My submission for the Summer Shorts 2018 Anthology.
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He first met her in the summer of 2000.
His little sister had been endlessly complaining all day, stamping her tiny feet and crying. Eventually he caved into her demands and brought her to a nearby ice-cream shop. That was when he saw her.
She was serving a large family cones dripping with ice-cream, her wavy caramel hair flipping over her shoulder as she laughed. His heart flipping over backwards, he approached the ice-cream counter with Kealie holding his hand.
"What do you want, sweetie?" Her voice was like honey, sweet to his ears.
"Bubblegum!" Kealie squealed, and the girl smiled.
"Good choice," she said as she handed her a cone. "And for you?"
Her eyes were on his suddenly, and they were bright, brighter than the sun that shone outside. "Um, vanilla."
She raised an eyebrow, and he regretted picking the most boring flavour in history. She served him his ice-cream, her tanned hand briefly touching his as he handed over the money, and in a moment, he was out of the shop like nothing had happened.
He went back to that shop every single day. He learned that her favourite flavour was strawberry, that she was sixteen, like him, and that her name was Summer. It fit perfectly.
The summer was nearly over when he went in. He ordered vanilla, same as always, and Summer raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"So, Jackson, are you ever going to ask me out?" She said teasingly, and he gulped.
In the summer of 2001, they made the most of their time away from school in the good weather. They spent days going on trips to wherever their heart's desired in her open-topped car. He always liked picnics because they were able to curl up together on the blanket afterwards, looking up at the clouds.
"This has been the best summer ever." Summer told him as it was drawing to a close. She grinned, and he smiled back at her, at her free spirit, at her sense of adventure, at her longing to someday leave their small town and embark into the great wide world. He wanted nothing more than for her to be happy.
"I love you," he told her, because it was true. He loved her so much it made his heart burst.
She giggled. "I know that, silly." She flicked his nose. "I've been waiting for you to say that for so long." She closed the gap between them, and he tasted strawberries off her lips.
They decided to go on a big road trip in the summer of 2002 with all their friends, to celebrate leaving high school. They travelled along the never-ending coastline of America, drinking beer and partying at night and holding each other's hair back in the mornings. They stayed at cheap motels along the way, Summer nestled in beside him every night, her steady breathing making him feel at ease.
They'd been together nearly two years, and they were still overflowing with love with each other. He never got bored of being with her. Summer was his, and he was hers; that was just the way it was, the way it always had been. It seemed impossible for that ever to change.
They rented a room in a hotel one night, to truly get some alone time together which was rare on such a big trip. Afterwards, she sat out on the balcony, wrapped in a sheet, head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad we're both going to NYU together." She said, tilting her eyes up to his. "Promise me you'll stay with me forever?"
"I promise."
"Good," she sighed, snuggling closer to him. "Because I really can't imagine spending the summer without you."
During the summer of 2003, however, things changed.
They'd taken a break from studying. He was getting on well at NYU; Summer, on the other hand, was struggling to stay afloat in the competitive waters. School had never been her thing, with too many rules that shackled her down, and he doubted that she would even have attempted college without him.
"Hurry up," he called, pulling his shoes on. "Our flight back to New York leaves in a couple of hours." Swallowing, Summer sat up in the bed, shaking her hair off her face.
"I'm not going."
He paused. "Sorry?"
"You love it there Jackson, and that's great, I'm happy for you. But I don't. I'm going to go exploring with some girls in Europe. I have my trust fund, and I have my passport. I'll be back to see you next summer."
"No." He stated. "You can't just tell me you're dropping out."
She shrugged. "It's all arranged."
Anger began to rise in him. "And you only just decided to let me in on your plans now? What about us? Do you even know the people you're going with? Do you have any idea how hard it'll be to get a job without a degree?"
She rolled her eyes. "I knew you'd be like this. I don't need or want a job. The girls are nice. Don't worry about me. Just go, you'll miss your plane."
With one harsh look, he said before leaving, "If you leave, don't expect me to be waiting for you when you come back."
But of course in the summer of 2004 he was standing at the airport, waiting to collect the girlfriend he barely communicated with. He barely recognised Summer when she arrived - her skin was tanned, and her hair was brown. It wasn't a look that suited her.
"I knew you'd be here," she declared, throwing her arms around him.
"I love you," he sighed. "I was angry, but I would never have left you."
"Good," she grinned with familiarity. "Let's go."
The summer of 2005 was much the same. She chatted non-stop about the wonders of travelling, and he tried not to let it bother him that she didn't ask about NYU.
She prepared to leave again, this time for South America. "This is your last year at NYU. Next year, you'll be free." She squeezed his hand across the dinner table. "You can join me."
His brow furrowed. "Join you?"
She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Travelling."
"Hold on," he said slowly. "I don't want to go travelling. I'm doing well; I hope to have lots of offers for work lined up next year."
"That's so boring." She rolled her eyes. "Come with me."
"No." She raised her eyebrows.
"What do you mean no?" Her voice took a sharp edge, its honeyed flavour long gone.
"I'm not gallivanting around the globe." He said firmly. "I want a life, a job, a house somewhere. I don't want to live off your trust fund until it runs out."
"What does that mean?" Her voice shook with barely withheld fury. "You said you wanted me to be happy - this is what makes me happy. You're leaving me."
"No. You left me." He was shouting now, attracting attention. "You left me so you could live out all your hopes and dreams, and expected me to show up every summer to hear about them. It's always been about your happiness, what you want. I'm not allowed to have an opinion or say. Its all about you."
She shoved the table towards him. "Screw you, Jackson," she spat, her eyes full of fire. "Screw. You."
He didn't see her again until the summer of 2006, when she showed up on his doorstep, her pretty face clouded with lines of stress and worry.
"Jackson - I'm in trouble." She pleaded. "Help me. Please." She unfolded her jacket, and he laid eyes on the small bump protruding from her stomach.
For a moment, for a heart-stopping, gravity-defying moment, he thought he was about to become a father. Then he remembered that the last time he'd been with Summer was over a year ago.
"What the hell did you do?" The last time they'd spoken they'd fought, but he couldn't believe that in their time apart she'd gotten impregnated.
"Please," she repeated. "I can't do this. I can't raise a baby - I'm barely an adult. I need you to be my rock, my anchor, like always."
"So you want me to raise another man's child," he said shortly, and she nodded.
"I can't do this," she whispered, her tone desperate. "You wanted a wife, you wanted a family, you wanted a stable future. Well, here I am, offering everything you want. Take it."
Her face was too fragile, so he concentrated on the bump, living proof that Summer had moved on all too easily. He couldn't do this, he knew that. He couldn't give in, even if he still loved her, even if he just wanted to help her.
And yet in the summer of 2007, he found himself exchanging vows with her on a sunny day at the beach, baby Tina secured in her Aunt Kealie's arms. After the ceremony, he went over to her.
"Come to Daddy," he cooed as Kealie passed the baby into his arms, a scowl on her face.
"Yeah," she snorted. "Like you're the father."
His heart skipped a beat. "Sorry?"
"I'm not stupid. I know how babies are made," Kealie scoffed. "Everyone knows that is biologically impossible for that child to be yours, given you only see each other in the summer. Everyone knows that birth certificate is a lie. We all tiptoe around it because we don't understand why on earth you would allow yourself to marry this woman, to raise this child. Don't kid yourself, Jackson. Don't think for a second that anyone here is happy about this wedding."
"You're wrong," he insisted. "I love Summer, and she loves me. People are happy for us. We're going to be together forever."
In the summer of 2008 he regretted his hasty words as he woke up one morning to find all Summer's things gone in their new house. She left him with only a note.
I had to go. I'm sorry. I'm not cut out for motherhood. I was made to travel and explore, not to be cooped up in a house all day watching a baby. I can't do this.
- Summer
That was the last he heard from her until the summer of 2009, when he walked in to find her sitting at the kitchen table like nothing had changed.
"I went to Australia," she told him cheerfully. "It was incredible. How's things been? How's Tina?"
He was glad that his parents had offered to mind Tina to allow him to have the night off. It meant she wouldn't be in the middle of whatever this was. "What are you doing here?" He said in a dangerously low voice.
She laughed. "Relax. I came here to get a divorce." She slid a sheaf of papers across the table. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"Oh, good," He said sarcastically. "Making sure you're okay has been my top priority."
She beamed. "Aw, aren't you sweet! Don't worry, you can keep Tina. Sign here and here."
She looked at him expectantly, and he resisted the urge to throttle her. "You don't even want to see your daughter?"
"Nah," She said lightly. "I hated being a mother. I'm young, I'm pretty, I'm rich. I have a million things to do with my life and none of them include going to terrible dance recitals or looking after a needy child."
"You don't even care." He shook his head. "What kind of mother doesn't even want to see their own child?"
She looked annoyed. "I told you, I'm not a mother. I don't want to be. Now, sign the papers."
"You were the one who wanted to get married." He was beginning to shout now. "You were the one who begged me to raise your child. I'm the one you turned to with all of your problems and mistakes. You're the one who expected me to do everything for you. You are selfish, Summer, you are selfish to the core, and I cannot believed I wasted so much time on you." He leaned over and signed the places indicated with a swirl of furious black pen. "Good riddance to you."
She picked the papers up slowly. "Bye," She said, and smiled her pretty smile, but he had long ago realised that her innocent looks were receiving. She was as captivating as the day he first met her, but he knew her now. Her spell over him had been broken; he would no longer follow her about, obeying her every command. She walked out the door one final time, and he never saw her again.
In the summer of 2010 he met Dianne.
He was dropping Tina off at daycare before he rushed off to work, when a harassed looking woman with jet black hair ran up to the door with a child his daughter's age in tow.
"Kiss Mommy bye." She said, planting a lipsticked kiss on her son's cheek. "Have fun." She ushered him inside and turned to see him staring at her.
"What?" She demanded, walking towards him. "Never seen a single black mother before? Disgusted that I have a full time job as well as having a child? I bet your wife stays at home with all the kids whilst you earn the big bucks, Mr Fancy Suit." She eyed him with disgust.
He swallowed. "Actually, I'm a single dad, so I have a lot of respect for you. I have a full time job as well. My ex-wife ran out on me and my daughter, so I raise her alone."
She blinked. "Oh. Sorry. I'm Dianne Winter." She smiled at him, and it lit up her face.
"Jackson." He returned.
"Maybe I could buy you a coffee sometime. Us single parents need to stick together!" She joked. He laughed.
"That would be nice."
By the time the summer of 2011 rolled around, he was the groom at another wedding, this one smaller. Both sides of their family were happy that their children and grandchildren were getting another shot at happiness.
Dianne never looked more beautiful as she did walking down the aisle. Neither of them had wanted to wait any longer. Their children were best friends, and they loved each other. That was enough.
It was a quick wedding, and afterwards, watching Dianne twirl a laughing Tina around, he realised he was happy. That this was the happiest summer of his life, and it was about to get even better, as they were embarking on a family holiday.
He would never forget Summer. She had led him to this happiness. Without her there would be no Tina, he would never have met Dianne. He wouldn't have a second child in Dianne's son.
Meeting Summer had changed his life, and leaving Summer had made it worthwhile.
Maybe it was fate. Or maybe it was just the magic of summer.