When Lee Meets Summer (camp nano july 2015)

05

THERE IS A scent of baked fries and the tang of lemons wafting around when Lee walks into the kitchen. He's dressed in casual jeans, threadbare at the knees and frayed at the cuffs, and a simple white tee, clutching a copy of The Book Thief. The family had gotten home around six, having spent three hours at the beach and the two driving out of town to get summer essentials. Namely lots of organic lemons from the marketplace in the town next to Four Points.

Lily is in the kitchen, spooning a bit of pasta into her mouth and Chris is set to the task of squeezing out the juice from the fresh lemons.

Lily notices Lee and motions him to come over. He walks the length of space between the kitchen doorway and the stove and places his dog-eared book on the counter "Is there anything missing in this?" she asks as she pierces a couple of pasta pieces and shoves it in his mouth. Her flowery sundress reaches past her knees and the only reason it's not stained is because her apron is tied around her waist. The apron itself is speckled with bits of tomato sauce and something green.

Lee closes his eyes, the veins showing behind his papery thin eyelids. "Mhmm, this is good, really good. I think it just needs a touch of salt though, otherwise it's yummy," he states, taking another forkful from the huge pot on the stove.

"Thanks, honey. Can you take the fries out? I think they might be done."

"Sure thing."

He drops down on his knees, the tiled floor feeling cold against his exposed kneecap. The oven slides open and he picks one fry out, blowing on it and popping it in his mouth. Satisfied that it's completely done, Lee grabs the oven mitts from the stove top and takes the tray out, setting it to cool on the rack beside the sink. Leaving his mother to shred the cheese and sprinkle it on the pasta dish, Lee heads to Chris. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, I could use helping hand," Chris replies, smiling toothily.

Lee sits on the island counter chair and grabs a lemon, slicing it in two. He grabs another lemon squeezer (they had a dozen of them scattered everywhere in the house) from the drawer and starts juicing the fresh and plump lemons. Tarty lemon juice squirts on Lee's face and he frowns, wiping away at his cheek with the back of his had. "Juicing the lemon is the most annoying part," he mutters.

Chris lets out a laugh. "It is, but at the same time it's the best part. The organic juice is what makes the lemonade so tangy and tasty. Store bought lemon extract doesn't do the magic."

Lee scrutinizes his uncle. The way his eyes always crinkle when he talks about something he's passionate about, the way his left corner of his lip quirks up and the way his face seems so content just sitting here at home, doing what he loves. "Do you miss running the stand?" he asks. Lee thinks his mother makes a strangled noise, probably to warn Lee not to mention the stand in front of Chris, but he pays no heed.

Chris's brows furrow and his lips curl down. "Yeah, it's the best part of summer-" he pauses, hands mid squeeze "-it used to be the best part of summer."

Lee shakes his head. "It can still be the best part. We could run it together, you and me, against the rest of the world."

Chris stares at his stained hands, turning them over again and again as if searching for something. Maybe thinking how did he let Sofia slip from the very hands he was ever so carefully inspecting. "I don't think I'm quite ready for that, Lee," he finally states. There is a note of a choked sob in his tone.

Lee sidles up next to Chris and throws an arm around his uncle, stained hands and all. "Sorry," he mumbles into his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay, don't apologize. I'm glad you're here, I'm glad you're looking out for me. I love you kiddo." He nudges Lee and reaches out to ruffle his hair before realizing his hands are all sticky and pulls away with a smile.