Chapter 15

“To reinforce their hives, bees use a resin from poplar and evergreen trees”

 

 

His arms outlined by the afternoon sun coming from the window in the back of the classroom, the rises and dips of his muscles are so prominent; I shiver. The holes in his cheeks that we call dimples are the only markings on his perfect chocolate skin. He turns around and smiles at me. I wonder if he knows I have been starring at him for so long. I wonder if the smile is just a friendly gesture or more? I hope it’s more. I smile back then return to my work.

 

It has been a few months since we kissed. I miss working in the honey house with him all the time, its different now that school has started I don’t see him as much. I miss his ass kicking lawyer jokes and sneaking up on him when he sung to the honey pots. But most of all, I miss his gentle lips against mine, and the way he brushed his fingers down my shoulder.

 

The shattering bell rings for lunch. I run up behind Zach and tap him on the shoulder we then walk to lunch together and collect becca along the way. Becca still seems like the little girl in the picture so sweet and innocent. We go to sit on the only table left in the corner of the cafeteria, as the three of us walk, people become quite. Whispers of nigger-lovers spread over the cafeteria like a swarm of bees. The buzz flies away after what seems like an eternity. Today the lunch conversation isn’t much today we keep our heads down and talk little to avoid the whole cafeteria turning into a war zone.

 

.     .     .

 

“Your hair looks especially nice today, Lilly” August says looking over her glasses then vaguely passing hints over to Roselyn with a slight smile; “Morning ma’am, morning Roselyn” ignoring her comment. “Zach is coming over to help label some honey jars today,” August says putting down her newspaper and swapping it for a sip of coffee. Just the sound of his name is enough to send my stomach into a kaleidoscope of butterflies “Oh really?” I say with a knot in my throat but really I knew that he was coming and that’s why I tried with slim luck to make my hair to do something different than just sit limp around my pastel cheeks.

 

The sound of a car driving on gravel is becoming louder and louder. This alone is enough to get my heart beating faster. “That must be Zach arriving” August says peering out of the window. I shovel the last bite of toast in my mouth a little too fast. I run outside to greet Zach then stop at the side of his pick up, thinking that maybe I should act a little more casual. That thought is forgotten because next thing I know my arms are tightly wrapped against his strong back and his chin is resting on my head. His t-shirt smells clean like it just came from the laundry but like all his clothes it still has a small hint of sweet honey bringing me home. In that moment I have forgotten everything. “Ahhm excuse me” August says with the cheekiest smile on the horizon of her face, she winks in our direction. I slowly detached myself from Zach my cheeks are no longer pastel, I can feel them burning. I go to speak but all the comes out is mixture of sounds, I fell my cheeks going even more red than before, I forgot to swallow the bite of toast. Now it feels like my stomach is doing summersault’s and they ain’t pretty. Both Zack and August burst out laughing. I relax and soon I join along. I look over to Zack, who was already looking at me. He smiles and I smile back. The eye contact is too powerful: I look away. The laughing continues until all of us are in tears.

 

After three, long, hot hours labelling jars in the honey house, August tells us to get some fresh air. Zach grabs my hand, it takes me by surprise we are running past the honey house, past May’s wall into the forest. “Zach slow down” I say laughing; “I dropped my hair band” we stop. Both of us are puffing he picks me up by my waist, I suddenly feel so small: but safe, embraced in his strong arms he lays me down in a heap of leaves. His dark brown eyes stare into mine he leans in and kisses me ever so lightly on my forehead, then in between my eyes, on the tip of my noes. He waits a second. Then on the lips, a wave of warmth washes through my body, I kiss him back I can’t help but to smile. I rest my head back down “Lilly, I am not sure how to say this but no other girl has made me feel he way you do. And yes I know this is cheesy but its true.” “What are you trying to say Zach?” I say shyly but anticipating him on. He takes a deep breath maybe he is nervous and has butterflies just like me. However, a small part of me thinks that I am crazy to think that someone can still love me. “What I am trying to say is, Lily Melissa Jones would you like to be my girlfriend?” I kissed him hard on the lips, my hand tightening around his arm and his finger placed behind my ear. I whisper, “of course.”

 

August offers for Zack to stay for dinner, I couldn’t say I have any complaints with the arrangements. Roselyn and Zach prepare mashed carrot while singing “The Ring of Fire” Roselyn harmonizing Zach’s deep and soothing voice. August and I help by setting the table. Zach keeps on looking over to me, August knows about Zach and I, she knew before we knew, so there is no need to tell her. We hardly ever see June around she is spending lots of time with Neil. News from the Daughters of Mary is that they are trying to have a baby. It is hard for me to imagine June with a baby but if they were to have one, it would like a brother or sister to me and the thought of that fill fills me so I smile.

 

The night is cooler. The cicadas are gone all that is left are the crickets, stars, Zach and I. Like thieves in the night we sneak out with duvets and blankets and lay them down in the back of the pick up. Bowing down he gives me his hand “Your majesty” he says helping me into the pick up. “Why thank-you my Prince Charming” I say waving my hand in such a manner. I place my head on Zach’s chest, I can feel his heart beat slowly and steady. It calms me. His arm encases me so our bodies become one. We look up to the sky, I start to make shapes out of stars and I wonder far away they are. “Ever wanted to run away lily?” Zach says breaking the silence. “I did run away once” I reply “Ever wanted to run away with me?” “Where?” I reply a little confused because I never thought about running away again, I was already so happy. It was selfish of me but I had never thought about how Zach might feel here. “I’m not sure. I once thought about escaping to the north, and I would become an ass kicking lawyer.” I giggle at our inside joke “and you would become the most famous writer in America and we would live in an apartment looking over Central park and maybe when you wake up in our king sized bed I can cook you pancakes with strawberries” he starts talking faster. I am lost. All I notice is the excitement in his eyes and that his slow steady heart beat is now playing Beethoven’s fastest piece. I love it when he talks about the future he knows what he wants. He has dreams. Soon he stops and takes a deep sigh. He looks over to me like I’m the only star in his solar system and smiles.

 

“I love you,” he says

“I love you too” I reply and we fall asleep in the most innocent scene wrapped in his arms, I wish the moment could last forever.

 

.       .     .

 

I saw a man sitting down in the street this morning. His eyes looked lost, his arms and legs were all woozy like a dog’s paws when they just wake up. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to him that left him in this state. His clothes were nice enough to assume that he was not homeless, but there was something missing from him like only half of him was there, like when you think of the moon you think of the sun. But it was forever night-time in the man eyes. This made me think that maybe he was drinking to drown the butterflies in his stomach, the type of butterflies you feel when you touch or even just think about that one person; like the way I feel when I hear Zach’s name. Or maybe for him drinking is the only bearable way to think about that one person. I hope like me, that he finds someone who makes him feel drunk when he is sober.