Great, half the room heard her. Now, when I turned, they’d try to act as if they weren’t eavesdropping. I feigned a stretch,shifting in my chair until I found heryoung man. Nick sat at one of the tables, looking as out of place as I felt. Whatever flowed through Lacie’s veins, it hadn’t infected him.
It was obvious that this was his first time attending Bingo. He didn’t have a single lucky charm adorning his table. In his hand, he held a pencil, a dead giveaway that he wasn’t an aficionado at the game. My heart went out to the poor guy. Whatever brought him to Firefly seemed more like a dark cloud over his head than a fun romp in the mountains.
“I’m going to go talk to Gladys,” Mum said.
She turned, staring me in the eye. As hers narrowed, I could almost hear her using my full name. Her eyes glanced toward the back of the room. When I didn’t respond, she let out an exasperated sigh.
“Maybe you should get some air.”
“I’m okay for a few more rounds.” Though if she wanted to go home and watch game shows, I’d have tossed her over my shoulder and?—
“I think you—” Her lips thinned as her brow furrowed. “—need to get some air.” Now, when she glanced to the back, she didn’t attempt subtlety. Her eyes went straight to the miserable young man.
“Oh.”
She shook her head. “No wonder I don’t have a son-in-law.”
My jaw dropped as she got to her feet. She hobbled away, the boot clomping against the floor with each step. I couldn’t believe the audacity of the woman. It’s why I loved her. While Pops had tried his best to connect with me through activities, Mum had a way of verbally shoving herself into the situation. There was never any sass back. I might have been defiant, but even I knew the line.
When she glanced over her shoulder, she shooed me with her hand. I admitted defeat. Shimmying between players, I made myway to the aisle. As I reached the last row, Nick had his eyes focused on his losing card. I might not want to be here, but I endured for the sake of Mum. Nick, on the other hand, appeared lost.
Up close, I could see it better, the same worn, guarded expression from the other day, only now it frayed at the edges. Once upon a time, I wore the same look, at least until I learned to maintain a blank face.
I gave the table a gentle knock. When he looked up, I glanced at him, head nodding to the door. I offered him a way out. Now let’s see if he took it.
The sun had set, leaving downtown dark except for the streetlamps. From a distance, the soft yellow orbs lived up to the town’s name. Peppered along the green, it almost seemed as if fireflies were lighting the town. On its own, I had to admit, there was something peaceful that I never found in the city. Here, as the moon rose above the town, the people hid away indoors, letting the hush settle in.
I pressed my back to the corner of the building, just out of sight of the windows. My mind had already drifted to the forest, wondering how much it had changed since I last stepped beyond the tree line. When I closed my eyes, I could smell the campfire and hear the rush of the river.
“Got a smoke?”
I didn’t open my eyes. “You smoke?”
“No.”
“Here I thought you were a bad boy.”
The distraught expression from inside had already faded. Only a few inches shorter than me, he must have been a decadeyounger. I studied the side of his face as he fixated on the green. The yellow light reflected in his eye, and I had to look away, fearful he’d think I was staring. Instead, I continued stealing glances at that furry face, willing to risk being caught.
“Speaking of bad boys,” he said, “how many tattoos do you have?”
“Bad boy?” I scoffed. “I’m an art aficionado.”
“And skilled at dodging questions.”
He wasn’t wrong. The moment I crossed the bridge into Firefly, I prepared my defenses. In my head, I imagined myself clad in armor, ready to deflect every jab from the locals. If it were them asking questions, I’d have let it slip into the silence. When a handsome man asks, I’ll admit, I might have removed my helmet.
“I’ve had thirty-two sittings.”
“Huh?”
Without thinking, I lifted my t-shirt. Across my stomach, angels and demons waged a battle between good and evil. If I raised the back, he’d find it transitioned into Roman statues. At this point, I had more artwork than bare skin.
“At a certain point, it’s hard to say how many tats you have.”
His hand reached up as if he were going to check for texture. Nick froze, a look of horror crossing his face. With lightning speed, his hands shoved into his pockets. I wouldn’t have objected. He could trace the turbulent clouds above purgatory until he reached the demons clawing their way up from hell.
I kept the thought to myself.
