by Avery Kirk
Chapter 4: Dave
It was early the next Sunday. Luckily, I hadn’t remembered having any dreams. The guy next door with his lawn mower woke me up this time. I walked downstairs and noticed that the house was empty except for a little note on a torn off corner of a white envelope on the fridge stuck with an ‘I’d rather be fishing’ magnet. It read:
Be back by 11
Grandpa
My Grampa had gone to visit his friend at the rehabilitation center like he did every Sunday morning. I opened the door wall and felt a blast of cold air that stung my face. It was frigid outside. I noticed my Grampa’s quilted shirt hanging on the back of the chair so I tossed it on, crossing my arms to stay warm as I walked out to the dock on the canal.
I stood on the dock’s platform looking out at the canal and down to the lake. The water was a green gray and had an eerie layer of fog on it. Leaves were scattered all over the dock. A tree that sat at the edge of the canal where it opened up to the lake let go of its first few yellow leaves as they gently swooped into the water. As cold as it was, there were still a few fishing boats out on the lake anchored in their favorite spots.
I tightened my crossed arms just slightly to warm up a bit more and heard a faint metallic clinking sound. As I looked around me to see what fell, I felt my toe kick something small. Keys. They must have been in the pocket of the quilted shirt. They were setting on the rusted metal support under the dock boards. I squatted down quickly to try to grab them between the slats before they fell in the water.
I heard a shuffling sound and saw Dave walking over to me. He was chubby with messy and dark hair with a pretty good amount of gray in it. He was wearing jeans that were long on him and a Red Wings jersey. Dave was my next door neighbor. He had Down Syndrome, but I only figured that out a few years ago. My Grandma would just say ‘he’s touched’ when I would ask her as a child what made Dave different. His voice had a hollow sound to it and he usually smelled like soap. I’d known him pretty much my whole life and the entire time the only thing that has changed about him is that his hair got grayer and his parents got meaner. I had no idea how old Dave was and I didn’t care.
“Good morning Melia.” He said to me. He never said the ‘A’.
“Dave, please put some shoes on. It’s too cold.” I replied, a little snotty as I knelt down trying to snatch the keys up without knocking them into the water.
“You didn’t say good morning back.” He stated, waiting.
“I’m sorry. Good morning. I’m just mad and I don’t want you to be cold.” I said, still trying to smash my knuckles between the boards to reach the keys. I began looking around for something I could use to grab them since my hands seemed like they weren’t going to work.
“Why are you so pissed off? What’s wrong?” he asked.
I always made myself give all the detail to Dave, even when I didn’t feel like it. I wanted to be sure he’d understand. “I dropped my keys on the support that holds up the dock and I’m just trying to get them before they fall in the water.” I explained as I broke branches off a twig to try to get a V shape and scoop up the keys by the ring.
I was trying my new twig out when I heard a big splash in the water. I looked around, trying to figure out what it was.
“What was that?” I asked Dave. My back had been to him so I was surprised when I saw him in the freezing water in front of me. He waded over, smiled at me, and ducked under the dock-grabbing my keys for me.
“It was me!” he laughed. “Got your keys Melia.” He held them out in his hand for me to take.
“Dave, get out, please get out! Aren’t you cold?” I said, taking the keys and pulling his water soaked arm over to the ladder.
“No.” he said, shivering as he climbed the ladder and we walked toward the house.
“I’ll be right back” I announced. I bolted into the house and came out with a beach towel that I wrapped around him.
“I made you happier Melia. Didn’t I?” he sang playfully as he held the towel tight.
I giggled. “Yes you did-and thank you. But, please go in your house and take those wet clothes off. It’s important.”
“I will. I’m not stupid. Wanna play cards later?” he asked, looking back at me as he walked toward his door.
“Sure.” I said, still laughing.
“What time?” he said.
“Oh, how about at 1 o’clock I’ll meet you at the deck.” I called.
“OK see you at 1 o’clock then!” he said as he jogged into the house.
I heard his mother shouting at him after he closed the door. I rolled my eyes. Dave’s parents were very old and very mean to him. He always would just wave his hand at them if they yelled at him in front of me. Then he’d smile at me as if to say ‘they don’t bother me.’ I stared at his door for a minute to see if the shouting continued. I was prepared to knock if it did. I didn’t hear anything else for a few minutes so I went inside my house.
I hopped in the shower since I was meeting Kevin and Lanie for coffee at eleven. Lanie told him she wanted to see me; she said it had been too long even though I saw her two months ago at a barbeque. Whatever. I was slightly obsessed with the smell of coffee houses and I like to drink coffee-so I went.
I was single; Kevin had Lanie. He was nuts for her. But, it wasn’t the first time he was nuts for someone. He met Lanie through his cousin, Eddie, who I didn’t like very much. Eddie was a little too into track suits for my taste and he was always adjusting his sleeves. He tugs them down towards his wrists compulsively. I always forget what he’s talking about because I’m so distracted with why he is always tugging. So, I stare at him. He probably thinks I’m rude but I don’t care at all.
Lanie was about my height and had dirty blond hair that was pretty long. She always smelled like some type of fruit. There was something that bothered me about her. She just had a temporary feel to me. I kept waiting for her to tell him something crazy-like she collects apple head dolls or likes to chew firewood.
Part of me thinks that I might have been irritated with her because Kevin is so over the moon for her. I felt like I need to keep him grounded-just in case. He’s so squashy with her that I feel like I should look away when they’re together. He was always prying for why I didn’t like her and I just told him over and over again that I did. Honestly, I liked his last girlfriend more. I was sure I’d like the next one less.
I pulled up to the coffee shop. Kevin was just inside the door, checking his phone. I walked in and the perfect smell of coffee filled my nose immediately. The coffee shop was about half full of people. Hipsters, mostly.
“Hey!” Kevin said.
“Hey, where’s your girl?” I said, tucking my fingers in my back pockets.
“She’s always late.” Kevin smiled, as he slipped his phone into his pocket.
We decided to go ahead and get our coffee so we could sit down before the comfortable seats were taken.
“I’d order for her,” Kevin said to me “but she orders some crazy coffees. They’re almost always off-menu.”
“High maintenance.” I said, joking.
“Tell me about it.” He laughed.
Lanie arrived a few minutes after we sat down at the living room furniture area. Kevin stood up and walked over to give her a quick kiss and hug and paid for her coffee. He came to sit back down while they made her coffee cocktail with about twelve ingredients. She made instant friends with the barista who had a mixture of studs and hoops up her entire ear and a hand-sized Asian symbol tattoo on her neck.
Lanie walked over and sat across from me and her fruit wind was about one and a half seconds behind her. It was so strong it made my coffee taste different. She hugged me and I felt like she was marking her territory by leaving her scent on me. She immediately flung into her happy talk.
“Oh oh oh oh oh!!! I almost forgot!!” She nearly fell off the sofa with this news as she beat her open hand on Kevin’s knee. They shared the sofa and I sat across from them in a cushy chair
.
“What? What?!” Kevin was smiling as he asked, only about 4% annoyed.
Turns out, I was the victim. “Mel, I have the perfect blind date we can go on! You know, I mean, as in the four of us.” She sung the last part. Kevin and I locked eyes for a millisecond. Normally I would expect a rescue but he was too far gone for this girl. He gave me a half smile as if to say ‘you’re on your own’.
I raised my eyebrows and stuffed my mouth with lemon loaf on purpose before replying, “DO you?”
She went on “OH MY GOSH yes. I met him at that nursing conference last Tuesday. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! Anyway, he’s planning to go into pre-med after a couple of years so if it works out, you’ll have yourself a doctor.” She sung the word doctor.
Kevin was amused. “What’s his name?” he said, eyebrows raised.
“Hunter. He’s a little taller than you, brown hair, nice glasses, incredibly cute. He sat next to me at the Positive Change presentation. He was actually a wonderful conversationalist and very funny. Oh, and he’s a vegetarian.” She said.
Kevin and I started cracking up. Lanie complained, “What’s funny? I don’t get it.”
“Come on. His name is Hunter and he’s a vegetarian? Don’t you find that ironic?” I said.
“Oh. Yeah, I guess it is.” She answered. Clearly she didn’t find it funny.
Lanie smiled slightly, a little embarrassed or annoyed, I couldn’t tell which. “Well, anyway, I have his number if you want to do it. I think it would be fun. But the real reason I wanted to talk with you is because I had a momentous idea involving you. Well, and also because I haven’t seen you in so long.” She went on, justifying her request to meet.
“I have a patient-well, he’s not my patient of course but a son of a patient who is a reality TV show producer. He and I got to talking as he was visiting with his elderly father. Evidently, they’re always in the market for the newest reality show and I thought of you! I told him all about you. Told him how you’re gorgeous and a professional carpenter and everything. He was extremely interested.” She said, expectantly.
I pictured this poor guy visiting his dying father in the hospital. I’m sure he would’ve found a bar of soap an interesting topic. He was probably just listening to her to be polite. She was taking care of his father after all. Plus I loathed reality TV.
“Oh. Well, it was nice of you to think of me. I’ll have to think about that.” I said, trying to politely discourage her from ever bringing it up again. I avoided eye contact completely.
“Come on Mel! I would be dying to be on a reality show!” she exclaimed.
“I just don’t get into them, I guess. Plus every female carpenter they have on those reality shows is wearing a tank top like-always. I hate that.” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Well, that’s fine.” She said, pouting slightly. “I see him a couple times a week so if you want to ask him something or want me to get his card, let me know. I’m sure I could ask him if tank tops would be required.” She said, sounding stupid.
“Thanks though.” I said.
We made small talk for a while longer, mostly about Lanie’s great aunt who wanted new cabinets and would I call her. I agreed to call and took her number, although I didn’t feel like it.
Throughout the conversation, Lanie had moved closer to Kevin on the sofa. They were getting a little too squashy for me so I faked a text from Murray and headed out, leaving them to play kissy face with their coffee breath.
I headed home figuring I’d check to see if Dave wanted to play cards a little early.
Chapter 5: Escape
I was running. It was coming after me again. I was always running but I was far too slow. I kept trying to look at my legs to figure out why I ran so slow, but by the time I would see my feet, I forgot why I was looking at them.
I didn’t know what I ran from this time, but I felt the overwhelming urge to stop and find out. A weaker part of me began to argue. No matter; I abruptly came to a stop. The ground was canary yellow and glittered in odd ways that indicated several light sources. The atmosphere was foggy and seemed to echo but I couldn’t hear much of anything. I just knew that if I spoke, it would echo.
Something was coming. It was coming on my left. I felt a scowl move across my face just in case it was something unpleasant, I felt more prepared. I turned to my left to face it.
A pink convertible formed out of nothing and drove up to where I stood. I took a couple steps back and noticed a California plate on the front of the car. A statuesque blond woman in a black and white halter top stared in my direction. She had bouffant hair in a floral handkerchief tied beneath her chin and she wore big sunglasses and dark red lips. Her expression didn’t match her car or her accessories. She was very solemn-concerned almost. She took her sunglasses off to show me her thick, ink-lined upper lash line and I heard loud whispers from all around me. It was distracting. I realized it was her mouth that moved, but I couldn’t understand anything she said. I tried to reply, “I can’t hear you”-but something jumbled came out instead. She held up her hand as if to tell me not to talk. She seemed to understand what I had been saying and repeated herself in the same loud, echoey whisper. I noticed her handkerchief was now affected by a breeze that slowly became stronger. She held her hand on the knot that held it in place and didn’t divert her sincere brown eyes from mine. I was too easily distracted. I noticed a small pink glitter in the air in front of me, floating. I stared at it.
A dream. The ground, the air with glitter. It was my tell; I knew it now-I was dreaming. Now, I was very curious about what this woman wanted to tell me. I crawled on the hood of the car with a great deal of effort. I peered over the windshield.
I clearly said, “I don’t know what you’re saying.” I must have said it in actuality because I felt myself pull hard from the dream for a moment almost to waking. The woman became immediately frustrated. She jammed her sunglasses back on her face and threw the car in reverse. Panic welled in me as I realized I was still on the hood. Why had I gotten up there anyway? I decided that I was going to fly away. I moved from my knees to my feet and pushed off hard. I always flew away if I knew I was dreaming.
Flying in my dreams was not easy. It was a constant struggle for altitude. I’d dip just as quickly as I’d rise. I flew around for a while in this constant pattern of dips and rising.
I woke up with a start and took a minute to clear my head. There was a gentle knock at my door.
“You can come in gramps.” I said, sitting up and running my fingers through my hair.
“You OK, hon?” he said opening the door. “Heard ya talking.” My Grampa was standing in the hall with his coffee cup in hand. He looked cute in his faded royal blue sweatshirt and baggy jeans. His hair was about the same length as his beard and almost entirely gray.
“I’m OK, just a weird dream. Did you have breakfast yet?” I asked him.
“Few hours ago.” He said with a phlegmy laugh and a cough. “I’m headed down for some more coffee though. Gonna tinker in the garage for a bit. Little bit to clean up.” My Grampa was in the habit of waking up at 5am no matter what day of the week it was.
“OK, be down in a few.” I said.
I listened to him walk down the stairs. There was a creak on the seventh step that I was originally planning to fix, but I’d grown to like it. I looked around the room. I hadn’t changed much since I moved in here. My Grampa moved to the smaller room once my Grandma died. He said he didn’t need all the space, but I’d bet it was for more than just that. They had two twin sized beds in here and I left one of them. We brought my full sized bed in and moved my Grampa’s bed to the other room.
The walls were a sunny yellow color and the room was long and narrow. It had three windows with ruffly white curtains. On one of the long walls was an old long dresser and on the short wall was an armoire that I’d made with my Grampa. It was our first project after Grandma died. I tried to carve a finial at the peak, but it looked pr
etty terrible. We decided to say that it added character. On top of the armoire was my Grandma’s jewelry box filled with costume jewelry. She used to let me play with it when I was little. Her clip-on grape earrings were my favorite; I still had them in there. Between the windows were framed drawings of different types of leaves. They looked to have been green at some point but were now a faded gray.
The long dresser was a dark wood grain laminate with black accents and held small framed photos of my Mom and Dad’s wedding, my uncle and aunt’s wedding, and my Grandparents’ wedding to the left of the attached mirror. To the right was a collage frame with pictures of me with my parents and my Grandparents and one of me and Kevin. On the floor to the left, there was an old chest with extra blankets. Before I lived here, I would put things in there all the time because it would smell like my Grandparents’ house after it came out.
I touched my feet to the yellow throw rug next to my bed and stood up. I normally make the bed right when I get up, but I heard the phone ring and my Grampa called up that it was for me. I ran down the stairs and picked up the phone. My Grampa motioned to me that he was going out to the garage and walked out of the doorwall. I nodded to him.
“Hello?”
“Mel?” a woman’s voice said.
“Speaking.” I responded, clearing my throat.
“This is Margaret from Mundo Hermoso Travel. I have a note here to call you for finalization of your travel arrangements next month.”
I froze.
“I’m sorry, you must have the wrong number.” I said, hopefully.
“Well now, let me be sure I have the right person. I’m looking for Amelia E. Harper-preferred name Mel. Is that who I’m speaking with?”
“Yes, but-I don’t have a trip planned next month.” I said, my throat feeling thick.
“Well, this is odd. Let me verify some other things with you if you could just bear with me. Is it possible if someone is surprising you? Oh God I wonder if I wasn’t supposed to call just yet. I hope I didn’t spoil any surprise.”
