The Year I Almost Drowned (39 page)

Please tell me you will, because nothing would make me happier than to do this

for you. Helping you take this leap of faith and live out your dream would make

me the happiest man in the world.” He smiled earnestly. “Please.”

“Okay. Okay!” I finally said. I was a blubbering mess. I jumped off of that couch

and leapt over to him, hugging him as tight as I possibly could. What he had just

given me was the most beautiful gift–hope and belief in me.

“Let’s

talk

to

Mom,”

he

said.

***

Nana and I helped Sidney carry her several pieces of luggage to her unwashed

BMW. Squashed bugs lay flat against her car’s windshield. Dried mud had found

its way on her doors, her hood and bumper. “What is with all these bugs and

mud? I’m going to have to have this car detailed when I get it back to New

Hampshire,” she moaned. She picked up the last of the luggage and put it into

her trunk. She slammed the trunk hard and then looked back at Nana and me.

“Sidney, you come back anytime,” Nana said and hugged her. “I sure have

enjoyed

having

you

around.”

“Lilly, I so wish I could stay instead of going back to New Hampshire with ‘the

Bickersons’, my emo sister and crazy grandfather.” She sighed. “Being around

you is like being around sunshine. You make me all warm and fuzzy.”

Nana laughed. “You’re too much, Sidney,” she said. “I got some more peaches

to pull. I’ll see you honey.” Nana picked up a large basket off the ground and

carried

it

with

her

toward

the

peach

tree.

“Not

one

for

goodbyes,

huh,”

Sidney

said.

“No.

She’s

said

it

too

many

times

this

year.”

“We have to go back to school soon.” Sidney grimaced. “I actually have to study

this

year

which

sucks

big

time.”

I laughed. I hadn’t told her yet that I planned to stay. I didn’t plan to until I talked

with Nana. “Yeah. No more late night swimming adventures for you,” I said and

she gave me an arguing look. “Okay, maybe one,” I relented.

“I

have

to

have

at

least

one,

Finn.”

“Thanks for helping out at the diner. I really appreciate it.”

“That’s what friends are for. Besides, I found a decent guy to date while I was

here.” She gave a mischievous smirk and raised her eyebrows up and down.

“And

not

a

bad

kisser,

either,

you

know

what

I

mean?”

“Poor

Tony

and

his

broken

heart.”

I

shook

my

head.

“Please,” she scoffed. “We’re keeping in touch. Actually, I sorta like him,” she

admitted and bit on her lip. She avoided making any eye contact with me and

looked down at the ground, kicking her foot, going back and forth.

“You like him,” I teased and laughed. “Sidney likes Tony,” I kidded again.

“Whatever.” She glared at me and then giggled. “So I like him. Big deal.”

“I’d say it’s a big deal. You like him,” I taunted her again.

She smiled and then gave me a quick hug. “You better tell that dreamy boy of

yours

how

you

how

you

feel

about

him.”

“I will. I promise,” I said. I just didn’t know when that time would come.

“Good, because I know things, you know what I mean?” She sat down in her car

and started the ignition. The low, quiet hum of the engine could barely be heard.

She

rolled

her

window

down.

“See you later, Sidney,” I said to her, even though it felt like a broken promise.

“See

ya

soon,

Finn,”

she

said

and

drove

away.

I met my Nana by the porch steps and took the heavy basket full of peaches out

of her hand. “I’m making a peach pie later, wanna help?”

“Sure,”

I

answered.

“I’m gonna miss that girl. She’s quite the spunky little thing.”

“I bet she’ll come back to visit,” I said as I set the basket on the breakfast table.

“That would be nice.” She turned on the stove and began to boil some water.

“Tea?”

she

offered.

“You

don’t

even

need

to

ask.”

I leaned against the counter, watching as she prepped the tea pot, adding more

than a cup of sugar. “I think we need extra sweet today.” She added a few more

spoonfuls. The morning sun cast a warm glow in the bright kitchen. I could still

smell

strawberries

from

the

pie

Nana

made

a

day

before.

The tea kettle whistled. I watched the steam creep upward while she poured

boiling hot water into her red tea pot and knowingly added honey and evaporated

milk into the already sweet mix. She took the tea pot to the table and laid it down.

“It

needs

to

steep

for

a

minute.

Let’s

sit.”

“Mom!”

My

dad

called

from

the

other

room.

“In here, Pete!” she hollered back to him. “What’s Pete doing here?” she asked

me.

“We

wanted

to

talk

to

you

about

something,”

I

said.

She

arched

an

eyebrow.

“Hmm...

this

is

curious,

isn’t

it?”

My dad entered the kitchen. Even the way he dressed and groomed himself was

different. He was wearing a white polo shirt with a pair of jeans. His red hair was

cut short– the tips were spiked up in a funky, yet trendy fashion–thanks to Meg.

He looked his age and was very handsome. The red beard that had covered his

youthful face earlier in the spring, was now gone. Dad was a new man.

“Hey, Mom.” He walked to the other side of the table and kissed me.

“So, what’s this you two so badly want to talk about with me?” Nana asked. I got

up to get some mugs and brought them to the table. “Thank you,” she said to me.

“Y’all still haven’t said anything,” she said incredulously. Nana was on to us.

“Tea first,” I said and began pouring it into the three cups. I slid a cup to Dad and

then

handed

Nana

hers.

“Now I’m really curious.” She folded her arms, giving us a look.

I took a very deep breath. “Nana, I have a serious business proposition for you,”

I

started.

***

Nana heard me out and was skeptical at first. It had more to do with me leaving

Harrison. But after I told her how passionate I was about this, that this was what

I wanted, she was on board. The diner would be rebuilt with the insurance money

she received after the fire. I was responsible for buying inventory items like tables

and chairs. And after much debate, she finally agreed to take a monthly rent

payment from me. “I’m not living off of you for free. We have to do this fair and

square,”

I

had

told

her.

“Fine.” She had pursed her lips. “You don’t need to pay me rent each month but

if that’s what will make you sleep at night, then so be it.”

And like that, I was a business owner. I was no longer Finley Hemmings college

student, but Finley Hemmings entrepreneur. It had a nice ring to it.

***

Lou pulled up driving his motorcycle onto my Nana’s driveway. It was an early

Saturday morning. My theory about Lou’s Saturday fashion choices had been

right. He was wearing leather chaps over a pair of denim jeans and a black leather

vest over a Jimmy Buffett t-shirt. He got off his bike and plopped his helmet onto

one of his handle bars. I walked down the front porch steps and met him halfway.

“How

you

holding

up,

kid?”

he

asked.

“I’m good,” I said. When Lou learned about the fire, he came over to Nana’s house

immediately and had visited me more than once since that time just to check in

on me. Deep down under, he was an old softy and not the bull dog he presented

himself

to

be.

“So what was this urgent business you had to discuss? You know it’s Saturday

and I ride my bike on Saturdays,” he said and then gave me a half smile. I knew

Lou’s

bark

was

worse

than

his

bite.

“I know,” I answered. “Nice chaps by the way,” I added and tried to stifle a laugh.

He wasn’t amused. “How would you like to stay on as my cook?” I asked.

He folded his arms against his chest and formed an intrigued expression. “Go on.

I’m

listening.

***

I pushed the screen door open and stepped onto the porch. The swing was calling

me, swaying gently back and forth in the tepid breeze. I sat down on it and pulled

my phone out of my pocket. I searched through my contacts and clicked on

“Mom.” The phone rang a few times before she answered.

“Hello?”

She

sounded

a

little

out

of

breath.

“Mom.”

“Finn. I’m glad you called. I was going to call you tomorrow. It’s been a while since

I’ve

heard

from

you,”

she

said.

She could always make me feel guilty. Always. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just not wait so long next time. It seems like we never talk

anymore.”

“I know. I’ve been really busy.” It sounded like a lame excuse–the type you give

someone when you’re avoiding them or subconsciously telling them they’re not

important

enough.

“Did Lilly get things straightened out with the insurance company?”

“Yes,”

I

said.

“That’s good. Insurance companies can be a pain sometimes. We deal with them

at work and they nitpick everything,” she said. “I can’t talk too long Finn, I’m

actually

going

out.”

“You

are?”

Mom

never

went

out.

Never.

“Yeah. I have a date.” She giggled. “It’s with the son of a client.”

“I

can

let

you

go.”

“No. I’ve got a little time to talk. He won’t be picking me up for another half hour,”

she said. I pictured her looking at her watch and then sitting down on the sofa.

“Are

you

getting

ready

to

go

back

to

school?”

“Not

really.

That’s

why

I’m

calling,”

I

started.

“What

do

you

mean?”

Her

tone

changed

instantly.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my life lately,” I started.

She interrupted, “Don’t tell me you’re going to major in philosophy,” she moaned.

“No,

it’s

not

that.”

“Well

then,

what

is

it?”

she

asked

impatiently.

I took a deep breath and then said, “I’ve decided to open a cafe bakery.” It was

an

instant

sense

of

relief

getting

that

off

of

my

chest.

“You what?” she said, her voice raised higher and louder. “Did that fire make you

lose

your

mind?”

“That was rough, Mom,” I said, stung from her insensitive comment.

“Too bad,” she said without a hint of remorse. “What kind of nonsense is this

you’re talking about? Running a restaurant,” she scoffed. “You’re not giving up

on that scholarship, Finn! It’s bad enough you deferred admissions. Now you’re

going to blow away a college education to run a restaurant in a tiny backwoods

town.

How

are

you

going

to

pay

for

all

this

anyway?”

I fell back against the swing and took a deep breath, trying to catch the wind that

had been knocked out of me. “First of all, that was hurtful,” I said. I felt defensive.

Graceville wasn’t a backwoods town. It was a beautiful place where people I loved

lived. It was home. “Secondly, I’m getting the money from Dad and am going to

pay

Nana

rent

each

month.

We

have

it

worked

out.”