Nana cut slices of the pink-frosted, cherry-filled cake and handed each of us a plate with a slice on it. Everyone devoured theirs within a matter of minutes; some even went for a second helping. After we finished eating, we all meandered into the living room to watch me open my presents.
I opened the gift from my grandparents first. Inside of a beautifully wrapped box was a navy blue pea coat with shiny silver buttons. “Thank you,” I said to them, admiring how stylish it was. I tried it on and it fit snug as a bug, warming me instantly.
“You can’t wear Pete’s sweater in the winter, you’ll freeze,” my Nana said. “We’re glad you like it. Your grandfather helped pick it out.”
“Thanks for the coat, Grandpa,” I said.
He nodded in approval. “We had to go to four stores to find it. Glad it fits you.”
“I love it!” I hugged my Nana and then reached over to hug him.
I chose to open my dad’s gift next. Carefully, I unwrapped the parchment paper, tearing the tape off and unfolding the paper as gently as I could. I didn’t want to hurt it by prodding it with my clumsy hands–it required a delicate touch. I stared at the beautiful richly painted landscape with its warm earth tones and intricate details, marveling at my dad’s talent, taking in his stunning creation.
He yawned and muffled, “You can hang it up at your dorm.” He sounded and looked sleepy. The medication he took made him drowsy at night.
“Thanks, Dad. I love it,” I said and hugged him. He responded with a warm, heartfelt smile.
I saved Meg and Hannah’s gift for last. Hannah had added Matt’s name on the card, but I knew it was her handwriting. There was no way he had gone shopping with them to buy my present. I picked up the large yellow gift bag. It was heavy. A printed ribbon full of bold greens, blues, yellows and reds was tied in a neat bow around the thin white handles. I pulled out the present. It was wrapped in aqua green tissue paper. I slowly began to unwrap it, revealing its contents.
Meg tapped her heels against the hard wood floor. “Just rip it, Finn,” she said impatiently.
“Fine,” I snapped and tore at the paper, pulling out a sea blue-colored purse.
“Now we don’t have to see you carry that ugly blah pocket book of yours,” Meg said.
“I like my black purse,” I replied defensively. I’d had it for years. It was the only purse I had ever owned.
“You’re the only one,” she retorted.
“It’s a good color for you, Finn,” Hannah added. “It’ll look good with those pretty green eyes of yours.”
“Thank you.” I hugged them. “Thanks, Matt,” I said facetiously.
“Yeah, it was fun picking it out. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to get you pink or blue,” he raised his voice an octave higher.
Nana began to clean up all the torn wrapping paper that was scattered throughout the living room floor. I collected the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Jesse followed me, taking most of the plates from my hand.
I leaned against the counter. Jesse stood in front of me, leaning toward me. “You’ll get your gift tomorrow.”
“You didn’t have to get me anything. The mittens are enough.”
“Finn, really,” he said agitated. “As if I wouldn’t get you a gift.”
“Well, it’s not necessary,” I replied.
“We’re going out tomorrow night. You’ll want to dress up a little for the occasion.” He smiled mischievously.
I squinted my eyes and tilted my head. “Why?” I probed.
He laughed and said, “Not gonna tell, just dress up.”
“Fine.” I pouted, folding my arms against my chest.
He moved closer to me and ran his fingers through my hair and I instantly got a fresh, tingling sensation. “Your hair looks really good,” he said.
“Thanks.” My face felt hot.
He put his hands around my waist, pulling me toward him. “I like this sweater, too,” he whispered in my ear, tickling it with his soft lips.
“Uh hmm,” Meg cleared her throat. “I can come back.”
“No, it’s fine,” I answered, my face was beet red.
“You sure?”
“Yes, Meg.” I scowled at her. “Let me say goodbye to my dad and grandparents,” I said to Jesse.
Dad was still sitting on the couch, half asleep, his eyes kept closing every few seconds and would open when someone laughed or spoke louder. Grandpa held the newspaper in his hands, sitting on his chair–no one else dared to get near it–reading under the dim light that shined above him. Social politeness wasn’t a concern of his. When he was done socializing, he was done. Nana was near the staircase, talking animatedly with Hannah and Matt. Being social was her forte’, not my grandfather’s. That was obvious to anyone who was in the room.
I sat on the worn couch cushion–the springs needed to be replaced–and nudged my father with my elbow. He shook his head, waking himself from his slumber. “I’m getting ready to leave,” I said to him.
“Oh, okay.”
“I wanted to thank you for the painting. I love it, Dad. It’s amazing.” I leaned my head against him, smelling the pipe tobacco.
He patted me gently on my arm and awkwardly pulled me closer to him. When he embraced me, it was always like that, like he had just read an illustrated manual on how to show affection for your daughter and this was example number five. I kissed him on the cheek and whispered “Thank you” to him once again.
“I’m glad I got to spend your birthday with you, Finn. I wish I could’ve spent them all with you,” he said with a sad expression.
I didn’t want to go down that road and have a philosophical discussion about my fatherless birthdays prior to this one, so I gave him a simple, “Me, too,” and stood up, kissing him on the cheek again.
I pushed my grandfather’s newspaper down, my eyebrows furrowed. “Reading anything good?”
“Nope. The whole world is crazy, except us, of course.”
“Except us,” I said. “Thanks for the coat and the party.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful tonight.” He lifted the paper back up and began to read again.
Everyone waited for me by the front door.
“Y’all have fun,” Nana said.
“Thanks for the party,” I said to her and hugged her. “It was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
“Oh honey, it was nothing,” she said, waiving her hand down, brushing off my compliment.
“It was perfect.” I hugged her again. “Well, I’ll see you all later,” I said.
“We won’t wait up,” Nana said.
“She won’t, but I will” Grandpa answered. “Better get her home at a decent time, Jesse.”
“Yes sir,” he said and grabbed my hand, taking me out the door.
***
I called my mom on the way to Matt’s house. It had been a while since we talked, and I knew it would be devastating to her if we didn’t speak on my birthday.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Happy birthday, Finn. Did you get my gift?” She sounded relieved to hear from me, which made me feel a little guilty. I had been neglecting to call, mostly just sending her short texts, so I didn’t have to have a long conversation. I wasn’t avoiding her. I was just so busy and wanted to spend as much time as I could with my grandparents, my dad and especially, Jesse.
“I did, that’s why I’m calling,” I said. “Thanks. It’s absolutely perfect.”
My mother had bought me a gift card to the bookstore at Harrison College, one of the best women’s colleges in the nation and the school I’d be attending in a couple of months. I received a full scholarship and had deferred admissions until spring so I could get to know my dad and grandparents better.
“I’ll use it up quickl
y, I’m sure,” I said.
“Good. So, we’ll see each other during your spring break, right?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.” I tried to sound upbeat, but the idea of going to Florida during spring break didn’t appeal to me. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings. I’d go regardless of my lack of excitement.
“I can’t wait. It’s been way too long, Finn,” she cooed. “What’d you do for your birthday?”
“Lots. Nana and Grandpa threw a party for me. Meg cut my hair. I’m actually on my way to another party.”
“That sounds like a busy day. Did you see your dad?” she asked. I knew that question was coming. She had acted like she was fine not seeing him when she came to Graceville in the summer, but I knew that deep down she was curious about him. They had never had any closure. She hadn’t seen or talked to him in seventeen years. In the eyes of the state, they were still legally married, but neither one of them had started the divorce proceedings. I think they were both hoping it would just go away, but it was there, staring them right in the face, and would never go away until they actually did something about it.
“Yeah. He came, too. He gave me a painting.”
“That’s nice,” she said and paused. All I could hear was the sound of music coming from Jesse’s CD player.
“Are you still there?” I asked. I could hear her breathing on the other end.
“I’m here. I’m just,” she started. “I’m just glad you got to spend your birthday with him,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Me, too.” I know she still had a lot of guilt for lying to me about him and my grandparents. “Mom, I’ve got to go. We’re at the party.”
“Oh, okay,” she said with disappointment. “Don’t wait too long to call me back next time.”
“I won’t.”
“Happy birthday, Finn.”
“Thanks, Mom. Bye.” I hung up.
Matt lived in a small two-bedroom cottage style home that was painted in a beautiful shade of Williamsburg blue. It was an older house and probably had been built in the 1930s or 40s. It had a welcoming front porch and a beautiful front door made out of oak with bubbled glass windows in the center. Matt’s house was quaint and charming. There wasn’t much furniture, just a futon, recliner chair and a 42-inch wide screen television–all the necessities for a twenty-one year old guy to have. The floors were oak, and all of the walls were painted pale blue. Matt was renting the place for next to nothing from a family friend of his.
We got to the party too early, hardly anyone was there. Jesse and I ventured outside to Matt’s backyard. It wasn’t much of a backyard; it was more of an open field. Nothing surrounded the spacious field except cow pastures and vast farmland. I could hear the cows mooing. A faint odor of cow manure could be smelled every so often. Matt and Hannah held hands, standing around the bonfire.
I watched as the flames got higher and higher and higher. A funnel of smoke filled the air. “That is huge!” I said to Jesse.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I think Matt burned anything he could find.”
We walked closer to the fire, letting the heat warm us. It was a cold night. I buttoned up my coat and stared at the dancing flames, the fire illuminating the night sky. People started to trickle in as the sky became darker and the temperatures continued to drop. A lot of them I had never met before but had seen either in the diner or at You Bowl Me Over, Graceville’s most popular place to hang out. Most of the guests were people that Matt, Jesse, Hannah and Meg had gone to high school with. It seemed like anyone within the ages of eighteen to twenty-five, in the confounds of Graceville, was at the party.
Jesse wrapped his arm around me. “I haven’t been to a bonfire since high school.”
“I’ve never been to one,” I confessed. “They had them every year at homecoming, but I never went.” My participation in school events was pathetic. If it wasn’t academic, I wasn’t involved.
“Well, at least now you have.” He pulled me closer to him.
Lawn chairs and blankets circled the bonfire. Matt sat on a chair. Hannah was on his lap. Some people were drinking beer while dancing mindlessly around the fire. One guy played his guitar. A girl sat next to him, singing along to the unknown folksy sounding tune. A few others within close proximity, hummed along. The mood was mellow and relaxing.
“So is this the girl you can’t shut up about?” asked a tall, very muscular guy.
“At least I have a girl to talk about,” Jesse quipped and then laughed. “Hey man, glad you could make it. Finn, this is Noah, my friend from the academy.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said. I guess all firefighters in training had to be well-built since they had to be able to carry all that heavy equipment.
“You, too. He mentions you so much I feel like I already know you,” he said.
Jesse looked embarrassed. “Yeah, whatever. You’re just jealous because you can’t talk about anything except your cat,” he joked.
“Don’t knock my cat, she’s purrfect.” He laughed.
Meg poked me in the back. “What?” I snapped.
“Who is he?” she whispered.
“Jesse’s friend,” I answered in a quiet voice.
She looked him over, bit her lip and raised her eyebrows. “Introduce me.” Her fingers jabbed me in the back more than once.
I sighed in annoyance. “Noah, this is my friend, Meg.”
“Hi, Meg.” Noah smiled.
“Hi,” she said in a giddy, girly tone.
Meg liked hot, muscular guys and he fit that description. Once she found out he was in firefighting school with Jesse, she’d be ready to run off and elope with him. Meg had a weakness for men in uniform. Anytime Army guys passed through the diner, Meg insisted on waiting on them.
Noah and Meg continued to talk to each other, forgetting that Jesse and I were standing there. Tired of their two-way conversation, Jesse and I left them to carry on without us. They didn’t even notice.
We grabbed one of the blankets and sat close to the fire. I leaned back against Jesse’s muscular chest and listened to the music playing in the background.
Jesse ran his fingers through my hair. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Be right back.” He kissed the top of my forehead. I watched as he went inside Matt’s house and then turned back around staring into the fire.
Meg’s squealing broke my relaxed trance. “Everett!”
I turned my head in her direction. It was the cop–the one who had given me the ticket–and they were hugging. Hannah ran over to them and embraced him with just as much enthusiasm.
Hannah beamed. “I’m so glad you came! Matt, look who made it to the party.”
Matt shook his hand.
Meg glanced in my direction. “Finn, come here.” She gestured.
I shook my head and mouthed “no,” but she wouldn’t budge.
“Come on.” She motioned. I sighed, stood up and went over to them apprehensively. “This is our favorite cousin, Everett. Everett, this is my good friend, Finn,” Meg said.
“Hi,” I said, feeling embarrassed because he had witnessed my ridiculous breakdown.
“Hey.” He smiled. He was playing it cool, like we hadn’t met earlier, or maybe he didn’t remember me. I wasn’t sure.
“Everett just graduated from the police academy. He was in the Marines for six years before that,” Meg announced.
“We’re really proud of him,” Hannah added.
Everett rolled his eyes. “Cut it out.” He playfully punched Meg in the arm.
“What? We can’t brag about our favorite cousin?” Hannah said.
“I get it from Mom. I don’t need it from y’all, too,” he said.
“Fine,” Meg said.
“We’ll leave you alone then, won’t we Hannah?”
“Yep, no more bragging from us,” she said. “You should go socialize. There’s plenty of single girls here, Ev.” Hannah nudged him and smiled encouragingly.
He laughed and shook his head. “Now you’re match-making for me. Do they harass you like this?” he asked me.
“Um, no,” I answered, feeling really awkward.
“We just make fun of her for being all googly-eyed over Jesse,” Meg said.
Everett nodded his head. “He’s a nice kid.”
“Kid?” I questioned.
“Well, I guess he’s not a kid anymore.” He corrected himself. “I keep forgetting everyone grew up while I was gone.”
“Oh, I guess it’s hard to come back after being gone so long.”
“No, not really. I’d rather be here than where I was,” he said with a pensive expression.
It was like it was just the two of us talking and no one else was around. The eye contact he made with me was intense. All I could see was the dancing flames from the bonfire reflecting in his warm-colored eyes.
“Here’s your drink.” Jesse handed me a Coke–interrupting the unspoken tension. “Hey, Everett,” Jesse said. His tone was not overly friendly, more reserved, and his lips were semi-pursed. It wasn’t the usual way Jesse greeted people.
“Jesse. Good to see you,” Everett said and shook his hand.
“Yeah, you, too,” Jesse said. I could tell by his voice and body language he didn’t mean it.
“Everett, come on, there’s lots of people here you haven’t seen in a long time.” Hannah pulled on his arm.
“Okay.” He laughed. “Well, it was nice talking to you,” he said, looking directly at me. “I’ll see you both around.”
The Year I Almost Drowned Page 3
