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“Yes sir, probably not as much as I should have but enough. The paper’s not due for two weeks yet. I’m in pretty good shape.”
“Good. Good,” he said, sanding off some old red paint. “Well you better get yourself into that house son. Your mama’s been waiting all day to talk to you.”
“Okay dad. Need any help?”
“Nope. Now get.”
I walked up the little hill my house sat on top of and thought of how Jules was safely becoming a permanent fixture in my life. When I entered through the kitchen, my mom was at her huge ceramic farm sink, peeling potatoes for Sunday’s potato salad. When she saw me she threw down her peeler and wiped her hands on a blue and white dishtowel.
“Hey mama,” I said and began to walk the kitchen stairs to my room.
“Wait Elliott. Tell me. How did it go baby?”
“It went extremely well mom. I had the most fun day of my life today. Julia Jacobs is an incredible girl.”
“Land alive! I don’t believe I would have ever heard anything like that come from your mouth Elliott Gray. You are a such mystery to me!”
I fought the smile trying to escape my lips and peered down at the step my feet were resting on. I turned around and sat down on the third step while she went back to peeling.
“So? You gonna’ make me pry every detail from you? For heaven’s sake Elliott! You are just like your daddy.”
“Who is?” Said Maddy as she rounded the corner and pulled herself onto the counter beside my mom.
“Your brother is. What are you doing out of bed young lady?” When Maddy ignored her, she went on, “He went on a date with Julia Jacobs today and is bein’ stingy with the details.”
“Eww!” Maddy said, jumping off the counter. “That’s what you’re talking about? I’m out of here. Who wants to hear about Elliott sucking face with Julia Jacobs!”
Maddy ran up the kitchen stairs and down the hall to her room, closing her door behind her. I brought my stare up from my feet and saw my mom laughing.
“Dad must have told her,” I said.
“So you’ll tell your daddy but not your mama?” She teased.
“It’s not exactly something you go around boasting about mom! Plus, I didn’t tell dad. He guessed.”
“He did? How did he do that?”
“Never mind. I’ll be in my room.”
“Okay son. I’ll just get the details from your daddy then.”
“Okay mom,” I laughed.
I closed my bedroom door behind me and fell onto my bed, too happy to move anymore. I leaned over and grabbed my remote from my nightstand to turn on my stereo. Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’ began to play and while Beth Gibbons soothed the edges of my live-wire heart, I replayed everything that had happened that day and smiled at every torturous detail. Damn if Jules wasn’t going to be a very big part of my life.
Julia Jacobs was going to be my future and I was going to be hers.
The next day my mom knocked on my door to wake me for church. I found myself really alert, more alert than I was used to being on a weekend morning. Mornings weren’t exactly my favorite part of the day, but knowing I’d be able to hold Jules’ hand in a little over an hour made it more than tolerable. I showered, ate breakfast, readied myself quickly and was ready to leave in less than half an hour. I was tired of waiting on my parents and Maddy so I yelled at the kitchen door to let everyone know I’d meet them there, that I was going on ahead of them.
“Save us a pew!” My dad yelled.
“Okay!”
I was out the door and in my truck in less than ten seconds and at the church in less than five minutes. I sat inside the almost empty church alone. I kept glancing over my shoulder. I sort of had hoped Jules would have shown up a little earlier so I could get looking at her out of my system and could concentrate. No sooner had I thought this did she walk in, on her own, and strolled down the center aisle of the nave toward me.
She was breathtaking, again, and I didn’t think I was ever going to get used to the way she looked. She was so charming. She wore a dress that looked to be straight out of a Grace Kelly movie, green and white striped. She wore pristine white gloves that barely reached the bottom of her wrist where they buttoned with little pearls. Her bangs swept to one side of her forehead and her long curled hair fell at points at her waist. The only thing missing to complete the look was her hand anchoring a wide brimmed hat to her head and maybe her eyes squinting in the sun.
“Uh, I....I,I.....Uhh” I stuttered, when she sat next to me.
