Remember This

by Shae Buggs

  “Lucy, Mason is so good with kids. Maybe one day you can bring your kids up here,” my mom says in her sweetest voice.

  “Mom, not now, not again,” I say rolling my eyes. I get the baby lecture every time I see my mom ever since Mason and I got married.

  “This is nothing to rush into,” Nate says as he watches Piper bound around the deck. As I hold Abby on my lap, I start to look at her as more than just a screaming, pooping machine and more like something that I might want one day. Gracie notices the look on my face and gives me her ‘I know exactly what you are thinking’ smile. I look at Mason through the window with my grandma and I start to think that maybe we could start a family. What are you nuts??? Mason and I are still not together and as soon as he gets his memory back, he is going to be the same old person I can’t stand. While old Mason is still good with kids, he isn’t good for me.

  “Lunch is ready,” Mason says as he opens the screen door a little while later. He walks over and picks up Abby from my arms.

  “I even made you some food,” he says to her as he kisses her cheek. Everyone files inside while I watch new Mason, handsome, funny, and sweet, play with his niece. He leans down and kisses my cheek.

  “Come get some food so we can go out on the boat,” he orders and I can’t resist him.

  We finish our burgers and get everything cleaned up. Everyone heads down to the lake except for Aunt Kathy, Lily, grandma, and the babies. My parents decide to go out on the paddle boat together instead of coming with us on the boat. Mason has made friends with Liam and he is actually smiling now.

  I am in my coral swim suit as we walk down the dock. I try my hardest not to trip as it sways slightly. Both Nate and Isaac grab my arms to help me in the boat. They know I have a hard time with that sometimes. I flush, feeling a little embarrassed.

  Mason gets in behind me and we sit on the small couch on the end of the huge boat. The seats are all padded and white and there is room for everyone to have their own seat. I mentally congratulate myself on my gracefulness today. I am trying my hardest not to look like a complete idiot in front of him. Too bad my hair didn’t get the memo. I can feel it growing as we speak. Once it gets completely wet it won’t be too bad but until then, hello afro.

  “Here you go, Lucy,” Nate snorts as he throws a bright orange life vest at me.

  I panic. “Oh, come on! It was one time. No!” I protest. “Not this again. I’m 28 years old. Piper is the only other person wearing one of these.”

  “What is this all about?” Mason asks as everyone on the boat laughs.

  “Go ahead, Lucy,” Gracie laughs. “Tell him what happened.” I glare at her making her laugh even harder.

  “Something may have happened…at some point…years ago,” I mumble hoping Mason can’t hear me over the laughter.

  “Lucy…” Isaac says as if I am leaving out the best part. Well, I am.

  “Alright, fine!” I snap. I can see they aren’t going to let this go. “I…fell. Off the boat. The side of the boat. While it wasn’t moving. My swim suit got caught on the ledge and my bottoms stayed attached to the boat while I went plunging into the water. Now they make me wear a life jacket so I don’t drown,” I end my story with a grimace. Everyone is hysterical remembering that infamous day.

  “How old were you, like 13?” Mason asks starting to laugh with the others. His question sends everyone into a howling fit and tears stream down their faces. I don’t answer immediately. It is too embarrassing. “15?” he prompts starting to laugh more. I still don’t answer. “Tell me you weren’t 20,” he says now hysterical like the others. Even Liam is laughing.

  “It was last year, alright?” I yell. And that does it. The laughter on the boat is deafening and I sit there pouting while I strap on my hideous orange life jacket. Isaac bought new life jackets at the store that are black and actually look kind of nice but he won’t let me wear those unless I am tubing or something. He says the orange brings out the grace in my eyes.

  “Even Piper knows not to sit too close to the edge on the boat,” Gracie says wiping her tear stained face.

  I glare off towards the shore as the boat lurches through the water. Why is my family trying to ruin this for me? I mean, it was pretty funny but I am trying to be sexy around Mason and my family is making me seem like a bumbling idiot.

  I finally loosen up as we start tubing. Mason and I are up first. If there is one sport I’m good at, its tubing. I tend to be a little ruthless though.

  After I finally get on the tube, I am ready to go. That was an ordeal all in itself. I have no upper body strength to pull myself up on the tube so I always try to jump from the back of the boat onto the floating island. This time, I jumped, landed on the side and tipped the entire thing over. If I wasn’t so excited for this, I probably would have thrown up my hands in defeat. In the end, Mason had to pull me up next to him.

  “Ready!” I scream and Isaac starts the boat. “You probably don’t remember this, but I am a pro at tubing,” I yell to an ecstatic Mason clinging on next to me.

  “Oh, really? Well, I have a feeling I’m not too bad myself.” The engine roars and the boat takes off. There are no waves on the lake so Isaac has to make some with the boat. We do pretty well holding on until Isaac drives us through this tsunami of a wave. The tube flips upside down and Mason and I go flying off in separate directions.

  “That was awesome!” he yells swimming back to the boat.

  “It’s exhilarating isn’t it? Man, I love the great outdoors.” It appears that we have the entire lake to ourselves to use as our playground. I love being out here. Maybe Mason and I should look into getting a cabin close by. Not gonna happen, I remind myself but it’s fun to dream.

  Gracie and Nate are next. Gracie holds on longer than any of us expect and Nate flies off before she does. My sister and I are competitive which is why I think we are so good at tubing. We used to try to push each other off the tube when we were little.

  “Jeeze, Aunt Lucy,” Liam says as we both climb back in the boat after our turn together. “You pushed my hand out of the way so you could grab my handle when we went over that big wave. I only had one handle to hang on to. That’s why I flew off. I think I even caught some air.” He smiles as he relives his badass moment.

  “Lucy, you are so competitive,” Gracie laughs. “I can’t believe you would knock your own nephew off the tube.”

  “Tubing is a contact sport. Buck up,” I say smugly.

  Everyone rotates through their turn. Mason teaches Liam how to stand up on the tube and I think that Gracie is going to have a heart attack.

  Water skiing is next. I can’t ever get up but I try every year.

  “Ok, Lucy. Hold on and lift after we start moving,” Nate says trying to coach me.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I wave. I have tried this many times before. This year, they suggested that I sit on the end of the dock first and they will pull and lift me from there. It’s worth a shot.

  “You ready?” Nate screams over the boat engine. I nod. “One, two, three!” I see the boat move and the rope tightens. Mason, Gracie, and Liam are all watching me intently from the boat. I think they might be praying. I feel the pull of the rope and I lift my butt off the dock. I’m on top of the water, crouched over but I haven’t face planted yet. I feel the boat pick up speed and I think I have finally gotten up on skis. I can see them on the boat clapping.

  “Woohoo!” I scream and I wobble a little. I better not get too excited. I have to concentrate. I focus on keeping my arms and legs slightly bent and watch for waves flowing under my skis. I can see a huge wave coming my way that another boat created. I brace myself and I see the boat bob up and down so I know I am next. I tense and feel the wave getting close to my skis. All I can do is hold on tight. I bounce around and almost lose my footing but I catch myself. I hear everyone on the boat cheering and I realize that I made it over my first major wave. Yes! I think to myself. Just as I am congratulating myself on my skiing skills, another wave comes
and I am not prepared. One of my skis goes right and the other goes left. I face plant in the water and it takes me a second to tell myself to let go of the rope. About the time I feel water go up my nose and my swim suit is forced down under my life jacket, I let go of the rope. If I wasn’t so elated, I would be complaining about the burning sensation in my nose and throat from the water intrusion.

  “You did great, Luce,” Nate says helping me back in the boat. “How did it feel?”

  “Well, it was exhilarating, but I think I got a couple of splinters in my butt from the dock.” I reach back and sure enough, there are wood pieces sticking out of my swim suit. I pluck them out and then wrap myself in a towel.

  “Good job, Babe,” Mason says giving me a hug before he jumps in the water for his turn. Babe. Oh Henry, I think you are here to stay.

  Mason swims over to the back of the boat, puts his skis on and then grabs the rope.

  “Are you ready?” Isaac screams. Mason gives him a thumbs up.

  Of course, he is a natural at this type of thing and gets up on his first try. He even starts doing fancy tricks and sprays water into the boat that hits Liam right in the face.

  “Uncle Mason!” he exclaims wiping off his face on my towel. It’s good to see him enjoying himself.

  Before we know it, its dinner time and we make our way back to the cabin.

  “Were you guys telling Mason that story about Lucy? We heard you laughing all the way up here,” Grandma says as we file into the cabin. I laugh it off this time as everyone starts their fits again. We have a fiesta bar tonight and I load my plate with nachos. I am beyond hungry. After dinner, all of the men head outside to start on the bonfire. Liam has perked up since Mason has taken him under his wing and he even volunteered to help collect wood.

  “You and Mason look so happy, honey,” my mom gushes as she pinches that spot below my butt. I can’t help but smile.

  “Yeah,” Gracie agrees. “I was worried about the two of you but you seem to have solved your issues.”

  “Things are good,” I say. For now. I am so worried about what will happen to Mason when he gets his memory back. I feel like I am getting too close to him and when things go back to normal, I will be heartbroken. But for right now, it’s bliss. I do wonder if it is selfish that I am using him like this though. I feel like I should tell him that I am only getting close to him right now because he is different. Maybe I should express my concern about him going back to normal. I haven’t thought any of this through enough. Our entire new relationship has happened so fast.

  Liam runs inside breaking my train of thought and grabs a bag of marshmallows off of the counter. He holds it above his head and shouts “S’mores!” Piper jumps up and pulls me through the door.

  We head down to the edge of the lake. I can smell the smoke in the air which means the fire is started and ready to go. I find a good roasting stick along the way but it’s not quite ready to use yet. I will have to hold it in the fire to get the moss and dirt off before I spear a marshmallow. I sit down in one of the camping chairs around the fire and huddle up in my sweatshirt. It cooled off outside and I am a little chilled.

  The lake is dark blue now making it hard to see the two loons sitting a few yards out from the dock. I wouldn’t have known they were there if I hadn’t heard them call to each other. They are noisy birds but it sounds like they are singing. The moon is bright tonight, like a spotlight on the mass of water. Every ripple the birds make glistens on the surface.

  My stick is ready so I start the daunting process of creating the perfectly toasted marshmallow. The end of Liam’s stick is flaming so I know he just lit his marshmallow on fire. Such an inpatient kid. I sit twirling my stick the perfect distance away from the flame, tuning out all the conversations around me.

  I stare into the flames for a couple of minutes until the white blob on the end of my stick has turned a perfect golden brown color. I have my graham cracker and chocolate ready for my first s’more of the season. I am satisfied by the crunch my marshmallow makes when I squish it between the crackers. The chocolate, melting almost immediately, oozes out the sides and down my hand.

  My fingers are a sticky mess when I get done so I walk the few feet to the lake to wash them. It’s like I broke the glass surface of the pristine lake when I sink my hands in. It feels so good being out here. I turn and watch my family laugh at Isaac and Piper dancing around the fire. Liam grabs Gracie’s arm and swings her around the fire too. Mason and Nate are singing a song I don’t recognize so the dancers have some background music to dance to. They are both bouncing a baby on their knee at the same time to the beat of their made up song. My parents are yodeling along to the tune. I can’t help but smile. For the first time in a while, I feel like I have made it. I have my family, a good job, enough money to have some freedom, and Mason. I have Mason. That thought alone is enough to make me light up inside.

  After Mason plays with Aaden and helps Piper make three S’mores, the mom’s declare that it’s bedtime for the kids. Piper pouts so Nate caves and lets her stay out with us. I don’t think Gracie approves but she doesn’t say anything. Grandma, Grandpa, and Lily head up to the cabin with the babies. Aunt Kathy has been passed out since dinner so I haven’t got to talk to her much. The adults pass around beers and Mason sneaks Liam a swig while his parents aren’t looking. Mason is right next to me in his chair and I smack him playfully on the arm. Liam smiles as his uncle leans back and shrugs apologetically.

  Mason sits very close to me all night with his hand on my leg or his arm around my shoulder. He leans in a couple of times to kiss me on the cheek and Henry flutters around in response.

  I look forward to this night with my family every year. We reminisce about the past and this year, we fill Mason in on our funny family stories.

  “Remember when we took Liam to Disney World?” Nate asks.

  “How could we forget,” I say shaking my head.

  “What happened?” Mason asks needing to be filled in.

  “Liam was five and Gracie and I decided to take him to Disney World,” Nate starts. “Mark, Carolyn, and Lucy decided they wanted to come with. We had a great time and Liam was in heaven. We went to visit the characters and his favorite one was Tigger. We bought him a Tigger stuffed animal and he carried him around the park for the rest of the week. On the last day there, Liam dropped Tigger somewhere. It was dark out and the park was about to close. He started crying so we frantically ran around the park looking for the lost toy. We were so tired and our feet hurt but we didn’t want to crush his spirits so we looked for about thirty minutes. Liam was the one who actually found it. It had gotten kicked under a bench. He was filthy and we told him that we had to wash it before he could have it back. He used to call him his best friend.”

  Liam smiles. “I still have that thing. He’s in my closet.”

  “That was a fun trip,” I say. “We should go again and take Piper.”

  “That sounds fun,” Mason says and everyone agrees.

  “What are we doing for Christmas this year?” Gracie asks changing the subject. “Since everyone is here, I thought we could discuss it.” Since there are so many of us and it gets expensive buying gifts for everyone, we usually do something fun as a family. One year we did Secret Santa and everyone picked a name out of a hat and we had a limit of $50 to spend. Another year we had to get a gag gift for someone and then we used the money we saved to rent a house on the coast for a weekend. When we were younger, we used to go to Montana for Christmas.

  “I was thinking we could make homemade gifts this year,” my mom suggests.

  “That’s a good idea,” I chime in. “Maybe we could use the extra money we save this year to go back to Disney World.” Everyone agrees.

  “I guess that’s settled then,” Gracie says.

  “I’m exhausted,” Nate yawns as he rubs Gracie’s’ back. Piper is sound asleep on Mason’s lap. I realize how tired I am too.

  “We should all turn in for the night,” my
dad says as he rakes through the fire, dimming our light source immensely.

  Mason and I are at the back of the line as everyone makes their way to the cabin. All of a sudden, I feel him pull me off the trail.

  “What are we doing?” I ask, my heart speeding up.

  “Shhh,” he chuckles as he flashes me a panty combusting smile. Oh man, this is exciting! We stop after a few paces so the cabin is barely in our view through the trees. It is dark and I can barely see Mason….but I can feel him. He pushes me against a tree and starts kissing me passionately. My hands skim across his long sleeve shirt that clings to his muscles. All too soon though, the kiss is over and Mason is pulling away. No don’t stop.

  “I have wanted to do that all day,” he says smiling down at me. I can’t seem to respond. I just stare.

  “Me, too,” I finally spit out. And much more. But he doesn’t need to know that.

  “Shall we?” he says holding out his hand for me to take. He is obviously planning on going back to the cabin and I am not ready to go in yet. I haven’t had enough alone time with him. He can obviously tell by the look on my face.

  “I saw an open queen sized air mattress in there,” he says gesturing towards the cabin. “We can make out while everyone is asleep. He winks and I melt, following him like a lost puppy. We open the cabin door and see that Piper has woken up and took the queen sized mattress for herself.

  “Uncle Mason will you read me a bedtime story?” she whispers loud enough for us to hear but quiet enough so she doesn’t wake up the rest of the sleeping family. Mason turns to look at me knowing that he can’t escape the request of his new best friend. She is relentless.

  “I would be honored,” he says to her in a British accent as he squeezes my hand. “I will try to be quick,” he whispers so only I can hear. He goes and lies next to her and I realize that there is only a top and bottom bunk left for us in the room. Maybe we can move Piper to the bottom one once she is asleep. I go into the bathroom and change into my pjs while Mason tells her a bedtime story about fish that go camping. By the time I am done with my nightly routine, almost everyone is asleep including Piper. She is sprawled out across the entire mattress and I know there is no way we can move her without waking her. Mason smiles and looks apologetic.