Mountain Manhattan_Mountain Man in the Big City

by Frankie Love

  “Was on a different continent.”

  “Right.”

  I squeeze her hand. I am so fucking proud of the woman she is becoming. “You have to go, Tallie.”

  “You think? You’re not mad?”

  I shake my head. “Mom would be so proud of you. She always wanted to see the world and you… you’re making her dream come true, Tals.”

  My heart beats hard for her possibilities. For the opportunity, she is choosing for herself. We’re both in tears by then and I pull her into a hug.

  And I should feel scared, to be letting her go, but I’m not.

  More than anything, I’m proud of seeing my little sister spread her wings, of taking off. Watching her fly.

  Now if only I could figure out how to break free of my cocoon.

  34

  Ford

  She may have walked out of my life twice, but I saw something different in her eyes this morning.

  She didn’t want to go.

  She wanted to stay. With me.

  And maybe she’s just coming to terms with what she wants and I will give her that if that’s what she needs. But I will give her something else too.

  A promise.

  At the park, I explain to my crew what I need to do to finish the project.

  “You sure, boss? I thought we wrapped up the actual welding last week, and were just securing everything and making sure the mounting of everything is in place?”

  That was the plan, but I know what I need to do to make this perfect. The cameras are all gone until the unveiling and I’m glad. I want to do this part without any eyes on me.

  The sculpture is not at all what I originally anticipated. It has grown into something more massive than any piece I have ever done. Instead of a singular unit, I have hundreds of pieces working together to give a visual that I know the mayor is going to love.

  He asked for a piece representing GROWTH and if I’ve done anything in the last two months, it’s that.

  I came here with such a closed-off heart, and now? I’m fucking putting it all on the line.

  When Mayor Gustavo first pitched the concept, I thought there was no way I could possibly pull it off.

  Then I met Mia, and everything changed.

  I changed.

  I poured concrete in a pathway around the circumference of the sculpture park, about one hundred circular feet, and out of the sidewalk, there are metalworked trees, vines, flora, and fauna all growing through the cracks that I intentionally added.

  A concrete jungle, literally.

  It symbolizes Manhattan being the place in which all people can flourish, just as the mayor suggested.

  I work around the clock, wanting it to be perfect. I’m down to the wire, I realize that. My crew comes and goes, cleaning up the job site, but I’m still soldering pieces of metal together, wanting to take her breath away.

  Her.

  Mia.

  It was her, since the moment we met. And it’s time she knows.

  “You’re gonna kill yourself,” my foreman says, but I shrug him off.

  There is a method to my madness. If I stop now I’ll lose my momentum.

  Finally, I see the piece taking its final form. My hands are calloused—fucking worked to the bone—but an honest day’s work has never been something I shy away from.

  I’m avoiding Mia, intentionally. I don’t want to talk to her until I have something real to say.

  To offer.

  But I find Tallie and Matty outside the hotel and drag them to a coffee shop around the corner.

  “What’s this about?” Tallie asks.

  “Mia, duh,” Matty says, asking the barista for a cappuccino.

  “Hey, no way buddy. You can’t have coffee,” I say. “Get the kid a hot chocolate.”

  Tallie smugly takes her drink from the counter.

  “Tallie gets one,” Matty groans.

  “That’s because I’m going to Paris next month. I need to practice being French.”

  “You’re going to Paris?” I frown, taking my drip coffee from the bar, and we head to a small table in the far corner, so no one can see us. Specifically, Mia.

  Tallie explains her study abroad program and how the recommendation I wrote for her helped.

  “And Mia wasn’t mad?”

  Tallie smiles. “No, she said she was proud of me. That I was being really brave.”

  “And then they cried for like three days straight,” Matty says with an eye roll.

  “Wow, that’s big,” I say, thinking about how this news fits into what I want to ask Mia myself.

  “Well, she’s still stuck with me,” Matty says. “But maybe she’ll be so busy with her new job I’ll get to be home alone a bunch and play video games.”

  “You’d love that way too much,” Tallie snorts. “So, Ford, what’s this secret meeting about?”

  “It’s not a secret,” I bristle.

  “We’re basically hiding in the corner. It’s secret,” Matty says. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re moving back to your mountain soon. Although, I’ll never ever see you again, at least according to Mia, so I’m glad we’re here. Just —why?”

  His comments catch me off guard. What has Mia been saying about me? I want to ask for details, but know I need to keep on track.

  “Okay, I need you to get Mia to the unveiling of the sculpture tomorrow. It’s important.”

  Matty shakes his head. “I don’t know. She has tomorrow off and she’s spending all day looking for an apartment. I know because I begged her to let me stay home but she said I had to come.”

  Tallie, though, asks why she needs to be there.

  “Well, uh. I wanted to show her what I made.”

  “That’s it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean… I thought you and she would eventually figure things out, but after the unveiling you’re leaving. Right?”

  “Technically, yeah. My work will be done.”

  “Oh.” Tallie swallows. “Then I don’t know. I don’t want to see my sister even sadder than she already is.”

  I lift an eyebrow. “She’s sad?”

  “Heartbroken,” Matty says. “I think that’s the official word.”

  Tallie elbows her brother. “Sorry about him. He’s still learning about discretion.”

  “So, can you help me?” I know I’m pleading with them, but I need her there. My parents and the mayor and the television crews. “This sculpture is for her.”

  Tallie’s eyes widen. “You really love our big sis, don’t you?”

  I nod. “Yeah, now I just need to convince her to give me another chance.”

  Matty grins. “We’ll get her there under one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We can have one more Nerf fight before you leave.”

  “Promise,” I say, knowing if I get my way, we can have Nerf fights for the rest of our lives.

  35

  Mia

  I’m wearing a simple dress and sandals. My hair is loose—but washed and blown dry—and I have my signature red lipstick on. We’re apartment hunting today and I need to look as professional and responsible as possible.

  We’re getting a place today, no matter what.

  The hotel is closing in five days. To say I’m down to the wire is an understatement.

  As sad as I am to have Tallie gone next year, it gives me a lot more flexibility in terms of places to live. A one bedroom will work fine. Matty can have his space and I can take up shop in the living room like we’re doing now. Like my mom did her entire life.

  “Come on, Matty. We’re gonna be late.” I’m finishing my coffee and Tallie is putting bread in the toaster. We’ve planned a family day and while it’s a little intimidating to look for a place, I’m glad to have my brother and sister with me.

  “You look really nice,” Tallie tells me.

  I smile, her fashion compliments are few and far between, so I soak it up. “Thanks. Means a lot coming f
rom you.”

  She laughs, grabbing her toast as it pops up. “Usually you look like—”

  I cut her off. “Let’s not finish that sentence.”

  Matty comes in, with a ball cap not-so-discreetly covering his unbrushed hair.

  “You’re killing me, smalls,” I say as Tallie hands him a piece of toast. It’s a group effort for sure and I wonder what it will be like next year without our third wheel.

  “Don’t get sappy,” Tallie says.

  “I’m not.”

  You are, I see it in your eyes. Those are sappy eyes.”

  “I know. It’s just…” I sigh, looking around the apartment. “It’s been our home forever.” We all take a moment to look around. Walls that hung our school work, a kitchen that held so many conversations. It knows all our secret dreams and fears, and a living room where we could put our feet and relax as a family.

  “You think we can find an apartment with a yard?” Matty asks.

  I cringe. “That doesn’t exist in the city, you know that.”

  “Well, we’ve gotta get going. Apartments to see and plans to make. Come on, come on,” Tallie says, corralling us out of the hotel.

  “Since when were you the one steering the boat?” I ask, laughing as the three of us walk toward the subway. I make sure everyone is walking close to me. Ever since the mugging, I have felt extra cautious. And even though know my attacker is behind bars, it is still unnerving to know that there are people like him out in the world.

  She shrugs. “I’m just anxious. I want to see everyone settled. Everyone happy.”

  “And she wants you to get to Central Park by ten,” Matty says.

  “What?” I scowl. “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing,” Tallie says breezily. “Nothing at all. Isn’t the first apartment showing at eight-thirty? We need to get a move on! These places go fast!”

  “Hold up,” I say. “What is Matty talking about?” I pull them both around to face me.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Tallie says. “We don’t actually know.”

  “Ford has a surprise, that’s all we know. A surprise for you.”

  I blanch. “Really?”

  Tallie and Matty exchange a conspiratorial look. “We suck at this mission,” Matty says finally.

  Tallie scowls. “What do you mean we?” Then she shrugs. “And we don’t suck, we’re just… changing it a bit.” She grabs my hands. “Ford wants you there. We want you there. I don’t know what will come of it, but you know you want him and we know he wants you.”

  “I can’t—”

  She cuts me off. “Stop thinking what you can’t do and start believing that you can.”

  “Being with him caused Matty to get hurt. And I can’t let that happen again. It’s a distraction.”

  “That logic is flawed, and you know it.”

  “I know,” I admit. Soul-searching’s been the way I’ve been passing time and at the heart of things, I know she’s right. “It’s an excuse.”

  “What if you didn’t need an excuse?” Tallie asks.

  I shake my head. “What if he breaks my heart?”

  “What if he doesn’t?”

  I pull in my lips, raise my eyes to the sky, knowing deep down, that I want to try. To give it a chance. More than a chance. I want to give Ford my heart.

  “When is the unveiling?” I ask.

  Matty beams. “In ninety minutes.”

  “Okay,” I say, shocking even myself. “One apartment, then let’s go see what this surprise is all about.”

  36

  Mia

  The apartment was fine. Nothing special and it was totally out of the way. Matty would have to change schools, but we could make it work. I mean, we’d need to replace all the locks because it’s a teeny bit sketchy, and we’d need new carpeting and we’d have to figure out the issue with the rust stain in the kitchen ceiling, but those are details.

  Minor details.

  And yet I didn’t give the landlord a deposit. I was holding out hope for a better place, and we still have a list to go through this afternoon. Still, worst case scenario, we won’t be homeless come next week.

  As we near the entrance to Central Park closest to the sculpture, my stomach rolls with nerves. It’s been days since I saw Ford. Since I walked away from him for the second time.

  But I know he saw something in my eyes that morning. He saw that I wanted him but was scared.

  There is a large crowd, along with vans from a local television station and a crew. A stage has been set up and I see the mayor there already, waving to people.

  I scan the crowd, looking for Ford, but don’t see him. The sculpture is covered with massive tarps. I feel anxious. I want to see it already.

  “There he is,” Matty says.

  My gaze follows his finger and I see him up on the stage.

  He’s not in a suit and I can’t help but smile. I’m sure the mayor wishes he were a little more polished for the photos, but I love seeing that Ford hasn’t let Manhattan change him into something he isn’t. He is a mountain man in the big city, through and through.

  “To the good people of New York,” Mayor Gustavo booms into the microphone. “It is with great honor and respect that I introduce you to the artist who not only saved the life of my son but has brought a permanent piece of art to our great park. Ford Thatcher, will you share with us your inspiration?”

  Ford nods and steps up to the mic. He scans the crowd, and I hope that it’s me he is looking for

  Tallie squeezes my hand and Matty pushes through the crowds so we can be closer. Normally I’d reprimand him for being rude, but right now all I care about is being closer to Ford.

  We get to the front of the crowd, and when Ford sees me, a huge smile breaks out across his face. He was looking for me, wanted to see me. Wants me here.

  “First of all, I’d like to thank my parents for being here today. It means so much to have them here for this moment.”

  I look over the crowd and see a couple, waving warmly at their son. His parents are here? I smile, wondering just how he managed to repair what was so broken. He mentioned working things out with them but seeing that before my very eyes makes my heart swell with emotion.

  Ford is not all talk. He takes it to the proving grounds, repeatedly.

  He clears his throat and continues his speech, “When I came to this city eight weeks ago, I struggled with seeing the beauty of it. It’s so different from the sleepy mountain where I live and work. Then I met Mia. A woman who has grown up in this city and calls it home. She showed me this place through a different lens.”

  Ford turns to the mayor who stands beside his son Luke and smiles. “I know we met under unfortunate circumstances, but I’m so glad I was invited for this project. It has changed my life, this city. The truth is, everybody has a place that—when they finally find it—allows them to leave their cocoon and spread their wings and fly. And since coming here, I’ve found mine.”

  Ford runs a hand over his beard, looking straight at me.

  Ford walks off the stage, and heads toward the sculpture, speaking into the microphone attached to his shirt. He pulls one of the tarps off, and a crew quickly removes the other coverings. “This is a concrete jungle, but it is alive, flourishing, and full of growth. Growth, just like Mayor Gustavo asked me to embody with this work.”

  The crowd begins to clap, taking in the details of the massive piece. It is incredible, so many hundreds of metalwork pieces working together to create a lush jungle, right here in the heart of the city.

  “And that is why I designed the sculpture the way I did. Though at first, I viewed Manhattan as a cramped, suppressive city; the people who love it see it differently. It’s a place where you can be the person you were meant to be. And this butterfly,” Ford continues, “is the pièce de résistance. The crowning jewel.”

  Tears fill my eyes as I notice the beautiful Monarch sitting in the center of the sculpture, and the cracked open cocoon hanging on a metal
worked branch beside it. The wingspan is impressive, and the metal shines in the summer sun. The light hits the sculpture from a thousand different angles, making it bright and illuminated.

  I know the butterfly was made just for me. Having such a strong alpha male make something so delicate and meaningful, proves to me once again what kind of man Ford really is.

  The words of his speech are etched in my heart and I can’t help but wonder what they mean… everybody has a place that allows them to spread their wings… I’ve found mine.

  Ford is still looking at me and when he looks into my eyes I feel so entirely seen.

  “Mia, could you please come here?” he asks, and I feel my cheeks burn and cameras zoom in on me.

  “Mia,” Tallie says, urging me forward. “Go to him.”

  I look at my brother and sister with wide eyes. I am not one for the spotlight, but the truth is, neither is Ford. Yet here he is, making it work despite his reserved personality.

  I walk through the crowd, Tallie and Matty trailing closely behind and when I step up to Ford, I feel the mess of nerves in my belly unfurl. Being at Ford’s side is the exact place I belong. My body knows it the same as my heart feels it.

  “You came,” he whispers, reaching for my hand.

  “The butterfly is perfect,” I tell him, though I’m wanting to say so much more.

  “You didn’t see it all,” he says, leading me over the concrete jungle sidewalks to the center of the sculpture. “There is something there for you.”

  I frown. “Where?”

  He reaches inside the cocoon that is as large as his torso. He pulls out a black box, then lowers himself to one knee.

  “I love you, Mia.”

  I press a hand to my wildly beating heart. “I love you too, Ford. So much.”

  He beams up at me, and I see the mayor standing next to my siblings; the entire crowd holding their breath.

  “You are my place. My person. The reason I can leave my cocoon and spread my wings. I want to fly, with you, Mia. Now and forever, without any guarantees. I want to take risks with you and support your dreams. I want to be the man by your side as we figure life out. Now and for always. Mia,” he says, tears glistening in his eyes that are as clear as the Colorado sky. “Marry me.”