“Jesus, man,” Gabe said, turning back around. “You heard what Chad said. She went to get a drink.”
I opened my mouth to keep arguing, but knew it was useless.
I showed my hands and shook my head. “You’re all assholes.”
“Finish your story, bro,” Gabe said to Chad.
Just like that, it was as if I didn’t exist.
I walked off the deck and looked around the yard. There were clusters of people in the yard too. The lit ends of cigarettes burning brightly as people took drags, looking like the glow of fireflies in summer.
I wasn’t leaving this party until I found her.
Where the hell was Elena?
* * *
I walked through the yard with no luck.
The only thing that made sense was that she called to tell me she was leaving the party. Or maybe she had already left and needed help. Was she lost? Did she get hurt?
I ran a hand through my hair wondering if she got drunk and tried to drive. To me there was no way Elena would do something that stupid, but after the week she had, I knew she was in pain. And pain had a funny way of sneaking up on you and making you do crazy things.
When I turned to walk along the side of the house and was next to the woods, I heard a noise. A quick and soft noise. Not a groan, but a small cry. I paused and squinted. As my eyes adjusted a little, I saw the silhouette of two people. Against the side of the house.
For a moment, I thought it was two people fooling around.
My gut said otherwise.
I heard the same sound again and I stepped forward to check it out.
Worst case, I’d walk by two people making out and I’d go around to the front of the house.
As I got closer, I heard a drunk voice say, “I’m not kissing you.”
And I knew the voice.
It was Elena’s voice.
“Fuck that,” another voice said. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just us. We’re drunk. Nobody will ever know. You know I’ve always wanted you.”
Trust me, that wasn’t Chad’s voice either.
I started to run, charging with my fists balled up tight.
When I got close enough, I watched as some guy crouched a little so he was at eye level with Elena. Her head bobbed left to right. She was freaking drunk as hell. And some guy was trying to steal a kiss from her?
“Hey,” I growled a second before I slammed my shoulder into the guy.
He flew off his feet and went down to the ground.
Elena slumped right down to the grass with a groaning cry.
I looked at the guy and knew exactly who it was.
“What the fuck, man?” he screamed. “I was helping her out.”
“No, you weren’t,” I said. “Get the fuck out of here. Now.”
I stepped toward him and he kicked back and got to his feet.
He took off, disappearing around to the front of the house.
“Adam?” a weak voice asked.
I dropped down to one knee and reached for Elena’s face. “Hey, sugar. I’m here. It’s me. I got your call. What’s going on?”
She looked at me, tears already falling from her eyes.
“Come on,” I said. “Stand up and walk with me.”
I helped her to her feet. She fell right into me and started to cry. I hugged her tightly, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do now. Wondering how in the hell Chad could be such a loser that he didn’t know what was going on in Elena’s life. Her mother had been kind of back together with her ex. The guy who used to mentally abuse them both. The guy who actually physically abused Elena’s mother more than once.
That’s why Elena was upset. That’s why she got this drunk.
“What happened out here?” I whispered to her.
I started to walk, leading her toward the front of the house. I wanted to take her home with me and keep her safe. But I was torn, figuring she should be with Chad. Since he was her boyfriend after all.
We stopped right where the front porch began.
She broke away from me and fumbled to get a cigarette. She was drunk and shaking so I helped her out. She got a cigarette and I lit it for her.
“I’m so sorry, Adam,” she said.
“For what?” I asked.
“I ruined your night. You don’t want to be here.”
“For you, I do. What was happening…”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I was drinking so much so fast. I went for a walk. Then Eric showed up. He touched my arm and was helping me walk. Until we got to the side of the house.”
“Did he actually kiss you?”
“No,” Elena said. “I wouldn’t let him.”
Her eyes rolled and fluttered open and shut. She had a hard time getting her cigarette into her mouth to take a drag. She was so drunk that if Eric had really wanted…
Anger rose up through my body.
“You’re okay now,” I said.
“I’m not okay,” she said.
“Why?”
She looked at me. “Mom’s with Dan right now. They’re on a fucking date. She’s probably going to bring him back to the house. What if he stays there? Huh? What if he moves in?”
Her eyes went wide with terror.
I never had the privilege of meeting this Dan guy, but the fear that Elena had of him hurt me and pissed me off.
“That won’t happen,” I said.
“You don’t fucking know that. You don’t know Dan. Or the power he has over my mother. Don’t say that.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” I said. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I gently touched her arms. Her left arm was bent as she took another drag of her cigarette. She had no regard as she blew the smoke into my face. I didn’t say a word though. I didn’t care. It was Elena. She could blow cigarette smoke in my face all night. As long as she was safe.
“You should get some water and some food,” I said. “I’ll find Chad and maybe you can crash at his place.”
Elena nodded. Her eyes fluttered again.
I reached for her cigarette and plucked it out of her fingers and dropped it to the ground. I stepped on it, killing it, and she had no idea it had even happened.
I stepped back and Elena grabbed my shirt.
“I love you, Adam,” she said. “I love you so much.”
The words went through me like a shock.
I told myself it was just the booze. She was drunk. She was emotional.
“It’s okay,” I said. “You’re going to be okay.”
“With you, I will. Because I love you, Adam.”
She stumbled forward toward me.
I started to hug her when I saw movement from the corner of my eye.
“What the fuck is this?” Chad’s voice boomed as he turned the corner with his goons.
“I found her,” I said. “She’s drunk, man. She’s upset.”
“What the fuck are you doing with her here?” he asked me.
When I saw Eric standing next to Chad, I pointed. “Ask him. He was trying to grab her. Kiss her. I saved her.”
“Eric wouldn’t do that,” Chad said. “Fuck off, Adam. Nobody wants you here.”
He took Elena by the hand and pulled her away from me. His other hand touched her face. Jealousy raged inside me.
“Come here, baby,” Chad whispered. “You’re okay now, with me.”
Elena started to sob.
“It’s about her mother,” I said to him. “You should ask her. Help her.”
“Go home, asshole,” Eric said.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing here.
And going home would have been the smart thing to do.
I didn’t go home.
* * *
I found Eric out on the porch.
There were a handful of people there, but he wasn’t with Chad and the other guys.
When he saw me, he rolled his eyes. “What do you want, loser?”
“You know what you d
id,” I said. “And you fucking lied about it, man. She’s drunk.”
“Who cares? She won’t remember anyway. Win-win for both of us.”
Eric turned and leaned against the railing.
I grabbed his shoulder with force and pulled him back around.
He took a swing and I was ready for it.
I jumped back and felt the air from the missed punch.
There were gasps behind me and I knew I had my chance.
I punched Eric in the mouth with everything I had. I felt my knuckles pop and I heard a crunching sound come from his mouth. He fell back and almost went over the railing. At the last second, I got a handful of his shirt and pulled him forward and threw him across the porch.
“Don’t ever do that again,” I yelled at him. “Or I’ll fucking finish you off myself. Asshole.”
I spat right on him too.
The rage inside was like nothing I’d ever felt.
My head flashed with the image of him trying to kiss Elena. And on top of that my mind flashed with the image of Chad with Elena right now. Upstairs. In one of those dark bedrooms. Not listening to her. Not helping her. Probably being a jock asshole and taking advantage of her being drunk.
I had done what I came for.
So, I left.
I walked off the porch and was gone.
It took twenty minutes for the car to flash its high beams at me. I was only half a mile from home.
I stopped walking and let the car catch up.
Chad was driving.
Elena was in the passenger seat, curled up, sleeping, wearing Chad’s jacket.
“She okay?” I asked.
“She’s fine,” he said. He curled his lip. “You know why I’m here?”
“Yeah, I know why you’re here.”
I stepped away from the car and stood there.
The back doors opened and out came Eric, Gabe, and Ron.
“You really don’t believe what I saw?” I asked Chad as he sat there.
He reached across the seat and touched Elena’s leg.
He turned his head and stared forward.
And I stood there and let the three others beat the living hell out of me for defending the honor of the girl I loved.
16
The Water Dancing
ADAM
(now)
I grabbed a mug and poured a fresh cup of coffee.
I turned and faced the counter and started to drink. It was black, hot, and kind of bitter.
“You okay, boss man?” Brian asked as he stretched his back after being hunched over the counter for a good hour.
“I’m great,” I said.
“You look tired. Beat up.”
My eyes moved to Joe. “Yeah? When was the last time you looked in a mirror?”
Tony let out a belly laugh and slapped Joe’s back. “Leave the guy alone, Joe. He feeds us. Lets us drink all his coffee. Plus, he’s tired from that beautiful woman he’s got sneaking around town.”
“Sneaking around town?” I asked.
“I don’t think we’ve been introduced yet,” Tony said.
“You have legs,” I said. “And a mouth. Go introduce yourself to her.”
“She only seems to appear when you’re around,” Joe said.
“Same for you three,” I said. “So, what does that imply?”
“You’re a good host,” Brian said.
I laughed. “Yeah, right.”
All three of them were staring at me. Waiting for an answer of some kind.
I put my coffee mug down and my hands flat against the counter.
“You know it’s none of your damn business,” I said.
“Of course it’s not our business,” Joe said. “But last time I remember, your love interests took place between the hours of nine at night and seven the next morning.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Give it up,” Tony said. “This one has his heart. He won’t admit it to us though.”
“That’s a dangerous game,” Brian said. “Women can really mess things up.”
“You’re a relationship expert now?” I asked.
“He’s in a very committed relationship with old coffee and fresh pancakes,” Joe said.
I pointed at Joe. “Now that’s a good one. Elena is an old friend from high school. We grew apart over time and she’s going through something in her life and I’m helping her out. She’s living with Marjorie too. Rented out a room with her.”
“Lucky her,” Tony said. “Marjorie makes the best damn chocolate chip cookies ever.”
“How the hell do you know that?” Joe asked.
“I dug her out of the snow last winter when we got that blizzard. She tried giving me cash and I refused. So, she made me cookies. Hope we get another blizzard so I can shovel her out again.”
“Anyway,” I said, “that’s the story. Are you guys happy now?”
“No,” Brian said. “If we were happy, we wouldn’t be sitting in this crummy diner, talking about stories from the past.”
“As long as you realize that on your own, I can die happy,” I said.
I walked away, shaking my head.
Small town diner life had its moments, that was for sure.
I opened the kitchen door as Shannon came flying toward me, a plate in each hand.
“Watch out,” she barked.
I held the door for her.
“Careful with that one today,” Judy said as she wiped her hands on her apron. “Bad night for her.”
“Bad night?” I asked.
Judy got close. “She got notice she’s getting evicted.”
“What? How?”
“I’m sure you know how eviction works,” Judy said.
“Of course I know how it works. I meant… how… as in…”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess Big Tommy hasn’t been paying child support. So, she’s behind on a few things.”
“Rent?” I asked. “That’s a big thing.”
“I don’t know, Adam. She was out back, smoking and crying. I tried talking to her. But she’s tough. Stubborn.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks for letting me know.”
I walked to the little office and sat down in the squeaky chair. I told myself I was going to take care of the wood panel walls, but in a way, it reminded me of Gwen and Wally too much. Gwen used to sit in this same chair, a cigarette dangling between her lips, eyes looking over the rim of her glasses as she paid bills. Ashes falling to the paperwork, her hand swiping them away, leaving black smears as though it were a signature.
The room still had a slight lingering smell of smoke. Or maybe it was just my memory.
I opened the drop drawer to my desk and looked toward the open door.
I took what I convinced myself was my medicine as my shoulder had been starting to ache again.
Then I took out the diner’s checkbook and dropped it in front of me. I logged onto the bank account online and did some quick mental math before logging out and shutting the computer down.
After writing a check, I stood up. I tucked the check into my pocket and went back to work.
No matter what I did or where I was, my eyes gravitated toward the front door of the diner. Waiting and hoping for Elena to come for a bite to eat.
Face it, I missed her.
I wanted her.
I needed her.
* * *
Tony was the kind of guy that would say, ‘You want a tip? If it looks like rain, bring an umbrella!’.
I watched as Judy cleaned up the counter from Tony, Joe, and Brian, pocketing the tips. They were a pain in the ass trio, but they always took care of those who took care of them. That was one thing about this lake town. Kind of like the way we all chipped in and helped with Charles. Or if Marjorie needed to get shoveled out. It was just a revolving door of help. Not favors. Not stuff you talked about with the hopes of getting a prize or something in return. That was one thing Wally taught me right a
way. I’d seen him give out so many free meals, even to myself. And Gwen would try to keep a balance between being nice and being stupid. The diner had gone through a few rough years too. One time the diner flooded, and Gwen made it known that they were closing up for good.
What happened?
The entire lake town got together and cleaned up the diner for free. Guys like Tony, Joe, and Brian showed up day after day to rebuild any damage to keep the diner running.
That’s just how it worked.
It made me think about Elena.
I’d do anything for her. Anything to make her smile, even for a second. I knew the depths of her heart and the secrets of her mind that nobody else did. I even got the chance to explore her body. At least for a little bit. Not the way I wanted though.
Me falling for her for the hundredth time felt inevitable, but she was still coming off what happened with Chad.
I looked back at the front door and there was no sign of Elena today.
She was probably back in town, showing houses.
She was straddling two different lives. One real. One… well… me.
I walked into the kitchen and bumped shoulders with Chris. He had his earbuds in as he washed the last of the dishes. We came to an agreement that he could not listen to music during business hours. Once the diner closed, he could pop in his earbuds and do his thing.
Out back, I saw Shannon as she smoked and paced, looking through her phone. She didn’t see me. She tucked her phone into her apron and took the last drag of her cigarette before dropping it to the ground and twisting her foot on it. She touched her face and I thought she was going to cry.
“Shannon,” I said.
She jumped and let out a yell. “Christ, Adam. You scared the shit out of me.”
She was suddenly tough girl Shannon now.
Stone faced.
I approached her with caution and smiled. “Rough time?”
“Today? Busy day. Did okay.”
“Not the diner, Shannon.”
“Adam…”
“Judy mentioned things aren’t so great at home.”
“That’s not your business.”
“Big Tommy isn’t paying up?”
“Why would he?” she asked. “He always does this.”
“What about you? Things okay? Financially?”
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