“I would believe that if I didn’t know you were made of total mush inside. Get back to work. I’m personally inspecting and grading everything that comes off that line from now on.”
Rowan’s lips twitched at the excitement of earning an A. And being graded by Juniper.
Over the next two hours, more and more items were crossed off the Banks Bites menu as their supplies dwindled. Even though the crowd had been consistent, it hadn’t totally overwhelmed them. They’d even had a few more orders for the kid’s menu Indian taco, which Sam deemed a hit and decreed it a permanent item on the menu.
“See, my brain can do more than chase pus–”
“Sam,pleasestop there,” Juniper held a hand up.
“What, I can’t say pussy? You two definitely love pussy.”
“I’m not talking about pussy with you either, Sam,” Rowan insisted.
“I’m not asking you to talk about my sister’s.”
“Aye, this is a family business, remember!” Anita admonished loudly from the back of the truck.
They all covered their mouths to snicker quietly together like the group of kids they once were.
“Hey, say pussy one more time,” Sam lost his last shred of self-control and laughed louder.
After they’d closed up Banks Bites two hours early like Anita suspected they would, Anita encouraged them to watch the rest of the powwow while she took care of the clean-up. Rowan and Juniper settled onto an old blanket on the ground. Rowanstretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her palms. Juniper balled up the long sleeve shirt she’d long since stripped off, set it on Rowan’s thighs, and laid her head in her lap.
Rowan’s entire day was marked by genuine warmth and nostalgia. Even though she’d sweated profusely, gotten popped by grease multiple times, and cut her finger and had to wear a bandaid with a glove over it, she’d also been able to not only say hi to people she hadn’t seen in over a decade, she’d been able to feed them. Each interaction served as a reminder of the deep connections and fond memories she had with her community. She wanted to do something about this renewed sense of belonging and further rekindle her ties with the place and people she once called home.
Sam rocked onto his butt beside them and brushed his shorts down. He leaned forward to wrap his arms around his knees, and he dangled his can of Coke between them. He tilted his chin back to take a long swig and settled back into place.
“That was actually fun, Junie.”
“It was fun with you guys there. Doing it alone sucked.”
Rowan caught Sam looking thoughtfully at the dancers in the powwow circle. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”
When Juniper didn’t respond, Rowan wondered how many times she’d heard him say that over the years.
“Maybe I’ll find me a nice girl to settle down with tonight.”
“To settle down into bed with and then get back up before morning?” Juniper teased.
“Shut up, Junie,” Sam laughed. “Who said we’d make it to the bed?”
“You’re gross. And annoying.”
“Yeah, yeah. Can I use the backseat of your car?”
Juniper blindly reached over to slap at him while still laying down.
“Aye, Junie, quit!”
Rowan chuckled as she grabbed Junie’s hand to help her make contact with Sam’s leg a few times before she wove theirfingers together and tucked their joined hands back beneath Juniper’s balled up shirt she was using as a pillow across Rowan’s lap.
“I’m serious, though, Junie. We’ll come up with a schedule, get some other younger cousins trained, and you can let the food truck go, okay? I’ve been working on an online cybersecurity certificate, so hopefully soon between my new job and your new job, we can take care of mom that way.”
Juniper maneuvered her head to look at him. “I didn’t know you were doing that. I’m so proud of you.”
“Eh,” he minimized. “We’ll see.”
Juniper’s warm smile bloomed at Sam so affectionately, it reminded Rowan so much of a younger Juniper, unencumbered by the world, who would share her happiness with those around her so easily. The way Juniper loved was so deep, so authentic, so complete, it made Rowan’s eyes sting. She pushed away the guilt that threatened to overtake her chest that she had played some role in the way Juniper had hardened over the years, and instead committed herself again, more fully, to loving Juniper that way too.
