by Gina LaManna
Even as the person behind me whisked away the bandana, I left my eyes closed for another long moment and savored every last moment of the surprise. Because when I opened my eyes, I’d lose this feeling – the anticipation, the mystery, the weight of possibility. Almost always, the wait was more fun than the actual surprise.
But not this time.
My eyelashes flickered open and my body froze as if suddenly immersed in a pool of frigid water. It took all my focus to absorb the scene before me; a sea of familiar faces washed across the lawn of the estate, children laughed, and people with glow-in-the-dark necklaces and top hats adorned with stars and stripes mingled about. There was an alarming amount of neon light-up toys and patriotic paraphernalia.
I sat atop a small, hilly amphitheater tucked away behind Carlos’s mansion. It was a rarely used feature of the grounds, which was a shame. The place was beautiful. And even better – someone had spread a gigantic picnic blanket on the ground, the material so fuzzy and soft I wanted to curl up and take a cozy nap.
But the best part was the company.
Anthony sat close at my right, Meg to my left. Clay manned Meg’s other side, and Nora and Carlos were perched on rickety lawn chairs just in front of us. Horatio sat somewhat behind Clay and Meg, while the man in the turban rested a few feet away from Nora’s lawn chair.
“What do you think?” Nora asked, turning around. Her star-shaped sunglasses still masked her face, despite the fact that it was completely dark, save for a few stars in the sky and a handful of over-stimulating glow-in-the-dark necklaces. Her tinsel eyelashes were visible around the shades, her hair now also streaked with blue. “Isn’t this so exciting?”
Clapping her hands, she turned and faced forward.
“It should be starting anytime,” Clay said, glancing around. The party had migrated to the amphitheater without losing a person. Well, except for Oleg. Vivian and Joey cuddled near the bottom of the knoll, while other couples cozied next to one another under the stars and children stared upwards expectantly.
“Oh, I can’t wait,” Nora said, clapping her hands with vigor. “Lacey, have you met my friend?”
“Oh, no I haven’t,” I said, extending a hand towards the man in the turban. “Hi, I’m Lacey.”
“Gokul,” he said, with a slight bow.
I awkwardly retracted my hand and returned the bow, not quite sure how to react.
“He flew here all the way from India to thank me for the money I contributed to find his granddaughter. Apparently they found her – look, there she is playing with Marissa and Clarissa. All I wanted was a postcard with an elephant,” Nora said, patting the man’s hand. “I can’t believe he’d come all the way here to thank me in person. So sweet.”
I looked, and sure enough, a young girl with the same skin tone and hair color as Gokul threw a light-up Frisbee back and forth with the twins, shrieking with laughter.
“We found her,” Gokul said, bowing his head once more. “Thanks to your grandmother’s contributions. She believed in the cause, unlike many others.”
“Wow, fantastic,” I said. “She is so generous.”
When both Gokul and Nora turned forward, I looked to Clay and mouthed, “Did you do this?”
He shook his head, his lips silently forming the word no.
I gave one, gigantic shrug. “I’m impressed.”
Clay returned the shrug. “I’d say stranger things have happened, but I’m not sure that’s true.”
“You’d be surprised—” I started, but was interrupted by a huge bang from the sky.
“It’s a whirly twirly!” Nora screamed. “In red. Carlos, you didn’t – you handsome little trickster.”
My grandmother leaned over and planted a huge, sloppy kiss on her husband’s cheek.
“Anything for—” Carlos started, but was interrupted by a boom.
“And golden chandelier spiralies?” Nora was nearly hysterical with excitement, alternating between fanning her face and clapping her hands. “You sneaky, sexy little devil, you. Gokul, what do you think of the fireworks?”
“Is beautiful,” he responded politely.
“Beautiful?” Nora said, wiping tears from her eyes. “Carlos bought illegal fireworks for me. I love you so much, babe.”
“Can’t you get in trouble for this?” Meg asked. “By the cops, I mean. If the neighbors call them. I mean, I’d be happy to have a few words with my cop amigos if you’d like, make sure they don’t interrupt the party…”
“They won’t be interrupting the party,” Carlos said.
“But sometimes we all got them nosy neighbors with their noise violations—” Meg persisted. She never wanted to be far from the action. In fact, she sometimes created action to make things more exciting.
“They’re already here,” Carlos said, gesturing towards a row of men in all variations of Fire Department and Police uniforms, and even a few SWAT shirts. “They were all invited to bring their families. You’ll find that most of the force is here already, enjoying a glass of wine and a hot dog.”
“Oh,” Meg said, almost a disappointed look on her face. Turning behind her, she gestured at Clay’s friend. “Horatio, come sit down with us. Your pacing back there is making my stomach upset.”
“But—” Horatio began.
“You didn’t do nothin’ wrong,” Meg said. “And this is a forgiving family. You can’t help it if your brother’s a turd bucket, so stop feeling bad and come join the party.”
With an appreciative smile, Horatio found a seat on the blanket to the far side of Clay, just as the music began to play. I couldn’t see the speakers, but the pulse of it throbbed around us, surrounding our cozy little amphitheater. I leaned into Anthony, whose arm had slid subtly behind my back at some point.
Meg, her eyes twinkling, offered an extra blanket over our laps. Then, she turned and kissed Clay, smack on the cheek.
“You two are a thing,” I said, excitedly sitting up. “I knew it!”
“Nah,” Meg said. “Just messing with you.”
Beyond her frame, Clay’s cheeks glowed red under the light from the fireworks.
But I didn’t have time to meddle in their business anymore. Anthony tugged me towards him, his fingers wrapping loosely around my forearm. “Look,” he said, pointing.
I tilted my head back and was pleasantly surprised to find that it fit just perfectly on Anthony’s shoulder.
“At what?” I asked. The sky was temporarily dark for a moment, though the music continued to play around us.
“The finale,” he said. “I picked it out.”
Snuggling in, my heart warmed up at least fifty degrees. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and despite the urge to close my eyes and remember the feeling of this moment, I forced myself to keep them open.
I was glad I did. A moment later, a series of booms and bangs exploded so hard the ground shook, and I could feel the vibrations deep within my stomach. The music swelled and my breath disappeared from my lungs as I watched the letters spelled across the night sky.
“Wow,” I breathed, once I could finally regain my voice. “That was amazing.”
Anthony’s fingers lightly traced my upper arm, the tickles sending shivers over my skin like ripples across a pond. “You liked it?”
I turned to face him, the words I wanted to say not yet forming on my lips. Reflected in his eyes was the last remaining golden glimmer of fireworks that’d spelled the grand finale of the evening:
Happy Birthday Lacey Luzzi!
The shining glow danced in his brown eyes and mingled until I couldn’t tell the sparkle in his eyes from the reflection of the fireworks. Instead of finding the thank you I’d been searching for, my lips reached to meet Anthony’s in a sweet, short kiss.
We were interrupted almost immediately by Meg’s vicious clapping and whoop of approval. Eyes swiveled in her direction, so Anthony and I used the moment to break away. Though Carlos knew Anthony and I were interested in one another, we weren’t a couple.
Not yet, at least.
“Can we go somewhere private?” he asked. “I have one last surprise.”
“I don’t know,” I said, the longing evident in my voice. The party had been fantastic, but I was ready to have some peace and quiet. Yawns started to break out among the children, and one or two of the firemen from the front row began to filter from the grounds. “This is my party…there’s lots of people here to see me.”
“Do I have permission to kidnap you?” Anthony asked.
I looked up, scanning the crowd quickly. My eyes landed on Nora.
She mouthed one word. Go.
I smiled at my grandmother, and replied with a similarly silent thank you.
Meeting Anthony’s eyes, I gave a shy nod. “Please do.”
** **
“You inspired me,” Anthony said, gesturing to the brand new Audi S8 in the driveway. “I convinced Carlos I needed a work vehicle.”
“Wow,” I said, almost reverently trailing my fingers around the outside of it. To me, it still just looked like a black car but Anthony was so proud, I wanted him to believe I loved it, too. “It’s beautiful. It suits you.”
“You think it’s just a regular black car,” Anthony said.
I gave a sheepish smile and a shrug.
“Maybe if I take you on a test drive in it, you’ll change your mind.”
“I’m open to changing my opinion,” I said, pretending to loftily turn up my nose at what I’m sure was an incredibly expensive car.
“Get in,” he said, shaking his head despite the smile on his lips.
“So, did you write this off as a business expense?” I asked, once inside the car.
Anthony eased it slowly out of the driveway, and I had to admit the car felt great. The engine ran smooth and soft, the interior felt luxurious and the man in the driver’s seat was something else entirely.
“I don’t do the taxes,” Anthony hedged.
“Relax,” I said with a light laugh. “I’m joking. I’ve handed in a business expense with a salt scrub on it before.”
Anthony’s eyes crinkled with amusement, and his face relaxed until I was almost convinced he was having a good time. Whether or not he’d ever be able to let his guard down completely, I’d never know, but this was close.
He moved his hand from the steering wheel to the place of honor next to my knee. Swirling his thumb in small circles over my thin leggings, I leaned my head back against the car seat and let myself enjoy a moment in paradise.
When I opened my eyes, he glanced my way and his thumb paused on my leg, as if waiting for a signal that it was okay to continue. Instead of speaking, I reached out and laid my hand over his. We rode the rest of the way to Stillwater with my hand over his and his hand on my knee. Simple, but peaceful.
“Why are you bringing me back here?” I asked a bit belatedly, as we trundled down the small town’s main street. Neither of us had spoken until now. To make conversation would’ve been to belittle the peaceful moment; we were both capable of sitting in an easy silence, which was sometimes more powerful than words.
“I’d like to show you something,” he said, making a few swirls with his thumb on my inner thigh, just above the knee. Then he moved his hand back to the steering wheel and focused on the road as we neared the oh-so-familiar road that led to Dave’s fake Special Sauce.
I shuddered.
“Flashbacks that bad?” Anthony asked. “If it’s too much, we can leave.”
“Nah,” I said, glancing up at him and holding his gaze until he broke eye contact to look at the road. “I’m okay now. Just remembering the long drive up and down with Meg and her bike on this road. My legs are still wobbly.”
Anthony turned left on the exact same spot where we’d found the service road to the mystical Dave’s shack.
“Here?” I asked. “Did you know about this place?”
Anthony parked the car and came around to the other side. By the time I could figure out how to unlock his space machine, he was opening my car door and helping me out.
“Handle was stuck,” I said.
“Mmm,” Anthony halfheartedly agreed. “This way.”
He led me down the narrow, overgrown driveway. The entrance was a small blip of darkness in a field of openness, and the grasses swayed tonight as they had when Meg and I were last here. Except under the moonlight’s glow, they glistened softly, not feeling like the sharp strands of grass that’d torn at my clothes as I’d hiked back here with Meg. Though it could also be Anthony’s arm holding me close that’d given me rose colored glasses.
A few last fireworks exploded far in the distance, the rumbles like very distant thunderclaps. Tiny bursts of light popped up here and there on the horizon, but other than the muted glow from the stars and the singing chorus of crickets, we were wildly alone.
“We’re going inside?” I asked, as Anthony pushed open the door to the little shack. I certainly wasn’t picky with romantic gestures, but I was still missing an important piece of this puzzle. Why here?
“Give it a chance,” Anthony said, his eyes imploring me to trust him.
I took a deep breath of fresh, crisp night air and ducked my head as I entered the shack.
“Anthony, what is this?” I gasped.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“It’s…it’s adorable.” I glanced around at the setup. The shack had been tidied up a bit, the un-usable pot and dangerously rusted s’mores skewer tucked back in the corner. A few extra wooden pillars had been added to hold up the roof – roughly manufactured, but sturdy enough that I didn’t feel as if the shack would come crumbling down at any moment.
I sank to my knees on a plush black blanket, which Anthony had spread across the floor. In the center of it was an ice chest that acted as a table; on it chilled a bottle of champagne and two flutes. I spotted another bottle of wine in the corner with extra glasses.
“What is this place?” I asked, my voice hushed. Anthony made mountains of money working for Carlos. He could’ve taken me out to dinner at any of the gorgeous restaurants in the Twin Cities area. It would have been easier, more convenient, and less of a drive – but Anthony didn’t make choices willy nilly. He had a reason for bringing me here.
Anthony sat next to me. “I wanted to tell you a little more about my past.”
“Anthony, you don’t have to—” I said, reaching out and running the outside of my hand gently over his chin. “I trust you. You have a past and I have a past. If you don’t want to talk about it…”
“I do,” he said. “It’s not always sunshine and butterflies – or whatever the saying is – but I want you to know. I want you to know all about me before we take this any further. You deserve—”
“Anthony,” I said, “nothing will change how you make me feel today. We both have a history. It might not be shiny and always beautiful, but if it didn’t exist we wouldn’t be where we are today. And I’m very happy with where we are today.”
I sat back on my heels and smiled as Anthony expelled a sigh. He nodded. “I can’t tell you everything – safety measures, of course. And I won’t tell it to you all tonight. But I brought you here because it’s the first place I lived when I came to America.”
“Here?” I looked around. “Meg and I thought this was a shack some high school brats put together for drinking beer.”
“That’s what it eventually became,” Anthony said. “I was born in Italy. I came over here after a series of events that were more or less unfortunate. I was a little bit of a trouble-maker, but more so a survivalist. I ran away from my childhood,” Anthony said, his eyes drifting away as he paused mid-sentence. “And I found this place. It’s peaceful, isn’t it?”
“It is,” I said, glancing around. Anthony withdrew a lighter from his pocket and lit a few of the candles around the blanket.
My mind raced with questions galore. What happened in Italy? Who brought him here? Why did he feel the need to run away? But something told me that he had a difficult story t
o tell, and it would come out in bits and pieces over time. If I wanted to move forward, it had to be on trust.
“Tell me more about your story later,” I said, sitting on my knees and leaning in. I gave him the lightest peck on the lips and sat back on my haunches. “Let’s take the blanket outside and go look at some stars. It’s a beautiful night.”
Anthony’s relief was evident on his normally emotionless face. “I’m sure you have questions—”
“Time for that later,” I said, stopping his sentence with a light laugh and another kiss. “Now, let’s relax. I’m the birthday girl. It’s my decision.”
“Speaking of birthday girl,” Anthony said. “I have one last surprise for you.”
“Oh no,” I groaned and rolled my eyes, but there was no weight behind it. My stomach tingled with the now familiar thrill.
“I’m sure you have many questions for me, which I’ll be happy to answer in time,” Anthony said. “But I have just one question for you.”
I gave him a searching glance. He didn’t react, except to shift the champagne’s ice bucket and glasses from the lid of the plastic cooler, the name Luzzi scrawled in bold letters on the side. When he removed the lid, I paused a moment before looking in.
“Go ahead,” he urged. “It’s not a birthday without this.”
I looked inside, and my delight bubbled over in a squeal of excitement I couldn’t quite contain. Ice cream cake! I clasped my hands in front of my body and looked up, my eyes the slightest bit misty.
“Take off the cover,” Anthony instructed.
The Dairy Queen treat had a normal plastic covering over it, the red and yellow logo covering the frosted design on top of the cake.
“Actually, one second,” Anthony said, catching my wrist as I reached to peel the plastic back. “Let me explain why this moment is so special. In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve never seen your own name on a Dairy Queen cake. I’ve seen you eat Michael’s Retirement cake and Nicole’s Anniversary dilly bars. I’ve seen you eat Michelle’s birthday donuts and Danny’s bar mitzvah cupcakes. But this one, this is just for you.”
I sighed. “You know how to make me swoon.”
