Georgia Summer

by Heather Colleen

  “I worry 'bout him. I think he’s been fightin’ a lot of battles for some time now,” her dad said.

  Georgia furrowed her brow in thought. “I think so, too,” she agreed, as she recalled his gaunt face and stooped appearance. It was silent for a moment, save for the cicadas buzzing.

  Breaking the silence between them, her dad clapped his hands on his knees and stood up. “Well, it’s ‘bout time for dinner. You hungry?”

  ✽✽✽

  Later after they had finished dinner, Georgia went on a walk again with Millie. Millie led the way to Maple Leaf Park, the route familiar to her. Walking around the park loop, Georgia couldn’t escape the image of Dr. Young in her mind. She had this uncomfortable, nagging feeling that something was indeed wrong, and that he was, as her dad said, fighting multiple battles.

  As if battling cancer wasn’t enough, Georgia thought to herself. The poor man, all alone, separated from his wife. Wait, didn’t he have children? Georgia couldn’t remember. Her mind continued to wander, wondering what else could possibly be going on with Dr. Young.

  Georgia's thoughts turned to her mom. Cancer had been the hardest battle of her mom’s life, and in the end she had lost that battle, paying for it dearly with her life. And even though she had been surrounded with a bulletproof support system, it still hadn’t been enough in the end. If Dr. Young was indeed sick, how on earth could he be expected to get through it all by himself with no one to lean on?

  As they left Maple Leaf Park, Georgia took an unexpected right turn onto Maple Drive, rather than the usual left that would take them back to Magnolia Lane. Millie halted and stood resolutely, facing left on Maple Drive in the direction of home.

  “No, girl. I need to make a short visit tonight.” Georgia tugged softly on the leash.

  Millie looked sideways at Georgia, and then gave in, sighing loudly. She walked next to Georgia slowly, sniffing the less frequented path. They walked for a few minutes, the intermittent twinkling from fireflies lighting up the darkness.

  A few moments later they reached the end of the drive where the tall, iron gates of Willow Creek Cemetery greeted them. The entrance was flanked by lofty weeping willows, their stooped branches hanging low as if in a permanent state of grieving and sorrow. Georgia walked through the open gates with Millie. Very soon a member of the police force would arrive to close the gates for the night.

  Georgia walked down one of the many well-trodden paths, weaving her way through rows of tombstones in a unique combination of lefts and rights that she had memorized from years of visits. A number of lampposts lined the main drive that circled the cemetery, their faint light barely reaching into the dozens of rows of gravestones.

  As Georgia made her way across the cemetery, she wondered why some people were afraid to visit graveyards. Having buried her mother at a young age, Georgia had a unique understanding of death that was wiser than most. To her, cemeteries were a place of eternal rest: a final, everlasting respite from the toil and strive that life is. For her mother and for countless others that had gone before her, death had been a blessing in many ways, a kiss of mercy from the angels of heaven.

  She took the last right that would lead her to her mother’s gravestone. The gravestone had a bouquet of flowers on it, neatly arranged around the engraved name, Delilah Summer. Though it was dark, Georgia could tell it was full of mostly yellow flowers, her mother’s favorite color. Her dad would have placed them on her grave some time yesterday, as they had wilted only a little. While he never talked about it, Georgia knew her dad came out here every few days to visit his wife, always leaving a fresh bouquet of flowers.

  “I wish you were still here, mom,” she said aloud. She felt Millie’s warm tongue lick her hand comfortingly as she gazed down at the grave. “I finished my first year of college,” Georgia continued. “It went pretty well. I got A’s in all of my classes, even chemistry.” Georgia gave a small laugh, fighting back the tears. “I came home for the summer, though. I don’t like dad to be alone. He really misses you, mom…We all miss you.” Georgia looked down at her feet, embarrassed that she was crying, despite the fact that no one else was there.

  Just then she heard the hum of an engine approaching, and the sound of tires crunching gravel. She felt Millie stand at attention, her ears pricked as she decided whether the newcomer was friend or foe. Georgia could see now that it was a police car with an officer behind the wheel. She quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks.

  The policeman put down the window. “Hello, ma’am. Just wanted to let you know that I’m about to close the gates,” he called over to her.

  “Of course. I was just leaving, sir."

  He nodded towards her and drove back slowly towards the gated entrance, leaving her in the near darkness once more with Millie.

  Georgia turned to look again at her mother’s grave. “Well, I’d better get going, mom. I just wanted to come by and let you know that...” Georgia faltered, then took a deep breath to steady herself. “That I’m okay. And that Virginia and dad are doing fine.”

  She tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear, but as she did so she felt a soft, cool breeze kiss her neck, and she knew her mother was there with her, listening to her, soothing her.

  “I’ll come visit you again soon, mom. I promise,” Georgia whispered. Then she closed her eyes and blew a kiss into the zephyr.

  Chapter 6

  Late Again

  Four Springs Ago

  “Wake up, dad. Dad!” Emmarie said, almost yelling now. She was standing over Maddox, who was passed out in his bed.

  Except for the rise and fall of his chest, Maddox didn’t move.

  “Dad, you have to get up. Your interview is this morning!” Emmarie said loudly. She grabbed the water glass from his bedside table and tossed the water from it onto her dad’s face, making a splashing sound.

  “What the hell!” Maddox spluttered, shaking the water from his face as he finally sat up.

  “You have to get up now, dad. Your interview is in thirty minutes,” Emmarie demanded.

  Maddox closed his eyes, the water dripping from his face as he remembered.

  “Go get in the shower, dad,” she ordered him.

  Maddox nodded. He got out of bed and went to the bathroom, obeying like a small child rather than the full-grown adult that he was.

  Emmarie shook her head exasperatedly as she heard him shut the bathroom door. She was frustrated with herself for sleeping past her alarm. But then again, she had needed the extra sleep. She had stayed up well past midnight waiting for her dad to get home from the bar. She went into her room to pack her backpack for school. The water in the bathroom turned on down the hall, and she could hear her dad stepping into the shower. Emmarie breathed a sigh of relief.

  Maddox had lost his job at the cotton gin two weeks ago, and Emmarie had desperately been trying to help him get a job ever since. He needed this interview. He needed this job.

  She tucked her hair behind her ear as she leaned over her backpack, making sure she had all her notebooks and textbooks for the day. As she sat back on her heels and zipped up her bag, she felt an agonizing sense of tiredness in her body, like she hadn’t slept for weeks. She was exhausted, emotionally and physically. How long could she keep this up?

  She stood up with her bag and then quickly walked down the short hallway to the too-small kitchen. She checked the coffeepot. There was one cup of coffee left from yesterday. She poured the coffee into a semi-clean mug and reheated it for a minute. As she took the warmed coffee out from the microwave, she heard her dad come out of the bathroom and return to his room. “I laid out your clothes on your chair, dad,” she called to him.

  Emmarie checked the clock. They needed to leave now if he was going to make it to the interview on time. There was no way she would make it to school before first period started. She took a long drink of her coffee, finishing the entire mug. She would need the caffeine to get through today.

  Her dad came out, dressed nicely i
n slacks and a button-down shirt. “Ready,” he announced.

  Emmarie studied him. He definitely appeared tired, but he was sober enough for an interview. She handed him the keys to his pick-up. “I don’t think you’ll have time to drop me off at school, but I’ll at least ride to town with you.”

  Maddox took the car keys from her. “I’m sorry, Emmarie. I shoulda set an alarm—“

  “It’s okay, dad. Let’s just get you to this interview,” Emmarie said, hurriedly ushering him out the door.

  A few minutes later her dad pulled into a parking space outside of the warehouse where he was interviewing. Emmarie grabbed her bag and got out of the car. She came around to her dad on the other side and gave him a quick hug. “Good luck today, dad. I know you’ll do great,” she said as she stepped back.

  Maddox gazed at her. “Thank you, daughter.” He swallowed, gathering himself for the interview.

  Emmarie could tell he was nervous. She knew how much this interview mattered. “I’ll see you after school, okay?” She adjusted the shoulder straps of her bag.

  Maddox nodded. “Have a good day at school, Emmarie,” he said.

  Emmarie waved over her shoulder as she began to walk briskly in the direction of Willow Creek High.

  ✽✽✽

  Monty slipped his arm around Virginia. “How’re you feelin’ today?” he asked, gazing down at her swollen belly.

  Virginia laughed as she leaned against the lockers. “Like I’m pregnant with twins.” She shook her head, unable to believe that in just a few weeks she would finally be able to meet her babies.

  Monty smiled at her and placed his hand on her belly. Becoming a teenage dad had never been part of his plan, but now with the twins’ arrival so close, he couldn’t help but feel excited to meet them, too. Besides, he and Virginia had originally planned to marry anyways right after high school, so what difference did it make if starting a family happened, well, a little sooner?

  “I’d better get goin’,” Virginia said. “I need to talk with Mr. Hall about a paper before class starts.”

  Monty nodded. “Sure. See you after class then?”

  Virginia leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “After class,” she repeated. She walked down the hall in the direction of her classroom, adjusting the books in her arms.

  From across the hall, Landon had been watching the interaction between Monty and Virginia. He sniffed with annoyance as he reached into his locker and grabbed a textbook. How nice it must be to have your future all sorted out like Monty Cunningham, Landon thought to himself. He glanced back over his shoulder at Monty, who was now talking with his friends Jace, Jed, and Bobby Joe as they leaned against their lockers, surveying the hall.

  Walter Cunningham, Monty’s father, owned the local cotton gin in Willow Creek. When news broke out about Virginia and Monty’s pregnancy, Monty’s father had quickly stepped in and named Monty a partner at the cotton gin, all in an effort to minimize the scandal that surrounded Monty and Virginia. Who would have thought that an unplanned, teenage pregnancy could simultaneously land a promotion and lifelong career?

  Landon straightened back up and looked around the hall for Emmarie. Class was starting in a minute, and she was running late. He turned around, inadvertently bumping into someone with the books he was holding. “Oh! I’m sorry,” he said quickly, taking a step back. He looked down to see Virginia Summer’s younger sister, Georgia, looking up at him. Her dark blue eyes were bright and curious.

  “It’s okay,” she said, adjusting the four textbooks she was carrying. Georgia bit her lip and looked down, embarrassed for having run into an upper classman. She was just a freshman and terribly shy.

  “Well, have a good morning,” Landon said, shutting his locker door.

  “You, too.” Georgia turned and walked away quickly.

  Landon watched her for a moment as she scurried down the hall to one of the senior classrooms. Though she was only a freshman, she was already taking advanced classes. His eyes scanned the hall again, looking for Emmarie. Hoping she would arrive soon, he turned and began to walk towards his classroom.

  Up the street from Willow Creek High School, Emmarie was running, her bag bouncing on her back as she jogged up the street to school. The front of the school was deserted, meaning everyone would be in first period by now. Emmarie raced up the steps and let herself in, her cheeks flushed and her hair mussed from running. She walked quickly down the hall towards the lockers. The first period bell rang as she rounded the corner. Damn, she thought to herself as she tried to catch her breath. She was officially late to class. Again.

  As she approached her locker, she tried to not look at the group of guys that were gathered on the other side of the hall across from her locker. They didn’t seem to be worried about being late to class as they leaned against the lockers. With the end of the school year approaching fast and graduation just around the corner, their commitment to their education was at an all-time low.

  One of them saw her as she approached and gave a low whistle. “What do we have here?” he asked, his eyes roving over her as she turned the dial on her lock.

  Emmarie ignored him, focusing instead on her locker combination.

  One of the other guys spoke up, “You know it’s the walk of shame when a girl looks like that and she’s runnin’ late.”

  Emmarie felt her cheeks grow warm. She unlocked the lock and opened up her locker door.

  “Who’d you sleep with last night, Emmarie?” another asked her tauntingly.

  Emmarie took her bag off her back. Setting it down on the ground, she unzipped it and began to take out some of her things, her dark hair falling around her face.

  “Can’t remember?” one of them asked. The group of them laughed, and the same one spoke again, “That’s probably why she’s a straight-A student. Sleeps with everyone, including her teachers.”

  The group of boys roared with laughter.

  Emmarie pressed her lips together, her hands shaking now with righteous anger as she took a textbook out from her locker.

  “Does your boyfriend, Landon Young, know you’re a slut?” one of them called out over the others' laughter.

  Another boy in the group answered, “I’m sure he does. She’s probably all he could get.”

  “Hey guys, go easy on her,” one of them said.

  Emmarie glanced over her shoulder to see who had come to her rescue. It was Jace Montgomery.

  Jace went on, “I mean, her dad just lost his job at the cotton gin. She can’t help it that he’s a deadbeat employee, and probably a deadbeat dad, too.”

  Emmarie looked up at him as he sneered down at her. She felt hot tears prick her eyes at this comment. It was one thing to make fun of her, but another to make fun of her dad. She stood back up and tucked her bag into her locker. Slamming it shut, she walked down the hall, wanting to put as much space as possible between her and those boys. Sniffing back the tears, she opened the door to her classroom.

  The teacher stopped talking as he looked over at her, and the classroom quieted at her interruption. “Late again, Emmarie?” Mr. Hall asked.

  Emmarie swallowed. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” she said as she hurried over to her empty seat next to Landon.

  “Make sure it doesn’t,” Mr. Hall said, his tone firm.

  Emmarie nodded and opened up her book.

  Mr. Hall began class again, and Landon leaned over to Emmarie. “Where were you?” he whispered.

  “I overslept,” she whispered back, not looking at him and instead staring down at her book. She grasped the cover of the book tightly as the print swam before her eyes. She hated this town. She hated those boys. She hated Willow Creek and wanted nothing more than to get out of this awful, small town.

  “I’ll pick you up in the mornings from now on,” Landon said softly. He reached over and put his hand on her leg.

  Emmarie closed her eyes, instantly comforted by his touch. She lifted her gaze and looked at Landon.

 
; “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, taking in her pained expression and dark half-moons under her eyes.

  “Nothing,” Emmarie whispered, shaking her head and blinking back the tears. She looked down again at her book, eager for any distraction from the mess that her own life was.

  Chapter 7

  An Unwelcome Encounter

  Saturday mornings at Duke’s Diner were always busy, and this Saturday was no exception. By the time eight o’clock rolled around, the place was bustling with activity. Georgia was focused on drawing up a menu for the new espresso bar. Leaning over the counter, she scribbled on the chalkboard menu with a small piece of chalk, coloring in the rising steam over a mug of coffee next to a description of available espresso drinks.

  “Want to take a look at this before I hang it up, Duke?” she called over to Duke.

  Duke placed the coffeepot back on the warmer and came over. He leaned over the menu, squinting as he got a better look. He gave a low whistle. “Woohoo! That looks mighty sharp, Miss Georgia. Let’s get that hung up and we can put those spankin’ new barista skills to work now!”

  Georgia smiled and picked up the chalkboard menu. Together, she and Duke hung it up on the wall over the espresso machine. Georgia dusted the chalk off her hands and looked up at the menu, admiring her work.

  “I hear the cappuccinos here are excellent,” a voice behind her said.

  Georgia whizzed around to see her dad sitting on one of the barstools at the counter. He was dressed casually today in his jeans, button-down shirt, cowboy boots, and of course, his sand-colored cowboy hat.

  Georgia grinned. “Comin’ right up, Sheriff,” she answered, wiping her hands on a clean dishcloth.

  “Mornin’, Sheriff!” Duke greeted her dad, reaching across the counter to shake his hand.

  “Good mornin’, Duke.” Her dad took his hand. “How’s my girl doin’? She hasn’t been givin’ you any trouble, I hope,” he joked.

  Georgia sighed, shaking her head in feigned annoyance as she started up the machine.