As I drove through town, I felt something begin to tense inside of me. I had been here for a few weeks now, the better part of a month, and I hadn’t stuck around anywhere more than six weeks without getting antsy and thinking of where I could hit up next. But here? Here, it didn’t feel the same. There was something about this place that soothed something in me, whether I could put words to it or not yet.
I hadn’t even started thinking about where I was going to go after this, the notion not even crossing my mind. I had been so caught up with everything that had been happening with Dina, I’d hardly had the headspace to think of my next trip. I could have picked up and headed off to Europe, or hired a classic car and driven across the country, or hopped a plane to East Asia and spent a couple of months out there. I knew I was lucky to have the money I did to do what I wanted, and yet, the only place I wanted to be right now...
Was here.
As I drove through town, something caught my eye, the Jukebox Diner on the side of the road. It was already open, by the looks of it, with a few cars parked outside. But they weren’t the only thing. No, as I slowed down, I realized that Dina was standing in the doorway, something in her hands, a ladder propped up just next to her. I couldn’t help but grin when I laid eyes on her, that curly brown hair tamed into a ponytail that bounced with every movement.
Before I could think twice, I swung the car into the parking lot, and Dina looked up to see me arriving. I couldn’t tell from the look on her face what she thought about it. I wasn’t sure where we stood, after the kiss last night, but something drew me towards her anyway, a desire that I knew I could not just ignore. I drew the car to a halt and stepped out, grinning as I approached her.
"Hey."
"Hey," she replied, and I could have sworn I saw her cheeks darken slightly as she caught my eye. Was she thinking about the kiss, too? She might have made a quick escape to her apartment, but there was no way she could deny what had come in the moments before that, the way our fingers had tangled, the soft curve of her body pressed against mine...
I nodded to the ladder, and what I could now see were a bunch of posters in her hands.
"What’s this about?”
"Labor Day," she replied, glancing up at the diner. I followed her gaze to see that there was already some bunting dangling along the facade above the door, slightly uneven and drooping at one side. "I’m trying to get all the decorations up so Pam doesn’t have to stress herself, but I feel like I’m not doing a very good job..."
"You need a hand?”
"Oh, no, that’s fine," she assured me, shrugging as she waved a hand. "I can handle it…"
"Come on, I’m not doing anything else today," I chided her playfully, smiling. "I could use someone to put me to good use."
She giggled, cocking an eyebrow at me.
"I thought you didn’t like working?"
"I don’t like working in offices and big businesses," I replied. "But I think I can find it in me to handle this, huh?"
She looked up at the bunting again, as though trying to figure out if she was going to agree. And then, finally, she shrugged.
"You know what, I could probably use some help," she conceded. "Could you hold that ladder while I fix these?"
"Of course I can."
Honestly, I was glad to actually feel useful after that conversation with my father; the way he talked about me, he made it sound like I did nothing but put my feet up and hope for the best. I took hold of the ladder and tried to avert my eyes as she climbed up, not wanting to be caught staring at anything I shouldn’t. I caught the scent of her perfume in the air, and grinned as it filled my senses, wondering if she knew just what kind of effect she had on me.
"I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a Labor Day celebration before," I remarked. "Didn’t realize it was such a big deal out here..."
"Oh, well, it’s more than just Labor Day itself," she explained, as she carefully made her way back down the ladder. She stumbled slightly on the last step, and I reached out to steady her, hand on the small of her back to make sure she didn’t fall. For a moment, we were standing just a few inches apart, and she glanced around at me, our eyes locking. My gaze flicked down to her lips, and I stepped back quickly, clearing my throat.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah," she continued, her voice a little shakier than it had been when she went up the ladder. "It’s like the end of the tourist season for us here, too. So it’s sort of a send-off for everyone who’s been visiting the town. Not that we don’t get a few throughout the rest of the year, but things settle a bit after Labor Day, when everyone takes off..."
She trailed off, and, as she looked at me, I could tell what she was thinking. That I was going to be gone, too. I couldn’t blame her, given the way that I had talked to her about my travels. As far as she knew, I would be gone soon enough, now that the summer was coming to a close and the rest of the world waiting.
"What do you think?" she asked, as she took a step back, planting her hands on her hips and gazing up at the bunting above. I fell in line with her to get a better look, and I could already tell that they looked a whole lot better than they had when we started.
"Looks great to me."
She grinned, and picked up the pile of posters from the ground where she had dumped them while she had been focused on the bunting.
"Alright, Pam told me to put these up around town," she remarked. "You think you could give me a lift so I can hand them out to people? My car died on me again last night, right in the lot. I'm waiting for the garage to come tow it."
"Sure thing," I agreed, as she handed me one of the posters so I could see what I was getting into. It was just a flyer announcing a celebration at the diner the following week, with free food and music to enjoy.
