Milo's Journey

by Barbara Howard

  They both laughed. He loved the sound of her laughter and the way the corners of her mouth turned up into little curls. So cute. The one thing he had been most curious about was her voice. It was nice, just like her smile and laugh and ... everything about her. When she teased him during the school year, it didn’t hurt. She was never mean or condescending. He wouldn’t have made it through his classes without Jules.

  He was glad that he had finally gotten the nerve to ask her to visit Wyman’s. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and the breeze made it comfortable enough to sit awhile without wanting to rush inside the management office for the A.C. where Brad would be spying on them. Jules was fun and serious and smart and ... so pretty. He cupped her hand in his and they sat quietly. They made jokes about the anxious mothers chasing after the children that tumbled from the geodome monkey bar playset and rope ladders hanging from the trees.

  “I live over there.” Milo pointed toward the cabin that he still shared with Moe. “There's a section for the campers over there. We live in the other part for permanent residents. It's nice here, I think.”

  “It's pretty secluded.”

  “You say that like it's a bad thing.” He shrugged. “Sometimes it's good to be away from people. Don't you think?”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I can understand that, especially when it's a nice day like this.”

  She turned her hand in his a few times, rubbed her palm along his wrist and forearm, then placed it back in his hand. What did that mean? Probably nothing. He tried to convince himself not to over-react to every little thing that she did and said, but he couldn’t help it when his stomach flipped upside down. Why was he so nervous? He pulled his hand away as his palm started to sweat again and his face heated up. She put her hand in her coat pocket and turned away from him.

  “I should probably get home now,” she said but didn’t make any motion to leave.

  “Do you like horses?” he blurted out.

  “Sure, I guess. I don't know any personally.” She laughed again, then turned to face him. “But, when I was little,” she lowered her voice as if she was about to tell her deepest secret. “I used to dream about being a princess and I rode a horse and went into battle with a giant sword. My horse was named Nayia and she was black and white and covered with glitter. And she could fly and when we got really high up in the sky,” she stopped, looked into the sky and smiled, “Nayia turned into a dolphin.” She giggled and accidently let out a snort, then giggled more until it became a moment of silly contagious laughter.

  “Well, some of my best friends are horses.” Milo touched her hand again. “I’ve never met a dolphin, though. Would you like to ride? A horse, I mean. We don’t have any dolphins here,” he teased. “I can take you. We can walk over to the stables where we board the horses for the guests. It's not far, if you don't mind walking ... or the smell. It's not that bad, but if you're not used to it ...”

  “Alright, I think that would be fun. If you're sure it's okay, then let's do it.” She held out her hand, he slipped his arm under it and led her down the path toward the stables.

  “Can you see the trees over there?” He pointed toward the river far off from the woods where the native dogwood, scarlet oak and sweetgum trees were full, and the wildflowers speckled the landscape with vibrant blooms.

  “I can see the colors and the shapes just fine. Even though it's not like you see it, it's still beautiful to me. After the next surgery, things will be better. That's what they promise, anyway.”

  Milo tightened his grip on her hand as they walked down the path that led to the stalls where he kept Jinx and Bebe. Jules listened intently as he explained everything he knew about their breeds and what they liked to eat and how much exercise they should get and ...

  “I knew I'd find you with the horses, Milo,” Ebony shouted from the path behind them.

  “Hi, best friend.” Jules chuckled and her smile lit up her whole face.

  Milo pointed to his watch and frowned at Ebony. She rolled her eyes at him and shrugged.

  “I know I'm a little early, but, oh well ... What you guys doing anyway?”

  “I was going to try riding a horse today but that's probably not going to happen, right?” Jules said and released Milo’s hand. “I should be getting back home before my father has a cow.”

  “I can drive you home. You know I have my own car now,” Milo said trying not to sound pushy, but Ebony showed up too early and that wasn’t his fault.

  “Yeah, I heard you got a car, that’s great.” Jules said sweetly. “But my parents saw me leaving with Ebony, so I better not give them something to get on my case about, you know what I mean?”

  “Plus, they trust me to get Jules home safe.” Ebony stuck her tongue out at Milo.

  “Okay, well ...” Milo studied the ground between them.

  “Yeah, let's go Jules.” Ebony put her arm around her friend and pulled her along. “And, Milo, don't forget about catering my party. I know there's a waiting list to hire you. But that was our deal if I drove Jules out here, remember?”

  “Sure, just get the grill and tables set up. I'll handle the rest.” He tried not to sound disappointed but when would he get another chance to be alone with Jules?

  “Are you going to cook everything for Eb's party, Milo?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, then I'll be sure to get there early before everything's all gone.”

  “Great.” He had hoped she would be there, but he wasn’t the host, so he didn’t invite her. He was just the “grill guy”. He perked up at the idea of seeing Jules again. “I'll set some food aside for you. Just be sure to come find me as soon as you get there.”

  “C’mon, let's go Jules. You'll see each other again, if the world doesn't end before next Saturday.” Ebony rolled her eyes again and waved as Milo made an angry face at her behind Jules’ back. She led her friend out of the stables and toward the parking area.

  Ebony was always the one to start the drama, but he had to be friends with her to get close to Jules. If everything worked out, he wouldn’t need to sneak around like this for long. Now that everyone was booking graduation and pool party events, his catering gigs were taking off and he could start putting money aside. He would be able to take Jules out on a real date by the end of summer before she went off to Birston College.

  He was a little apprehensive about meeting her parents just yet. He had heard about Mr. Latimore and felt like he might have trouble getting past the negative stereotype toward Keeferton boys. Plus, he lived in a campground not a real neighborhood, for now anyway. If he could show Mr. Latimore that he was a hard worker and kept his reputation clean, just maybe he had a chance to impress him. But that was a long shot.

  Milo was lost in thought as he rounded the trail back toward his cabin when a couple of guys cornered him and forced him against the wood pile.

  “You got the keys or what?”

  “Umm, no, not with me.” Milo said and wrestled against them but couldn’t get free. He stared in the face of the one twisting his arms behind his back. His name was Flip because he was bi-polar and stayed off his meds. Milo wasn’t afraid of Flip because he didn’t mean to harm people and you could usually reason with him. Everybody just stayed out of his way rather than be bothered. Almost everybody.

  Norman stepped forward from behind Flip and Milo couldn’t stop the dread surging through his body. This was the third encounter with the guy since he was released from Juvie and found Milo at the campgrounds. He wasn’t as big as Flip, but he had two major problems. He had a few near-death experiences and because he survived them all, he thought he couldn’t die. He believed some kind of magic or juju covered him no matter what. He thought he could get away with murder, because he had. And, everyone in the streets knew it. The second problem was, Norman hated everyone. Period.

  “Where are they?” Norman demanded.

  “I don't have them. I mean, I'm not in charge of that. So ...”

  “But you c
an get them. Right?”

  “Well ...”

  “Well, what?”

  “I'll work on it. Give me some time.”

  “Hmm, how much time?”

  “I'll let you know. Okay?”

  “How ‘bout I let you know?” Norman shoved his finger into Milo’s chest. “Next time I see you, you better have them keys for me. You got that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Your girlfriend is kinda pretty.” Norman looked toward the parking lot where Jules was getting into Ebony’s car.

  “She's not my girlfriend.”

  Norman laughed and Flip joined in.

  “What's her name?”

  Milo stood in silence. He should’ve stood up to Norman a long time ago. If Flip wasn’t in the picture, he would take him on right now.

  “I seen her before,” Flip spoke up. “She lives over in Pettit Circle. That blue house with the white porch and three-car garage. That one. Big money.” Flip released Milo’s arms and shoved him back one more time.

  “You don’t need to know her name.” Milo said through gritted teeth, “or anything else about her.”

  “It don’t matter what her name is.” Norman looked him over. “I know how to find her. And if you don't give me what I want, I'll have to drive by and ... introduce myself.”

  Milo lunged at Norman and almost reached him, but Flip grabbed him from behind and put him in a headlock.

  Norman pointed at Milo’s face. “Who’s got the keys for the cabins out by Route 40?”

  “Probably that handy man.” Flip answered as Milo struggled to catch his breath.

  “The cripple that’s always sitting in the front office?”

  “Leave him outta this.” Milo struggled to reach Norman, then stopped and closed his eyes. He remembered a move that Brad taught him.

  He twisted sideways and lowered his right shoulder into Flip’s chest, then swept one leg behind the boy’s legs, leaned backward and tripped him to the ground. Flip landed hard on the gravel and sat there dazed. Milo stood over Flip and steadied himself, then turned around to deal with Norman, and that’s when he felt the pistol smash against his skull. And everything went black.

  When Milo regained consciousness the contents of his pockets were strewn on the ground around him, but nothing was missing. He staggered to his feet and made his way to the management office to look for the first aid kit.

  Brad glanced at him and grumbled, "What happened?"

  “Nothing.” Milo walked past him and sifted through the box of bandages and ointment. Finally, he reached into the cooler under the desk, took out a can of beer and rested it against his face.

  “Right. That nothing put a big knot on your forehead.”

  “I fell. Like I said, it was nothing.” Milo sat on the desk and tried to sort through his feelings. He didn’t own the campgrounds. If Norman wanted free cabins, what was the big deal? But if he gave in this time, there would be a next time and it would never end.

  “Okay, alright. I'll butt out. None of my business. I get it.” Brad reached into the cabinet above his head and lifted out a set of binoculars, placed them up to his eyes and slowly scanned the parking area. He adjusted the magnification and turned toward a row of cars near the Tiny-Tots lot. “You know, I gotta talk to Randall about installing some equipment up here. These things are worthless.” He tossed the binoculars in the trash bin across the room with a bang.

  “You just want to check out the ladies.” Milo said and put the beer down on the desk.

  “Mind your business, son.” Brad cracked the beer open and took a sip.

  “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

  “I don't know. Can you?”

  “How do you know if a girl is the one?”

  “The one?”

  “Yeah, you know. When you meet a girl and she's nice and all that. And she kinda lets on like she’s into you and ...”

  “Oh, the one.” Brad grinned.

  “Right. How do you know? “

  “Well, it’s pretty special.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “It’s like magic. Once in a lifetime. Like nothing you’ve ever felt before. When you know, you know.” He took a couple long gulps of beer.

  “I guess,” Milo said and patted the swollen spot near his hairline. He could cover it with a ball cap. No one would know, except Brad, and he would never tell. “Did you ever meet the one?”

  “Me?” Brad laughed and tossed the empty can into the recycle bin. “Oh yeah, hundreds of times.”

  Chapter Four

  Traci

  “HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON? Tracinda, what the actual ...” Randall knocked away the magazine that had slammed into his head.

  “You called me fat!” Traci hurled a sofa cushion at him next, then picked up one of her flip flops near the door and aimed it at him.

  “No, I never. I was ... I was agreeing with you, I think. Whatever you said. What did you say?” He picked up a tray table and blocked the shoe.

  “I said, I'm gonna be fat for the rest of my life.” She stopped and glared at him.

  “Oh, yeah, that part. But I never said ...” He reached for her wrists, managed to take hold of them after a quick wrestling match, and pulled her back to the sofa next to him.

  “You agreed with me. It's the same thing!” she said and jerked her arms free.

  “No, no, it's not. I said ... I don't know what I said. I'm just ... so tired right now.” He locked his arms around her and held her against his chest. “Angel, you know the plan. We take turns with R.J. And, when he's sleeping, we both get to sleep. That's the agreement ... please.”

  “You're right. I know,” she murmured.

  “Besides, you're the most beautiful woman and ...”

  “Fat. And, look at my hair. It's getting so thin on top. Fat and bald and ...”

  “What did Candace say about it?” He yawned and rubbed his eyes. “About the hair situation?

  “She said it's normal and it happens, and it'll be okay. But Randall, my hair ...”

  “Listen. Shh...” He kissed her on the neck and whispered in her ear. “I tell you what, I've got an idea.”

  “What?” She pouted and turned her face away from him.

  “We never had a proper honeymoon.”

  “Well, how could we?” She sat up and took a breath. “So many things happened this year. There was the rehab for your leg, Brad's surgery, your mother's funeral...” She paused as Randall’s eyes lowered at the memory. She stroked his cheek and softened her voice. “Then, I had to figure out the financials for Wyman's and all my new projects. Plus, there was your new business, and the baby. A honeymoon?” She shook her head and tried not to laugh. “It was impossible.”

  “Yeah, but I've been thinking about it.” He pointed to the muted T.V. screen across the room. “You know that guy you watch on the Celebrity Cooking Channel, Antipas Palmer? He signed on as Executive Chef at the Evan's Pier Resort in Xavier County. The place just opened, and I saw the promo last night. It looks really nice.” He rubbed her arms and hugged her tighter. “Maybe we could take a long weekend and go check it out. What do you think? We could relax in the jacuzzi, have a massage and a fine meal.” He nibbled her ear lobe and dropped little kisses down her neck and shoulder. “A little dancing ...”

  “But I can't fit any of my clothes now, Randall, because I'm so ...”

  “Shopping, shopping.” He looked directly into her eyes and smiled each time he said the magic word. “They have plenty of those little boutiques and shoe stores. You'd love that.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a little gleam in her eye. “New shoes would be nice.”

  “Here take this.” He twisted around, pulled his phone and wallet from his pockets and put them into her hands, “Look it up. Evan’s Pier Resort. You and me. Pick a date. Book the room and put it on my calendar. I’ll push everything off my schedule, and you do the same.”

  “What about the baby?”

  “Arrange things with Candace. And, on second
thought,” he raised an eyebrow and continued, “add an adjoining room for her. Make it a week-long stay.” He stroked her hair back and caressed her face. “You deserve it. And, it'll be nice to have my girl back for a few days.” He kissed her sweetly then punched the pillow at the end of the sofa and laid back down.

  “Candace is not a glorified baby-sitter, you know.”

  “Make her an offer she can't refuse,” he mumbled. “You know how to do that. You're a master negotiator, remember?”

  She gave him a side-eye. Here he was dropping this idea in her lap as if she could just snap her fingers and make it happen. Of course she could, but he was probably just trying to keep her busy while he napped. She took a deep breath and settled back on the sofa. It didn’t hurt to dream, though. She found the resort after a quick internet search. “Oh, this place looks wonderful and expensive! Are you sure we can afford it?”

  “Yeah, we can raid R.J.'s college fund. He owes it to us for all this teething torment he’s putting us through.”

  “That's not funny but I'm in!”

  She texted Candace and scrolled through all the pictures on the website. The Welcome Visitor video featuring all the amenities was like a fairy tale. “I’d love a real mani-pedi and a deep conditioning hair mask. And, there's a salt cave! I've heard of those. I’ve got to check that out. Hiking and ... Oh, Randall, the restaurant has seating near the Goose Run Falls. It's so pretty there. See?”

  “Hmm, sounds good.”

  “Well, we’re definitely going.”

  “Yep,” he mumbled, flipped over on his back and draped his arm over his eyes.

  “I'm gonna be busy shopping and hiking. What are you going to be doing?”

  “Sleeping,” he said dreamily.

  “And we can forage for mushrooms and make risotto with the kitchen staff ... Oh Randall, I can’t wait.” Her joy was met with snoring. “I love you so much,” she whispered and patted his chest tenderly.

  Candace responded to her text and was thrilled to be joining them. Everything was going to be perfect. Traci opened the wallet, pulled out all the plastic cards, shuffled past the business credit cards and found the one for their joint account. She made the reservations and registered for a few events. "Yes! A wine tasting and they have vegan wine, too!" She clapped her hands silently in delight and glanced at Randall totally knocked out beside her.