Some Things, page 16
“Alright. Do you have another game? What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“We’re done for the weekend so I’m resting now, and then I’m heading out.”
“Do you want to meet for dinner later? I can bother you in person instead of on the phone.”
“Yeah, sure. Text me. We’ll figure something out.”
“Love the flexibility. I’ll chat with you soon.”
Dustin ended the call, and I could tell he was stressed. He kept running his hand through his hair as if the pressure on his scalp was going to relieve some tension.
“Do you want me to drive for a little bit? Might help you relax."
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m alright. We’ll get there shortly. It’ll be nice to see Bells, so this is a blessing in disguise… or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.”
“When’s the last time you saw her?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation going so hopefully time would past faster for him.
“It’s been six months or so.”
“Then this will be a nice visit for the both of you.”
For the next couple hours, I tried to distract Dustin. I played some of my favorite songs, told some fun stories, and listened to some of his. It was unfortunate our relationship would most likely die away once he was done with the remodel, but for the time being, his company was soothing and enjoyable.
I checked in on the girls, and Wren assured me everything was alright, again. After letting her know that plans had changed, and we would be staying in Monterey, she sent me a wonderful photo of all the kids running through the sprinklers in the backyard with a message that read, “Stay an extra night. Everything is fine here.”
The truck drove towards the ocean and before we knew it, Monterey was upon us. After finding our hotel, we checked in without a problem. Luckily our rooms were right beside one another.
My room was first in the hallway as I stopped in front of my door. Dustin turned and leaned against the wall. I realized it would be the first time that day he was going to be away from me.
“I’m craving a shower,” he said, his voice sounding tired. “Do you mind if we meet up in a little bit?”
“I was thinking the same thing. Text me when you want.”
“Alright,” he said and turned to walk down the hallway.
Once inside my own room, I threw my suitcase on the chair and opened it, finding my toiletry kit right on top. I decided not to mess with anything else and hopped in the shower before any other decisions were made.
Once clean and refreshed, I plopped down on the bed and gave Wren a call.
She didn’t answer so I left her a message, but before I finished, a text message came through.
A video was in the text, and I quickly pressed play. Wren was in the kitchen with everyone decorating cupcakes. She was looking at the phone with all the kids behind her.
“Everyone say, ‘Hi!’”
She panned the camera behind her, and everyone shouted, “Hiiiiiiii!!!!”
She brought the camera back to her face and said, “Briar, we are all ok, we are decorating cookies.” She walked over to Leah and Adelaide whose little smiles were ear to ear and said, “The girls are a mess, but we love and miss you. Don’t you girls?”
She put the camera in front of them and Leah shouted, “Yes, mom, we love and miss you! Have fun!” Adelaide was too busy licking icing off a spoon to say anything, but she smiled and waved at the end.
Wren then walked away from the group and quietly said, “Now, don’t call again. We’re fine. Everything’s fine. I love you.” And then she kissed the phone screen, and it went black.
I opened my camera and sent her a video message so the girls could see my face.
“Hi everyone! I miss you all! It looks like you’re having an amazing time so I will say goodnight to you right now and will see you tomorrow. I love you! Kisses and hugs!”
I sent it to Wren and took a deep breath. Looking around the hotel room, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I usually had the girls to worry about. They were usually all over me. They were wanting food or drinks or TV shows changed or bathroom help. The list went on and on. But sitting on that hotel bed in Monterey, I only had me to worry about. They were out of my control. And that was a truly freeing feeling.
I laid back on the bed, my wet hair coming loose from the towel it was in. I stared up at the ceiling and smiled.
Life was honestly crazy sometimes. I would have never thought in a million years I would be in a hotel room next door to my contractor for the complex I bought for my friends and I to live in after a girl in a bathroom bar mentioned something about a women’s village. I didn’t know if I should be happy or checking myself into a mental hospital. But this was what life was all about—living, making decisions, sometimes big, huge life altering decisions, sometimes small, obscure decisions. But the point was, decisions and choices were made. You were taking action, not sitting on the sidelines, watching the days go by, wondering when it will be your time to shine.
My time was now. My time was going to be now to shine.
And I figured what better way to start my era of shining than with the gold-colored sun dress I brought.
It was an impulse buy and an impulse pack, but I felt like being bold tonight. I found the wedges in the side of the suitcase and pulled those out. I laid my outfit on the bed. Doubts fluttered into my brain, and I thought twice about wearing it but quickly threw those thoughts out. Those thoughts went against the shine, and I wasn’t allowing them in tonight.
Tomorrow, of course, was a different story, but for tonight, we were kicking those thoughts to the curb.
Looking at myself in the mirror after finishing with my makeup and hair, I was impressed with myself. I couldn’t remember the last time I wore anything remotely close to this. A reminder of a younger, freer Briar stared back at me from the mirror, and I tried to remember what it felt like to not have to worry about anyone else but myself.
My phone pulled me from times long passed and saw Dustin had texted me.
How are you doing? Where are you at in the getting-ready process? Would you like to go get a drink? Bella is meeting us at the restaurant in a half hour.
Dustin’s text message had me giggling like a schoolgirl.
Good. Done. Yes. I’m excited to meet her.
I started to gather my things when there was a knock on the door. I threw everything in my purse and walked over to open it.
Dustin was looking handsome in a white T-shirt, blue and grey flannel, blue jeans and work boots. His hair was still wet from his shower and combed back neatly. The long stubble on his face made me want to squeeze his cheeks.
His eyes started at my eyes, and I could tell he really wanted to leave them there but they did a mad dash up and down before settling back where they started.
“You look terrific. Not that you don’t always look terrific… I mean…”
I put my hand on his arm and said, “Thanks, Dustin. You look pretty terrific yourself.”
“Aww, well, shucks,” he joked as he kicked his foot out like a cartoon character.
“Let’s get going. I’m starving.”
The restaurant was walking distance from our hotel, so Dustin and I took a short stroll through the streets of Monterey. Walking a couple steps out of the hotel, Dustin put his hand on the small of my back to guide me to the inside of the sidewalk. The move caught me off guard but felt like it was second nature to him. It had been a while since someone had done that for me.
The sun was starting to set, creating a cold breeze coming in from the ocean. The linen jacket I was wearing was not doing the trick as I took Dustin’s arm and squeezed into him.
“Chilly?” he asked.
“A little. I didn’t really look outside when I was getting dressed.”
“We’ll be there soon. Some chill in the ai.r is good for the soul," he said as he placed his other hand on top of mine.
“Says who?”
“Says me.” He took a deep breath and said, “I need to tell you something.”
His voice scared me, and I stared straight ahead, not knowing if I wanted to hear what he had to say. “Is it going to make me happy or sad?”
“I don’t know,” he answered in a low voice looking.
“Then maybe tell me later.” I held onto his arm tighter, not wanting to let go.
“Ok,” he said and flexed the arm I was holding onto as if he was giving me a hug.
Chapter thirty-two
Dustin
“What would you like to drink?” I asked Briar as she took a seat at a table in the bar.
“I’ll have a glass of Cab. Thanks.” Her eyes met mine and the pit in my stomach disappeared.
I walked to the bar to order our drinks.
Briar looked incredible. When she grabbed my arm, it felt natural. I couldn’t help but want to protect her. She had so much to do, so many people to take care of, I wanted to be the one to take care of her. And if that was lending my arm to her on a chilly evening, then that was what I would do, over and over again.
The bartender handed me our order and my change. I walked back to our table, trying not to stare at the beautiful creature at my table.
“Here you go.” I put her drink in front of her and took a seat. “It’s nice to sit for a moment.”
“What are you talking about? We’ve been sitting all day.” Briar gave me her ever-present sass as she took a sip of her drink.
“I know. I meant sitting and not driving. Maybe I should have said, ‘It’s nice to not have to drive for a moment.’”
“Much better.”
“Tough crowd.” I sat back in my chair and played with the change in my pocket. I pulled out the coins and took a look at each one, placing them on the table.
“Whatcha doing?” Briar asked, curiosity in her eyes.
“Oh, it’s something I always do. I like to see if any coins are special coins. There are a lot of coins in circulation that are worth money, so I like to check.”
“What makes them worth money?” Briar asked as she put her arms on the table and leaned in to look at the coins I’d discarded already.
“Do you really want to know? I can geek out about this, but I don’t want to bore you.”
“Geek away. I’d love to learn.”
I spread the coins out and smiled, excited to share my knowledge. “Ok. First, we could have the 1973 Roosevelt dime. Now this dime isn’t 1973, but that dime won’t have a mint mark here. It will be blank which means it was made in the Philadelphia mint and not San Francisco. See, most have the ‘S’ there.” I handed her the dime, and she took a look at it.
“Why did they leave it off?”
“Printing error, which is why it’s worth money. Not a whole lot, but still more than ten cents. Now, there are several pennies that are worth money, but my go-to is always the 1982 D small print penny. There’s only been two found in circulation. Long story short, in 1982, they transitioned making pennies completely from bronze to copper-plated zinc. There was a small batch of these left-over bronze pennies that were minted in Denver with the new small date press. When you get pennies, always look for a 1982.”
“Alright, got it. What else?”
“There’s the 1955 Double Die Lincoln Penny, where the wording is double etched. That would get you a small fortune.”
“Like how much?” she asked.
“Oh gosh, like $100,000.” Briar’s eyes widened, and I nodded my head in agreement. “There’s the 1969 S that has a similar double die problem. Oh! There’s the 2004 Wisconsin Quarter that has an extra leaf mistake.”
“An extra leaf? How in the world?”
“I know, right? The back has a cow, a wheel of cheese, and an ear of corn. The corn could have an extra leaf pointing down or a small one pointing up.”
“Oh gosh. Is he showing you coins?”
I heard Bella’s voice and immediately stood up to give her a hug. “Hey kiddo!”
“Hi, Dustin.”
“And this is Briar. Briar, this is Isabella.”
They shook hands, and Bells said, “You can call me Bella.”
Briar smiled and for some reason, pride filled within me. “It’s so nice to meet you, Bella. Dustin’s told me so much about you.”
“Hopefully with as much enjoyment as he talks about coins.” Bella gave me a nudge with her elbow. She had grown up so much since the last time I saw her. Her hair was a little shorter and cut differently. It was back to its normal dark brown. I think she was trying something last time. But I’d learned not to comment on her looks. Those can change, but she was still the wonderful person she was on the inside.
“Absolutely.” Briar nodded her head.
“Let’s go get our table and sit down and get some food,” I said.
After checking in with the host stand, the hostess showed us to our table.
“Tell me everything that’s going on?” I asked after we were situated and ordered our dinner with the server.
“Um… I’ve applied to colleges and acceptance letters should be coming out any day now. Soccer season is over. We didn’t do as well as I wanted but can’t change that now—onto my last couple tournaments with my travel team, which is where I was today. I can’t believe I’m a senior, but I guess that’s called growing up.” She shrugged her shoulders, and I nodded in agreement. “Asking teachers for recommendation letters was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life.”
“I’m proud of you, though.” I nudged her arm, and she rolled her eyes at me. “Getting over that hurdle can be tough. I’m sure they all said yes.”
“Yes, they all said yes, but still. I don’t want to think about it anymore. It’s making me nervous.” She fiddled with her silverware, her cheeks showing a shade of pink.
“What colleges did you apply to?” Briar asked.
“Lots.” Bella smiled and fixed the napkin on her lap. “I’m mainly hoping for one of the UC schools. I want to eventually do my grad work at UCSF.”
“Oh wow.” Briar sounded impressed, and I loved the big sister attitude she was giving off with Bella. “That sounds amazing. Do you know specifically what field?”
“Cancer research. My best friend’s dad was diagnosed with Leukemia and another friend’s aunt has ovarian cancer. It’s something that really interests me.”
I rubbed Bella’s shoulder trying to let her know how proud of her I was and said, “It takes a lot of study to go into that field. You’ve got a long road ahead of you, but I know you’re going to kill it.”
Bella let out a sigh. “Well, first I have to get in somewhere. And then there’s the whole paying for it. I’m hoping to get some scholarships but it’s a waiting game, now.”
“This is such an exciting time for you,” Briar said.
“That’s what all the teachers say almost every day. It’s like they want us to remember this time with fondness or something. I don’t know. We’re all just trying to survive.” Bella took a sip of her water.
“Welcome to the real world, honey. We’re all out here just trying to survive,” Briar said. I looked over at her loving how naturally she fit in with us.
“Are you doing anything fun for graduation?” I asked.
“I don’t know, yet. Grandma was wanting to send me on a little trip, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea, now. How’s she doing?”
“She’s doing alright. I spoke to the hospital again when we got to the hotel. Everything is looking great. She’s getting the rest she needs, and she had to get a few stitches but that’s nothing major. If she continues on this path, she’ll be released tomorrow.”
“Is Nancy still with her?”
“No, Nancy went home. She did more than enough sitting with Gia all day. We need to send her some flowers or some baked goods or something.”
“I think she likes roses,” Bella offered.
“Great information to have at your fingertips, Bells. I will send her some roses.” I took out my phone and put a reminder for myself to order flowers.
“That will be a nice touch. You should feel really lucky you have such a great neighbor,” Briar said.
“She’s really nice. She bakes amazing cookies at Christmas time and delivers them all to the neighbors. Her fudge is to die for.” Bella leaned back as the server delivered our food.
“This looks delicious. Dig in everyone.” I grabbed my fork and couldn’t wait to try the salmon I ordered.
“Why are you always so lame? ‘Dig in everyone,’” Bella mocked back to me. “Talk normal.”
“That is me talking normal.” I didn’t take anything she said to heart. Bella was eighteen. She was learning. She was having fun. And I loved that she could mess around with me. I didn’t know if she got that from anyone around her.
“Should I go to the hospital tomorrow?” Bella asked.
“Only if you really want to," I said. "I’m not going to tell you no. But I don’t see a need for it. Maybe make sure the house is all good. She has some clean sheets on her bed. Do you need to go grocery shopping?”
“Yeah, probably. I think Grandma was going to go today while I was at my tournament. Maybe I’ll do that tomorrow morning before going home.”
“Do you want some company?” I asked.
“Aren’t you going to the hospital?”
“Yeah, but I can do both. Or Briar—,” and without really thinking, I said, “she can help you out if you need.”
“Of course, I can.” Briar’s enthusiasm tugged at my heart.
“You guys are crazy. I’ve gone shopping before. I’ll be fine.” Bella rolled her eyes in true teenage fashion to where I didn’t know if her eyes were going to come back to normal.
“We know you’ll be fine, but sometimes it’s nice to have someone with you,” I said.
“Keep me updated about Grandma, alright.” Bella's seriousness shone through as she took a bite of her pasta.
“You’re very bossy for an eighteen-year-old.” I took a defiant bite of salmon and winked at Briar.
