Can You Hear the Ocean?

Chapter 24

The following weekend, Mia woke late and poured herself some cereal. She had worked a later shift at the café the evening before, and with several of her coworkers out, she hadn't been able to clock out until two hours past the café's closing time. She was sure she looked exhausted as ever as she sat at the kitchen table and munched on her breakfast.

Mia glanced at the clock on the oven. With the rate she was going, she should speed up her pace. She was supposed to meet Julian at the pumpkin patch in less than an hour, but her limbs were heavy, and it was taking all of her willpower just to keep her eyes open.

Mia lifted her head up at the sound of Leila's door opening. She walked out into the kitchen in a flattering orange cardigan and dark blue jeans, clearly looking as if she had somewhere to go.

"Where are you off to?" Mia asked.

"The pumpkin patch up the street. My friends and I wanted to go take pictures there," Leila explained.

"Oh. I'm heading there too," Mia said. "Julian and I were going to hang out."

"Oh! What time?" Leila asked.

"Pretty soon. I should probably be eating faster than I am," she said. She shoved another bite of cereal down her throat, even though she wanted nothing more than to return to her bedroom to sleep.

"Do you want a ride?" Leila asked.

"Are you sure?" Mia asked. "I don't want to be an inconvenience. I can just bring my own car—"

"You look too tired to drive. Let's save gas," Leila decided.

"Okay. Give me a few to get ready," she said, downing the rest of her cereal bowl as quickly as she could.

Mia's fall outfit looked nowhere near as good as Leila's once she had managed to get herself dressed for the day. She stuck with a worn flannel she'd had since high school and the one pair of leggings she owned that weren't stained.

As she and Leila drove down the road, Mia rested her chin on her hand and stared out the window at the colorful trees lining the road. She struggled to remember the last fall she had spent in Maine. It had been so long ago, and her mother had been ill. She didn't even remember what she had dressed up as for Halloween that year.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Leila asked, mistaking Mia's troubled thoughts for awe.

"Yeah," Mia said. "It's been a long time since I've been to a pumpkin patch."

"Do you remember when we used to go as kids?" Leila wondered. "It was usually for the school field trip."

Vague memories returned to Mia of hay mazes, candy apples, and petting zoos. She supposed she hadn't tried hard enough to keep those memories. Summer had always been her favorite season in Maine despite the horrendous heat. It was the time of year she remembered feeling the most at ease. 

"It feels weird being back here in the fall," Mia admitted.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy the pumpkin patch though. Obviously it's not as fun as when we were kids, but they still have good food. It's a nice place to hang out for an afternoon," Leila explained. "My friends and I still make an effort to come every year. Was this not your idea?"

"It was Julian's," Mia explained. She tapped her nails on the side of the car door, then spoke up. "Do you think we could stop by my mom's grave on the way back?"

"Sure. I was just thinking it had been a while. Why don't we get some flowers too?" Leila asked.

Mia nodded in agreement.

Once they had parked, Mia glanced around, spotting Julian at a nearby picnic table on the lawn. She turned, seeing Leila already waving to her friends who were down by the hay bales.