Re: A story of love, loss and life - Trifecta - lesbian sex
Posted: 04 Sep 2016 09:45
Over the next hour I let Lilah tell me everything she desired, from crazy kitchen stories to her inability to Parallel Park. I was so enamored in everything she said, and the lewd thoughts that had danced around earlier had all but vanished. I began thinking at one point how I probably should have done this awhile ago. I was happy I hadn't though, I wouldn't have met Lilah then.
Lilah checked her watch and frowned, "I should probably be going. I have an early shift tomorrow."
"Can I walk you back to your car?" I asked a bit too quickly.
"No." she said.
That stung. I thought that we had really hit it off. "Oh. Okay."
"You can walk me home though. I live a couple blocks away." Lilah's grin told me that she had enjoyed tricking me. I wasn't sure if that made me like her more or not.
"You're on." I replied and stood up.
The night was cool, with crisp air that felt good to breathe in, something that didn't exist back in New York. It was something that I had missed from Washington as well. The west coast just felt good in your lungs.
"So," I said after a minute or so of walking with Lilah. "Can I see you again?"
"I would like that...but-" she hesitated, chewing on her lip instead of finishing her sentence.
"But?" I encouraged.
"Well the thing I said earlier about dating, I know that's how it is. Believe it or not you have a bit of a reputation and I'm not that girl." Lilah shrugged. 'It is what it is' the shrug said.
I mulled this over. She was saying that I would have to be all in on this. Did I want that? Could I even do that?
"All right." I said. I'm not sure either of us knew what it meant, because after that it was silent.
"This is it." Lilah said softly, her eyes on the ground.
I bit my lip and looked at her hard. She was such a pretty, funny, intelligent girl. I could give this a real try for once, couldn't I?
"Well good night." She said and began to walk towards the door.
"Lilah wait." I called out to her and she turned back, "I would really like to see you again. I'm not trying to ask you to be that girl. I just want to see you again."
She smiled. Like the first smile she had given me tonight, it was a blindingly beautiful.
"I'll keep in touch." She whispered and turned her back to me again.
"Oh, one more thing!" I said and she looked back.
I leaned in quick and gave her a peck on the cheek, "Good night." I muttered with a sly smile. I didn't wait for the repercussions, I just walked off. With a happy tune on my lips I decided that I would thank Ollie for this little set up after all.
***
Despite the fact that I still had a ton of work piled up I ended up deciding on a little road trip a few days later. The very concept of maybe getting into a relationship had brought back thoughts from a time that I had repressed long ago. Mixed in with those thoughts was something else that was entirely different however-the realization that I hadn't seen my aunt Tanya in over 8 years. It was true we had only been close for that summer, but it was enough that I missed her terribly sometimes. There had been many points after I moved to New York that I wished I could just call her up and ask for help.
There was every intention in my mind that I would go and see her once I came back to California, but as much as I wanted to see her there was a fear in the trip as well. The last thing I wanted was to see the girl that haunted my past. That would literally be the worst possible outcome ever. Of course, the desire to see my Aunt Tanya was greater than that petty fear.
Tanya's place looked more or less the same when I first pulled up. On closer inspection though, something seemed to be off. Where beds of flowers usually laid by the doors there was only patches of dirt and dead grass, obviously they had come up a while ago. The paint on the side paneling was peeling and there were small cracks forming up the stone steps as well.
My brows pulled together and I frowned. The Tanya I knew as a kid would have never allowed this kind of disarray to fall over her house. For a moment I wondered if it was actually her that would answer the door after I gave it three hard raps.
I uttered a sigh of relief when her face showed up from behind the door, but it quickly caught in my chest. Her appearance jarred me in the same way the house had. She looked mostly the same but there was something else not right.
There used to just be a sprinkling of gray in her dark locks, but now it shot right through to her scalp and made you ponder on her original hair color. The lines in her face had become deeply engraved and she seemed much skinnier. Not just skinnier though, she looked fragile.
Tanya blinked a few times, registering my appearance here. "Marley?" she finally choked out, her voice sounding as thin as the rest of her.
"Yeah." I nodded, trying to file away my shock, "It's so good to see you Aunt Tanya."
My aunt threw her frail arms around me and held tight. I hugged her back, afraid to press too hard and hurt her, but still just as tight. It was like the last time we had seen each other, our bond was still as strong as it was then.
"Don't let me keep you out here all day." She said with the same chuckle I remembered and ushered me in. "Can I get you something to drink? I just put a kettle on for some tea if you'd like a cup."
I smiled, "That sounds wonderful."
I sat on the couch and looked around. It was unsettling that the inside was in the same condition as the outside. She used to have such order and perfection to everything, this was chaos in comparison. Tanya brought me a cup and placed it on the table that had always been in front of the couch, before she sat next to me.
"Can I do anything to help you around here?" I said before I could help myself "It's just not fitting for everything to be falling apart, it's not you."
Tanya waved me off, "Not fitting for you to be concerned. Things get out of hand as you get older. Besides I'm sure you're far too busy to be worrying about it."
"That's what family's for." I said firmly. Granted my own family was far behind me, most likely to never be looked at again, but Tanya was different. She had always accepted me for exactly who I wanted to be and encouraged me to be better at everything I tried.
"You can't have come all the way out here just to dote on me Marley." Tanya said, trying to get me off the subject.
"Well I did." I said.
"No one else you came to see?" she eyed me up but I just stared back with an easy grin.
"No one else at all. Just you."
"You're as sweet as ever Marley." She said and smiled fondly at me. "Why don't you tell me about your life? I know there are all sorts of exciting things you've been up to."
"I hope you're just talking about my career. The tabloids lie you know." I chuckled.
They don't always lie, as someone astutely pointed out to you the other night.
"I don't read that garbage, you know that." Tanya said taking a sip of her tea with what I noticed was shaking hands. "I was talking about the movie!"
"Oh, the movie. Right. Well, it's going okay. They have me revising the entire novel though. Doesn't fit their idea for a screenplay or some other bullshit." I clapped my hand over my mouth, "Sorry about that."
"Marley I'm old, not innocent." Tanya said with a stern glance.
"Right, sorry." I chuckled again, "Well, besides the movie just working on a million other projects. Work never ends you know."
"I hope there's more to your life than just work. Hobbies? Pets? Someone special maybe?"
"Well..." I started, not knowing exactly what to say on that topic. "I did meet this really sweet girl the other night. My agent actually set me up on a blind date with her. I think he's trying to get me to settle down or something."
"Nothing wrong with settling down. Don't be like me and regret never doing it." Tanya advised.
"I'm just not sold on the idea yet I suppose." I shrugged and attempted to change the subject, "So do you still see the old gang by any chance?"
"Oh yeah, most of them never left." Tanya said with a vigorous nod of her head. "Jessie took over the local board shop a few years ago. Iggy opened a garage this last summer with his sister. Bobby and Laura are expecting their first little one in the next few months. A lot of exciting things going on, I'm very proud of them all."
"Laura?" the name didn't strike a memory anywhere.
Tanya chuckled, "Maybe you would know her better as Pockets."
"Her name is Laura?" I asked in surprise. Pockets had never revealed her real name to me, unlike the rest of the crew. "I would have never guessed."
"She hasn't gone by that nickname in years, none of them have. I guess they all just grew up one day." Tanya sighed as if the thought made her sad.
I didn't want to ask the next question, but I knew that I had to. "Alex?"
Tanya wouldn't look at me though. "She left not too long after you did. I don't think she was happy here anymore." She made sure to hastily add in, "Not that it was your fault."
"Hmmm." I replied and took a sip of tea.
"I'm sure the guys would be happy to see you if you're planning on being here for awhile." Tanya said, sensing my distance from the previous topic
"Just for the day probably, but I'm sure I could squeeze some time in. I'll probably bother Jessie if nothing else." I said with a laugh. I had spent a lot of time with Jessie and Alex just skating around back then. He was one of my closest friends that summer.
"Why don't you do that? No point sitting here with me all day." Tanya suggested.
"Aw, don't be like that. I've missed spending time with you."
"We'll have time." Tanya said and smiled, "Besides, I'm awfully tired. It's about time for my afternoon nap."
"Okay, if you're going to twist my arm." I replied, standing up. "But I'll be back again before I leave town."
"Come by around seven, I'll make you dinner."
She didn't have to ask me twice. Tanya used to have a pretty rigorous schedule from what I remembered, but the few times she did cook it knocked my socks off. "Deal. You have a good nap Aunt Tanya."
Walking from the front porch of Tanya's house was sort of like a blast from the past. How many times had I walked from this porch into the summer sun that year? Looking around the neighborhood from this view point, it looked as if nothing had changed. There were little things that weren't present in nineteen ninety-six, but most everything was completely frozen in time.
The little skate shop that we had frequented during my eighteenth summer was a stone's throw from Tanya's place. Probably why we went to that particular one when there was at least a half a dozen skate shops scattered around the town. I couldn't kick the thought of Jessie 'Stones' Sorence running anything, let alone a business. Time must have changed some things in order for that to be true.
Imagine my surprise when I saw the tall, broad shouldered African American man leaning over the counter with a pen in his mouth, his eyes scanning across the many pages scattered in front of him. The sound of the little bell over the door alerted him of my presence and he stood up straight and gave me a welcoming smile.
"Hi there ma'am, something I can get for you today?"
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I was shocked to see the changes in Stones. Since when did he wear glasses?
Jessie uttered a small laugh, "It's normal to be a little confused about all of this. Were you looking for something as a gift? I can explain anything for you so feel free to ask me questions."
Having my intelligence questioned by Jessie brought the life back to my tongue. "Fuck you Stones. I know my way around a board."
Jessie blinked a few times in surprise. Then he got a really good look at me. He shook his head in disbelief before saying one thing. "Marley?"
"Why is everyone saying my name like that? Like, are you asking me or telling me? I'm not a damn answer in Jeopardy." I said sarcastically.
"Good God it is you! Webster has returned to us!" Jessie exclaimed and slapped the counter. My heart sunk a bit from the use of my old nickname, but I didn't let my smile falter for a moment.
"In the flesh."
"The boys are gonna flip when they hear." Jessie said, finally coming out from behind the counter to throw his arms around me. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last hug I got today and that made me feel awkward and a bit uncomfortable.
"It'll be good to see 'em." I said in complete honesty.
"Let me call Bobby and see if he can meet us over here." Jessie said and dashed off to what looked like a tiny office behind the counter. I had a feeling the rest of them wouldn't be as enthused as Jessie to see me though.
A couple minutes later, Jessie reemerged looking absolutely ecstatic. "Bobby and Laura are on their way over, they're gonna see if some of the other gang can make it too. Man, I might have to close early tonight so we can go wild."
"Slow down there cowboy, my aunt wants me to come over for dinner at seven. I can't go and party with you all night like I'm eighteen again." I told him.
"Dinner at Tanya's? That's better than any rager we could pull." He said with a deep, booming laugh.
"Well you can take that up with her. Although I have a feeling she'll have a hard time saying no to any of you."I sighed, my hopes of having a quiet dinner with my aunt thrown out the window.
"Did I hear something about dinner at Tanya's?" a voice said behind me.
I turned to see Bobby and Pockets-who I still couldn't process being called Laura- coming in the door. They looked more or less the same as I remembered, not nearly as different as Jessie was now. Bobby had gotten a bit taller, and Pockets was just starting to show how pregnant she was. In fact if Tanya wouldn't have said something to me about it, I would have just assumed that she had been putting on a bit of weight.
"Look at you two, I can't believe you're still together!" I said, authentically excited to see them. Bobby and Pockets were always the cutest couple.
"Couldn't return her to the store, I lost the receipt." Bobby joked.
"He couldn't find anything better than me." Pockets retorted, and then turned to me with a smile. "You're a sight for sore eyes girlfriend. We've missed you Marley."
"The feeling's mutual." I said.
"So what are you doing back anyways? Relieving the glory days?" Bobby asked.
"Visiting my aunt actually, and somehow I ended up inviting you all to dinner. I hope that doesn't get me in trouble later." I chuckled.
"Doubtful, she needs the company." Pockets said and frowned, "I've been meaning to visit more often but everything is so busy right now."
"Me too." Jessie sighed.
"When did everything get so bad over there?" I asked but none of them really wanted to answer.
Bobby took his usual leadership role and spoke when the other two remained deathly silent. "Tanya was diagnosed with HIV in April."
This couldn't be true. "What? Why didn't she tell me?"
Bobby shrugged, "Who knows. She doesn't like to talk about it. I wouldn't bring it up either. It just upsets her and they say that can make it worse."
I felt like I had just been punched in the gut. I was afraid to come down here for so long because of some stupid girl that hurt my feelings and all the while my aunt was suffering. I was such a selfish prick.
"There has to be something I can do." I mumbled.
Bobby clapped my shoulder, "I'm sure she's just happy to have you around again. Don't beat yourself up. There was no way you could have known."
"Let's go for a stroll on the boardwalk and get some fresh air, what do you say?" Pockets suggested, perfectly diffusing all the negativity like the den mother I remembered her as.
"That sounds nice." I sighed.
"Yeah, totally." Jessie agreed. "Let me just put up a sign real quick." He scribbled on a piece of paper and slapped it on the door.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I have to ask, when did Jessie Stones finally become a mature grown up?" I asked.
Jessie held the door open for us and uttered a good natured chuckle, "Well, it was right around the time I ended my skating career by shattering my knee to oblivion."
"Shit sure has changed." I said softly. My voice did nothing to hide the remorse I felt from being an adult. The glory days really were back there and we were stuck up here now.
"You got that right." Bobby said, "Growing up sucks balls."
"You would know." Pockets remarked with a broad smile.
I laughed at their back and forth. Luckily some things never changed. Strolling around brought back another flood old memories, especially the days of eating on the beach without a care.
"Do they still have that ice cream stand next to the pier? The one with the purple sign? I remember going there, like, every day I could." I asked out of the blue.
"Sure do." Jessie told me.
Pockets began to jump up and down in excitement, "Oh my God yes, let's get some ice cream!"
Bobby leaned in closer to me like he was going to tell me a secret, "Don't mind her. Pregnancy cravings."
I chuckled, "They must be contagious. I want some too."
After Bobby's sigh of defeat Pockets and I got our way and drug the guys to get a scoop. After that we kind of just hung out on the boardwalk and caught up with each other's lives. It was funny how strong the bond was between us, despite the fact that I only knew them for a very limited part of my life.
Bobby had just finished a story on the disastrous first days at Iggy's shop and how he somehow got conned into cleaning everything up once it was all said and done. We shared a hearty laugh as a group, but when it tapered off it got sort of quiet. It was like we had almost run out of things to talk about.
"So I heard Alex left." I said suddenly. I had no idea why I kept torturing myself with the idea of her, but I couldn't help it.
"About 5 years ago now." Jessie replied with a solemn nod. Alex had been closest to Jessie back then, he was probably her best friend. I could only imagine what it must have been like for him when she left.
Bobby scoffed loudly next to me, "Not only that. When my little sister went off to college I found out that they moved in together. I always knew that Alex was lying to me about that shit."
For a brief moment I wondered if Bobby was right. If he was, had Alex been playing me the whole time? It was an interesting notion to think about, but hardly relevant anymore.
"Sorry to bring it up. Like I said earlier, a lot has changed. I'm just trying to catch up." I told them apologetically.
"I understand. You guys were really close." Pockets said. "I always wondered what happened between you."
I exhaled loudly, "You don't want to hear that story, and honestly I don't want to tell it. But I'll give you the Reader's Digest Condensed Version. We were young, dumb and in love, then one day we had to grow up. You all know what that's like."
Pockets pouted, "That seems awfully cynical Marley."
I shrugged. That was how the world was, but no one liked to hear that truth. This caused a silence to settle over the four of us.
I looked at my watch, it was quarter to five. With a sigh I stood up and looked at the guys, "I know it's early, but I'm gonna start heading back to my Aunt's. Figured I could give her a hand or something. Feel free to join me if you want."
The three of them looked between each other before jumping up. Pockets didn't really jump given her condition, but she showed the same enthusiasm the guys had. I had no idea what any of their home lives were like growing up, but I knew that Tanya had a profound effect on each one of them, and many of the other kids I use to hang out with here. It wasn't just me that she helped get through the difficult hump of adolescence, but countless others. I could see how much they wanted to give back to her.
Lilah checked her watch and frowned, "I should probably be going. I have an early shift tomorrow."
"Can I walk you back to your car?" I asked a bit too quickly.
"No." she said.
That stung. I thought that we had really hit it off. "Oh. Okay."
"You can walk me home though. I live a couple blocks away." Lilah's grin told me that she had enjoyed tricking me. I wasn't sure if that made me like her more or not.
"You're on." I replied and stood up.
The night was cool, with crisp air that felt good to breathe in, something that didn't exist back in New York. It was something that I had missed from Washington as well. The west coast just felt good in your lungs.
"So," I said after a minute or so of walking with Lilah. "Can I see you again?"
"I would like that...but-" she hesitated, chewing on her lip instead of finishing her sentence.
"But?" I encouraged.
"Well the thing I said earlier about dating, I know that's how it is. Believe it or not you have a bit of a reputation and I'm not that girl." Lilah shrugged. 'It is what it is' the shrug said.
I mulled this over. She was saying that I would have to be all in on this. Did I want that? Could I even do that?
"All right." I said. I'm not sure either of us knew what it meant, because after that it was silent.
"This is it." Lilah said softly, her eyes on the ground.
I bit my lip and looked at her hard. She was such a pretty, funny, intelligent girl. I could give this a real try for once, couldn't I?
"Well good night." She said and began to walk towards the door.
"Lilah wait." I called out to her and she turned back, "I would really like to see you again. I'm not trying to ask you to be that girl. I just want to see you again."
She smiled. Like the first smile she had given me tonight, it was a blindingly beautiful.
"I'll keep in touch." She whispered and turned her back to me again.
"Oh, one more thing!" I said and she looked back.
I leaned in quick and gave her a peck on the cheek, "Good night." I muttered with a sly smile. I didn't wait for the repercussions, I just walked off. With a happy tune on my lips I decided that I would thank Ollie for this little set up after all.
***
Despite the fact that I still had a ton of work piled up I ended up deciding on a little road trip a few days later. The very concept of maybe getting into a relationship had brought back thoughts from a time that I had repressed long ago. Mixed in with those thoughts was something else that was entirely different however-the realization that I hadn't seen my aunt Tanya in over 8 years. It was true we had only been close for that summer, but it was enough that I missed her terribly sometimes. There had been many points after I moved to New York that I wished I could just call her up and ask for help.
There was every intention in my mind that I would go and see her once I came back to California, but as much as I wanted to see her there was a fear in the trip as well. The last thing I wanted was to see the girl that haunted my past. That would literally be the worst possible outcome ever. Of course, the desire to see my Aunt Tanya was greater than that petty fear.
Tanya's place looked more or less the same when I first pulled up. On closer inspection though, something seemed to be off. Where beds of flowers usually laid by the doors there was only patches of dirt and dead grass, obviously they had come up a while ago. The paint on the side paneling was peeling and there were small cracks forming up the stone steps as well.
My brows pulled together and I frowned. The Tanya I knew as a kid would have never allowed this kind of disarray to fall over her house. For a moment I wondered if it was actually her that would answer the door after I gave it three hard raps.
I uttered a sigh of relief when her face showed up from behind the door, but it quickly caught in my chest. Her appearance jarred me in the same way the house had. She looked mostly the same but there was something else not right.
There used to just be a sprinkling of gray in her dark locks, but now it shot right through to her scalp and made you ponder on her original hair color. The lines in her face had become deeply engraved and she seemed much skinnier. Not just skinnier though, she looked fragile.
Tanya blinked a few times, registering my appearance here. "Marley?" she finally choked out, her voice sounding as thin as the rest of her.
"Yeah." I nodded, trying to file away my shock, "It's so good to see you Aunt Tanya."
My aunt threw her frail arms around me and held tight. I hugged her back, afraid to press too hard and hurt her, but still just as tight. It was like the last time we had seen each other, our bond was still as strong as it was then.
"Don't let me keep you out here all day." She said with the same chuckle I remembered and ushered me in. "Can I get you something to drink? I just put a kettle on for some tea if you'd like a cup."
I smiled, "That sounds wonderful."
I sat on the couch and looked around. It was unsettling that the inside was in the same condition as the outside. She used to have such order and perfection to everything, this was chaos in comparison. Tanya brought me a cup and placed it on the table that had always been in front of the couch, before she sat next to me.
"Can I do anything to help you around here?" I said before I could help myself "It's just not fitting for everything to be falling apart, it's not you."
Tanya waved me off, "Not fitting for you to be concerned. Things get out of hand as you get older. Besides I'm sure you're far too busy to be worrying about it."
"That's what family's for." I said firmly. Granted my own family was far behind me, most likely to never be looked at again, but Tanya was different. She had always accepted me for exactly who I wanted to be and encouraged me to be better at everything I tried.
"You can't have come all the way out here just to dote on me Marley." Tanya said, trying to get me off the subject.
"Well I did." I said.
"No one else you came to see?" she eyed me up but I just stared back with an easy grin.
"No one else at all. Just you."
"You're as sweet as ever Marley." She said and smiled fondly at me. "Why don't you tell me about your life? I know there are all sorts of exciting things you've been up to."
"I hope you're just talking about my career. The tabloids lie you know." I chuckled.
They don't always lie, as someone astutely pointed out to you the other night.
"I don't read that garbage, you know that." Tanya said taking a sip of her tea with what I noticed was shaking hands. "I was talking about the movie!"
"Oh, the movie. Right. Well, it's going okay. They have me revising the entire novel though. Doesn't fit their idea for a screenplay or some other bullshit." I clapped my hand over my mouth, "Sorry about that."
"Marley I'm old, not innocent." Tanya said with a stern glance.
"Right, sorry." I chuckled again, "Well, besides the movie just working on a million other projects. Work never ends you know."
"I hope there's more to your life than just work. Hobbies? Pets? Someone special maybe?"
"Well..." I started, not knowing exactly what to say on that topic. "I did meet this really sweet girl the other night. My agent actually set me up on a blind date with her. I think he's trying to get me to settle down or something."
"Nothing wrong with settling down. Don't be like me and regret never doing it." Tanya advised.
"I'm just not sold on the idea yet I suppose." I shrugged and attempted to change the subject, "So do you still see the old gang by any chance?"
"Oh yeah, most of them never left." Tanya said with a vigorous nod of her head. "Jessie took over the local board shop a few years ago. Iggy opened a garage this last summer with his sister. Bobby and Laura are expecting their first little one in the next few months. A lot of exciting things going on, I'm very proud of them all."
"Laura?" the name didn't strike a memory anywhere.
Tanya chuckled, "Maybe you would know her better as Pockets."
"Her name is Laura?" I asked in surprise. Pockets had never revealed her real name to me, unlike the rest of the crew. "I would have never guessed."
"She hasn't gone by that nickname in years, none of them have. I guess they all just grew up one day." Tanya sighed as if the thought made her sad.
I didn't want to ask the next question, but I knew that I had to. "Alex?"
Tanya wouldn't look at me though. "She left not too long after you did. I don't think she was happy here anymore." She made sure to hastily add in, "Not that it was your fault."
"Hmmm." I replied and took a sip of tea.
"I'm sure the guys would be happy to see you if you're planning on being here for awhile." Tanya said, sensing my distance from the previous topic
"Just for the day probably, but I'm sure I could squeeze some time in. I'll probably bother Jessie if nothing else." I said with a laugh. I had spent a lot of time with Jessie and Alex just skating around back then. He was one of my closest friends that summer.
"Why don't you do that? No point sitting here with me all day." Tanya suggested.
"Aw, don't be like that. I've missed spending time with you."
"We'll have time." Tanya said and smiled, "Besides, I'm awfully tired. It's about time for my afternoon nap."
"Okay, if you're going to twist my arm." I replied, standing up. "But I'll be back again before I leave town."
"Come by around seven, I'll make you dinner."
She didn't have to ask me twice. Tanya used to have a pretty rigorous schedule from what I remembered, but the few times she did cook it knocked my socks off. "Deal. You have a good nap Aunt Tanya."
Walking from the front porch of Tanya's house was sort of like a blast from the past. How many times had I walked from this porch into the summer sun that year? Looking around the neighborhood from this view point, it looked as if nothing had changed. There were little things that weren't present in nineteen ninety-six, but most everything was completely frozen in time.
The little skate shop that we had frequented during my eighteenth summer was a stone's throw from Tanya's place. Probably why we went to that particular one when there was at least a half a dozen skate shops scattered around the town. I couldn't kick the thought of Jessie 'Stones' Sorence running anything, let alone a business. Time must have changed some things in order for that to be true.
Imagine my surprise when I saw the tall, broad shouldered African American man leaning over the counter with a pen in his mouth, his eyes scanning across the many pages scattered in front of him. The sound of the little bell over the door alerted him of my presence and he stood up straight and gave me a welcoming smile.
"Hi there ma'am, something I can get for you today?"
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I was shocked to see the changes in Stones. Since when did he wear glasses?
Jessie uttered a small laugh, "It's normal to be a little confused about all of this. Were you looking for something as a gift? I can explain anything for you so feel free to ask me questions."
Having my intelligence questioned by Jessie brought the life back to my tongue. "Fuck you Stones. I know my way around a board."
Jessie blinked a few times in surprise. Then he got a really good look at me. He shook his head in disbelief before saying one thing. "Marley?"
"Why is everyone saying my name like that? Like, are you asking me or telling me? I'm not a damn answer in Jeopardy." I said sarcastically.
"Good God it is you! Webster has returned to us!" Jessie exclaimed and slapped the counter. My heart sunk a bit from the use of my old nickname, but I didn't let my smile falter for a moment.
"In the flesh."
"The boys are gonna flip when they hear." Jessie said, finally coming out from behind the counter to throw his arms around me. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last hug I got today and that made me feel awkward and a bit uncomfortable.
"It'll be good to see 'em." I said in complete honesty.
"Let me call Bobby and see if he can meet us over here." Jessie said and dashed off to what looked like a tiny office behind the counter. I had a feeling the rest of them wouldn't be as enthused as Jessie to see me though.
A couple minutes later, Jessie reemerged looking absolutely ecstatic. "Bobby and Laura are on their way over, they're gonna see if some of the other gang can make it too. Man, I might have to close early tonight so we can go wild."
"Slow down there cowboy, my aunt wants me to come over for dinner at seven. I can't go and party with you all night like I'm eighteen again." I told him.
"Dinner at Tanya's? That's better than any rager we could pull." He said with a deep, booming laugh.
"Well you can take that up with her. Although I have a feeling she'll have a hard time saying no to any of you."I sighed, my hopes of having a quiet dinner with my aunt thrown out the window.
"Did I hear something about dinner at Tanya's?" a voice said behind me.
I turned to see Bobby and Pockets-who I still couldn't process being called Laura- coming in the door. They looked more or less the same as I remembered, not nearly as different as Jessie was now. Bobby had gotten a bit taller, and Pockets was just starting to show how pregnant she was. In fact if Tanya wouldn't have said something to me about it, I would have just assumed that she had been putting on a bit of weight.
"Look at you two, I can't believe you're still together!" I said, authentically excited to see them. Bobby and Pockets were always the cutest couple.
"Couldn't return her to the store, I lost the receipt." Bobby joked.
"He couldn't find anything better than me." Pockets retorted, and then turned to me with a smile. "You're a sight for sore eyes girlfriend. We've missed you Marley."
"The feeling's mutual." I said.
"So what are you doing back anyways? Relieving the glory days?" Bobby asked.
"Visiting my aunt actually, and somehow I ended up inviting you all to dinner. I hope that doesn't get me in trouble later." I chuckled.
"Doubtful, she needs the company." Pockets said and frowned, "I've been meaning to visit more often but everything is so busy right now."
"Me too." Jessie sighed.
"When did everything get so bad over there?" I asked but none of them really wanted to answer.
Bobby took his usual leadership role and spoke when the other two remained deathly silent. "Tanya was diagnosed with HIV in April."
This couldn't be true. "What? Why didn't she tell me?"
Bobby shrugged, "Who knows. She doesn't like to talk about it. I wouldn't bring it up either. It just upsets her and they say that can make it worse."
I felt like I had just been punched in the gut. I was afraid to come down here for so long because of some stupid girl that hurt my feelings and all the while my aunt was suffering. I was such a selfish prick.
"There has to be something I can do." I mumbled.
Bobby clapped my shoulder, "I'm sure she's just happy to have you around again. Don't beat yourself up. There was no way you could have known."
"Let's go for a stroll on the boardwalk and get some fresh air, what do you say?" Pockets suggested, perfectly diffusing all the negativity like the den mother I remembered her as.
"That sounds nice." I sighed.
"Yeah, totally." Jessie agreed. "Let me just put up a sign real quick." He scribbled on a piece of paper and slapped it on the door.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I have to ask, when did Jessie Stones finally become a mature grown up?" I asked.
Jessie held the door open for us and uttered a good natured chuckle, "Well, it was right around the time I ended my skating career by shattering my knee to oblivion."
"Shit sure has changed." I said softly. My voice did nothing to hide the remorse I felt from being an adult. The glory days really were back there and we were stuck up here now.
"You got that right." Bobby said, "Growing up sucks balls."
"You would know." Pockets remarked with a broad smile.
I laughed at their back and forth. Luckily some things never changed. Strolling around brought back another flood old memories, especially the days of eating on the beach without a care.
"Do they still have that ice cream stand next to the pier? The one with the purple sign? I remember going there, like, every day I could." I asked out of the blue.
"Sure do." Jessie told me.
Pockets began to jump up and down in excitement, "Oh my God yes, let's get some ice cream!"
Bobby leaned in closer to me like he was going to tell me a secret, "Don't mind her. Pregnancy cravings."
I chuckled, "They must be contagious. I want some too."
After Bobby's sigh of defeat Pockets and I got our way and drug the guys to get a scoop. After that we kind of just hung out on the boardwalk and caught up with each other's lives. It was funny how strong the bond was between us, despite the fact that I only knew them for a very limited part of my life.
Bobby had just finished a story on the disastrous first days at Iggy's shop and how he somehow got conned into cleaning everything up once it was all said and done. We shared a hearty laugh as a group, but when it tapered off it got sort of quiet. It was like we had almost run out of things to talk about.
"So I heard Alex left." I said suddenly. I had no idea why I kept torturing myself with the idea of her, but I couldn't help it.
"About 5 years ago now." Jessie replied with a solemn nod. Alex had been closest to Jessie back then, he was probably her best friend. I could only imagine what it must have been like for him when she left.
Bobby scoffed loudly next to me, "Not only that. When my little sister went off to college I found out that they moved in together. I always knew that Alex was lying to me about that shit."
For a brief moment I wondered if Bobby was right. If he was, had Alex been playing me the whole time? It was an interesting notion to think about, but hardly relevant anymore.
"Sorry to bring it up. Like I said earlier, a lot has changed. I'm just trying to catch up." I told them apologetically.
"I understand. You guys were really close." Pockets said. "I always wondered what happened between you."
I exhaled loudly, "You don't want to hear that story, and honestly I don't want to tell it. But I'll give you the Reader's Digest Condensed Version. We were young, dumb and in love, then one day we had to grow up. You all know what that's like."
Pockets pouted, "That seems awfully cynical Marley."
I shrugged. That was how the world was, but no one liked to hear that truth. This caused a silence to settle over the four of us.
I looked at my watch, it was quarter to five. With a sigh I stood up and looked at the guys, "I know it's early, but I'm gonna start heading back to my Aunt's. Figured I could give her a hand or something. Feel free to join me if you want."
The three of them looked between each other before jumping up. Pockets didn't really jump given her condition, but she showed the same enthusiasm the guys had. I had no idea what any of their home lives were like growing up, but I knew that Tanya had a profound effect on each one of them, and many of the other kids I use to hang out with here. It wasn't just me that she helped get through the difficult hump of adolescence, but countless others. I could see how much they wanted to give back to her.