Camera

52 - Parks and Recreation

52 – Parks and Recreation

Maya Sumedh

 

 Luke left with his mom to see the divorce lawyer and I took a nice long shower. I still really wanted to see the rest of the house and his room, but I figured I’d wait till he was back to do that. Rosie got Cassidy ready for her dance class – and when I emerged from the guest suite after my own shower, she was bounding down the stairs looking adorable in a tutu and tights with her frizzy locks bundled up on top of her head.

 “You look pretty,” I told her, smiling.

 She grinned at me. “Thanks! You’re pretty too.”

 “Aw, no I’m not really.”

 She took hold of my hand authoritatively, in that way little kids have of giving you their absolute trust.

 “Come.”

 Of course I had to go with her. She led me to the kitchen and back out the door Luke and I’d entered through the night before. It was almost noon but the sky was dull and there was a slight chill in the air. We passed the garage. The door was open and I noticed that the Porsche was missing.

 Cas led me around the back to their ‘backyard’ if I can even call it that. There was a vast lawn, even huger than the ones in the front. In the corner there was a glass gazebo, glittering mildly, flanked by expensive looking trees and creepers. There was a pond of koi. And in the corner of the yard I saw a swingset, almost hidden away under an oak tree. It was the only homey, kid-friendly thing I’d seen in the house so far.

 “Swing with me,” Cassidy ordered, taking one swing and gesturing to the other with her skinny hand. Her wrists were completely covered in messy string bracelets.

 I obeyed. I tucked my long skirt between my legs and swung forward, matching my timing with Cas’s. We swung in silence for a while. From there I could see Rosie in the kitchen, pottering around.

 “Isn’t Rosie looking for you?” I asked Cassidy.

 “Dance class isn’t till twelve-thirty,” she said. “And it’s just down the road.”

 “Oh, cool.”

 More silence. Then Cas said, “How come you’re here? My brother said that you weren’t friends anymore.”

 I looked at her. “When did he say that?”

 She shrugged her little shoulders. “A few months ago. After he came out of hospital.”

 I puffed out a breath.

 “Well…we weren’t friends then. But we made up after that.”

 She looked at me. “Weren’t you his girlfriend? When he was in India?”

 I felt the smile drop from my face but there was nothing I could do about it. I just nodded.

 “Yeah, I was.”

 “So you don’t like him anymore?”

 I chuckled wryly. “I love your brother very much, Cassidy. Unfortunately when you love someone you can’t really make them love you back.”

 She didn’t let up.

 “No, but my brother loves you too.”

 I didn’t know what to say to her.

 “Maybe he does, but that’s not always enough.”

 She didn’t say anything for a while. She swung higher and faster, pushing herself. Finally, she jumped off and executed a pirouette in the air before landing perfectly. I clapped. She took a bow.