After everyone filed out of the room, Ryan and I silently left Matt and Chris to do what they call “battle strategies”. We walked down the staircase into the living room and through the living room, into the kitchen. I hopped up on the counter and Ryan silently placed himself between my two legs, as if by an old habit.
He broke the silence by saying, “How are you with all this? I hope it isn’t pushing you down too much.” I smiled a weak smile and I looked up at the ceiling. “I’m okay… I’m freaking out because we don’t know where they are but I’m still happy because I know they’re alive.” He looked at me carefully then slowly smiled and picked me up, bridal style.
“Don’t worry, your mom is a strong lady and she won’t put up with any shit and we all know your dad won’t stand for whatever is happening.” My face fell a bit. What if my parents were so weak after all these years of whatever? How can I not think these things?! He led me outside in our backyard then set me down.
“How about we go down to the old pond? To get away for a bit…?” I smiled and joined hands with him as we began to walk. The pond was a place we all used to go as teenagers. I still remember how Matt used to swing off of this old rope we had tied to the old oak tree by the pond and how Chris used to rest up against the tree and pluck the strings on his guitar, usually playing an old Beatles song.
I especially remember how I used to lay my head on Ryan’s chest while he ran his fingers through my hair. We came up to the old log bridge we made to cross the deep ditch from an old storm years ago. Ryan stopped me as we came up to it and put his feet out, testing how much weight the dead branch could hold. He carefully placed all his weight on it and stood there a minute before offering his hand out to me.
I carefully stepped onto the wood, testing the weight myself before following Ryan across it to the other side. I joined hands with him and we walked over to the overgrown brush protecting our oasis. Ryan reached his hand out and pushed open the curtain of leaves, opening it up to the place where I became me. He stepped back allowing me to go first and once I passed through the brush, memories flooded back into my mind.
The pond sparkled in the sunlight and the old oak tree looked brilliant in the sun peeking through the storm clouds that were releasing rain just an hour before. I bent down to peel the now dirty socks off of my feet and dropped them on the ground before carefully walking in the soft, still wet grass to the oak tree. Ryan silently followed behind, preoccupied on his cell phone, texting someone. Once I got to the tree, I looked up and saw how much bigger it had gotten.
There was what seemed like a million branches protruding from the trunk, all sprouting big bushels of green leaves. I took two steps toward the trunk and grabbed tightly onto it, pulling myself up into the knot of the tree where all the branches grow from.
“Nate, what are you doing?” I rolled my eyes and continued to climb up. Once I was up high enough and close to the trunk, I sat down and rested up against the main branch. “Well, I’m sitting in a branch while you’re busy on your phone.” He chuckled and climbed the tree after me but stopping just below the branch I was sitting on to lean against the main trunk. “Who were you texting anyway?”
I looked down at him and he was smirking up at me in his smug little way. “Why do you care?” Why wouldn’t I?! He was my first true love anyway! He may have broken my heart but I still loved him, even though I shouldn’t. I got quiet and look back at the pond. He took a deep breath and said, “If you must know, I was texting the boys, telling them to get their butts down here so they can relax. Why, did you think it was a lady?”
I didn’t answer him and just kept quiet. I suddenly felt a hand on my chin and it nudged my chin in its direction. I looked up at his soulful brown eyes and looked down, insecure. He pushed my chin up so I could look at him again. “Natalie, if you’re thinking that I’m texting a girl, you know I can’t do that.” Suddenly, I felt bad because Ryan and I still technically belonged to each other because we never technically ended it. “I wouldn’t even dream of it.”
He rested his forehead against mine and our lips were close to touching but got interrupted when we heard hollering. “I’M GONNA GET THERE FIRST!” I jumped and my head snapped in the direction of the yelling. Chris and Matt were running at full speed towards the pond and Matt launched himself into the water and Chris was close behind.
Turk and Jake were walking calmly behind them; Turk with a soccer ball in his hand. I grabbed the branch below me, dropped all my weight so that I was hanging and carefully dropped to the ground, Ryan did the same within seconds and stood beside me, with his arm around my waist. I looked Turk in the eyes and smiled. “So, while the boys place Marco Polo, how about a game of footie?” Both Turk’s and Jake’s eyes widened and Jake looked down at the ground awkwardly. Ryan chuckled and said, “No you doofs. She means a game of soccer!” They both sighed in relief as I grabbed the ball from Turk. “Two against two: you and your brother and then me and Ryan.”
Turk smiled and snatched the ball from my hands and started dribbling it with his feet. “Now, now sweet Natalie, are you sure you wanna play a game made for men?” I felt like slapping him but instead smirked as I stole the ball from his foot work and started bouncing it in the air with my knees. “Positive. But the question is, do you wanna play against me?” He chuckled and said, “Bring it.”
I punched the ball high in the air with my knee and said, “Consider it brought.” Ryan had already traveled to the other side of the grassy field and as the ball came down, I kicked it around Turk’s feet and kicked it high in the air, all the way to Ryan. Jake and I both took off towards Ryan while Turk stayed behind me. Ryan kicked the ball towards me and I passed it between Jake’s feet, confusing him then passing it back towards Ryan who kicked it straight into our ‘goal’.
Jake stood by me panting but I noticed Turk was at the other end of the field. He was crouched down on the ground looking at something. I walked over to him, catching my breath. “Did you drop this while playing?” I looked down and saw my dad’s old knife. I checked my pockets and it was indeed gone and on the ground. I crouched down beside him as he turned it over. The side of the knife had opened and a note had fallen out. I picked it up and unfolded it.
It was an old picture of my mom kissing me as a baby. Tears sprang into my eyes but I stubbornly blinked them away. I turned it over and on the back of the picture, written in bold, black in were three numbers: 444.
Ha! I'm back peoples!!! Sorry, I had a bit of writer's block but it's officially cured! I hope you liked the little ending I gave you ;) Lots of Love, Always
-Melissa xxoxxx :)
P.S. On the side bar is the picture Natalie found in the knife :)
