Chapter Eight
The following day things changed for Terence. He really wanted to ensure that Ebony had a good Christmas, and it broke his
heart when Avila said that she didn’t have enough money to buy any presents for her daughter. He went to the nearest store
and purchased a bunch of Starbucks and Robux gift cards for Ebony, along with a Christmas card. Hopefully, she would love
the gifts.
After putting the gift cards and card in his glove compartment, he headed toward Avila’s house, she smiled at him, and he
felt like the luckiest man in the world. Avila set the trash bags down as soon as he stepped onto the front lawn.
“I could have taken out the trash for you,” he said. “You didn’t have to do that yourself.”
She wiped a handkerchief across her forehead and her neck, and Terence followed the curve of the nape of her neck.
“It wasn’t bad. It felt good to clean up around here.”
Ebony stepped out onto the front porch, her hair in two thick braids. She was the spitting image of her mother, and she had
the same sweet personality too. The world was doubly blessed to have mother and daughter on this earth, that was for sure.
“Are we ready to go now, Mom? Can Terence come too?” Ebony asked.
“I’ll have to work on this yard first.” Avila looked at him. “The weather’s nice out here for a December. So we’re going to
have a picnic at the park. You can most certainly join us.”
“A picnic sounds awesome.”
“So then you’ll join us?” Ebony asked.
“Yes. I’d love to.”
After finishing the work on the house, Avila and Ebony packed food and changed into cleaner clothes. Then they all piled into
Terence’s sedan and headed over to the park, where they found a spot underneath a tree.
Terence had been wanting to ask Avila if she wanted to spend Christmas together, but he was hesitant. Whenever he tried to
ask her, the words had stuck in his mouth. He wanted to spend more time with her, but was Avila ready? He hoped to find out
today.
A bunch of children were in the nearby play area, and their parents were there, watching the children. After about half an
hour the parents and their children left, leaving that section of the park to the other people.
“I’m going to hang out near that bench over there and finish reading my book. Is that okay, Mom?” Ebony asked.
“That’s fine, but make sure that I can still see you.”
“Okay.”
After she left, Avila said, “Ebony loves to read. I’m so happy that she cultivated a love of reading on her own.”
A breeze blew a strand of hair across her face, and she gently brushed it away, tucking it behind her ear. Terence hadn’t seen her wear her hair down in the longest time, and he found himself wanting to caress her cheek.
“You’re lucky to have Ebony. She is a great daughter.”
“She is. Lately she’s become distant. It might just be some preteen stuff. but it’s awkward nonetheless.”
Terence looked at Avila and then at Ebony. “Avila, I have to tell you the truth. I’m enjoying each day that we spend together.”
He held his breath for a split second, waiting for her response.
“Me too.”
His pulse quickened. If she was willing to state that, perhaps she would be open to something more between them. Terence reached
over and gently grasped her hands. She returned the gesture.
He let this moment sink in. His heart was full. This was not a dream. Terence remembered the morning when Avila was set to
leave for Princeton. He wanted to stop by her house to say goodbye one more time before she left, but he refrained. However,
he watched from his kitchen window as Avila and her mother loaded up the suitcases in the car. She didn’t look the same. The
clothes she wore were very dressy. She had an all-business gait about her that day. Avila was ready to take on the world,
and he wasn’t going to stand in her way.
Now they were together again, and he didn’t want this moment to end.
A sense of hope filled him. This moment didn’t have to end. “What do you think about spending Christmas together?”
She glanced over at him, a curious look in her eyes. “Um, I don’t know. I haven’t thought about that. I’ve been so busy with
the house.”
Terence smiled. “I’d love for us to hang out together, but I know that you’re preoccupied. If it’s too much, then that’s fine too.”
Terence shifted his focus to Ebony as she sat on the bench and read her novel. For the next hour, they talked a lot about
old times and joked around. He brought up some of the funny things that they used to do together, the pranks that he used
to play on her when they were younger. Avila finished her sandwich and threw away the dirty napkins and other trash.
She sat back down on the blanket. And then she reached in her backpack for a blank notebook and started to journal. “You still
journal, huh?”
Avila looked up from her notebook. “Not really. I actually stopped after I had Ebony, but I bought a notebook the other day
when Ebony and I were running errands. I started writing in here that same evening. Somehow being here makes it feel comfortable
for me to write again.”
“That’s good. Very good.” Terence gave her quiet and silence so that she could focus.
The sun was starting to set, and Ebony headed over to them. “I finished reading the book,” Ebony said.
“You read the whole thing today?” Terence asked.
“Yep.”
Ebony was amazing. They packed up, and Avila shook the dirt from their blanket, folded it, and stuck it in her duffel bag.
Terence drove them home and parked in his driveway. Then he walked them back to their house, carrying the lunch bag.
Ebony headed inside the house, and Terence and Avila stood on the porch. Terence stood closer to her than he had realized. The streetlights cast a glow on her, and he noticed the flecks of brown in her otherwise black hair. There was a stray leaf on her shoulder, and, without thinking, he reached over and plucked it off.
Terence stilled, and he slowly stepped back. Her eyes darkened as she appeared to focus on him.
“I enjoyed spending time with you today,” she said.
Avila spoke as if they had gone on a date this evening, and that was a good thing. Her eyes always told endless stories, and
now her eyes were saying things he hadn’t heard in a long time. Things his soul soaked up and relished.
“Me too.”
He stepped closer to her and lifted his hand, and chill bumps spread across his forearms.
“Mom, where is the soap?” Ebony called from inside the house.
“It should be in the shopping bag on the kitchen table.”
“Cool.”
Avila appeared to refocus on Terence. “Thanks again for the outing,” she said.
“Thank you for inviting me.” Terence straightened his posture and stepped off the front porch. “Good night.”
She nodded goodbye. Terence walked home, and once there, he shut the door behind him. Terence imagined how she had just looked
at him. His breath deepened, and his pulse quickened. What would have happened just now if Ebony hadn’t asked about that soap?
Avila had wanted to kiss him, and the notion brought a smile to his lips.
A dream.
Avila was standing outside, and from her vantage point she saw her father and Terence walking away into the darkness.
“Wait! Don’t leave! Come back!” she shouted.
Terence had paused, and he turned to look back at her.
“Terence! Terence! Come back.”
He was looking past her, as if he didn’t really see her. She bolted down the front porch steps and headed toward them, determined
to bring them back, but the more she ran, the more her legs felt like lead. Something or someone was trying to keep her from
moving forward.
“Don’t leave!” Could anyone else help her? Could someone else tell them that they needed to return? Avila glanced around,
but no one else was there. It was only her. Everything depended on her. Everything always depended on her.
The heavy weight lifted and she ran toward them again. Just as she was about to get within a few feet of them, an invisible
wall separated them from her. She tried to push against it, but it didn’t do any good.
Terence and her father looked at one another, wordless. They walked away from her.
Pain and loss filled her whole body, and tears streamed down her cheeks. “What will I do without you?”
They didn’t answer. They kept walking away.
“Everyone leaves, Avila,” her mother’s voice echoed from behind, sadness layered in every word. “You can’t count on anyone.
Everyone leaves eventually.”
Avila opened her eyes, and the sound of her heavy breathing filled her ears. Darkness pressed in on her, and she blinked to
reorient herself. Her hand trembled. She wanted to leave the couch, but she was afraid. That dream had been way too real.
Terence. Her father. Her mother. The dream left her empty.
She stared at the popcorn ceiling, not wanting to close her eyes again, afraid that the dream would haunt her. The faint ticking of the clock echoed through the room. Ebony was most likely asleep in the bedroom, undisturbed. Avila shifted her body and faced the window, looking toward Terence’s house. He was there. He hadn’t left.
Avila remembered the way Terence had looked at her earlier that day, but this time the memory didn’t make her feel good. This
time it gave her a sense of fear, making her hand tremble again underneath the blanket.