Chapter 6
Autumn
The house still looks the same, only having some brown mixed into the once bright copper bricks from time.
The lawn is freshly manicured, obviously being taken care of by someone else, not my mom.
I’m sure she still takes care of her flower beds, though.
She’s always loved those. They are in full bloom right now, a rainbow of petunias bordered by red rose bushes gracing us with their presence for the summer.
I throw my arms around her, and she squeezes me so tight my face turns as purple as my shirt.
“Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you so much.” She gushes.
“I missed you, too, Mom.” We stand in that embrace until I hear another voice.
“What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Dad!” I say as I hug him next.
I am surprised and happy to see him here. I know after all these years, they have gotten to a place where they get along like old friends, but I haven’t been able to enjoy it with my own eyes. It already feels nice.
We go inside and have a quick lunch while we wait for the movers to catch up, then spend the rest of the day unpacking and putting most of my stuff in storage.
I opted to store all of my furniture except for my bed. It was my first “big” purchase after moving, and I’ve grown quite attached. All my other furniture was used or given to me, but I treated myself to a brand-new bed. Plus, it’s bigger than the full mattress I had during my teen years.
Speaking of my room, my mom didn’t rearrange it at all while I was gone.
The only things missing are the corkboards of pictures that I took with me.
I set my purse down and look around, realizing it’s kind of eerie.
Like when a child goes missing and the parent waits around for years, hoping they will return one day.
I hope that’s not how I made my mom feel.
The walls are still a light teal color, a color we compromised on when they let me redo my room for my sixteenth birthday.
I wanted a brighter teal, a color to match the comforter set I picked, which is also still wrapped tightly around the bed.
It’s zebra-striped with neon teal accents, and they were definitely right not to let me paint the walls that bright.
I open the closet to find a duffel bag with pom poms in it, from the one and only year I tried cheerleading. Man, my mom really didn’t get rid of anything.
Behind the duffel bag, I see a little black box.
A laugh escapes my lungs because I realize what this is.
I turn the knob to open it up, revealing dozens, if not hundreds, of intricately folded pieces of paper.
Notes passed back and forth between friends before texting each other during class was a thing.
I grab one off the top that says 2: Autumn. <3 Kory.
As I open the paper, slight regret sets in knowing there is no way I will remember how to fold it back up the way it was. But it reads:
Dear Autumn,
This class is the worst. I literally cannot stand Mr. Bell.
He’s so annoying. Like, no one cares about geometry; we learned about shapes in preschool, dude.
Anyways, did you hear what Kelly did to Sam?
No wonder she hates her. She should probably just crawl into a hole and never come out.
But Sam got suspended for calling her a skank?
That’s stupid. She is. Anyways, are you coming over today?
My mom’s making stroganoff, the good stuff, not from the box.
If you come over today, I’ll come over tomorrow. K. ttyl. Lylas.
Kory
Another laugh escapes. Oh, to be a teenager again. If we were in geometry, that means this was only tenth grade, and we were fifteen. I don’t have a clue what Kelly did to Sam, but chances are it was something as simple as talking to someone else too long in the hallway.
I wish these notes were two-way like texting. I’d love to see my responses. I shove it back in and pull out another, not surprisingly, from Kory again.
Hey, are you okay? You seemed weird this morning.
Just checking on you. Jimmy said you were fine yesterday, but I don’t believe him.
Did he do something? Or did you ask him about that girl?
I’ll fight her if you want me to. Even if they are dating, that doesn’t mean she can act like a bitch to you.
Is that why you’re being weird? Are they dating?
I’ll fight Jimmy, too, I don’t care. Anyways, sit with me at lunch. Lylas
Kory
I shove the note in the box and close it, remembering what else is hidden in here. That’s enough of that for now.
In the morning, I am barely conscious when I hear her squealy voice. My eyes are still adjusting when Kory comes barreling into my room, tackling me like we are still teenagers.
“You have NO idea how excited I am that this is real! I actually hate FaceTime so much.” She exclaims, and we both laugh.
“Yeah, I’m pretty happy too, honestly. It feels good to be home.”
“Girls!” My mom calls down the hall. “I have breakfast and coffee when you’re ready.”
We look at each other and laugh again. It was like déjà vu, the best kind.
“So, what are you two up to today?” Mom asks while we eat.
I watch her move around the kitchen and smile. Unlike me, she has changed. We share our hair color, but hers is now lightened by the amount of grey that’s grown in. She still looks mostly the same, but I can see the aging in her face.
“Well,” I start with a mouthful of bacon. “I want to start looking for an apartment. And honestly, other than that, I don’t know. I just kind of want to hang out and see what happens.”
Kory smiles and nods in agreement. Her dark waves of hair bounce with the movement. My mom frowns.
“Honey, you don’t have to do that. Stay here. Save some money for a while.” She lowers her eyes, pleading. Kory looks away to avoid sharing the guilt.
“I know, Mom, I’m just used to having my own place. I have money saved. I promise I won’t go far.”
She sighs. “Fine. But don’t rush. You can stay here forever for all I care.” We smile at each other because I know she means it.
“So, what did you miss most, besides me?” Kory asks as she drives this afternoon.
I laugh. “And besides my parents? Probably the chili-cheese fries. Did you know that the good, quiet little diners are not really that common in other places?”
She laughs and grips the steering wheel. “Good, I was hoping you were going to say food. I am starving already.”
I watch all the familiar buildings pass by as she continues to drive.
Nothing around here changed, with the exception of a Pizza Hut turning into a Subway and an old donut shop turning into a Bigby.
I don’t know why I expected anything to be different; the lack of change around here was exactly why I left.
But I don’t resent it like I feared I would.
It actually feels good to be here, to be home.
And the morning has been successful so far. I applied for three apartments, one that I really hope I get. It’s only twenty minutes from my mom, which makes it only five minutes from the hospital.
After a few more minutes, Kory pulls into the food spot that I hoped we were already on our way to.
We choose our seats and order food right away, both already knowing what we want.
I cannot wait for a greasy plate of bean-less hot dog chili and liquid cheese-covered potatoes.
I tried to get it once in Wisconsin. The plate came with actual chili, like the soup, and shredded cheese. I never tried again.
We sit in the corner surrounded by windows to enjoy the sun.
Michigan and Wisconsin have similar weather, but Wisconsin’s winter is just a bit worse than ours.
Regardless of the state I’m in, I hate winter.
Summer is just starting, but every year the same horrible thing comes next, so I try to enjoy the sun every single second I can.
“So, what was your favorite part about Wisconsin?” She asks just as our plates are brought to the table.
“Besides the lake? I just liked being away from here for a while. Being somewhere new.”
“Really? That’s it?” She looks at me with disgust as she takes her first bite. I laugh.
“Yeah. It wasn’t all that much different than here anyway. Just a change of scenery, and it felt nice to be on my own. Made the jump into adulthood feel real.”
“Well, that sounds pointless. You could have just felt like an adult here.”
“It wasn’t pointless, and you know that. Plus, you already know all this, too; we talked almost every day.”
She shrugs and takes another bite. “I know, it just felt like the conversation you should have with someone after they move back home after a literal decade.”
I shake my head and laugh as I finally take my first bite.
While we are both fully engulfed in our unhealthy lunches, I see a couple walk in. Kory sees my facial expression and looks in that direction. She quickly looks back at me, her eyes wider than a golf ball.
It’s Jimmy, hand in hand with his wife, Becca. They walk right past us, and I don’t say anything to him or Kory, but rather just shove another forkful of food in my mouth. Just my luck. My first day here, and he’s the first one I run into. Go figure.
“Are you going to say hi?” Kory asks. I immediately shake my head. “You can’t totally avoid him, you know.” She continues. “That will only make it weirder. He’s going to hear that you’re back, if he hasn’t already.”
I ignore her comment and take another bite. “So, they’re really married, huh?”
She laughs. “Yeah, I mean, I guess.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know really. I’ve just heard things. Like, he’s really flirty. You know his personality. It probably doesn’t help that you never let him have girlfriends, so he never really got to date.”
“Shut up,” I argue. “You know that’s not true.”
She laughs, “Well, either way, I don’t think that flirty stuff goes over very well with wives.”
“And she’s the only girlfriend he’s had?”
“The only one that I know of. They’ve been together since you left, basically.”
I shrug my shoulders and drop the subject, trying to further distract myself with my lunch. But when I look up to take a sip of water, I see his reflection in the window.
We make eye contact, and he smiles. I unwillingly smile back. It’s like a reflex, and I don’t like it. He’s alone now, and I see the path of his walk shift in our direction.
“Autumn?” he says. There it is.
My stomach reacts, and I don’t like that either. I act surprised to see him.
“Jimmy? Oh my gosh, hi!”
I hear Kory snort, trying not to laugh. I wish I could kick her under the table.
But he is already next to us, leaning in, so I stand for a friendly hug. The platonic greeting kind. He still smells the same.
“What are you doing here? How have you been?” he asks. His smile is still big and bright as ever.
My hand lingers on his bicep for maybe a second too long, but I can’t help but feel the firm curve of a muscle hiding underneath his Beatles T-shirt. Muscles that weren’t there before.
His body may have changed, but it’s nice to see that not much about his wardrobe has. Old band shirts were a staple in his closet, especially if the tag read ‘Vintage.’ Being ‘Vintage’ made them cool, apparently, even if he didn’t listen to the band adorned across his chest.
“I’m good. Really good. I moved back home, so I guess I live here again.” We laugh. I sound stupid.
“Really? That’s great. Since when?”
“Since yesterday, actually. I couldn’t wait another minute for some good chili-cheese fries.”
He shouldn’t be surprised; we came here all the time, and I ordered the same thing every time. Becca walks up behind Jimmy.
“Hey, Becca. Long time no see.” I say awkwardly.
She looks at me in a way that also feels like déjà vu, but not the good kind.
Her whole face is tight, and the smile she sports is definitely fake.
To be honest, her rigid affect kind of matches the business casual attire she’s wearing on a Wednesday afternoon.
Her chocolate hair is shorter than it used to be, cut bluntly across her shoulder blades.
Actually, now that they’re standing next to each other, they seem as opposite as possible. He appears laid back and ready to enjoy a day of fun, while she looks like she’s about to take a conference room full of important people by storm.
“Hey, Autumn. Long time no see for sure.”
“She just moved back yesterday,” Jimmy adds.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Welcome back.” She isn’t rude, but doesn’t seem excited to see me either.
“Thanks,” I return with the softest smile I can.
“Well, we should probably get going before our food gets cold,” Jimmy says as he leans in for another hug. “It was so good to see you.
“You too,” I say and hug him back. I lean over to give Becca one, too. I doubt she wants it, but it feels weird giving one to her husband and not her.
“I’m sure I’ll see you guys around some time,” I say to her.
She smiles and nods. “I’m sure too.”
They begin to walk away when Jimmy turns back around.
“See you around, kid.” He says with a wink, then leaves the restaurant.
I turn back to Kory, who is staring down at her drink, with her straw in her mouth, failing to hide her stupid ‘well that was awkward’ grin.
Once I’m back in my seat, I take the chance to finally kick her under the table.
“Ouch! What was that for?” she complains, even though she still has the smile on her face that leads me to believe she knows exactly what that was for. “I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. Your face said enough.”
She laughs. “I think their faces said more.”
I throw a straw wrapper at her while she continues laughing out loud, then I stare out the window until I zone out.
“Earth to Autumn,” Kory says, snapping her finger. I blink my eyes back to attention and look over at her. She’s still smirking at me.
“Come on, let’s get you home before you cause any trouble.”