by Krista Lakes
“Aww, thank you, Tom Tom,” she replied, smiling around the table and looking pleased.
“Thank you for the delicious meal, baby,” Dad said, as he gazed across the table toward my mother.
They both got up and I watched as they took their plates to the sink. My mom turned on the water and my dad stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She giggled and looked over her shoulder at him. They looked into each other’s eyes before kissing.
“Gross,” Tommy grunted. He had glanced up from his phone just long enough to see the interaction between our parents.
I couldn’t have disagreed with Tommy’s sentiment more. In fact, the scene made my heart swell. My parents loved each other and they weren’t afraid to show it. I had to hand it to them. They definitely knew how to have a successful relationship.
Where Caroline would tell me stories of her parents fighting and threatening divorce, I got to witness the most loving marriage ever. They set a great example of how it should be done and I truly hoped that one day I’d get to experience the same thing.
What I loved most about them is that their love seemed totally authentic. They didn’t hug and kiss each other goodbye in the morning because they thought that was what they were supposed to do. They did it because they actually felt like showing the affection.
I would love to have someone that treats me as well as my mom gets treated, I thought.
It made me think of how my dad always opened the door for her, held her hand, kissed her cheek and told her he loved her. I didn’t have a single memory of the two of them getting in an argument. It just never happened. It felt like a pipe dream that I could ever find anything as amazing as that, but I still had hope. I always had hope.
Tommy elbowed my ribs, forcing me to look away. “What, Tommy?”
“Just wanted to show you the latest monster I caught. It’s standing right over there in the living room. If you paid attention for two seconds, you might have noticed.”
Sure enough, my phone had been vibrating, and when I picked it up there was a notification from the game. I walked to the living room to catch my monster. The experience points caused me to jump up to another level. Pretty soon and I’d be able to pick a team to play on.
“You’re totally addicted, aren’t you?” Tommy asked, stepping up beside me.
“No way,” I said, though a part of me knew that I was lying.
“Whatever,” Tommy replied with a roll of his eyes. “You just want to be able to play with Caroline.”
“How did you find out that Caroline started playing?” I asked, surprised that he knew my friend had started playing the game as well.
“Because, I saw her running around the park like a crazy person this morning to try to catch a stupid Fireliz.” Tommy laughed. “It was pretty funny, actually.”
“Yeah, well, you’re right. She got addicted pretty quick, but that hasn’t happened to me.” I shrugged like I didn't care, but I wasn't actually entirely sure.
“At least this game introduced you to someone cool.” Tommy picked up his phone and made a couple of swipes.
“Do you really think he’s cool?” I asked, sounding more eager than I intended to.
“Anybody on Team Red is a friend of mine.” He put the phone back in his pocket.
“You just like him because he gave you ten dollars.” I gave him a gentle push as he laughed.
He smiled. “I can’t argue with the truth,” he said.
Chapter 5
When I woke up the next morning, the first thing that I did was snatch my phone off of the nightstand. Normally, I’d have checked my email or looked to see if I'd gotten any hits on my job search, but instead, I opened up the Monster GO app. I wondered if maybe I was becoming slightly addicted to it, but I still wasn’t to the point where I was going to admit it, even to myself.
An update was available on the game and I downloaded it. While it loaded, I realized that for the first time since graduation, I hadn't awoken to my first thought being about finding a job. It was far better to wake up excited to play a game rather than disappointed to not have a job. If nothing else, the game was making my world a little bit brighter and I was glad for it.
When the game restarted, I was surprised to find that the appearance of the game looked a bit different than before. Now, instead of being able to see monsters that were within a one or two block radius, I could zoom out on the map and see my entire town. In addition, if I clicked on a street, the name would appear. The Monster GO world had opened up significantly and there was suddenly so many more areas to play.
This is why I need to find a job where I can create apps or software, I thought. I was right on the money. This update was exactly what I thought the game needed. Maybe there’s a future in app creation for me.
If only that was enough to get a job. I needed to get up and get ready for the day. Jacob would be at the house soon to pick me up for our morning walk. So I got up, took a quick shower and then changed into my black yoga pants and red tank top. And even though I was getting ready for exercise, I still straightened my hair and put on makeup. It seemed silly, but I wanted to look my absolute best for Jacob.
Once I was ready, I walked downstairs and into the kitchen. My parents were seated at the bar, drinking coffee and eating scrambled eggs. They looked up when I walked in.
“Good morning,” Mom said, with her usual smile.
“Morning,” I replied. “How are you two doing?”
“Doing well,” Dad said. “You look like you’re ready for a run or something.”
I shrugged. “Not a run, but definitely a walk.”
“I’m glad you’re getting out,” he said. “You’ve seemed a lot happier the last couple of days. Maybe this morning exercise thing is exactly what you needed.”
“I think you’re right,” I agreed. I stood there for a moment, awkwardly shuffling my feet on the floor. I had put off telling them about my “friend” Jacob for a few days, but I couldn’t keep it a secret any longer. He’d be there in a few minutes to pick me up and it would be easier to just introduce him now than try and explain him later.
“I have a friend coming over to go on a walk with me,” I finally managed to get out.
“Oh, really? Is Caroline is coming by?” Mom asked. She put a couple of dishes in the sink and waited for me to answer.
“No, a different friend.” I wanted to act casual, but it wasn’t easy. I wasn’t entirely sure where my nerves came from, especially with something as simple as introducing my parents to a new friend, but introducing a male friend was never simple.
“Who is she?” Dad asked, not looking up from his morning paper.
“It’s not a she.” I corrected him. “His name is Jacob. I met him in the park a few days ago.”
Dad stopped reading and looked over his paper. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was trying to remember where he last put his shotgun. He liked to clean it whenever guys came over.
“When will he be here?” Mom asked. She looked excited. There was a gleam in her eye as she spoke. More than likely, she was already assuming Jacob to be a potential boyfriend for me even though she hadn’t met him yet.
“Any minute,” I said, glancing down at my watch. The sooner he got here, the sooner I could get out of here.
“Is he cute?” Mom asked, her lips curling up into an even wider smile.
“Moooooom.” I placed my hands onto my hips and cocked my head to the side, doing my best to impersonate an annoyed teenager. Mom just laughed.
“Well?” she pressed, not letting me off the hook. “Is he cute or not?”
“A little,” I replied. I tried not to smile, but I couldn't stop myself. “He’s a little bit cute.”
“Uh huh,” Mom replied with a knowing grin. She winked at me before pouring herself another cup of coffee. “When do we get to meet him?”
“Eventually,” I promised. “He's just a friend, Mom. I'm sure you'll meet him soon.”
�
��I hope so,” she replied. “I haven't seen you look this happy since you got here. If nothing else, I like this guy for that.”
“Me too,” Dad agreed. I turned to him, slightly surprised.
“Even though he's keeping me from my job hunting?” I asked, crossing my arms and preparing myself for my dad's disappointment.
“Honey, I just want you to be happy,” Dad replied, setting his paper down. “I want you to have a career that you're proud of and that lets you live your life. I don't care about the job search, just that you get where you need to go.”
My arms fell from their defensive posture. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Dad picked up his paper again. “Oh look, McMurray's Hardware is hiring...”
“Thanks, Dad,” I replied quickly and hurried out of the kitchen. I could hear Dad chuckling as I ran out the front door to meet Jacob.
Chapter 6
Jacob was poised to ring the doorbell as I opened the door. He jumped slightly, but smiled widely as I stepped out. He had on his glasses today, which I found out helped him with computer work.
“You forgot to take off your glasses,” I reminded him as I closed the door behind me.
“Thank you,” he replied, taking them off and putting them in his pocket. “I was working before I came. It was a busy work day today. You look great, by the way.”
I loved the way his eyes twinkled when he looked at me. I felt like I was the center of the universe when he looked at me like that, and it made my stomach do happy somersaults.
“Which direction should we go?” he asked, taking my hand in his and leading me down the driveway. I liked the way his hand felt wrapped around mine.
I looked to my left, where the park with the fountain was located, then I turned to my right. A couple of miles down the road in that direction was William’s Park. I hadn’t been there in a long time and I kind of wanted to see what it looked like after all these years. Besides, I thought Jacob might like it since it wouldn't be as crowded as the fountain.
“How about William’s Park?” I asked, taking a step to the right.
“I’m new here, so you’ll have to take the lead. I don’t have any idea where it is. But sure, sounds like a fun little adventure,” he said with a smile.
“You’ll love it. It’s nicer than the other park in town. It’s a little ways away, but as long as you’re ready for it, let’s go,” I told him.
We turned right and walked up the street, past my neighbor’s houses. Our fingers were interlocked the entire time. I had feared there would be some awkwardness between us after our kiss the day before, but there was none of that. It just felt natural to be around him.
“How was your night?” he asked, as we turned the corner out of the neighborhood and onto a dirt trail that would eventually lead to William’s Park.
“It was fine. Just hung out with my friend, Caroline.” I looked over at him, squinting slightly in the sun. “How was yours?”
“Nothing too exciting. I pretty much just unpacked some boxes all evening and worked on some new updates for my latest project. And for dinner, I ate macaroni and cheese, since I didn’t have any food in my fridge at all,” he said. “It was kind of sad. I haven’t eaten mac and cheese and called it a meal since college.”
“You need to go grocery shopping, silly,” I told him with a laugh. “I’m not sure how long you can live off of mac and cheese, but I doubt it’s very long.”
“Do you want to help me with that?” he said, as we continued our walk along the dirt path. The only sound other than the two of us was birds and the soft summer breeze. “I absolutely loathe grocery shopping. I always intend to buy a bunch of things to stock up on, but as soon as I have one meal in my cart, I’m ready to leave.”
“Well, I love grocery shopping,” I said with a laugh. “So, I'll make it fun for both of us.”
“Let’s do that soon,” he said. “Or else I'm going to starve.”
We walked quietly for a little while and I just savored the moment. The air was crisp and clean with the promise of heat later in the day. The smell of vegetation along the dirt path brought a wave of nostalgia. It reminded me of when I was younger. Tommy was still a little kid then, and would come with me to William’s Park to try to catch frogs near the river.
“Have you been playing Monster GO at all?” Jacob asked, drawing me from my memories.
“Actually, I have.” I pulled out my phone and opened up the app. “You know what’s really funny though?”
“What’s that?” he asked, pulling out his so we could play together.
“Do you remember the other day when you asked what I thought would make the game better?”
“Yeah, I do.” He cocked his head to the side as he remembered. “You mentioned something about wanting to be able to see a larger area on the map to make it easier to find monsters.”
“Yes, exactly. Well, guess what?” I passed my phone over to him. “Looks like they made the change. Must have been a pretty good idea, because I wasn’t the only one to see the need for improvement.”
“Maybe you have a future in game development,” he said. “It was a really good idea.”
“You never know,” I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket. I tried to keep the discouragement out of my voice. “I’d sure love that, but I’m having a hard time visualizing it ever happening. The job search has gone nowhere. I haven't even gotten a callback on anything yet.”
“Just keep at it,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. “You’re obviously smart and clearly beautiful. There's two things that I don’t have, and I’ve been able to somehow make things happen for me. There’s not a doubt in my mind that things will work out for you.”
I smiled at the compliment. I couldn’t remember the last time someone called me both smart and beautiful in the same sentence. “You’re too sweet,” I said. “But you're smart, too.”
For the next fifteen minutes or so, we just walked and talked. We shared stories about college and our families. I learned that his parents lived on the East Coast, so he didn't get to see them as often as he would have liked. They sounded like they were wonderful people and I found myself hoping that I would someday get to meet them.
A few times, our phones buzzed in our pockets and we pulled them out to catch a monster or two. They were ones that I already had, though, so I didn’t get too excited. I was more interested in being present with Jacob and less with the game.
“Come here. I want to show you something,” I said, pulling on Jacob's hand as we entered the park.
I walked quickly across the grass with Jacob right behind me. We darted off of the main path and into some nearby bushes. They were so thick that if I hadn’t known about the river there, I probably would have just ran right by it.
“Where are taking me?” he asked, followed by a chuckle. “I can hardly fit through here.”
“Just push through here.”
“I'm not even going to say it,” Jacob replied, laughter echoing through his words.
After clearing the bushes, and getting snagged on just about every branch possible, we stepped into a clearing alongside the river. When Jacob popped out, he had pieces of grass and debris all over his clothes.
“You’re a mess.” I carefully reached out and took a blade of grass from his hair. It felt like such an intimate gesture that I immediately blushed. I didn't pull away, though.
“This is beautiful,” he said, looking around the area and thankfully not at my blush.
The stream in front of us was crystal clear. It was only a couple of feet wide, small enough so that it didn’t attract much attention, but still beautiful. It was my own secret place. It was one of the only places in William’s park that not a lot of people knew about, if any. Tommy and I had been coming to the exact spot since we were kids. It appeared to have been untouched by anyone else.
“You like it?” I asked, suddenly nervous for his approval. I'd never brought anyone here before, but it had felt right to bring him.
“How did you ever even find this spot?” he replied, looking over at the bushes. “I don't think anyone would ever even look here.”
“Tommy and I used to be a lot smaller and those bushes weren’t quite as thick,” I explained. “We found it one summer after a flood cleared a lot of the river out. There's a dam now, so you don't have to worry about it happening again.”
“It’s a secret oasis,” he said. He turned to face me, his eyes still wandering and taking in all the beauty around us. “This is amazing, Alicia.”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “I'm really glad you like it.”
“Do you come out here a lot?” His gaze returned to me, but his smile remained the same.
“Not in a long time,” I admitted. “I’m pretty sure the last time I was here was before I moved away for college.”
We stepped over to a downed tree that laid along the river’s edge and kicked off our shoes before sitting on the tree. We dipped our feet in the cool water, which sent a shiver up my body. It felt refreshing, though, too. It made me feel truly at home for some reason.
“Is this your favorite spot in town?” Jacob asked. “If you had to choose one spot, this would be the one?”
“Yeah, I think so. It just has so many memories for me. This entire park does, actually.” I smiled as I remembered. “On the weekends we used to play volleyball. Sometimes my dad would set it up so we could play horseshoes in the sand on the opposite side of the park from where we’re at now. This place holds a lot of great memories for me.”
“I can see why,” he said. He kicked his feet in the stream, making tiny ripples go out into the water. “It might be the prettiest place I’ve seen since I moved to town. I mean the city is nice, but this spot just feels special for some reason.”
“I’m glad you like it.” I scooted a little closer to Jacob.
He wrapped his arm around my lower back and pulled me close. Our hips were pressed together and I leaned my head against his shoulder. The river flowed across our feet. I dug my toes into the sand, loving the way my feet were cold but the rest of me was going hot. It made me both nervous and excited.