Totem (29 page)

              “You cooked dinner. Cooks shouldn’t have to clean up, too.”

              “I insist.” He swipes my hair to one side and kisses my newly exposed neck sending current flowing through my body again. His negotiation skills are excellent.

              “Then what do I do?”

              “You,” begins Ty kissing my neck after each word, “relax and have more wine.”

              He grabs the bottle and fills my wine glass without skipping a kiss.

              “And if I finish the wine?”

              “We have more bottles.” replies Ty as he releases me and begins stacking dishes on the table. I grab my glass and take a sip as I follow him into the kitchen. I settle into a stool at the bar as Ty busily cleans up.  Relaxing from the wine, Ty and I make small talk. Fun topics laced with smart comments and small jokes fill the rest of the night. My feet dangle slowly kicking back and forth. No longer do I feel the need to calculate my every thought before I speak. I have already won over Ty. Now, we can just float.

              “Do you know you are the most beautiful the way you are right now?” Ty asks out of nowhere as he loads the dishwasher.

              “What do you mean?” I put up my guard a bit.

              “You always try to be so calculated. Every move and word seemed so well thought out when I first met you.” states Ty. “Right now, you are just rambling. There isn’t a care in the world and your thoughts drift into words. It’s beautiful to me. I definitely love that you think before you speak but now... with no filter… I really see you.”

              My face flushes and it isn’t just from the wine (although it is helping). I smile at the man in front of me.

              “My calculated thoughts come from years of just blurting out what I think and having negative consequences.”

              “Well, it’s a very good quality to have and it amazed me in the beginning. That and how pretty you are.” Ty states with a wink.             

              I blush and my heart begins beating faster. Ty smiles at the sound of my heart. Just knowing he can hear the difference makes me all the more vulnerable to him.

              “You hear that, huh?”

              “Super hearing… one of the side effects of being me.”

              Ty reaches over and pours more wine into my glass.

              “You better stop pouring. Otherwise, I won’t be able to drive home.”

              “I can always bring you home.”

              I smile. Here in front of me is a man who genuinely and truly cares about me. He makes me happy and I want to hold on to him for as long as I can.

              After the dishes are clean and the candles blown out, Ty and I settle in front of the television to watch a movie. The plane ride mixed with the wine has taken its toll on me. My eyes get droopy and I drift into a deep sleep within ten minutes. I wake up briefly when I feel Ty lift me from the couch. Effortlessly he draws me to his body and carries me up the stairs. My eyes are heavy and in my dream state all I can do is rely on my other senses to tell my foggy brain what is happening.

              I feel the shift of weight as Ty pushes open the door. My skin feels the soft sheets as he gently lays me down. Then I feel the comforter drape over my body. It feels like feathers slowly caressing my skin. Fingers comb through my hair as Ty removes fallen strands from my face. Then I feel the kisses. Two are placed on each eyelid with the third gently on my lips. My ears hear Ty leaving. I hear his steps on the carpet and the gentle flick of the light switch as the darkness deepens. Any second he will close the door leaving me alone.

              “Ty,” His name is a sleepy whisper off my lips urged forward by a wanting heart.

              “Yes,” responds Ty just as softly.

              “Stay with me.”

              Seconds pass and I begin tumbling down that rabbit hole back into my minds dreamscape. The last feeling I feel before checking out of reality completely is the warmth radiating from Ty’s arms wrapping around me. In that moment, I feel whole.

             
“Are you ready?”
Ty asks as he places the car in park.

              I glance in front of me at the little cabins surrounding an open field speckled with trees. My heart is racing. Our relationship has been pushing forward, but this is a completely other step. Outside the door of Ty’s mustang lies not only the introduction to the family, but also to the legend of who he was and is. He knew weeks ago that the elders approved me learning the legend. Ty could no longer keep it a surprise from me. He told me his intentions to bring me here three days ago and I have been worried ever since. This is a first of many occasions. It is the first time I camped out with a boyfriend. It is the first time I ever met a boyfriend’s family, and it is the first time I ever got to learn the secrets of my boyfriend’s mystical powers. This is also something that I never thought I would say. Never in a million years did I ever think I would date someone like this or even that magic existed.

              “Kimber, are you ready?”

              Ty asks the question again as he grabs my hand. I glance at him. The sun is streaming through his back window casting light on his hair. His chocolate eyes stare deep into mine. Warmth fills through my body and I realize right then and there that I am ready. Through our time together, I have associated Ty with warmth and comfort. I have grown to love him. We have not gotten to that level of saying I love you yet, but I am only steps away from shouting it as loud as I can. I truly am ready to take that next step.  That means opening the door and stepping out into Ty’s world. I smile at him as I open the passenger door and place my foot on the grass below.

              “You can leave your bag in the car.” says Ty. “I will come back and get it.”

              I glance at the view behind us. The sun is streaming over the water. Cypress trees kiss the banks and tall grasses wisp up in between them. It is the beauty of the Louisiana wetlands at its finest on this late January day. The days have been cold but for one brief weekend the sky has opened up and warmth streams down. Not only is the weather unusually warm a few days before February, but the mosquitoes have long ago stopped wreaking havoc on shady days creating perfect weather. Ty comes to my side and places his hand in the middle of my back. I lean my body against him as I stare into the water.

              “It’s very pretty,” I say to Ty without breaking my gaze on the water in front of me.

              “I can think of other things just as beautiful.” Ty kisses my forehead.

              I look up and smile at him. It’s hard to believe only a few weeks have passed since we became official. Everything between us seems so effortless. He begins to lead me in a direction unknown. As we walk on, I hear laughter and splashing. We walk closer to a fenced in hill, a woman on top of the hill sitting in a chair turns around and looks at us.

              “Ty!” The woman exclaims. The laughter of children gets louder the closer we get. We open the gate and walk up the steps. With each step, the view of the pool comes closer and closer into being. My eyes light up and then grow to confusion. The water in the pool is the color of root beer soda. I have never seen a pool like this before. One of the kids steps out of the water and onto the concrete. Then he jumps back in splashing the light brown liquid everywhere. It is like pouring root beer into a glass except without the bubbles.

              “Hi Liz,” Ty greets the woman sitting in the chair under the umbrella.

              “It’s good to see you Ty!” Liz exclaims showing as much excitement as she did when we walked up.

              “Liz, I would like you to meet Kimber.” Ty pulls me closer. “This is my girlfriend.”

              With a smile, I extend a hand out to shake hers. “It is nice to meet you.”

              “You too,” replies Liz.  I look into her eyes. They are the same light brown as Ty’s. Her smile lights up her face and little wrinkles of age crease on the edges of her eyes. Her hair is light brown hanging just above her shoulders.

              “Mom!” One of the kids crawling out of the pool calls out.

              “Yes, dear,” Liz’s attention turns towards the skinny little boy with a big belly.

              “I’m going to do a cannon ball.” announces the little boy. “Watch this!”

              “I’m watching.” Liz replies with a smile.

              With that, the little boy runs and jumps as far into the pool as his little legs can bring him. He hugs his legs tucking his body into a tight ball. His little body makes just as little of a splash. A second later a head pops up with a huge smile.

              “Did you see that, mom?!” Exclaims the little boy.

              “I did. That was bigger than the last one!”

              Pleased with the answer, the little boy gives a proud smile as he swims back over to the rest of the kids.

              “Not much of a splash,” Ty teases.

              “Yes, but if you would have seen the last one, you would have been very impressed by that one.”

              Ty lets out a laugh. I keep a smile on my face as I look around. Across the pool are two sets of tables and chairs.  Sitting in one of them with a drink is an old lady. Her hair is raven black like Ty’s except for the front strands which are silver.  Her glasses rest gently on the edge of her nose as she messes with the threads in her hands. As if she realizes I am watching, she looks up and meets my eyes. A knowing smile crosses her face. My cheeks get rosy as I return the smile and look back at Ty and Liz.

              “So I have never seen a pool like this.” I state making an attempt at conversation. “What kind of pool is it?”

              “It’s an artesian well pool. There is a natural spring that bubbles up here. We built the pool and use the water from the spring to fill it. It’s completely clear water with no chemicals in it. You can open your eyes underneath without chlorine getting in them.”

              “How do you keep it from getting dirty or filled with bacteria or mosquito larvae?” I ask.

              “We empty the pool every week or two and fill it up again. On top of that, we have a pool ionizer pump that helps clean the water,” replies Liz.

              “I like how it is the color of root beer,” I state.

              “Yes, that comes from the high mineral content of our well. Unfortunately, that’s one of the side effects of a natural spring in Louisiana. The water table is so high here that it’s easier for minerals to get in to it. A positive to that is the kids think they are swimming in pool full of soda. I joke with Sean, my son there and call it a root beer float when he swims.”

              She points to the little cannon ball creator amongst the other children. The children in the pool hang on to the sides and kick their feet while talking amongst each other. A few of them with pool noodles float in the center. It is an uncommonly beautiful afternoon in January for swimming and the kids seem to be enjoying it.

              “Do you wanna swim?” asks Ty.

              The only time I went swimming here was at an apartment complex’s pool and it felt like jumping into a giant bath tub. It is in complete contrast to the pools up north.  I wonder how an artesian pool will feel.

              “Sure,” I say.

              “Awesome,” replies Ty. “I’ll go get our bags out of the car. There are changing rooms in the bath house right there.”

              Ty points to the brick building outside the fence. He gives me a kiss on the cheek before walking towards the car leaving me alone with Liz. Not one for silence, I turn to Liz and make another attempt at conversation. As if reading my mind, Liz begins talking first.

              “So how long have you known Ty?”

              “Not long at all,” I reply. “We first met in soccer and volleyball class. Then we went out a few times and just kind of clicked.”

              That’s if you call him saving my life ‘clicking’.
The words stick in my mind.

              “When did you two start dating?”

              “It was probably about a month after meeting,” I reply. “We didn’t get serious until a few weeks ago.”

              “He really likes you,” replies Liz. “I have known Ty all my life and you are the first one…”

              Liz trails off as if she is afraid of saying too much.

              “I am the first one he has brought to hear the legend.” I finish the sentence for her.

              Liz smiles a big smile. She seems very grateful that I finished the sentence.

              “You are the first,” replies Liz. She looks around at the children and at the old woman sitting across the pool. “We usually get together on weekends here. This is our retreat and this land has been in my family for generations, but this weekend is geared specifically for you. Very few outsiders have been brought in.”

              “But then again, Ty has never brought a girl home,” replies a familiar voice from behind us. I turn to see Sarah, Ty’s sister, walking up the stairs with Ty.

              Liz smiles at me. I give Sarah a kiss on the cheek and hug when she arrives at the top of the steps. My heart begins racing faster as I begin to realize the magnitude of this weekend. This is not just a weekend away where we have fun and roast marshmallows around a campfire. This is a weekend where they tell me their deepest secrets. They are putting their trust and faith in me in hopes that I can keep their secrets. To me, that is amazing.

              “I’ll let you go change first.”

              Ty hands me my bag and gives me a kiss on the cheek. I happily take it and walk down to the bathroom to change. Like all girls, I am insecure about my body in a bathing suit and the sight of the children makes me regret my two-piece Victoria Secret bathing suit I packed, but I do not like the way I look in a one piece. I quickly change into the suite pausing a second to look in the mirror and adjust the straps to fit the contours of my body before walking out with my towel. On the way up to the pool, I wrap the towel around my waist. I leave my bag in the changing room area. Keeping my back straight and tummy sucked in, I walk up to Ty and his family with a smile. Ty smiles back before walking away to change.

              “It’s good to see you Sarah,” I say with a smile.

              “You as well,” replies Sarah. She takes my hand and pats the back of it. It reminds me so much of how my great grandma used to do that. “I am very glad we have you here. Sorry I didn’t see you last time you were at my house, but I heard you and Ty enjoyed yourself.”

              She gives me a wink. I feel my cheeks turn red from her words. I remember the night filled with rose petals and candles all too well but Sarah goes no further. She simply smiles.  Sarah’s smiles are warm and she has always been nice to me, but there is a change in her. There seems to be even more happiness and warmth mixed with a knowledge of something I do not yet know. The excitement radiating from her is viral as I feel it catch inside of me.

              “This camp is such a great place. It’s so big” I switch topics in hopes of settling down.

              “Yes,” replies Sarah. “We have people who live in the blue plantation house over by the water year round. They take care of the property and oversee it. On top of that, there are five cabins which are all privately owned by relatives and then the huge sleeping gazebo. The land is communal and there is a lot of it. All of it adds up to a great place for retreats and weekend getaways when the weather is nice.”

              “Wow,” I reply. “That’s pretty amazing.”

              “Don’t forget to tell her about the horses,” Liz chimes in. “We have a stable on the east side with a half a dozen horses. I’m sure you saw it when you drove in.”

              “Those belong to you too?” I ask.

              “Yes, they are our family’s horses,” states Sarah. “Do you ride?”

              “No, I have only ever ridden when I went to camp in the summer time a long, long time ago.”

              “You will have to get Ty to teach you sometime,” replies Liz.

              “That would be amazing.”

              Just then, I see Ty walking out of the bathroom. He is wearing only red swim trunks. My heart picks up pace as I watch him walk up the stairs. The term beautiful is not one you use for men, but it is the only term that comes to my mind. The sun is low in the sky and to Ty’s back. It sends light shooting around him making him appear as if he is glowing. His stomach is flat and his abs slightly chiseled, with muscles all in the right places. His russet skin only accentuates each line of his body.

              He gives me a hug. Our skin touches sending my stomach a flutter. I look at our arms. My white skin pales in comparison to his. It is as if we are not made from the same mold. We are so different in color.

              “Are you ready to jump into the pool?” Ty asks.

              “Sure,” I reply feeling even more self-conscious about my body. I remove my towel and place it into the vacant chair beside Sarah and Liz.