The Secrets of Hickory

4

Jordan

I watched the old Nissan Maxima pull up under old oak try again. Same time everyday for the last week. I considered calling Analia again but I could already hear what she was going to say to me. So I just looked at my locksceen, a picture of the two of us, for longer than necessary. I finally decided I just needed to hear her voice even if I knew what her voice was going to say to me. After five rings it won't to voicemail. I groaned throwing my phone on my bed as I wheeled my desk chair over to the window. I pulled back the blind and watched the driver of the car pull out a camera and hold it up to his left eye.

"Jordan! I'm heading into work. Can you pick up some groceries and head over to Genevieve's?" My mom yelled up the stairs causing me to push back the blind and wheel back to my desk.

"Yeah mom will do." I heard the front door open then close again and listened for her car to start up and drive down the street. I watched out the window as she drove passed the Nissan not even sparring it a second glance before her car was lost in the distance. The driver of the old Nissan continued to take pictures while my mom drove passed but nothing more, didn't watch mom drive passed, didn't get out of the car, nothing. I couldn't understand why someone would just sit in their car and just take pictures, it seemed very odd to me.

Once I had completed the list of groceries my mom had left for me I went and picked out the best bunch of Daisys that I could find. They were Genevieve's favorite flower. She always loved it when I took a bunch when I went to see her. I imagined the smile on her face when I would hand her the bouquet. Ive been doing this everyday since she got the diagnosis. I tight if her own daughter couldn't be here then I would step up and help out when needed, and she loved it. She loved having tea with me, she would gossip with me like I was one of her friends that she had before Analia's father left. We would talk about when Analia and I were kids, she even gave me her mothers engagement ring and told me to make the right choice. I could see it in her eyes, what she meant when she said 'make he right choice.' Everyone in our small town thought that Analia and I were meant to be together, get married and have beautiful babies. And truth be told some part of me wanted that too, but we had tried and she decided to was too hard to be best friends and in a relationship, especially with all of our history I could understand why she said she couldn't do a relationship with me.

As I walked up the path to the Wincroft's front door I noticed the old Nissan once again parked under the old oak tree. The car was raked so it looked directly down the middle of the street, but something kept niggling in the back of my mind wondering if maybe the car was keeping watch on a certain house within in the street.

I stay a few hours with the Genevieve, she tried to convince me that this thanksgiving would be the best time for me to use that ring. To use the ring to ask the woman I love to marry her even though were not even in a relationship and I only ever see her for holidays. I tried to tell her that I didn't want to ruin the amazing friendship I have with Analia, but the women would not give up.

"You have loved her since middle school Jordan, I think now is the time you tell her. Neither of you are getting any younger, and I wold love to see at least one of my children get married before this illness kills me." She played the cancer card. Well played Genevieve, well played.

"Fine, I will work out how to tell her without completely ruining our friendship." She patted my shoulder and watched me walk across the road to my own house.