But it was surrounded by water so it couldn’t be that bad.
Who was I kidding?I’d look like a fool in the city.I was beer and sandals at a dive bar.She was espresso and high heels at a museum.
I had convinced myself there was a chance she wasn’t one of those who left the island for good and never came back.
I had convinced myself the island could be a place of peace for her just because I was here, ignoring everything she had lost on it.
And I had done a damn good job of convincing myself I hadn’t fallen for her.
But I had.
The storm cleared halfway through the day and the rest of the runs across went smoothly.
“Drinks after work at my place?”It was one of the few things Patrick had said to me all day.My hunch was that Lexi had given him a heads-up for what to expect.
“Nah.Not today.”
“How ’bout you come on over and have dinner.Mom’s making lasagna.”
I eyed him.“Is that an official invitation?”
“She’s expecting ya, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“That’s a low blow.”And he knew it.You didn’t pass up Mabel’s cooking.It wasn’t an option.It was the best thing on the island and when you got an invite, you went or she’d come after you for turning down her food.Took it as a personal insult.Ain’t nobody have so little time they can’t eat, she would say.
I walked through their front door and spotted Mabel over the stove decked out in a colorful doughnut-printed muumuu.She turned and wiped her hands on her apron and stomped right over and gave me a hug.A real one.The kind that pricks your eyes because you know how much love someone’s trying to give you through it.
“Now, I heard you had a little run-in with love.We’re gonna talk about it after your belly’s full.”She never beat around the bush.She set expectations up front and carried on.She shoved a plate of lasagna at me and told me to go sit down.
But the moment the plates were cleared she dove in.
“Patrick, you go on and clean up the kitchen.This boy and I got some life to do.”
She led me out to the back patio and patted the small cushion on one of the iron chairs.
“Now,” she started as she leaned back, the chair squeaking under her weight.“I heard that girl up and left, just like she said she would.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“So, what are you gonna do with that?”She stared out into the garden in her backyard.It was overflowing with all kinds of fruits and vegetables, vines crawling up over each other and hugging the worn wooden fence.It was impressive on its own, on top of the fact that gardening in Florida heat was no small feat.
Words weren’t coming to me easily that day.I didn’t know how to say it felt like my heart was bleeding out without saying exactly that, which felt a little dramatic.
We sat in silence for a few minutes.
“You see all that?”she asked, pointing to her garden.“It takestime and attention.Lots of it.Those things don’t just decide to pop up overnight.Stubborn little suckers sometimes.But I sit with ’em long enough, water ’em when I need to, prune ’em when they need it, they come back year after year for me.”
“You’re the only one I know with the luck to grow things in this heat.”
“It’s not so much about luck.But giving ’em what they need when they need it.Just hard to know what that is sometimes.”
“Are you telling me Sam needs a tall drink of water?”I asked with a forced laugh.Mabel gave me herlook, like now wasn’t the time to be covering up emotions.“She’s not coming back, if that’s what you’re getting it.”My tongue felt heavy saying it, like my mouth had wet glue inside it.“I could give her all the space in the world.That’s not what she’s looking for.”
“And what’s it that she’s looking for?”
I thought about how everything she talked about wanting revolved around work or the city up until a few days ago.“A corner office and a promotion, I think.”
“What exactly do you think that’s going to give her?”
