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This week, the bonfire was being held at Everett and Helen’s, which was appropriate since Helen and Sofia had gotten so close recently. I was still getting to know Everett, but the two of us seemed to hit it off well enough, and along with the other guys from the logging company, I was excited to have a little pod of dudes to hang out with that weren’t also firemen.
We drove over and parked in the large grassy area in front of their cabin and walked down the hill to the backyard. Most everyone was already there by the time we arrived, and the fire was burning hot, deep in the yard. Children played on one side of the large, empty space, clearly separated from where the adults were by a section of rubber flooring, swings, and slides.
I could imagine our own child among them. It would be a few years, sure, but one day our own little one would look forward to these nights when he or she could come down and frolic with the other kids of Ashford. The next generation of this town, growing as people like myself moved in and built it up from the place it was just a few years back to what it was becoming.
“Sofia,” Helen said, coming out of the back door of the cabin and rushing over to give her a hug. Her eyes shifted to me for a split second and then back to her. “Everything good?”
“Everything’s fantastic,” she said.
“Good. So, can I get you something? Some orange juice?”
“I would love orange juice,” Sofia said, looking back at me with a grin.
“Ahh,” I said.
“I needed some advice,” Sofia said. “I hope you’re not mad.”
“Mad? How could I be mad?” I asked. “I’m glad you had someone to talk to.”
“Good,” Helen said. “Now, what about you?”
“I’ll have a beer,” I said. “Only one, though, since I’m driving.”
“You don’t have to drive,” Sofia said. “I can get us home.”
There was something so wonderful in hearing her refer to my place as home. I grinned.
“No, thank you,” I said. “I have other reasons for wanting to stay sober too.”
“Oh?” she asked, curling into my arms as Helen slipped away to get us drinks. “What would those be?”
“I want to be fully cognizant of my surroundings when I peel that dress off of you later.”
“Mr. Duggan,” she said playfully. “Are you insinuating that I will be sleeping with you tonight?”
I grinned. “I never said anything about sleeping.” I grinned.
Helen returned a few moments later with our drinks, and we went about milling around, Sofia introducing me to people I didn’t know and having a bit of fun talking with people in the town. It was good for me to get to know people, considering they would be putting a great deal of trust in me running the fire department.
But also, it was just nice to feel like I was making myself a part of the community. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere. I wanted to be here, in Ashford, raising my family and living the good life here. Briefly, I thought about what would happen if I was offered a promotion somewhere else. If the governor called and wanted me to take over in Nashville or Memphis. Or if I was called to run a federal program.
I simply wouldn’t do it. At least, not for a while. I had a home and a life here. I was happy, settled.
Ashford, Tennessee, was where I wanted to be, as long as I had Sofia and our baby. Any promotion or opportunity would have to compete with the level of personal happiness I was experiencing right at that moment. I didn’t think anything could beat it. Especially once Sofia’s restaurant was open.
As we walked around, speaking to everyone and having a good time, I could hear the whispers about Sofia’s drink. People were noticing that she wasn’t drinking a cocktail or mixed drink. It was clearly just a glass of orange juice and not a screwdriver. The lips of the Ashford inner circle were flapping, and it was going to be a matter of time before someone asked us point-blank.
Which meant it was time to go ahead and make the announcement. But I had something in mind for the announcement. Something not even Sofia knew about. As a matter of fact, only three people in the world knew about it. One of them was me, obviously. Another was my mother, who I told through a text earlier in the day. The other was a little old man in Nashville, likely at home now, knowing that I was one of many who he had helped along the journey I was beginning tonight.
My fingers brushed over the box in my pocket. Sofia hadn’t noticed it, and I had been doing a bit of creative dancing to keep her hand from touching that specific pocket. It wasn’t easy, but I didn’t have to do it long. And now I was almost done.
