Blue Letter Night

14. Beth warned him

My nose was plugged, my breath smelled like onion and garlic mixed with a touch of vomit, my feet made sloshing noises when I walked, and I was not happy. Mason said the next part of his cold kicking tactic was to go on a walk by a body of water. What the wet socks and body of water had to do with get rid of a cold was beyond me.

Mason tried to explain it to me but I was beginning to think I had taken NightQuil instead of the day time stuff. Either that or my fever had gotten worse, which meant I had drank a garlic onion concoction for nothing.

The walk to the pond was an awkward one. What do you say to someone you've hated your entire life only to realize hating someone for so long is exhausting and maybe not worth it. We made boring small talk while above, the stars glowed in contrast to the darkness swallowing the remaining sunset in the distance. The pond smelled like it always did, like duck poop and algae. It wasn't pleasant by any means but the summer ambiance and two people in reluctant company made it different somehow.

"So no ones really told me— why are you moving back to Stanmore?" I broke the silence that was so unbearable that neither of us were willing to make a sound to brake it.

"Um well, you know my dad plays a big role in a marketing company right?" I nodded my head, "well the head operations move around a lot, and with the moving of the head operation we move too,"

"So I guess you guys moved around a lot then?" I asked while taking in the pond while we walked around it on the concrete pathway.

"Yeah we do,"

"What's that like?"

"It's sorta shity," he said in a reflective voice, like he hasn't been asked before, "leaving everything, friends, a house, a school, as soon as you get comfortable,"

I felt a pang of guilt. I was being selfish and didn't even consider how hard moving here would be for Mason, and I was only making it harder. Everyday I promised myself I was going to leave Stanmore one day, but Mason never had a choice to move around and see the country, no concrete place he could belong. He must've felt adrift. That was something we had in common.

"I guess I never thought about it like that," I told him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, you never really do until it happens,"

"So how long are you staying in Stanmore?" I asked

On the other side of the pound was the Richardson family; even though it was getting darker and they were far away, everyone knew it was the Richardson's purely because of Charlie Richardson's very distinctive tantrum style.

"That's the other part, moves are usually spontaneous,"

"That must be hard on your mom... and you,"

I had spent a lot of time with Macy Carter in my younger years. She was a stay at home mom for a period of time, as much as I can remember, I think it was supposed to be temporary but then the Carters started their spontaneous moving, and it's pretty hard to keep a job when you're leaving all the time. Nevertheless, her staying home meant she watched us kids, and three toddlers was difficult enough, but mix in some childhood rivalry between two of them, and you are pretty much left with a disaster.

"Yeah I guess it is," he said nonchalantly, but something told me that it was taking a toll on him. He sounded tired, "Mostly for mom. I can handle making new friends and stuff but she's never had friends like Machelle and... and your mom," I wasn't sure how much Mason remembered about my mom, he might remember the funeral, but dying Moms is not something you discuss with six-year-olds who's Moms are not dying, "Mom belongs in Stanmore,"

"And what about you?" I asked.

"I think... I could belong here," and at a rapid change of conversation Mason asks, "Hey are the ducks still angry in this pond or..." I chuckled a little.

"Yes! Don't look into their eyes they might steal your soul. Don't harass them unless you want to get bitten," I advised somewhat seriously, but mostly jokingly.

"Oh come on," he laughed, "you don't think I can take on a couple of ducks?"

"First of all demons not ducks," I corrected. Mason rolled his eyes but he was smiling, "and I don't even think super man could take on those things,"

Mason responded by flexing the nonexistent muscle in his bicep. For an athlete there wasn't a lot of muscle definition.

"Don't I look superman esque?" He joked. We both laughed as we approached a group of ducks. I stopped and turned to Mason.

"Move slowly and quietly, we don't want to provoke them," I advised. Anyone could've probably guess that, no, Mason did not follow my suggestions and ran at the ducks, arms flailing, looking like a complete moron, and probably expecting the ducks to part and scurry away. these were not your average ducks. They had endured generation of asshole Stanmore residents feeding them nasty bread and tantrums from the local kids at the park.

Instead they turned and squawked at him loudly and collectively. Those winged beasts charged after him, and Mason made a fast turn around. Now his athleticism was starting show as I turned around to run and he caught up to me. We ran side by side the whole way home, laughing sporadically.

"I told you not to harass the ducks!" I said gasping for breath after reaching the beginning of the drive way.

"Well, maybe I just really wanted to see if they changed in the past ten years," he said in between breaths. I chuckled.

"Nothing in Stanmore changes, even in a hundred years," I said trying to take in the air my lungs demanded.

I was right about Stanmore not changing. Stanmore was probably the most stubborn town to ever exist. It had a population of a city somehow condensed into the tiny town limits, but refused to change its official classification to a city. The people who lived in Stanmore were just as stubborn as their town, refusing to tear down useless buildings, give up unassigned assigned parking spots at the super market. Even the actual buildings of the town, that had endured years and years of damage and wear and flooding, refused to be anywhere but where they were first constructed. I had always thought a side effect of being raised in Stanmore was the stubbornness of the town was ingrained in you from a young age. A town wide Achilles heal. But at that point I thought that maybe for a second I was wrong, and things did change, on rare occasion, even in the most stubborn town.

"Yeah maybe your right," Mason said. Then he all of a sudden he looked smug, "and how's your cold Beth," he sounded like he was already prepared for his I told you so moment.

"None of your business," I said trying to suppress a smile, "I'll race you to the house," I said sprinting towards the house.

"Hey no fair!" Mason called after me as he ran trying to catch up to me.