by MK Schiller
A shadow fell on us, blocking out the sun. Actually, two shadows.
“Maybe this is the aftermath of his near-death experience when he wiped out,” Tommy said. “Or he might have a concussion. People do weird things with head injuries.”
“Nah, I think he’s smoking Rose’s weed again,” Russ said.
“Is she spiking it with acid these days?” Tommy asked.
“What near-death experience?” Scarlett asked, gripping my bicep tight. She frowned, searching my face. “Are you hurt?”
I pressed my lips to her forehead.
“No, baby, everything’s fine now.”
Russell cleared his throat. “I suggest y’all get up. This is a public beach. We might be natives, but they’ll still kick us out with you two making out rabbit style.”
I scrambled up and held my hand to her.
Taming all the rapid emotions inside me, I took her hand and we walked the path back through the wooded area…the four best friends. We guys put on t-shirts and Scarlett slipped on a strapless green sundress over her suit. God, as much as I loved it, I wanted to rip it off her.
“Quit fucking me with your eyes,” she whispered.
“I’d rather use another part of my body,” I growled, snaking my hand around her waist.
We pulled up to Rose’s house, which looked much bigger than before with an addition over the garage. The addition my dad had built. God, when did that happen?
Instinctively, I knew I lived here, too. This was home. Not trusting myself to speak, I followed them to the courtyard in the back of the house. My stomach grumbled as the delicious smells of barbecue wafted toward me.
“Hiya, champ,” Bob said, handing me a soda. “Good to see you.”
“You, too, Bob.”
But it was the tall man in Bermuda shorts and flip flops, holding a beer in one hand and a spatula in the other, who commanded all my attention.
“Hi, Dad.”
He smiled, knocking his beverage against mine in a toast. “We were just about to call in a search party. How were the waves?”
“Flynn wiped out,” Russell said. “He’s been acting bizzaro ever since.”
Dad peered closer to my face—the concern evident in the gesture. “Are you all right, Jason?”
I was still reeling from seeing my dad, let alone witnessing him in such casual clothes. I didn’t think the man knew what a flip-flop was. But then another reality washed over me. He wore flip flops most days in this strand.
“I’m good…really good.”
“Let me know if that changes. We’ll keep a close eye on you.”
“Uh-huh.”
He smiled, holding up a spatula. “I have to get back to work. We have a lot of hungry people to feed.”
“Flynn?” Scarlett asked.
“Yeah?”
“You planning on letting go of my hand anytime soon? I’m getting a cramp. Plus, I really gotta pee.”
I laughed, pulling her in for another kiss before letting her go.
“You’re very loving today.”
“You’re very easy to love, Miss Scarlett.”
I watched her turn away. The low back of her dress made it easy to count the freckles on her back. I connected those dots in my head. They looked like Pisces. I planned to trace them with my tongue later…just to confirm.
“There you are!” Anna screamed, darting across the lawn. I thanked God for the sight of her because fear had been building that she would be in a wheelchair.
Keith followed her.
Keith!
I’d had a moment of panic on that front, too, wondering if I’d somehow fucked up what they had. I was relieved to see them together. After all, she was his serenity.
“Anna Banana.”
Instead of returning my smile, she punched me in the arm.
“What the hell was that for?”
“Where have you been? You were supposed to go out to catch a few waves, but you’ve been gone for hours.”
I shrugged. “Got held up.”
“With what?”
“With the realization how amazing my life is. Anna, you’re not just my sister. You’re my friend. You probably think I take you for granted, but I promise you I don’t.”
She tilted her head, staring at me with suspicion. “Did you bump your head or something?”
“Or something.”
“Babe,” Keith said, stepping behind her. “Can we just tell them now that everyone is here?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I can’t wait a minute longer, either.” She turned to me. “You and I are going to talk later.”
“Can’t wait.”
Keith jumped up on the table, an odd move for him.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”
Scarlett came back to my side.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“No idea,” I said, snaking my arm around her.
Everyone gathered around him. He pulled Anna up next to him.
“This morning, I thought I was the happiest man in the world when Mr. Flynn gave me permission to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Then I asked her, and she accepted. Now, I might just burst with happiness.”
“Well, don’t. That’s a lot of clean up,” Russell said.
Everyone laughed, including Keith, but not me because I was feeling the exact same way.
“I’m honored to be a part of this wonderful family. You have all accepted this city boy like I am one of your own. You made me feel like a member of this family since the day Anna brought me to your house.”
“That’s because you are a part of this family, son,” my dad said.
Keith held up his wineglass. We all toasted.
I pulled her into an embrace as soon as she stepped off the table. “Congrats, sis.”
“Can I see your ring?” Scarlett asked.
“Hell, yes,” Anna chirped. She reached into her pocket.
Keith stepped beside her, taking it from her. “Allow me.”
Scarlett’s jaw dropped. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Is it too soon to ask you to be my maid of honor, Scar?”
“Um, you already asked me like ten years ago, remember? We made a pact.”
They hugged and jumped around for a few minutes while all us guys sort of scratched our heads.
The two of them together, happy and carefree, was a sight I would never forget. One I would never take for granted, either. Scarlett and I shared a look.
Yeah baby, one day soon. It’ll be you and me.
But I had questions. The memories were fading in and out without rhythm or pattern. I had to make order from the chaos.
I needed Rose.
“Anna, do you know where Aunt Rose is?”
“I think she just went inside.”
“I’ll be back,” I said, kissing Scarlett on the cheek. It wasn’t enough, so I planted a longer kiss on her soft lips, tasting my fill of creamsicle.
“He’s affectionate today,” Anna said.
“I know, right?” Scarlett replied. “But I’m not complaining.”
Get used to it, Sunshine.
Stepping inside, I almost didn’t recognize the room. The floors were gleaming hardwood and the bookcases lining the walls didn’t have kitschy knickknacks. They had photos. Photos of Anna and I growing up. There were a few with my dad and mom, too. Even one with Russ, Tommy, Scarlett, and me wearing matching graduation gowns. They were all proof of a life well-lived.
“Jason?”
I took a step back, almost not recognizing Rose. Her hair had completely silvered, the lines on her face so deep they looked like cracks. A cane propped next to her. I took the seat across from her. The same positions we were in that night so long ago when she offered me shelter from the raging storm of my life.
Her face lit up when she saw me. “Flynn, how are you?”
“Better than I deserve, Aunt Rose.”
Her gaze swept over me. “Is something wrong? You look worried.”<
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“I have some stuff going on in my head I need sorted.”
“What stuff?”
“Memories of things that never were.”
She swallowed, which took a longer time than it should.
“Can I get you something, Aunt Rose? Water, tea…maybe a joint?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “I’m fine. I was wondering if you’d ever remember.” Septimus, the cat, sprung out of nowhere, nestling on Rose’s side.
“Septimus,” I said, petting him. He hissed at me, batting my hand with his paw. I guessed some things never changed.
“His name is Felix now. He’s my cat.”
“That’s great, Rose.”
“What memories do you have?”
“All of them…I think. I’m trying to straighten it all out. It just happened all at once when I wiped out on my surfboard this morning. I lost Scarlett once…and Anna.”
“But you saved them, too.”
“But not Mom.”
She shook her head. “Let me help you as best I can. You’re lucky I’m having a very good day today. My head is clear.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ll get to it. Ask me what you want to know first.”
“What happened?”
“When I went back, I couldn’t do what you asked. But I did tell your mom of my powers again. Of course, she didn’t believe me…stubborn as she was. I kept at it, though. I had some time to make her believe. I started telling her about the fine people you and Anna would turn into. About the strife you’d face. She began to believe I could predict the future until I finally convinced her it was the past. The past we’d all lived once before. I explained to you about how time shifts leave a mark on people. Your mother was more open to it this time. She finally saw the truth of it. I even told her about the choice—how your birth would cause her death. She didn’t even blink on that decision.”
“She sacrificed herself for me.”
“She didn’t consider it a sacrifice.”
No…she didn’t.
“But she did talk to your father. I think she prepared him for a life without her. She insisted y’all move down here. That she wanted her children raised the same way she grew up. You father eventually agreed. After a few months of grumbling, he loved it down here. He runs the diner now.”
“You’re kidding.” Even as I said it, though, I knew it to be true. All the strands converged. I had images of my dad tossing a football to me, making his famous spaghetti dinners, and attending Anna’s ballet recitals.
“He’s not the same man you remember. Before she died, my sister made him swear he’d always be the man she’d fallen in love with and become the best father he could. He never went back on his word to her.”
“I’m not an islander by choice. I was born on this island.”
“Yes.”
“How did Anna meet Keith then?”
Aunt Rose smiled, a twinkle returning to her eye. “You think you’re the only one with a love that’s meant to be?”
The answer came to me. “Anna went to New York when she was eighteen to study dance. She fell in love with Keith when he came to the cast party and skipped over Cinderella’s advances to talk to Anna.”
“She played the part of the ugly stepsister,” Rose finished. “Anna loves telling that story.”
I nodded, clasping my hands together. “It makes sense to me, but…” I almost didn’t want to ask the question—afraid I’d risk losing him again by saying it aloud. “Why is Tommy alive?”
She blinked. “I actually don’t have an answer, but I bet you do. If you clear your mind and give yourself a second to think on it.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. More memories came flooding. I took my time separating them until the answer became clear. “I remember. In the first strand, I was his confidant, but I wasn’t a very good friend to him. I wasn’t there when he needed me. In the second strand, Scarlett was the one he confided in.” I sucked in a deep breath, the pain of his death…all their deaths still tangible. “She tried real hard, but she couldn’t get through to him, either. But in the third strand, we both knew. We took it seriously when he told us he was having a bad day. We listened. We made him get help. Both of us had a strong premonition about it.”
Aunt Rose nodded. “Premonitions are also a sign you’ve been in a time shift. Amazing how a kind word at a crucial time can make all the difference.”
I nodded in agreement. “Rose, I don’t want to be rude, but…”
“You’re wondering why I look so old?”
“Is it because of the shifts?”
“When you go back in time, you still live the years. You age faster as a result. I may look like crap for forty-five, but I look damn good for eighty, don’t you think?”
She laughed as if it was a joke. I tensed with the guilt of what I’d done to her.
“Your mind feels the years, too, doesn’t it? You have dementia.”
She smiled softly. “Yes. A human mind is only capable of holding so many memories. I’ve surpassed my quota.”
“Did you know this would happen?”
“I suspected. I’d been warned by the woman who came to see me of…this side-effect of our gift. I actually had signs of dementia in the last strand, too. Anyway, you won’t have to worry about the same fate. You only have the memories, but you didn’t actually live those years like I did.”
“I’m not worried about that.”
As I said it, I realized what a lie it was. I was selfish and greedy for all the years in the world with Scarlett. Time was all anyone really had in this world. It could not be given, but it sure as hell could be taken.
I rubbed the back of my neck, staring at Rose, who looked content despite the disease I’d forced on her. My mother wasn’t the only one who had made a sacrifice for me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes narrowed, her face growing stern. “Because it was none of your concern.”
“I disagree.”
“It wasn’t your choice to make. It was mine. I chose it without hesitation.” She softened, a reminiscent smile forming. “You have no idea how much I missed my sister. When she married and moved to New York, we drifted apart. To get some time back with her was something I will always cherish. Don’t think I didn’t do this for myself, too.”
“I’m so sorry, Rose.”
“Don’t be. I’m not.”
“Thank you. It’s not enough, but that’s all I can think to say.”
“It’s more than enough.” She clapped her hands, suggesting she wanted to shut the door on the subject.
Bob came in. He wasn’t hunched over anymore. He walked straight and sure. His smile was still all teeth, but it was aimed straight at Rose. “Ready to eat, sweetheart?” He helped her up.
Rose nodded. “I’m starving.” That’s when I noticed the wedding ring on her finger. “Give me a sec, Bobby.”
He turned toward me. “Hey, champ, how’s it going?”
“Best day of my life,” I answered honestly.
He tilted his head but smiled. “Well, glad to hear it. Are you flossing?”
“Um, yeah.”
“Excellent.”
He laid a long kiss on Rose before leaving.
She winked at me. “Like I said, I had some things I wanted to change, too.”
“I’m glad you did.”
She walked over to me and tousled my hair. “I think all the strands are mingling in your head, but they’ll sort themselves out eventually. You fought hard for this life, Jason. Enjoy it.”
“I promise I will.”
Not every man had the answer to the what ifs, but I did.
Chapter Thirty-Five
That night, I held Scarlett close to me as we sat on our rock and watched the waves under a canopy of stars. I almost lost her…twice. But all those lost years were behind us now.
The image of Vance holding the gun pierced my thoughts.
Vance!
“Hey, Angel?”
“Hmmm.”
“Do you know someone named Vance?”
She turned her head in my direction. “Why are you asking about him?”
“Can you answer the question? It’s important to me.”
“Don’t you remember? He came into the diner a few years back asking about a job. You practically kicked him out and told him never to set foot on the island again. Russ and I had no idea what got into you that day. When I asked you about it, you just said you just had a bad feeling about him.”
The tension inside me relaxed as the memory came to me, too. I didn’t know who he was, but I had a bad feeling about him. “Yeah, I remember now.”
She turned back, staring at the horizon. “It’s sad what happened to him.”
“What’s that?”
“I thought I told you. I read it in the paper. He died of a drug overdose a few months ago.”
That’s right, she had.
Angel, you did save his life both figuratively and literally.
“Oh yeah, I remember now.”
“It’s kinda weird, I didn’t know him at all, but I shed a few tears when I read the article.”
I kissed her shoulder. “Not weird to me.”
I had no regrets about Vance, but I did wish the same protective instinct had kicked in when it came to Frank. But I guess they weren’t as fully developed at thirteen. Scarlett had suffered for my lack of intuition.
I hugged her tighter, sending her a silent apology.
“I have to ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
I clenched inwardly at her word choice.
“Do you want to do something else with your life instead of college?”
“Like what?”
“Maybe go to Nashville and be a country music star?”
I tried to act nonchalant in the question. She turned to me, her eyes wide, her mouth gaping, confirming I hadn’t succeeded.
“Why would I want to do that? Are you trying to get rid of me?”
I kissed her hard, hoping my kiss answered her question before my words did. “Not in this lifetime or any other would I want to be without you. But baby, your happiness is important to me. If you wanted Nashville or anything else, we’d figure out a way to make it happen.”
“I’m confused.”
“Look, Scarlett, college was something I wanted to pursue. I’m not sure if I forced you into it. All I’m saying is that if there is something else calling to you, I’ll support you. I’ll go with you. They have colleges in Nashville.”