Chapter 2 #4
When I first moved up north in fifth grade, I had thought the moon garden was magical.
It was hard to believe that there were flowers that bloomed only in the moonlight, then closed up and hid from the sun all day.
And all the white flowers seemed to glow under the stars.
As much as Cassie had let the house go (and there certainly was plenty of “deferred maintenance”), she had always kept up the moon garden.
It needed some weeding. I wanted it to be beautiful for Cassie when all the plants really started coming in. I had a few hours before I needed to get back to Roy’s so I went to the shed to find my gloves.
I was kneeling and digging around a stubborn tap root when I heard the gravel driveway crunch under car tires. Hoping against hope that somehow Martha’s cousin had already fixed my car, I froze when I came around the corner of the house and saw a black Tahoe.
Too late to hide; he had already seen me. Luke waved and walked toward me as I pulled off my gardening gloves and tried to pat my hair back into a semblance of a ponytail.
“Hi,” he said, as he reached me.
“Hi,” I said back, staring at him. “Hi,” I stupidly repeated. There was a pause.
“How is your nephew feeling?”
“Charlie’s good. Just tummy stuff.” I stared down at my dirty jeans, and old Docs.
Luke handed me the tissue wrapped flowers he had been carrying. “These are for Cassie. Maybe you could tell her I was hoping she’s doing…well.” It was hard for people to know what to say.
“Sure,” I said, taking the flowers. “Thank you. I should put them in a vase.” I started up the back steps then turned to him. “Would you like to come in?”
Luke had walked to the gate and was looking into the garden. “I remember this. Cassie loved it.”
“She still does,” I told him curtly.
He turned to look at me. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
What was wrong with me? I rubbed my eyes. They felt gritty with dirt and exhaustion. “I’m sorry. I’m a little tired. Would you like to come in?” I repeated.
He followed me into the kitchen and watched as I got down a mason jar for the flowers. “I’m sorry I just dropped in. I tried to call, but the house phone isn’t working.”
I had it turned off to save a few bucks. “I can give you my cell.” That sounded bad. “Not that I’m asking you to call me.” That sounded worse so I stopped talking and busied myself filling the jar with water.
“I haven’t been in here in a long time,” he mentioned. I turned and saw him looking at the pile of bills I had placed on the table. He glanced up and met my eyes. “Last time I was here, your grandma was making a cake to celebrate our high school graduation.”
I looked around the kitchen. It hadn’t changed much since then. Just showing a lot more wear and tear, and certainly not as clean as my neat-as-a-pin Nana would have liked. “I remember that cake. She made it lemon flavored.”
He smiled. Whose teeth were that white and straight outside of a magazine? “It was delicious.”
I put the flowers on the table, and straightened up slowly, my hand rubbing the tiredness out of my lower back. “These are beautiful. I’ll bring them up to her later.” I gestured vaguely at the refrigerator. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Please,” he responded. I pulled out the jar of sun tea I had made the day before. “I saw the Eldorado is still in the parking lot at Roy’s,” Luke mentioned. “Are you having it towed somewhere?”
I bit my lip. “Martha—Martha Engstrom at the NGS—her cousin is going to look at it. Maybe he can get it going.”
He took the glass of tea from me. “Thanks. It’s good to have friends like Martha Engstrom. Does she still give out cookies?”
I smiled. “She’s Charlie’s favorite person. Does that answer your question? He comes with me on Saturdays and hangs out while I work. I pretend he wants to be with me, but it’s all about the cookies. And Martha’s son, Frankie. He’s a nice kid.”
“You work at the NGS,” he said slowly.
“Yeah. Why?” I felt my hackles rise, but he shook his head, dismissing it.
“Are you working tonight at Roy’s?” he asked.
“I’m at Roy’s Thursday through Saturday. Only three nights a week.”
“How were you going to get there? Do you have a ride?”
I hesitated. Since I still hadn’t told Tara about my second job, I couldn’t ask her for a ride to the tavern. And I hated to impose.
“I was planning to ride my bike,” I explained. “Or walk.”
Luke stared at me. “Are you crazy? It’s six or seven miles to town from here.”
“We rode in this morning and it was fine.”
“You made your nephew ride all that way? He’s sick!” He was incredulous.
“That’s not so far! I used to ride to town all the time a kid,” I spat back.
“But both ways? Coming home in the dark?” He grimaced. “No way.”
I turned back to the sink and gripped the counter. “It’s fine. Thank you again for the flowers. I’ll tell Cassie you stopped by.”
My eyes felt better as the tears washed the dust out. No reason to get emotional. It was none of his business, anyway. I didn’t even know him—what did he care what I did?
“Emily…” he started.
“Aunt Emmy?” Charlie yelled from the living room, and I heard a voice from upstairs calling, “Em?”
“Thanks for coming,” I said. “I’ll take the flowers to Cassie now.”