Soul Dancing with the Brass Band (The Brass Band Series) (8 page)

I turned at the sound of footsteps and there Bennett was, standing with a pair of large cotton socks in his hands and an apologetic smile on his face. I finished soaping my feet with the washcloth he handed me and watched the final remnants of blood flow from between my toes. As Bennett began to talk, the déjà vu faded away like an interrupted dream upon awakening.

“That smell and the blood soaked carpet can take the romance right out of an afternoon,” Bennett said. “So, I called my father. He’s sending a repairman for the cooler and a cleaning crew for the carpet before it gets any worse. I guess we should head back to K.C. before they get here.”

I put on the socks and stuffed my feet back into my shoes and followed Bennett out to the porch. It was cooling down fast and I could smell the ozone from the storm in the air, which was a far cry better than the smell that had permeated the cabin.

The rain poured down on us as we drove home with the wipers barely moving fast enough to keep up. It was one of those
raining like cats and dogs
storms. The sky was pitch black until lit by one of the frequent lightning strikes.

Bennett had called Ruth to let her know to expect us and when we arrived she was waiting at the front door with two umbrellas. She ran down the front steps with one umbrella open to protect her from the rain and handed me the other as I opened the car door.

“Come in whenever you’re ready. I’ll be in the kitchen.” She ran back up the stairs and disappeared through the giant entry doors.

I closed the car door and turned to look at Bennett. “I had a great time today.”

He looked as if he didn’t quite believe me. Chuckling he said, “Let me make this up to you! What if I call Ruth later and you both meet me at the country club for brunch tomorrow?”

“You have nothing to make up for, but that sounds great,” I said with more enthusiasm than I intended to show.

“I’m enjoying our time together, too. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leaned in and kissed me with those warm, full lips. I closed my eyes and didn’t want to pull away, but in the back of my mind I could picture Ruth waiting for me in the kitchen.

“I’d better go. I’ll let Ruth know you’ll call her later to make the arrangements.”

“Just have her bring you to the club tomorrow around noon.” Of course Ruth belonged to
The Club
, I thought, not as surprised now as I would have been a few days ago.

I opened my door and the umbrella and raced for the front door. His horn beeped and I turned to see Bennett’s car disappear down the drive.

Ruth couldn’t help but notice the socks.

“What else of his are you wearing?”

“Everything except the socks is mine. Now, tell me the truth, am I an idiot to think a guy like Bennett could fall for me?”

“Rise and shine, Ruth, we only have a couple of hours to get ready for
the club
.” I had been awake for hours daydreaming. “Bennett wants us there by noon.”

“I told him we’d be there at one. Fashionably late makes more of an impression.”

I washed my face and watched the mascara roll down the sink toward the drain. “What miracles are you going to perform on me today? I really need help; look at the bags under my eyes!” We’d been up late every night and I was looking the worse for wear.

“Not a problem, Hillary. I have a caffeine cream for circles under the eyes.”

“No thanks! I like to drink my caffeine,” I teased.

We arrived at
The Club
at 1p.m., but by the time we parked and got to the clubhouse, it was 1:15. I spotted Bennett sitting with Ruth’s friend Clint. “This works out handy, doesn’t it?” I said in a low voice to Ruth.

Our seats were in the shade of an umbrella that overlooked the pool, which looked over the rolling hills of the golf course beyond. Once again, I was very fashionable in clothes borrowed from Ruth’s sister. Today was my last day in Kansas City and I wanted to make a lasting impression on Bennett.

I had become a better flirt since I met Bennett. He made me feel significant. When we talked and laughed somewhere in that fairytale place in the back of my mind, I became a hopeless romantic…. We could manage a long distance relationship… I’d never been to New Haven, Connecticut… My parents would love him… I’d like a long Italian vacation….

Then, as if on cue, I heard a female voice over my right shoulder. Bennett looked up and stood.

“Hi, Bennett, I’d like to introduce you to my cousin. She’s visiting from New York,” a dark haired beauty said while pointing to a younger version of herself. The cousin was the whole package: long, silky hair, bedroom eyes and a body from Victoria’s Secret.

Bennett stepped forward to shake the young girl’s hand. I watched his eyes as he reached with his other hand to tuck a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. It was one of the most intimate acts I’d ever witnessed in public! The intensity of their eye contact was reminiscent of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in “The Smiths.” Everyone knew poor Jennifer didn’t stand a chance. The chemistry was just too strong.

Damn it, how could I have been so stupid? The reality of my situation became crystal clear. My chest felt as if someone very large was standing on it while I tried desperately to appear as if nothing was bothering me. Truthfully my heart was definitely breaking and I was fighting the tears. Call it what you like, even another frick’n growth opportunity, but I just wished I could disappear.

I actually had plenty of time to try and pull myself together. Bennett couldn’t seem to say goodbye to his new friend. I plastered a smile on my face as he finally sat back down at the table and noticed Ruth was saying goodbye to Clint and picking up her bag. She was going to get me out of here before I crashed and burned. I loved her for that. We made a hasty retreat that gave Bennett zero opportunity to respond.

The following morning, Ruth and I made arrangements to see each other back at school. She knew I was crushed and I could see how bad she felt for me.

“Come here, honey.” She opened her arms and I gladly walked into them. “I’m sorry I told you to trust that jerk.”

“That’s what I love about you. You’re loyal to the end,” I said, “but really, you don’t have to hold it against Bennett. I’ll be okay.”

“I know you’ll be okay. I just hate to see you like this. I’ll make it up to you in the fall, not sure how, but I’ll work on it.”

With a mix of regret and thanks, I said good-bye to Ruth and her family before I headed home.

I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice the hours pass. Before I knew it, I was making the turn up our dirt road and saw our old farmhouse sitting in the distance. I pulled up in front and stopped, not having the strength to worry about unloading the car. I just wanted to get past my parents and up to my room before they noticed my puffy, red eyes.

Of course Dad was in the kitchen, so I kept my head lowered.

“What’s up, Kiddo?” he said taking a closer look at me. “Are you okay?” He stood up and walked over to me.

With one big exhale I decided full disclosure might help.

“Oh, Dad, I feel like an idiot. I fell for a guy in Kansas City... I thought he cared about me... but not so….”

“Oh, Kiddo, it happens to the best of us. When you open your heart, love usually has a lesson or two to teach you. The most interesting one is that true love never depends upon whether you are loved in return or not,” he said and lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “We all want it to mean that. It’s hard to believe the answer to all questions in life is just to love, regardless. Even when we don’t see how...life has a way of working things out. After all, it’s about the journey and Kiddo, you’re barely out of the starting gate.”

AUG 10, 35 AD

Hidden among the huge roots of an old oak tree sits the most peculiar fellow. He’s very small and round, not at all the lean warrior physique the word “Druid” usually brings to mind. Because his druid lineage has never been broken, he carries all of the physical traits of the ancient line. He has a shock of white hair falling forward over his thick eyebrows and a slight web to his fingers and toes. As far back as memory can recount, his kind have spent their time communing with nature and among the standing stones. So, it’s no wonder that Gillian draws his paranormal powers from nature itself.

Gillian earned his position as a Druid warrior not by his ability to fight, but through his skill in weaving his magic into fog that covers the Druid’s position and his supernatural ability to draw the twilight in before its time. Gillian’s magic is the kind that can turn the tide of a battle. During it all, he remains totally invisible, not because he possesses the power of invisibility, but because no Roman soldier views him as a threat.

Their inability to see Gillian as lethal has cost more than one Roman soldier his life. Seeing him as only a forest dwarf, they underestimate what he can do with his pocket of small, perfectly shaped stones. He prefers using them to hunt for dinner. With a snap of his fingers he can send a stone hurling at such speed and with such accuracy as to strike a rabbit (or a Roman soldier) dead in his tracks
.

Aug 10, 2010

The last few days of summer passed quickly and before I knew it, I was moving into my very first apartment. Excited to see Ruth in the flesh again, I was looking forward to one of our long talks in our PJs with a cup of coffee with way too much cream and sugar in it.

Ruth and I had rented the second floor of an old house within walking distance of campus. I knew Ruth could afford more, but this was the limit on my finances.

Of course, my old clunker would be park
ed on the street, so Ruth could park her expensive high school graduation present inside the garage.