by Sarah Hill
Thoughts swirled inside her head as the vision of the woman crying in the man’s arms continued to haunt her. That could be her in a couple hours, hunched over in sorrow. Rylie hadn’t prayed in a long time. Not because she didn’t believe but because she’d lost the habit of it. For the first time in years, she mumbled a small prayer inside her head. ‘Oh, dear God, please protect Del as she lays on that table. Bless the hands of the doctor and those who assist him. Bring Del back to us healthy. Talk to her as she sleeps today and help her to quit smoking.’ A warm tear escaped down her cheek and she wiped it away as she hurried down the hall.
Norm hadn’t made it back by the time she found her way into the waiting room. Rylie tried thumbing through some out of date magazines they had lying around, but nothing kept her attention. She wished she remembered to bring her book with her. The story was getting interesting and it would have helped pass the time.
Tossing her third attempted magazine aside, she looked up at the television and saw Days of Our Lives on the screen. Smiling to herself, she allowed her mind to go back to happier memories. Reminiscing about all the times she and Del sat in front of that tiny black and white television and watched this show. That’s what she called the soap operas she watched. Her stories. She recognized several of the actors and actresses on the screen, though time had changed the appearance of their faces a little. Faces that were once smooth now carried wrinkles. Bright eyes had dimmed and once strong bodies drooped slightly, though they were still all as beautiful as they had been so many years ago. A few even looked as though the years hadn’t touched them much at all. Rylie suspected plastic surgery had a hand in that. There were several faces she didn’t recognize and wondered if Del still watched.
Rylie found herself drawn into the soap as she tried to piece together the characters from the past with newer characters she didn’t know. Some characters she knew had been replaced with different actors and although she knew the names, not all the faces matched the faces she grew up watching. Rylie was musing at the oddity of soap operas when a voice rang out behind her.
“Days of Our Lives. That was Del’s favorite.”
Rylie’s insides froze at the sound of the voice she knew so well. It was unchanged by the years that separated them for so long. She feared this moment since she arrived. Now it was here and she could feel her insides start to come undone. Turning slowly to look over her shoulder, she wished Norm were here, because there in the doorway stood, Maysen Banks.
“Hello, Rylie.”
May 1990
There was only one week left until graduation. Rylie went back and forth on whether to take the scholarship. After her lunch with Maysen alongside the creek, she thought she had made up her mind to go. Now, other thoughts kept passing through her mind. She wasn’t worried about whether their relationship could survive her being away for so long. She knew they could handle that. For some reason, she wasn’t as excited to go now. Something inside her shifted and she no longer felt the need to go to college in New York. It sounded exciting, of course, but it wasn’t necessary and how would she feel once the excitement wore off? In her heart, she knew what she wanted to do. She just needed to find the words to let Maysen know without disappointing him.
As if on cue, Maysen’s head appeared at the bottom of the open treehouse door. “Hey there beautiful! Been waiting long?” he asked, as he stepped into the treehouse and leaned down to kiss her.
“Not long. I came up a little early to work on my story.” She wiggled her notebook in the air and smiled. Patting the large pillow beside her, she said, “Sit down, you look tired.”
Maysen dropped down beside her and exhaled. “Boy am I ever. I think Dad is easing me into what it’s going to feel like when I take over. I never appreciated how much he did around here. I guess in my mind he didn’t do much of anything because he had ranch hands for that.” He smirked at Rylie and said, “I can tell you my ass was wrong. Being the boss means you work harder than anyone else. Dad said, ‘If you aren’t working harder than those who work for you, you don’t deserve to be in charge.’ I have a different kind of respect for him now. He puts me in awe, Rylie.”
“Ranching is definitely hard. Do you still want to do it?”
“Absolutely. I love this life, Rylie. Hard work has never scared me. Spending all this time learning to run the ranch has given me an excitement I never expected to feel. I came into this thinking it was something I had to do to carry on my family’s legacy. I wanted to be a doctor when I was younger, remember that?” he asked, shaking his head and smiling. “Now, I can’t wait to raise a family here and teach my son how to love this life. I’ll get to wake up every morning to smell the deep aromas of freshly turned earth and wildflowers as I take a walk down a dirt road. After a hard day’s work, I’ll get to watch the sun set from atop one of the many hilltops that populate this ranch as it bathes the countryside in it’s beautiful warm golden light. And,” he said, meeting her eyes, he added, “with any luck, I’ll be coming home to the most beautiful girl God ever made.”
“Stop,” she said, blushing as she rolled her eyes.
“It’s the truth. I’ve never seen anything quite as beautiful as the girl sitting in front of me. I’m excited, Rylie. The next four years are going to fly by and when you come home, we’ll start our life together. It won’t be all work for you, I promise. You will be able to write every single day. I’ll make sure of that.”
Rylie looked down at her notebook and said, “About that, Maysen. I’m not going to New York.”
Frowning, Maysen sat up and said, “Yes you are. We’ve settled this. You don’t have to choose, Rylie. You can have it all.” He grabbed her hands, causing her notebook to fall to the treehouse floor. “Listen, I know your scared to go so far away. To a place you don’t know. It’ll be full of strangers and odd things you’ve never seen, but you’re going to be fine. We’ll talk every night.”
Pulling her hands from his she shook her head. “It’s not that, Maysen. I find the unknown to be the exciting part.”
“Then why are you changing your mind?”
“I don’t want to regret wasting a minute of being with you.” Rylie looked up, meeting his blue eyes and said, “I can’t live a day without you and I don’t want to. I don’t want to miss the next four years of your trials and successes. I want to be here with you helping you survive and celebrate them. The excitement I’d find in New York wouldn’t be a good enough substitute to miss a single second with you. Life is too short and I’ve only ever dreamed of being here with you. I don’t want to waste any of our time together. I know what I want.”
“Rylie, you’ve always wanted to go to college.”
“I know and I’ll go to college. Boise State University has a good program and it’s less than two hours away,” she said, feeling excitement going off like fireworks inside of her.
“I don’t understand. This is something you’ve dreamed of and never thought you could have. It’s right in front of you and you’re not going to take it? Rylie, I don’t want you looking back in twenty years and have any regrets. I don’t want any disappointments for either of us.”
“You silly boy, listen to me! I don’t need to leave our little town to see something exciting. Waking up and seeing your handsome face every morning and hopefully raising some children of our own on this big beautiful ranch is all the excitement I need!”
Maysen’s eyes narrowed as he pressed his lips together.
“Listen. I get to say I was accepted into New York University! It’s a thrill to be able to say those words! It means all my hard work paid off, but I don’t need New York University to continue writing.” Rylie looked around the treehouse smiling and said, “I want to be able to tell our kids how their daddy built this treehouse so I had my own special place to write. I want to continue brainstorming and writing. Right here. Not in some loud dormitory where I’ll get no peace.”
“You’re being serious,” Maysen said, his eyebrows raised.
> “Yes, I am,” she said. Standing up and spreading her arms wide, she added, “This right here. This is what I want. You are what I want. There is no comparison to what I already have.”
Jumping up, Maysen wrapped his arms around her. He picked her up and twirled them in circles.
Rylie shrieked with an exhilarating laugh as she wrapped her arms around his neck and planted kisses all over his face.
“Rylie, you have no idea how happy this makes me,” he said, out of breath from the burst of elation. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy for you if wanted to go, but if you have no desire,” he paused, his eyes boring into hers.
“None,” she said, shaking her head. She planted a kiss on his lips, giddy with the happiness that filled her.
“Have you told Mrs. Matthews?”
“Not yet. I’ll talk to her Monday morning. She’s going to be disappointed, but I think she’ll understand it’s my decision and what makes me most happy.”
“She will. You’re her favorite student and she wants to see you happy. I still can’t believe this is real! I get to keep my girl here with me and watch her pursue her dreams right here in Idaho.” Maysen folded his arms across his chest and shook his head at her. “You keep surprising me, Rylie girl.”
“Are you at all disappointed in me?” she asked.
“No, not all. I could never be disappointed in you. No matter what choice you make.”
“That’s such a relief! I was more afraid to tell you than anyone else.”
“What about Del and Norm?”
Grimacing, she nodded and said, “Yeah, that discussion be tough. I don’t want to disappoint them after all they’ve done for me. They gave me eight hundred dollars for graduation! Norm said I would need some money for things the scholarship didn’t cover. Can you believe that?”
“Not hard to believe at all. They love you. You’re still going to college, Rylie. I doubt they’ll be disappointed. They’ll probably be excited to have you stay.”
“I’m hoping they’ll allow me to buy a cheap car with the money they gave me to drive back and forth to Boise. I’ll have to start applying for student loans, too. I’m sure Mrs. Matthews can help me out with that,” she said, as she sat back down amongst the pillows.
“I’m sure she will.” Maysen joined her back on the pillows and pulled her close, kissing her on the neck. “I love you, Rylie Skeet. You’ve made me the happiest guy on earth.”
It was two days before graduation, which was planned for Sunday afternoon on the football field. The last week flew by with yearbook signings and last lunches. Moments of laughter that turned to tears and tonight would be one final goodbye for all the Seniors who were celebrating for the last time at Kevin Motzy’s house. Rylie couldn’t wait to stand around the fire laughing with friends and roasting hot dogs. Who knows, she thought, she may even have a drink.
It was a week of highs and lows. Monday went better than she hoped. Mrs. Matthews gave Rylie a warm hug and told her she wouldn’t decline the scholarship for another couple of weeks in case she changed her mind. Rylie knew she wasn’t changing her mind. She was excited for the future she chose, but she appreciated Mrs. Matthews looking out for her.
Wednesday, during gym class, as most were signing each other’s yearbooks and chatting with friends, Rebecca decided to make one last attempt to tear Rylie down. Standing in the middle of the gym with her yearbook she started laughing hysterically and then loudly read, “I’m not writing a new story, but I’m excited to see what the next chapter holds.” What kind of crap quote is that, Rylie?” she said, rolling her eyes in Rylie’s direction. She was referring to Rylie’s chosen senior quote.
Maysen had stood up from where he sat on the bleachers and yelled down at her. “Rebecca’s just jealous because she knows Rylie’s going places. She has a box full of stories in our treehouse just waiting to be published. All Rebecca’s ever going amount to is a dried-up old maid cleaning toilets at the Motel 6.” The entire gym erupted into laughter causing Rebecca to turn red and run from the gym.
Rylie knew what that kind of humiliation felt like, but had to admit she found a tiny bit of pleasure in seeing one of her tormentors dealt a little piece of their own poison. After the incident, Rebecca avoided them. The only time Rylie had seen her, she was huddled in the corner of the cafeteria with a couple of her friends and Mad Max, her current boyfriend. Max gained this nickname freshman year when he’d gotten angry over an English grade he’d received. He tore his paper up before getting up, kicking the garbage can and walking out of class. He hollered down the hallway about discrimination. He received a suspension for that magnificent display.
When Rylie walked past, Rebecca glared at her and then quickly looked away. She must’ve said something Rylie couldn’t hear, because the rest of the group turned their heads in her direction and stared at her as if she were something disgusting. Rylie just kept walking. A couple more days and she would never have to deal with any of them again.
Rebecca and her group would be at the party tonight, but Rylie was determined to make some good memories with her friends.
Maysen picked her up for the party just before seven. “You look beautiful,” he said, leaning in to kiss her.
“You smell good,” she said, as he put the truck in gear and backed out of the driveway.
Raising his eyebrows, he asked, “Are you excited for your last high school party?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy to say, isn’t it? I don’t feel any different. But, after Sunday a lot will change.”
Maysen nodded as they headed up the gravel road. “We won’t see a lot of faces often after graduation. Those not going to college will either move away or start work and we’ll slowly lose touch. Kinda sad when you think about it.”
“It is, but there will always be those we keep in touch with, like Maddie and Kevin. I’m glad they’re going to the community college with you. It keeps them close by.”
“I wish BSU was closer so we could all go together, but you’ll find all the cool places to hang out in Boise. When we have a free weekend, you’ll have to take us all out on the town,” Maysen said, showing off his dimples.
“That’ll be fun!” she agreed.
“Hey, I was hoping you’d meet me in the treehouse later tonight.”
“You did, did you?” she replied, with a laugh.
“You won’t regret it, I promise. I have a surprise for you.” Taking his eyes off the road he looked over at her and said, “Please, it won’t take long.”
“Okay, but I promised Del I’d be home the next few nights. I think she wants to make sure I make it to graduation.” Rylie laughed as she shook her head and said, “I don’t know if I would have made it this far without their love and support.”
“Their support was definitely an advantage for you, but I’m pretty sure what you gave back to them was bit more valuable.”
Rylie shook her and said, “Oh, no. I could never come close to repaying them for all they’ve done.”
Maysen reached over and squeezed her hand. “Trust me. I’ve known Del and Norm my entire life and what you’ve done for them means more than you could imagine.”
May 1990 ~ Evening
After arriving at Kevin’s house on the night of the party, Rylie and Maysen grabbed a drink and headed out to the fire pit. They found Maddie and Kevin sitting by the fire waiting for everyone to arrive. Kevin had an arm draped lazily around Maddie’s shoulders and a red solo cup in his hand. Raising the cup in the air as they approached, he said, “Welcome scholars!”
“Hey man,” Maysen said, as Kevin stood so they could do their normal chest bump greeting.
Rylie laughed and rolled her eyes as she leaned down and gave her friend a hug. “Well, this is it. Our last high school party.”
“Gosh, Rylie. It’s crazy to think, huh? Not that long ago we thought we’d never go to a party. Now, here we are about to say goodbye to our last one.”
“I know. It’s been fun though, right? S
omething I never expected to ever say back then.”
Maddie giggled and said, “I almost had to drag you to that first party. I thought for sure you were going to back out.”
“I almost did,” Rylie admitted and added, “but I knew how important it was to you and you’re important to me Maddie, so I went.”
“I’m sure you’re glad you did,” Maddie said, winking at her.
“Yes, it was a good night.” Rylie thought back to that night when Maysen told her how he felt for the first time. How he had kissed her and told her she hung the stars in the sky for him. All things she hadn’t realized she wanted to hear. She could still feel the chill of the grass against her skin and remembered how good it smelled lying there with him. It was a peaceful spot and she visited it during multiple parties to just get away for a bit. Smiling, she looked over at the two boys who were shooting the bull and said, “It was a good night for you too, Maddie.”
Maddie followed her gaze and smiled. “Yes, not as good as your night, but it lit the fire of interest for Kevin.” Looking back at Rylie, she said, “Can you imagine how different it would be if Maysen didn’t tell you how he felt?”
“It was a confusing night, but I’m glad it went the way it did and everyone remained friends.”
“I was hoping you and Kevin would get together that night,” Maddie said, laughing.
“Why?” Rylie asked, surprised.
“You know I had a crush on Maysen. I was hoping he would see me the way he saw you.”
“I didn’t know you had a crush on him!” Rylie exclaimed. “You never told me.”
“I figured it was obvious. I thought if you started dating Kevin, then maybe…,” she said. “I’m glad it worked out the way it did of course. I mean, Kevin Motzy, come on!”