Page 91 of Seasons of Love
I go over to the passenger side of his car and jump in.
“Take me home, lover,” I say.
“Who calls their lover, lover?”
“Would you prefer mon amant? Amore mio?” I say, laying on my practiced French and Italian accents.
“God, no! And this is why we’re so wrong for each other,” he says with a hearty laugh. “But I really like you, Ellis.”
“I like you too, Tyler.”
He drops me off in front of my place. We exchange numbers and he gives me the address of the soup kitchen.
I knew early on that I wanted to teach because I can’t help caring about people and helping them get where they want to be. Especially young people. And I’ve never been afraid of working hard. Grading papers until midnight. Seeing all the little scribbles as the students try to write their first words. I love it all.
But knowing I can now also make a difference in my community makes me feel right and at home for the first time since I arrived in Stillwater.
Somehow the image of the young man that scans my groceries every week returns to me, with his reserved smile and his shy, intelligent eyes that look back at me with so much untapped potential.
3
MILO
I stare at the letter, but I’m not even reading it anymore.
A knock on the door forces me to look up.
“It’s open.”
Florrie walks in.
“You got it too?” she asks.
I nod, resting my head hopelessly on my hands with my elbows on my knees. How will I afford a rent increase? It’s not a lot, and it’s been a while since the last one, but ten months ago, I had a full-time job. Even without help from my brother’s income, I would have easily afforded it and more.
“I don’t know what to do, Florrie. I can’t afford to put Sara in childcare, so I can get a full-time job. What employer will let me bring her with me?”
She sits next to me, and I feel her hand on my shoulder. “It’ll work out. Life has a way of making things work. We just have to believe that if we put good energy out there, we’ll get good energy back. In the meantime, I’ll help you where I can. You know that.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I have to take a deep breath to stop a stray tear from falling because Florrie sounds so much like my mom that it’s as if she’s here, speaking to me.
God, I miss her. And my dad. And my fucking brother. Even Sara’s mom. I miss everyone.
“Look, there’s no point sitting here worrying about it. Why don’t we get all dolled up and go check out this month’s craft fair?” she asks. “I’ll drive us into town, and we’ll walk the rest of the way. How does that sound?”
She’s right. I look at her and smile. “Thank you. Let’s do it. And when we’re back, I’ll make you my mom’s tuna casserole for dinner. I promise it’s the best.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
It’s a hot day, so I put Sara in a cute little white dress I found at Goodwill. It still had the tag on it and everything. She looks adorable and smiles at me like she knows it.
“Yes, you’re so beautiful, aren’t you?” She kicks her arms and legs excitedly as I comb her short hair and catch it with a white bow. “You’ll be the prettiest girl at the fair. Yes, you will.”
Once Sara is ready, I make sure I have her bag with a change of clothes, diapers, snacks, and her bottle. I’m all kitted out like I’m moving to a different country.
“You girls are far too complicated,” I say to her, tickling her tummy as I walk past her crib to get her favorite toy. “Gone are the days when I only needed my clothes, wallet, and phone.”
She babbles back at me. Her bunny sits next to Ethel’s gift. I put it on the shelf since it’s pink and can kinda pass as a fish, sideways, of course. I’ll draw the line at taking it out with us, so I hope it never becomes Sara’s favorite toy.
