Lilt

By Way Of...

Zeb tore off a blade of grass at the root and placed in between two tan thumbs. Then cupping his hands, he raised them to his lips and blew. A loud airy hum quickly became a buzz, as what sounded like a pocket sized elephant leapt from Zeb's hands.

Brone was fixated on the rhythmic rise and fall of the waves terminating on the muddy shore. A Pontoon boat had passed, full of Fireball infused thirty something's, as they soaked up the last hours of sunlight in the long holiday weekend.

"I bet they wont be that happy at work in the morning." He chucked a pebble harmlessly into an advancing wave, as he turned to acknowledge Zeb's sound. "I'm just beat, man." Baden raised his hand to his forehead to shade his eyes. "I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do. She just gave up, went black. Said she wasn't in love anymore and cut me off."

Zeb lowered his hands, and let the blade of grass flutter to the ground.

". Well Jake," Brone's middle name was Jacob. Zeb was one of the four individuals in the entire world that actually knew or remembered that. They had been playground blood brothers since the fifth grade."If I may call you Jake." Zeb slid his Costa sun glasses down his nose and looked intently at Brone. "Here's the thing, you love this girl, right?"

Brone shifted his weight to his uphill foot and sat heavily on the bank, watching the tiny boats reflect in the late afternoon sun. "It's like this. It wasn't so much that I fell in love. It was easy, stupid easy, not a fall at all really. It was like walking into your house after a long trip." Brone paused, gathering himself. "She was like finally being home" The last home drifted out toward the lake and disappeared.

Zeb noticed the single tear escape from the corner of Brone'seye, but didn't mention it. "Wow... you really do love her.. Well that changes the monologue completely, bud." Zeb stood up and walked the few paces to sit beside his friend. "Well, you know how much you love her?" Brone couldn't respond, he just nodded, wiping his tears with his T shirt. "However much you love her, you will fight twice as much to keep her." He draped his arm around Brone's shoulder, as Brone buried his face in Zebs chest, sobbing.