The lime-green walls of the little ice cream shop on Nineteenth Street brought me back to my childhood, where nothing bad could happen.
How naive I must have been then.
"You seem sad," said Dexter. He stares at me as if he could read my mind.
" I am. I haven't been here in years, this place brings back so many memories, " I say.
"What kind of memories?"
I sigh, "sad ones."
"Myla?" He asks slowly. Raising my head I see his gaze, his gray eyes are focused, almost as if he's reading my mind.
"Memories of when my mom was alive," I say barely loud enough for him to hear; a whisper.
She used to bring me here every Friday or whenever I got All A's and B's. She would get mint chocolate chip ice cream. I always went with classic vanilla with some sprinkles and chocolate. It was our thing and it never felt right coming here after she died.
He doesn't say anything instead he looks down at his cup. He doesn't know what to say. The silence is uncomfortable so I speak hoping to lighten the mood.
"What about you?" I ask taking a tiny bite if ice cream. For some reason I don't have a taste for it; I push it aside and focus on the moment.
" I don't really have a lot of favorite childhood places," he says. He closes his eyes and is silent for a moment. "I have one favorite memory. There's was this cabin that me and my family went to every summer up on the mountains until I turned ten, " he said.
"What was it like," I ask. I need him to continue to talk, I need to forget my memories that threaten to resurface.
"It was peaceful, I loved it, it felt so good being out in nature. So peaceful, that you could see the stars easily and the air felt so fresh and clean. The lake was dreamy blue and you could almost see the bottom of it. I loved to go swimming there every summer. It was a little wooden cabin next to the large house. We stayed in the house but I always liked the cabin better," he said.
He gazes past me like he's imagining being there right now. "On good nights you could gaze at the stars and forget everything. There were no city lights to pollute the sky, it was just nature."
"I love the stars. I never see them much here. It sounds like a really lovely place, I wish could see it," I say.
" I was thinking that this summer you could go out there with me, " he says. He reaches across the table and I place my hand into his.
"That sounds amazing. Just me and you or the whole crew?" He laughs at that part.
"Just me and you, " he said. "My father sold it to some family. If I could find out who they are, maybe I could rent it out for a week or two."
"Then I'm all in," I say.
I remember this great place for sightseeing, not too far outside of town. I used to go there as a kid and I feel this is the perfect place to take him. It's four-fifty and it takes about forty -five minutes to get there. It'll be dark by then.
"I have a surprise for you," I say putting my phone back in my jacket pocket
"What is it?" He asks.
"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise," I say as we walk out the door. He sighs.
" I'm driving, " I say.
"Since when? "
"Since now, for three reasons, you don't know where it is and I do. Two your driving is murderous. Three it's a surprise and that means I'm in charge big guy, " I say. He slides into the passenger seat.
YOU ARE READING
The Vampire Princess
Science Fiction"Who is your creator?" He growls out the question and never looks away from my face. I keep struggling to get out of his grasp, but I fail. This is it, I think bitterly. This is how I will die.
