Mary's Song

“Kate…”

“Sorry?” I asked, looking up to see the entire Jonas family looking at me.

“It’s your turn to give Joe his present.” Nick said.

“Oh, right.” I said, standing up.

“Where are you going?” Joe asked.

“I’m getting your present… well… part of it.” I said, walking over to the closet. I pulled out my guitar and went to sit next to Joe.

“A guitar?” he asked.

“Joe, that’s Kate’s guitar.” Kevin said.

“I know. That’s why I’m confused on why it’s my present.”

“Joseph, my guitar is not your present. Now if you’ll just be quiet for more than thirty seconds you’ll figure it out.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry. Go ahead.” He said. I took a deep breath and started to play.

“I was seven and you were nine; I looked at you like the stars that shined; in the sky, the pretty lights; and our daddies used to joke about the two of us; growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled; and rolled their eyes and said oh my, my, my...” I sang, remembering back to that time.

“Joey and Katie sitting in a tree,” Nick sang.

“K-i-s-s-i-n-g!” Kevin added.

“Boys, leave your brother and Katie alone.” Denise scolded as she and my mother rolled their eyes. Joe had been pushing me on the swing.

“I’m not gonna kiss Katie! She’s a girl and girls have cooties!” Joe shouted.

“Do not!” I shouted back.

“Do too!”

“Do not!”

“Joe, you won’t be saying that in a few years.” Dad said.

“For all you know, you and Katie will get married one day.” Kevin Sr. said and he and Dad laughed. Joe and I looked at each other and made faces.

“Ew!” we both shouted and I jumped from the swing and ran into the house.

“Take me back to the house in the backyard tree; said you’d beat me up, you were bigger than me; you never did, you never did; take me back when our world was one block wide; I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried; just two kids, you and I… oh my, my, my, my…” I looked at Joe’s face as I continued to sing and his eyes were glassy as he looked back in his mind, remembering.

“Katie this is our tree house.” Kevin said, staring at me as I played with my dolls in the middle of the house.

“Girls aren’t supposed to be here. I’m gonna beat you up. I’m bigger than you.” Joe said.

“I’ll tell my Mommy.” I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

“So what?” he asked.

“Then I’ll tell your Mommy,” I said, smugly.

“Don’t do it Joe!” Kevin said.

“One of these days Katie…” Joe said, shaking his head.

****

“I bet I can jump more times than you can!” I said, picking up the jump rope.

“Nuh-uh!” Joe said.

“Let’s see,” I said, starting to jump. I made it to forty before I stopped. “Your turn.”

“I’m so gonna beat you.” he said, starting to jump. He got about eighteen jumps in before he messed up.

“I win!”

“Fine,” he said, sighing. “What do you win?”

“Hm…” I said, thinking. “I dare you to kiss me!”

“Ew! No way! Pick something else!” he shouted.

“No, I dare you to kiss me. You can’t go back on a dare, besides I won.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this,” he said. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

Once he got really close, my eyes opened wide and I ran away, back to my front porch. I ran inside and slammed the door and looked out the window, watching Joe. As soon as the door slammed shut he jumped and looked around. He looked confused and put my jump rope on my staircase before going into his house, scratching the back of his head.

“Well, I was sixteen when suddenly; I wasn’t that little girl you used to see; but your eyes still shined like pretty lights; and our daddies used to joke about the two of us; they never believed we’d really fall in love; and our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes; and said oh my, my, my…”

For my sixteenth birthday party my parents threw me a very fancy Sweet Sixteen. I had on a gorgeous dress and I looked at myself in the mirror all fancied up before I made my entrance. I looked completely different than I did when I was fifteen.

“My little girl is all grown up,” Mom said, a tear escaping her eyes. “Come on, time for your entrance.”

I made my way down the grand staircase as all my guests turned to look at me. I looked for my three best guy friends, Kevin, Joe, and Nick and saw Joe’s face. He was in awe, his eyes shining. As soon as I made my way down he asked me to dance.

“You look really… beautiful Kate.” He said as he twirled me around.

“Thanks Joe,” I said, feeling butterflies rise in my stomach. I felt myself blushed and looked away. My father was talking with Kevin Sr. and they were laughing. My mother and Denise were standing next to them, rolling their eyes and smiling as they watched Joe and I dance.

“Take me back to the creek beds we turned up; two a.m. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to me; take me back to the time we had our very first fight; the slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight; you stayed outside till the morning light; oh my, my, my, my…”

You awake? –-Joe

Yeah, why? –-Kate

Sneak outside. I need to talk to you. –-Joe

Joe… it’s two in the morning. –-Kate

For me Katie? –-Joe

Fine, I’ll meet you out front. –-Kate

“What is it Joe?” I whispered as I quietly closed the front door behind me.

“Come on,” he said, taking my hand and leading me to his truck. He ushered me into the passenger seat before climbing into the drivers’ seat and pulling out of the driveway.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” he said.

Soon he pulled up to a dirt path and climbed out. We walked through the trees before we came upon the creek and I smiled as I remembered when we were younger and Joe used to dig up worms while I tried to catch the little minnows. He sat down on a log while I dipped my toes in the creek. I turned to look at him and he smiled as he watched me. I smiled back and looked up at the moon.

“Kate…” he said softly. I looked back at him again and the smile was gone from his face and he looked kind of nervous. Butterflies rose in my stomach again and I went and sat next to him.

“Yeah?”

“I need to tell you something…” he said, twisting his hands in his lap.

“What is it?” I asked softly, not daring to speak any louder.

“I… Kate I… I decided on where to go to college.”

“Oh,” I said, the butterflies suddenly disappearing. “Joe that’s great. Where?”

“Manhattan College of Performing Arts” he said quickly, turning his face away from me.

“What?” I asked, standing up suddenly.

“Kate, it’s a great opportunity for me and a great school…”

“Take me home.” I said, turning away from him. He grabbed my arm.

“Kate…” he said quietly. I pulled my arm out of his grasp and didn’t look at him.

“Take me home.”

The car ride back was silent. He pulled into his driveway and turned the car off. I was about to open the door when he put his hand on top of mine.

“Katie I’m sorry,” he whispered. I turned my head to look out the window.

“You’re not sorry.” I said.

“Why don’t you believe me?”

“Why would you do this to me?” I asked, turning to look at him. “You’re my best friend. You said you’d always be here for me!”

“And I will be!”

“No you’re not! You’re going to be all the way across the freaking country!” I said, jumping out of the truck and storming across the lawn to my house.

“Katie come on! You should be happy for me.”

“I am happy. I’m happy that you’re going to school and living your dream. I’m not happy that I can’t believe you anymore.”

“Kate…”

“No Joe. I’m done.” I said, turning around and going inside my house, slamming the door behind me. I thought things were going to go way different than they really did that night. He sat on my porch until early morning. Dad told me he found him there, asleep on the porch swing before he told Joe to go home. Joe gave him a note for me… it had one word on it. Sorry.

“A few years had gone and come around; we were sitting at our favorite spot in town; and you looked at me, got down on one knee…”

Joe had decided to stay in Manhattan for two whole years. He didn’t even come back for summer. Christmas his family went to him. I didn’t see him for two whole years. I didn’t see him until my high school graduation. He actually came back for that.

“Joe… you’re… here.” I said, staring in shock as he walked into my backyard.

“Of course I’m here. What kind of guy misses his best friend’s graduation party?”

“I’m still your best friend?” I asked.

“Why wouldn’t you be?”

“Because we haven’t talked in two years.” I said simply.

“No… we haven’t. But I thought about you every day.”

“I thought about you too.” I said, hugging him.

“I missed you,” he whispered in my ear.

“I missed you too.” I said as I pulled away. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Let’s go into town tomorrow. I’ll buy you lunch and we can catch up.”

“I’d like that.” I said.

****

We were sitting on the edge of the fountain in the center of town. Our favorite spot to sit and talk and people watch. Joe told me all about the crazy and cool people he met in Manhattan.

“There wasn’t anyone there who could compare to you though Katie,” he said, smiling at me.

“Joe,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“I’m serious! There wasn’t anyone smart enough… nice enough… funny enough… or beautiful enough.” I blushed and looked down. “Kate,”

I looked up and he was kneeling in front of me… on one knee. I gasped.

“I love you Kate. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to say it out loud but I truly do. You’re more than my best friend. You’re my whole heart. I know you’re only eighteen so we can wait but… Katie… will you marry me?”

“Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle; our whole town came and our mamas cried; you said I do and I did too; take me home where we met so many years before; we’ll rock our babies on that very front porch; after all this time, you and I…”

Joe looked from my face down to his hand resting on my leg, to the wedding band on his left ring finger. He then looked at my hand on the guitar, to the matching band. He smiled and looked over to our mother’s each holding one of our daughters… our little twin girls who were laughing at Joe’s smile.

“I’ll be eighty-seven; you’ll be eighty-nine; I’ll still look at you like the stars that shine; in the sky, oh my, my, my…” I finished, looking up at Joe’s smiling face. He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled my face to his, giving me a kiss.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too. Happy birthday,” I said. Our girls squealed with laughter and we laughed and picked them up. A happy little family surrounded by a much larger, loving one. Just how our father’s joked it would be.