Page 7 of Prospect
I motion toward the table for her to sit. After fixing her drink, I place the steaming mug in front of her, and she looks up at me. "What do you like in your coffee?"
Sliding the notebook over I read,I like it cold.Milk, sugar, and ice.
Turning I head toward the refrigerator, fill a cup with ice cubes, grab the milk, and on my way back snag the sugar bowl from beside the breadbox with a teaspoon. I notice the time showing on the microwave. Placing my hand lightly on Luna's shoulder getting her attention while she scoops a spoonful of sugar into the hot coffee, I tell her. "Will you be okay until Dr. Kendrick comes by? I have to go to work." Her eyes glance toward the french doors where she can see the men milling about in the backyard then glances back at me. "Don't worry about them. They are not allowed to enter the house, and I promise I will lock the doors." Looking a little unsure she begins to write again. This time I notice her hand shaking a little as the tip of the pen glides across the paper. Just as she goes to hand me her note, I hear the security bell chime which lets me know someone has entered the home.
How long will I be alone?
"Not long. I promise. And, there are only five people outside this house that have the code to get in here." Just as I get those words from my mouth, Mila calls out my name.
"Sofia."
"In the kitchen," I call back. Luna relaxes and slumps her body against the back of the chair. Closing her eyes, she takes in a deep breath. Looking at me again she writes the wordsorryand her eyes glaze over. "Never apologize for being afraid," I continue to hold her stare until Mila walks into the kitchen with her arms loaded down with shopping bags.
"Hey," she pauses taking in the scene. "Everything okay?" she walks across the tiled floor and places her bags on the counter.
I look back at Mila. "Everything is okay." Facing Luna, I give her hand one more reassuring squeeze and introduce them to one another. "Luna, this is Mila." Mila comes and stands beside me. "Mila, meet Luna."
"So good to meet you. Dr. Kendrick called me last night and said you might need a few personal things, so I stopped by the store. If you don't mind spending your morning with me, we can go through everything." Mila asks her with a friendly smile. Once Luna replies with a nod, I feel confident in leaving the house.
With a small wave, I leave the two of them in the kitchen. Entering my room, I grab my bag off the hook on my wall and the keys to my yellow fully customized four door Volkswagen Beetle off the top of my dresser. The car was a gift from The Kings for my twentieth birthday just over a month ago.
With my car parked inside the security of the garage, I walk back through the kitchen where Mila and Luna have clothes, shoes, and makeup scattered all over the kitchen table. Mila looks up. "Don't forget about the party this evening."
With my hand on the door handle, I glance over my shoulder. "I'll be there." Sliding into the driver seat of my car, I toss my bag on the passenger seat. Pressing the button above my head, the garage door opens, flooding the space around me with sunlight. Backing out, I pause, and as the garage door closes, I let the top down on my car.
I don't ride a motorcycle like The Kings and Sam do, but I imagine the feeling they get with the sun on their skin and the wind in their hair is the same I get when I drive with my car top down—alive and free.
Pullinginto the parking lot of The Pier, I spot Carol setting out a large chalkboard that advertises the specials of the day. She waves in my direction as I park in my usual spot close to the building.
"Good Morning, sweetie," Carol greets me with a warm embrace the moment I reach the last step onto the massive wrap around deck connecting to a long dock right over the bay. "You look beautiful as always. Come on inside; we have a busy day ahead of us. The week-long festival on the bay starts today, which means we will have double the customers all week long."
I've been hearing about this event since living here in Polson but have never experienced it. And being I didn't start working here for Carol until after the events took place last year, I have no idea what to expect. Polson's 34thannual Party on the Bay lasts an entire week. From what I know, boaters take part in onshore fun and games as well as car shows, boat shows, and a 5k charity run. People from all over Montana come in to take part. The only part I got the chance to experience last year was the fireworks show at the end of the week. A group of us from school along with Leah and Sam watched the show from the end of the dock right here. That was the summer I really started looking at Sam in a different light.
Wow. Carol wasn't lying when she said we would be busy today. The lunch rush was triple our usual amount. Running my fingers through my hair, I twist it around itself forming a loose bun securing it with a few bobby pins I retrieve from my bag in the breakroom. I look up from untying my apron strings when Amy, Carol's daughter, who has become my best friend walks in.
"Hey, Sof. Ready for our lunch break?" she tosses her apron into her locker. Amy is the one who helped me get the waitressing job here.
"More than ready."
Going to the kitchen, Amy and I fill our cups full of cold fresh cherry limeade and grab a couple baskets of chicken poppers with fries. Taking our lunch outside we walk to the end of the dock.
"You want to come out with Ben, and I tonight? We're going to hang out at the bowling alley?" Amy asks.
I pop a fry in my mouth. "The club is having a family party tonight. Besides, I don't want to be the third wheel on your date." I swing my legs as they dangle over the edge.
"You're not a third wheel, Sof."
Tossing a fry into the water, I watch as two fish pick at it from beneath the surface of the water.
"Maybe next time then. You should invite Sam too," she playfully nudges me with her shoulder.
Giving her an eye roll, I tell her, "Sam has better things to do than have me drag him to the bowling alley."
Amy sighs. "Sof, Sam would do anything you ask him to do. That man seriously adores you."
Amy doesn't understand why I hesitate to form an actual relationship with Sam. She sees his affection for me, and I've confided in her that I really like him, but I haven't been able to bring myself to tell him how I feel, though I suspect he already knows. Amy knows that I have been through something in my past, but I've never talked with her about it before, and I'm not sure if I ever will. I know talking about it is a good thing and that it may help empower others to speak their truth as well, but it can be difficult. There is a massive vulnerability in showing those types of unseen scars to the world. What I went through was not my fault. I know that. It's fear of how others in this world may look at me after they find out.
We sit there quietly for several minutes as we munch on our food. In the distance, I watch the boaters enjoying this beautiful day without a care in the world.
