You Saved Me Once

This Summer

I met the Bartley's 13 years ago. The Richards were the "new" neighbors in this small town. At the time I had no clue why my mother decided to move so far from home, in a town we knew no one in.

It was a widowed mom, and her 4 hyperactive kids who had an impulse to never sit still. We were a handful, but she knew how to handle us somehow.

I imagine life before Versa was quite dark, though I'd not know. I was too young to remember those memories anyways. I remember the black dresses, and suits at my father's wake though.

He passed a year before we moved to Versa. By the time we got here, the town knew all about the widowed mother.

That's Versa for you.

The Bartley's, they were different. They welcomed us with open arms, they were our friends. More than that, they were our family. They had been living in Versa their entire lives.

In fact, Ms. Kristen was raised, and grew up in the same house she lives in still to this day. She invested in the perfect family. A traveling husband, committed to work, and her two boys. All perfect.

The oldest was Hayes Bartley. When I met him, I was only 4, and he was 7. He was like another older brother. Then their youngest was Timmy Bartley, he was only 2, he was perfect in every single way.

Over the years, our relationship with the Bartley's grew, so fast and strong. We all build relationships with one another, some more than others.

One summer, when I was ten years old, Hayes confessed his deepest love for me.

The confession was on a folded paper, with the cheesy "yes" and "no" check boxes. We were so young, yet he wanted me to be his girlfriend, forever.

At the time he was still my "brother", I thought it was gross.

"How romantic! You should say yes!" Squealed Rochelle. Even back then she was a fan of romance.

Hayes handed me the note in front of everyone, and I read it aloud. I'd thought I had done something wrong. I thought "what did I do to deserve an embarrassing letter in front of everyone".

"A girlfriend?" I say to my mom.

"I think it's very cute Alex. But, he's like your brother." My mother says.

I contemplated on the idea for a full, 2 hours.

Then I'd go back outside, hiding the note behind my back. Hayes was there, with a handful of picked flowers from his mother's garden.

We quickly make a trade, without eye contact.

I got the flowers, and he got the note. When he goes to look at it, I can see his face. He was destroyed.

I said no.

I was his first heart break that summer.

If only I knew that was only the beginning for summer heartbreaks. This summer was going to be the worst.

I was big on all-nighters, forts, tents, and movies. They were the best during summer nights.

I only had Rochelle, and Hayes, they were my only friends. Sometimes, my friends had friends, and it was just me and my thoughts. Sometimes, I'd host all-nighters, alone. I called them "shut up thoughts I can't sleep, so let's draw and listen to the radio all night." It was better than crying, I guess.

How can you miss someone you barely knew? I missed him every night. Every night that summer I thought of my father.

Most nights would turn into "dawn" mornings. Like always, when I couldn't sleep, I'd sleep in my mother's bed. I could always fall asleep in her arms. We'd look at polaroid's from my dad's book, as she played in my hair.