Here we go (ooh, ooh, ooh, oh)
18
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Guess how many views now?” I ask Dean, shielding my phone from his view as we sit together on the sofa at his mother’s house. There are various snacks on the table in front of us. We got here early this morning to help prepare for Sierra’s high school graduation party.
“I don’t know…eight-hundred thousand?” He suggests, shoveling a handful of kettle corn into his mouth, reading some article on his phone.
“Wrong. More. It’s almost one million.” I show him excitedly, handing him my own phone.
“Wow. That was damn fast,” Dean remarks, scrolling through the comments. “They really seem to like it.” He hands me back my phone and shows me his. “Check this out. Pitchfork calls it ‘An essential folk-rock hit’”.
“I know,” I’m proud. “The support has been incredible.” We only released the music video for Andy’s BETTER YET last night, and when we went to sleep, it had a measly two hundred views. This morning, it jumped up to a steep 10,000 but now,I can’t believe it. I can’t even imagine 90-something thousand people in the same room.
“Hey, you guys, you can’t steal my day with this.” Sierra pops her head into the living room. “It’s my party.”
“We know it’s your party, Sierra, it’s all you’ve been talking about the last week.” Dean rolls his eyes. “We’re leaving soon anyway.”
“But we’ll be back in time for your party!” I beam a smile at her. We’ve spent a lot of time together over the last few months as Sierra took the SATs and applied to colleges. She got into The University of Maine last month, and Dean and I were beyond proud of her.
“You better be home in time. Mom needs someone to do the grilling. She’s busy getting the cake!” Sierra calls from the kitchen.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ve told you like a thousand times, I’ll do it. Just make sure you defrost the meat. Did you take the chicken out?” Dean reminds her.
“Oh, shit.” Sierra’s chair clatters as she stands up and rushes to the freezer. “Do you think it’s enough time?”
“Party’s at 5, right?” I ask.
“Yeah, it's enough time.” Dean lets Sierra know, as Laura comes through the door with a large sheet cake. “Here give it to me.” Dean takes the cake from her, carrying it into the kitchen.
“Hi,” I greet their Mom with a small hug.
“How are you doing, Madeline?” She asks. “Good to see you again.” I saw her just last week when we all went grocery shopping in Fort Kent.
“Good, how are you?” I ask.
“Good. I just spoke with Eliza. She’ll be here in a few with the decorations.”
“I’ll help hang them when we get back.” I smile.
“Are you almost ready?” Dean asks me, squeezing my arm.
“I’ve been ready. I was waiting for you,” I laugh.
“Let’s get going then.” Dean pulls me up and out of the deep sofa. We say goodbye to Sierra, checking to make sure she’s defrosting the barbecue properly. Heading down the porch, Dean hands me the keys to his truck. “You got this?”
“I got this,” I smile.
Hopping in the truck, I adjust the seat and mirrors, and roll down both our windows. Dean puts my favorite Arcade Fire album on the stereo. It’s the first truly hot day of June, the trees are dancing with green and wildflowers dot the main road. We drive for a bit, the wind blowing in our hair. Speeding up, I laugh. Even though I’ve had my license for a few months now, I never thought I could be so free. I never thought I could drive again—but here I am, and I have been for a while now.
“You sound evil with all that laughing!” Dean laughs too, over the wind.
“I can’t hear you!” I pretend not to hear him, still grinning. Pulling into the small, empty gravel lot, we come to a rumbling stop and I park the truck.
Dean hops out of the passenger seat, grabs my tote bag from the back seat, and opens my door for me. He gives me a hand as I climb out. I take my tote from him as he grabs the rest of our things from the bed of the truck. He shakes out sand from our blanket, and spreads it out across the beach.
We sit, and I pull sunscreen, two wraps and a book from my bag. I watch the tide roll up the beach, burying pebbles and shells underneath it. There’s a stray gull here and there, but the shore remains quiet except for us. We take in the idyllic scenery and the serenity of it all.
