Chapter Six
The summer sun was hot in Mineral Town. The only solace, however, was that it was not compounded with car fumes and smoggy skies. Mother Hill loomed over my farm. In the morning, it was bearable with the long shadows cast across my land. But as it reached into the later afternoon, it was like sitting beneath a hot lamp. Still, I worked diligently with weeding, hoeing, and hauling debris and garbage back and forth across my field. I tried to focus only on that, ignoring the slanted chicken coop and the gaping hole in the barn roof. It had to be one step at a time. I already knew I was in over my head but I didn't want it to get the best of me. In the one week since moving to the Goddess Isles, I was determined to make something of myself. To, for once, have something to show for my life. I wanted meaning. I craved it. The farm was like a golden ticket, handed to me on a silver platter. With each bucket dumped, it was like I was releasing everything I held so horribly in my chest. My parent's side eyes, their lack of words, my desperate loneliness - all gone with each trip.
As I watched the clumps of weeds and dried grass fall into the bin, I let out a long sigh, glancing out at the farm. With majority of the field cleared, it didn't look half as bad. It still wasn't even a fraction of the beauty Derrick once had it at, I was sure. But for some reason, I felt connected to this faceless stranger. It was as if I wanted to do this for him, too. I cast a fleeting glance at the buildings as I made my way to the shade of the barn, settling into the grass and laying flat on the ground. The island beneath me felt more familiar than anything I'd ever known. My mind wandered with all my dreams for the farm. I wanted chickens, but I'd have to become a carpenter first. Rick definitely wouldn't have any of his ladies staying in my coop. My mind whirled past the idea of horses, cows, and sheep. I could practically see a rainbow in my brain. I smiled as I felt my eyes drooping as I rested. I saw flowers blooming between freshly built fence posts, butterflies and bees zipping about happily. I saw a life I never envisioned but suddenly wanted.
My vision was filled by a swirling soft serve of strawberry and vanilla ice cream. It stood so tall atop the waffle cone. Beside me on the warm picnic table bench Gray had his own treat, chocolate to the extreme, and he was looking at it with the same adoration that I was. I only ever had ice cream when I spent time with the Williams'. Ice cream was practically their love language. It was busted out for celebrations, for frustrations, and for grief. No road trip was ever complete without a scoop. Across the table, Mrs. Williams had a small bowl to share with Mr. Williams. He was, however, busy typing away on his Blackberry, his dark, bold brow creased deeply. Susi Williams, with her mane of beautiful curly red hair, glanced to him as she took her first bite. She managed a bright smile, meant for magazines, towards me as if to reassure me. It was a natural habit to watch adults in my childhood. I looked for the smallest things that I felt others could easily overlook. A hesitant hand, an outreach stopped - I saw it all. I had witnessed it before. But something was different about Gray's parents. Their hesitation, their calculated movements, they were so much different. Susi and George Williams fascinated me.
Her blue eyes fell over him, sensing his tense muscles and hunched sitting position. After her second spoonful of ice cream, she nudged it towards him, tapping the spoon on the rim. "Georgie, the ice cream is going to melt before you finish that email." Mr. Williams didn't respond, didn't even tear his eyes away from the phone screen, as he shoveled a big scoop into his mouth and continued typing. His wife licked her lips before she turned her attention on Gray and I, who were working furiously on eating our treats. She smiled in a maternal way that I always craved to see. I was like their own flesh and blood and they treated me as such. I was always around, anyway, and never did the Williams family make me feel like a burden or an unnecessary addition to the room. My parents were never fond of George and Susi, most likely due to envy. My parents were green eyed monsters, rife with jealousy, because of how well off they were. Mrs. Williams didn't have to work, they had a maid, a big house, and shiny cars. Perhaps, also, it was somewhat of shame, too. I didn't care about the Williams' shiny granite countertops, their big screen TVs, or their huge in-ground pool. I was drawn to them because of their loving nature. The way they smiled at me, touched me, took an interest in all my hobbies. They supported my ideas and even paid for my sports equipment and piano lessons. They never missed any of my presentations or recitals. I craved their attention. I had nowhere else to get it from. Mrs. Williams always told me I was the missing piece added to their family. I was the daughter she always wanted, she had said. As a child, I had many daydreams of the Williams adopting me, just like in the movie Matilda.
Mr. Williams let out a long sigh as he now set his phone down. He shook his head as he dug into their shared cup of vanilla ice cream. Mrs. Williams sensed his frustration and rested her slender hand on his arm, running her manicured fingers tenderly against his skin. "It's such a beautiful day out, isn't it?" She said, hoping to ease the tension. "Your colleagues should be out enjoying it, too, and staying away from the DA's office."
"Might as well," He agreed, his eyes still cast down. "We're not going to win this case."
"You always say that," Mrs. Williams replied, lowering her spoon. "But things always work out in your firm's favor."
"Well, it sure would help if my client wasn't a liar," The frustration was cropping up in his voice again. Beside me, Gray listened intently, but kept his attention on his ice cream. My eyes were glued to their hands. Mrs. Williams now had laced their fingers together. I watched the way his thumb gently caressed her knuckles. "I got the wrong information and told the DA about it before we had double checked it. Now half my evidence is worthless and we're back tracking. The DA must think I'm an ass."
Mrs. Williams cast a glance at us before she leaned in towards him. "Let's just enjoy our day, Georgie. The DA is an ass himself from what I've heard about him. Win or lose, I know you did everything you can."
This brought a smile to his face and he looked to her bright eyes before giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead. Their love was like something out of a novel. They were a team and a damn good one at that. There were many times in my childhood I was jealous of Gray for this. I wanted the happy home life he had. When I was home, my dad was always drunk, yelling at the TV. My mom was unapproachable, marred with migraines from stress, and always crunching numbers in the kitchen. My room was my only solace with the one window that faced a bright honeysuckle tree just outside. When we did have good days, like when my dad wasn't hungover and made us breakfast, I cherished them. But more often than not, I pined to go to Gray's house and play on their piano or chat with Mrs. Williams as she prepared us a snack. I wish my parents could communicate like Mr. and Mrs. Williams. There was no need to raise their voices or stomp around or slam doors in each other's faces. I knew my parents loved each other but I always wondered when they had forgotten about that.
Mr. Williams seemed refreshed from his adoring wife's words and straightened up. "When we get home, why don't we bust the net out and play some water volleyball? Girls versus boys?"
"Oh, Claire and I will win by a landslide," Mrs. Williams said as she looked to me and smiled. It made my heart leap. How I loved her pearly grin. Little did I know, it'd come to haunt me for the next decade.
I felt the warm sun come over my face and I yawned widely, rubbing my cheeks. Slowly, I started to blink, but in the next beat, my brow was furrowed as I realized a pair of dark brown eyes were just inches from mine. I gasped sharply, staggering back on my hands and bumping my head against the cool brick of my barn. I realized it was Kai, but my heart was still going a mile a minute. He laughed in his carefree way, stretching out like a cat in the sun. He gave his bandana a tug as he wrapped his arms around his knees.
"What in the world are you doing here?" I asked, settling in beside him.
"Just wanted to come by and see how you were getting along on the farm," Kai shrugged. "It's not easy being the new kid on the block." He glanced out at the land sprawling in front of us. "Looks like you're getting it under wraps, though. This is a good chunk of property."
"Were you really going to buy it?" I asked, keeping my eyes focused forward.
"I wanted to," Kai bobbed his head, glancing towards me. "If I ever got my shit together."
"What is it that you do?" I looked at Kai now. It seemed like no matter what, he always had a present little smile on his lips. His dark complexion was clear with a bright disposition. He almost looked like the happiest man alive, if that were possible. He didn't even miss a beat with my blunt question.
"You, my friend, are looking at a man in search of absolute culinary perfection. My boat is my best friend and she always takes me on my way to my next contract, my next destination, my next restaurant. I've worked in all sorts of joints, some little holes in the walls, others bursting with Michelin stars. I want to be one of the great ones and I won't stop until I know I am."
"But every summer you're here in Mineral Town?" I asked and he nodded immediately in a very excited way.
"Finding Mineral Town was probably the best thing that's ever happened to me," Kai replied. "The Snack Shack is the first, and only restaurant, I can call my own. The rest of the year, I spend it learning new things and meeting interesting people. I'm honing my own unique flavor to give to Mineral Town. I hope, one day, I can live here, too."
I smiled now, tucking my chin down for a moment before I looked back out at my farm. "I feel the same way about Mineral Town. It's only been a week but… there's something special about this little island."
"You can say that again," Kai's voice was content. In the next beat, he looked at me, however, his eyebrows arched. "So, where are you from? What's Claire Hanes' story? We didn't really get to chat at the beach. You know Ann, always does all the talking."
"Well," I was somewhat flustered with the question. "There's not much to tell honestly. Um, I lived in The City. I, uh, was in the insurance business. The view from my balcony was a parking lot. Just, uh, got tired of it, I guess."
"Insurance rep turned farmer?" Kai let out a short laugh, grinning nearly ear to ear. "That'd make an interesting movie." I felt myself warm at his comment and I laughed awkwardly and instinctively.
Quickly, I clambered to my feet and dust my hands off, surprising Kai. He was quick to jump up, too. "I really need a shower since everything's done for the day. Thanks for… stopping by, Kai. I appreciate the visit." I began to brush past him to go to my house, but he spoke up again, making me stop in my tracks.
"Hey, I heard through the grapevine that Doug and Ann are feeding you until you can get your house renovated," Kai said. Maybe that was one thing I missed about the City - the anonymity. "You know, you're welcome anytime at the Snack Shack for a free meal. Between you and me, I think I can feed you better."
"Right, sure," I smiled weakly, taking another step away. My discomfort was beginning to come to the surface. The Claire I hated was coming back out. It was the girl who was afraid of anyone showing her kindness or any sort of compassion. It was the Claire that thought everyone was lying to her, inflating her sense of self worth. I didn't want to be that person anymore. I wanted to embrace life. But I couldn't help but not know how to even go about it. The amount of warmth and acceptance I had received in Mineral Town was enough to match the lifetime I had received before. It was overwhelming. And it baffled me. "I'll take you up on that offer. But, honestly, I'm really trying to stand on my own two feet."
"I understand," his smile was sincere and sweet, making me flush even more. "I remember when I first went off on my own. A whole new world I had never even known." Kai stepped closer, tilting his chin down to look at me. "But one thing I learned all those years ago, Claire, is that you can't be afraid to ask or accept the help that's given to you. It's not charity. I promise."
I took a deep breath and nodded, walking towards my house a bit more. "Thanks, Kai. I'll, uh, see you later, alright?"
"Later!" He called after me as I shut the door. I pressed myself to it trying to rationalize if I was even on the same planet anymore.
…
My duffel bag beat against my hip as I raced up the steps of the inn. I raked my damp, oily hair from my face as I pushed through the first door on the left. I paused abruptly, however, when I was confronted with a wall of perfumes and hair spray, along with a radio belting out a boy band I had forgotten long ago. I arched my eyebrows as I slowly closed the door behind me. Popuri was spread across one of the beds with numerous magazines. Some were gossip tabloids, others were for hairstyles. She was busy thumbing through a few of them, dividing her attention between news beyond the little island and tips for tight curls. At the vanity, Mary was sat looking at herself in the mirror. Half her dark onyx hair was pinned up. Behind her, Ann was bobbing back and forth with the music, a curling iron gliding through her client's hair. It looked utterly and entirely like a girl's sleepover out of a movie. Nail polish gathered on a table, face masks ready to be opened, rags soaking in a small bowl. The windows were open, allowing the warm summer breeze to flash across the room. When Ann saw me, her face brightened, and she leaned back to lower the volume on the radio.
"Hey, Claire! You're just in time for my beauty salon. Hours are tight, so get an appointment while you can," she laughed at herself, turning back to wind more of Mary's hair up in her rod.
I came further into the room, looking at the mass amount of pampering spread across the communal table. Heat lamps, bright colored polish, scrunchies, and soft headbands. "What is going on here?"
"Well, Mary and her family are taking a ferry ride for her dad's birthday, so I'm curling her hair," Ann said, still focused on what she was doing. "And since it's so warm out, Popuri wanted her hair straightened and french braided!"
Popuri looked up from her magazine. "Ann is the only one patient enough to do it."
"What about you, Claire?" Ann clacked her wand at me. "A few boxes of hair dye came in the last order from across the channel. I don't know who the heck ordered them, but there's a few in there that would be perfect for highlights!"
"Oh, that's alright," I laughed lightly, gripping the strap of my duffel bag. "I'm just here for a shower."
"Help yourself."
As I stepped across the room, Mary looked at me. "How's the farm going, Claire? You know, my father took lots of soil samples from it in the years it was unowned. I bet he's teeming with information you could use."
"I bet that's all very interesting," I nodded. "The farm's going well, though. Got some summer crops in. I think I'm getting my bearings." Kai's words were buzzing close to my ears as I pushed through the bathroom door before anyone else could ask me another thing.
You can't be afraid to ask or accept the help that's given to you.
I slumped my duffel bag to the ground and turned the squeaky knobs to get the water running. Slowly, I lowered myself to the edge, holding my hand beneath the stream. It was cold as it beaded over my skin. I curled my fingers as I recalled his sweet smile. It seemed like nothing could wipe it away. Kai had seen the world and, yet, it hadn't shoved him on his ass and held him down in the way I felt it had.
"If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to really cry about!" My mother sneered, slamming the frying pan onto the stove top.
I felt myself tensing as I walked towards the mirror, looking at my reflection that was beginning to creep over with steam.
"Move," my father's tired, gruff voice rang out in the darkness of the den, blue light from the TV slanted across the wood paneled walls. "Whatever you need, ask your mother." I pressed my essay to my chest, crumpling the shining A with the added smiley from my teacher.
I pulled the shower curtain back fully. The water was emanating off the porcelain as I slowly stepped in. It almost stung, but I didn't mind. I hugged myself, letting it all slide over me as Kai's worlds unfurled a tsunami of things I thought I had buried. But with change, came the memories of familiarity I was used to.
"Claire Renee Hanes, get down here right now or so help me god!" My mother's call barrelled up the stairs where I sat at the top, tense, leaning against the railing. "If you miss the bus, you're walking! You'll see!"
A loud belch ripped through the kitchen, drawing my attention away from my homework. My father came in, carelessly dropping his empty beer in the trash can. He reached into the fridge and grabbed another. As he twisted the cap off, he glanced to me, so small at the table. He didn't say a word, leaving silently to return to his show.
"Claire, I bought this for you," Mrs. Williams presented a box to me as Gray and I entered through the front door. I paused, my backpack sagging on my shoulders. She held it out to me with such a warm smile, I practically melted. I was slow to take it into my hands. When I opened it, I was confronted with a brand new pair of Vans sneakers, classic black, with the iconic white stripe along the sides. My current sneakers were ratty and I became acutely aware of that in the moment. "I thought it was so your style," Mrs. Williams was quick to interrupt my thoughts. "Gray loves this brand so I figured you did, too. And they match with everything. Do you like them, sweetheart?" I looked up to her and I remember doing my damndest not to cry.
My eyes ripped open. The water was waning into room temperature. I quickly wrapped it up and toweled myself off. I fingered my hair straight on my shoulders, neatly placing my bangs into place. After I dressed, I clung my duffel bag close and slowly eased the door open. The room was vacant and quiet now. I was quick to dart out, walking past the empty bar, lucky to catch Ann tending to the back. I burst out into the warm evening, my breath shallow. I turned the opposite direction from my farm, as if to walk away from where all the memories festered.
