“How’s it going?” came a voice, and I smiled and turned.
Sullivan Fletcher.
“Heya, handsome,” I said.
“Hey yourself.”
We smiled stupidly at each other the way only two people who’ve had wall-banging sex can. Oh, yeah. Wall-banging, then nice and slow in bed...and then later on in the kitchen. Medals should’ve been awarded to us both, thank you very much.
He leaned in and kissed me.
“Old people kissing!” Poe said. “Look away, look away!” Audrey laughed.
The other night, he’d come over for dinner at the houseboat, Poe was still at Mom’s for now, though we’d be moving to a house come the end of summer if my offer was accepted. Sully and I had been sitting on the top deck, drinking wine and watching Boomer lick the mint leaves, and I laughed at something Sully said. He leaned forward and clicked his phone. “Got it,” he said.
“Got what?”
“Your laugh. It’s on record now. It’ll go in my best-things file.”
My heart, my ovaries, my everything turned into a puddle of lust. We’d barely made it to the bedroom.
“Hello,” said Amy. She was wearing a T-shirt with a race number pinned to it. Boomer got up to greet her and licked her knee.
“Hey, Amy,” I said. She seemed okay with me dating the father of her child. Then again, she’d moved on long ago.
In fact, Amy wasn’t so bad. She was, I’d found, just a normal person, no longer queen of the Cheetos. Just a mom with two kids, trying to do her best and earn a living. She wasn’t the only one who’d judged people back in the day. Ironic, that the fat girl and the prom queen were now almost friends.
“You running the 10K, or the five?” Sully asked.
“The ten,” she said. “Obviously. It’s only six miles. Are you, Flabby?”
“Sorry, I missed that,” he said.
“I said, ‘Are you, Flabby?’” she repeated in a loud voice, overenunciating.
“Sorry. Didn’t catch that.”
“I said—oh, I get it. You’re joking. He’s joking, Nora. It hardly ever happens, so enjoy it now.”
Sully smiled.
I loved him, of course.
Funny, how easy that could be. When you found the right person, there was no hiding of flaws...there was just trying to do better. There was the comfort of admitting your weaknesses and trying to get past them. The knowledge that no one needed you to be on all the time, always fun, upbeat, attentive... He only needed you to be yourself. The security in knowing someone loved simply being with you.
I’d registered for a sign language class with him and Audrey this fall in Portland. It looked like I’d be needing it.
I squeezed his hand. “I need to get up front with Xiaowen,” I said.
“Good luck,” Sully said.
“See you at the finish,” Amy said. “But I ran in school, so...I might be home by then. Oh, snap!”
I laughed, too.
Xiaowen was the master of ceremonies, being much better with a microphone than most people on earth. She welcomed people, called a few out by name, talked about how everyone could aspire to physical strength and good health and should feel free to work out with her, and only dropped the f-bomb four times.
People loved her (of course), laughing and clapping. In the crowd, I saw Richard Hemmings, the guy from Jitters. Hmm. I had a sneaking suspicion he might be here to see my friend, though she was playing dumb so far.
“Let’s get it started,” Xiaowen sang. “Go far! Be strong! Get your asses moving!” The starter gun went off, and a big cheer went up from the crowd. No more gray...just color everywhere, the blue of the sky and ocean, the flower boxes and planters, the brightly painted doors of Main Street, the riotous mix of T-shirts as we surged forward as one.
All of us, together.
* * *
We raised more than fifteen grand for a health initiative for kids in grades six through twelve. Cooking and nutrition classes, some new equipment for the gym, obesity prevention, all that good stuff. The picnic on the green afterward featured burgers and hot dogs, but also vegetarian burgers, whole-grain buns, salads and fruit. Moderation in all things, as my favorite teacher in med school used to say.
“Is it okay if I sleep over at Audrey’s?” Poe asked me.
“Fine with me if it’s fine with Gran,” I said. My mom said it was.
“Guess I won’t see you tonight,” Sullivan said. “I’ll be making popcorn and watching The Fault in Our Stars.”
“You lucky thing. That’s okay. Xiaowen’s supposed to come over, anyway.”
“That’s right, Sully,” Xiaowen said, punching his arm to get his attention. “And you know how we bitches are. We put each other first, right, Nora?”
“Word,” I said.
“Please stop trying to be cool,” Poe said.
“Sorry,” I said, standing up. I’d cleverly been on setup crew to avoid having to clean up. Six miles was two more than my usual four, and my muscles were starting to cramp up. “I’m heading home to shower and probably nap. See you later, gang. Great job today. I’m proud of everyone.”
“Oh, God, she’s crying again,” Poe said.
“Just got something in my eye, that’s all,” I answered, smiling at her. She patted my shoulder.
As Boomer and I made my way through the crowd, I was a little surprised at how many people I knew, summer folks and locals alike. Amelia, who had donated a large chunk of what we earned, waved, looking like she was at the Derby with a big, beautiful beige hat adorned with a huge ivory bow. I waved back, then bumped right into someone.
Bobby.
“Hello,” he said. Gloria stood behind him, hands on her hips.
Boomer, faithless ho that he was, began wriggling and whining to be acknowledged. “Hey, Boomer,” Bobby said, his voice softening a little.
“What a surprise,” I said.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
He looked constipated, so I knew something was up. Ah, here it was. Gloria gave him a sharp jab in the back.
“Uh, Nora,” he said, “I’m very sorry for misrepresenting you to Gloria.”
“As you should be.” I folded my arms.
He sighed the sigh of a man forced to do something against his will.
“And why did you lie, Robert?” Gloria asked.
Another sigh. “I was trying to make myself more interesting than I actually am.”
“Ooh,” I said in admiration. “Gloria, wow. Well done.”
“Thank you.”
Bobby rolled his eyes.
Hard to believe I once felt so lucky to be with this guy, the self-centered ass. “You’re dating out of your league here, Bobby. Good luck keeping her.”
I started off, then felt a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, too,” Gloria said. “I have a shitty track record with men, and I thought dimwit here was gonna be different, so I was defensive and believed his bullshit.”
“I’m hardly a dimwit,” Bobby grumbled.
“Shut up. Anyway—” Gloria shrugged “—I hope we can... I don’t know. At least work together like we did before.”
“You bet,” I said. “Come on, Boomer.”
There was such a freedom in truly not caring.
I drove home, let Boomer out of the car and watched as he raced into the woods, nose to the ground.