Chapter Two

Belvin’s Barbecue

Nathan pulled up to the fire-station around 3:30 that afternoon. The party started at 3:00, but he thought things wouldn’t have gotten too far started by the time they arrived. He hopped off his bike, hanging his open-faced helmet on his bike's handles.

“Boy, how do you get this thing off my head?”

Nathan brought his attention to his riding partner for the evening. Elijah sat on the bike fiddling with his helmet, struggling to get his fingers around the clasp to set himself free of the hot thing.

“Well, first Pops, you’re going to need some patience.” Nathan said, while assisting his grandfather.

Once the man was free, he huffed, sitting back a little, while his feet planted on the gravel under him. He looked around at his environment.

“Haven’t been here since before your last visit.”

“That’s a long time, Grandad.” Nathan imputed, taking off his riding gloves and massaging his fingers.

“Well, you were the only reason I came down here in the first place. I’m surprised I even got an invitation.”

Nathan offloaded his grandfather’s cane while simultaneously helping the man off the bike.

“You’re invited to every function, Pops.”

“Huh! You’re right.” Elijah said, as though it had just occurred to him. Once Elijah was situated on his feet, he took the cane and wiped his brow.

“Oh, my stars! If that aint a sight for sore eyes!”

Nathan and Elijah both turned at the sudden holler.

“Oh, hell.” Elijah muttered under his breath.

“Ms. Patty!” Nathan yelled, raising his arms for the eventual hug he was going to give his old babysitter.

Ms. Patty was an elder at the church, but when Nathan was a kid, she was just the church youth director. Whenever his grandfather was out, Ms. Patty would watch him. Nathan engulfed the short woman in a tight hug. She barely reached his chest, and he was sure she couldn’t breathe, but she made no complaint.

“What are you doing here in Tapioca? I thought you were up there making the big bucks in Tennessee?”

“I came down to see my gran for business, but decided to stay and catch up with everyone.”

“Oh, that’s good. We sure missed you! Your old pictures are still sitting on my mantel, and I still have all your artwork you used to draw me. You have grown so tall too! Also, so handsome!” She gasped. “Oh my god! Have you found yourself a little lady yet? If not, my grandniece is single, and she is getting so lonely ever since the rodeo left town.” Ms. Patty leans in. “Them’s clowns sure are dirty dogs.” Nathan listened to his former babysitter, just like the old days when she would watch him. He and Ms. Patty would talk all day about anything his younger self could conjure up. Whether it be dinosaurs or evil aliens from a distant planet, Ms. Patty would talk with him all day. Nathan used to think he talked too much to Ms. Patty, but as she went on and on about her grandniece and the clowns at the rodeo, then the circus and eventually the amusement park, Nathan didn’t feel like his talking was so bothersome back then.

“Alright Patty, we need to get going. My knees are starting to hurt and my patience is starting to wear thin.”

Ms. Patty rolled her eyes at Elijah and turned her attention back to Nathan.

“Let me show you inside. Everyone will be so delighted to see you!”

Nathan could barely get the beer he brought on the table with the rest of the drinks before bodies surrounded him. Everyone, people he went to summer camp with, people from the church, and even some people he met in holding cells, were there and ready to talk to him. All familiar faces he hadn’t seen in years. Nathan only expected to see his old buddies from the fire department, not people like George Allen, an older aged man he used to cut grass for, or Kip Ramos, the baseball coach from summer camp. It was nice to see everyone. He wished he hadn’t just up and disappeared without keeping in touch with everybody. George, though he was old when Nathan was a kid, was even older, obviously. Nathan wanted to ask how he was feeling. He had to be around his grandfather’s age, if not older. Kip had a limp that wasn’t there last time he saw him and Nathan wondered what caused that. Everyone he talked to looked the same, but was different in some way or the other. Nathan really needed to catch up with everyone.

After all the hellos from the townspeople, Nathan finally settled his eyes on his former fire brothers. His already wide grin got impossibly bigger once he saw the men.

“Little Nate Bard!” One said, approaching Nathan with his hands in the air. “Though you aint so little, no more!”

“Booboo!” Nathan said, clasping his hand with the other man’s. “Never was little, man!”

Buley “Booboo” Harrison was a tan man about an inch or two shorter than Nathan. He’d built muscle from his years as a firefighter and covered himself in random tattoos. His long brown hair framed a face that he had also scattered with random tattoos. Booboo, to anyone who didn’t know him, looked terrifying, but he was nothing but a big goof and Nathan’s best friend down in Tapioca. The two spent many a night getting into trouble, which resulted in many a night in a holding cell until Nathan’s grandfather could come down and pick them up; or in the morning, sometimes they would have to stay until the morning. It never was for anything too serious, but Booboo almost got shot once, trespassing. That resulted in an endless talk with the sheriff and everyone’s guardian. Soon, they started volunteering with the fire department. They were too young to actually do anything, but they cleaned and washed the fire truck until they both were old enough to fight fires. Where Nathan could only volunteer for the summers he was away from home, Booboo went ahead and joined.

Surrounding them were five other members of the crew that Nathan could recognize, and he took his time greeting them all. He decided if there was anywhere to start catching up, it would be with his fire fighting family. He talked long with his former friends and took the same amount of time getting to know the new members.

“Man, it’s nice to see you all again. This brings back so many memories.”

Booboo went around and grabbed two drinks from the coolers, handing one to Nathan.

“Yea, a lot has changed, too.” Booboo lifted his hand, displaying a wedding band on his left ring finger.

“Someone married you dude?” Nathan said, peering at his friend’s hands. The gold wedding band stood out brightly against the man’s dark tattoos.

“Yep, she’s over there setting up the balloons.” Booboo pointed to his left where a tall redheaded woman waddled around a picnic table with a hand full of balloons. “She’s carrying our third.”

Nathan turned to his friend in bewilderment. He took Booboo’s hand in his again, only this time he brought him in for a solid hug.

“Congratulations man!” Nathan couldn’t believe his tattooed friend had gotten married and was already on his third kid. But of course he is! Buley is a strong, loyal, dependable man. Of course someone saw that and wanted to spend their life with him.

“I’ll introduce you to her later, she’s busy. You want to help us with the seats? We ran out so were going to take some old tires from the back and put some pillows and blankets in them. We’ll have the kids sit in them.”

It would have been an honor to work with his old buddies again.

Once they had made all the makeshift tire seats and put up all the balloons, the guest of honor arrived with his eyes covered from the surprise. Everyone was told to quiet down. Knowing the children in attendance wouldn’t be able to do that, someone escorted them all further inside the fire-house. Once the fire chief’s eyes were uncovered, everyone yelled in unison, “Happy 30th Anniversary Chief Friday!” Confetti popped in random places and there were enthusiastic whoops and hollers everywhere. The fire chief’s expression showed immense happiness. With his hand to his heart and eyebrows to the heavens, he laughed joyously.

“Oh, my God.” He said to the crowd, stuttering afterwards, not knowing what to say. His mouth opened and closed, but words were never spoken. When he was finally able to say something, he was interrupted by his companion.

“We ladies at the church thought it would be a fantastic idea to celebrate your 30th anniversary as fire chief with all your friends, family, and the good people you serve in Tapioca.” The lady spoke loudly so everyone in attendance could hear her. Her chest puffed out from the strong yet feminine posture she presented.

“Th-thank you, Freda, thank you Ladies of Mt. Zion, and thank you everyone for this wonderful surprise! I, I can’t express how-” he paused to collect his thoughts. His eyes scanned the area for his words. “Just thank you so much!” He was obviously flustered, so Freda spoke up and commenced the party.

Nathan watched the fire chief as people gathered around him. Booboo’s wife came around and draped the chief in a bright red and orange sash, stating: 30 Years in Tapioca. In smaller letters on the bottom, read: Tapioca’s first African American fire chief! The woman that was with him quickly left his side, a younger woman slowly tailing behind her after giving the chief a kiss on the cheek. They sat at a picnic table littered with older women. Nathan assumed they were the Ladies of Mt. Zion that the chief was referring to earlier. Nathan will let Chief Friday settle into his party before seeing him, not wanting the old man to be too overwhelmed with all this attention.

“The audacity of her.”

Nathan turned to his left to see a stout woman, red in the face, shoving plastic plates and cups around the table for the food. She was standing with another old black lady. He turned back around, pretending he didn’t hear them.

“We ladies of the church!” she mocked the speaker from before. “No! You ladies from the church, AND the fire department, AND volunteers from town. Not just you and your ladies from the church!” the woman hissed.

“Freda is so full of it Judy, it’s ridiculous. She tries to seem so important, like she comes up with everything and she’s always in control.”

“Did you see her? Belvin was about to say something and she just spoke right over him.”

“Mmhm, like she used to when they were married, at least now he has some freedom, unlike that poor girl. Did I tell you what happened yesterday?” The woman paused, getting an answer from the other. “Yolana came over and Freda nearly snatched her back across the street! Like she owned her or something. That girl is well into her twenties, there aint no reason she should be talking to, or treating her that way.”

Nathan looked over at the girl that was standing behind Chief Friday and Freda. She sat with the other church ladies, not really conversing with them, just staring off like she was bored. He brought his attention back to the gossiping old ladies.

“No! You see right there? That’s just too far.”

The women moved on from the table, still talking under their breath, discreetly pointing at various people at the party. The thing about small towns that Nathan missed was the gossip. Since it was so small, everyone knew everyone, and even though Nathan hadn’t been around in a while, he knew it wouldn’t take him long to find out everyone’s business.

He looked back at the table. Nathan knew of Chief Friday’s wife. He saw her a few times at the church, but that’s pretty much it. She never visited the firehouse, to his knowledge. All the years he visited Tapioca, he never said a word to the woman. However, he didn’t know that Chief Friday had a daughter. Nathan sat on top of the picnic table with his feet planted on the bench and his beer resting on one knee. He looked at Booboo embracing his wife as two kids ran around them clinging to the mother's dress, eventually trying to hide under it. Nathan smiled. Booboo is all grown up. The couple soon turned towards him, leaving the two playing children to their own devices. Once reaching him, Booboo extended his hand from his wife towards Nathan.

“Nate, I want you to meet my wife, Audrey. Audrey, this is my old friend Nathan Bard.” Booboo said formally. His demeanor was proud, like showing off one of his most prized possessions.

The strawberry haired woman brought up her hand, smiling brightly while she greeted him. Nathan did the same in turn. After he greeted her, Booboo lead a long conversation into all the antics he and Nathan got into, as well as how one of his antics, in Nathan’s absence, caused him to happen upon Audrey.

One thing about the church ladies, they can drain someone’s energy fast. It didn’t matter what mental state that person was currently in; the Ladies of Mt. Zion can make the most patient of people want to pull their hair out from the root. It didn’t take long or much before Yolana was ready to walk away. She already had three “bathroom breaks” despite not even finishing half of her sweet tea. With only five different subjects, the ladies can drive people mad. The same five subjects that repeat over and over, like a broken record.

Subject 1: Babies, who’s pregnant? Who’s pregnant again and who’s the father this time? Today’s victim is Shawny Price, the youngest of the Price family, who is popping out baby 5.

Subject 2: Falling Angel, who had been caught doing ungodly things, though saying they are a godly person? That would be Pastor Brian Wiggom Jr. of New South Baptist Corinthian Mass Church. His crime was being caught swiping right on a dating social media behind the church. This resulted in a very public fight between him and his wife of 5 years.

Subject 3: Who died, which 70+ year old relative, friend, or former high school sweetheart has The Lord taken too soon? John Joyner, an 82-year-old retired janitor who met his untimely end with a heart attack while mowing his grass one sunny afternoon.

“Right after he died, the heavens opened up and a heavy downpour of rain came down.” One church lady said, fanning herself with a paper plate.

“Yep! That was the heavens crying in joy as another angel got its wings.” Another church lady responded.

Subject 4: Who found the Lord? Fred Hilton, a 34-year-old football coach who found his way back in the church for the 3rd time. This time was supposedly different. Yolana would see how long it would take before he disappeared again.

Subject 5: Anyone in the near vicinity. This subject lasts the longest and can consist of strangers or fellow church members. Their targets are usually the underdressed, the overdressed, the too big, or the too small, someone’s hair, someone’s spouse, or someone’s children. The Ladies of Mt. Zion brought all their attention onto Booboo and their animosity towards his body tattoos and whether he’s a good father to his children.

Sometimes listening to the ladies is very entertaining, but sometimes it could be draining, especially when it can become unnecessary judgments. There was no reason to speak of Booboo the way the church ladies spoke about him. It wasn’t fair to speak of him like he was some freak show. To them, it’s a shame. It’s a shame poor innocent Audrey got wrapped up with that “Coloring Book Criminal”. It’s a shame their children might also cover themselves in tattoos; defiling their bodies.

When the ladies get like this, Yolana wanted to leave, but since she’d already had enough bathroom breaks, she had no choice but to sit there and listen to their judgmental opinions. She zoned out after long; her brain giving up along with her. Yolana instead focused on her uncle Belvin; it was his party after all. She watched him chat along with random people from the neighborhood, then she watched him go in for a second hotdog. He gulped it down with three deep bites, then he reached for another after chugging half his diet soda. Uncle Belvin was a hearty eater. He ate well, and he ate fast.

A man approached Belvin while he was distracted with dressing up his third hot dog. He was a tall man with medium length brown hair and a full beard. He seemed to be the tallest man at the party, only Booboo and two other firemen even coming close to his height. His eyes were squinted and wrinkled from the happiness in them, and a wide white smile reached across his face. He wore a simple outfit, a dark green corduroy shirt/jacket, unbuttoned to show the white t-shirt underneath, and a simple pair of blue jeans. On his feet were what looked like hiking boots, or work boots, Yolana couldn’t tell. A few people stood behind him, obviously in on the surprise, and she could tell that he was going to be someone her uncle hadn’t seen for a long time. Not only Yolana, but multiple people in the party had stopped what they were doing to watch the gathering. With smiles on their faces as well, it seemed they all knew him, too. Yolana focused on the man’s face, trying to place him somewhere she might have seen him before, but nothing came up. Tapioca’s too small, though, so she must have seen him somewhere.

Yolana’s uncle finally turned with the new hotdog halfway in his mouth before his eyes focused on the bright blue ones of the stranger. Belvin snatched the sausage out of his mouth before throwing it back on the plate and to the table. He engulfed the tall man in a firm hug. Belvin was too far away from Yolana for her to hear the stranger’s name, but the people around that were watching, started clapping. Who could Belvin know this well that she didn’t know? She knew everyone that her uncle knew, especially since she lived with him most of her life. She was only separate from him for the last 5 years he and her Aunt Freda were divorced.

She leaned over to one of the ladies at the table. She interrupted the woman from the word game on her phone.

“Mother Belle, who is that man talking to Uncle Belvin?” Yolana asked quietly, not wanting to disturb her aunt’s conversation with the other ladies.

The older woman looked up from the top of her glasses, one finger still hovered over her phone.

“Which one? The tall one?” she asked. Yolana confirmed.

“That’s ugh… that’s Elijah’s grandson Nathan.” She said, “He must be back in town from Tennessee.”

“How come I’ve never seen him before?” Yolana asked.

“Oh, he stopped coming down here years ago, and plus, you’re always cooped up, so you never saw him before he left for good.” She paused, flicking her finger across the screen a few times. “He would show up at the church sometimes when he did come for the summer, but that was a few and far in between.”

Yolana looked deep inside her memory, trying to remember anytime she saw Nathan’s face, but gave up when she realized he wouldn’t look the same as he did in front of her. She brought her attention back to the man; he and Uncle Belvin were brought over to a picnic table with the rest of the firemen. Yolana’s eyes coasted over all the men’s faces. They all varied in height, but were all very handsome. Some wore their uniforms, and some others didn’t. They were all tight fitted, however. All of them were fit, omitting the fire chief, with his portly belly sitting in front of him. Because of the uniform policy, they weren’t allowed to have unkempt hair, so every man had cropped hairstyles, with the exception of Booboo. All had skin clear of tattoos, with the exception of Booboo, and no facial hair, with the exception of Booboo, who wore a five o’clock shadow. Thank God Booboo was such a good fireman, because he would have been dismissed from the department for not being in code. He definitely would have gotten fired for wearing sandals while on duty.

Yolana sat there with one hand supporting her head, looking at the men. She was 25 years old, a lot of them were around her age, she would like to talk to some of them. She’d known most of them her entire life, went to school with them, one of them asked her out in the 7th grade, but nothing came of it. Yolana had seen how some of them look at her, she knew that they wanted to talk to her too, but there’s always something stopping them. A looming shadow that consistently sat right behind her.

Yolana’s eyes coasted over to the woman not too far from her. She chatted up with a few different people, reaching out for a napkin to scribble something on it and hand it to them. Probably her email and phone number. Fundraising again, Yolana guessed. She never stops. Her eyes moved over to Yolana; most likely feeling someone’s attention on her. Yolana looked away, focusing back on the men. If only one would come and talk to her, but she knew that wouldn’t happen, not with her aunt around. A saddened smile covered Yolana’s face. She’s 25; why was she daydreaming like a child? It would only upset her in the end.

If there was anything Yolana could rely on to never make her upset, it was her notebook. Her notebook, filled with notes and designs for her hobbies, could never dampen her mood. She could escape from the mundane, depressing life that she lived. Yolana reached down to her purse that sat between her and the old lady on her phone. She flipped through the pages until she got to her current design that she started that morning. After leaving Mrs. Henderson’s house, Yolana continued to where she left off, finishing the last few lines of the maze onto the watercolor paper. She spent the rest of the night painting her maze in the deep browns and greens of the forest. She was amazed the alcohol didn’t influence her work.

This maze's theme was the jungle. She watched The Jungle Book a while back and was inspired to add the theme to her new mazes. It didn’t help that she also watched Indiana Jones around that time. So the last three mazes she created were an incorporation of them both. The jungle being the setting and an Indiana Jones type character exploring the area and having to solve puzzles. Yolana was designing the fourth in a series of five. She planned on the adventurer finding his prize in the new one and the last being his great escape from the “Mountain of Tigers”. She’ll let Belvin try to solve it to see what type of difficulty she’s dealing with.

Yolana got lost in her notebook, drowning out Freda and her third round of Subject 2. The party disappeared around her and she was no longer thinking of her squandered youth and nonexistent love life. After a while, she didn’t notice the happy couples and the babies running around and she didn’t even notice that her aunt and the rest of the ladies had left her alone sitting at the table. Yolana was so distracted that she didn’t even notice the person on her left approach her.

The person sat next to her, huffing when their butt connected with the bench, Yolana lifted her head and her eyes met with a set of blue ones. It was the man from earlier, Nathan, who was talking to Belvin. Up close, Yolana got a good look at the man. He looked young, but there were scattered greys in his beard and the hair above his ear. His lips weren’t big, but they were far from thin from what she could tell. The hairs of his mustache covered his upper lip, and while she stared at it, she wondered if it got in his mouth while he ate. His cheeks were rosy, but that may be due to the beer he had in his hand. As he was closer, Yolana definitely didn’t place him anywhere in her memories. He was handsome, however; she would have definitely remembered that face.

Yolana lifted her eyes back to his, knowing that she was staring, and she was sure that she saw his mouth move. His eyes crinkled in amusement, obviously noticing her gaze. His eyebrows raised and his mouth molded into a grin. He had an impressive set of teeth. He reached out his hand to her, and she timidly accepted it.

“It’s nice to meet you. My names Nathan.” He spoke confidently, the grin still wrapped around his lips. His hand was cold from the beer that was now rested in his left hand between his legs. Yolana shook it, almost gasping when his big hand completely enveloped hers. It was lightly calloused, and though it was very large, he held her hand delicately. She looked down at it, deciding he had very manly hands.

“Hello, I’m Yolana.” She said quietly, unsure. She cleared her throat, not wanting to sound so soft.

Their hands disconnected, his returning to his lap and hers doing the same. She twiddled her pen between her fingers, fidgeting. Looking down, she noticed her notebook sitting open on her lap. She closed it before he noticed.

“You’re Belvin’s niece. I saw you earlier when you first came in. I thought you were his daughter, but he corrected me. Now that I look at you, you look nothing like him.” Yolana nodded her head. “I didn’t know he had a niece down here; I’ve never seen you before.”

Yolana started swinging her feet under her, a nervous habit. If she was to still her legs, they would bounce instead. “Yea, I’ve never seen you either. I was told you are Elijah’s grandson.” He nodded. “It’s nice to meet you; everyone loves Elijah. He comes by the blood center all the time.”

Finding an entrance to a conversation, Nathan leaned in.

“You work at the blood bank?”

“Yes, I’m a phlebotomist. Elijah comes in twice a month to give blood or get bloodwork done.”

“That’s cool. How long did it take you in school to learn that?”

Yolana inwardly cringed. Nathan noticed, but before he could say something, she answered him.

“I didn’t go to school for it. I was trained on the job.” She looked away for a second. It was always embarrassing for her every time she told people that. Being a phlebotomist sounded cool; it sounded like a specialized position, but that all goes away when she tells them schooling wasn’t required and anyone could learn it. There were graduates fresh from high school that worked with her. It made her feel dumb.

“Oh yeah? That’s cool. Jobs like that usually teach first aid and resuscitation techniques. Not to mention you got OJT, so you skipped out on the pricey classes. How long have you been working there?” he asked.

“5 years.”

“That’s enough experience to become a nursing assistant at one of my national parks, well after you get a CNA certificate, but that shouldn’t be hard if you already have a BLS certification. Do you have one of those?” Yolana nodded.

Yolana was surprised. “Really?”

“Yea.”

“You own a national park?” Who was she talking to? She already knew Elijah had money, but who was this man?

Nathan smiled, his big chest moving with every silent chuckle. Yolana got distracted momentarily, noticing how big he was compared to her.

“No, I don’t own any national parks; just run a few of their labs. I’m an NPS Biologist. I make sure our national parks are healthy, specifically their vegetation ecosystem, but I do dabble in wildlife.”

“Oh! Well, how long did that take in school?” Yolana asked his earlier question back. He scratched the back of his neck.

“Too many!” he took a swig of his beer. He was quite distracted while in college, so distracted that he took a little longer to graduate than his classmates.

“You must be really smart then to be a biologist.”

“Oh no! I just really like nature and how it works. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no tree hugger or crazy environmentalist, but nature and its cycle of life is really neat.” Nathan said. Yolana could see a sparkle in his eye, and it was not from the alcohol.

“So, you’re no vegetarian hippie?” She joked.

Nathan leaned in, a playful glint in his eyes. “Nope.” He popped the P. “I’ve had like three burgers and waiting for Channing to get done with those ribs he’s taking forever on.”

Yolana liked his smile. The wider it got, the more boyish he looked.

“However,” he paused to collect himself and sit back a little. “I do believe in animal rights. Farm animals and animals for slaughter should be raised ethically. I’m a meat eater, and I know we have to be fed, but we don’t have to be so barbaric about it.”

“I get it.” Yolana thought for a minute. “Do you go fishing?”

“Yep.”

“Hunting?”

“Love it!”

“Do you think that’s ethical?” She didn’t know where she was going with these lines of questions. She knew it didn’t have anything to do with his line of work, per se. However, learning more about him interested her.

“They both are federally regulated to make sure the species are thriving. It’s illegal to hunt or catch certain animal and fish species.” Nathan paused to look at her. Maybe it was the look in her eyes or the face she made while paying attention, but it caused him to backtrack. “I’m sorry to upset, if you’re not a fan of hunting.” He apologized respectfully, his southern upbringing shining through.

Yolana grinned, not expecting him to apologize. She thought that was very thoughtful of him. “Oh no! I was just asking your opinion. I love fishing, never been hunting, but wanted to try someday. Uncle Belvin won’t take me.”

“Why not?”

“He says ladies shouldn’t use guns, or some stupid shit- stupid stuff like that.” Yolana corrected herself. She looked around, making sure the church ladies weren’t near to hear her. When she saw the coast was clear, she continued. “I’m not big on guns, but I would like to try hunting.”

“Well, I can’t take you hunting, since we’re out of season, but I can take you fishing if you would like?”

She shook her head, declining his offer before she even noticed she was doing it. It’s an automatic response whenever people invite her to do things. It was almost a reflex like motion.

“It’s alright, you’re on vacation, you should enjoy that, plus I’m sure my uncle has a fishing trip scheduled soon. He sometimes invites me.”

It wasn’t a complete lie; Chief Belvin frequented the local ponds and lakes. Sometimes he invited Yolana, and she would fish with him or sit there and draw her surroundings. However, she did not know if he was going on a fishing trip soon.

Nathan nodded his head, draining the last of his beer. He sat the empty bottle behind him before bringing his attention back to Yolana.

“I bet you’re going to enjoy not having to get up in the morning like the rest of us.” Yolana spoke.

Nathan nodded. “Yea, I used to not be a morning person, but after all these years of getting to work at 5 AM, I’ve programmed myself to always be up. Even on the days I work from home, I’m up.”

Yolana wouldn’t consider herself a night owl, nor would she be up before sunrise. She was a perfect mix of both, rising from bed around 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning, on her off days, of course. Trying to imagine herself up and ready to work at 5 AM every day seems impossible. Life is already hard, why make it harder with crazy work hours like that? However, the man before her seems put together, with a title like his and with a grandfather like Elijah; of course, he would be an early riser. He’s a businessman.

“So, you’re going to be up at 5 all week for no reason?” She joked. He looked down at her smile, making her want to hide it.

“No, not 5, maybe 7. Go take a run in the early sunrise.”

He ran too, every morning? Yolana was truly talking to a sophisticated man. It made her feel even more insecure. As a woman her age with nothing of her own, looking at this man, that’s not too much older than her, she wondered if she was too late or… behind.

“Well, I can’t say I’m not jealous of your motivation, but I am glad that I don’t have to be up and at it that early.”

“What time do you have to be at work?”

“I have to be there at 8, but the bus comes and picks me up at 7:30. Still early, but better than 5 AM.”

Nathan looked at her, confused. His thick eyebrows pushed the skin between them together.

“Bus?” Since when did Tapioca get a bus?

“Oh!” Yolana just realizing he’s been gone too long to know about the new transportation system. “Mrs. Bethel Claire retired from the school two years ago. They also retired her bus, so she bought it, painted it an emerald, green color, and started picking up the elderly and handicapped.”

“Like a Brat bus?”

“Kinda’, but she extended her services to everyone else, like people without vehicles.” Yolana pointed to herself. “It’s cool! The town even made dedicated bus stops, and I heard she was looking to buy a second bus.”

“Do you like riding the bus?”

Yolana thought for a moment. “No, but it’s either that or walking. My aunt has to be at work before I do, so she can’t take me.” She smiled. “I should be used to it by now with all the old people I’m constantly around, but sometimes it smells weird in there.”

“Like old age?”

“Like… fermented life.”

Nathan cringed before laughing. He didn’t expect her to say something like that, nor did he ever hear anyone refer to old people that way. None the less, it was funny what she said. He extended an offer of a ride to and from work, but she declined, saying he didn’t have to. This time, Nathan didn’t accept no for an answer, his chivalrous nature getting the best of him.

“I really don’t mind.” He said, “It would be another reason for me to get up in the morning. The routine will keep my inner clock going.”

Yolana wasn’t sure about him taking her to work, plus he was a stranger. However, she recalled how everyone greeted him when he was around and how her own uncle reacted to his presence. He genuinely seemed like a good man and when everyone else ignored her and didn’t talk to her from fear of Freda, he came over anyway, not knowing the implications. Maybe it was the boredom of her day-to-day life, or the attention of a handsome man, but she found herself thinking irrationally. What if she let this man take her to and from work? A person that was a stranger to her, to her and her alone.

His eyes were easy, disarming and kind. He patiently waited for her answer, leaning one arm on the table facing her. His long legs wide and relaxed.

“Wouldn’t it be out of the way?”

“Not if it’s my destination.” He answered cooly.

“You don’t know me.”

“You’re Chief Friday’s niece, Yolana.” He gave a sly smile. Yolana looked at it, then his blue eyes.

What could be the harm? Her aunt leaves the house at 5:30 AM and doesn’t come home until 4:30 or 5 PM. Yolana didn’t have to be at work until 8 and she only works 6 hours a day, which should give her plenty of time to get home without her aunt knowing about Nathan. Yolana almost giggled to herself. The idea of Freda catching Yolana and Nathan was terrifying, more terrifying than her catching Yolana with Mrs. Henderson yesterday. But it would feel good. It would feel so good to not ride that bus in the morning and afternoon. It would feel amazing to not walk home if she missed it. To comfortably sit in a vehicle that wasn’t burning hot, from all the cold natured elderly riding beside her, that sounded fantastic. She could get to know Nathan, someone who was brand new to her. Also, even though it sounded bad, she could talk to a man without her aunt’s eyes burning a hole in the back of her head.

Yolana wasn’t sure if this was Nathan’s way of getting to know her in a friendly way or romantic way, but she didn’t feel like he was flirting with her. Maybe he’s just being nice. Friendly, like he seemed to be with everyone else there. It’s not like she had an abundance of friends. She could use one, even if it was temporary. Yolana bit her lip, looking down, then suddenly back up to him again.

“You promise not to murder me?” his abrupt laugh sent electricity through her bones.

“Chief Friday would kill me. I promise.” He lent an affirming hand to seal his promise, and she took it.

When they disconnected, he retreated to his back pocket to retrieve his phone. He asked for Yolana’s phone number. She set up to give it to him, but paused, remembering that was the wrong number. A year ago, she got a second phone without her aunt knowing. An old high school friend bought it for her with cash she put back from her paycheck. It was just a simple flip phone from Walmart that Yolana could gradually put minutes on. She bought it to talk to Mrs. Henderson when their shows came on and a few other things that she didn’t think were her aunt’s business. She decided that Nathan was also one of those things.

“I work Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM. It usually takes around 30 minutes to get to the blood center, sometime 35.”

He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Alrighty, I will pick you up around 7:25 then.” He smiled at her, leaning back onto the table. He obviously had intentions of talking to Yolana more, but when he looked past her and she followed his eyes, she saw her aunt and her band of ladies behind her. Yolana abruptly got up, pointing towards the food table.

“Let’s go see if your ribs are up.”

He followed her to the food where he finally got his ribs, and she got her first plate of the party. To avoid an awkward exchange with Freda, she bid Nathan adieu, going back to her table, and he returning to his grandfather.

For the remainder of the party, the two remained separate. Yolana stole glances towards his direction, replaying their conversation in her head, trying to find any instance of him flirting. After some consideration, Yolana decided that he was, indeed, just being friendly. That was perfectly fine with her; it would make for a less tense exchange the next time she saw him.

When the event ended, Yolana thought she was in the clear before her aunt mentioned Nathan.

“What did that Bard boy want with you?” She had asked, glancing over to her niece while she was driving.

So, her aunt knew of Nathan too? Well, Yolana assumed Freda knew everyone, and she did leave the house more than Yolana did.

“Nothing, just saying hello.” Yolana lied easily. “Do you know him?”

“Barely. We crossed paths once or twice when he was young. How long did you talk to him?”

Yolana shrugged her shoulders. “Barely five minutes.” Freda looked at her, not really trusting her. There was a pause before Freda spoke again.

“I want your phone when we get to the house.” She said, dragging her eyes back to the road. Yolana didn’t dispute.

The roll of Yolana’s eyes couldn’t have been stopped to save her life. She sucked in her cheeks to keep the smart remark within her lungs. She wondered who she was, really. Was she really an adult, or was she an overgrown child?