Bright Side

by Rose Fresquez

  Andrew walked over to talk to him. Thankfully, the boy’s dad came and dragged him off the field, and Andrew replaced him with a girl.

  The game continued with cheers erupting from parents on the sidelines. “Go Tigers!”

  Their opponents kept scoring and Andrew’s team had not yet scored a single goal.

  “I can’t remember how I'm supposed to kick.” This from a freckle-faced boy with short hair. “Do I kick with my left leg or right?”

  “Either is fine,” Andrew said, dragging a hand through his dampened hair, then waved the boy back. “Now go back and play.”

  His heart raced; he definitely had to rethink his coaching strategy after today’s game.

  “Phil, stop dancing in the middle of the field!” one of the moms yelled after her son.

  The Tigers seemed to know what they were doing, Andrew thought, as more cheers came from the sideline fans. “Goal!”

  “Trey.” Andrew gestured to one of his players, who’d abandoned his station in the middle of the game. “Come on, we need you.” He kept his tone urgent rather than sharp.

  “Trey.” This from the boy’s guardian, who looked like the grandpa. “Put down that darn notebook!”

  “I'm drawing the players, Dad.”

  Andrew just shook his head and stepped to the side, his muscles tense. The final whistle to end the game couldn’t have blown at a better time.

  Andrew's team lost by ten points. The only goal they had was the one the Tigers had accidentally kicked into their net.

  His assistant coach rounded up the parents from both teams to form two rows, joining hands in the middle to make a tunnel. The kids exposed their toothless grins as they went through the tunnel several times.

  Andrew’s heart felt light, seeing his team excited about the tunnel after such a loss. Even if they were just six and seven year olds, a win wouldn’t hurt.

  The Tigers hadn’t played positions, he’d noticed. All the kids chased after the ball and scored as they went.

  Sarah handed out snacks as Andrew wiped sweat from his forehead with his hand. He felt small fingers wrap around one of his legs. Daisy. He looked down at her.

  “Hey,” he said, smiling and patting her back.

  “You’re a very good coach.”

  If only Daisy knew how much he needed that encouragement. “Thank you, sweetheart!”

  He was hoping to have Daisy stick around so she could be his ticket to talk to Bianca today. He had no idea what they’d talk about—anything to bring their relationship out of this awkward state.

  “Can I stay and help you clean up?” Daisy stepped aside, eyes hopeful.

  “I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  “Dex wanted to say thanks!” A feminine voice came from behind, and Andrew turned to acknowledge the woman’s son, giving him a high five.

  The mom wanted to know if they would have practice during spring break.

  “I’ll send an email as soon as I double check the schedule.”

  Sarah all but barged in, interrupting Dex’s mom, leaving the woman no choice but to say goodbye.

  To Andrew’s dismay, Sarah reminded him so much of his ex, Callie. Although he had mixed feelings about Callie, if he ever went back into dating, it was definitely not going to be anyone who reminded him of her.

  “I brought you a Red Bull.” Sarah handed Andrew the canned drink. “Didn't know what you drink, but I got the feeling that you’re an energy drink kind of guy.” She arched her eyebrows at him.

  Andrew winced. “I brought my own drink.” He bent down and retrieved his white thermos from the grass and lifted it to show her. “Thanks, anyway, for your thoughtfulness.”

  He was grateful when two parents interrupted their awkward silence, saving him from trying to figure out what to say to her next.

  “Thanks so much for coaching.” A dad shook his hand and encouraged his son to do the same.

  Another gray-haired woman thanked him and offered suggestions on what Andrew could do to help their team to score a win next time. At least he wasn't the only one who wanted to win.

  He walked to gather the balls from their field, and remembered Daisy’s offer to help. His eyes scanned the bodies around him, and then further, where he saw Bianca’s back from a distance. She was wading through the dispersing crowd and toward the parking lot. She held her daughter’s hand, but Daisy seemed reluctant to follow.

  He’d hoped that today would put an end to their “thing”—he had no idea what else to call whatever vibe he and Bianca had going—and he wanted to show her that he was a normal person she could talk to.

  His jaw twitched at the buzzing thoughts in his mind. Since when did he care about what anybody thought of him? Especially someone who didn’t seem interested in talking to him.

  Since Bianca.

  So it bothered him that there was a barrier between them, and he shouldn’t care, but there was something unknown about Bianca, something he wanted to unravel.

  He needed a new strategy. Two strategies—getting to Bianca, and getting kids to enjoy soccer so that they could win.

  He had a suspicion about why Bianca was shy around him, which would make it more interesting to find out what her reaction would be when he stayed by her side until they had a normal conversation. That would be his next strategy before the next practice and game.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Can we go to the park after we eat?” Daisy asked from the back seat.

  Turning into a neighborhood of mid-income homes that surrounded the school, Bianca scrunched her eyes against the gleaming sun reflecting off the windshield. “I don’t see why not. The weather is nice and the park is just two blocks away from here.”

  She made a curve to the roundabout in a residential neighborhood. Happy sounds came from random driveways as kids hopped out of cars with backpacks strapped on their backs.

  She was almost as thrilled as Daisy about the afternoon. Tuesdays were Bianca’s favorite weekday, the only day she had afternoons off from working at the cafe. Sundays were even better, when she had an entire day off.

  Daisy chatted in the back seat about all sorts of things that had happened at school. “I got to lead the line today when we went to recess,” she enthused. “Two times, Mom! Can you believe it?”

  Bianca stole a glance through the visor and saw Daisy’s beaming eyes. She’d almost forgotten the simple things that made kids happy. Line leader hadn't even occurred to her. “I can’t believe it, honey, I’m so happy for you.”

  She pulled into Burgers and Beyond’s parking lot. Three or four cars were scattered about in nearby spaces.

  All ice cream tasted the same to Bianca, but Daisy believed that Burgers and Beyond had the best ice cream. At least it was only two dollars per cone. She could afford a weekly fast food place for the two of them with the tips she earned from the restaurant job.

  The smell of grilled burgers and onions made Bianca’s stomach growl as they stepped into the fast food restaurant. With no one in line, she took a few minutes to study the menu board.

  “What can I get you?”

  The cashier brushed his shaggy bangs off his forehead.

  Bianca asked the young man to give her a few seconds, then bent to ask Daisy what she wanted to eat.

  Daisy’s voice rose over the soft music in the background. “Can I just have ice cream?”

  Bianca laughed. “No, Sweetie, this is dinner.” Dinner was at two forty-five today, Bianca realized when she glanced at the clock on the wall . “Okay, early dinner. Because there’s just enough leftovers at home for your grandma’s dinner.”

  Most Tuesdays they didn’t eat at home, depending on how she and Daisy spent their afternoon out.

  Daisy slumped her shoulders. “Okay, chicken nuggets, then.”

  Bianca ordered chicken nuggets and a Rainbow ice cream cone with sprinkles for Daisy. She also asked for an empty cup, knowing it would be a while before her daughter polished off her ice cream.

  She or
dered a hamburger and fries for herself, but decided against the ice cream, since she’d already gained back two pounds in one week.

  Two adults and a teen occupied one of the booths by the window. In the far corner booth was a man, perhaps mid-thirties, who was typing on his computer. Bianca and Daisy set their food on one of the center tables with four chairs.

  Daisy sat across from her, and as soon as they prayed for their food, Daisy continued to chat about school. “The teacher asked if we knew what kidnapping was, and Milo said, ‘It means that kids are taking a nap.’” Daisy snickered and Bianca burst out in laughter.

  Daisy kept her up-to-date with all the funny things that happened at school, which made it hard for them to eat their food because they were laughing so hard.

  The mood suddenly shifted when Daisy pointed out, “Mom, there’s Mr. Drew!”

  Bianca’s stomach did a somersault, the way it usually did whenever Andrew’s name came up. Her head made a fast jerk toward the counter, and, sure enough, Andrew was pulling his wallet from his navy cargos.

  “Shh.” Bianca put her finger on her lips to remind Daisy to keep her voice down.

  “I’m going to go and say hi.”

  Bianca shoved several fries in her mouth while shaking her head. She then spoke through her mouthful. “No!”

  Either Daisy didn’t hear her, or she purposefully disobeyed her, and Bianca had suddenly lost her voice to scold her.

  Daisy’s chair scraped the floor when she pushed it back, and her little feet trotted across the tile, leading her to Andrew in no time.

  Bianca would be having a talk with Daisy later about obeying her parents. Had last week’s Sunday school lesson been in vain? Kids!

  She grabbed more fries and bit into her burger, stuffing so much food down her throat that she nearly choked. She picked up her glass and gulped water to force a swallow.

  She kept her eyes glued to her tray, but she couldn’t keep the corners of her eyes from straying to Daisy and Andrew. She tried to ignore the fact that they were chatting as if they were the best of friends. Actually, they were walking toward her.

  She spun in their direction for confirmation, and sure enough, they were heading to her table, Daisy leading the way carrying Andrew’s glass of water, while Andrew followed with a box of food in his hands.

  Oh, boy. Bianca’s heart slammed against her ribs as she reached for her half eaten hamburger. She didn’t know how long she stared at it before Andrew’s deep and confident voice rang loud and clear.

  “Hi, Bianca.” His greeting was casual, as if they greeted each other daily.

  Bianca gave him a cursory glance and nodded. She couldn’t respond because her mouth was too stuffed to speak. She couldn’t find her voice, anyway.

  Andrew set his boxed hamburger and fries on the table, then pulled out a chair next to Daisy, lowering himself to sit.

  Don’t tell me he’s going to eat with us.

  Bianca refused to look at Andrew, but when Daisy said Amen, she assumed that he’d already joined them and had prayed over his food silently.

  She swallowed her mouthful and gulped more water before setting the glass down on the table and barely meeting his gaze.

  “Glad I ran into you.” Andrew leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms casually behind his head. “You guys left in such a hurry on Saturday.”

  “Yeah.” She could tell him that she had things to get done, because she did, but that hadn’t been the reason she’d left.

  It seemed Daisy was her spokesperson as she chimed in. “Mom wouldn't let me say goodbye to you...”

  “Daisy!”Bianca gave her daughter a warning glare and turned her gaze to her plate, where she picked up the hamburger and took another bite. At least she had food to distract her. She chewed faster than she’d ever done, and before she knew it, she’d shoved the last piece of her burger into her mouth and polished off her fries in no time.

  Now that her food was gone, she reached across for one of Daisy’s untouched chicken nuggets, sensing Andrew’s gaze on her.

  He cleared his throat and pushed his fries toward her. “Feel free to help yourself. I don't need the fries, but they came with my hamburger.”

  She should be embarrassed about eating in front of Andrew or anybody else like this, but the food was her only defense against staring at Andrew’s piercing blue eyes.

  Like the weirdo she was, Bianca still reached for the box of fries and grabbed a handful of them without looking at Andrew or Daisy.

  “She’s not hungry,” Daisy blurted. “She eats a lot when she gets nervous.”

  Gosh, this child! How many seven-year-olds embarrassed their moms?

  That confidence proved Daisy was definitely her father’s child, not Bianca’s!

  Silence settled on the table when Andrew bit into his hamburger.

  Bianca stilled, fully burning with heat of some sort. Thank goodness that her somewhat olive skin was not prone to blushing. She gulped her water, and swallowed. “Sorry,” she said, setting the glass down a bit too hard, surprised when it didn’t tumble over for a spill.

  “Well.” Andrew cleared his throat again. “Would it be okay if we take a walk after you're done eating? I wanted to talk to you.”

  Talk? About what? Thinking about talking with Andrew was enough to send her heart into another tailspin.

  “That’s perfect!” Daisy proclaimed, licking at her ice cream. “Mom and I were going to the park after lunch. Want to join us?”

  “Rocky could use a walk. I left him in the car.” Andrew took another bite of his burger and sip of water.

  As soon as he polished off his food, Daisy stood up just as Andrew pulled a napkin from the dispenser to wipe his hands.

  He pushed back his chair and rose. When Bianca let her eyes glance up at him, his gaze was on her, and blue had never felt so warm.

  “Is it okay if I join you on your walk?” he asked, and she bobbed a nod, then pushed back her chair.

  Instead of using a napkin, she brushed her hands over her leggings while Andrew gathered the trash from the table with Daisy’s help.

  MINUTES LATER, ANDREW’S boots crunched on the cement sidewalk at the park, Bianca keeping stride with him on an afternoon stroll.

  Daisy held Rocky’s leash in one hand and a doggie toy in the other hand as she ran to keep up with Rocky’s pace. When she finally caught up with the Dane, she scampered along beside him, almost as tall as the dog.

  They walked past a bench, where an old couple sat staring at the geese on the lake.

  Andrew spoke suddenly, breaking the silence. “I’ve been thinking about you lately.”

  How? She wanted to ask. No way would Andrew think of her, except for her weird behavior—otherwise, he didn’t know that she existed. She ignored her curiosity and kept strolling beside him.

  “Been wondering why you’re afraid of me. Maybe today we can sort out a few things, give proper introductions, and perhaps you’ll find that you don’t have a reason to be scared of me.”

  She was more than afraid, and attracted to him was more accurate, ever since she’d laid eyes on him years ago when she met him on a camping trip that he probably didn't remember.

  “You look at me like I’m going to light a match and set you on fire.”

  That’s exactly it.

  “You have no idea!” The whispered words were meant for her thoughts alone, but had escaped her lips unexpectedly. Her hands flew to her mouth and she got the courage to look at him as their steps slowed.

  He eyed her skeptically, the corners of his mouth forming a smile. “Is that so? Tell me about it.”

  She clutched her handbag, remembered the gum in her purse, and pulled out a piece, crumpling the wrapper and shoving the gum in her mouth. She then offered the rest of the package to Andrew. “Gum?”

  “No, thanks.” he said and went back to the conversation. “I make you nervous.”

  Did he have to blurt that out? “You don’t ... I just...”

 
; She was not about to admit to him that he ignited a fire within her, something she hadn't experienced since her first love, or even ever before. “I’m...” What should she say? Her mind was now blank, and worse when Andrew reached for her hand and held it in his, instantly electrifying her. She had to look down at her clothes to make sure they weren’t on fire, because she felt like her body was burning.

  “You’re not nervous?” he said

  She tried to stare at him, but was afraid to meet his gaze. Her eyes fell down to the sidewalk and she shook her head. “No.”

  “Why can't you look at me for longer than a second? Every time we cross paths, you act like I’ve done something awful...”

  She shrugged and kicked a flimsy branch out of their path. I have a crazy crush on you. “You’re sort of...”

  “Intimidating?”

  Afraid to admit to his suggestion, she chomped the gum in her mouth so hard and fast that she chewed the inside of her cheek.

  Andrew gently guided her to the bench beside the trail as an elderly couple jogged past them. Bianca checked on Daisy‒her daughter seemed safe enough with the Great Dane for protection, even though Rocky was distracted by a squirrel jabbering from the trees.

  “I’m sorry if I made myself appear intimidating,” Andrew said, finally releasing Bianca’s hand. “Here’s the deal. I would like to start by properly introducing myself.” He brushed his hand over his pants before outstretching it to her. “Andrew Buchanan...Drew to family and friends.”

  She swallowed before responding, “Bianca Perez.” She decided not to add Clark. It was her married name, but she was slowly letting it go.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, “Our first meeting didn't go well, with Rocky knocking you over for your hotdog.”

  “Hamburger,” she corrected. That had been last summer at Renee’s engagement party, when the Great Dane had slammed her into the ground. She smiled at the memory.

  “I tried to apologize, but you didn’t respond,” Andrew said.

  “Yeah.” She winced, and chomped her gum. He’d joined her at the table with a hot dog on his plate, and while he was apologizing, she’d ended up eating his hot dog out of anxiety over his proximity. “So I swiped your hot dog. Terrible first impression.”