Shane sat at the kitchen table, haphazardly shoving forkfuls of scrambled eggs into his mouth. His stomach lurched at the thought of food, but he knew better than to not at least attempt at having breakfast after a night of drinking. Marnie sat across from him, studying his face as if waiting for the right moment to get something off her chest. Shane knew his aunt well enough to figure there was some kind of lecture incoming.
"Just spit it out, Aunt Marnie. You clearly have something to say."
Marnie dropped her fork and folded her hands neatly in front of her. "I was just wondering what you were up to today."
Shane eyed her suspiciously. "I uh, I was just gonna hang around, maybe play some video games, why?"
Marnie shook her head. "I knew you were gonna forget."
"Forget what?" Shane searched the depths of his mind for any plans he had made, but nothing came up.
"You promised Jas you would spend time with her today."
Oh shit. Jas. Shane had no excuse to offer up this time. The reasons he usually put forth not to hang out with her were unconvincing and weak anyway. Shane loved his daughter, he really did, perhaps more than anything. He just hadn't quite figured out if it was better for her to have him as a poor excuse for a father in her life, or to ignore her for her own good. She was the reason Shane moved to Pelican Town in the first place. After the car crash that took her mother's life, Shane thought it would be best for Jas to escape the bad memories that the city held and move out to the countryside. There was even a time where he thought that coming here would fix him. That he would magically be better, no more drinking, no more depression, just a happy single father raising an eight-year-old. That fantasy was long gone.
Sighing, Shane said, "I guess I could take her to the park for a couple hours."
Marnie gave a half-hearted smile. "That would be nice, dear. She's in her room playing now, why don't you go get her and I'll pack you guys a picnic basket."
Shane simply nodded and started toward Jas' room.
"Hey, Jazzy," he said, ruffling her hair. "What do you say we go to the park and play on the swings today?"
Her face lit up, instantly melting Shane's heart. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" she giggled, "Thank you daddy!"
Shane knew her unconditional love for him would only last so long. She was just young enough to appreciate the time her father did spend with her rather than dwell on the overwhelming majority of times where he neglected her and left her to Marnie's care.
"Put on your shoes, kiddo. No more running around barefoot, the ground's getting too hot."
Jas gave him a stubborn look, but padded over to the spot in the corner where her beat-up purple sneakers lay. Shane had been meaning to get her a new pair, but he hadn't got around to it. Plus, it would put a strain on the large budget he allotted for buying alcohol.
After Jas was ready, and their picnic basket stuffed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips courtesy of Marnie, the two started toward the playground north of town, hand in hand.
Upon arrival, Shane took two corners of the red and white checkered picnic blanket Marnie had packed for them, and shook it in the wind, spreading it over the ground. He had just sat down and gotten as comfortable as he could be with his aching body on the uneven dirt, when Jas poked him right in the center of his forehead. "No, daddy," she frowned. "You're supposed to go on the swings with me. It's no fun if you just watch."
Shane reluctantly got up and followed his daughter to the creaky swing set. He wedged his body as best as he could between the ropes and on to the child-sized wooden seat. He rocked back and forth a little, feet dragging on the ground. Jas soared high in the air, pumping her legs as hard as she could until she was practically flying. The blissful child yet to be crushed by the burdens of the world looked ironic next to a pitiful looking Shane. Still, he watched her contently, pleased to see that she was so enthralled with something so simple as a seat with some rope. Shane was just beginning to grow tired of the mundane motion when he caught sight of two blonde pigtails bouncing in the wind as a figure emerged from the abandoned community center across the way.
It had been just over a week since Shane's encounter with Audrey at the dock last Saturday. He had been doing everything in his power to avoid her since then. He even steered clear of the saloon, opting for downing a six pack in the barn at home instead. He was happy to see that Audrey was a regular customer at Pierre's, Joja Mart's biggest competitor, so he never had to worry about seeing her while he was at work. He prayed, despite being adamantly atheist, that Audrey would keep walking in the other direction, but Jas' swing let out a loud creaking noise and her attention snapped over to the playground. She spotted Shane and began walking over, much to his chagrin.
"Hey Shane!" she beamed, not a twinge of embarrassment in her voice. How could she not be mortified over me making out with her then suddenly up and running without any explanation? She continued, "Who's this little cutie? I didn't know Marnie had a daughter. She seems a little past the fertile range, if you know what I mean."
"She's mine," Shane said under his breath, preparing for the judgements he was usually met with when people found out that he of all people was a single father. He'd heard the town gossip time and time again. He was well aware that people pitied Jas for getting stuck with an alcoholic dad that paid her little to no mind.
Shane looked up from his seated position on the swing, noticing that Audrey was patiently waiting for further explanation. He grimaced, and began the usual spiel.
"She, uh… her mom, my girlfriend, died a couple years back. We met in high school and Fiona had her pretty young…" he trailed off, hoping that was enough to satisfy Audrey's curiosity. He felt a pang of sadness as Fiona's name left his mouth. They weren't a perfect couple by any means. They fought. A lot. But Fiona was still Shane's first love and the mother to his daughter. He felt a tear well up in his eye, but he wiped it away before Audrey could notice.
At that point, Jas had stopped swinging and was staring at Audrey, intrigued, maybe also a little fearful.
"May I?" Audrey asked Shane, motioning toward Jas.
"I guess, but um, she's pretty shy so don't take it personally if she doesn't wanna talk."
Audrey nodded and strode up to the little girl, who now sat stationary on the swing, her feet dangling in the air. "Hi Jas, my name is Audrey, I'm your new neighbor! I love your purple dress," she cooed.
Jas looked up at her and gave a small, reserved smile. "Hi" is all she squeaked out.
Audrey bent down and plucked a wild dandelion from the earth. She dusted off a bit of dirt, and handed it to Jas. "Pretty flower for the pretty girl."
"I love gifts!" Jas jumped off the swing and gave Audrey a big hug, wrapping her tiny arms around Audrey's legs. Shane looked on in shock, as Jas usually did not take to strangers with such ease. He waited for Jas to let go of Audrey before addressing her. "Why don't you go play on the slide for a while."
As much as Jas was acting as a barrier for the unspoken thoughts between him and Audrey, Shane felt as if he owed her an explanation. He typically didn't care enough to explain his erratic, drunken actions to others, but something about this time felt different. He almost felt embarrassed. It was hard for someone so numb to feel shame over something like breaking off a kiss. After all, he aired out the rest of his dirty laundry for the whole town to see. He was even privy to the fact that his manager often knew when he was drunk at work. After so many public displays of his idiocy, Shane had truly grown to be shameless. Still, he was compelled to tell Audrey why he left her at the lake that night and hadn't spoken to her since.
After Jas had run off to play, he started, "I'm sorry about last week." His voice cut off, but his mouth stayed open. He had more to say, but instead, he awaited Audrey's reaction to gauge if he should continue or not.
"Don't be," Audrey gave a forced looking smile that she probably meant to come off as reassuring. "We were drunk and I was horny. Maybe we can try again some time?"
Shane stared at her with wide eyes for a moment. He was utterly astonished that Audrey, now sober, now seeing him in the light of day, would want to be intimate with him again. He shook his head at himself. Is she fucking serious? This has to be some sort of sick joke. That dickhead Sebastian probably put her up to it. Nobody in their right mind would want to get with me.
"I ran off for a reason, Audrey. I poison everything I touch. Whatever you're trying to do here, just stop, okay? It isn't worth it, trust me. I don't care if you're fucking with me or if you're dead serious. I don't want anything to do with you."
Audrey sunk into herself and glared at Shane with her jaw agape. She looked like a hurt animal, skittish and on edge. Shane almost felt bad, but he knew telling her off was for the better. Some part of him, deep down, wanted her. Though it was dark that night at the dock, just the outline of her body alone made his heart race. In spite of that, he didn't need another person to corrupt with his bullshit. He knew it would never be just a hookup. Small town relationships were always complicated. Besides, she did business with his aunt and that could get awkward, fast. He felt confident in his decision to treat her as he did the rest of the town, like just another inconvenience to his already shit life.
Sometime during his dissociative state of contemplation, Audrey's hurt had turned to anger. Her fists were clenched at her sides, and her face tomato red and scowling. "Fuck you, Shane Mitchells," she bellowed, and stormed away, not looking back.
Shane could do nothing but gawk at her as she stomped back toward town. Shortly after, Jas came running up to him.
"Where'd Miss Audrey go?"
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," Shane said softly, and slunk back down to the picnic blanket to dig into his sandwich with his daughter.
