A Walk in the Rain

Chapter 2

I walk into the library and hear, "Hello, is that you, April?" I looked toward my right at the checkout station, and low-and-behold, it was Lilly. "Hey Lilly!" Lilly walked up to me and hugged me. Her salt and pepper hair smelled of lavender and chamomile. She is wearing a 90s vintage overall dress with a red t-shirt underneath. "How have you been, April? Your mom told me about the breakup. You and Trevor seemed to make such a good couple. I am so sorry to hear about that." "I've been doing well. We did okay for a while, but things got too complicated." "I heard you had a son. Celia kept showing me photos of your little boy. He is so adorable." "Thank you. He is such a sweet little boy. He is five now." "Wow, it seems like time has sure been flying by. We have a kid's story time every Thursday at 10:00 a.m.; if you are interested, you can bring him by. My new assistant, Jasmine, runs the children's section and will do the songs, crafts, and stories. She also runs all the events here at the library." "That sounds like so much fun. I'm sure James will love it." "Well, I will stop talking your ear off and let you take a look around."

I finished at the library with some books and walked towards the grocery store. At the grocery store, I head towards the snack aisle to grab James some cheese crackers, and then I walk to the fruit aisle to grab some bananas and kiwi, James' favorite fruit. While waiting in line at register #2, I grab myself a bottle of Coke and a small bag of peanuts and finish at checkout.

Outside, across the street, I spot the famous large Oaktree. Around the tree are flowers and a small bench to sit down on. I sit on the bench, open my Coke and peanuts, and pour the peanuts into the bottle, a recipe for a snack my dad used to treat me to when I was little that I couldn't seem to give up. After enjoying my snack, I head towards the bait and tackle shop.

In the shop, I look around. I found live worms for my dad and James. I hear the bell chime as a customer walks in. A tall man walks in wearing a plaid shirt and Wrangler jeans. He picks up a 50lb bag of dog food and throws it over his shoulder. He begins to check out and talks to the teenager at the register. His deep southern drawl voice sounds so familiar. I head towards the teenager with my worms, and the man speaks to me. "Doing some fishing at your dad's place?" I am creeped out that he knew who my dad was, but on the other hand, everyone knows everyone here in Cherryville. I asked him, "Do I know you?" "Of course, you wouldn't remember me. It is me, Adam. We went to middle school together." "Adam Gentry? Is that you? It's so good to see you. You've changed a lot." "Well, yeah, that was many years ago that we last saw each other. I can see how you wouldn't recognize me. I moved here a few years ago after leaving my grandparents' house when they died." "I'm sorry to hear about that. It's great to see you."

As he walks out of the store and the teen starts to ring me up, I watch Adam walk out. I can't help but notice how tight his shirt is around his biceps and across his back as he carries out the dog food. I can feel the heat begin to reach my face before I am interrupted by the teenager. "Don't worry about him. He comes in here regularly, but he doesn't say much. He keeps to himself."

"Oh, I wasn't thinking about anything." The heat in my face grows hot as I realize the cashier may have noticed me staring at Adam. "I'm Tracie, by the way. I work here on the weekends." "Nice to meet you, Tracie. I'm April."

I start walking back toward home when my cell phone rings. I look to see that Trevor is calling. I roll my eyes, not wanting my day to be ruined. Even though I don't want to, I answer the phone. "Hey Trevor, what is it?" "I was calling to see how Jameson is doing. Is he with you?" "No, he is spending time with my dad today while I run errands." "How are you adjusting?" "Fine. Since when have you cared?" "Well, I was just checking in. No need to be rude about it?" "Me? Rude? Are you kidding me, Trevor? Look, we are doing just fine without you, as we always have." "Listen, April. I wish you wouldn't have broken things off. You know that I still love you."

I still feel for him, but I can't tell him that. Plus, he is never going to change his ways. "Unless you are calling to speak to James, you don't need to be calling me." "I understand." Then he hung up the phone. Tears began to roll down my face because, in all honesty, I genuinely miss him.

When I returned home, I put the groceries in the kitchen and the worms in the fridge. I make my way to my room to put the books up. I hear a knock on the door as I am in my room. "Come in." It's my mom. She walks into my room and can tell from the black mascara on my face that I haven't had time to clean off yet, that I've been crying. "Honey, what's wrong? You know you can always talk to me."

"Trevor called today and asked how we are doing, which surprised me. He also said he missed us. I miss him too; I know Trevor isn't good for me and James. He never cared enough before. Why does he care now?" "Maybe because of you and James moving back home, he may feel that he made a mistake. You should hear him out and call him. I just want you to be happy, April. You should give him another chance if you still have feelings for him.

"Mom, I just don't know. I feel so overwhelmed and confused by this. Maybe in a few days, I'll think about giving him a call." "Do what's best for you, dear. I am always here if you need me. Did you want me to tuck James in for you tonight so you can get some rest?" "Yes, Mom, that would be good. Thank you."

A few hours later, I still had trouble sleeping, and everyone in the house had gone to bed. I decided to go on a walk outside by the pond. I feel the warm, night-summer breeze on my skin and head towards the pond. I found the old wooden bench swing and sat down at the pond. As I hear the crickets, I meditate to clear my head of Trevor. I open my eyes and watch the moon's and stars' reflections on the pond's surface. I missed this place. When I was younger, I always came to the pond to help calm myself down. This pond has always felt like a sanctuary for me. My dad would tell me stories. I would help my mom snap fresh green beans from her garden on this swing. Many good memories were here for me. Why did I leave this all behind, to begin with? Growing up here, I dreamed of building a cabin on this open land because it is peaceful.