For the Rest of Our Lives
Two (1999)
The next day Sally returns while my family and I are on the back porch. We have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a pitcher of lemonade and several glasses laid out before us on the off-white plastic table. There's an absence of light in Sally's green eyes as she approaches.
"Oh, Sally, dear," my mom says when she spots the little blonde. "I know your father doesn't like it much when you leave the house, but we have extra sandwiches and lemonade. You're welcome to stay a while." My mom winks at Sally, already setting a place for her at the table.
"Th-thanks, Mrs. Rodgers," Sally says, but there's no smile on her face like there would usually be.
My mom pats the seat of an empty chair between herself and myself. Sally walks up onto the porch and pulls herself up onto the chair, and then immediately turns to me. I watch her with concern, but she cocks a half smile, and I return it in a half hearted manner.
"Thank you again," Sally says, turning to face my mom. She has a very bright smile plastered on her face now, but it stretches her face in a way that seems foreign to me. My mom nods at her.
"Of course," my mom says. She looks up at me then. "Luna, dear, your father and I are going to head in now. It's so hot out. Please come in frequently for water- or use the hose if you really insist. Come home before dark, alright?"
"Yes, mommy," I say with a nod.
My dad stands up with his newspaper, heading indoors and not once taking his eyes off the words written there. My mom gets up and comes around the table to give me a kiss on the forehead. She turns and heads into the house as well.
"Let's eat!" Sally says enthusiastically. I laugh, and we both dig into what's left of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches- leaving crusts behind, of course.
It's not until sometime later while we're leaning back in the grass, gazes having been trained up toward the sky to watch the clouds, that I look down and notice the bruise and red markings that have become exposed due to her shorts riding up her thighs. I've only had a few of those myself, my whole 6 years, but never on the inside of my thigh like that.
"Where's that from?" I ask, baffled as I can't come up with an explanation for it. Sally looks at me confused, and then follows my gaze to her thigh. She gasps and tugs her shorts down to cover it.
"I don't know," she says quickly. "I think I fell getting into bed last night." She turns away, stiff and closed off. I frown.
"Okay," I say, accepting the explanation anyway. I decide to change the subject- one because the topic was uncomfortable, and two because my mind just worked that way. "Who do you think we'll marry when we grow up?"
Sally turns to me and twists her face up. She says, "I hope it's not Keegan and Ron." I laugh and agree with her; they picked their boogers in public without shame.
"Oh, Sally, dear," my mom says when she spots the little blonde. "I know your father doesn't like it much when you leave the house, but we have extra sandwiches and lemonade. You're welcome to stay a while." My mom winks at Sally, already setting a place for her at the table.
"Th-thanks, Mrs. Rodgers," Sally says, but there's no smile on her face like there would usually be.
My mom pats the seat of an empty chair between herself and myself. Sally walks up onto the porch and pulls herself up onto the chair, and then immediately turns to me. I watch her with concern, but she cocks a half smile, and I return it in a half hearted manner.
"Thank you again," Sally says, turning to face my mom. She has a very bright smile plastered on her face now, but it stretches her face in a way that seems foreign to me. My mom nods at her.
"Of course," my mom says. She looks up at me then. "Luna, dear, your father and I are going to head in now. It's so hot out. Please come in frequently for water- or use the hose if you really insist. Come home before dark, alright?"
"Yes, mommy," I say with a nod.
My dad stands up with his newspaper, heading indoors and not once taking his eyes off the words written there. My mom gets up and comes around the table to give me a kiss on the forehead. She turns and heads into the house as well.
"Let's eat!" Sally says enthusiastically. I laugh, and we both dig into what's left of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches- leaving crusts behind, of course.
It's not until sometime later while we're leaning back in the grass, gazes having been trained up toward the sky to watch the clouds, that I look down and notice the bruise and red markings that have become exposed due to her shorts riding up her thighs. I've only had a few of those myself, my whole 6 years, but never on the inside of my thigh like that.
"Where's that from?" I ask, baffled as I can't come up with an explanation for it. Sally looks at me confused, and then follows my gaze to her thigh. She gasps and tugs her shorts down to cover it.
"I don't know," she says quickly. "I think I fell getting into bed last night." She turns away, stiff and closed off. I frown.
"Okay," I say, accepting the explanation anyway. I decide to change the subject- one because the topic was uncomfortable, and two because my mind just worked that way. "Who do you think we'll marry when we grow up?"
Sally turns to me and twists her face up. She says, "I hope it's not Keegan and Ron." I laugh and agree with her; they picked their boogers in public without shame.