by Mettey, Tim
“Would either of you like dessert?” our server asked.
Elle immediately spoke up, “No, thank you.”
I smiled, “No, I’m fine, thanks.”
“I will bring out your check,” she said, clearing the table.
“So how was your food, Elle?”
“It was better than I thought it could be. I think it was the best dinner I’ve ever had. How was yours?”
“I was thinking the same thing. So are you ready to go?” I asked.
“I would like to use the restroom first.”
“Okay, I will pay and meet you at the front door.”
“Are you sure you don’t want some money, Nicholas?”
I didn’t even answer her. I just stared at her, showing just enough frustration to get my point across.
“Okay, okay. I just thought I would ask again. I will see you in a minute.”
Elle got up. As soon as she walked away there were some loud voices over by the bar that caught my attention. It was dark, so I couldn’t see what it was all about. Our server appeared next to our table. I was expecting her to leave the check, but she just stood there. When she didn’t put down the check, I looked up and met her eyes. She looked like she was seeing a ghost or something.
“Are you okay, miss?”
“I just wanted to tell you that it’s been an honor to serve you tonight. The manager has picked up the bill for you.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
She smiled and said, “You don’t know me, but I know you. Someone who works here used to go to school with you and recognized you.”
Her comments caught me off guard. Then it hit me. Someone here knew my secret and told the staff. Without hesitation I got up and walked with a quickened pace past the waitress and headed straight for the door. The people at every table I passed were staring at me. I avoided eye contact with everyone. I was getting close to the front door where Elle was already standing.
“Alex, Alex! It’s me, Tina, Tina McBride!”
Suddenly, she grabbed my arm. I wanted to rip my arm away, but I didn’t want to cause a scene. Elle’s back was still toward me, so there was a chance I could get out of here without Elle knowing anything happened.
I looked directly into Tina’s eyes. The years hadn’t changed her much. “Tina, I know, it’s been a while.”
“A while? It’s been five-plus years, and I owe you so much!”
“Listen, I don’t have time to talk now. I promise that I will come back so we can catch up.”
I moved past her and walked towards Elle, who was now facing us. I handed the valet my ticket at the door. I was hoping that Tina wouldn’t follow me outside.
“So how did you know that waitress?”
“She was at the football game when I got hurt.”
“Did she want an autograph or a date?”
“No, just making sure that I was okay.”
“Well, I hope so. I would hate to have to beat up a girl on our first date.”
I was too nervous to say something witty back; I was just concerned about getting out of there fast.
The truck pulled up. I opened the door for Elle, not waiting for the valet. I walked around to the driver side of the truck. I glanced up and saw that the doors of the restaurant were full of people staring at me. I got in, hoping Elle didn’t look over to see all the people. Luckily, she was looking in a small compact mirror, putting on some lip gloss.
Driving away, panic set in. What was I going to do? People now knew who I was and that I was living here in Winsor. I had to tell Cora, but if I did, we would be gone tomorrow, no questions asked. We had some close calls before, but never someone actually recognizing me. This was a first. If I told Cora, it would mean never speaking or seeing Elle again.
“Nicholas, are you okay? You look like there’s something wrong.”
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that I had lines on my forehead from the thoughts I was having. I relaxed, eliminating the lines. “Yes, I’m fine. I just need my Tic Tacs.”
Elle had been around me enough to know about my sickness. She took the pack I had in the cup holder and took out three for me. “Here.”
I reached out to take them from her, but she pulled her hand back and said, “No, just open your mouth.” She then put them into my mouth one at a time. Her hand brushed my cheek slowly on the last one. Normally this type of thing would get me feeling nervous, stirring feelings that I was looking forward to, but I was too concerned about being recognized to allow these feelings to affect me.
“Maybe the food was a little too rich for you, Nicholas.”
I smiled. “Yeah, that has to be it.”
“Nicholas, if you aren’t feeling well, we can finish our date another night. This won’t be our last one.” Her face was full of concern, looking closely at me. I had to fight the nausea, which was overwhelming, because I would probably be gone tomorrow.
“No, Elle, I’ll be fine.” I tried to look as normal as possible.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be fine.”
“So, what’s next?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise.”
It was just a thirty-minute drive to the small town of Newton. I was anxious to get out of the truck into the night air, hoping for some more relief. We pulled into the Eden Park entrance, where the Krohn Conservatory was having their annual butterfly exhibit.
“Nicholas, I can’t believe you are bringing me here. I love butterflies!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nicholas Keller, don’t play dumb!”
We pulled into the conservatory’s parking lot.
“Nicholas, my parents always used to take me here during the butterfly show. This place means a lot to me.” She didn’t know it yet, but this place meant a lot to me too. “But Nicholas, I don’t think it’s open after 5 p.m.”
“Don’t worry. I have it under control.”
The Krohn Conservatory was a large glass building that resembled an old-world church. We walked up to the big glass doors, which opened for us.
“Hey, Keller. Hello, Elle,” Matt said.
“Matt, why are you here?” Elle asked.
“My mother is the exhibit sponsor. Keller, you have two hours. Have a good time.” Even months after football, the guys still used my last name instead of calling me Nicholas. Matt walked into the office and disappeared.
“Nicholas, this is amazing,” said Elle, smiling.
She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs to the rainforest exhibit. Everything was covered with different types of exotic plants. It had been a long time since I had been here, but it still looked the same. The same mini-river cut right down the center, filled with different types of colorful fish. We walked down the concrete path that ran along the stream. Off in the distance there was a two-story waterfall that fed the stream. Elle stopped to look at every plant, not wanting to miss anything. She didn’t speak, but she flashed a smile from time to time to make sure I knew she was really enjoying herself.
We got to the massive waterfall and stood on the bridge that went across the stream right in front of the falls. The spray of the water felt good. We stood there hand in hand.
“I love this place so much, Nicholas. It takes away all of my worries.”
The words sparked my worries again. I got out my Tic Tacs.
“Still sick?” she asked, looking concerned again.
“Yes, a little, but being here with you sure helps. Come here.” I took Elle’s hand and walked her back behind the waterfall into a narrow stone passage that went all the way to the other side of the waterfall. The roaring sound of the water was quieted behind the stone wall. The stone passage was lit by several yellow built-in lights along the top of the wall.
I stopped her halfway through the tunnel. I took her other hand, turning her to face me. “This is why I brought you here. When I was young, my dad used to bring me here. He would give me a quarter
and tell me to hide it in the stones. He told me to make a wish, and if the quarter stayed hidden for at least a month, the wish would come true.” I pulled two quarters out of my pocket and handed her one.
“So am I supposed to say the wish out loud, or is it like a birthday wish?”
“Either is fine.”
“I will say it out loud then. I’m so happy to have met someone so wonderful, honest, and handsome. My wish is that I will get to spend a lot more time with him.” She walked a couple of feet away from me and put the quarter up on a stone as high as she could reach. Elle walked back over to me.
“I wish that you will always remember this night no matter what happens.” I placed the quarter between two stones right next to me.
“You definitely got your wish, Nicholas, because I will never forget this, ever.” She took both my hands. “I promise I won’t forget. . . . Okay, let’s go look at the butterflies now.” She led me down the path to the butterfly exhibit.
The rest of the evening was a complete blur. I became so preoccupied with having been recognized that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I could only think about what I was going to tell Cora. The car ride home was quiet.
“Nicholas, are you sure everything is okay?”
“Sorry, still feeling sick.”
“Okay, good. No, I mean, I thought that it was something that I did or said.”
“No, Elle, you didn’t do anything.”
Her dazzling smile appeared. “That’s a relief.” She squeezed my hand.
We pulled into her driveway. I got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her. The nausea I had been feeling was now accompanied by my nerves. This could be the last time I would ever see Elle. We walked up the path to the front door.
“Elle, I just want you to know how much I enjoy being with you. And no matter what happens, I want you to know how much I care for you.”
“Nicholas, I feel the same way.”
Just then the front door opened. Mr. Canan was standing there, arms crossed.
Elle whispered, “Save that thought.” She winked and walked in past her dad.
“Goodnight, Mr. Keller,” he said.
“Goodnight, Mr. Canan,” I said, and he shut the door.
When I got home, Cora was sitting on the couch watching an old black and white movie. “So how was your date?” she asked.
“It was okay.”
“What? Just okay? What went wrong? Was the food at Wendell’s bad or something?”
“No, the food was good, and Elle loved The Krohn Conservatory.”
“Well then, what?”
In the back of my mind I could hear our moving truck’s engine starting up. “Something happened at dinner.”
Cora’s face became serious. “What happened?” she asked.
“I got sick at the restaurant.”
Her face became motherly. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed. I’m sorry you got sick on your date.” She gave me a gentle pat on my back. She followed me upstairs, and I went straight to bed.
EMERGENCY EXIT
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I didn’t sleep well the entire weekend. I didn’t get to see Elle all day Saturday or Sunday because she had relatives in from out of town. She tried to convince her parents to let me come over, but they wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t both her parents—it was just her dad for sure. I couldn’t sneak over to see her at night because two of her cousins were sleeping in her room. The stress from Friday night lingered throughout the rest of the weekend. But no matter how bad it got, I still didn’t tell Cora about what happened at Wendell’s.
When my alarm finally went off Monday morning, I jumped out of bed just like I had the past two mornings and looked out the window to see if anyone was outside. No one was there. No press, no people, nobody. So for now I wouldn’t have to tell Cora, and I could stay here with Elle.
I got onto the bus exhausted from lack of sleep. I just needed to see Elle; then everything would be better. I put my knees up on the seat and put my headphones on to block out all of the sounds around me. I closed my eyes. The bus jostled and bounced. The motion rocked me into a light sleep. A big bump jarred me awake. We had gone over the first speed bump before school. I sat up, pulling my headphones off. I couldn’t open my eyes. I was still so tired. The bus slowed, pulling in between two other parked buses. The door opened. It took me a second to realize that there were people rushing onto the bus, not off the bus, and they weren’t students or teachers.
“Where is he? He’s got to be here!” Several voices shouted. The people storming the bus were carrying all different types of cameras.
“There he is!”
“It’s him!”
There were flashes of light and a lot more shouting. I was stuck in my seat with nowhere to go. They were shouting questions at me.
“Alex, where have you been? Why have you been hiding?” During the questions the lights kept flashing, making it impossible to see. I covered my face from the cameras. The mob had me cornered in my seat. I heard a familiar voice cut through the shouting people from the back of the bus. It was Coach Miller.
“Keller, this way!”
I couldn’t tell where he was exactly, so I fell out of my seat and pushed toward the back of the bus. Coach Miller had the emergency door open.
“Quick, Keller, jump!”
I jumped off the back of the bus. Coach Miller and Coach Hoff were now pushing the door closed on the reporters.
“Run to my office as fast as you can. We will come for you when it’s safe,” Coach Miller shouted.
I turned toward the building, and on cue my muscles tensed and the fire erupted in me. I ran toward the school and everything blurred around me. I had already turned the corner, so nobody could see me running this fast. The back door was propped open waiting for me. I ran in and down the dark corridor, turning into the varsity locker room. The lights were out except for Coach Miller’s office. I slammed the door behind me. I quickly turned off the lights and pulled the shades shut; then I slid down the door onto the floor. My heart was pounding out of my chest. The horrible fire burning in me was out of control. I could feel the fire creeping up my throat, searing it, leaving a bitter taste that made me gag. I scrambled to my knees, trying to control myself. I started searching the desktop for a phone. In my haste, I knocked it off the desk along with a bunch of other items. I felt around on the ground and found the phone. I picked up the receiver.
I dialed our home number, but nothing happened. I kept trying to call, but I wasn’t able to get through. This was the perfect time when a cell phone would have come in handy. Cora’s restrictions were backfiring. I heard voices coming into the locker room. The door began to shake and it swung open. The light turned on, briefly blinding me. It was Coach Miller and Coach Hoff.
“Keller,” Coach Hoff said. “Coach told you to wait in his office, not to go and trash it!”
“I’m sorry. I was searching for the phone in the dark.” Not only had I destroyed his desk, but I had also managed to knock a stack of papers off his filing cabinet along with a couple of football trophies.
“It’s okay. You must come with us now. I already called your mo—” Coach Miller stopped mid-sentence and corrected himself. “I called Cora. Let’s go, son. The reporters are gone.” Coach Miller helped me to my feet.
We walked through the halls, which were empty except for a couple of teachers who looked like they were on guard duty. I entered a conference room near the guidance office. It was empty.
“Keller, please take a seat.”
I sat down on one of the plush black leather chairs that surrounded the large oval table. It had enough chairs for twenty people. I waited for only about thirty seconds, and then a steady parade of people came into the room. Most were dressed in suits and dresses. I recognized a couple of our school’s principals but didn’t know anyone else except for Coach Miller and Coach Hoff. Last through the door was Cora. Her face was col
d, showing no emotion. She was still dressed in the pink and black workout clothing she had been wearing when I left for school. She may have been under-dressed compared to everyone else, but her presence commanded attention. The crowded room became silent.
“Are you okay, Nicholas?” she asked me, turning her back to the crowd.
“Yes, I am. I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“We will talk about this later. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Ms. Keller, my name is Richard Spears. I am the superintendent here at Winsor.” He was not what I would expect a school superintendent to look like. He looked more like a game show host. His hair had at least an entire can of hairspray on it to keep it in place. He had on a suit, but he was wearing a bright orange golf shirt underneath it. “I just want to say what an honor it is to meet you.”
Cora smiled but stayed silent.
“We want you to know that the board and the faculty will do everything in our power to make Alex’s school experience normal. We will do whatever it takes.” Hearing him call me Alex flooded me with anxiety.
“First of all,” Cora said firmly so no one would doubt her authority, “his name is Nicholas, and while I appreciate your offer, there is no need. We will be leaving immediately.”
I stood abruptly. Everyone in the room flinched at my sudden movement. “I would like to have a moment with my—with Cora.”
“Well, of course. Everyone out,” Superintendent Spears ordered. Everyone left the room.
“What is it, Nicholas? Can’t this wait? We can talk about this when we are in the truck.”
“No! Right now, Cora. I have been hiding for the past five years, never allowed to make friends or have relationships. And now I finally have friends and possibly even a girlfriend, and you want me to just run away again. I am not going to give that up. I’m not going to do it! Not right now.”
“Nicholas, I’m trying to protect you. You have to—” Cora’s commanding demeanor was gone.
“No, I don’t have to be protected anymore. The reporters may have been a reason to run when I was younger, but now I am old enough to handle it.”
