Tie Trouble, Heart Trouble #2
Not only had Lacie wiggled her way into Firefly’s everyday, but she did the same in here.
I was impressed with her brand of bossiness, firm but with an edge of humor.
I hated to admit it, but she knew exactly how far to push.
While I went dead-faced and bit my tongue, she disarmed with a smile and eagerness.
I didn’t know if I should be impressed or refer to her as my arch-nemesis.
Nick pulled out a chair, and I took a seat next to him, sitting across from Mum.
She tried her hardest to hide the enthusiasm.
More than once, I caught her eyes darting between Nick and me.
She had never seen me with a boy, not like this.
The rest of the world might believe the lack of expression on my face.
Mum’s lips curved inward as she fidgeted with the cloth napkins.
I could almost hear her internal squealing.
It turned into a frenzy as we filled plates.
Conversation came to a standstill as we stuffed our faces with lasagna.
The only sounds were the clinking of forks and the tearing of bread.
Each time I looked up from my plate, I found Mum staring.
Lacie did the same, her eyes locked on Nick.
It became unnerving, as if we were animals being watched in a zoo.
“What was Charlie like growing up?” Lacie asked between bites of bread.
“He kept to himself,” she said. “He liked to draw.”
Mum carefully curated her words, sparing me any—
“We want the embarrassing stories,” Nick said. “What would make him blush?”
Assholes. All of them.
Mum picked up her wine glass, swirling the contents as her eyes burned like lasers.
I could almost see the movie reel playing in her head, searching for the moments that made her laugh.
There was no stopping her. Threats would only make it worse.
Was she considering all the times I stripped and ran around the yard naked as a toddler?
Or had she zeroed in on something more terrifying?
I couldn’t help but think of the magazines under my mattress. Had she found them?
“Beatrice,” she said.
“Beatrice?” Nick asked.
“The legendary turkey who roams the woods of Firefly,” Lacie chimed in, as if she had studied the town’s folklore. “Some say she got free, others think Seamus set her free. Supposedly, her ghost still haunts Firefly.” My jaw hung slack. Even I didn’t know that bit about Seamus.
Mum set down her wine glass, clasping her hands. What story could she possibly have that involved the dreaded ghost turkey?
“Pops loved taking Charles camping. This must have been their second or third time.”
Oh. That story.
“Charles’s grandfather was an outdoorsman and passed it along. Pops wanted to do the same. Before their first trip, it had been knots, fire making, and all that woodsy stuff. I didn’t think Charles was ready for an overnight camping trip, but he survived the first one.”
I knew where the story was heading, but I couldn’t help but reminisce about that first trip.
Pops and I stood along the riverbank, casting lines, hoping for fish.
No matter how many times Pops tried, his hook came back empty.
I had already caught three when he gave up.
Instead of being annoyed, he patted me on the shoulder and said I’d make the perfect camping buddy.
“Pops didn’t want to wait. The next weekend, he wanted to try a two-night trip.
Who was I to argue? Charles had proved me wrong.
He takes after his father. It’s all they talked about that week.
Every meal. They’d talk about building shelters.
Charles didn’t get excited about much, but Pops had found a partner in crime. ”
Knowing she focused on happier times gave me a sense of peace.
However, I couldn’t help but think of how the story shifted.
After a few years, I’d be in high school, and those trips would become a thing I’d avoid.
It stung to think I had missed hundreds of opportunities with Pops.
As Mum smiled, a mischievous glimmer in her eye, I tried to focus on the good.
“They were camping, and Pops sent him to gather firewood.”
“Don’t do it,” I warned.
“Going about his business, he must not have heard the gobble of ‘She Who Shall Not Be Named.’ A second later, wings flapping, she descended from a branch. Charles screamed.”
“Poor guy,” Nick said. I made a note of the sarcasm.
“That’s not the best part,” she chuckled.
“Beatrice,” she shouted. Her arms flailed, her feet stomping against the floor. “She’s real!” It turned into a full-body shake. “He ran back to camp. Of course, he thought he was safe.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I’m loving it,” Lacie said. “What next?”
“The dreaded ghost turkey wasn’t done with him.” Mum slapped the table hard enough that we all jumped. “She came charging into camp like a bull in a china shop.” I remembered it too well. I didn’t stop running. “Pops had to run after him. He’d never admit it, but he feared the myth, too.”
Everybody laughed at the outlandishness of her tale.
“And that’s why Pops always packed an extra pair of skivvies for this one.”
“Oh,” Lacie said. “Somebody had an accident?”
My face had gone from warm to thermonuclear. “No!”
“Get a little scared?” Lacie batted her eyelashes.
I crossed my arms over my chest, settling into my chair like an angry toddler. Thankfully, Mum didn’t include the deafening screeching as I fled the campsite. I always thought Pops had come running after me. It made me chuckle knowing that Pops had fallen victim to a territorial Beatrice.
“Let’s just say I had a lot of laundry to do when they got back.”
Something poked at my thigh. I reached down to swat it away and found Nick giving me gentle jobs under the table. I grabbed his finger, giving it a squeeze.
“Sounds like the woods are terrifying.”
I shook my head. “Not if you know what you’re doing.” Mum’s eyes focused on me. I realized I had quoted Pops. My fingers squeezed tighter as my heart raged against my ribcage. “Surviving is learning to co-exist with nature.” Her lips turned up as I finished his mantra.
“Come Thanksgiving, he was scared to eat turkey.”
Everybody grinned as Mum continued her tale.
However, my mind wandered to a scared boy huffing and puffing behind a tree.
It had taken weeks for Pops to convince me to go out again.
I was convinced that Beatrice would be there waiting.
Our next trip was on the other side of the mountain, where Pops promised she couldn’t follow.
I had been terrified when he finally said, “Being scared will keep you alive.” I had uttered the same words to Matt. My heart sank as I thought back to the conversations and text messages. The kid had been terrified, and I thought a quick speech would brush aside his fears.
Johnny hadn’t pulled his son for revenge. It had nothing to do with me. While Mum continued telling stories, I let go of Nick’s finger and reached into my pocket.
“No phones at the table,” Lacie said as if Mum had given her a list of rules.
I ignored them as Mum carried on.
As I thought of that boy hiding from a turkey, I imagined Matt doing the same the first time he heard a tree groan.
I thought I had squashed his fears, but it seemed I hadn’t.
Johnny protected his son. Now Matt thought it was his fault the trip had been called off.
Just like when Beatrice tried to kill me, I ran.
It was time to stop running and confront my fears.
Nick’s hand rested on my thigh, reminding me what was possible when I got out of my own way.
I kept saying I didn’t know how I’d fix things, and there were a lot of things that needed fixing.
This, however, I could make right. I punched in the message and hovered over the send button.
I took a deep breath. This wasn’t about making Pops proud. If I were going to take the next step, I needed closure. Looking down at Nick’s hand, fingers firmly kneading my thighs. If he could face his curse, I could do the same.
Send.
Charlie: You didn’t ruin anything.
Charlie: I’ll fix everything.
One more step in the right direction.