee. I took that time to tell her about how much Aunt Vie loved spelling. And that it was a given we’d play Scrabble with Aunt Essie before too long. For the rest of the time, we talked about this and that and walked.

  We were almost at McClurie Park when someone called, “Georgie! Georgie!”

  Of course, I knew the voice immediately. As soon as they stood next to each other, Markie’s black T-shirt with the Batman bat on it clashed with the burst of glittery stars on Nikki’s top. I was there in my pastel “fashion fail” short set—Georgie in the middle.

  “When you guys were putting my stuff in the truck, this fell out. I wanted you to see it.”

  “You went back in there,” I said and reached for the picture.

  Nikki took hold of the bike.

  “I won’t do it again, but I had to see if everything was out.… And glad you brought the bike with you. Good thinking.”

  “I guess you’re Markie,” Nikki said.

  “Yeah, sorry to start right in. You’re Nik.” Markie’s eyes landed on Nikki’s fresh-out-the-box Ugg sneakers. I could tell Nikki noticed because she changed her pose to give her a good look.

  “Nikki. Only my big brother calls me Nik and it reminds me how much he gets on my nerves. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “Same here,” Markie said.

  While I glanced at the picture, I could hear Nikki spelling out the word “acquaintance” under
the chatter of kids in the background. I’m sure it was going to annoy Markie in a few seconds.

  As I held the picture in my hand, Aunt Vie’s eyes met mine. Her hair was tucked under a red chef hat that matched her coat. Sweetings was embroidered on the left pocket. She was standing in the diner’s kitchen over a pot of gumbo, just like Aunt Essie. And next to her, a few years younger, was Markie.

  “Would you hold on to it for me? If one of the kids where I live gets ahold of it, that’s that. I snapped a shot of it, but some pictures you always want the original.”

  “Sure. I’ll keep it until you’re ready for it,” I said and put it in my purse.

  “So why the no-show the other day?” Markie said.

  “If she did show, I probably wouldn’t be here now. Glad I advised her against it,” Nikki shot off.

  Markie laughed. “Wait, Georgie. I thought you wanted to be a lawyer. She sounds like your attorney.”

  “I’m her best friend, so sorta kinda,” Nikki said. She’d decided to get on the bike and pedal-walk it.

  Markie skipped ahead a bit and started walking backward in front of Nikki and the bike.

  “Like your straightforwardness, loyalty. I can respect that. I know she’s told you about the talent show. Your bestie has been talking you up. Says your dancing skills are ‘fire.’”

  “Yeah, I’m all that,” Nikki said and tossed a few loose braids in a playful way that made Markie and me laugh. “Doesn’t look like your coordination skills are half bad.”

  Markie was still walking backward and not even tripping on the uneven sidewalks.

  “I’m better at handling this uneven pavement than most. Don’t have much choice. If I fall, Shorty here can’t do much to help me,” she said. “So I try to prevent it, you know. Coordination doesn’t carry over to dancing, though. I can’t even square dance on beat. I bet you’re on beat in your sleep,” Markie said.

  “Come up with some of my best routines when I’m sleeping.” Nikki’s eyes toured our surroundings. “How long you’ve lived in this town?” Nikki asked.

  “Not in the same house, or with the same family, but pretty much since I’ve been alive. I lived in New Orleans once, but I don’t remember that.”

  “Could your mama be in New Orleans?” Nikki said and fanned herself.

  I side-eyed. If she noticed, she ignored me big-time. I didn’t think I had to tell her to let me be the one to tell Markie that I’d brought her in on it.

  “You told her?” Markie said.

  “Cool out,” Nikki said. “That’s what best friends do.”

  I didn’t think that my mediation between them would have to start so soon. Markie never told me not to tell anyone, but maybe she didn’t think she had to either.

  “I mean she’s really only interested in the talent show, but there’s no way I can totally leave her out of things. Even if I wanted to,” I said.

  Markie stared me down. Her jaws puffed out some before she spoke. “You don’t think you should have asked me about that?”

  I didn’t even have to think about it. She was right. I nodded. “My bad for telling her before I had your permission.”

  With us clustered together on the bleachers, I got down to business. I told Nikki how far Markie and I had gotten before the plan fell apart. “So we need to get to Ms. Hannah’s. ASAP.”

  As long as the grown-ups had their issues with Ms. Hannah, I doubted that she’d come around anytime soon. Not only was I going out to her place to help Markie get answers, I needed to tell her how much Aunt Vie missed her.

  “Okay, here’s what we’ll do,” I said to Markie and Nikki. As I spouted the plan, they both leaned in. We just needed to get going. The sun wasn’t going to hang around and wait for us.

  “Markie, think Scooter has two bikes to rent?”

  Nikki held up one finger. “You two only need one more bike. I’ll hide out at the library. There’s gotta be one somewhere around here, huh?” I nodded. “Good. If we’re going to do this talent show right, I need to know”—she tapped her temple—“I need to know the ‘lay of the land.’ Or, in other words, what’s poppin’ in Bogalusa. I could easily spend a couple hours researching.”

  Once that was settled, we headed out of the park. As we walked, we discussed different scenarios and hatched out our Plan B, which we all hoped we didn’t have to use. Minutes later, we were in front of Scooter’s.

  “Hey, Scoot. Needa bike,” Markie said.

  “All out,” Scooter said.

  “Really? We’ll even take that wreck you had the other day,” Markie said.

  “That’s on the road,” he said.

  Scooter stepped away and picked up a clipboard that sat atop a metal plant stand. He flipped through two or three pages. I marveled at his organization. “Hold up. Think I got something for you.”

  “Now that’s more like it. You know I’m one of your best customers.”

  I thought Nikki would have more questions, but she was scrolling through her phone, not fazed at all by all the “goings-on.” Seconds later, Scooter reappeared with Rollerblades swung over his shoulder.

  “Okay. Okay,” Markie said. “These will work. Look about my size. Whoa! Velcro, too. Good looking out, Scoot.” Markie grabbed the skates.

  Nikki walked over to us. “Things really just got real. Three miles in Rollerblades on these roads. Good luck.”

  “Don’t need luck when you got skills,” Markie said.

  “How much, Scooter?” I asked.

  “Two fifty. Half the price of the bike.”

  As I paid Scooter, Markie sat on the curb and put on the skates.

  “And why are you paying?” Nikki wanted to know.

  “She paid for the other things, Nikki. Trust me. It’s fair.”

  “Don’t know about all that, but okay,” Nikki said.

  “Back by seven,” Scooter shouted as Markie, Nikki, and I headed off to the library. Markie turned, spun, and jumped. “This is what you call skills on wheels.” Then she shouted as she skated past us, “This is how you roll with the punches.… Picture me rolling.” And even Nikki, who hadn’t cracked a smile since meeting Markie, had to laugh.

  The three of us stood in front of the library. I had to admit that I was glad that Nikki was staying behind to concentrate on the talent show.

  “Nikki, you’re sure you’re okay with not coming?” I asked.

  “Whose idea was it, Georgie? Plus, you know my allergies and stuff. With all that dust, I’d have to stop every second. That’s not what we need.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “But Nikki, please don’t leave this library.”

  My mind flashed to the time Nikki, Kevin, and I rode our bikes to the hospital so that I could see Peaches. We left Nikki waiting outside for longer than we meant to. She got angry and went riding on her own. But she got lost. When Kevin and I couldn’t find her on our own, we had to get Nikki’s big brother involved. I thought she could be gone forever. Remembering it made my eyes blur with tears. The last thing I needed at the moment.

  “Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.” That’s all I needed to hear and Markie and I were on our way. “Good luck!” Nikki yelled.

  I glanced back and waved.

  “Thank you,” Markie shouted to Nikki as I sped up.

  I could almost hear the sun saying, “I’ll stay up here as long as I can. I hope you’re home by then.”

  Me too, sun. Me too.

  16

  SUMMER SABOTAGE

  “How did you get so good?” I said. Keeping my sentences short and pacing my breathing.

  “There is a rink about one hour from here. Aunt Vie and I used to go. She skated sometimes but mostly she just cheered me on and played hooky on the diner.”

  For the next few minutes, it was just us and our breathing.

  Then I thought that this was my last chance to find out what I needed to know from Markie before Ms. Hannah came into the picture.

  “Why haven’t you gone to her before?”


  She took a breath. “I wanted to. Maybe I just didn’t want to go by myself. And going with you is the closest I can get to going with Aunt Vie. You’re patient like her.”

  “Wow! Thanks,” I said. “My mama told me a little more about Ms. Hannah the other day. Lots of deep stuff there. But they need to work something out so Aunt Vie can see Ms. Hannah.” I rehearsed in my head just how I would tell Ms. Hannah how much Aunt Vie missed her.

  We’d been going full speed for about a mile. The path was rocky but not as many cars as I thought there would be.

  “You know, I never wanted to find my mama. I wanted her to come looking for me like you see on TV. Doubt that’s happening.”

  I’d taken a deep breath but didn’t speak. Her words floated around us.

  “But why do you think Ms. Hannah knows something?”

  We stayed on the sidewalks when we could, but that wasn’t always an option.

  “I don’t know for sure. But I know that Aunt Vie loved her sisters, but when she needed someone to talk to, she went to Ms. Hannah. What if… what if… what if something happens to Ms. Hannah, too?”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t want to say. You got mad at me the last time.”

  “Oh. What if something bad happens to her like she passes away or something.”

  “Yeah. And I’d never tried to talk to her on my own.”

  “I understand,” I said.

  “If we’re going to make it there, we got to pick up the speed and the mood. Sappy isn’t my bag,” she said and laughed.

  “Not my bag, either,” I said, loving how cool “bag” sounded. We picked up more speed. When I pursed my lips, I could tell how dry they were. I stopped. I needed to put on my ChapStick. I’d hate to meet someone Aunt Vie loved so much with my lips dry as tree bark.

  The constant movement gave me that prickling heat feeling all over my body, which acted as a spark to make me move even faster.

  Then as I was just getting used to the noises of birds and the air flapping, Markie said, “Want to know what Aunt Vie would do when we’d go walking?”

  “What?” I almost wanted to stop so I wouldn’t miss a word.