The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 12 - Hard Labor

"Hey Kelly! You look amazing. Can I take that for you?"

She was holding a bowl of what looked like a kind of "salad" that was mostly whipped cream.

"Sure," she said dully, handing over the large bowl. I noticed her grandparents weren't with her.

"Aren't your grandparents coming?"

"They were going to visit my grandpa's cousin, but they figured I'd have more fun here," she answered without a smile.

"Oh, well I'm glad you came. So, I was wondering if you were busy next weekend. I was hoping, if you wanted to, maybe we could-"

"Is Kristy here?"

"Of course, she's in the backyard helping set up the picnic tables. Anyway, I was thinking that if you wanted to hang out, we could-"

"I can just go around." She walked off the front porch, crossed in front of the garage, and disappeared around the corner.

I was left holding a giant bowl of fluff covered with plastic wrap, wondering what just happened.

* * *

A little while later, DJ had some parent-friendly music pumping through a portable speaker as everyone ate. I'd been growing accustomed to 70's, 80's, and 90's rock thanks to my band, so it was nice to be listening to music made after I was born.

The adults were clustered around a couple large picnic tables close to the grill, and the younger crowd had colonized the two tables that sat between the pool and the house. This had been the 'kid area' for as long as I could remember. It gave a modicum of privacy, and it was in the shade. When we were younger, it also allowed parents on the inside of the house to keep an eye on us through the sliding glass doors to the basement.

I was mingling, keeping an eye on Kelly so that I could find a moment when she wasn't surrounded by friends. I felt like a lioness watching a herd of antelope, waiting for one to break away so I could isolate it.

Kala hadn't shown up yet, and my friend Cindy let me know she couldn't be there. Her family was having its own Labor Day celebration with some friends they made on their mission trip this summer. I was hoping to get some moral support from friends and introduce Cindy to Kala and Kelly. Instead, I bided my time chatting with DJ's parents. They were the least parental of all the adults, probably due to their young age. They had dated in high school when he was a senior and she was a freshman. She got pregnant with DJ that year. Instead of becoming a statistic, they fell in love and stuck together. He got a local job and waited for her to graduate. Then, they went to college together, and now they were both professionals. That's why DJ was the first of the girls to get "the talk." She once described in mortifying detail how at the age of eleven her mom had her practicing putting a condom on a banana. The constant message was, "I want you to wait, but just in case..."

Finally I saw Kelly head to the garage, probably for another drink. I excused myself and followed her. When I entered through the side door, she was kneeling down, digging through one of the coolers.

"Hey Kelly, can we talk for a second?" I asked as lightly as I could. I didn't want the weird tension I felt before to be there, so I was trying to make sure I wasn't the one to cause it.

"I guess," she said with a shrug, still looking through the cooler, and not even glancing at me. I got the message loud and clear.

"Kelly, are you mad at me or something? You seem fine until you're talking-"

"I'm fine, Analee." She stood up and faced me with a root beer in her hand. "Why wouldn't I be?" Her face was expressionless, but I felt as if she was challenging me to answer her.