Page 97 of Jace 4Ever
“Auroras? The Northern Lights?” His voice was full of awe.
“I checked the forecast and they’re supposed to be medium activity and bright. Should be a great night to watch.” I held out a water bottle. “Here.”
He was just staring at me.
“What?”
“The Northern Lights? For real?”
“Yes…”
He dropped down to the table rock next to me and just stared a little more. “Are you sure?”
“They’re pretty damn common up here, and there’s a solar forecast that is pretty good at predicting them. We had a solar storm a few days ago and it was hitting the atmosphere today into tonight, so it shouldn’t take long for them to appear. Why do you look so…shocked?”
He swallowed loudly. To be heard clearly over the waterfall it had to be serious. I grabbed his hand and twined our fingers together.
“When I was little, my mom used to tell me a story that her mom used to tell her, that her mom used to tell her. That after creating the world, God had gone to rest on an island of ice in the north. But he didn’t want to leave his people without a sign that he was still there and with them, thinking about them. So, he bid the angels to light the sky with ribbons of green and yellow when he lit his fires at night. This way they could protect him in the lights and let the people know he was still among them. The angels were the spirits of those who had passed before us, and were happy to provide the light because they could see us as well.
“I looked up the story when I was older, in college. It took a while, but it was out there. It’s an Algonquin creator story. It’s not God and angels. It’s Nanahboozhoo, and the angels are ancestors. So, I kept looking and I found out that my fifth great-grandmother was Algonquin. She changed the story to make it seem Christian, so the history wouldn’t be lost.
“I never thought that I would get to see the Northern Lights. I’ve…always believed my mom and dad were there, watching us, dancing, and smiling at me. I’ve always wanted to see them up there…”
Jesus, what did I do with that? I squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “If I had known, we would have been here sooner. Surprise.”
His laugh was light and happy. “I wish we didn’t have to be here because of your father’s health, but I’m glad to be here with you, Nelson.”
This time, I leaned in and kissed him. “Thank you for being here.” I pushed the water bottle into his hand. “Drink that. You need it.”
“Where did you store that?”
“Pants pocket…”
“Ah, and here I thought you just had a half chub while we were hiking.”
“I always have a half chub around you, baby.” I pressed his hand into my dick, which really was at half-mast. Mostly from the kiss, but it worked. He laughed and leaned in for another kiss, which I was happy to give.
We sat watching the sun slip lower in the sky, the roar of the water a wonderful soundtrack. Just as the sun slipped below the horizon, there was a green flash just above it, and I gasped. Jace jerked around to me.
“What?”
“Green flash.” I smiled. “The great green sun. You can’t see those all the time. I’ve only seen it two or three times in my life.”
He looked out at the horizon and back to me. “I’ve only seen two sunsets over the ocean in my life. Well, I guess one. The other was over Barnegat Bay in college with Tyler. My boyfriend at the time.”
The gap between our lives was so painfully clear to me at that moment. Why he wouldn’t believe I was honestly interested in dating him when we started out. Why he was constantly surprised by things I did. It just wasn’t part of his life, part of his upbringing. He had been born poor and lived that way. There was nothing wrong with that, there was nothing he could do about it.
I was born in a country that didn’t let the least of its residents suffer for not having the money for health care or education. We lived and moved through life on our merits, not our income. Even the poorest of the residents could go to college without taking on thousands of dollars in debt. We had the chance to travel. We had agreements with Europe that let us connect to the people there.
Jace had just never had that.
More than ever, I wanted to give him the world. Show him the amazing things that were waiting for him, for us. I wanted to give him the stable life, the family, the hopes and dreams he deserved. I wanted him there with me forever so I could make sure he was safe and cared for. Loved. And never questioned any of that.
“Are those…”
His voice was soft and reverent as he stared up and started to half gesture at the sky.
The auroras were still just barely visible in the fading light, but I could make out the green columns dancing there in sky.
