by S. M. Bowles
“Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she tried an encouraging smile, “maybe we will come up with something, or maybe Jake and Brooke will get back together,” she raised her eyebrows optimistically.
I, too, thought that was my only hope but couldn’t imagine being so lucky. “Maybe,” I mumbled.
Kaley must have managed to get her leash off the kitchen table because as soon as Margaret let us in the house I found Kaley stationed in the hallway with it dangling from her mouth. Her tail was wagging and sweeping the floor.
“Well you’re not too demanding, now are you?” I ruffled her ears.
“I’ll start dinner. Come and help me when you’re back.”
The days were getting longer and it was not quite dark yet. It had cooled down somewhat, though, so I remembered my sweatshirt and retrieved it from the car. Kaley was straining on her leash while I pulled it over my head.
“OK, OK, I’m coming.”
Instead of going in our usual direction towards the greenway Kaley started taking me in the opposite direction. She seemed to have some agenda that I wasn’t aware of. She was very excited and there was a happy bounce in her step. I felt like she was tracking something. I didn’t see anything unusual, just a man getting into his car and driving away. As the car pulled from view Kaley gave up whatever quest it was that she was on and turned us around to head back home.
“What was that all about?”
Kaley looked back as if to say “None of your business.”
She stepped off the sidewalk a few paces from our driveway and waited patiently for me to clean up when she was done. The garage was open so I dropped the baggy in the barrel and went inside through the mudroom. Margaret was in her apron chopping up veggies.
“How was your walk?”
“Odd,” I said, “Kaley was tracking something I think. She made me go towards the main road rather than the greenway. I don’t know what she was after but whatever it was she sure was happy about it.”
Margaret looked a little puzzled and somewhat nervous, “It could have been a squirrel or a skunk,” she suggested. “Maybe you shouldn’t let her lead you like that.”
“Maybe. If she’s determined enough, though, I might not have a choice.”
I put her leash on the table and washed up to help Margaret with dinner. “So what’s on the menu for tonight?”
“Pork Tenderloin. I picked one up this afternoon. They don’t always have them but when they do, they sell out fast, so I got it while I could.
She walked me through the rub she intended to use and had me blend the spices for her. While I was working on those she started simmering a glaze that we were going to put on during the last few minutes of baking. Once the tenderloin was in the oven she got the steamer ready and set the timer so we would know when to start the veggies and I took the opportunity to feed Kaley.
Once I was finished I asked Margaret about biking with Charlie. “He is going to let me borrow his brother’s bike and we’re going to take it easy; it’s just to see if I like it, you know?”
“What about a helmet?”
“Oh, I’m sure I can borrow one of those, too.”
“I suppose it’s alright but you have to promise me to wear a helmet and take it easy. Let me know about the times and what not and if it doesn’t interfere with anything else, you can go.”
“Yes!!” I was so happy that something seemed to have gone right that day.
While dinner was cooking I ran upstairs to check my e-mail. Charlie hadn’t forgotten me and I quickly read his hasty e-mail. He was able to go Sunday but only for an hour or so. He wanted to meet at 10:00 am and hoped to be done by 12:00 pm. I wrote him back and asked about a helmet and whether there was anything else I should bring.
He must have been online because a minute or so after I sent my e-mail I got a reply with a list of other things I should do before our ride. Most of it made sense to me and were pretty self-explanatory. Do a little stretching, no loose fitting clothes, he wrote, wear sneakers, bring water, eat a banana, bring gloves if you have them and glasses or sunglasses.
“Eat a banana?” I’ll have to ask him about that, I thought, “Maybe it’s a joke.”
Dinner was just about ready when I got back downstairs. I helped Margaret set the table for us and told her what Charlie had said about riding.
“That should be fine. I can’t think of anything pressing that we need to do.”
We sat down to a nice dinner and as soon as I took the first bite I understood why Margaret chose the pork tenderloin and why they sell out so fast. It was very tasty; the pork was tender and juicy and the glaze added a nice sharp flavor to the meat.
“Another winner,” I said.
Margaret smiled, “I think I have an idea that may take some of the sting out of the Spring Formal. Why don’t you try and get some other couples to join you. I could spring for a limo; maybe even get some of the other parents to pitch in. It’s a win-win situation. It will relieve the parents of the trouble of getting everyone to and from and it will make it seem less like a date between you and Jake.”
I could have just kissed Margaret, “That is an awesome idea! I’ll pitch it to Danielle; she knows everyone and can get the word around. I’m sure we can find another couple or two to go with us.”
After dinner I ran up to my room to tell Dani about Aunt Margaret’s idea. I was really hoping the plan would work out. Margaret was right, with the extra couples it would seem more like a group activity than a date. We would just be a collection of friends spending a fun night out together.
The prospect put me in a much better mood. I tapped out an e-mail to Danielle and one to Charlie as well. I included Margaret’s proposition in my e-mail to each hoping Charlie and his date might consider being one of our other couples. Once I sent the e-mails off I took my shower and got ready for bed.
Margaret was at her desk in the family room when I got back downstairs. It was later than I imagined and I felt a little sleepy so I quickly told her that I e-mailed Danielle and Charlie about the limo and said my goodnight.
Kaley, as always, followed me upstairs and took up a position at the foot of my bed. I switched the light, crawled beneath the covers and fell fast asleep. I dreamt that I was taking Kaley for a walk, just as I had earlier in the night. We walked towards the main road, also just like we had done earlier and she was straining on her leash pulling me towards a car parked along the sidewalk. There was a surreal moment when I realized that I was dreaming and that none of these things were really happening but when I tried to wake myself I couldn’t.
The driver’s door opened and a man stepped out. He turned to face me and I was paralyzed with shocked recognition. I dropped Kaley’s leash and she joyously bounded up to him, “Michael,” I was breathless with the excitement I felt at seeing him. He ruffled Kaley’s ears as she reared up and placed her paws on his chest. All I could do was stand there in trembling disbelief. He smiled and reached out a hand motioning me to come to him. Kaley lay down at his feet as I approached him.
When I was finally standing directly in front of him, Michael wrapped his arms around my shoulders and buried his face in my hair. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his voice sending shivers down my spine. He brushed my hair over my shoulder and bent as though to kiss me on the soft flesh between my neck and collar bone. It was not an ordinary kiss, though; there was a needle sharp pain that caused a sudden delirium to settle over me. I felt an exhilarating sensation that I had nearly forgotten; some phantom tendril of myself and of Michael coiling, stretching and twisting, binding us together.
He took my face in his hands, “Now you will be a part of me forever.”
Kaley suddenly bounded to her feet; she began growling and bristling at something behind me. Michael looked up from my face and I turned to look in the opposite direction. It was Michael but it wasn’t Michael, standing a few hundred yards from where we were. He was holding a dead tree limb and pointing to where we stood.
&n
bsp; “I haven’t forgotten,” he dropped the limb, turned and disappeared into the night.
My heart was racing and Kaley was licking me to wakefulness. My head was throbbing to the same beat as my heart and I felt a blinding pain behind my eyes. I couldn’t focus for a moment and it took several minutes for me to collect myself and accept that I was safe in bed. Once I felt that I was able to I drew myself up and I attempted to make my way to the bathroom. I got as far as my bedroom door and managed to give the knob a turn but the exertion was too much for me through the pain in my head. I blacked out and fell into the hallway. Kaley was hysterical and ran back and forth between me and the stairway several times before rearing up and scratching on Aunt Margaret’s door.
Margaret was upset about being woken and about to admonish Kaley when she saw me.
“Lily,” she screamed. “Lily,” she rushed to where I was laying. “Lily, please,” she was brushing the hair from my face and gently tried to wake me. She listened for my breath and checked my pulse while Kaley helplessly watched.
“Ugh,” I moaned as I started to come to.
“Lily, oh, Lily. Don’t move, not until I know you’re alright. What happened?”
“I’m not sure Aunt Margaret. I was walking Kaley and…”
“Walking Kaley, at this hour?” Margaret was very upset but managed to curb her anger while she waited for a response.
“No, no, it was a dream. I mean, I don’t know, it’s all distorted now.”
“Did you have a bad dream, dear, is that all?”
“Yes, I think I must have. I have a really bad headache and I must have gotten up too fast and, I guess it just hit me.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“Only if I move.”
“Ok, don’t move. Let me see if I have something for migraines. Just rest here for a minute, I’ll be right back.”
Before she went to look for the migraine medicine Margaret got a washcloth and ran it under the cold water for a few seconds. She put it on my forehead and had me close my eyes. Kaley, satisfied that the worst was over scurried toward me and laid down at my side. I smiled thinking how comforting it was to have her beside me and I started to feel drowsy.
It was bright and sunny when I woke. I immediately glanced to my clock and prayed that I hadn’t missed my riding date with Charlie.
“No, there’s still time,” I thought.
I hurried downstairs to eat a quick breakfast. I saw Margaret’s bedroom door was open and knew that she was up already.
“Why didn’t you wake me? Did you forget I am meeting Charlie today?”
“You don’t honestly think you are still going, do you?”
“What do you mean, of course I am, why wouldn’t I?
“After last night?” Margaret raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
“What do you mean after last night? What happened last night? Did I miss something?”
Margaret frowned and studied me for a few seconds. It was obvious that I was completely unaware of anything unusual happening and she was trying to decide whether to talk to me about it or not.
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine, great actually. I can’t remember sleeping so well since…since…well, I can’t remember when.”
“Really?”
“Really. What’s going on Aunt Margaret? Was I sleepwalking or something?”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Nothing, sweetie. Come have something to eat.”
“Charlie said I should have a banana.”
“OK,” clearly Margaret was still guarded about whether or not she was going to let me go riding with Charlie. I couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t let me. I started to think that Margaret had some crazy nightmare about me and was worried about me going.
I tried to sound understanding as I asked, “Did you have a bad dream last night, that I got hurt or something? Is that why you don’t want me to go?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry, I promise you, I will take it easy and be safe. I’m sure Charlie isn’t going to let me do anything too difficult. He’s not like that.”
Just then the phone rang. Margaret answered it, “It’s Charlie,” she handed me the phone.
“Hey Charlie, what’s up?
Charlie told me he got my number from Danielle and that he hoped I didn’t mind. He was worried that it was supposed to rain later and wanted to know how soon before I was ready to leave.
“I was just about to polish off my banana and head out,” I said looking to Margaret for agreement.
She looked undecided for a moment then gave me a little nod. I hung up with Charlie and rushed upstairs to find something to wear. I hastily brushed my teeth and tied my hair back in a ponytail. In less than 5 minutes I was ready to leave. As we pulled out of the driveway I started to feel a little remorseful about bullying Margaret into letting me go. I didn’t know why it was so important that I ride with Charlie that day. I tried an apologetic smile but she was clearly disappointed and the smile she sent back was a weak one.
“I’m sorry Aunt Margaret. If you feel that strongly about my not going, I’ll just tell Charlie something has come up when we get there.”
“No, it’s OK Lily, you try and have some fun. I won’t worry too much.”
She was happy that I had apologized but I could tell that she was still distracted by whatever it is that made her want me to cancel the outing. A handful of minutes later we arrived at the trailhead where I was supposed to meet Charlie. He was already there and waved as we pulled up beside him. He was looking over the two bikes he brought; checking the air pressure in the tires and wiping the chains with some kind of lubricant.
“Hey,” I said as I hopped out.
“Hey, are you ready to ride?”
“You bet.”
“When should I come back,” Aunt Margaret asked.
“No worries; my mom can give her a ride home. We’ll drop her off when we’re done.”
“Are you sure, it’s no trouble for me to come back.”
“Nope, I already worked it out with my mom.”
“OK, do you have a cell phone in case of an emergency?”
Charlie patted a pocket near his shoulder, “Yep, no worries.”
I said goodbye to Margaret and asked Charlie if there was anything I could do. He had me straddle his brother’s bike and told me to put my feet on the pedals while he held me and the bike up. He wanted to adjust the seat so I’d be more comfortable while riding. After I hopped off he loosened some kind of bolt and yanked the seat up a bit. We went through the procedure a few times before he was satisfied.
Then he started explaining the gearing to me and I was a little lost at first but he saw this and said “Don’t worry about your left shifter. Leave it where it is and only use the right. All you have to do is click here to make it easier to pedal, if it gets too easy click this back lever and it will make it harder again. He had me put my hand on the shifter and showed me how to work the levers.
He handed me a helmet and buckled his into place. “Let’s roll,” he said.
It took me a second to get going. The chain was trying to find the right gear after all the clicking I had done during my brief lesson. Once it settled into place I ran through the gears first all the way down then all the way back up and finally back down one or two to where I felt comfortable pedaling. Charlie was coaching me as we went along. The first mile or so was all straight with no inclines so it was a good time for me to practice getting comfortable with the gears.
“Try and keep your cadence steady.”
“My what?” I asked.
“Try to find a rhythm to your pedaling and keep it at a steady pace. When you can’t keep that pace, then you know it is time to shift either up or down.”
“That makes sense,” I thought to myself.
It took a while for me to get used to it. Occasion
ally I clicked the wrong lever thinking it was the right one and either made things too hard or too easy on myself. I lost my cadence and had to work myself back up or back down to it. After about 10 minutes I started to enjoy the ride a little more. I became a little more confident as we went along and even though I knew he was humoring me, I hoped that Charlie was having a good time too.
We went down a hill, up a hill, around a few corners, nothing extreme. As my skills improved Charlie picked up the pace. Each time he did I managed to keep up with him. I started to find that I was shifting automatically and began to wonder what it would be like if I tried the left gears and how they would help or hinder my riding.
I did a little experiment and moved the lever to get to a stronger gear. The change was immediate and though my cadence had slowed down I was actually riding faster without working quite as hard as I was a moment before.
“Ah, ha,” I thought and tried the third gear. We were on a level bit of trail and the same thing happened again; my cadence dropped and though I was not pedaling nearly as fast as I was a moment before I had picked up the pace again.
Charlie was smiling as he realized what I was up to. He egged me on and everything changed. We started riding much more aggressively. He knew the trails well and started telling me when to use the left shifter. There were only three gears on the left and he called out the appropriate number for each part of the trail as he thought I would need them.
“Three,” he called when we were about to level out or go downhill or either one or two when we were approaching a hill or a climb as he called them. He knew I had gotten pretty comfortable with the right shifter and the various gears so he didn’t bother instructing me with those.
I was feeling absolutely exhilarated. As we were racing downhill one time I had a strange sensation of déjà vu. I felt like I had either done that before or something very similar. As our ride continued I admired how Charlie easily climbed the hills while I was struggling and lagging behind. He was whipping through the corners, too but I had to break a lot when we came to a tight turn. Charlie seemed to blow right through them as I tried to figure out how he could keep from skidding off the trail every time he hit a curve.
