them all out, one at a time.
Someone hated my girlfriend.
At that moment, I heard footsteps. Quickly I slipped the doll into my pants pocket and stepped out from the shadow of the tree.
“Is something wrong? You look so serious,” Mia asked.
If she ever saw that wretched thing, it would give her an enormous scare. Just like it had me.
“Nah, everything’s fine.” I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. I would never let anyone hurt her!
“What’s gotten into you?” Mia laughed, smothered, and dug her chin into my shoulder. “It wasn’t so easy to sneak out of the house,” she whispered breathlessly. “My parents have been fighting again. Sounds like Mom imagined our life out here differently, somehow.”
She mimicked her mother’s voice: “I had hoped that we would have more time for us! For our daughter! But instead, I hardly ever see you anymore, Mark!” Mia let her head hang. I stroked her arm. She continued: “Papa couldn’t understand that at all. ‘Who am I busting my butt for, then?’ he yelled back. ‘I’m doing this for you two, for you and Mia! So you two don’t have to do without anything! Or don’t you want your house in the country anymore?’”
“And what did your mother say?”
“That she’d sell the house in a minute if it would make things any better.” Mia made a sound that was probably supposed to be a laugh. But instead it sounded more like a sob.
We were quiet. Only the leaves of the cherry tree rustled in the night breeze.
“Let’s talk about something else, okay?” Mia finally said in a determinedly cheerful voice. “Why don’t you explain why you rustled me out of my comfortable bed for a date in the middle of the night?”
I patted the backpack I was wearing and replied mysteriously, “Wait and see! It’s supposed to be a surprise . . . to make up for the other night, you know.”
“You don’t have to apologize because you were miserable,” Mia replied, almost angrily. “Everyone has tough times. You don’t need to play that ‘I’m a super perfect superhero’ number for me, okay?”
I swallowed and nodded. Mia shoved her hand into mine and said softly, “Come on, show me your surprise.”
We walked past my house and followed a narrow footpath that led us toward the river. After hiking for ten minutes, we entered the shadows of a small patch of woods right next to the water. Climbing plants grew all over the trees, smothering them with their vines. Only a little of the moon’s light was able to penetrate the tangle of branches, and in spite of the flashlight I had with me, we stumbled over roots several times. The night was filled with strange noises. More than once I thought I heard rustling and crackling behind us, as if someone were following us through the underbrush.
“Are you scared?” I asked Mia, who held my hand in a tight grip.
“No. You’re here to protect me.” It was so dark I couldn’t even see whether she meant that ironically.
There! That rustling sound again! “Do you hear that, too?” I pointed the beam of the flashlight in the direction the sound seemed to come from. Between the vines, a pointed snout appeared and a pair of cunning yellow eyes blinked in the light.
I had to laugh. “It’s just that shaggy mutt that’s always following you around!”
Mia laughed, too. “Come here, dog!” she called, and it trotted toward us, wagging its tail.
“Is it much farther?” Mia groaned five minutes and dozens of mosquito bites later. She waved her arms around wildly to defend herself from the swarms of mosquitoes that were attacking us with enthusiasm. “I’m about to bleed to death here!”
“It’s right around that curve,” I said, hoping that was really the case.
And then, finally, we were there: we stepped out of a blackberry bramble onto a tiny, hidden, sandy beach.
Although I hadn’t been here for years, nothing seemed to have changed. The narrow strip of shore sloped gently down to the river,
Someone hated my girlfriend.
At that moment, I heard footsteps. Quickly I slipped the doll into my pants pocket and stepped out from the shadow of the tree.
“Is something wrong? You look so serious,” Mia asked.
If she ever saw that wretched thing, it would give her an enormous scare. Just like it had me.
“Nah, everything’s fine.” I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. I would never let anyone hurt her!
“What’s gotten into you?” Mia laughed, smothered, and dug her chin into my shoulder. “It wasn’t so easy to sneak out of the house,” she whispered breathlessly. “My parents have been fighting again. Sounds like Mom imagined our life out here differently, somehow.”
She mimicked her mother’s voice: “I had hoped that we would have more time for us! For our daughter! But instead, I hardly ever see you anymore, Mark!” Mia let her head hang. I stroked her arm. She continued: “Papa couldn’t understand that at all. ‘Who am I busting my butt for, then?’ he yelled back. ‘I’m doing this for you two, for you and Mia! So you two don’t have to do without anything! Or don’t you want your house in the country anymore?’”
“And what did your mother say?”
“That she’d sell the house in a minute if it would make things any better.” Mia made a sound that was probably supposed to be a laugh. But instead it sounded more like a sob.
We were quiet. Only the leaves of the cherry tree rustled in the night breeze.
“Let’s talk about something else, okay?” Mia finally said in a determinedly cheerful voice. “Why don’t you explain why you rustled me out of my comfortable bed for a date in the middle of the night?”
I patted the backpack I was wearing and replied mysteriously, “Wait and see! It’s supposed to be a surprise . . . to make up for the other night, you know.”
“You don’t have to apologize because you were miserable,” Mia replied, almost angrily. “Everyone has tough times. You don’t need to play that ‘I’m a super perfect superhero’ number for me, okay?”
I swallowed and nodded. Mia shoved her hand into mine and said softly, “Come on, show me your surprise.”
We walked past my house and followed a narrow footpath that led us toward the river. After hiking for ten minutes, we entered the shadows of a small patch of woods right next to the water. Climbing plants grew all over the trees, smothering them with their vines. Only a little of the moon’s light was able to penetrate the tangle of branches, and in spite of the flashlight I had with me, we stumbled over roots several times. The night was filled with strange noises. More than once I thought I heard rustling and crackling behind us, as if someone were following us through the underbrush.
“Are you scared?” I asked Mia, who held my hand in a tight grip.
“No. You’re here to protect me.” It was so dark I couldn’t even see whether she meant that ironically.
There! That rustling sound again! “Do you hear that, too?” I pointed the beam of the flashlight in the direction the sound seemed to come from. Between the vines, a pointed snout appeared and a pair of cunning yellow eyes blinked in the light.
I had to laugh. “It’s just that shaggy mutt that’s always following you around!”
Mia laughed, too. “Come here, dog!” she called, and it trotted toward us, wagging its tail.
“Is it much farther?” Mia groaned five minutes and dozens of mosquito bites later. She waved her arms around wildly to defend herself from the swarms of mosquitoes that were attacking us with enthusiasm. “I’m about to bleed to death here!”
“It’s right around that curve,” I said, hoping that was really the case.
And then, finally, we were there: we stepped out of a blackberry bramble onto a tiny, hidden, sandy beach.
Although I hadn’t been here for years, nothing seemed to have changed. The narrow strip of shore sloped gently down to the river,
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