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Ms. Gertrude furrows her brows and grows silent. She’s trying to place who Luna is, and finally, she smiles and nods. “Luna! Oh my. This is the best day. I haven’t seen either of you in so long. How are you enjoying middle school, or is it high school now?”
Almost as if it’s second nature to her, Luna takes Ms. Gertrude’s hand. “Yep, it’s freshmen year. We’re both so excited. Brennon tried out for the football team.”
“Good! You’ve always been so good at football. I know you’re going to do well, boy. What about you, Luna? What are you doing? Any sports, or are you joining some clubs?”
“I’m pondering the debate team or the science club. I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
“Both are excellent choices for you. You’ve always had such a strong head on your shoulders.” Ms. Gertrude smiles brightly at Luna, and Luna gives her hand a squeeze.
A woman with dark brunette hair comes walking up. “Mom, I went to the bathroom, and you’ve darted off somewhere.” She seems flustered and then turns to look at Luna and me. “I’m so sorry if she was disturbing your conversation. She has Alzheimer’s, so she’s not here all the time.”
“There’s no reason to apologize at all. It was lovely seeing your mother. It’s been a few years for us both, I think,” Luna comments, and the woman immediately appears relieved.
“Oh, good. I’m glad you could all catch up. I’m Eleanor, by the way. I’m going to take my mom to get something to eat, but it was great meeting you both.” Eleanor proceeds to take Ms. Gertrude and walks away with her.
Luna and I are once again by ourselves. I’m kind of glad, considering I’m enjoying catching up with her.
She looks so much different than she did when we were children. I can recall the way she’d wear her dorky checkered shoes with clothes that didn’t even match, and she’d have all these small buttons attached to her backpack. The cheerleaders used to pick on her for it, but I’d put them in their place every time. Hell, they’d give me a hard time for hanging out with her, but Luna was always important to me in some way. Even if we weren’t overly close, I still thought very highly of her.
After graduation, we never really stayed in touch. I asked around about her so I could keep tabs, but I never did look into her after that. In hindsight, I wish I would have. I’m sure it wouldn’t have hurt in the least bit . . . and maybe I could have gotten a bit closer to her. I’d love to get close, and maybe I can see where the night leads.
“Are you going to be here for a while, or do you have to leave early and work or something?”
Luna shakes her head with a laugh. “Nope. I finished my work earlier today so I could be here to celebrate with your parents. Thirty years is a rarity these days, with so many divorces and then other people not even getting married in the first place.”
“They have reached a major milestone. I’m happy for them.” I search through the crowds of people until I find my parents seated under an Engelmann Oak. They’re sitting at a picnic table that surrounds the tree with my nieces, and it looks like a few of their oldest friends.
“Do you ever think you’ll celebrate thirty years with someone?”
I run my hand through my hair. “I hope I do. I’d have to find the right person first. That’s been the hardest part, finding a good woman. Women out in Los Angeles usually only want you for one thing.”
“Awe, are you about to tell me you’ve been used for that little dangly thing between your legs?” Luna feigns sympathy, and we both crack up laughing.
“It’s definitely not little. Maybe sometime you’ll learn for yourself.” I don’t mind playfully flirting with Luna, but there’s some truth to my words. I wouldn’t mind being stuck in a bed with her for a few hours, hell, maybe even a weekend.
“If only you could find yourself so lucky, Brennon.” There’s a mischievousness in Luna’s eyes. One that I never remembered from when we were teenagers. I don’t know where it’s come from, but I like it. I enjoy the sass she’s throwing my way. If she had been a little more like this back in high school, I’m sure we would have dated.
I find myself spending a lot of time with Luna throughout the course of the night. There are only a couple of times when we drift away from each other, but for the most part, we find our way back. We sat next to each other and chatted with one another while enjoying the delicious cake my parents ordered and even partook in some fun games. My mother really went above and beyond to make sure all of her guests had a great time today.
Before I know it, it’s almost ten at night, and a lot of the partygoers have left. Luna and I have had a couple of drinks, but nothing too crazy. I’ve had so much water that I don’t even feel like I’ve been drinking at all tonight. I don’t feel like I’m ready to hit the hay or settle in, so I look at Luna, who’s gorgeous in her outfit, and go off on a limb by suggesting something. “Want to head to a bar and grab a drink?”
Luna appears to be caught off guard because she reels her head back a bit. “You want to go out and have a drink with me?”
“No, I was talking to the just as gorgeous redhead directly behind you,” I sarcastically comment.
“You have alcohol here. We could just keep drinking, avoid going somewhere else, or drive altogether while we’ve had a few tonight.” Okay, I see what Luna’s saying. She wants to be cautious and not have us head out. That’s fine. There’s a tucked-away bar area in the basement of my parents’ house, and I doubt anyone will be going down there.
“All right, come on.” I take Luna inside the house, then we head down the stairwell and walk into the basement. The lights are off, so I have to flick them on. After I do, it doesn’t seem like a place where I take women to murder them anymore.
“Wow, this is amazing.” Luna’s scanning the area, taking in all of the old farming equipment and tools my dad has hanging on the walls. My father is somewhat of a collector. He loves preserving history.
He has old wooden wheels from the early nineteen hundreds, then a collection of metal wheels as well, most likely used to cut wood or stir up dirt. An array of older hammers, hoes, rakes, shovels, and sickles continue to line the walls.
“Dad likes his old stuff.” I chuckle.
Meanwhile, Luna looks like a child who’s in a museum with bright, big eyes. “You know, I’ve been over here a couple of times since my mom passed away, but I’ve never been in the basement. I guess this is your dad’s pride and joy, huh?”
“Yeah, it is. I don’t remember bringing you over here when we were kids.” I could be missing something, or maybe forgetting . . . but I don’t think I am.
