Almost immediately, she texted back.
Tweedledee
I did not.How was your first day?
Good.I like the doctors.I didn’t meet my direct boss.Doc V said it’s her birthday today so she got the day off
Yes, that’s Yola.Manny’s wife?He ordered her a big bouquet to celebrate.Calla lilies are her faves.I dropped them off this morning
Sometimes I forget just how small this small town is
I love it.Can you imagine me delivering flowers in a big city?I’d never know who the recipient was, if they enjoyed their arrangement.Because Wisper is so small, I get to know my customers and learn which flowers will really make them smile and appreciate their bouquets
The thought of AJ mulling over which type of rose to put into a bouquet, which color, how many, made me smile.She had always been a giving person.She’d given me peace when we were kids, and that only seemed to have intensified now as adults.
No, I can’t imagine.But I bet your beautiful soul would shine no matter where you were
...
She began to reply; three little blinking dots appeared on my phone’s screen, but then they disappeared.A few seconds later the phone rang, and the blurry photo I’d taken of AJ yesterday appeared beneath “Tweedledee.”
I kept reminding myself to snap some photos of Stu tomorrow so I wouldn’t forget when I was at the ranch.Having a picture of my kid on my phone seemed like the most important thing in my world aside from actually talking to him, though, so I knew it wouldn’t slip my mind.
I answered her call with a jittery stomach and a smile I couldn’t quite quit.“Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, and the warm sound of her voice sent a shot of dopamine straight through me.“I know you’ve had a long day, but would you like to come over for tea again?I’d love to hear about the animals.”
“Can’t sleep?”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Be there in five.”
ChapterNineteen
Dixon
The walkto AJ’s place was as known to me as breathing, and I grinned like a goof as I hurried over there, like somebody lit a fire in my pants.I didn’t want to show up too soon, or she’d think I jogged there, but I also didn’t want to make her wait.
The image of her standing in her doorway, welcoming me into her home, had become my favorite part of the day.I envisioned it while I walked and thought about all the animals I’d met in the day and how stoked I was to be a part of the All Animals team.
It was a job I could be proud of, a job Stu could be proud of.What kid didn’t like animals?And it felt really good to be considered part of a team.I’d never really felt that in a work situation, and I was unusually excited to meet the other team members.Granted, I was only a small part, but they were good people.They cared about the animals they treated, and I was proud to be part of that.
I wanted to kiss AJ for asking about my day.There wasn’t one person in my life who bothered.That wasn’t exactly true.Abey had tried to connect, but it wasn’t an easy connection.There were just too many years between us, still so much she didn’t know about me.The ambiguity was my fault, I knew, but I wasn’t ready.I couldn’t even imagine sitting down with my sister, or any of my siblings for that matter, and spilling my guts.I would, in time, but I got the feeling that they didn’t know what to say to me, and I had the suspicion that they were wary of saying anything in case it might set me off, that anything they had to say might drive me back to drugs.
For AJ to care enough about me tonotbe scared of my reaction and ask about such a mundane thing seemed huge to me.It had been so long since I’d let anyone care for me at all, and AJ made me realize more than ever what a mistake that had been.
So, when I stepped onto her porch and she answered her door in pink pajamas, mint green fuzzy slippers with pink bows, and her hair up in a knot on her head, I couldn’t help myself.
Wrapping my arms around her, I drew her into them and leaned down to kiss her soft petal lips.It was just a quick peck, but she rested her head against my chest and let me hug her silently, and the sound of her quiet breath and the steady pulse of her heartbeat was like a drug.
But to compare her to some dirty, life-threatening substance that had the power to rip families apart and make liars and thieves out of honest people seemed gross and insufficient.
AJ was so much more than that.She was the strength of the sun when it beat down on a sapling in the dirt, giving its power to the tree, telling the small, unprotected thing it was okay to thrive, to grow and be seen.She was the love behind everyday words and actions that allowed the people around her to feel secure and brave.
She made me feel brave.
“I thought about you today,” I said, hugging harder and pulling her closer.
