Everywhere Everything

When my cab pulled up to the next address, I was confused to see Brayden standing in the front yard.

“I thought you had school,” I called out as I paid the driver.

“I finally convinced my mom to let me skip,” he smiled and then shrugged. “I’m not stalking you, I promise. I just have to keep my business running.”

I noticed the truck parked near the curb with various yard tools sticking out of an old trailer hitched up behind it. It had writing all over it.

“Nice trailer,” I offered, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jean shorts.

“Dad lets me use it. Memento from his glory days,” he chuckled, grabbing an extension chord off of a hook.

“Jared Monstercock Monaco, get it in?” I read off of the side of the trailer.

“Yeah, don’t read it. Some of this stuff makes me want to gag.”

“Garrett, let me love you down,” I continued.

“Okay, definitely don’t read any about my dad. It’s like child abuse.”

“The Maine,” I smiled remembering the times my mom would make me listen to her old CD’s. “So that’s the band your dad was in? Is that the band my dad was in?” I asked, hopeful for some information.

Brayden just shrugged. “Go inside. Takes you one step closer to finding out. He’s really cool, I promise. Go ring the doorbell,” he smirked.

“Will you be here when I am done?” I asked. Brayden just stared at me. “I mean, my mom wrote about exploring the city and I kind of want to do the same. I just thought maybe you could show me around.”

“Really?” he asked, wiping the beads of sweat off of his forehead. “Alright.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking off down the pathway to the entrance of the house. Once I reached the door, the usual nerves kicked in, but I pushed them aside and rang the doorbell. I pushed the button only once, but the doorbell kept going off in an extremely annoying fashion.

An older gentleman with milky white skin opened the front door and looked directly at Brayden.

“Did you tell her ring it?” he asked. Brayden just smirked and started up his lawn mower, ignoring the question. “Did he?” he asked. I nodded and tried not to laugh. The doorbell was still going off when he ushered me inside.

“Stupid thing has been broken since that pipsqueak was 5, but he still likes to be a little shit as often as he can.”

“I’m starting to gather that.” I smiled, looking at all of the pictures. This was my favorite part of meeting all of these strangers. I got to see bits and pieces of their past. He was the first one to have a picture of my mom on display. His arm was wrapped around her, shot glasses filled to the brim with dark brown liquid. They looked like a couple.

“You aren’t Ben, by chance?” I asked over the still sounding doorbell.

“No, no, no. Though I wish I were, then I could have dated your mom. I’m Halvo, or Eric, whichever you prefer,” he answered, tweaking with the box that I assumed had to do with the doorbell.

“Oh,” I smiled, remembering him from one of my mom’s installments. “You liked to spoon with Nick.”

“What? How did you know that?” he asked, finally shutting off the annoying chiming throughout the house. “Ahhh, silence,” he smiled, obviously proud of himself.

“Ever think about getting it fixed?” I asked.

“Why? I like bitching about it,” he shrugged, finally giving me all of his focus. “How did you know that Nick and I used to spoon?”

“My mom mentioned it,” I shrugged, looking at more photographs.

“Your mom talked about me?” he asked, suddenly perking up.

“Not really. I just read it in her last letter.”

“Oh,” he sighed. He looked disappointed. “Guess I should go get that letter then.”

It was then that I realized Halvo must have had it bad for my mom. When he brought the letter back in, I decided to give him a hug. He looked wounded, like a kicked puppy.

“What was that for?” he asked after our hug ended.

“Just a hug,” I shrugged. I clutched the letter in my hand, excited to read it. “So, where’s your wife?” I asked, trying to find any wedding photos or memorabilia.
“We’ll talk when you’re done,” he forced a smile, grabbing a pack of cigarettes off of the coffee table. “I’ll be out back.”

I watched him walk away and immediately felt bad. Maybe his wife died? Or he never had one? I decided I would let the topic go.

I slipped the packet of paper out of the envelope and sat down on a ratty brown couch. God it was comfortable.

My sweet Carolina,

I set this installment a few months forward, because nothing really happened until this day. This day was when I realized some important things.

I haven’t seen Eric in many years, but let me tell you, back in the day, he was hot stuff. I wonder if he’s changed much. Do me a favor and don’t ask about his wife.

I bit my lip and turned the page. Oops.

I woke up to my phone buzzing on the nightstand. Since I didn’t have a permanent residence (after getting kicked out of my uncles for matters I will withhold) I moved in with Ben, who was currently annoyed with my cell phone.

“It’s 10 AM on a Saturday. Tell whoever it is to sod off.”

“Ben, stop talking like you’re British. Newsflash: You were born in Tempe and you’ve never been to England.”

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist!” he replied, reaching across me to grab my phone, kissing my cheek in the process.

He accepted the call and told the person on the line to “Piss off!”

“I really hope that’s mom,” I whispered into his ear and kissed his neck. He smiled and shook his head from side to side, letting me know that it wasn’t. I pouted.

“Dude. It’s 10 AM. On my only off day this week.”

Curious, I tried to listen to see who was on the other line.

“Oh right, you did call my girlfriend, not me. She’ll call you back,” he said, hanging up and throwing my phone across the room. He wrapped his arms around and drew me closer, kissing the top of my head.

“Ben!” I scoffed, looking at my phone laying on the ground out of reach. “Who was it?”

“Rusty.”

“Well, why did you hang up him?”

“Because, he wanted you to hang out with him today, but I want you all to myself. It’s my day off, babe.”

“You get me all to yourself most days, baby. I haven’t seen Rusty in a week.”

“But it’s my off day!” he whined and started planting tiny kisses all over my face. He was a giant baby most of the time.

“You are so lucky you’re hot.” I laughed, pushing him away. “I’m going to call Rusty back. Go shower. You stink,” I said, standing up before he kept me in bed all day.

“Fine.” Then he said some very inappropriate things that I should not tell my daughter.

When I called Rusty back, he seemed a little distracted. I was pretty sure I heard giggling on the other end. Female giggling. This was odd. He asked me if I wanted to hang out with him and the guys. Of course I did. They were all babes.

After parting with Ben, which took a lot longer than I had expected (he was a needy little shit) I met up with Rusty and the rest of the group at a coffee shop in downtown Phoenix.

“Finally,” I heard Halvo call out from their booth at the other side of the building. His deep voice carried in any room, he was never good at being quiet.

“Sorry, sorry,” I smiled, giving everyone hugs. “It’s hard to leave my boyfriend sometimes.” I joked, but they all gave me the same look. “What?” I asked, confused.

“He spends so much time with you. We all need some Lena time,” Halvo pouted, throwing his arm around me. I was aware of his crush on me, and I loved Halvo to death, but he wasn’t Ben. I rolled my eyes and stole his coffee.

“Hey!” he interjected, but I ignored him.

“God Halvo, this is gross.” I said, forcing the cup back into his hands. It was then that Rusty came up behind me, holding his cup up for me to take. We both drank the same thing, so I was thankful he was there to save my taste buds. I hung out with Rusty more than I hung out with any of the other guys, so when I saw a girl next to him, I was taken aback. He didn’t tell me.

“Hi,” I said to the girl, holding out my hand. “I’m Lena.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry I forgot,” Rusty said, smacking himself in the forehead. “Lena, this is Rosie. Rosie, this is Lena.” Rosie shook my hand, and I tried to be discrete as I looked her up and down. She was pretty. And I had no idea why I was feeling protective. It was possibly because I didn’t know her yet, or maybe it was something else. I couldn’t pinpoint it at the moment.

“It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled, shaking my hand.

“You too,” I returned the smile, focusing my attention back to Halvo, who was going over the plans for the day.

We ended up at Revolver Records, the used record shop Ben took me to on our first official date. I left the group to go explore.

I was hurt, and I had no right to be. I considered Rusty to be my best friend, and he didn’t tell me that he had a girlfriend, but I guess it really didn’t matter. Christmas was coming up, so I decided to start hunting for everyone’s Christmas present.

I got lost in the record bins and almost jumped out of my skin when Rusty came up behind me and peered over my shoulder. I knew it was him because I knew exactly how he smelled.

“Find anything good?” he asked.

“Maybe,” I replied, with a little more force than I intended.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning against one of the bins and crossing his arms.

“Yeah, fine,” I sighed, picking up the stack of records I had found.

“Liar.”

“Go away, Rusty.” I sighed, digging deeper into the bin.

“Not until you tell me what is bothering you? Did Halvo hit on you again? Because I already told him to back off. ”
“No. I can handle Halvo on my own.”

“What the fuck is wrong?” he asked, lowering his voice so that only I could hear. It wasn’t a very big record store.

“When did you start dating Rosie?” I asked, still flipping through the bin.

“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “I don’t know. About a week ago. I met her at the bar that night we met. Why does it matter?”

“It doesn’t. It just hurts that you never mentioned it. I thought we were best friends. Or maybe I just felt that way,” I shrugged, finally looking at him. He knitted his eyebrows together and stared at me.

“We are best friends,” he sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted everyone to meet her at the same time. She’s a really great person. I didn’t know this would upset you.”

“I’m sorry,” I bit my lip. “It’s up to you who you tell about your relationships. I feel like a terrible person now.”

“So do I,” he shrugged. “Come on, we’re going to Austin’s house.” He grabbed my hand and led me to the parking lot. It wasn’t until we were at Austin’s did I remember that I left all of my records sitting on the bin.

As usual, I was mad at where my mom left it. I was finally getting somewhere learning about my dad, but I had to wait until tomorrow. I stuffed the letters into my backpack and set out to find Halvo.

He was on the back porch, where he said he would be. I slid the sliding glass door to the left, and slipped out.

“Interesting read?” he asked, still looking out into his backyard.

“Kind of. You were in it,” I said, with a smile. He kindly returned the smile, but it quickly faltered.

We sat in silence for a while until he finally broke it.
“I was married.”

I looked over and him and waited for him to continue.

“I loved her with everything that I had. She was the best part of me, my other half. My soul mate. I guess she didn’t think the same.”

“What was her name?” I asked, trying to urge him to continue.

“Her name was Abby. She left me 4 years ago.”

“I’m sorry, Eric.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” he shrugged. “That’s how people grow, right? Bad shit happens and somehow we have to pick up the pieces and trudge forward?”

“Wanna go get some coffee?” I asked, not wanting to leave him so down in the dumps.

“Sure. I’ll buy,” he said with a half smile.

//\\//\\

By the time we got back to Eric’s house, a cleanly showered Brayden was standing next to his truck. I had completely forgotten that he was supposed to show me around. Halvo winked at me and shot Brayden a dirty look.

“Ring my doorbell one more time punk, I will kick your ass.”

“I didn’t even do it!” he said, throwing his arms in the air in defense.

“I’m watching you,” Halvo said, returning to his house. Brayden just chuckled and opened the passenger side door of his truck. I smiled at him and climbed in, ready to get a feel of Tempe.

“So, where do you want to go?” he asked, buckling his seat belt.

“Is Revolver Records still open?” I asked.

“No, it actually closed a few years back. It isn’t cool to want vinyls anymore. So some people think…”

“I love a good vinyl,” I sighed, sad that it was closed. “Your dad really has ‘Love is Hell’ on vinyl?”

“Yeah. It’s the only thing I want when he dies, but I am going to have to fight Will over it.”

“So Will is your brother?” I asked, watching the traffic light turn from red to green.

“Yeah. He’s a little older than I am.”

“Where does he live?”
“With his fiancé, in Chandler. Are you hungry?”

“I guess so,” I shrugged. “Can we got to Chipotle?” I asked, eager to try it.

“I was going to suggest it,” he nodded, turning his stereo on.

“What kind of music are you into? Besides Ryan Adams,” he asked.

“This,” I said, gesturing toward his stereo.

“Wilco? Really?”

“I don’t listen to new music. It irritates me to no end. I grew up on this stuff. It reminds me of better times.”

“I understand that,” he nodded, pulling into the parking lot of Chipotle.

I stood at the counter, looking at all of the choices. I had never been here before, so I had no idea what to order.

“Need some help?” Brayden asked, chuckling at my look of sheer confusion.

“I’ve never actually ever eaten here before,” I shrugged. The people behind the counter looked annoyed.

“Want me to order for you?” he asked, leaning against the counter.

It was just like my mom’s first date with Ben. Except, this wasn’t a date. I didn’t think.

“Sure.”

So he ordered me a burrito bowl. And it was perfection. He also paid for it. Which made me think that this may be date-like.

“Where do you want to go now?” he asked, after having opened my door for me.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t know what’s around here.”

“Just about everything,” he replied, cranking up the truck.

“Take me to your favorite place.”

He didn’t say another word. We drove in silence until we reached what appeared to be a park.

He helped me out of his truck and started walking towards the park.

“So, why is this your favorite place?” I asked, taking a seat on a swing. He stood behind me and lightly started pushing it.

“I come here to think. I’ve been coming here a lot lately.”

“Oh right,” I nodded. “Your mom told me you just broke up with your girlfriend.”

He stopped pushing me and took a seat on the swing next to mine.

I slowed my swinging to a halt, and looked at Brayden. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to strike a nerve or anything.”

“No, it’s fine. She was going to college in Virginia anyway. She just wanted to have a fling with my friend while we were still dating.”

“Ouch,” I said, biting my lip. I didn’t know what else to say.

“Anything like that ever happen to you?”

“No,” I sighed. “Never has.”

“Well, you’re lucky then,” he smiled, glancing over at me. “I just feel like love isn’t something people even look for now, you know? Nobody stays together. I mean look at Halvo. I used to go over to his house every single day when I was younger. He was always so happy, but Abby wasn’t. He loved her so much and she just left him. He still isn’t over it. I don’t think he ever will be,” he shook his head. “I just want a love like my mom and dad’s you know? They love each other no matter what.”

“You’re lucky,” I smiled, leaning my head against the chain of the swing. “Your parents are so in love. You have something to look forward to. I’ve never actually seen love first hand. I don’t even know if love is something I want.”

“God this is heavy talk for a first date,” Brayden chuckled, and then he turned red. “I mean…”

“So this is a date?” I smirked.

“I don’t know. I guess so,” he laughed nervously.

“I would have never thought that someone would want to take me on a date after they watched me hurl on Austin Gibbs’ porch.”

It was silent for a little while. I looked down at my watch and saw that it was nearing 10 pm.

“Do you have to be somewhere?” he asked.

“No, I just don’t want you to get in trouble for staying out with me.”

“Well. We could always go back to my house and steal my dad’s vinyls.”

“Your parents don’t care?”

“No. Well, only about the vinyls,” he chuckled.

I smiled. “Sounds good.”