Eternal Youth

by Julia Crane

  The airline screwed up and put me in the back of the plane while Mom and Braden had seats together wayyy up front. I was between some guy who weighed a thousand pounds and had stinky armpits AND a stick-thin woman with an infant that literally wailed for the entire damn flight.

  I turned on my iPod. It helped.

  I can’t understand a freaking word the people here are saying. The farmer’s wife apparently complimented my sundress and all I heard was, “Wotalurvdawdr.” ???

  In the morning, we’re going to the cathedral. Mom swears this time is the ONE. It’s always the ONE. I’m wondering how the hell she thinks the cathedral people are going to let us get underneath the church where the fountain supposedly is. It’s not like Mom can just walk up to the Dean and say “hey, we’re just gonna take a walk in the vaults and maybe find a secret trapdoor that leads to an underground river that will give us eternal youth. ‘K?”

  God, we’re so screwed. If my mom gets arrested in New Zealand, I’m SO not bailing her out. And I’m definitely going for that “pint.”

  Callie was putting away groceries for her mother when Braden walked into the kitchen and grabbed an orange off the counter. He sank into a seat at the old wooden kitchen table and leaned forward on his elbows to peel the orange. “Looking forward to vacation?”

  Callie grimaced as she slid a giant jar of peanut butter into the cabinet. “Don’t get me started. I’d much rather stay here and hang out with Avery. I’m pissed I have to go.”

  “It’s too bad she couldn’t talk her mother into letting her go.” Braden picked at the orange, not meeting her eyes. “I’m going to sit this trip out.”

  Callie stopped in mid-reach, the loaf of bread forgotten on the tile counter as she whirled around. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “What do you mean you’re going to sit this one out? You cannot leave me with Mom. I need you!”

  Braden sighed. He sat the peeled orange on the table and swept all the tiny pieces of rind into a pile. “I’m sorry, Cal. I’d like to come with you—trust me, a real vacation sounds nice. But, I think I should stay here and spend some time with my dad.”

  Callie let her arms fall to her sides. She suddenly felt very selfish. “I’m sorry, Bray. I completely forgot about Uncle Bill and what you must be going through. How’s he doing? I’ve been so wrapped up in my own life that I haven’t even asked.”

  “He’s in good spirits, considering. He tries to hide the pain, but it’s pretty obvious. When you guys are gone, we’re going to spend a couple of weeks out on the lake.” He paused. “I know you need me, Calista, but I think he needs me more right now.”

  “I understand. It sucks, but I understand. You’re doing the right thing.” Callie smiled sadly.

  Shaking off his funk, Braden pulled off a slice of orange and popped it into his mouth before grinning. “What about you? Have you seen that boy again? What’s his name?”

  “Jonathan,” Callie said dreamily. She picked up the bread and hugged it to her chest. “Not yet. I think I’m going to stop by the pizza shop today and surprise him.”

  “Careful. You’re gonna crush the bread.” He laughed as Callie dropped it to the counter guiltily. “Why don’t we go there for lunch? I need to make sure he’s good enough for you.”

  Callie turned back to the groceries. “That’s a great idea. I can tell him you wanted to have pizza so it doesn’t look like I’m stalking him.”

  “One thing guys don’t like is clingy. I can tell you that from experience. Although, I don’t think it’s possible for a world traveler to be too clingy, so you should be safe.” Braden winked at her.

  “Ugh!” Callie groaned. She shoved the cheese and bologna in the fridge drawer and slammed the door. She turned to lean against the counter. “Maybe we shouldn’t go. I really don’t want to come off as desperate. He’s busy with school, sports, and work. He’ll call when he gets a chance.”

  “Oh, we’re going.” Braden popped the rest of his orange in his mouth and stood. He walked to the ceramic bowl on the counter near the back door and grabbed the car keys. “You can’t tease me with pizza and then take it away.”

  As they pulled into the parking lot of Luigi’s, Callie’s heart went crazy. “Braden, no. Turn around and let’s go back to Gran’s. I bet he hates me. I bet he’s not going to call anyway and I’m just going to look like an idiot…”

  “Shut up, Cal. This kid is probably half-in love with you.” Braden cut the engine and shook his head in amusement. “You have issues.”

  “Whatever.”

  The walk to the door seemed to take a lifetime. Callie smoothed her hair and shirt, and was stricken by the fact that she must have looked horrible. Her plaid purple button-down shirt was wrinkled and she’d worn her holey jeans. “I should have changed clothes.”

  “You look great.”

  “I look like a hobo,” Callie shot back.

  Braden stopped and stepped in front of her. He dropped a hand to each of her shoulders and shook her gently. “Calista. Quit freaking out.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. “Yeah. Sorry.”

  They passed through the door, which was propped open by a large, concrete block. As usual, Luigi’s was crazy—nearly every booth was full.

  They found a small table near the door and sat down. Braden pulled off his coat, draped it on the back of his chair, and said, “You know what you want?”

  And then Callie saw him. Jonathan stood behind the check-out counter. His Luigi’s hat was pulled down tightly over his curls as he took an order from an elderly lady in a sunflower yellow muumuu. “Ohmigod. It’s him.”

  Braden whipped around, his eyes searching the crowd. “Ah. Hell, could his hair be anymore metrosexual?”

  Callie got to her feet and pinched his arm. “Leave him alone. He’s amazing.”

  Braden rubbed his bicep gingerly, making a face at her.

  “Oh, grow up,” Callie laughed. Braden’s presence gave her a strength and determination that she wouldn’t have had otherwise. “I’ll go order.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Braden winked.

  “What do you want?”

  “Meat Lover’s.”

  “So typical.” Callie rolled her eyes and giggled as he shoved her away. Braden dropped into a seat at the table, and Callie waltzed towards the register.

  She had almost made it, when a tiny blonde girl came out of nowhere and shoved past Callie. “Hey!” Callie growled as she stumbled. She righted herself and prepared to lash out at the little brat.

  Jonathan looked up and smiled in Callie’s direction. His attention soothed her wounded ego from the pushy-girl, and she lifted a hand to wave—

  As Jonathan rushed around the counter and caught the little blonde up in a bear hug.

  Then put her down. And kissed her.

  It wasn’t a sisterly kiss. It wasn’t even a cousin-ly kiss. It was full-on, tongue and passion—the same kind of kiss Callie herself had received only the night before.

  Callie’s vision went red. She stomped up to the couple where they were still lip-locked—only vaguely aware of Braden calling her name from some distance behind her. She drew near, reached out, and knocked Jonathan’s hat from his head.

  “Hey—” he snapped, but the word was cutoff prematurely as he laid eyes on Callie.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” Callie said calmly, crossing her arms over her chest. She bit the inside of her cheek and fought the urge to curse at him.

  “Callie! What are you…” Jonathan glanced at the petite girl in his arms, then back to Callie. “Have you met my girlfriend?”

  The girl let go of his neck long enough to turn and give Callie an insincere smile. She was gorgeous—long legs, tiny waist, and golden hair like spun silk. She wasn’t even wearing make-up. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Girlfriend?” Callie said dangerously.

  Jonathan glanced nervously at his girlfriend before he turned pleading eyes to Callie. “Yeah. Rebecca.
For almost a year.”

  The girl had to be an idiot to not notice Callie’s ire. Callie leaned to pick Jonathan’s hat up off the floor. So full of anger she was shaking, she shoved the hat on the girlfriend’s head. Rebecca squealed angrily.

  “Does your girlfriend know where you were last night, Jonathan? Who you were with? Who you kissed?”

  Panic crossed his handsome face as his girlfriend ripped off the ball cap and looked at him. “What? Jon, what is she talking about? Who is this girl?”

  “She’s nobody, baby. Nobody,” Jonathan soothed, shooting a glare in Callie’s direction.

  “Nobody?” Callie shook her head, incredulous. “Nice knowing you, Jon. Good riddance.”

  With her emotions dragging her in four different directions, Callie turned and walked back to the table. “Let’s eat somewhere else,” she told Braden, who was staring wide-eyed at her.

  “Your wish is my command.”

  Callie didn’t bother looking at Jonathan as she left.

  Callie picked up the pace after she exited the building and made a beeline for the car. Braden rushed to keep up, trying to put his arm around her, but she shrugged it off and wiped away a tear.

  Climbing in the car, Callie slammed the door. She waited until Braden had gotten in on the other side before she spat, “I’m such an idiot!”

  “You’re not an idiot.” Braden shoved the key in the ignition more forcefully than usual. “He’s the fool. I’m glad you called him out on it.”

  Callie slouched down in her seat, only remembering to buckle her seatbelt as they pulled onto the highway. She pressed her hands to her eyes and fought the urge to scream as she spoke through her fingertips. “Did you see her? She was perfection. I wanted to claw her eyes out.”

  Braden chuckled. He flipped the heat on and set it at a comfortable in-between point. “It’s not her fault, Cal. She obviously had no idea. I feel kinda bad for her. Put yourself in her shoes. Imagine finding out your long-time boyfriend cheated on you. Add to that that it happened in a public place.”

  Callie wrapped her arms around herself and sunk so low in her seat that she could no longer stare angrily out the window. “I should care, but I don’t. I thought he really liked me. At least when I’m trekking through the mountains, I don’t have to worry about this crap.”

  “You’ll be leaving again soon. I’m sure you can find some beach bum to crush on.” Braden signaled to leave the interstate.

  “Can you take me to Avery’s?”

  “Sure, I’ll take a rain check on the pizza.”

  Callie narrowed her eyes. Her stomach was growling. “Actually, I’m starving. I’m not going to let that jerk make me miss a meal. Pull into the first fast food joint you see, and I’ll drown my sorrows in fries and a milkshake.”

  “That’s my girl.” Braden eased the car into the drive-thru of an In and Out Burger. There was nobody in line, so they pulled right up to the speaker. “Just fries and a shake?”

  “Yeah.”

  As he ordered, Callie stared blankly at the row of cars parked in the lot of the restaurant. She had thought that something special had happened with Jonathan. He had been so kind and perfect…

  Not perfect, Callie thought, her ire rising at the same time the tears hit again. Avery was right; nobody was perfect. Braden either didn’t notice—or just pretended he didn’t—as hot, fat tears began to course down Callie’s cheeks. They drove around to the window.

  “Here, Mom gave me some cash,” Callie said, lifting her butt from the seat to pull the wad of money from her pocket. After six years of travel, she’d learned to live without a purse. They weren’t conducive to riding camels in the Sahara.

  Braden waved her off and handed a twenty out the window to the cashier. “Nah, I’ve got it.”

  Callie raised an eyebrow and stared at her cousin across the dim car. “Bray, you’re on a budget, remember?”

  In the orange glow of the drive-thru lights, Braden smiled sadly. “Dad…gave me some.”

  The sad tone of his voice made Callie’s face fall. She didn’t know what to say.

  “Thank you,” Braden told the cashier, and handed the bag off to Callie. He whipped out of the lane and into a parking spot.

  Callie pulled her box of fries from the bag. She noticed movement from the corner of her eye, and turned to find a couple making out in the car next to them.

  Fury shot through her once more. Callie shoved a fry in her mouth. “Why are guys such jerks? He seemed so perfect. I must really have bad taste in guys.”

  “Teenagers are just very self-centered. Maybe you should wait ‘til you’re thirty to date.” Braden grinned, and then took a sip of his chocolate milkshake.

  “Maybe. I guess I just thought having a boyfriend would make me feel—normal. Or something.”

  “Welcome to the real world, Callie. Heartbreak is normal.” Braden stared into his burger for a moment before flashing an ironic grin. “I’m sure you’ll have forgotten his name when you’re climbing the Swiss Alps.”

  “Swiss Alps? Ugh, is that where we’re going next?”

  “Just teasing. I haven’t seen your mother’s latest itinerary. Come to think of it, that’s kinda strange. She usually shares her plans with me while she makes them.” The two were silent as they considered the implications. Braden shrugged. “Maybe she really is taking a long break this time.”

  “Don’t get my hopes up.”

  Neither said anything else as they polished off their food and milkshakes.

  After Braden crumpled his wrappers and shoved them in the bag, he turned in his seat, one hand dangling on the steering wheel. “You okay?”

  Callie took a deep breath and let it out. “I think. Full belly calmed me down slightly. Let’s go to Avery’s.”

  “Oh, no. What’s wrong?” Avery asked. She stepped back to allow Callie to storm through the front door and into the hallway. Braden honked from the driveway, and Avery waved at him as he backed out and left.

  Avery’s house—like Gran’s—was one of the only constants in Callie’s life. Her best friend had lived there as long as Callie had known her—which was pretty much their whole life. It was a two-story Cape Cod with dark blue shutters and lots of symmetrical windows. Avery’s mom had made use of all the natural light: she painted the walls pale pastels and put in light-colored hardwood floors. So while it was a small house, it didn’t feel like it on the inside.

  Avery shut and locked the door. Callie turned to face her best friend, biting her lip and fighting away yet more tears. “Jonathan. You were right—he isn’t perfect. I ran into him and his long-term girlfriend.”

  “What a jackass!” Avery raged, slamming her fist to her other palm. Her face softened at Callie’s tears. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen, and you can tell me what happened.”

  The kitchen of the Lewis household was the heartbeat of the house. It wasn’t anything special—just a weird-patterned linoleum floor and old, scratched wooden cabinets over a navy-blue counter. But anytime Callie was home, she always spent the majority of her time in Avery’s kitchen. Gran always said the hearth of a home could be anywhere the owners made it.

  Mrs. Lewis was washing dishes in an electric pink apron with yellow dish gloves pulled up to her elbows. She was an attractive woman with the same blonde hair as her daughter and the same heart-shaped face. The woman had always been absent-minded, and she proved she hadn’t changed by giving Callie a big hug and getting soap in her hair. “Callie, it’s so great to see you.”

  “Hey, Mrs. Lewis.” Callie hiccupped from the effort of holding back her tears, and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her shirt.

  “Oh, sweetie.” Mrs. Lewis frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Just boy trouble, Mom, she’s fine.” Avery grabbed Callie’s arm and directed her to sit in a chair at the table. “You want something to drink?”

  “Um. Coke?”

  “His loss, honey,” Mrs. Lewis said, as if Avery hadn’t spoke at all. “You’l
l go through a slew of boys in your lifetime, and he’ll soon be nothing but a bitter memory. I wish I could say you’d forget him, but you won’t. I still recall my first heart break, Mark Jackson.” Mrs. Lewis’s face smoothed, and she stared over Callie’s head with a faraway look in her eyes. “That boy crushed my soul. I saw him at my high school reunion, and he was fat, bald, and unemployed. I guess I got the last laugh.”

  Callie giggled. It did make her feel a little better. “Thanks, Mrs. L. Since I’m here, can I convince you to let Avery come on vacation with us? Pretty please with sugar on top.”

  Mrs. Lewis laughed, swatting Callie gently with the back of a gloved hand. “Nice try. Sorry, kiddo. Avery probably didn’t mention that she is failing two classes. She can’t afford to miss any school. If she manages to pull her grades up, I’ll consider letting her go with you on the next school break.”

  Callie rolled her eyes and frowned in Avery’s direction. “You didn’t tell me you were doing bad.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to talk about what happened to you,” Avery said pointedly. She put a glass and a can of soda on the table, then sat down with her own. “What did you do?”

  As Mrs. Lewis returned to her dishes, Callie replayed the scene for them. When she was done, Avery burst out laughing.

  “Good for you! You showed that asshole who’s boss.”

  “Avery. Language,” Mrs. Lewis admonished, but she was still chuckling.

  “You wanna make some popcorn and watch a funny movie to get your mind off it?” Avery asked. “You’re only home another two days. You should stay the night.”

  “That sounds fantastic. I’ll call Mom and let her know.”

  Callie made a quick call and got the okay from her mom, all the while thinking of her best friend’s sad declaration.

  Two days.

  May 30th, 2011

  Egypt—another place I can’t spell

  Lots of freaking spiders. And we aren’t talking itsy-bitsy spiders that don’t bother the natives. We’re talking spiders as big as my foot and just as lethal. I found one in my boot this morning. In the “nice” hotel in town. Good thing Braden told me to check my shoes before sticking my feet in or I’d be checking out the wallpaper at the local hospital.