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Authors: Jim Provenzano
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what you’re in for.”
“I know. But you don’t have be so…”
“What?”
“It’s like… you’re always trying to give me a way out. You’re so sweet, and you challenge me, and you made all these changes to be with me, and you’re patient with me about everything. But then you just point a little finger like, ‘By the way, here’s the emergency exit.’”
“Hey, you were the one who fell for my mom’s plan before I even heard about it. That was not my–”
“I know, I know. It’s all my fault you’re transferring.”
“I just want you to–”
“Don’t.”
We stopped, sat without moving. The sounds of the woods were much more reasonable.
“You’ve made my life so different,” I said, after a while. “All these trees. A few years ago, I’d be just seeing them, not the people.”
“The studious botanist.”
“These kids. They just…” I fought back a surge of tears. “You know Madeline, the little blonde?”
“She’s great. So sweet.”
“I was sitting with her at lunch today. I think you were out on the playground somewhere. She just started humming this little song, so off-key, but so perfect. And it sounded so familiar. And then I realized it was that song you taught them last week, one of the tunes you sang to me from the radio in the van. I just…”
I shuddered. Everett hoisted himself up. “Hey, hey…” He rubbed my back, leaned in, grabbed his legs, shifting them a bit.
“I can’t be without you, without this, seeing people, their sweetness. It makes me feel… my stomach and my heart just… It’s like I see their innocence, and I worry and fear for them, and you, and at the same time I know you’ll be okay, but it’s like, I get all … squidly or something.”
“Squidly. I like that; a quivering jellyfish of emotion.”
I turned, wrapped myself around him, holding him tight. With my face crooked into his shoulder, I smelled the light salty odor of his sweat. His kisses started on my neck, and as I turned toward him, the night light gave his face an eerie glow, the quiet only disturbed by my snorting back a burst of emotion.
“Pick me up.”
“Do you wanna leave?” I asked.
“No, pick me up to standing.”
“What? How?”
“Just… like piggybacking, but in front.”
I crouched, held him as he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. Then I rose and felt his legs drop down against mine. I swayed, nearly faltering to avoid spilling the beer cans. I felt how heavy and light he was at the same time.
Facing me, he said, “Just dance with me.”
He hummed a tune into my ear as I stepped cautiously, side to side, off the blanket and out into the open field. Then he softly sang, another one of his old-time tunes.
“You’re all the places that leave me breathless, and no wonder, you’re all the world to me.”
He felt so strong, holding on to me. I pressed my face against him, wiping tears into his hair, then pulled back to see him grinning wide.
“See? One less thing I can’t do, thanks to you.”
“Sweet.” I swayed with a bit more daring, swirling about.
“Would you do this with me at a wedding?” he asked.
“Whose wedding?”
“Let’s say my dad remarries.”
“If it’s okay with you,” I said.
“It’s okay with me,” he answered.
“Stick around, and I’ll dance with you anywhere.”
“It’s a deal, Squidly.”
Crickets, starlight, trees sleeping in the night; it was as if that thick summer night air held us up.
Chapter 8
August 1980
The van, parked in the driveway of my parents’ house, was once again in need of repair. But Everett and I weren’t concerned about it, and instead pondered Kevin Muir as he fiddled under the hood, his tight cut-off denim shorts pressing against his bent-over ass.
The van had conked out a few times, and Kevin provided a little in-home fix, shrugging off our muttered catcalls of “lemon” as I sat in a lawn chair with Everett beside me, basking in the sun like fans
“I know. But you don’t have be so…”
“What?”
“It’s like… you’re always trying to give me a way out. You’re so sweet, and you challenge me, and you made all these changes to be with me, and you’re patient with me about everything. But then you just point a little finger like, ‘By the way, here’s the emergency exit.’”
“Hey, you were the one who fell for my mom’s plan before I even heard about it. That was not my–”
“I know, I know. It’s all my fault you’re transferring.”
“I just want you to–”
“Don’t.”
We stopped, sat without moving. The sounds of the woods were much more reasonable.
“You’ve made my life so different,” I said, after a while. “All these trees. A few years ago, I’d be just seeing them, not the people.”
“The studious botanist.”
“These kids. They just…” I fought back a surge of tears. “You know Madeline, the little blonde?”
“She’s great. So sweet.”
“I was sitting with her at lunch today. I think you were out on the playground somewhere. She just started humming this little song, so off-key, but so perfect. And it sounded so familiar. And then I realized it was that song you taught them last week, one of the tunes you sang to me from the radio in the van. I just…”
I shuddered. Everett hoisted himself up. “Hey, hey…” He rubbed my back, leaned in, grabbed his legs, shifting them a bit.
“I can’t be without you, without this, seeing people, their sweetness. It makes me feel… my stomach and my heart just… It’s like I see their innocence, and I worry and fear for them, and you, and at the same time I know you’ll be okay, but it’s like, I get all … squidly or something.”
“Squidly. I like that; a quivering jellyfish of emotion.”
I turned, wrapped myself around him, holding him tight. With my face crooked into his shoulder, I smelled the light salty odor of his sweat. His kisses started on my neck, and as I turned toward him, the night light gave his face an eerie glow, the quiet only disturbed by my snorting back a burst of emotion.
“Pick me up.”
“Do you wanna leave?” I asked.
“No, pick me up to standing.”
“What? How?”
“Just… like piggybacking, but in front.”
I crouched, held him as he wrapped his arms tightly around my neck. Then I rose and felt his legs drop down against mine. I swayed, nearly faltering to avoid spilling the beer cans. I felt how heavy and light he was at the same time.
Facing me, he said, “Just dance with me.”
He hummed a tune into my ear as I stepped cautiously, side to side, off the blanket and out into the open field. Then he softly sang, another one of his old-time tunes.
“You’re all the places that leave me breathless, and no wonder, you’re all the world to me.”
He felt so strong, holding on to me. I pressed my face against him, wiping tears into his hair, then pulled back to see him grinning wide.
“See? One less thing I can’t do, thanks to you.”
“Sweet.” I swayed with a bit more daring, swirling about.
“Would you do this with me at a wedding?” he asked.
“Whose wedding?”
“Let’s say my dad remarries.”
“If it’s okay with you,” I said.
“It’s okay with me,” he answered.
“Stick around, and I’ll dance with you anywhere.”
“It’s a deal, Squidly.”
Crickets, starlight, trees sleeping in the night; it was as if that thick summer night air held us up.
Chapter 8
August 1980
The van, parked in the driveway of my parents’ house, was once again in need of repair. But Everett and I weren’t concerned about it, and instead pondered Kevin Muir as he fiddled under the hood, his tight cut-off denim shorts pressing against his bent-over ass.
The van had conked out a few times, and Kevin provided a little in-home fix, shrugging off our muttered catcalls of “lemon” as I sat in a lawn chair with Everett beside me, basking in the sun like fans
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