Clockwork Daisy

Chapter 20

Deacon 

Chapter 20

"It's quite fun to watch you struggle." Beth picked at a hang nail as we stood in the floral section of our local grocer. "Let me reiterate that this wasn't my idea." 

I was being swallowed by color overload. There were so many, too many, flower types to pick from. Peonies or lilacs? Would it be weird if I got her roses? 

Apparently, I had said that last part aloud, because Beth was making a face of disgust. "Of course that would be weird, Dee. She's your friend. Roses equal romance." She rolled her eyes. "Guys are supposed to know these things." 

"Sorry." I mumbled, fiddling with a loose petal on a nearby daisy. "I've never bought flowers before." 

"There's a first time for everything." Beth said with an encouraging smile. She pointed to the daisy I was fidgeting. "Hey, y'know who loves those?"

I shook my head and retracted my hand. "Who?"

"Ellie." She beamed. 

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. "I'll remember that." It was then that I noticed one of the busy haired cashiers giving Beth and I the stink eye, probably wondering what the hell two teenagers were doing at the grocery store at nine o'clock. "Let's go." I whispered. "I've got a better idea." 

"I think you just blew my dad's mind." Beth said, switching on the light in her garage. "Granted, he hasn't used his boom box since the 90's, but you still made him very happy." 

Yes, my plan for getting Madge back included a boom box. Mr. Mallard had a treasured one kept safe in the garage according to Beth, so we had walked over to her house from the grocery store. He had practically hugged me when I mentioned my interest in boom boxes. He must've been under the impression that people my age didn't know they still existed, which I'm sure some people didn't. 

"Can you grab that stool over there?" Beth motioned generally with her hand, but I was easily able to locate the bright red stepping stool near the door. I unfolded it and set it next to her. She nodded her thanks and climbed atop it. She shuffled around on the shelf in front of her until I heard her grab something. "Help me!" She cried, and I quickly grabbed the other end of the monstrous contraption. 

We set it on the cement floor and Beth dusted it off with a rag from her dad's workbench. "You sure you know how to work this?"

"Yeah." I said, fiddling with the buttons. "My dad used to have one." 

There was a moment of pained silence. I could tell that Beth didn't know what to say about the sensitive subject, so she cleared her throat. "Right. So, what song do you need again?" 

" 'In Your Eyes'." I smiled. "Peter Gabriel."

"Oh my God." Beth covered her mouth and giggled. "Say Anything."

"Yep." I said proudly. "Straight from the cinema." Say Anything happened to be one of Madge's favorite rom-coms. It is an 80's film, wherein a character named Llyod tries to catch a girl named Diane's attention by holding a boom box over his head and standing below her window. The song that was playing? "In Your Eyes". It's an iconic scene that Madge, as a film buff, can't get enough of. 

"You are beyond cheesy." Beth declared, standing up and walking closer to her dad's workbench. She flicks through a box of something for a moment, and then pauses. "And apparently, so was my dad." She flicks a mix tape in my direction. The second song on the list? "In Your Eyes", naturally. 

Feeling accomplished, I pop it into the boom box. "Ready to do this?" I ask. 

But Beth is already halfway out the door. 

Madge's house was a good fifteen minute walk from Beth's house at the bottom of Wisteria Hill, and I could feel the soles of my shoes growing thinner below me. My arm hurt from tugging the boom box along in a Radio Flyer, and Beth's yawn every few minutes reminded me of how late it was getting. 

"There's a couple lights on." Beth pointed out as we grew closer to the Spell residence. "That's promising." 

"Let's hope so." I said, quickening my pace. "Her window's on the right side near the back of the house."

"Got it." Beth nodded, quickening her walking speed beside me. 

When we reached Madge's window, I breathed a sigh of relief. Her overhead light was on, and her door was even open, just a crack. Wordlessly, Beth helped me lift the boom box out of the wagon and onto the dewy night grass.

She pulled the mix tape out of her sweatshirt pocket and looked up to the window with a smile. "Get ready to rock, Diane."