Page 76 of Embers

14

We returnto New Haven Farm a few days later, and two weeks after that Cal and I have our first date.

That’s what we call it. There’s no other word for it.

Several days beforehand, he catches me after breakfast and asks if I’m free on Friday night. Surprised and weirdly shy, I tell him I don’t have any plans. He asks if he can take me out, and I say yes. He smiles, warm and soft.

I’m fluttery about it for the rest of the week. Not sick and churny, which is my normal state of anxiety. Just fluttery. Partly excited and partly nervous and partly touched.

I have no idea what his plans are for the date, but he seems to be taking it seriously, so I borrow a sundress from one of the other girls. It’s old and a little faded but still a pleasant dusty pink shade with a simple top, thick straps, and a long, flowing skirt. I wash my hair in the afternoon so it’s nice and clean, and I leave it loose instead of braiding it. I put on the necklace Cal gave me last year for my birthday, which I kept but haven’t worn since he left me. I haven’t dressed up nice since before Impact, and I hardly recognize myself when I look in the mirror.

I look pretty. Feminine. Like any young woman might have looked back in the old world when she was dressing nice for the person she was into.

I’m more fluttery than ever as I fiddle around with my hair and the straps of my dress until Faith ducks her head in the room and tells me Cal is waiting on the porch.

So then I have to try to stop fluttering and go to meet him like a sensible grown-up.

He’s standing at the bottom of the porch steps. He must have washed his jeans because they’re not covered with dirt like normal, and I’ve never seen the shirt he’s wearing. It’s not new, but it must be new to him. It’s a blue-checked button-down, and he’s wearing it untucked. He clearly made an effort with his clothes. Even his hair and beard look clean.

Several people are hanging out on the porch, relaxing before dinner, and it feels like they’re secretly grinning at us as I walk down the steps to Cal. I’m still limping a bit on my bad ankle, but it’s a lot better now.

“Hi.” I’m feeling ridiculously shy again.

“Hi. You look real pretty.”

“Thanks.” I don’t know what else to say, and I’d rather not have an audience for all of this, so I ask, “Are we driving or walking?”

“We’ll need to drive, but it’s not far.”

“Okay.” New Haven folks never use vehicles for personal entertainment since the gas is so precious, but Cal has always fueled his own truck so he can do anything he wants with it.

We make our way across the yard and past the outbuildings, and I relax when we’re no longer the focus of so many curious observers.

“You still good with this?” he asks as we approach his truck, which is parked on the side of the driveway.

“Yes. I’m good. It feels kind of… new. But I’m good with it.”

“Good.” He’s smiling as he opens the passenger door for me.

“You’re really pulling out all the stops on this, aren’t you?” My teasing comes before I see what’s in the seat. A bouquet of pretty yellow wildflowers—there’s more blooming this year than any time since before Impact—and a basket of gorgeous strawberries. I make a squeaking sound.

He chuckles. “I’m definitely not messin’ around with this. I got a second chance with you, and I’m gonna give it my all. Not that it means there’s any pressure on you. But you might as well be prepared. I’m gonna throw everythin’ I got in me at this. At gettin’ you back.”

So sue me. I swoon a little bit.

He drives me to a neighboring town about twenty minutes away. Like every other town that’s survived this long, it’s fortified and guarded, but they’ve known me and Cal for a couple of years now, and they let us in with a friendly greeting.

It sounds like there’s a party going on inside the walls.

“They’ve started having music on the weekends,” Cal explains. “Guess they had enough folks keep hold of their instruments, so they get together and play. People dance and hang out and have fun. They had a lot of discussions and decided to make a point of tryin’ to enjoy life more, and this is the way they decided to do it. Thought you might enjoy it.”

I cover my mouth with my hand as Cal parks and comes over to help me out. The sounds of entertainment echo back to the past—the world as it used to be—when it was common for people to hang out… just to have fun.

It’s been a long time since life has been that way for us.

I’m beaming as Cal and I walk to the town square. There’s a band playing country music—old songs I can still remember. Two guitarists and a drummer and a fiddle player. A lot of people are dancing, and many more are sitting around, talking and laughing.

It’s one of the best evenings I can remember. We go over to say hello to people we know. They all seem happy to see us and even happier to see us together. We chat for a while. Cal goes to get me some food. Delicious roasted pork on skewers and fried potatoes. Then after we eat, he dances with me.

---