A Summer of Memories

Memory lane to the water park

Present, back in the snow in front of the Water Park

That summer had definitely been one of my favorites. The eight of us shared so many memories here at Rocky Springs Water Park. It was because of this place that I met Liam. I can remember every moment we shared together after that day. I remember the times he would come and see me after school at my parents' diner while I worked. He and the rest of the boys would usually drop by to steal a few fries before leaving in Liam's truck to head to their own jobs. The first few times they came by, I wasn't aware of the scheme they would use throughout the rest of high school. They would usually order one or two large fries and occasionally a milkshake or two to split while sitting at the bar. In between helping other customers, I would hang around them behind the counter. The boys were always fun to be around because I was guaranteed some laughter (like the kind that causes you to be sore for the next half hour) either due to whatever they were discussing that day or their antics as they picked at each other. Since they had work starting at 5:00, around 4:30 they would start to leave, but all in a rush. Without paying. The first time this happened I had cried out indignantly, "Hey!" as they all but raced for the door to leave. "Who's paying for this?"

"Sorry, can't, Sara. Don't have any money on me. That's why I'm heading to work," smirked Todd as he left. Liam was the last to leave, but at least his "Sorry" was given with an apologetic smile compared to the unrepentant smirk like Todd and the other boys. From that point on, their "before work meal" was always on the house (meaning it came out of my paycheck).

I can remember the dates Liam and I would go on before we got married. The first time he asked me, I thought it was pretty sly. It had been a Friday evening before he and the rest of the boys left the diner and headed to work. Liam had hung back longer than he usually did. "Won't you be late for work?" I had asked him. "Maybe, but so will the others since I'm their ride." I giggled before he hesitantly continued, "Actually, I was wondering if I could take you out for dinner tomorrow night to make up for all of the food we've sort of stolen? I figured your parents ended up holding you responsible for it..." he trailed off as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, they did, but it wasn't that big a deal, especially since I was almost always guaranteed a laugh." At this, he had smiled. "But we can have dinner on one condition." "What's that?" "We eat somewhere besides here." "I think that's pretty doable," he had agreed. After that he had turned and left. Apparently, he had a very cheesy grin on his face though when he walked out the door because when Ann came in a couple minutes later she had asked what had just happened. "I've never seen that boy grin so widely. What did you do?" "Nothing! Why would you think I did something?" "Oh, please, Sara! What just happened?" "He asked me out to dinner tomorrow night..." I mumbled out. "I knew it!" Ann had exclaimed. "You two have been dancing around each other since the middle of the summer. I'm just thrilled that something is actually officially happening between you two."

After that Saturday, Liam and I would go on dates every week or so. Sometimes we would have dinner somewhere in town (but rarely at the diner), spend a few hours in the meadow at the edge of town, or go see a movie at the drive-in. My favorites were when the owners decided to show classics like Jaws, Return of the Jedi, Back to the Future, and others. I remember when he surprised me one night with a date in the meadow to go stargazing. My favorite constellation was Orion. How convenient that Liam's was Canis Major.

I remember when he proposed a few winters ago. We had gone out to the meadow and ended up building a snowman. I had suggested that he looked a bit like Parson Brown and was confused when Liam didn't join in with my laughter. I had turned around to find him kneeling on the ground on one knee with a ring in his hand. "Well, you know that he loves to ask couples if they're married? Seeing as we aren't, would you like to change that?" I had stepped back to address the snowman with, "No man, we aren't married." Then I turned back to Liam with a smile on my face as I said, "But you can do the job when you're in town." As I had said this, the worried look on Liam's face had melted into a smile as well. Of course, we had to let Parson Brown be the one to officiate the ceremony after that. It was one of the happiest days of my life with all our friends and families there to celebrate with us.

I remember the happy years we had together. I loved how Liam would surprise me with bouquets of wildflowers in the springs and summers from our meadow. We would go on double date nights with Ann and Todd. Every Friday night was game or movie night with the gang. Mary Jane always won when we played trivia, so we had all agreed to play that only once every couple of months. But now, he is no longer here to make and share anymore memories. It was not Liam's fault though. The driver had been drunk, and it was late one night. Todd and Liam had been coming home from work in the next town, and since they worked the same hours, they had decided to carpool.

It feels like it was only last week when Ann and my mom came to tell me. I had been waiting on the couch for him to get home. He was running a little late, but it wasn't so much so that I was really worried yet. Then there came a knock on the door. I opened it to see Ann and Mama and knew that something was wrong, especially when a quick glance behind them revealed the sheriff. "We have some bad news to tell you," said Mama. "It's Liam. There's been an accident. He didn't make it." My mind went blank, and I dissolved into a weeping mass on the floor. If it hadn't been for Ann and my mom, I would have hit the ground pretty hard, but they slowed my fall a good bit. When I was finally able to somewhat comprehend and form a thought, I immediately asked about Todd. "He's heading to the hospital," said Ann. "I'm heading there now, but I had to see you first. I didn't want your mom to be the only familiar face here with you when you heard." After Ann left, the sheriff came in to give us some of the details about the accident, but I didn't comprehend much. I was numb with shock.

I can remember a couple months later when I just completely lost it again. My parents had been staying with me, so I wasn't in our house all alone. Sometimes Ann and Todd stayed too. That day though, it was just Mama and me. I had burst into tears and could hardly breathe. I'm sure I sounded like some sort of dying creature with all the agony that was coming out of me. My mom just rubbed my back and tried to comfort me as best she could. "Sometimes you just break down and convulse with tears, and that's okay, Sweety. A body wasn't meant to hold on to such pain. It can't keep it in forever. Eventually it's going to need out, and it will get out anyway it can."

That most recent bad breakdown had been a couple months ago. Of course, I still cry just about every day, but things are slowly, very slowly, getting better. Todd still sometimes wonders why he did not die instead of Liam. I do not blame him for Liam's death though. It has been a great loss to all of us. I try not to focus on these memories though, only the good ones. I know that our life wasn't perfect, and we had our problems, but all those times seem blurry compared to the happier times when I come sit outside the Water Park. So, I just try to etch these good memories into my mind because, sometimes, it seems so much harder to recall the small details or specific instances. This is why I come here every day to the closed and locked gates of the Water Park, to remind myself of all the good memories and where they started. Because with the passage of each day, the pain may lesson, but my memories seem to become less sharp too. And I would take more pain if it meant that I could remember him better. Quite often now though, I will take breaks on the benches between the diner, which I run now, and the Park, and rest my hands on my swollen belly. I am not expecting till the end of February or early March, but I feel quite large. This is another reason why I come here every day too, so I can have a whole library of memories about him, her father, to share with her when she gets here. Liam had been so excited to find out we were having a girl, and he had felt her kick only a week before he died. I know when she does come, it will not just be me and her though. The rest of the gang will be there too. I just hope I can let her know all about her father, so she feels like she knows him too. I will share all these memories with her and maybe one day, the Water Park will open back up and she will be able to make her own memories here too, a summer full of them.