last summer

two

"Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in"
- This Love by Taylor Swift

It seems like I blink and we're driving into South Carolina which startles me.

My dads beside me, in the drivers seat, Gabriella is behind me, in the back seat and Shep has taken it upon herself to sprawl out, legs and arms extended, mouth wide open, tongue rolled out and I was positive she had ruined Gabriella's baby-blue dress pants with her drool.

Mi Padre and Gabriella dressed pretty fancy, so did my dads entire side of his family, every single one of them had been rich and they all dressed like it.

Josh, Joshua Greco, seemed fine when I told him I was going away for the summer to stay with my dads side of the family in Charleston and we agreed to keep dating long distinctly over the summer which surprised me.

We stop at a gas stop, Gabriella hooks up Shep's harness on a leash and takes her down the path of grass on the side of the road, my dad pauses his old love music (the flamingos) and he hops out to pump the gas.

My dad points me out before I can make it even a few feet from the car, "Stass, get me a granola bar."

"What do you say?"

He paused, thinking for a moment until he finally drew "por favor?" I nod and point back to him, smiling wide.

My father was definitely not fluent in Spanish, but I tried to get him to speak it as often as I could.

The gas station was nice, small and clean and the colors were white and baby-blue (just like the Charleston home) and I grabbed a peanut and chocolate pretzel granola bar for my dad and two peach lemonades, one for me, one for Gabriella.

"Here," I toss the bar in my dads lap once I make it back to the car, handing Gabriella her peach lemonade. (my favorite drink)

"Thank ya dear." She smiles and it's nice, feeling like my family is still together and one last pat for Shep, I turn back around and I grab my phone, switching the song to This Love by Taylor Swift and sticking it in the cup holder, next to my peach lemonade.

I'm proud of them for knowing some lyrics and hearing my dads absolutely awful singing voice makes me happy and he rolls down the windows.

I can't help but notice that the air blowing through smells like salt water and citrus.

"Sonny's calling," My dad taps his finger over the small green button on my phone.

I turn down the music and my cousin Sonny's face swipes up, my dad lifts up the phone over the dash so we're all in view and I see Sonny, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Sonny croaked a dry laugh and I said, "What do you want?"

"Where are y'all?" Sonny's got his classic slight southern draw and it's funny to hear him say words like y'all. He lived in the south now, so I wasn't surprised he had picked up a small accent.

"Bout' ten minutes from you man."

Sonny had been like my annoying older brother since birth and I couldn't stand him but I loved him.

Sonny said "Pip and Frank are here," and he looked over his shoulder (as if he had been checking if he was in the clear) and rolled his eyes around. "and she's already bossing me around."

That means Nico must be there in Charleston, too, and before me, of course. Somehow they all always get there before me and I found myself wondering what they all were doing.