We set off in the direction we last saw the Frisbee. Lyle and I turned on our phone flashlights, deciding to split up in order to cover more ground. I took the right side while Lyle took the left. We weren't more than twenty feet away when Lyle called out to me.
"Think we'll find any aliens out here?" She jested referring to my outburst about an unidentified flying object.
"It was a really big frisbee alright?" I protested as I walked through the thicket waving my flashlight around in slow waves.
Lyle chuckled. "You sound like my friend, he's really into conspiracy theories."
"Does he have a cork board with a bunch of thumbtacks and red string connecting them?"
"How did you know?"
"Just an educated guess." I shrugged to myself. "So this is your last night isn't it." I noted remembering she took the room for three nights and that we'd have another family coming in soon to take her place. I'd been trying to put off the thought for as long as I could but it needed to come to the surface sooner or later.
Whether I figured her out or not I was happy to have met Lyle.
"I guess so." She replied a drop of regret in her voice -or maybe it was just my imagination.
"What are your plans after you leave?" I ventured casually peaking my head under a bush with little luck.
"Not sure."
"So what you just hop in your car and drive until you run out of gas?"
"It's a foolproof strategy. You should try it sometime."
"I don't think I'd get very far." I snorted remembering my last failed attempt to leave by train.
"You never know." Her words carried through the branches as if she were the voice of reason.
This time I didn't respond. Not because I didn't want to but because I didn't have a reply. The truth was, for me, it was much harder to leave than filling up my gas tank, packing a few pairs of undies, and waving a simple goodbye over my shoulder.
If I left, I would be leaving my mother.
The thought isn't rational, she was technically the one who left me. And I could take a painting or two of hers with me, just to keep her close. However, there was something unsettling about being more than a day away from Unit #16.
As much as I was curious about the world, I was bound here by my curiosity over my mother and what little detail I had about her.
So no. I couldn't just hop in a car and drive until the gas light came on. There were things that anchored me here. Until I dug the hooks out of the sand I was meant to stay.
I turned to look back through the trees, I could clearly see the outline of the fire blazing some fifty feet away. The voices of muted conversation carried through the trees. It was comforting to be close yet removed from the event. There was no stress to please or host, but I also knew that I wasn't alone.
My mind shifted gear at the thought of the crowd gathered around the fire. The night had been so busy I'd completely forgotten about the unexplained tension I'd felt between Lyle and the two men. I ran through the faces I'd catalogued while at the table, Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones were one of the few guests I hadn't seen.
"Lyle," I began as I took a few deliberate steps in her direction. "Why do you think those men thought they knew you?"
"What men?"
"The men we met coming out of the basement, you seemed tense with them." I tried to play off my question as a mere casual insight, though I found myself holding my breath as I awaited the answer.
"Ah," She paused and I heard some rustling as she pulled down a low tree branch to inspect it for the Frisbee. "I guess I just have one of those faces."
"I guess so." I muttered in thought. Again it was clear to me that there was something she wasn't giving up. A hole in the damn that she patched too quickly.
After a few more minutes of searching I was about to give up when Lyle's voice broke through the silence. I aimed my light in her direction, catching her proud stance as she stood with the Frisbee held high above her head.
"I found it!" She exclaimed waving the disk in victory.
We met in the middle in a clearing between two enormous pine trees and inspected the toy. The Frisbee was bigger than my head and I rationalized with myself that anyone could have thought 'UFO' at first. I brushed off a few leaves and bits of mud that clung to the plastic surface.
"Good as new!" I smiled then turned slightly toward the bonfire eager to return it to the anxious group of children.
Before I could take a step Lyle reached out and took my arm, gently drawing me back to the small clearing. Her motion pulled me closer than I was previously standing and I allowed the warmth of her touch to spread up my arm before she released it.
I stood speechless for the second time that night. She had pivoted unintentionally so that the moon was directly above her, casting a white glow around her body. The ethereal light focused mainly on the crown of her head. She looked angelic, and in a way mysterious. The moonlight illuminated her silhouette, yet there were still deep shadows that played off the bridge of her nose and her forehead hiding aspects of her features.
"Is this the kind of stuff you draw?" She asked lengthening her arms from her shoulders as she gestured to the shadow of nature around her.
"I usually like better lighting." I mumbled not really paying attention to her words so much as her mouth as I continued to watch the moonlight rain upon her face.
Perhaps this was how I would capture her best. By intentionally hiding parts of her as the shadows did.
"I'd like to see them before the Louvre premiere?" She lowered her hands. Her head tilted slightly as I realized she was no more than a few inches away. Her voice a whisper and I wondered if her interest was more in the paintings or inviting herself over.
My eyes crossed as I tried to focus on her own. The flecks of brown faded into green acting like shadows themselves.
I hesitated with my answer. What was she expecting? My mothers work or mine? Or would she be able to tell the difference?
She leaned closer and I felt myself instinctively doing the same.
I shrugged and mumbled something inaudible as my mind became more focused on our proximity. She was centimeters away as I closed my eyes, urging myself to let the moment happen instead of trying to deconstruct her motives. I could feel her warm breath on my lips an-
"May?" Graces distinctively jovial voice cut through the air like a boomerang, wielding itself millimeters between Lyle and I's nose causing us to immediately retract.
I swore under my breath as her voice continued to carry through the branches and leaves. "May did you find it? I need you to fetch something."
I gave Lyle a tight smile as I reluctantly shifted my body away from hers and motioned for her to follow me.
Grace stood by the s'more table her hands angled toward the right corner in confusion. "Thank god, I thought we lost you. Someone-" She paused as she noticed Lyle who stood a few inches away from me. She examined her and gave me an insinuating look whilst wiggling her eyebrows.
"We were looking for a Frisbee." I motioned to Lyle's outstretched arm. No sooner had I spoken then Cindy - or Sandy - and her band of merry men pounced on Lyle showering her in hugs before quickly taking off with the toy.
Apparently, I was chop liver.
"Anyway," Grace continued as we watched the kids run to the other side of the bonfire to restart their game. "It looks like someone ate all of the marshmallows, I don't know how it happened, maybe someone has a fetish or something, but I do know that we need more. Can you grab some please. Dania and Evelyn had to run to get more wood with Tony, they should be back any minute now but you know how it is." She took a quick breath pausing only for a second. "Then when you get back I have the craziest story to tell you, it involves the mayor!" She sang as she twirled around in her spot, clearly in heaven.
I turned to Lyle to excuse myself but she surprised me.
"You stay," Lyle held out her palm. "I can get it, besides I don't know if Grace will be able to wait much longer."
"She might explode." I mused letting a smile spread to my lips.
"I heard that." Grace replied placing her hands on her hips in good humor.
Lyle exchanged an amused glance with me before heading off to the Tudor home.
"They are on the kitchen counter." I called after her.
The second story was dark as all the guests were gathered outside but the light for the foyer was on and I know from experience a small portion of it spilled into the kitchen that was otherwise dark. I couldn't see into the kitchen, as we'd pulled all the blinds in an effort to deter customers from helping themselves to the room. I experienced a brief lapse where I instinctively wanted to follow Lyle, my pretext was to help her find the light to the kitchen, but really I was sad to see her go - even if it was only for a few moments.
Grace's hip bumped me as we watched Lyle saunter off toward the side door. "I get the feeling you have more to tell than I do."
"Don't count me a win yet." I warned wagging a finger at her growing smile.
In response Grace gave my hip another bump before diving into her story. Next month the mayor would be bringing the local paper for a photo op and naturally Grace was already equal parts excited and anxious to make the event even better than today's.
Evelyn, Dania, and Tony joined us a few minutes later and launched into the marshmallow debacle building off of Grace's outlandish fetish theory, to which Tony and I exchanged a few eye rolls. Soon the conversation ran dry and shifted to me as both the girls peered anxiously around for Lyle.
"So where is that gal Grace says you've been spending so much time with?" Evelyn asked shimmying her shoulder against mine.
"She went inside to get us marshmallows." Grace coed twirling her finger in the air. Tony shot me a look of pity.
I pulled out my phone to check the time. It'd been awhile since Lyle had left and because the treats were right on the counter I didn't expect it to take her that long. My hands fidgeted by my side, what could possibly be taking her so long?
"I'm going to go check on her, can you watch the table?" I excused myself turning to the girls.
"Say hi for us!" Evelyn shouted after me.
"Yea don't take too long." Dania sang.
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Grace les-blocking my gals !!
Anyhow vote & comment if you like !