I glanced at Lennox and he wore a cute little smirk on his face.
“B-birdwatching?”Damon asked.“Like, watching birds?”
“Yes.”She had her hands clasped behind her back and her shoulders straight.“That is the definition of birdwatching.I enjoy birdwatching and I would like to know if you would like to join me.”
“Uh …”
Lennox smothered his snort with a cough and his fist.I elbowed him.
“What do you like to do when you go birdwatching?”Damon asked, which was a fair question.At this point, everyone in the barn was watching this adorable teenage tête-à-tête.
“You watch birds,” Mabel said slowly, like she was speaking to a child.
“But, like, do you talk?”
“No.That startles the birds.I sit very still and very quiet, and observe them, and I also sketch them.”
“Do I have to sketch them?”
“Only if you want to.”
“Could I bring a book and read, or play on my phone?”
“As long as you’re quiet.”
“Uh …”
Mabel sighed.“We are about the same age.We are both homeschooled.Which makes it very difficult to socialize with people our own age.This is why I am asking you if you would like to socialize with me.It also makes sense since your aunt—who is not actually your aunt, but in fact your first cousin once removed—is in a relationship with my father.We will be around each other, so we may as well see if we have anything in common and have the potential to become friends.Apparently, I need a friend.”
Damon’s mouth hung open like a confused codfish.“Okay.”
Mabel nodded again.“I will have my dad drop me off here in the morning on his way to school.We could do our schoolwork together, then go bird watching.Goodbye.”
“Bye?”Damon gave a half-hearted wave as Mabel turned around and walked toward Lennox and me.
“I’ll be in the truck,” she said to Lennox, her gaze forward, hands now at her sides, but her fingers doing their twitchy stimming thing.
“Did you know she was going to do that?”I asked him in a hushed voice.
He nodded.“It was all her idea.Surprised the shit out of me too.But I did what you said and mentioned to her about maybe finding some friends.She took it seriously and decided Damon made the most sense since they’re about the same age, both homeschooled, and she knows his family.”
“Very practical of her.”
“Yeah, and she didn’t even have any nerves or anxiety about it on the drive over.She was rehearsing what she would say, but seemed hellbent on seeing if he’d like to go birdwatching with her.”
I smiled.“I think it’s really sweet.”
“He’ll probably be bored out of his skull, but hopefully he humors her a little.”
“The kid’s getting pasty.The sun will be good for him.”
His throat moved on a swallow and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels.“Listen … about Monday …”
“It’s fine,” I said quickly.“After some reflection, I probably should have called you—”
“No.You handled it all correctly.While, yes, she is my kid and I would do anything for her, she also needs to learn how to let other people help her, as well as treat her own panic attacks.I’m sorry if I made it seem like I didn’t approve of how you did things.”
I glanced down at the ground.“It’s okay.”
