was so mad when we got back to the
house – you were all cut up and bleeding.”
“So
were you,” Mathis chuckled, his eyes crinkling up delightfully as he recalled
the incident, his expression almost… fond? “You must have set a world record
for how fast you climbed down to check I was okay.”
I
smiled in response to his warm expression, and for a moment we were the Mathis
and Amanda of over a decade ago, adventurous and reckless, laughing about all
the stupid things we had done together. I felt warm and secure as he looked at
me, his face relaxed into a smile and his eyes once again dancing with that
impish expression I remembered so well. It made my fingertips tingle and
something stir in my belly, as if someone had let loose fireworks inside me. It
was a peculiar, heady feeling.
In an
instant, though, Mathis seemed to remember himself. His friendly expression
faded back into an impassive mask, his light blue eyes grew cold and hard, and
he leaned back, pulling a book off his shelf.
“You’ll
need to read the first five chapters before our next meeting,” he said, his
voice as emotionless and lecturing as it had been before. It was as if his
brief lapse as we reminisced about the past never happened.
We
continued my training as before, with Mathis alternately drilling me and firing
questions at me. As he droned on about the different profit types, I remembered
the aftermath of the day in the tree.
“Mathis!”
I had cried as I watched the branch crack and his body fall down through a
canopy of leaves. Before I could pull together a rational thought I was
swinging down the thin branches like a monkey, not caring about the scratches
and scrapes I received as I went. In a matter of seconds I was down by his
side, on a wide branch about ten feet from the ground. “Are you okay? Are you
hurt?”
Mathis
looked at me in a daze, obviously still processing what had just happened. “How
did you get down here so fast?” he asked me with a slight frown. “Did you fall
too? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.
I took the long route down. Does anything hurt? Did you hit your head?”
“No, I’m
fine – but you’re hurt!” He gestured to a scratch on my arm, which was bleeding
slightly.
“It’s
just a scratch,” I insisted. “Now let’s get down from this tree and I’m going
to make sure you’re alright. You can count to ten for me and recite the names
of the Presidents, things like that.”
“Amanda,
I couldn’t recite the names of all the Presidents even before I fell out of a
tree,” Mathis laughed. “But you’re right – we should go get cleaned up.”
“I – I’m
sorry I made you fall,” I burst out. “I should have been more careful.”
“No, I should have been more careful,” Mathis replied. “I was so worried about you
that I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Then
it is my fault,” I said guiltily.
“No – it was mine,” Mathis insisted. “I should have known that you could more
than take care of yourself. You’re amazing, Amanda – there’s so much more to
you than meets the eye. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”
“Is
that a good thing?” I asked uncertainly.
Mathis
just laughed at me. “Let’s get back to the house. Hope your uncle doesn’t see
us like this. He’s going to lose his shit.”
“Amanda!”
The present-day Mathis interrupted my reverie. “Don’t space out like that! This
is important!”
“Sorry,”
I apologized, my face going red. “I was still remembering that day with the
tree…” part of me hoped that Mathis would again break through his cold façade,
but he just frowned at me.
“This
isn’t the time for daydreaming. Your uncle wanted you to know this and I don’t
have all the time in the world to teach you. I’m just doing a favor for your
uncle – I owe him that much.”
The
words bit through me like a bitter wind. Of course. Mathis
house – you were all cut up and bleeding.”
“So
were you,” Mathis chuckled, his eyes crinkling up delightfully as he recalled
the incident, his expression almost… fond? “You must have set a world record
for how fast you climbed down to check I was okay.”
I
smiled in response to his warm expression, and for a moment we were the Mathis
and Amanda of over a decade ago, adventurous and reckless, laughing about all
the stupid things we had done together. I felt warm and secure as he looked at
me, his face relaxed into a smile and his eyes once again dancing with that
impish expression I remembered so well. It made my fingertips tingle and
something stir in my belly, as if someone had let loose fireworks inside me. It
was a peculiar, heady feeling.
In an
instant, though, Mathis seemed to remember himself. His friendly expression
faded back into an impassive mask, his light blue eyes grew cold and hard, and
he leaned back, pulling a book off his shelf.
“You’ll
need to read the first five chapters before our next meeting,” he said, his
voice as emotionless and lecturing as it had been before. It was as if his
brief lapse as we reminisced about the past never happened.
We
continued my training as before, with Mathis alternately drilling me and firing
questions at me. As he droned on about the different profit types, I remembered
the aftermath of the day in the tree.
“Mathis!”
I had cried as I watched the branch crack and his body fall down through a
canopy of leaves. Before I could pull together a rational thought I was
swinging down the thin branches like a monkey, not caring about the scratches
and scrapes I received as I went. In a matter of seconds I was down by his
side, on a wide branch about ten feet from the ground. “Are you okay? Are you
hurt?”
Mathis
looked at me in a daze, obviously still processing what had just happened. “How
did you get down here so fast?” he asked me with a slight frown. “Did you fall
too? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.
I took the long route down. Does anything hurt? Did you hit your head?”
“No, I’m
fine – but you’re hurt!” He gestured to a scratch on my arm, which was bleeding
slightly.
“It’s
just a scratch,” I insisted. “Now let’s get down from this tree and I’m going
to make sure you’re alright. You can count to ten for me and recite the names
of the Presidents, things like that.”
“Amanda,
I couldn’t recite the names of all the Presidents even before I fell out of a
tree,” Mathis laughed. “But you’re right – we should go get cleaned up.”
“I – I’m
sorry I made you fall,” I burst out. “I should have been more careful.”
“No, I should have been more careful,” Mathis replied. “I was so worried about you
that I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Then
it is my fault,” I said guiltily.
“No – it was mine,” Mathis insisted. “I should have known that you could more
than take care of yourself. You’re amazing, Amanda – there’s so much more to
you than meets the eye. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you.”
“Is
that a good thing?” I asked uncertainly.
Mathis
just laughed at me. “Let’s get back to the house. Hope your uncle doesn’t see
us like this. He’s going to lose his shit.”
“Amanda!”
The present-day Mathis interrupted my reverie. “Don’t space out like that! This
is important!”
“Sorry,”
I apologized, my face going red. “I was still remembering that day with the
tree…” part of me hoped that Mathis would again break through his cold façade,
but he just frowned at me.
“This
isn’t the time for daydreaming. Your uncle wanted you to know this and I don’t
have all the time in the world to teach you. I’m just doing a favor for your
uncle – I owe him that much.”
The
words bit through me like a bitter wind. Of course. Mathis
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