“Fair enough,” Jamie said. “You did what you had to. Nothing more, as usual.”
Curtis smirked scornfully. “We do what’s required. The rest doesn’t matter, obviously. One of these days, years or decades you’ll figure that out.”
“Or maybe you’re wrong,” Jamie said. “Thanks for coming.”
“Whatever.” Curtis turned and started walking. He spoke over his shoulder. “Tell the River Rat he got at least one thing right. The rain that came with him. Suits this place.”
The fog swirled in around Curtis and he disappeared.
An uncomfortable silence followed and we stood there shuffling our feet. I got the feeling Curtis was always tough to be around. So, I figured I might as well jump-start things by asking a question.
“What did he mean by me bringing the rain with me?”
“Not to mention the fog,” Naomi said. “Which, I have to say, does interfere a little with my butterflying. But that’s okay, I don’t really mind for a while if it’s something you need.”
I had no idea what she meant.
“We’re cool with it for now,” Simon said. “We can dig it. Not so keen on the rain, though. Kind of reminds me of London that last summer when me mum and I—”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Nikki said. “Please use modern English. Or French. Or Hindi. Who cares? Just stop acting like you just got—”
“What Nikki is trying to say,” Jamie said, turning to face Nikki, “is that we all bring certain habits or cultural traits with us. It’s totally natural that we hang on to them for a while.”
“Try losing the kimono,” Simon muttered under his breath. “You grew up in California.”
“How about you lose your head,” Nikki shot back at him.
Simon shrugged. “Wouldn’t really matter.”
Nikki narrowed her eyes. “I’ll find a way to make it matter.”
Simon looked at the ground, which gave me the feeling Nikki could make good on her promise.
Naomi stepped forward. “Please, everyone. Henry is new here and this is his meeting. This is never easy, not for anyone.”
A quiet voice spoke from behind her. It took me a moment to realize it was Nikki.
“True,” she said, softly.
“But he has to know,” Simon said.
“Yes, he does.” Jamie looked at the others. “Everyone going?”
They all nodded.
Jamie turned to me. “Ready?”
“Yeah, I guess.” I had no idea what I was getting ready for but whatever it was didn’t sound like fun.
Naomi did her best to smile, but I could tell that her soul wasn’t butterflying. “We all get through it,” she said. “It’s basically the bee’s knees from there, okay?”
“I was just thinking,” Nikki said. “How about I catch up with all of you later?”
Jamie stared at her. “We should be there for him.”
Nikki glared back. “You know I hate this.”
“Everyone hates this. Not exactly happy stuff. Ready, everyone?”
I waited, thinking the others were supposed to respond. But I guess they didn’t have to since suddenly everything around me disappeared.
About David Pandolfe
David Pandolfe is the author of two novels, Jump When Ready and Streetlights Like Fireworks. Currently, he’s working on a sequel to Jump When Ready, to be published in 2014. His short fiction has also appeared in literary reviews.
While he’s still writing about himself in third-person, David should probably also mention that he lives outside Richmond, VA, with his wife, two kids and a dog who’s terrified of thunder (not the best situation since it thunders from spring until fall in Richmond).
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The sequel to Jump When Ready will be out very soon and I almost always release my books for $0.99 for a limited time. It might even be available for free so be sure to sign up for my newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on this or other offers! David Pandolfe Books Newsletter
Acknowledgments
Thanks to my wife and kids for putting up with me while I obsess about writing and publishing and while I also hog counter space in our kitchen where I keep writing when I’m not in my office writing (love you guys!). Special thanks to Jody Escaravage, Tracy Banghart and Jennifer Mantura for being such wonderful beta-readers for this novel (you are awesome people and your time and honest opinions are so very much appreciated!). Thanks also to everyone who read and reviewed Jump When Ready on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. This indie publishing adventure has been loads of fun so far, especially because of your encouragement and support over the past year. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it’s meant other than to say thank you!
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