AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We could go to the park. I think it’s warm enough.”
I order coffee and pie at the counter. Then I carry the paper bag parcel and walk in step with Molly, down the street, through the town square gardens, where flowers are about to burst out, shouting their colors. The bright sun shines on my face and speaks of the coming summer. The big old oak trees in the park are tinged with fresh luminous green. And tiny birds squabble in the low bushes as we approach the wrought-iron gate at the park entrance.
“Spring is everywhere,” Molly says, delighted. “It kind of sneaks up on you, doesn’t it?”
We find a bench in a patch of sunlight and sit down, side by side. I tear open the paper bag between us revealing the pecan pie. I hand Molly one of the cardboard coffee cups. Everything’s quiet for a minute. We sip our coffee and listen to the sounds of the park. Traffic is a distant hum and, suddenly, I realize that I am very happy. Not in a laugh-out-loud kind of way, but in a way that’s peaceful. I breathe in and contentment fills me. I figure it’s because of the blue sky and sunshine; the flowers, and birds in the trees; the soft breeze that playfully lifts Molly’s auburn hair around her face and the way she casually sweeps it aside; and the delicious pecan pie, perhaps.
“So, the Spring Fair is coming up soon, huh?” Molly says maneuvering a fork full of pie to her mouth.
“Yeah. That’s right. Only a couple of weeks away. We’ll probably be throwing pie at each other by then.”
“It’s amazing we’ve made it this far without fighting.” Molly makes happy noises as she savors the pie.
“Here’s to us,” I say raising my cardboard coffee cup.
“Cheers.” Molly sips her coffee then furrows her brow in thought. “I guess we’re on top of everything now. I’ve been through the checklist a hundred times, even the signage is all painted, so there’s not much we can do until we’re at the venue.”
“Great! So, let’s just hang out. What do you want to do after coffee and pie? I don’t have any plans this afternoon.”
“Alright.” Molly sips more coffee. “I don’t need to go back to the library. Kevin’s locking up today. I was going to catch up on admin but, you know...” Molly laughs. “…it can wait. So yes. I’m free all afternoon. What do you feel like doing?”
“We could go for a drive, maybe?”
“Cool. Sounds good.” Molly scoops up some more pie. Then she looks past me, points her wooden spoon, and says, “Hey, isn’t that Dex and Meryl?”
I swing around to where she’s pointing and sure enough my friends are coming our way, pushing a stroller. I stand to greet them.
“Well, look who’s here,” says Dex wrapping me in one of his legendary bear hugs.
Molly stands and hugs Meryl and then we all look at baby Daniel who is sleeping peacefully in the stroller.
“He’s so beautiful,” says Molly quietly.
“Yes, he is,” says Dex. “Now he’s sleeping through the night.”
“That’s great to hear, buddy!”
“Yeah,” says Meryl laughing. “Because, for a while there, it was like having two infants: one tiny and one fully grown.”
“Don’t listen to her. She’s still all high on hormones. Doesn’t know what she’s saying. Huh? My darling, I love you so much. Muah.” Dex and Meryl smooch as if no one else is around. I turn to look the other way and catch Molly’s eye. She smiles back at me and shrugs slightly.
“Alright, so…” I cough to interrupt the kiss which isn’t showing any signs of stopping.
“Hey. It’s fortuitous that we ran into you guys,” says Dex finally. “Isn’t it, hun?”
“Yeah, Dex. You’re right.” Meryl smiles broadly. “We have an announcement.”
“Whoa! You’re not pregnant again, are you Meryl?” The first thing that pops into my head.
“You’re so funny, Cam. No…” Meryl looks up at her husband and says, “We’re moving.”
“Oh really?” says Molly. “Where too?”
“Not far.” Dex puts his arm around Meryl’s shoulders. “We’ve put in an offer on a ten-acre section, just out of town. There’s a house. Needs doing up, but it’s livable.” He kisses the top of his wife’s head.
Meryl beams. “We always wanted chickens, didn’t we?”
“And horses,” Dex adds. “And ten acres isn’t a big piece of land, but it would be ours. We could grow our own food and maybe supply the cafés and restaurants in town. I don’t know…” Dex smiles shyly and looks at the ground.
