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His sadness is worse than his anger. It feels cruel to keep introducing him to a life he can’t recall. “I know. Let’s go grab some lunch. What would you like?”
“Something greasy sounds good.”
“We can do that.”
King Chicken was one of his favorite fast food places before and it’s near the park, making it an obvious choice. It’s past lunchtime but the place is still pretty busy when we pull into the lot. The drive-thru bears a sign that says the speaker is down and to order inside.
He seems anxious at the sight of the line. “Do you want to wait in the car?”
He shakes his head, but steps closer to me once we approach all the people. Instinctively, I take his hand, and he squeezes mine as we wait in line for our food. He’s quiet while we get our order and during the drive to a nearby park.
We choose an empty picnic table beside the pond and settle in to eat. Oliver looks around, taking in his surroundings. It’s a beautiful place, especially drenched in the afternoon sunlight. Trees rise around us, emanating the smell of pine. A steady wind presses the water into tiny rolling waves at the shore, raising ripples that catch the sunshine and release it as diamonds. Ducks swim nearby, calling out while bobbing for food.
“I’ve been here before?” Oliver asks.
“Does it feel familiar?” Keeping the hope out of my voice isn’t easy.
“No, but I like it.”
“We used to come here a lot as teenagers.” I gesture toward a gnarled tree across the pond. “Alden climbed to the top of that tree once. It wasn’t nearly as tall then, of course, but it was still treacherous. You kept trying to warn him the top branches wouldn’t hold him.”
Oliver smiles and munches on a french fry. “Let me guess. He didn’t listen?”
“Nope. A branch at the top broke and he fell. He didn’t break any bones, but the wind was knocked out of him. He laid there with his eyes like saucers, croaking like a frog. Scared the shit out of me.”
Our laughter frightens away a curious duck that was probably hoping for crumbs. “How old was he?”
“About fourteen.”After our first kiss. After I loved him.
This time it’s Oliver who comforts me with a squeeze of my hand. “You don’t like talking about him. I’m sorry.”
“No. I mean, it hurts, but I need to talk about him. To keep him alive. I don’t want to forget.” The words spill out before I can think, and I turn to Oliver, who only grins. “Sorry, I—”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Ella. You lost him. I’m not the only one hurting.”
Nodding, I let the memories seep in. “We cut school once and met up here. You, me, Alden, Tori and Caleb—the guy who recognized you in the grocery store. We were having a great time until someone reported us, and a cop showed up. We scattered. It was only one officer, and he wasn’t too concerned with catching a bunch of truants, but he still chased after us.”
Giggles spill out of me. “The four of us stuck together but Alden…” I shake my head. “They used to have pedal boats here shaped like big swans. He jumped into one and started pedaling like crazy.”
I can still hear his laugh among the rustling of the trees as if it were caught in the leaves. Maybe it is. Snared in a forest of memory where some things are whispered forever.
Oliver grins, leaning on his elbows. “Was the officer mad?”
“He was. He kept yelling and ordering him to come back.”
“What did Alden do?”
“Started singing a sea shanty.”
Oliver cracks up. “He was funny, wasn’t he?”
“Your brother was the funniest man I ever knew.” Funny and wild and sweet. A combination that’s so rare.
“What happened next?”
“He waved to us once we made it to the top of that hill.” Oliver’s gaze follows my pointed finger. “The fencing wasn’t there back then. He was telling us to go while he kept the cop busy.” I feel my mouth turn up into a smile. “We didn’t want to leave him but that was why he’d done it, so we could get away. He didn’t care if he got caught.”
“Did he get away?”
