over the place?”
“Most of
them have been there as long as the building has.”
Without
thinking, Audrey answered, “I painted for years when I was younger.”
While it
was true, it was the first time that Audrey was actually able to reflect on how
much she changed over the years--how much her marriage to Max influenced who
she was, even almost a decade later. It was only weeks after the wedding when
the two of them packed up all of her painting supplies and shoved them into the
garage to make room for an office. That marked the start of her new life, a
life that Max’s likes and dislikes essentially dictated.
“Is that
so?”
“Yeah.”
She added, “But it was a long time ago.”
Arthur’s
face lit up like he had a brilliant idea.
“Hey,
why don’t you stop back by the hotel tomorrow? I have something that I want
you to look at.”
Just
then, Liam appeared again. His hair had been pulled back into a short, stubby
ponytail.
“Can you
make it?”
Audrey
forced her stare back to Arthur and responded, “Sure. I have nothing but time
anyway.”
“Great,”
he said as Liam reached where they stood. “See you then.”
“I leave
for five minutes and you’re already making plans without me?”
A
slender man, who just happened to be passing by, replied, “That’s what happens
when you leave a woman with Arthur.”
Everyone
in the vicinity roared with drunken laughter while Liam reached out and
playfully popped him on the shoulder.
“You
silver fox! Have you no shame?”
Arthur
shrugged and turned back to his previous conversation with a grin, leaving Liam
and Audrey alone, relatively speaking. The harmless, airy banter quickly
started to raise her spirits.
“Are you
hungry? The food’s almost ready.”
She
motioned for him to lead the way with her beer. Though she hadn’t consumed a
ton, the small bit of alcohol running through her body worked fast, lowering
the conscious wall that she tried to keep between them. She didn’t attempt to
hide the bandages anymore; didn’t worry about the judgment of the people around
her. Instead, she let herself simply fall into the moment.
The two
of them joined a mass exodus from the dock that was already in progress. Just
to the right--at the peak of a small hill--bellowing clouds of smoke rolled off
of a busy grill. Nearby, dozens of blankets were spread out, dotted with a
mish-mash of different beach chairs. Coolers, purses and even more buckets of
beer also punctuated the hillside.
“Come
on,” Liam said and finally went back to the bare spot on her back. “My
blanket’s near the top.”
Soft
dirt gave way to a lush spread of silky grass as the two marched to the
precipice of the hill and sank down onto the gray sheet that was laid out.
It’s high thread-count--and the soft grass below it--made Audrey feel like she
was sinking into a cloud. She kicked off her sandals and pressed her bare feet
into the supple blades, letting them slip between her toes.
Just
below them, the hundred or so residents in attendance filed like ants to
wherever they left their things.
“It’s
not so bad here.”
Audrey
polished off her second beer and laid the bottle down into the grass.
“Who
said it was?”
“Well,
nobody I guess,” he said and sank down next to her. “It’s just that I always
bring people here and no one seems to understand why I like it so much. Am I
way off base or something?”
On the
back of a gust of wind, the fragrant scent of burgers and fresh corn cooking on
the grill swept by. Audrey closed her eyes for a second and mulled over his
question. There was a relative quiet that settled over the densely-populated
area as the residents started to eat more and talk less, allowing the subtle,
soothing sound of water lapping up against the dock below to reach where they
sat.
When she
opened her eyes again, she looked out to the last tiny sliver of the sun as it
dipped down and disappeared in a
“Most of
them have been there as long as the building has.”
Without
thinking, Audrey answered, “I painted for years when I was younger.”
While it
was true, it was the first time that Audrey was actually able to reflect on how
much she changed over the years--how much her marriage to Max influenced who
she was, even almost a decade later. It was only weeks after the wedding when
the two of them packed up all of her painting supplies and shoved them into the
garage to make room for an office. That marked the start of her new life, a
life that Max’s likes and dislikes essentially dictated.
“Is that
so?”
“Yeah.”
She added, “But it was a long time ago.”
Arthur’s
face lit up like he had a brilliant idea.
“Hey,
why don’t you stop back by the hotel tomorrow? I have something that I want
you to look at.”
Just
then, Liam appeared again. His hair had been pulled back into a short, stubby
ponytail.
“Can you
make it?”
Audrey
forced her stare back to Arthur and responded, “Sure. I have nothing but time
anyway.”
“Great,”
he said as Liam reached where they stood. “See you then.”
“I leave
for five minutes and you’re already making plans without me?”
A
slender man, who just happened to be passing by, replied, “That’s what happens
when you leave a woman with Arthur.”
Everyone
in the vicinity roared with drunken laughter while Liam reached out and
playfully popped him on the shoulder.
“You
silver fox! Have you no shame?”
Arthur
shrugged and turned back to his previous conversation with a grin, leaving Liam
and Audrey alone, relatively speaking. The harmless, airy banter quickly
started to raise her spirits.
“Are you
hungry? The food’s almost ready.”
She
motioned for him to lead the way with her beer. Though she hadn’t consumed a
ton, the small bit of alcohol running through her body worked fast, lowering
the conscious wall that she tried to keep between them. She didn’t attempt to
hide the bandages anymore; didn’t worry about the judgment of the people around
her. Instead, she let herself simply fall into the moment.
The two
of them joined a mass exodus from the dock that was already in progress. Just
to the right--at the peak of a small hill--bellowing clouds of smoke rolled off
of a busy grill. Nearby, dozens of blankets were spread out, dotted with a
mish-mash of different beach chairs. Coolers, purses and even more buckets of
beer also punctuated the hillside.
“Come
on,” Liam said and finally went back to the bare spot on her back. “My
blanket’s near the top.”
Soft
dirt gave way to a lush spread of silky grass as the two marched to the
precipice of the hill and sank down onto the gray sheet that was laid out.
It’s high thread-count--and the soft grass below it--made Audrey feel like she
was sinking into a cloud. She kicked off her sandals and pressed her bare feet
into the supple blades, letting them slip between her toes.
Just
below them, the hundred or so residents in attendance filed like ants to
wherever they left their things.
“It’s
not so bad here.”
Audrey
polished off her second beer and laid the bottle down into the grass.
“Who
said it was?”
“Well,
nobody I guess,” he said and sank down next to her. “It’s just that I always
bring people here and no one seems to understand why I like it so much. Am I
way off base or something?”
On the
back of a gust of wind, the fragrant scent of burgers and fresh corn cooking on
the grill swept by. Audrey closed her eyes for a second and mulled over his
question. There was a relative quiet that settled over the densely-populated
area as the residents started to eat more and talk less, allowing the subtle,
soothing sound of water lapping up against the dock below to reach where they
sat.
When she
opened her eyes again, she looked out to the last tiny sliver of the sun as it
dipped down and disappeared in a
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