Whisper of Broken Things

Chapter 7

On the way home my dad stops by the Downeast deli to grab sandwiches for dinner. 2 roast beef sandwiches, with provolone cheese, and no mayonnaise. We eat them outside on the porch and watch as the sunsets, leaving Bar Harbor with the moonlight. My dad talked to me about how he is going to use his status here, to do something good. The excitement in my dad's voice makes me happy. He didn't have much of that back in Washington, my mother sucked all of the joy right out of him. 

He told how he goes to golf with the Sheriff and some other friends on Fridays, and how I'm welcome to come anytime I'd like. He asks me about my day and I tell him about the friends that I've made, how I used to know them when I was a kid. He tells me about my mom's new house, and how she is going to get my stuff shipped out by Thursday. We talk about everything he has done here since January and everything he plans to do. Once he is finished, he goes inside and puts on cable TV while he works on a puzzle. Normally I would go plop down right next to him, enjoying his company. But I don't know when Halle is going to be here, and I need to get out of these airport clothes. 

I hop in the shower and then choose an outfit for tonight. I decide on pair of baggy tan cargo pants, and one of the Beatles shirts Halle picked out for me. Then I sit on my bed listening to music and scribbling in a sketchbook for 2 more hours. Once it hits 10:00 pm, I realize she's probably waiting for her mom's asshole boyfriend to go to sleep or something. I wait another thirty minutes before I hear little tiny thuds coming from outside my window. I move back the curtains to see Halle standing down there, getting ready to throw another rock. "Okay," I yell. "I'm coming.". My window doesn't open so I try my best to yell through the glass. I can't believe she Is throwing rocks at my window like some, cringe romcom.

 I grab my phone and start to tiptoe downstairs before remembering that, unlike my mom, my dad won't forbid me from going out with friends. "Hey, what are you up to?", he shouts from his chair in the living room. I peek my head in and tell him I'm going to hang out with the friends I met today. "Be safe", he tells me. Not even giving me a curfew. This is what freedom feels like, I'm sure of it. I open the door to Halle sitting on my grandparents' swing. "Finally,", she sighs, "Everyone's waiting for us at the park." She's wearing a tank top, sweatpants, and beige vans that I'm sure were white at one point. 

She leads the way the whole time, always staying in front of me. I want to talk to her, start a conversation, but the only thing I can think of is "Oh hey do you remember when we were kids and in love, oh great I'm glad, because, I'm still in love with you, I think?" And I'm not sure that would make for a great topic at the moment. So, I decided to go with a safe choice. "So, how's your brother?" I ask, so quickly I don't even know if she heard me. She stops and turns toward me, "He's good", she says and then continues walking. "That's good, did he go to college and move out or does he still live here or...?" "Ya, he lives here, he is great. Anyways how's your mom?" she asks, completely changing the subject. 

Maybe they got into a fight or something, that would explain why her tone changed so much. "You've never even really met my mom." I say, confused as to why she wants to know. "No, but you said she was shitty, and so is mine, so I thought maybe we could talk about our shitty moms." We both stop walking for a second and look at each other erupting into laughter as we realize how sad and hilarious that is. We walk for another few minutes, she doesn't say much more, she just tells me that she has a half-sister now. "Could you guys walk any slower?", I hear Dylan yelling from the park. 

That's when I realize she took me to our park. I wonder if she feels the same way about it as I do, remembers it how I remember it and places it under a special category that belongs to us and only us. Dylan runs up to her, picks her up, and swings her around. "Stop," she says between her laughter. And I begin to wonder if she and Dylan are together, or have been in the past. "What's up Matty", he says, fist-bumping me. Halle runs over to the swings, "Matty are you coming?" she asks, and butterfly's form in my stomach, maybe she does remember the way I do.