Chapter 12
12
CHERRY
Cherry was taking a sip of her lemonade as she and Jeremy were eating dinner at the table when her phone beeped. Opening the screen, she stared in disbelief and horror and nearly sprayed her lemonade everywhere.
There, on the screen, was a picture of some guy in a uniform, holding up two fingers and making duck lips – and in the background was Evan, lying on a bed, white as a sheet. If the photo wasn’t enough, the text that came with it was the clincher.
Yo! Your main squeeze is done leaking from his butt. Wurd!
Jeremy looked at her sharply, his little grin wide as he climbed up beside her to look at her phone. Cherry hid it away and hesitated before covering part of the screen – the words at least.
“Your daddy went to see the doctor for his tummy ache and is already feeling much better, J-Dude.”
“Oh, that’s good. Can I have a few more Fritos for my chili?”
“Sure.”
Cherry watched him as he took off into the kitchen, looking at the photo again, scrutinizing it. Evan looked so exhausted, so pale, and despite it all, just seeing that photo, she remembered his smile, the look in his eyes, and the intensity of his gaze. While he looked sick, she was so relieved that he was getting care, and she understood completely that he couldn’t call again.
Time was dragging by, and the separation was hard. She couldn’t imagine how tough it was for people who’d been married for years, had a bigger family, or were closer than they were…, and maybe Evan was right. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise, allowing them to take things slowly.
She texted him back.
I’m glad you are feeling better – and what is a little toilet humor between friends, eh? Get some rest and safe travels. We’ll talk in the next port, Evan.
And clicked send – only to see a red ‘X’ appear.
“No signal,” Cherry muttered in annoyance. This meant that the ship was out of cell service – again. She would be relying on an email from Evan to know if he was okay, and that was honestly tough to handle. Sure, she had a text from his phone and the assurance of some stranger making duck lips, but it wasn’t the same thing.
She needed a distraction – badly.
Halloween was coming, and that would be the perfect opportunity. It would keep her busy, keep Jeremy distracted, and entertain the both of them while putting together a costume. They could take some photos, trick-or-treat on the base, and do all the normal ‘family’ stuff just like everyone else and pray that time passed quickly.
Right now, it seemed that Evan would never be returning, and she knew Jeremy had to feel the same way. Time was slipping by, but every time she felt like they had made strides, she would look at the calendar, knowing there were still months ahead of them.
“Jeremy, I’ve got an idea for Halloween,” she began and saw his head pop out of the kitchen eagerly.
“You found me a zombie costume?”
“Better.”
“A Transformers costume?”
“We’re going to make one,” Cherry countered, wondering if she was biting off more than she could chew with that promise. The look on his face was priceless, and this was just the distraction they both needed. It probably wouldn’t matter to him in the slightest if it wasn’t perfect, but building it would be something this sweet boy would always remember. “I’ll pick up some supplies tomorrow, and we can start immediately. I was thinking that we could make some gauntlets for your arms…”
“What’s a gauntlet?”
“A cuff thing that goes near your wrist…”
“Can we attach a gun to it? Rodimus Prime has a small one that shoots lasers and…”
“Sure. Let’s draw out our idea, so I know what to get tomorrow while you are at school. Obviously, I need red and pink spray paint.”
“Rodimus Prime isn’t pink. Pink is for girls.”
“Uh, hello,” she chuckled. “I’m a girl – and Arcee is pink and white.”
Jeremy’s eyes got huge as his mouth dropped open. He stared at her in obvious disbelief before those brown irises grew shiny as he threw himself bodily against her despite holding his bowl of chili, nearly upsetting it. Cherry quickly plucked the bowl out of his hand and eagerly hugged him back.
“Is that okay if we dress up together?”
“I would love that,” he choked out happily. “This is so cool, and it’s gonna be the best Halloween ever.”
“Nahhh,” she whispered tenderly, kissing the top of his head. “Next year will be the best Halloween ever because Dad will be with us again. We have plenty of time to think of a family costume for the three of us. Maybe we should be a family of spiders…” and was rewarded with Jeremy’s choked laugh.
“My Daddy hates spiders,” he smiled at her – and Cherry grinned, winking at him.
“I know.”
The two conspirators hugged tightly once more as she got out a piece of paper and began sketching some simple pieces to put together. They would need Velcro, hot glue, spray paint, a few cardboard tubes or PVC pipe… and yeah, this would be a lot, but it would certainly keep them busy.
Once they had finished their outlines, dinner, and brainstormed ideas for their costume, the duo settled in so they could email Evan. Cherry was sitting at the laptop dutifully typing whatever Jeremy said, so she could relay it to Evan whenever he felt better.
… And my class has two girls named Robin who sit at the front. Both of them are always going up to the teacher’s desk, and Mrs. Lane says it’s okay, but when it’s Eric or me, we get told to go sit down – that we are causing a distraction. I want to go look at her desk, though, because that is where she writes down all the stuff. I saw my name on her desk, so I’m pretty sure it’s because she thinks I’m cool. Cherry said she’s going to help me learn how to read so I can see what else it says.
Guess what?
I also started making my own Uncrustable sandwiches here at home! Well, Cherry makes them, but I get to pick out the jelly. We got crunchy peanut butter, too. I didn’t know you could get peanut butter like that and she showed me a weird jar that had both peanut butter and jelly inside. Crazy things.
We’re going to make a Rodimus Prime costume for me too – and it’s gonna be so cool, but I don’t think I was supposed to tell you yet, and now Cherry is laughing at me (I am because the kid cannot keep a secret, Evan!) and telling me to go brush my teeth.
I love you, Daddy
Jeremy
Cherry smiled at Jeremy and hugged him, pointing at the screen.
“See here,” she began. “All these letters make sounds, and we can put them together to sound out the words. Like right here, it says, ‘We’re going to make a Rodimus Prime costume… ” she slowly drawled out, enunciating each syllable as her finger moved across the screen. “When you sound them out, it builds your words, and that is reading.”
“Yeah, yeah…,” and Jeremy shrugged, sounding slightly bored, and she almost smiled. He was certainly his father’s son because Evan also brushed off things when it was a lot for him – or at least she suspected that from the few interactions they’d had and the conversations.
“All right you,” she smiled. “Go get ready for bed. We’ve got a big day tomorrow building our costumes.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he blurted out, taking off and running down the hallway to his bedroom. Looking at the computer once more, she clicked to begin another email – this time from her.
Dear Evan,
I got the text message from one of your friends, and glad you got some help. I hope you feel better soon. As Jeremy already said, we’re going to make him a Transformers costume for Halloween to help pass the time and keep him distracted. I think having something for him to look forward to helps.
What do you do to pass the time? This is a little overwhelming sometimes like it’s just dragging on, but I know that it’s not forever. Soon enough, we’ll be watching the ship pull in, and we’ll have different things to figure out, won’t we?
I miss you – and I know that sounds crazy because we barely know each other, but I keep seeing your face when we first met, how you practically rescued me from working at that job. You have this small smile that slips past the cracks sometimes, and I like that smile. I think about the smile, your eyes, that kiss – and then become filled with so much doubt and insecurity. I mean, there are a lot more feminine women out there in the world who don’t need pudding packs stuffed in their bras.
But then again, I also think of Jeremy’s words when he caught us sharing a moment, asking if we had a bellyache. After you getting ill on shellfish, I’m hoping our bellyache is quite a bit different and more welcoming than what you’ve been suffering through recently.
I sprayed some of your cologne on the pillow you sent me and sleep with it every night. Have I mentioned that I have zero ‘game’ when it comes to dating someone… much less someone that I really want to build a relationship with? I hope you don’t mind.
Thinking of you,
Cherry