“Let’s walk to the pier,” Tyler said, placing his hand on my lower back. “Tell me, Lilly, what kind of work do you do?”
“I’m a teacher over at Maplewood Elementary School.”
“Oh,” he groaned. “How in the world do you deal?”
“Deal? What do you mean?” We reached the end of the pier and I sat down at the edge and let my feet dangle off, sitting back far enough so my toes didn’t touch the water. Snakes came out at dusk, (or so I heard), and I wasn’t taking any chances of getting my toes bitten off.
“I mean, how do you handle all those kids? Aren’t most of them noisy, spoiled brats?”
Tyler sat down next to me and leaned back, propping himself up with his hands as he peered over at me. “Brats? No, of course not. I mean, don’t get me wrong, some days, I want to pull my hair out, but it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I love teaching.” His instant aversion to children made me a bit wary. How could he assume they were all brats? It was a personality trait to note for later. I could never be with someone who didn’t love and want children of his own someday. “What about you? Working in a gym, teaching people… women,” I emphasized “Did you want to always be a personal trainer?” Maybe he did or maybe it was to hit on women?
He sat up and looked out across the water. “No, I never intended to work at a gym. Actually, if you can believe it, I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.” Tyler turned toward me, his brow scrunched up in confusion. “I’m only twenty-six, but for some reason, I feel like time is running out on my career options.”
The way he watched me, with his sad brown eyes staring at me, made me feel sorry for my initial analysis of him. I was the one who asked him out first anyway. “Don’t feel like that. It’s never too late to decide how to live your life, whether you’re twenty-six or ninety-six. If you want something bad enough, you should go looking for it. And don’t let anyone tell you can’t do it.”
Tyler smiled and brushed a wisp of my hair from my cheek with his finger. “You even sound like a teacher,” he teased. “Or you’re talking from experience maybe?”
I thought about all those classes I took in college that only wasted my time. I was never interested in half the stuff my father insisted I sign up for. I listened to him for two years, too scared to tell him no. Dad’s last-ditch effort was to get me into law school when my brother died and couldn’t step into his shoes. Once I stood up to him, I was a lost cause. I felt as if he no longer cared for me after the accident. It seemed to be the final straw for him, and more and more, he withdrew from me. “Yeah, I do. My father’s dreams weren’t my dreams and eventually I had to stand up for myself or be miserable and unhappy. It was my life after all, not his.”
“So… is your father okay with you teaching now?”
“Nope. It’s one of the many reasons we hardly talk anymore.”
“And losing your relationship with your father was worth your career choice?” he asked, looking across the water.
“Like I said, it’s my life. I’m an adult and he shouldn’t make my decisions for me anymore. It is what it is.” That was all I wanted to say about my father. He didn’t need to know about my brother and what my family lost when he died. Or that my father lost a son, and soon-to-be business partner, someone he could relive his youth through from when he went through law school. When Jesse died, so did my father’s aspirations. I became responsible for letting all of his hopes and dreams get washed away.
Tyler must have sensed my decision to end the topic because he changed the subject to something simple. “Isn’t it nice out tonight?” he said.
I gazed up at the darkened sky, hardly realizing before that moment how quickly the night had fallen. Autumn was coming and the sun set earlier and earlier every day, even though the temperature tried to remain on the warm side. With a nearly full moon, a glow skimmed across the top of the lake. There were no streetlights to hinder the brightness of the stars or diminish the white of the moon. It was a lovely place. I wondered if Drew had ever come here. I’d have to ask him. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t paint this sky, and the hundreds of stars, making them look like a million dreams on an empty canvas. “Yes, it’s beautiful out here. It’s so serene. I’m sure it will be one of my new favorite places.”
“Is there anywhere else you’d like to go?” Tyler asked as he looked at his watch. “It’s getting late, but we could get ice cream?”
I was surprised to see how fast the night had crept up on us. In the morning, I had plans with Drew and I needed to get up early; but I wasn’t in the mood for doing anything more tonight anyway. Tired from the day, the thoughts of my parents and Jesse left me with feelings of dread and sorrow. I was ready to go home, curl up in my bed, and hope like hell I could see Jesse again when I fell asleep. Even though my dream last night wasn’t real, it was the only way to see him again, and I would take that over not seeing him at all.
“No, actually I think we’d better head back. I have some early morning plans and don’t want to stay up too late.” God, I hoped he didn’t think I sounded like an old lady.
“Of course, I understand. Let’s get you back.” He stood up and extended his hand to help me up. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, disappointment evident in his expression as he tried to force a smile over his lips. I didn’t want him to feel like I didn’t enjoy myself, so I continued to hold his hand as we walked down the pier toward the car. Hopefully, my small sign of affection proved I was still interested in him after this date.
After arriving back at Toni’s Café, Tyler walked me to my car. I leaned my back up against the car door and we made small talk. It seemed like both of us were half listening to the other and half trying to figure out whether the other had a good enough time to brave the question of a second date.
“Since we couldn’t get ice cream tonight, would you like to go some other time?” Tyler asked.
“I would love to. Can I call and let you know when a good time will be? I still have your number.”
“Sure, whenever is good for you should be fine with me. My work schedule is pretty flexible.”
“Great, I’ll call you this week.” I unlocked my car door and turned toward him, “Thanks for dinner and taking me to Imperial Point, I really did have a great time.”
He stepped closer. “I had a great time too, and I hope I can come up with a second date as good as this one. Have a good night, Lilly.” He leaned in slowly, looking from my eyes to my lips before kissing me gently on the cheek.
“Good night, Tyler,” I said before slipping into my car. I was a little disappointed he didn’t go for it and kiss me on the mouth, but also charmed that he wasn’t playing macho-man and forcing a kiss on me that I probably wasn’t ready for yet. Tyler had potential.
Walking up to my apartment, I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted more than a shower and my bed, with a little mindless TV-watching until I drifted off to sleep. When I rounded the corner to my door, an instant smile curved my lips when I saw my coffee cup sitting on the floor in front of my door. I picked it up and smelled the small bouquet of red and purple wild flowers placed inside the cup. A rolled-up note was wedged amongst the flowers and I read it to myself.
Thanks for the company this morning… and for the marshmallows! –Drew.
I couldn’t help smiling as I smelled the sweet flowers again. I didn’t know what it was about Drew, but he kept giving me reasons to smile. And a genuine smile was something lacking in my life for a while.
The early morning hours flew by and I fell into the couch, exhausted. I repositioned the picture frame of Jesse and me on the end table and moved Drew’s mug of flowers to the center of the coffee table. They still gave off a sweet aroma that I knew wouldn’t last much longer, but I kept fresh water in the cup anyway. I spent half the morning scurrying around my apartment: cleaning up, straightening my cluttered counter, dusting the forgotten bookshelves, and picking up the five pairs of shoes I�
�d left here and there around the floor. It didn’t hit me until I woke up and stumbled into the kitchen that my apartment was a mess and I realized Drew was about to see how much of a slob I could be.
I checked my watch and it was ten minutes ‘til ten. He’d be here any second now. Taking a sip of my hot chocolate, I looked around my living room and felt satisfied. The floors were spotless, coffee table and end tables crisp and clean, as if I just picked them up from the showroom floor. If I were smart, I’d try to make more of an effort to tidy up more often, making it less of a chore when it came to times like this.
A reflective, prismatic rainbow flashed across my wall created by the crystal hanging in my window. It was the only thing that decorated my walls. There were no pictures, portraits or landscapes to cover them. Drew had so many beautiful pictures on his walls, it was hard not to feel a nudge of embarrassment that he was about to see my dearth of décor. I checked my watch again and jumped, just as the knock on the door announced he was right on schedule. I patted down my hair as I walked to the door, feeling the need to make a good first impression. It was silly, since in reality, I ruined that the first time we met.
“Hey. How are you?” I said, after opening the door and stepping back. “Come in. Let me grab my stuff.” I turned around and walked to the counter to get my purse.
“I’m great. I hope something good comes out of the places we look at today. The ones I saw last weekend weren’t worth my time.”
I dug through my purse and tried to find my keys, but they weren’t there. “Crap. I can’t find my keys. Let me check my room, I’ll be right back. Have a seat.”
I looked on my nightstand, in the pockets of the outfit from the day before, and the bathroom counter… nothing. I had no idea where the hell I put them. Walking back into the living room, Drew sat in a chair, peering at the picture on the end table.
“Find them?”
“No,” I said, slumping down on the couch across from him. “What do you think my chances are of someone breaking in?”
“I’m sure it will be fine if you leave it unlocked. Do you usually have a lot of company over?”
“No, none.”
He shrugged his shoulders, “It should be fine, I think.”
“I’ll have to risk it.”
Drew glanced at the picture again. “How long ago was this taken? I’d say it looks like a prom picture, without the horrid dress and bad hair.”
“Is that a compliment? You do know that not all prom pictures come out bad, right?”
He laughed, “It was definitely a compliment. Your date was a lucky guy.”
“Ugh, gross. That’s my brother. I don’t want any mental pictures about that.”
“Your brother took you to prom? Why? I mean no offense, but why would he do that?”
I got this question a lot, so I wasn’t surprised when Drew asked it. I shrugged my shoulders. “Truth is… I have no idea. He said it was because he wanted to make sure I had the best prom ever, since I was only a sophomore and he was a senior. It didn’t make any sense to me at the time. I mean, who wants to go to prom with a sophomore in their senior year? Not to mention with his sister? Looking back on it now, I think it was because we were extremely close, like two peas in a pod. He was going away to law school that summer and it would have been a while before we would get to spend time together again. Maybe it was his way of making the little time we had left special. Whatever the reason, it was a great night. We had a blast. I’ll never forget it.”
I picked up the picture frame and stared at my brother and me. Jesse was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder. The weather was perfect that night, and we danced the night away under a tent, filled with a thousand twinkling white lights to match that year’s theme: The Moon and the Stars. His eyes were a darker blue than mine, but the midnight blue suit he wore made them almost appear black. My gown matched his suit and shimmered when the light hit the sequins at the right angle. I remembered giggling when he said I looked like a sapphire gem sparkling under all those lights. His friends treated me like I was part of the crowd, and not the tag-along-sister I sometimes felt when I was around them.
The light touch on my knee pulled me out of my memory. A tear slipped down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away. “Sorry,” I said weakly, setting the frame back in its place.
“Everything okay?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Oh, yeah,” I waved my hand, trying to brush it off like it was no big deal. “Thinking back on that day always gets me emotional.”
“You guys must be really close. Has it been a long time since you’ve seen each other?”
“Yeah,” I said, standing up and walking to the door. “Five years. You ready to go?”
Drew followed behind me. “Five years. Wow, why so long? Is it one of those long-standing family feud things?”
“No,” I glared at him. “He died at the end of the summer after prom in a car accident. Can we go now?”
Drew stood there, speechless, as he stared at me. “Wow, Lilly. I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t mean to—”
I gave him a slight reassuring smile. “It’s okay. It’s not something I usually talk about. Can we go?”
Drew paused for a moment, as if contemplating saying something more, but quickly decided against it. “All right; let’s go,” he said with a smile. “I don’t have to meet anyone; it’s more like open house at these places. So we don’t have to be in any hurry.”
I was grateful he wasn’t trying to push me for more information on Jesse’s death. It always seemed to be what people wanted to talk about once they found out. He opened the door for me and pulled it closed behind me. “Hopefully, I’ll still have furniture and a TV when I get back.”
He grinned and bumped my shoulder with his. “Well, if your TV gets stolen, I’ll let you borrow one of mine. I have an extra beanbag chair you can use too,” he teased.
I laughed as we walked out into the parking lot. “I appreciate the confidence you have in my potentially pilfered property!”
“See? Now you know you can always count on me. I already have your furniture and entertainment ready. I’m here to help.”
“Well, I help too. You did get your mail back, remember?”
“And you got to see two sunrises in one morning,” he countered as he opened the passenger side door of his car.
I sat down in the seat and narrowed my eyes at him. “Hot chocolate and marshmallows?”
Drew crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at me with a raised brow. “Water rescue ring any bells?”
I threw my hands up. “Okay, okay you win! I don’t think I’ll ever beat that. I could have died, you know.”
He shook his head and chuckled before shutting the car door. I watched him walk around the front of the car. Every minute spent with Drew so far had been entertaining. If I wasn’t learning something amazing, we were laughing and joking around with each other. I was pretty sure today was going to be a good day.
We spent the next couple of hours looking at places here and there, but none panned out that were worth talking figures over. Most were in good locations, near the school and the apartment complex, but they were too small. I mentioned to Drew that if it weren’t bigger than the space he had now, it was pointless to even consider. There was no point in spending money on another building when he still had to keep his artwork in the studio or his apartment.
It was a little before lunch when we drove to the lower west end of Fairfield. We should not have ventured there, based on its location. I was often told by my coworkers when I moved in, to stay far away from the west side. Apparently, there was a lot of criminal activity in that neighborhood. Drew drove slowly down Third Avenue so we could locate the building number. Groups of guys and girls gathered on various street corners, acting as if they were only standing around, chatting. They stopped talking and watched us as we drove by, while I pushed the lock button on the door, as if that
would stop any one of them from carjacking us.
He pulled up in front of the address, 5320, but the door was boarded up with a notice tacked on it. It didn’t feel safe to get out of the car and read it, so I grabbed Drew’s arm when he reached for the door handle. “Are you seriously considering this place? I’m not getting out of this car, Drew, and neither are you.”
“Maybe it looks worse than it really is. Let me read the noti—”
Drew looked over my head across the street and I turned to look in the same direction. A car sat next to the curb, raised on cinder blocks, its rims and tires stripped away and the windows busted out. “Hey you!” I heard yelled out from behind our car. I turned around and saw a small group from down the block. “Get us out of here now, Drew,” I said in a firm voice. He threw the car in drive and pressed the gas pedal down to the floor. We drove in silence for about ten minutes before I looked over at him. “Now, I win.”
“Win? At what?”
“You won earlier with the water rescue bit, but I saved your butt from who knows what! Your poor car would have never seen the light of day again! And who knows what they might have done to us? Thank God I came along! There’s no telling what might have happened if you were by yourself.”
“How about we call it even?”
“Only if you buy me lunch after we finish studio-hunting.” I said, holding my hand out to shake on it.
He shook my hand and grinned, “You got yourself a deal.”
Chapter 6
We spent another hour looking at a few other spaces for rent, but none were much bigger than Drew’s apartment. He was nearly convinced to take one of them, but I recommended he at least look at the others before he made a definite decision.
“The next one is right up here,” Drew said as he pointed to a row of brick buildings on the left. “Hopefully, we’ll find something promising in this part of town. I don’t see any jacked-up cars, so I think that’s a good sign,” he said.
Painted Memories Page 5
