Or else what? I texted back.
I’ll find a new maid of honor!
I laughed and tossed my phone over to my bed. I slipped my scrubs off my body and found a pair of shorts and a tank top to put on. Then, I returned to my bed.
It was time to get a head start on Day Off #1.
It was time to sleep.
◈ ◈ ◈
Day Off #3 had arrived. My day of writing.
I was wolfing down my bowl of Honeycombs that morning as fast as possible so that I could get started. I had decided I would walk to the park, sit under a tree, and write until my hand, stomach, and bladder all begged me to stop. It would be wonderful.
There at the park, I spread out my yellow blanket under a chestnut tree and got in position: my legs crossed atop the blanket, my notebook resting in my lap, my pen squeezed between my fingers. Before I began, I looked up at the chestnut tree’s leaves: serrated at the edges, fanning out toward the tips. There must have been one of these trees at my grandparents’ cabin, where my dad had taught me its name, although I didn’t distinctly remember that.
Turning my attention back to my notebook, I placed the pen tip to the page and could feel myself smiling as I was about to begin. But, suddenly, I heard a high-pitched squeal of a voice nearby.
“Drewsy! Drewsy Moosey!”
Immediately, I knew who it was, and seconds later, there she was before me. Four-year-old Ariel ran onto the yellow blanket, beaming and hopping from foot to foot. Her dark curly hair was down to her shoulders, and today she was wearing a purple butterfly-patterned dress.
“Well, hello, Ari,” I said. “Is your mom around somewhere? Or your grandparents?”
Then, Chloe came into view. She walked up to the edge of the blanket and crouched down.
“Hey, Drew. Ariel, that’s not how we greet people. You might have interrupted her from something.”
Ariel became still and hunched over, thrusting both arms behind her back. Chloe happened to be right about interrupting me, but I didn’t want to put a hamper on Ariel’s innocent excitement.
“That’s okay,” I said. “Come here and give me a hug, Ari Beary.”
I set my notebook and pen to the side and embraced the vibrant girl as she practically leapt into my arms. She reminded me so much of her mother sometimes, of the younger Chloe I had known in elementary school.
“Why aren’t you in preschool today, Ari Beary? It’s Friday, isn’t it?”
“I don’t like it there.” Her voice grew whiny. “Mom said I didn’t have to go today.”
I shot a questioning look up at Chloe.
“Yeah,” she started. “I kind of wanted to talk to you about that, Drew. I went to your apartment first, but then figured you’d be here when I saw no one was home.”
“What’s up?” The look I was giving her remained an inquisitive one.
“Ariel, honey, why don’t you go play in the sandbox for a little while? Drewsy Moosey and I will be right here watching you.”
This proposition seemed to please Ariel, and she hopped away from my body, skipping over to the sandbox in the distance.
“So,” I said again, “what’s up?”
Chloe took a seat on the blanket in front of me. She looked down at her thighs and started rubbing her hands up and down them.
“Is everything okay? Is Ariel changing preschools or something?”
“Yeah, sort of. I mean, about the preschool thing.” She finally looked up at me. She smiled. “We’re moving.”
“Oh. Moving . . . to another house?”
“No. Moving to Connecticut.”
I sat there in silence at first. Then I just said, “Connecticut?”
Chloe glanced over in the direction of the sandbox. I followed her gaze and saw Ariel over there, digging in the sand with her hands.
“It’s where my brother and his wife live. And my parents moved there last year. They all want me and Ariel to be with them, so we can be together and they can help us out. Even my grandparents are thinking about moving out there before the summer ends.”
“Connecticut,” I said again. I moved my fingers through my black hair, which had grown back to its longer state since Riley cut it in Seattle. “That’s . . . amazing, Chloe. Really. That sounds great.”
She smiled at me again, but it was in a cautious way, like she was afraid the smile might offend me.
“I think so, too. I think it’s going to be really good for Ariel to be around her family all the time. We’re leaving in about two months. That’s why I took her out of preschool today. I just figured, what’s the point? We’ll be gone soon and she can just start preschool in Connecticut.”
“Two months. Wow.”
“That’s why I’ve been picking up so many shifts at the pharmacy lately. I needed to save up for the plane tickets and moving costs. But then my grandparents told me just last night that they could kick in some cash to help out. I thought it would take the rest of Summer to save up for everything, but now I have what I need.”
“Does Ariel know?”
“I told her this morning at breakfast. I don’t think she really understands yet. She probably won’t until we’re on the plane, maybe not until we’ve landed in Hartford.”
My laugh sounded half-hearted. I tried to scrounge up as much empathy and selflessness as I could. Knowing that Chloe and Ariel would soon be gone, all the way across the country, was like learning I had a papercut. Like I had obliviously rubbed hand-sanitizer into my skin and felt a sudden, focal stinging on my finger. Chloe had become such an important person in my life. She was a true friend to me, a lost treasure I had rediscovered. On top of that, there was Ariel, and her sunny, bright presence. Ariel made me laugh. She made me feel mushy inside in a way I hadn’t expected to. She made me realize I liked being around children. She made me think that maybe I would have some of my own one day.
“I’m happy for you, Chloe.” Even though I still felt the stinging pain inside, I meant what I said. I knew this was a good thing for her. A really good thing. “I’m going to miss you guys a lot.” My eyes started feeling watery.
“Likewise, Drew.” She leaned in and hugged me.
“Maybe Rock Star Michael is waiting for you in Connecticut.”
She pulled back from the hug and this time gave me one of her genuine smiles.
“I don’t know about that. My family is a bunch of rock stars, as far as I’m concerned.”
“They sound great.”
“We’ll have to stay in touch, okay? I’ll send you pictures of Ariel. And you be sure to tell me when Farmer Greg comes around. Okay?”
I shook my head laughingly as I said, “Okay, Chloe.”
“Mom!”
Ariel was back in a flash of purple, now hopping in front of Chloe.
“I found a rock,” she said, proudly displaying a small, round stone in her hand. “Look, Drewsy Moosey.”
“That’s cool, Ari Beary.”
“I want you to have it, Drewsy.” I held out my hand and let her drop the stone into my palm. I clasped my fingers around it.
“Thank you, Ari. That’s sweet of you.”
“Well.” Chloe slowly stood up and took Ariel’s hand in hers. “We have to get going. I’ve got work in an hour. But we’ll see you later, okay, Drew?”