Firefly

One

Wednesday 7:00 AM
September 24, 2003

"Yn!" I looked across the street to see Sarah Miller waving at me. I jogged over to her with a smile on my face. I've been watching her for the past two years. "Hey, kid!" I said, ruffling her hair. She scrunched up her nose and moved away from me. "Hi, Mr. Miller." Joel Miller may be eighteen years older than me but he was fucking gorgeous. "Yn. You know you can just call me Joel," he said. "Don't let Nonna hear you saying that. She'll kick both our asses," I laughed. He smiled and nodded his head. "How is Clara?" He asked.

I shrugged. I've been living with my Nonna since I was little. My parents had been involved in a hit and run when I was five. Nonna was the only one who had no problem taking me in. "She's good. A little nauseous this morning but other than that she's doing good," I told him. "Good. Hey, are you available to pick up Sarah today and stay with her until I get home?" He asked. I looked over at Sarah and squinted my eyes at her. "Hmm???" I tapped my chin with my finger. She rolled her eyes, "yn!" I laughed and nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Okay, can you stop hitting on my dad so we can leave before we're later," Sarah said. My eyes widened and I could feel my cheeks starting to get hot. "Oh, my god, Sarah! I was going to take you to get a milkshake after school but now… forget about it you little brat!" She laughed and got in the truck. "You'll still take me!" She said and shut the door. I couldn't even look at Joel. "Firefly!" I looked behind me to see my Nonna at the front door. "Coming, Nonna! Just talking to Mr. Miller!" I called back.

But of course she didn't just go back inside. No, she had to come over as well. "Hello, Joel," she greeted. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, "hello, Clara. I was just asking yn if she wouldn't mind sitting with Sarah tonight. I hope you don't mind," he said. He was always gentle with her. Nonna smiled up at him, "of course not. I have a date with a friend anyway," she said. I looked over at her in confusion. "Date? What happened to being nauseous?" I asked. She smiled and winked before walking away. She may be seventy but she was still very full of life.

I stood there trying to think what friend she was talking about. "Date?" I whispered. "Date. She's still fisty. Maybe it's that man that's been coming over." I looked over at Joel, "what man?" I asked. He smiled with a little laugh before walking around to the driver's side. "Joel? What man?" I asked running around to his side. "You really don't know do you?" He asked. I shook my head waiting for him to tell me. "No. Oh God, does she have a guy over when I'm not home?" I asked. I turned around and started to jog back towards the house. "I'll see you later, Sarah!" I called over my shoulder. "Nonna!"

3:30 PM

I pulled up in front of the school and waited for Sarah. I had the top down on my 1965 mustang. The red poppy paint is shiny and freshly washed. I had music softly playing, and my elbow was propped up on the door. I saw Sarah running over and sat up straighter. "Hey, kid, how was school?" I asked. She put her bookbag in the back seat and put her seat belt on. "It was school. Can we go get milkshakes?" She asked. I laughed and put the car into gear and pulled out. "Sure."

On the way home we also picked up pizza for dinner. Joel wasn't one to really cook and even though he says he's going to be home by five or nine sometimes he's later depending on the job and how things go. Sometimes he and Tommy go out for drinks after work. And I don't mind sitting here with Sarah until he does come home. Nonna was usually out playing bingo or something or now I guess she's on a date. Maybe her bingo nights are actually date nights. After we ate and the dishes were done I put the leftover pizza in the fridge and we watched a movie.

Sarah had her head on my lap fast asleep. The second movie was still playing when the light from headlights filled the room for a few seconds before dying. The sound of a car door closing and then the sound of the door opening pulled my attention over to the entryway. Joel walked in, a tired look on his face. It was almost nine. "Hey, sorry, work ran late, we ran into a couple problems," he said. I gave him a small smile. "It's alright. I don't mind. It beats sitting home alone while Nonna is out on her date." He smiled and looked down at Sarah. "Long day?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, getting milkshakes and going to the mall gets a girl tired," I said. "I'll take her to bed. Thank you again," he said, leaning down and carefully picking up Sarah and taking her up to her room. I could have just left and went home but instead I headed into the kitchen and pre-heated the oven to warm up the pizza. Joel walked in just as I set a couple pieces on the rack. "Thought ya left," he said, getting a beer out of the fridge. "Thought you might be hungry."

"You didn't need to buy dinner," he said. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter. "It's no big deal, really. None of it is. I'm more than happy to watch Sarah when you need me to and I'm more than happy to feed her. I read somewhere you have to feed them to keep them alive," I said. He huffed out a laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, you ready right. How's school going for ya? Pick a major yet?" He asked. I turned around and pulled a plate out of the cupboard. "It's okay. Still don't know what I want to do though." I turned the oven off and plated the pizza.

I walked over to the table where he was sitting and sat the plate in front of him and he gave a small thanks. I sat down in the chair beside him, leaning back. "Does it get any easier? Being an adult I mean?" I asked. He huffed a laugh and shook his head. "No. It gets harder. Gotta pay bills and go to work everyday. It's horrible. Only good thing that came out of it is Sarah. She keeps me going," he said. I smiled.

"She is pretty great. I love hanging out with her. She has one sense of humor." Joel laughed and I felt my stomach flutter. 'Get it together, yn, he's like eighteen years older than you.' "Yeah, she does. I think she might get it from you. Think ya might be a bad influence," he said. I leaned over and lightly pushed his shoulder. "Hey! I am not! She gets it from you. She's just like her daddy," I said. He stood up, a fond smile on his face. "Yeah I suppose you're right." He washed his plate, dried it and put it back.

I stood up and stretched. "Well, now that I know you ate I will let you get to bed. I have class tomorrow anyway so I better get to bed myself." Joel walked me to the door. "Thanks again, yn. Really appreciate it." I turned and looked at him, "you really gotta stop doing that, Mr. Miller. I'll see you tomorrow." I walked to my car, got in, backed up, and went the couple feet to my driveway.