Coming Home-(Complete)

Myra

"Yeah, that sounds. Great. No, I will meet you outside." The call ended. This did not seem real. It felt wrong, yet equally right. A date. A date with a practical stranger. Well, if this went south, and he really was a kidnapper. At least my daughter would have her father. I continued to get ready. He would pick me up in less than ten minutes. Waiting outside seemed more reasonable for my potential kidnapping.

A clean pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot. It was unmistakably Mason. If anyone pulled off the cowboy look, it was him. If anything, he was too much so for this part of town. He parked the truck, then stepped out. He approached me. In object in his right hand. A candy bar?

"Hi, again" He looked adorably awkward."

"Hi," I smiled at him. Probably looking like a fool.

"So," he handed me the candy bar. "I was going to bring you flowers but figured you would not have a place to put them. Being in a hotel and all." How sweet.

"This is great." I laughed. "Thank you."

"Shall we get going?" He led me to the passenger's side, opened the door, shut it, then went to the driver's side."

We spent the afternoon at a restaurant outside of town. It was closer to his family's farm. We spent hours just laughing and telling stories from our childhood. It turns out that the hostess the other night is his cousin, which is why he was in town. Her birthday had just passed. He went to the store to buy cake and supplies for the party that evening. He explained that he grew up working on his father's dairy farm. After high school, his father fell ill. The last several years were dedicated to making ends meet. I listened intently to his life stories. When it came to questions about me, the answers remained vague.

After dinner, he asked if I would be willing to see the stars. Seeing as it had probably been some time since seeing a true night-sky away from the city. I could have said no, but took Emily's advice to "just go for it."

We went another twenty minutes off-roading. Eventually, we pulled over. "I promise, you are fine." He smiled, trying to make a joke. "Come on, let me put down the back." The evening air remained humid, but it had cooled down drastically. The sound of crickets filled the sky with a type of soothing music that could not be recreated in the city. A slight tinge of peace filled my bones. Mason helped me on the back of his truck. Straight ahead, there was a swarm of fireflies in the distance. They lit up the pond like tiny flashlights.

A slight tension arose from Mason. He wanted to say something all night but never did. Finally, he asked, "So what is your story, you have not said much this evening."

"I don't know. It. It is complicating." It was not a lie, but also not the truth. Part of me had closed so much of my life off, that recalling seemed near impossible. I tried to redirect the topic to him. With the assist of a yawn.

"What is your story?"

"My story? I don't know." He mimicked. "It's complicating."

"Oh my god!" I laugh. "Tell me!"

He grinned. He seemed so mature, yet so young. So vulnerable right now. "Well, you already know I work on my family's farm"

"Sixth generation," I recalled.

"Hm. Good memory. That is true. Let's see. I own a truck. I plant crops. I am wearing a red shirt."

"Not the obvious!" I laughed then playfully smacked his leg. "More about you".

"Me? Well, that is me right now.".

"You know what I meant!" As the conversation continued. I realize just how one-sided this date has been. He was so open with me. Trusting. Not worrying about anything beyond the moment. The complete opposite of myself.

"Eh, that is all boring stuff. You would not like it anyhow." It was hard to tell if he was serious or still messing around. He glanced at me, then at the stars. "You see that right there?" He pointed at a cluster of stars. "That' is Sagittarius. Half-man, half-horse. Ptolemy named it a constellation. It is the ninth sign of the Zodiac."

Amazed, I blurted, "So you're an astronomer?"

"No." He replied plainly. "Just curious."

"What you mean is a "know-it-all." I tried to tease. Not sure if it succeeded or failed.

With a partial grin, he replied, "Only at times."

We sat in silence for a while. The beginning of the date was amazing. This should have been too. Why must I ruin things? Maybe we did not have chemistry after all? What if I was ruining this? Why could I not be open about my life? Is it healthy to talk about the past? After all, the past is who I am. Although I made myself based on recent decisions. How do you even date? How would this work? He lives here, I live across the States. My thoughts drown out the sound of the cricket's song.

Mason reached for my hand. Immediately, I could feel the dance of the wind from the trees across my body. "Myra, pardon my want to 'know-it-all' it is bothering me." He did not have to explain what "it" was. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What do you want to know?" I spoke softly. Just enjoy the night.

"Why do you bring your daughter here? It seems to me that he doesn't want to be a father. She could have just as easily have never met him."

The same question I ask myself every summer. "I don't know. Part of me wishes he would change his mind. Or that maybe we could still work. Which is silly since he is remarried with their baby on the way." The pond had little crystal waves that shimmered in the moonlight. My heart sank. My smile faded. "I don't know how, nor do I have the time to date. Makayla needs a father figure, and I wasn't ready to let go of him."

Mason wrapped his arm around my waist. Together we sat, cuddling like two lost people clinging to a broken strand of hope.