One Summer

50

Mikki and Liam had just finished dinner when he excused himself to go to the restroom. A few seconds later, Mikki was stunned to see Blake Saunders walk up to her table.

“What are you doing here, you weasel?” she snarled.

“I work here.”

“You work here?”

“Busing tables. Sweat Town, like I said.”

“Gee, doesn’t sweet little Tiffany give you an allowance?”

“Look, I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be.”

“You’re wrong, Blake. If I were upset, that would mean I cared, and I don’t. You had your stupid fun, but Liam could have really gotten hurt.”

“I pulled those two idiots off him, in case you didn’t notice. I was on top of him to protect him. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. But then you jumped on my back and basically scratched my face off.”

“Hey, let’s not forget that none of it would’ve happened if you hadn’t set me up. And why exactly did you do that?”

Blake looked down. “Because of what you did to Tiff. She was upset. She wanted to get back at you.”

“And you do whatever Tiff tells you to? That’s beyond pathetic.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Blake admitted.

“Look, you’re not going to fool me with your ‘I’m all sorry’ act. Okay? So just save your breath.”

“Did you put the glue in her car seat?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well, in case you were wondering, she was pissed. She had to take off her pants to get out of the car. And she hadn’t bothered to put on underwear. She had to run up the steps to her house. But she slipped and fell over into the bushes, scratched her rear end up good. At least that’s what my mom said. Guess all the hired help got a good laugh about that later.”

Hearing this, Mikki could not suppress a grin. “It’s nice to know that bad things do happen to bad people.”

“I heard you entered the talent competition.”

“That’s right. Me and Liam. I’m sure you’ll be there to root on precious Tiff.”

“Actually, I hope you kick her butt.”

He turned and walked away.

After leaving the restaurant, Liam and Mikki drove to the beach, parked, took off their shoes, and walked along the sand.

“I never saw the ocean before coming here,” said Mikki as she drew close enough to the water to let it cover her feet.

“Mom and I have always been close to the water. Well, pretty close.”

“I really like it here. I didn’t think I would after living in the city all my life, but I do.”

“It took some adjustment on my part, but it can be cool.”

“Blake Saunders came up to me at the restaurant while you were in the bathroom.”

Liam did not seem annoyed by this, only curious. “Really? What did he want?”

“To apologize for helping Tiffany get the jump on me. He said he was trying to protect you, not hurt you.”

“Yeah, I actually believe him.”

“You do?”

“Blake is not your typical bully jock, Mikki. He’s actually a nice guy. Okay, he runs around with Tiffany too much, but I’ve never had a problem with him. In school he’s been cool with me. We even hang out and stuff sometimes.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah.”

It started to rain, and they ran toward an old lifeguard shack and took cover under the roof overhang.

“Your mom is really cool, Liam.”

“I don’t even remember my dad. He was gone right after I was born.”

“That must’ve been hard.”

“I guess it could’ve been. But my mom loves me enough for two parents,” Liam said firmly.

“I really miss my mom.”

Liam put an arm around her. “That’s completely normal, Mikki. You should miss her. She was your mom. She helped raise you. She loved you, and you loved her.”

“Pretty sensitive stuff coming from a guy.”

He smiled. “I’m a musician. It’s in our blood.”

He put his arms around her, and they kissed as the rain and wind picked up and the breakers started to roll and crash with more intensity.

Mikki said, “Your mom talked to me the other day about my dad. It made me really start to think about things.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t handle things really well when my dad was sick. In fact, I pretty much screwed it up.”

“How?”

“When people are in trouble and they reach out, you can either reach out to them or pull back. I pulled back. I was a bitch to my mom. I was no help to my dad. In fact, I avoided him. I was rebellious, pushed the envelope, did all sorts of crap that made things harder for them.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “And do you know why I did all that?”

Liam looked at her. “Because you were scared?”

She stared back. “I was terrified watching my dad die. And instead of trying to make the time he had left pleasant, I just ran the other way. I couldn’t deal with it. I didn’t want to lose him, and a part of me hated him for leaving us. For leaving me.” She let out a sob. “And it’s just killing me now that my mom died and all I can think is that I made her life miserable at the end. Just miserable.”

As she started to cry, Liam held her and then undid his cuff button and held his sleeve out for her to use as a handkerchief. When she finally stopped crying, she rubbed her eyes with his sleeve. “Thanks.”

“It’s okay, Mikki. This stuff is hard. No easy answers. It’s not like music. The notes are all there. You just play, have a good time. Families are really hard.”

“Your mom said I needed to talk to him.”

“I think she’s right. You do.”

The rain began to let up, and they made a run for the car. Liam drove her home. As she got out of the car, she said, “Thanks for a great sixteenth birthday.”

“Hey, you made it easy.”

“Right, crying on your shoulder, real easy.”

“I always thought that was part of being a friend.”

She leaned back in and kissed him. “It is. And you are.”