Into the Groves

Time can be such a terrible thing. No matter how desperately you want to hold on to a moment, time continues to move forward. The only way to go back is through your memories, but it will never be the same. Just bittersweet ghosts of the past.

I went back to my hometown decades after I swore I would never step foot in this place again. But my Aunt Lily’s last request was to have her ashes spread across the garden she tended to so lovingly. She raised me since I was 15, so how could I not come back here for her. It had also been decades so this place could have changed over that time. But I had my doubts.

Originally I planned to head to my aunt’s garden, say a few words, spread her ashes and get out of dodge. But it’s hard to say goodbye to someone you love, so I unconsciously wandered around this godforsaken small town. Eventually I realized I stumbled onto the old barn. The paint had worn, and the weeds had overgrown. The years had not been kind to this place. As I wandered around the barn, memories of this place began to rush back.

It was the first weekend that I had moved to town. No matter how amazing my aunt was, I was still an angsty teenager who was still processing the loss of their parents. Therefore I snuck out of the house to take a long walk in the summer night. During my walk I could hear music. Having nothing better to do, I was compelled to follow it. It led me to a party in a barn. I peered in and it looked as though every high schooler in town was here. The whole barn smelled like cheap beer, weed, and horny teenagers. It seemed like the perfect way to forget how shitty my life is for a while.

I slyly made my way over to the keg and got myself a cup of beer. I sauntered around the party while I sipped on the terrible drink. I found a great spot against the wall to plant myself. As I tried to take root as a wallflower, two dudes decided to ruin it. The look on their faces screamed “I’m a jackass and we’re going to mess up your night” Unfortunately they had cornered me before I could make my escape.

“Hey. You must be the new girl in town,” jackass number one chuckled as he slammed his hand next to me. I scowled at him, hoping that he would get the hint and leave me alone. I guess these two are dumb as well.

“New girl. My friend here is trying to talk to you,” jackass number two began to say. “So why don’t you be a good girl and tell him your name.” His cocky attitude got on my last nerve.

“How about you both piss off,” I spat. I prayed that they would leave, but instead my words bruised their delicate egos.

“Hey bitch!” jackass number one shouted. If he were a cartoon smoke would be billowing out of his ears. I narrowed my eyes right before I tossed the remainder of my beer in his face. I quickly realized that it probably wasn’t the best move. But before either of them could do anything a different guy stepped right in front of me.

“You two need to back off,” he said with authority. Jackass one and two almost immediately cowed.

“We don’t have a problem with you, James,” jackass two said.

“But I have a problem with you two,” James responded. “So you better leave now.” Jackass one and two reluctantly backed off. Once they were out of sight James turned to me and asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Thanks,” I squeaked out. It was impressive that he was able to scare off two guys. He was tall and he looked fairly muscular. But he had a kind face, so I didn’t get how he came off as scary.

“Oh good! You’re okay!” I heard a sweet voice chirp out. I turned to find a girl smiling at me. I couldn’t help but find myself smiling in return.

“I saw Todd and Randy head up to you and had a feeling they were going to start trouble,” she started to say. “So I sent James over to diffuse the situation.” She touched his arm lightly when she said his name. It was baffling that this girl didn’t even know me, yet she decided to protect me. Well at least send someone over to protect me.

“Thanks again.” was all I could muster to say. Between the two guys confronting me and then these two rescuing me all the attention made me feel awkward.

“My name is Laura. What’s yours?” she asked as she extended out her hand to me. I shook her hand and told her, “My name is April.” I didn’t know it at the time, but at that moment my life changed.

The day after the party Aunt Lily and I were having breakfast out on the porch. My aunt said the weather was just perfect and we shouldn’t waste a moment inside. I was enjoying a piece of toast with some raspberry jam when we heard the doorbell ring. Aunt Lily had gotten up to answer it. A few moments later she called my name. Confused, I got up and went to her. I reached the threshold to the foyer. I saw my aunt and some girl at the door. The girl was petite and had long wavy blonde hair with a few daisies braided in. It took me a second, but I recognized her. It was the girl from the party that helped me out. My aunt turned around and when she saw me she beckoned me over with her free hand. I shuffled over. I couldn’t figure out why she was here, or even how she knew I lived here. Once I got to the door her bubbly personality became even more so.

“Hi April,” she chirped. Her smile practically took over her whole face. I waved in return.

“I stopped by to see how you were doing,” Laura continued on. My aunt was clearly confused by the question.

“Umm. . I’m alright,” I basically whispered.

“Great! James and I were planning to go to the shake shop in a bit and I was wondering if you wanted to join?” Her light eyes sparkled as she waited for my response. I looked up to Aunt Lily and said, “Yeah, as long as that’s okay with you aunty?” Of course she was more than happy to see that I was starting to adjust to my new home so she okayed the outing. I quickly changed into something more appropriate for going out in public and rushed back to the door. Laura hooked her arm around mine and we headed off.

After we walked a few blocks I asked, “How did you know where I lived?”

“It’s a small town. And someone new, especially someone our age, moving into town is a big deal,” she explained. “Most of the people here have nothing better to do than gossip.”

“Oh great,” I said with dripping sarcasm. Laura giggled in response. I was worried that everyone already knew the reason why I moved here. The tragedy was still so fresh, I didn’t care to talk about it with anyone. But as Laura and I continued walking she never once asked. We eventually met up with James, who seemed even taller than last night. He had thick dark shaggy hair like The Beatles, and a smile that could melt hearts. Even with all those attributes, he was still kind and down to earth.

This shop was a pretty popular place in town. It seemed as though all the kids from last night were now gathered here. James brought over our shakes and we all began to talk. They were asking me pretty normal stuff, like what my favorite music was, how I’m liking the town so far, what I like to do for fun. After I answered all their questions they started to tell me about themselves. It was a nice change of pace. Our good time was soon interrupted by the jackass twins from last night.

“Hey there little orphan Annie,” one of them said snidely. My heart almost stopped at his words. Everyone did know why I moved to town. And after what Laura told me this is all anyone is ever going to talk about. Just the thought made my eyes start to well. I looked down toward my shake in case the tears decided to fall on my face.

“Not so bitchy now huh,” the other one remarked. I heard a clunking noise follow. I looked up and saw Laura had stood on her chair, making her barely tall enough to pour her milkshake right on one of the jackass’s heads. My mouth gaped open at the sight.

“Shut the hell up Todd!” she shouted. I laughed at the strawberry milkshake dripping painstakingly slowly down his entire face. Damn this girl is a firecracker and then some. James then stood up with his arms crossed in front of his chest. The icy cold glare that he gave Todd and Randy could scare a bear away. They both ran away, tails tucked between their legs. The whole thing was both shocking and hilarious. Laura shouted after them, “You better run away you cowards!” After that I knew we would be best friends.

It’s been a long time since I thought about either one of them. Laura, James, and I after that became close friends. We had spent the entire summer together. I felt a lot less alone. I noticed that tears were streaming down my face as I stared at that old barn. I was conflicted. On one hand those moments marked the beginning of my friendship with Laura and James, at the same time those memories are hard to go back to. Bittersweet ghosts of the past.