Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

“What do you think?” Aden asked.

  “I think this pond is going to look great by the time I’m finished with it,” the young man said.

  “Do you think you can keep your truck out of the pond?”

  The young man slapped Aden on the shoulder and grinned at Lily. “This guy is always giving me grief about my driving.”

  “Everybody complains about your driving, Jamal. You’re terrible.”

  Jamal rolled his eyes. “You should try it if you think it’s so easy.”

  Aden pointed a thumb in Jamal’s direction. “He’s totaled two cars.”

  “Now I have a truck. Stuff just bounces off my bumpers.”

  Aden chuckled. “Stuff? Like Volkswagens and small children?”

  Jamal shoved Aden playfully before taking a step toward Lily and sticking out his hand. “You look pretty enough to be Lily, at least by how Aden described you.”

  Aden had “described” her to this young man?

  Lily had never shaken hands with a black man before. When it happened, it was quite uneventful.

  He looked at her expression and smirked. “Please don’t tell me I’m the first African American you’ve ever seen or I’ll drive straight home so I don’t get sucked into this spooky time-warp thing you’ve got going.”

  Aden put an arm around Lily’s shoulders but didn’t lose his playful smile. “Come on, Jamal, lay off. Your charming personality is better taken in small doses.”

  Lily studied Jamal closely. He didn’t look like the type of person who would chain himself to a tree. He had a dimple, for heaven’s sake.

  Jamal pointed to Aden. “This guy saved my life, so I’m compelled to obey him, even if it means I have to stop flirting with a pretty girl.”

  “He saved your life?”

  “Jamal drove us into a lake,” Aden said, chuckling. “The police really should take his license away.”

  Jamal raised his voice in protest. “One lousy accident and you want to get the police involved?”

  They laughed together. “No,” Aden said, “I’d rather not get the police involved.”

  Jamal shoved a thumb in Aden’s direction. “You know what he did? We were both half-drowned, and he dove back in the water to get that stupid dog.”

  As if he knew they were talking about him, Pilot darted wildly among them and almost knocked Lily over. Jamal and Aden were both too solid to be toppled by a giant horse-dog.

  Lily’s heart felt like a brick when she thought of Aden nearly drowning. It seemed to be a common occurrence in his life. “Aden is always doing stuff like that,” she said, trying to infuse her tone with a lighthearted lilt.

  “I know,” Jamal said. He looked from Aden to Lily with a knowing grin on his face. “So, are you two—?”

  Aden extended his arm and shoved Jamal three feet away. Jamal merely chuckled and shoved Aden back.

  Jamal cleared his throat and started walking backward. “I’m gonna pull the truck closer. Tell everyone they can load the garbage, and I’ll make a trip to the dump.”

  Aden watched Jamal walk to the road, backward all the way. “Jamal is one of the greatest guys you’ll ever meet.”

  Lily loved how his eyes gleamed when he talked of something he felt passionate about. It made him even more handsome, if that were possible. He turned his head and stared at her again. Was he purposely trying to fluster her?

  Tyler finally caught up to Lily and knocked her out of her stupor.

  “I want to show you something,” Tyler said.

  Aden pried his gaze from Lily’s face. “Um, Tyler. Um, what did you say?”

  Tyler, unaware that Lily had been struck by lightning, looked at her as if she were in on his secret. “It’s a surprise, Aden, and you’re going to love it. It’s in my wagon. Come on, Lily, let’s show him.”

  Aden’s eyes darted between Lily and Tyler, and he briefly looked unsure of himself. Then his lips curled. “Lead the way.”

  Lily didn’t relish time alone with Tyler and Aden together, especially when she couldn’t take any credit for whatever sat in the back of Tyler’s wagon. She obediently followed them as Tyler launched into some story about a man in Green Bay who did such and such. She couldn’t really pay attention.

  “. . . and he said I could borrow it for a few months. It won’t be permanent, but at least it’s something.”

  They approached the wagon, and Tyler pulled back the tarp to reveal a flat glassy panel with several shiny squares embedded in it plus a long, black hose and a tan box the size of a large birdhouse. Lily had absolutely no idea what it was. But Aden acted as if all the animals in all the zoos in the world had been set free from their cages.

  “Oh sis yuscht, Tyler! How did you ever?” He yanked Tyler by the shoulders and pulled him in for a bone-crushing bear hug. Lily’s curiosity grew as she stood watching them. They were so different and yet such good friends.

  “Do you want to tell me why you’re so excited about a hose and birdhouse?” Lily said. She couldn’t keep from smiling. All this goodwill was infectious.

  Both boys turned to face her, but Aden kept a brotherly arm clapped around Tyler’s shoulders. “It’s a pond aerator,” Tyler said.

  Lily folded her arms and tilted her head just so. “Well, that explains everything.”

  “You can tell when a pond is sick,” Aden said, “because too much algae grows on it. It means there’s not enough oxygen at the bottom for fish and good bacteria.” Aden reached into the wagon and touched the shiny glass plate. “This little machine puts oxygen back on the bottom of the pond.”

  “And it’s powered by the sun,” Tyler said.

  “Is it okay with the bishop?” Lily asked. It looked like a very fancy machine for an Amish community.

  Tyler nodded. “My dat says it’s okay—to bring the pond back to its natural state.”

  Aden walked around the wagon for a look at the other side of the pond thingamajig. “This is wonderful gute, Tyler. I’ve never known anyone as mindful of other people as you are.”

  Tyler kicked the dirt at his feet. “But we’ve only got it for two months. It might not help much.”

  “A bucket of water is made of a million tiny drops,” Aden said. “Let’s set it up.”

  “We’ll need many hands.”

  In his excitement, Aden practically jogged toward the pond. “Okay. I’ll get my cousin Moses. He can put a puzzle together with his eyes closed. And Jamal probably knows a thing or two.”

  Lily followed after him, walking quickly but trying not to run. Why did he have to have such long legs? “Aden, what do you want me to do?”

  Aden stopped and looked back as if he’d forgotten Lily’s presence. But he smiled, and made her feel tingly all over. “Cum, I will show you.”

  He led her to a roll of garbage bags sitting on the ground. “Take one of these. Do you have gloves?”

  Lily pulled her garden gloves from her pocket. Of course she had gloves. She wouldn’t touch garbage with her bare hands.

  “Walk around the pond and pick up trash. If you find any metal, keep it separate, and we’ll sell it for scrap. Some of the neighbors are wading into the water to find stuff, but you don’t need to do that. If you see something floating in the water, ask someone to wade in and get it for you.”

  He pointed to Erla Glick, with her hair tied up in a scarf and her feet and legs bare. She looked as if she was doing more playing than working as she waved an empty garbage bag over her head and splashed in the knee-deep water.

  “Erla’s not afraid of the water. She’s been a big help already this morning.”

  A big help. Ha! Lily had overheard Erla at the gathering talking to some of the other girls about “handsome Aden Helmuth.” Jah, Lily just bet Erla was a big help.

  “I will be fine,” Lily said.

  “You don’t want to drown,” Aden said, flashing her a playful smile.

  “I wouldn’t think of it,” Lily said. “It’s too bad you’re not as cautious as I am. Then I wouldn’
t have to constantly scold you.”

  “I like it when you scold me.”

  “You do not.”

  “Jah, I do.” He held out the garbage bag to her and when she reached to take it, he seized her fingers and squeezed them.

  His skin felt rough with callouses like a favorite, timeworn saddle. She snatched her hand away. What a tease!

  She glanced at Erla Glick one more time. “Will you fetch me if I fall in?”

  His eyes held a deep green forest. “Oh, yes.”

  “Well, I’m not going to fall in, so don’t get your hopes up.”

  Aden laughed. “Thanks for coming today.”

  He walked away, leaving Lily gathering her scattered wits in his wake, and made a beeline for Erla. Erla graced him with a smile that showed off her straight teeth.

  Erla had a reputation for being fearless and a little wild. Lily had heard that Erla went cliff diving in Mexico last year, and Erla had two little yippy dogs and a tabby cat as pets—a real animal lover, the sort of girl Aden would be attracted to. Lily narrowed her eyes as she watched Aden and Erla together. Just Aden’s type.

  Lily couldn’t hear what Aden said to Erla, but he pointed toward Lily while Erla nodded vigorously. They seemed perfectly happy to shoot the breeze while everyone else slaved in the hot sun. Aden said something, and Erla’s laugh tinkled delicately over the trees.

  Lily felt her face get hot. She refused to let Erla pick up one piece of her trash, even if it meant Lily must dive clear to the bottom of the pond for a gum wrapper.

  With purposeful steps, she marched to the other side of the pond as far from Erla as she could get and found a nicely littered spot. There was enough trash to pick up here that she wouldn’t need to venture near the water. Erla could get her toes all wet and wrinkly if she wanted. Lily was fond of her dry feet.

  Across the way, Estee waved to Lily and then must have decided that waving was an insufficient greeting. She grabbed Floyd’s hand and dragged him to Lily’s side of the pond. They both wore sky-blue scarves tied loosely around their necks. “Floyd found a watch,” Estee announced.

  Floyd pulled it out of his pocket. “It still works.”

  “It’s like a treasure hunt. Floyd’s going to write his cousin Arty about this pond-cleanup frolic. The folks in Ohio need to know what a gute boy Aden is.”

  Floyd put the watch to his ear. “Oh. I think it stopped. What do you think, Estee? I can’t hear it ticking.”

  “I didn’t see your buggy, Floyd,” Lily said.

  Estee shook her head. “Floyd picked me up on his bike. Aden says bikes are eco-friendly. It’s a new word he taught us.”

  “It means it doesn’t pollute the air to ride a bike,” Lily said.

  “That’s right,” Estee said. “Aden’s so smart.” She looked toward the road. “Is Dat coming?”

  “Nae. He called it one of Aden Helmuth’s crazy schemes, but he gave me permission to come.”

  Estee laid a hand on Lily’s arm. “You should have seen him.”

  “Who?”

  “Aden.” Estee’s eyes got wide. “He wouldn’t let anyone else go in. He must have gone down there twenty times to get those ropes around that car so they could pull it out.”

  Lily caught her breath.

  “Two times he was down there so long, I was sure he got stuck. I told Floyd to go in after him.”

  Floyd shook the watch and tapped on its face. “But he came up before I had a chance to jump in, praise the Lord.” He furrowed his brow. “I mean, not ‘praise the Lord’ because I didn’t have to jump in, but ‘praise the Lord’ because he came back up.”

  Lily reminded herself to breathe. He’d made it out safely, and she hadn’t had to watch it. No harm done—except for her near heart attack at hearing Estee talk about it.

  “He asked about you,” Estee said.

  “Who?”

  Estee rolled her eyes, willing Lily to keep up with her galloping thoughts. “Aden. First thing, he wanted to know if you were coming. Then he asked what time. He wanted to get that car out before you got here, though I don’t know why.”

  “Come over by us,” Floyd said. “We found a fire pit with about a hundred beer cans. Aden says we can get money for them.”

  Lily looked across the pond to where Estee and Floyd had been working. Erla Glick lingered there, playing with the braid that cascaded from beneath her scarf in between picking up cans. “Nae. I have plenty to do on this side.”

  Estee took Floyd’s arm and dragged him away. He didn’t take his eyes from that watch.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Tyler and Aden and four others carried the pieces of that contraption to a part of the pond that would get plenty of sunlight but be mostly hidden from view. Aden might have stunning green eyes, but he was still an odd young man. Who ever heard of giving a pond air like a patient in the hospital?

  Lily was glad that Tyler was predictable and steady and had a good future ahead of him. Dat thought very highly of Tyler, and Dat’s opinion was good enough for Lily. Dat’s wisdom, gained from years of experience, was certainly more reliable than the whims of a naïve girl who could easily be swayed by a pair of green eyes.

  Her search for trash took her closer to the water, and she spied a Styrofoam cup floating not three feet from shore. She glanced about her. Erla had somehow managed to make her way around the pond and gathered trash in the shallow water no less than twenty feet from where Lily stood. That was quick.

  She gritted her teeth. Lily wasn’t about to ask Erla for help. She found a long stick and leaned out over the water to snag the cup. Some people didn’t need to get wet to get the job done.

  Lily heard him charging through the grass mere moments before he attacked. Before she could pull back and get out of his way, Pilot smashed into her and sent her flying into the pond.

  Gasping as the cool water washed over her, Lily lost her bearings and thrashed about in panic before her foot found the muddy bottom. As she righted herself, her heart resumed something akin to a normal pace. Although Pilot had given her a good dunking, she stood in less than three feet of water. It didn’t even come up to her waist. She swiped the water from her eyes. Pilot swam around her as if playing a game of tag and she was now “it.”

  Lily growled. “You stupid dog.”

  She heard a splash and turned to see Aden sloshing his way to her. His look of concern cut deep lines around his eyes and mouth. She had never seen him like that before.

  Without a word, he promptly scooped her into his arms. She gasped and clasped her hands around his neck so she wouldn’t topple into the water again. Surprise rendered Lily mute. What did Aden think he was doing?

  With ease, he carried her to shore and gently set her on a flat-topped boulder. She shivered. Whether from the cold or from shock, she could not tell. Aden took the cheery yellow scarf from around his neck and wrapped it awkwardly around her shoulders while she peeled off her soaked gloves. Then he knelt next to her and took her hand. Suddenly, she didn’t feel so cold anymore.

  But she still felt shivery. All over.

  Pilot had the nerve to follow them to shore. He shook the water out of his fur, spraying both Aden and Lily with water droplets. She didn’t protest. She couldn’t get much wetter. Then Pilot sat on his haunches and innocently studied Lily as if he had no part in her current predicament.

  “It’s okay,” Aden said, his voice filled with compassion, giving her words of comfort she didn’t need. “I’m sorry about Pilot. Are you okay? I’m so sorry. I feel terrible.”

  Lily couldn’t believe it. He was truly distressed, when she felt nothing worse than annoyance at that dog.

  Aden studied her face and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “Are you hurt? I promise I will never ask you to come here again.”

  How fragile did he think she was?

  Judging by his reaction, china-doll fragile. He reached up and nudged a lock of wet hair from her cheek with his fingers. Her skin tingled where
he touched her, and those brilliant green eyes pierced her skull.

  He hadn’t let go of her hand. For some strange reason, she didn’t really want him to. Could they sit like this indefinitely?

  Shivery. She felt very shivery.

  Even in her flustered state, her brain registered that she should have been indignant—indignant that he believed her to be a delicate female who couldn’t hold her own against a mouthful of pond scum. But her irritation melted at the thought that Aden was truly anxious about her feelings. She hadn’t displayed a lot of fortitude before, so why should he think she possessed any courage today?

  Aden’s lips drooped as he studied her face. “Please say something.”

  Lily took a deep breath to clear her head and raised her voice as if she were making an announcement. “That dog is officially out of my good graces.”

  The look of surprise on Aden’s face was priceless. He must have liked what he saw in her expression. He threw back his head and laughed. Lily smiled to herself.

  “You’re not mad?” he said.

  “Mad?” She pulled her hand out of his, if only to gain clarity of thought. “I’m furious.” She glowered at Pilot. “Come here.”

  Pilot crept furtively to her. She put her hands on either side of his head and fluffed his soggy ears while looking him sternly in the eye. “Do you think you are a football player, is that what you think?” She tickled the fur at his jaw, and he wagged his tail hard enough to fan a breeze. “It’s a gute thing you saved Amanda, or you would be off to obedience school this very afternoon. As it is, you will get no leftover bread pudding tonight.”

  Pilot cocked his head to one side.

  “Nae, do not try that trick on me. No bread pudding, and that is final.”

  He stuck out his tongue and licked her arm. She pulled back and lifted an eyebrow at Aden. He stared at her, as usual.

  “You’re being unusually lenient,” he said.

  “It is a blessing the water wasn’t deeper.”

  Pilot barked his agreement and trotted away, probably in search of someone else to send into the water.

  “I thought you’d be frightened out of your wits.”

  “I’m not afraid of the water, Aden. I’d just rather not see people drown in it.”