“I did it, Mom!” he screamed, with unbridled giddy excitement.
Ethan raised his juice and leaned forward. “To surviving. To doing things that feel normal. To fake dates and nights that make us forget that we have to start all over again in this world tomorrow morning.”
Ainsley cleared her throat, “To midget waiters.”
They toasted, clinking their glasses together.
“Tell me about your best date,” Ethan said as he sipped the juice. He swallowed it down, wishing it were something harder. He’d been inspired by everyone else’s stories and it seemed like a good icebreaker.
Ainsley stared at him. “A real date?”
“Yeah. Tell me I’m doing okay with this…”
“Sure, I mean,” she looked down and tapped her fingers against her glass. “I’ve never really…I had a boyfriend in high school. Do dates with him count?”
“Of course.”
“Glow in the dark mini-golf?”
“That was your best date?” Ethan asked.
“We toilet-papered his ex-girlfriend’s house once. That was fun,” she said with a sly smile.
“So, he was a romantic?” Ethan laughed.
Ainsley laughed; she tilted her head and flashed her wide-mouth, full of white, straight teeth. “He was fine. Nice. Attentive. Even our breakup was boring.” She took a sip of her juice. “I’ve wondered about him…where he was…when the virus hit.”
“New rule,” Ethan said, putting his glass down on the table. “No virus talk.”
“Even your toast—”
Ethan reached out and touched Ainsley’s wrist from across the table. “New rule.”
They watched as Teddy approached the table. “Your dinner is served,” he said and then he turned to Darla and beamed. Teddy ran back to his mom, who handed him white bowls, and the child delivered them, struggling to lift them to the table. Liquid splashed the tablecloth. Ethan bent down and sniffed at the red and brown mixture.
“Excuse me, waiter?” Ethan asked and Teddy stopped and smiled. “What are we having for dinner tonight?”
“MOM!” Teddy yelled to Darla. Then he lowered his voice to a loud whisper, “What are they eating?”
“Taco soup,” Darla answered and she wandered to the table. “Canned tomatoes. Black beans. Kidney beans. Pork and beans. Corn. Taco seasoning. Dinner of champions. Pantry soup. You complaining to the management?” She narrowed her eyes.
“Good sell,” Ainsley said and she dipped her spoon in and brought it back up, watching the red liquid run down the silver.
“Three different kinds of beans. On a date,” Ethan added and he nodded to Darla. “Thanks, Mom.”
She smiled. “Fake date. And hey…the butcher was fresh out of steak. I thought I was being fancy.”
“You’re dismissed,” Ethan said and he waved his hand.
“Jeez,” Darla said under her breath and she rolled her eyes. “The peons and I are going to have our soup inside.”
Ethan turned and watched as everyone crowded inside. Dean stopped to pressed play on an old stereo, which was also hooked up to the generator. One of his dad’s old Frank Sinatra CDs started playing and Ethan smiled softly. He remembered his father playing Sinatra in his den on quiet summer nights; during the rare times he’d allow himself a cigar. Something in the music wiggled into him. The punctuated rhythms of the horns, and the swooping strings, and Old Blue Eye’s lyrics dripping with romance—Ethan didn’t want to be lonely.
He didn’t want the world to feel so empty.
Darla set down a bowl of soup in front of Dean. He bowed toward the warm liquid and inhaled; when he came back up, he was beaming.
“A warm meal,” he said. “Makes the running around for this silly little thing worth it.”
“You’re welcome,” Darla answered. Teddy rushed through, his bowtie askew, heading for the screen door. “Where are you going, young man?” she asked and her child halted in his steps.
“To eat with Ethan,” Teddy answered.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Darla snapped her fingers. “The waiter eats inside. Go on. Get. Leave them alone.” Teddy slumped his shoulders and retreated to the den, where his toys awaited him. Peering out of the dining room window, Darla spied outside, with the shades drawn, she and Dean had a perfect view of the glowing backyard and the young couple slurping their soup and engaging in cheerful banter. Ethan and Ainsley both smiled—an act that seemed rare compared to the duo’s grumpy way through life.
“To be young,” Dean replied, catching Darla’s gaze and turning over his shoulder to look outside. He turned back to her and grinned, “You want a beer with your soup?”
“Cold?” Darla asked with incredulity.
He nodded. “Lukewarm. I hooked the mini-fridge up to the generator and ran an extension cord into the kitchen.” He hopped up and returned a few seconds later with a barely cold beer can.
“Not much of a beer drinker,” Darla started, but she cracked open the top, “but I’ll take it. Thank you.”
“Ethan shouldn’t have all the luxuries tonight, right?” Dean said and he tipped his can against hers.
“I’m impressed,” Darla said, sipping her soup slowly. “You’re a good sport, with all of this.” Someone outside said something funny, and the laughter carried inside. “I figured you to be aloof. You know, withdrawn.”
“Don’t lump me in with your other middle-aged houseguest,” Dean replied and he set his drink down with a smack. “I have no ill-will. Just trying to live, you know? Hoping to reunite with Grant…”
It was the first time Dean had really mentioned his son. She paused, debating about pressing further. She was reassured to hear him say his son’s name. Grant had been a kind kid, in the short time she spent with him, and she’d been fond of him—he was polite, eager to help.
“The morning they took off in the balloon…” Darla started, unsure of herself. She watched Dean’s face, looking for a reason to just shut up and leave it be, but he waited and watched for her to continue. “Didn’t you hear it? The fan?”
“I’m not proud of it,” Dean answered. “I was self-medicating. Look, I thought Grant was dead…first my wife, then my son. I was a mess. And I was afraid, you see. What kind of life is left when everyone you love is gone?”
“None. No blame there.”
“Thinking I lost Grant messed me up. When I saw the balloon…I don’t know,” Dean ran his hand through his hair, and he sighed. “He didn’t come in, you know? Didn’t check. We both thought we were the only ones left. I figured…this is what letting him go feels like. It’s numbing.”
“I can’t imagine losing Teddy,” Darla shuddered. She closed her eyes and the images of Grace, her love, her life, and that moment in the airport when she realized she was losing her forever, danced before her. It didn’t feel like she was gone. It felt like she was away, on vacation. Everything about their lives had been so disrupted it was easy to pretend that in a few short days she and Teddy would pack up, head back to Southern California, and everything would be as it was.
“I had time to prepare for my wife’s death. I can’t decide which is worse…to know or not to know.”
“Does it really matter?” Darla asked him and she pushed her bowl of soup away. She was no longer hungry.
“No,” Dean answered. He tapped his fingers against the can. “No.” He sniffed. “Loss is loss.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Darla replied and she leaned back in the dining room chair. A breeze blew in through the kitchen. The CD Dean had plopped into the player carried a song into them—something soft and romantic, something that didn’t match her feelings. She listened to Teddy in the den, his imagination taking him to far off lands. She couldn’t wait for the next part of Ethan’s evening; she couldn’t wait for something to feel normal.
They ate their soup with occasional lulls in speaking; the music filled in the silences. Then Ethan stopped, mid-bite, and looked up. The twinkle lights in the trees caught Ainsley in a perf
ect glow—her hair falling into her right eye. She looked up and caught his glance, and she slowly she tucked her hair behind her ear and narrowed her eyes.
“You’re staring,” Ainsley replied and she slurped a noisy bite of soup off of her spoon. It was an exaggerated unladylike action. He knew she meant it as a warning. “Seriously. Stop.”
Ethan put his own spoon down. And he blurted before he could help himself, “You’re beautiful.”
“Shut up.”
“No,” Ethan said and he shook his head. “You really are.”
“Beautiful is not a word that boys like you say to girls like me. Unless we’re the only ones around, right?” She took another bite and rolled her eyes.
“Hey now,” Ethan grumbled. He put down his spoon and looked at her. “It’s not like that.” It wasn’t. “And what do you mean boys like me?”
“Boys. Like you. With girlfriends and charm.”
“You think I’m charming?” Ethan asked and he pointed a finger at his own chest. Then he laughed straight up to the sky. “Funny, Ainsley. Real funny.”
“Okay,” she said simply. And then she sat back and looked at him. “I am beginning to feel like this is just some big joke to you.”
Ethan looked crushed. He opened his mouth to say something, but he felt a stab in his stomach and a pain travel across his chest. Buckling over, he slapped his hand over his mid-section and let out an involuntary gasp. Spots traveled into his sight and he tried to blink them away. In an instant, Ainsley was on her feet. She rushed over to him and spun his chair away from the table; kneeling down he put her hand against his forehead.
“You’re hot,” she said.
Ethan raised his head. His skin went clammy and he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. “Shut up,” he said back.
“You are burning up,” she reworded. “You’re the worst patient. You can’t decide if you want to yell at me or hit on me.”
The pain subsided and Ethan slowly sat back up. “Probably just the beans,” he said and he took a deep breath. “Sit down. Finish eating.”
“It could be anything. A heart attack, blockage…”
“Really, I feel better. I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. I should get my mom—”
“No!” Ethan snapped and he grabbed Ainsley’s arm. She looked at him to his hands and he released her. “Please? I want to finish this. I want to enjoy the rest of this night. It matters to me.”
They paused and the music played in the background: The soft undertones of saxophone, the crooner singing smoothly.
“I’m worried about you,” Ainsley said in a soft voice. “Do you see how everyone worked their tails off today to make this happen? That’s because they’re worried too.”
“I thought it was because they believed in true love.”
“Ethan—”
He lowered his head. “The joking is just because…” he paused and looked back up. “How else am I supposed to go on like this? With everyone waiting around for me to die?”
Ainsley didn’t say a word.
“Are you done with dinner?” he asked, changing the subject, and he struggled to sit up. Once he was upright, he took a large breath and gave her an A-okay sign.
She nodded. “Yes. And I’m done with the juice too. Let’s go in. You lay down. Thanks for dinner.” She made a move to leave, but he stopped her.
“That’s not it,” he said. “What a lame date. Music and taco soup.”
She bowed her head and took a deep breath. When she raised her head, her eyes were pleading, worried. “Here’s the thing, Ethan. I like you. I believe in you. And I want you to live, dammit. This scares me. You’re not well.”
Tears welled in Ethan’s eyes. He felt the surge of emotion build in his chest; he hadn’t felt this close to losing it since he first saw Lucy bursting forth through their doors and barreling toward him—her joyous celebration at their reunion marred by his knowledge of what she was about to discover.
“The world is awful. Dark,” Ethan said.
“You’re forgetting the new rule,” Ainsley reminded him with a smile.
“And I just wanted this. For all of us. So we could forget.”
“It’s not fair to forget.”
“What kind of future is this for us?” Ethan asked. He let a tear roll down his cheek, he didn’t care anymore. “What if no one comes?”
“They’ll come for you,” Ainsley said and she patted his shoulder. “Your family won’t desert you.”
“They’ve already deserted me,” he said and his voice rose, and trembled. “I have strangers who have seen me at my worst. It’s not supposed to be like that. You’re not supposed to be alone at the end. You’re supposed to have the people you love.” He wiped at his cheek angrily.
The porch door swung open and closed and Ethan and Ainsley turned and saw Dean standing in the shadows. He was holding a beer can in his hand; he tilted his head back and finished it.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Dean said and he watched as Ethan wiped his eyes. “I was just thinking you guys might be ready for the grand finale?” he asked and he stepped forward into the light.
Ethan said they were. And Ainsley turned and looked at him, her eyes lingering.
Dean walked over to the far part of the King yard—grabbing an extension cord, he unplugged the stereo and plugged in a video projector. The bright blue light from the projector illuminated a white sheet hung on the fence with white clamps. Ethan rolled over to the part of the yard where they had set up the equipment and pointed his finger toward the sheet.
“Dinner and a movie,” he announced with pride.
Ainsley brightened at the thought of a film. “You don’t know what kind of movies I like,” she teased.
“Too bad,” he replied. “This part of the date is for everyone.”
Darla, Teddy, and Joey poured out of the house and Doctor Krause was quickly on their heels. Even Darla had a smile on her face. She clapped Ethan on the shoulder and gave him a little squeeze.
“Nicely done, kiddo,” she said. “Who would’ve thought, huh?”
The group arranged pillows and beanbags, and out from the shadows, Dean and Joey helped bring forward a couch. Together they helped Ethan move from his chair to the sofa, propping his leg up. Ainsley sat down below him. She put her arm up along the side, and Ethan slipped his hand into hers.
She tried to tug away, but he gripped firmer.
“Fake date,” she reminded him. But Ethan ignored her.
Dean stood before the blue screen and cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Whispering Water’s neighborhood showing of Star Wars.”
Teddy jumped up and down, his face beaming with pure excitement. “Oh, it’s real! It’s real!” he said and then he rushed up to Ethan and wrapped his arms around his neck. “Thank you, Uncle Ethan. It’s all I’ve wanted for my whole life.”
Laughing, Ethan unhooked his hand from Ainsley’s and hugged the child back. “I know, Teddy. I picked it just for you.”
The boy beamed with excitement and went back to sit on Darla’s lap. “He picked it just for me,” Teddy whispered.
“Courtesy of our dear James Spencer…who opted out of this evening…but did wander back to Pacific Lake high school to raid the audio-visual equipment,” Dean continued. “We present for you. A movie.”
Everyone cheered.
“I’m here,” a voice called from the back and Spencer ambled over, sitting down with his back against the couch, next to Ainsley. Everyone paused and looked at him and he shrugged. “Come on, I’m not going to turn down a movie.”
Dean hit the play button and the movie began. The familiar music blasted from a set of six-inch speakers.
The opening gave Ethan chills and he motioned for Ainsley to sit up beside him on the couch. She shook her head. He pleaded with his eyes and she relented, snuggling up between Ethan and the arm of the couch; he rested his head against her shoulder, leaning back into her bod
y.
“You did good,” she whispered to him.
“It seemed so unfair for the kid to never watch it.”
“Not just that,” Ainsley said. “The whole night. Thank you. It was a good fake date. You care about us. Really, I mean it. Thank you.”
With his eyes on the screen, Ethan sighed. “Maybe it wasn’t so fake.”
“The truth,” Ainsley replied ominously. “All a ploy to watch a movie. I get it. You could have just asked. Spencer would’ve gone back to the school to get a projector if you had traded him something of value.”
“Wouldn’t bet on it,” Spencer interjected and Ainsley waved him away. “I’m not always in such a generous mood.”
“Private conversation,” she replied.
Ethan shook his head and his hair rubbed against her shoulder. Then he shifted and looked at her. The light of the projector illuminated her eyes—he could almost see the entire movie playing as a reflection. “I’m scared,” he whispered.
She turned to him. Her lower lip in a pout. She brought her hand up and patted his head in a sisterly way. “We’ll take care of you,” she replied. “My mom’s a good doctor…”
“No,” Ethan replied. His eyes were drawn to the movie for a moment and then he looked back up at Ainsley. “I’m scared I’ll never get a chance to really live. To get married. To have kids. To have a future. I don’t care if the world is gone…if we’re the only ones left. It’s not selfish to still want something good—”
He wondered if this is what Grant felt like the night he spent at their house. Feeling, for the first time, like there were things he’d never get to do. It was emotionally draining and he knew he wasn’t handling it well.
“Oh, please, Ethan—”
“I’m serious.”
She shifted and lowered her voice, shooting looks out at the other survivors, who seemed to be enthralled with the film. “Please stop trying to make everything out to be something bigger. The best way to get back to normalcy is to stop comparing what we don’t have anymore. Please. I’m begging you.”
The Virulent Chronicles Box Set Page 65
