Countdown (on hold)

Two years, twelve months, seven hours, fifteen minutes before

When your countdown goes down a year, meaning that if your countdown started at four year and six months, when the six months pass and your countdown is now down to three years, you are traditionally supposed to celebrate it. I didn’t want to, and Theo could tell. I was squirming in my seat at breakfast all morning. He looked at me for an explanation, so I showed him my bracelet. I never mentioned to Theo about how much I hated the bracelets, but I feel like he knew. When he saw that my countdown was down to two years, and the fact that our family celebrates the countdown changing, he started talking.

            “Well, I think I’m going to go see Aunt May for the day or two.” Theo slipped into the normal conversation he was having with Dad that Mom was listening to.

            Mom spit out a dribble of her coffee onto her chin. “What are you talking about Theo?”

He gave a small sigh before answering, “I’m almost sixteen and I still haven’t found my soul mate yet.” Theo took a sip of his tea like he wasn’t talking about an important topic.

            “My countdown didn’t stop until I was seventeen; there is nothing wrong with waiting until you’re sixteen to go visit one of the other cities.” Mom started sipping her coffee again, clearly thinking that was the end of the conversation, but it wasn’t. Maybe with Theo, but she opened a conversation with me without meaning too.

            “I thought you and Dad met when you were twenty.” I butted in.

            Mom choked on her coffee again. “Oh, you’re right. I must have been thinking of Aunt May. Yes that’s right…” She looked at me with a tentative look in her eyes. Mom looked confident, except for her eyes and I always thought of the eyes as a way to know if a person is being truthful or not. I started to say something else, but Mom said something else. “I was twenty when my countdown stopped and I met your father, my soul mate.” Her use of every term having to do with the bracelets, made me certain she was lying, but I wasn’t going to question her.

            Dad volunteered to clean off the table, and Mom wanted to talk to Theo about his countdown, so I took the opportunity to go out with the horses. I was always calmer and my mind was clearer when I was out riding. Carrot and Turnip were already out in the pasture, chomping on the grass. They whinnied when they saw me. I laughed when Carrot came trotting over to me, expecting extra hay. Her and Turnip’s saddles were already on and they looked like they were put on by someone who didn’t know what they were doing.  My body trembled in fear when I heard twigs and leaves crunching from being stepped on. It wasn’t Theo because he would have already made his presence known by yelling for me.

            “What are you doing back here around horses, missy? You aren’t thinking of riding them with a bum wrist are you?” I jumped around to face him, already knowing who it was without seeing his face.

            “James! What are you doing here? You haven’t been back to town since you moved two years ago.” We were grinning at each other like fools, but I couldn’t stop even if I wanted too, I was so ecstatic that James was back in town.

            He laughed when I ran over to hug him. “Three years now, Shay.”