Page 26 of Keep Me Never
She giggles, facing forward. That same soft sigh follows as we stop a few feet back from Deaton, watching as he tries to creep up on his target.
“You ever go back to that park?” I can’t help but ask, tension in my damn chest as I wonder if I’ll ever be able to go home and still feel like itishome.
She pushes her hair over her shoulder, smiling at Deaton. “Did you know I took a year off after my freshman year here?”
A small scowl forms, and I shake my head. “I knew you were closer to Noah’s age, but I guess I never thought about that.”
“Yeah.” She nods. “I should have graduated last year, technically, but after my dad died, I left school for a while and, to answer your question, yeah. I went back to that park. I’d go and just sit out there for hours watching the butterflies. One day, one dropped down on my knee, then my arm, then my shoulder. This old man walked by and smiled and said, ‘Someone is trying to tell you they love you,’ and he just kept on walking his dog, having no idea I started breaking down the second he turned away.” She pauses, and I shift on my feet, unsure if I should reach out and, I don’t know, hold her?
I feel compelled to do it, but I’m not sure she’d want me to, so I just stand there and wait.
“I just thought, ‘Wow, that was random,’ but it hit home, and the next day, it happened again, and then again, and I just picked up my phone and started reading all about butterflies.” She smiles up at me then. “In Greek mythology, the butterfly represents the soul’s journey. It’s about transformation and becoming. And in other cultures, it’s seen as the ultimate symbol of freedom, the path you choose to take. Well, according to Google anyway.”
My lips twitch, and I drop down on the grass, Paige following suit.
She swallows, glancing over at the butterfly Deaton is tracking as he sneaks candy as if we can’t see him. “And about a week later was when I finally sucked it up and met with my dad’s lawyers to go over the will, and there was a letter in there to me. At the bottom he had written,A butterfly’s flight is eternal, carried by the winds of choice. Freedom is the soul’s journey, where love transcends time and space. No matter the distance, no matter the lifetime. Love, like a butterfly, always finds its way home.”
My lungs expand. “That’s…”
She just nods, offering me a small smile. “Yeah. It is.”
I watch her as she watches Deaton.
He takes the lid off his candy and pours the last few pieces onto the grass in front of him, and slowly moving forward, he manages to set the jar right over the butterfly.
“I did it! I got it!” He claps his hands, standing up and giving a couple jumps before dropping right down to his knees again, this time lying flat on his belly, propped on his elbows, his chin in his hands as he smiles at the little monarch.
The butterfly flaps its wings, bouncing all through the jar as it tries to find an opening to get free before settling back on the grass.
Paige smiles at Deaton, reaching out to run her fingers through his curls. “Good job, buddy.”
He beams, sitting back and tugging the pack of Goldfish from my pocket, eating the crackers as he just watches the monarch with a smile.
My eyes move back to Paige, and after a little while, I lower onto my side, propping up on an elbow so I can be more eye level with D.
“You know,” I begin, snagging one of his Goldfish and popping it into my mouth, “I bet this little guy has friends and a family at home somewhere.”
Deaton frowns at the little jar, and after a second, he shakes his head. “No, I think he just flew all around.”
“Maybe he does, but I bet he goes home at night.”
His frown deepens, and he starts to shake his head again, so I pull out the big guns.
“I bet he gets so excited to go home and see his mama at bedtime.”
Paige shakes her head knowingly, and I give her a subtle wink because the moment it leaves my mouth, Deaton starts chewing on his lip.
It doesn’t take long after that for him to pull the jar up and the monarch breaks free the second it can, but shockingly, it doesn’t go far. It circles back.
It circles me, then settles on the grass about a yard from Paige’s pinkie.
She grins down at it and then Deaton jumps up.
“Let’s go make some treats!” He tugs on her hand.
So that’s exactly what we do.
It might be the most refreshing day I’ve had all year.
