To Wish Impossible Things

Chapter 6

Three flannels, four t shirts, one button down, one jacket, an eight pack of undergarments, a twelve pack of socks, three pairs of pants, and a rose dress later, Calvin and I were walking out of the mall and walking towards the park that was across the street. The park was always quiet, mostly people were always inside glued to their screens. Either way, more park for us. 

 "So," I started to say as I kicked a pebble with the tip of my boot, causing it to scatter across the asphalt road. "Did you have a blast in modern America? Was it everything you'd hoped it be?" 

 "Well, for starters, I did have fun shopping with you." Calvin smiles as he remembers what had happened today. "However, running into, as you called her, the town bicycle, it lost a few points. Plus, there was the thing that nearly ran me over." 

 "That was a car," I reminded him. "And you sort of ran out in front of it so that's on you." 

"I thought you were on my side?" Calvin teased as he bumped his shoulder with mine. 

"I am, teasing you is just fun," I tell him with a smile playing my lips. As we continued to walk down the road, we walk past a playground. "Do you want to go on the swings?" 

"Swings?" Calvin questioned, and I pointed to a set underneath a tree. "I don't know what those are, but sure." 

 I started to lead the way through the grass towards the swings. Normally, there would always be small children running around screaming while their parents gossiped with the others nearby. But today, there was no one. There wasn't a rogue child to be seen. I drop the dress on a nearby bench while Calvin did the same with his bags. 

 "Sit," I ordered Calvin as I pointed to the swing. 

 "Okay," he nodded as he plopped down. The chains creaked under his weight and he swung back a bit, catching him off guard a little. "Is that supposed to happen?" 

 "Yeah," I laugh as I grab the chains from behind him. "Hold on tight. Tell me if you want to stop." 

 I began to pull back on the chains before I released them. Calvin, though, wasn't amused. When I had first let go, he screamed a little, but after a few seconds he laughed. 

 "This is amazing," he says, but he was only going three feet in the air. 

"Just wait and see. You'll go higher," I said as I pushed on his back, causing him to fly up another foot. "Pump your legs." 

 "Like this?" he called out when he straightened his legs when he went forward and bent them back when he came back to me. 

 "Yeah, you're getting it," I laugh as I pushed him again. 

 Within minutes, Calvin was swinging high into the air. It was clear from the amount of laughter coming from him he was having a good time. I get behind him to give him one last push. 

 "Final push, o-" 

 "Rose," called someone from the road. I looked up and saw Nathan standing there wearing athletic shorts and a hoodie. His hair was shiny with sweat and he waved to me. 

 "What-," I start to say but I was immediately cut off when I was knocked into the air. Nathan had distracted me, and I forgot that Calvin was a swinging death trap. I landed on my back a few feet from the swing, gasping. 

 "Rose," Calvin had called out, but I didn't see him. The ground was my home now. I heard two separate footsteps coming towards me. Calvin was next to me first and Nathan showed up a few seconds later. "Rose, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."