Sanctity (18 page)

“Tick Tock,” Margaret was
pointing to her watch as I gave Kaley a
hearty 
goodbye
 scratch. 

Once I finished my farewell
we got on our way.  It only took about 10 minutes to get from
my house to Danielle’s.  She was waiting on the porch for me
so I knew she was anxious to be off.  I
said 
goodbye
 to Margaret and waved as she pulled away.  Dani
jumped from the porch to the walkway and handed me a bottle of
water.

“Let’s go.”

“OK, but what’s the hurry?”

“Oh, nothing…” she paused for effect, “Zach
and Charlie are riding their bikes in the park today.” 

“Ah, I see.”

Danielle was obviously hoping for an
encounter.  It was a big park though and you could spend hours
on the bike, bridle and hiking paths and never run into another
person.  I wondered if Zach knew we would be there as well and
if he would make it a point to look for us.

We walked for what must have been a half an
hour or so and were ready to give up and head back but decided to
take a short break first.  We stopped at a bridge that crossed
over one of the many creeks that ran through the park.  It was
at the bottom of a hill that corkscrewed around so you couldn’t see
anyone coming until they reached the end of the last curve. 
After we crossed the bridge we sat on a huge boulder just off to
the side of the trail and took our water bottles out. 

As I was finishing my first chug I heard a
gravelly rumble and two mountain bikes came whizzing down the hill
at breakneck speed.  They passed so close to us that I felt I
could have reached out my finger and touched them.  As they
crossed the wooden bridge and reached the other side they stopped
with a flourish; spinning their bikes in 180 degree turns while
throwing up bits of dirt and rock.  Though I couldn’t see
their faces under their helmets and glasses I knew it must be Zach
and Charlie.

They peddled up to us and dismounted from
their bikes.

“Hey Lily,” Charlie took his helmet off and
hooked it on his handlebars.  Zach did the same, “Hey Dani,”
he said. 

Danielle shaded her eyes and looked up at
them “Hi guys, fancy meeting you here.”

I rolled my eyes at her, “Yeah, fancy that,”
then nudged her in the ribs. 

I got up and started making small talk with
Charlie, “So show me your bike,” I said.

He rolled it a few feet away and started
talking about the type of bike it was.  Most of what he said
meant absolutely nothing to me but I was curious after seeing him
and Zach in action, what it would be like to ride one.  When I
told him his eyes just lit up.

“Really?”

“Sure why not?”

“Well, I haven’t met many girls who think
they want to mountain bike.  Actually, I haven’t met any girls
like that.”

Charlie looked very different without his
glasses.  I decided he must be wearing contacts in order to be
able to wear the protective lenses he had on when he was
riding.  He was a little disheveled from his helmet and the
exertion of the biking itself but overall I thought it was a good
look for him. 

“You know, my little brother has a mountain
bike that he hardly ever uses.  It’s probably about the right
size for you if you ever want to give it a try.”

“How about tomorrow?”  I eagerly
asked.

“Oh, alright,” he was taken aback, “if I can
clear it with my mom.”

“Yeah, I’ll need to talk to my aunt, too,”
some of my enthusiasm faded as I realized I couldn’t just up and
make plans on the fly like that.

We talked some more about biking, school,
the weather, whatever we could think of to pass the time while Dani
and Zach bantered back and forth.  I wondered how long it was
going to take for one or the other to get around to asking about
the formal.  It was obvious that they liked one another and I
really couldn’t imagine what the hold-up might have been.  I
sincerely hoped that if I was ever attracted to a boy that I
wouldn’t be so coy and evasive with my feelings.

Suddenly I was inspired.

“Hey the Spring Formal is coming up, let’s
all go together.” 

Danielle’s eyes grew wide in
disbelief. 

“That’s a great idea,” Zach was clearly
relieved that he didn’t have to muster up the courage to invite
Danielle. 

I was sure it was not Dani’s idea of a
perfect resolution to the conundrum but she also seemed relieved
that something had been decided before Zach and Charlie could zip
away on their bikes.

“Uh, I have a date,” Charlie piped up.

I never considered that possibility.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I mean, not sorry that
you have a date, sorry that, oh, never mind.  It would have
been fun if we could have all gone together.”

I was actually disappointed, sincerely
disappointed.  I didn’t think I wanted to go to the formal but
maybe that wasn’t the case at all. 

“Well, I know someone else who could join us
if you really want to make it a foursome,” Zach said.

“Sure, I don’t mind,” I was happy that the
prospect of going had been revived.

“Yeah, Brooke and Jake broke up and he was
planning on going stag.  I’ll ask him if he wants to join
us.”

My heart sank.  “God, no; anyone but
Jake” I thought.  I had no desire of renewing any animosity
between Brooke and me.  Jake was the worst possible scenario I
could think of.  I wanted to back out of it but Danielle was
counting on me.  I looked from Zach to Danielle to Charlie and
smiled. 

“I can hardly wait.”

“I’ll let him know.  Hey Charlie,
saddle up.” 

Before they left I gave Charlie my e-mail
address and told him not to forget about our outing.  In a few
seconds the boys were off and Danielle and I started our hike back
to her house.  Neither one of us talked much.  Danielle
was too wrapped up in the excitement of her date with Zach and I
was trying to figure a civil way to get out of mine.  My mind
was in a whirlwind and every idea that suggested itself seemed
false and unworthy. 

“Maybe Margaret will help me think of a way
out,” I thought to myself.

A squirrel ran across the trail in front of
us which reminded me of Kaley, “Oh, I keep forgetting to ask,” I
pulled Danielle out of her trance, “do you think I could bring
Kaley with me sometime when I visit?”

“I don’t know, I’ll talk to my mom though,
see what she thinks.”

“Fair enough.”

“So Jake, huh?”

Danielle knew that going with Jake would be
a huge burden for me.  She started telling me how grateful she
was and “I can’t believe you came up with that, what a great idea,
all going together.  It’s too bad about Charlie, though. 
Who do you think he’s taking?”

“Not me,” I tried to laugh if off but it was
a futile attempt since all I could think about was my misfortune of
having to go with Jake.

“I’m really sorry about Jake; I know he is
the last person you would want to go with, especially after that
whole Brooke thing.”

“It’s OK, it will all work out.”

“Are you sure, maybe someone will take him
off your hands, Missy or someone?”

I knew that would never happen.  I
thought to myself that I had better start praying that Brooke and
Jake got back together before the dance.  I tried to change
the subject, “Those bikes look pretty fun, don’t you think?”

“Uh, uh, no way! Not unless you want a
broken neck!!”  Danielle made herself perfectly clear on that
point.  “I’ve seen some of those people riding out
there.  Absolutely crazy!  Some of those trails are like
6 inches wide and covered in rocks and roots.”

“Well, I’m sure he won’t take me on any of
those.”

“Who, Jake?”

“No, duh, Charlie.  He is going to take
me riding tomorrow if I can get Aunt Margaret to agree.

“Are you insane?”

“I must be if I’m going to the Spring Formal
with Jake.”

“Well, just don’t break a leg while you’re
out there, I’ll need you on the dance floor.”

“Break a leg,” I thought.  “That might
do the trick.”

By the time we got back to Dani’s house
Margaret was there waiting for me.  Mrs. Mac had made some tea
and they were sitting at the kitchen table chatting away.  I
noticed Aunt Margaret’s new do and thought she looked very pretty
in it.  She had some of the length taken off and added some
loose layers around the ends so they framed her face a bit.  I
thought it made her look a lot younger and wondered to myself if
she ever thought about dating.  I was sure there were plenty
of single men out there who would love to meet someone like
her.

“Hi girls, how was your walk?”  Mrs.
Mac asked.

“It was fab-u-lous,” said Danielle.

“Well, I would love to hear all about it but
we really must be on our way.” 

Margaret thanked Mrs. Mac for the tea and I
said a quick farewell to Danielle, “See you Monday.”

I was thankful that Margaret was in hurry
because I really wanted to talk to her about Jake.  I began to
wish I had told her about Brooke and everything that had happened
between us that Monday after spring break so I wouldn’t feel so
deceitful on top of everything else.  I knew she would be
disappointed that I didn’t share my troubles with her.  It
wasn’t because I didn’t trust her, or felt that she wouldn’t
understand.  I just didn’t want her to worry about me and
really, it turned out to be no big deal since Brooke had been
keeping her distance.

“Aunt Margaret?”

“Yes dear,” she glanced at me as she
drove.”

“I need to talk to you about something.”

She looked surprised, “Oh, is everything
alright?” 

I began to relay the entire story to her
from Jake’s staring fest in homeroom, to what happened in Art and
the lunchroom.  I left out the part about the eerie feeling I
got when I touched Brooke but told her everything else up to the
point where Danielle and Zach finagled me into going to the dance
with Jake.

It took quite a bit of time to get through
the whole tale and I was just wrapping up as we got home. 

“Hmm,” she said.  “I’m not sure what I
would do in a situation like yours.  I think it’s great that
you are going to the dance but this Jake character, that sounds
like trouble.”

“I know.  It’s just going to open up a
whole new can of worms with Brooke.  I can’t stand Jake
either; I’m not sure I can go through with it.  I know it
means a lot to Danielle but I am only willing to go so far to help
a friend.”

“Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” she
tried an encouraging smile, “maybe we will come up with something,
or maybe Jake and Brooke will get back together,” she raised her
eyebrows optimistically.

I, too, thought that was my only hope but
couldn’t imagine being so lucky.  “Maybe,” I
mumbled. 

Kaley must have managed to get her leash off
the kitchen table because as soon as Margaret let us in the
house I found Kaley stationed in the hallway with it dangling from
her mouth.  Her tail was wagging and sweeping the floor.

“Well you’re not too demanding, now are
you?”  I ruffled her ears.

“I’ll start dinner.  Come and help me
when you’re back.”

The days were getting longer and it was not
quite dark yet.  It had cooled down somewhat, though, so I
remembered my sweatshirt and retrieved it from the car.  Kaley
was straining on her leash while I pulled it over my
head. 

“OK, OK, I’m coming.”

Instead of going in our usual direction
towards the greenway Kaley started taking me in the opposite
direction.  She seemed to have some agenda that I wasn’t aware
of.  She was very excited and there was a happy bounce in her
step.  I felt like she was tracking something.  I didn’t
see anything unusual, just a man getting into his car and driving
away.  As the car pulled from view Kaley gave up whatever
quest it was that she was on and turned us around to head back
home.

“What was that all about?” 

Kaley looked back as if to say “None of your
business.” 

She stepped off the sidewalk a few paces
from our driveway and waited patiently for me to clean up when she
was done.  The garage was open so I dropped the baggy in the
barrel and went inside through the mudroom.  Margaret was in
her apron chopping up veggies.

“How was your walk?”

“Odd,” I said, “Kaley was tracking something
I think.  She made me go towards the main road rather than the
greenway.  I don’t know what she was after but whatever it was
she sure was happy about it.”

Margaret looked a little puzzled and
somewhat nervous, “It could have been a squirrel or a skunk,” she
suggested.  “Maybe you shouldn’t let her lead you like
that.”

“Maybe.  If she’s determined enough,
though, I might not have a choice.” 

I put her leash on the table and washed up
to help Margaret with dinner.  “So what’s on the menu for
tonight?”

“Pork Tenderloin.  I picked one up this
afternoon.  They don’t always have them but when they do, they
sell out fast, so I got it while I could.

She walked me through the rub she intended
to use and had me blend the spices for her.  While I was
working on those she started simmering a glaze that we were going
to put on during the last few minutes of baking.  Once the
tenderloin was in the oven she got the steamer ready and set the
timer so we would know when to start the veggies and I took the
opportunity to feed Kaley.

Once I was finished I asked Margaret about
biking with Charlie.  “He is going to let me borrow his
brother’s bike and we’re going to take it easy; it’s just to see if
I like it, you know?”

“What about a helmet?”

“Oh, I’m sure I can borrow one of those,
too.”

“I suppose it’s alright but you have to
promise me to wear a helmet and take it easy.  Let me know
about the times and what not and if it doesn’t interfere with
anything else, you can go.”