The Memories of Us

Chapter 5

We were smart enough to hose down in my front yard. Each time, it surprised me how much mud could get caked onto your skin. No matter how well I showered or rinsed off after a mudding trip, there was always bits of dried mud to be found, stuck in my hair or behind my ears. Of course, being the childish adults we are, washing off with the hose changed into a battle, and we ran through the yard chasing and drenching each other.

After taking turns properly showering, Emily came into the living room to tell us that she was going to go lay down before dinner, leaving us completely alone. It was silent besides the crackle of the TV. And it was the first time I've been alone with Mason in years. It wasn't awkward as I thought it would be, but it wasn't necessarily comforting either. A sad smile graced my lips; I really missed my best friend.

"Eli is coming tomorrow", I said, looking at Mason, breaking the silence. He looked back at me; his hair not fully dried as it flopped into his eyes.

"Eli, I miss that man", he smiled softly.

"And he's not coming alone..." I trailed off and turned my body to fully face him. He raised his eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

"He's bringing his boyfriend!" I said with suggestive wiggly brows.

"I'm so happy for the kid, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea", he admitted. "The people in this small town aren't so accepting. I'm not sure how they'll react to an openly gay couple. And his parents, shit, Rory". He shook his head. "Mr. and Mrs. Jones are going to lose their minds. The first time he came out it didn't go how he expected." 

I sighed; it was unfortunately true. It was before everyone left Wakefield, maybe in senior year? Eli tried to come out to his religious parents. With their beliefs, he knew that they were going to have a hard time trying to understand him. But he never thought that they would simply not want to try and processes the new information. He explained to them that he was attracted to the same sex. His parents were in such disbelief that they simply denied the fact that their own son had just admitted his sexuality, and they pretended that he never mentioned it and went along their own ways. Poor Eli was distraught for weeks; eventually, his mindset changed, and he didn't need his parents' "approval".

"I'm incredibly proud of him, coming back here, ready to face everyone," Mason spoke highly.

"I know, he's one of the bravest", I smiled at the thought of our friend.

"You know, Rory, your dad was the bravest guy I knew", Mason's hand rubbed soothing circles on my upper arm. "I'm here if you want to talk about him", he said reassuringly with a genuine smile. It felt good to have my close friends here with me. It made things easier; I could let my guard down. But I shook my head; I wasn't ready to have a full-on breakdown right here and not with Mason. He nodded but then continued to pull me into a hug and hold me. My breathing became more scattered as I tried not to cry. Eventually, he pulled away and kissed my forehead.

"I'll start dinner; lay down for a bit", he smiled kindly. "We both know you can't cook". He jabbed; his goofy smile was the last thing I saw before darkness.

"Aurora, Sunshine", called a voice. I looked up to see no one. I was still on the couch; however, it wasn't dinner time anymore. But rather middle of the day. Geez, if there was one thing I could go pro in, it would be napping.

"Sunshine!" called the same voice; it was familiar, but I couldn't place it. So I decided to follow the voice. As I got up, I could hear music and laughter coming from the backyard. My stomach turned at the familiarity. The surrounding setting was my eleventh birthday party. My dad had invited my whole grade at the time, and there were about thirty kids running around. I remembered it made me nervous to be in big crowds because I was an awkward child growing up. Mrs. Jones, Eli's mom, once made a point that I was skittish thanks to my motherless upbringing. But my dad and I both knew that wasn't true. And when I moved on into high school a much bigger school, I grew more confident in my own skin.