Page 13 of Along Comes Trouble

COLTON

O ne of myfavorite spots on my family’s farm is the pond behind what’s now Mom and Dad’s house. The still water and the tall grasses never fail to soothe me. I’ve spent so much time out here over the course of my life that I have every last detail of the place memorized. From the weeping willow across the pond, to the birds in the trees and the squirrels bouncing around, gathering nuts before winter. The place is as familiar as my name. Part of who I am. Woven into my history .

A few years ago, a family of herons decided to call the pond home. They move through the shallows on their spindly legs, and I could watch them for hours and never get tired of it. David would give me hell if he knew I came out here just to waste time and sit around, but that doesn’t bother me. He only needs the smallest of excuses to give me a hard time about anything, which is the plight of all little brothers everywhere, I think .

There’s a hole in the fencing around the chicken coop that needs my attention, but that can wait. David’s dog Pogo is so excited to use his shepherding skills that he has those poor hens on lockdown. They can’t look at the fence without Pogo losing his mind. Thanks to him, I can sit out here as long as I want and get to the fence when it suits me. Right now, I have better things to think about than work, namely a pretty little teacher with strawberry blonde hair who may not be the stuck up bitch I thought she was. I bet she’d love it out here, next to the pond. I imagine the look on her face as one of the herons spreads its giant wings to take to the sky and smile. She’d be awestruck, and with good reason. My phone pings and I swipe open my messaging app .

(555)212-3277: If you ever want to see your beloved sweatshirt again, put four hundred thousand dollars in an unmarked envelope and toss it in the trash can near the courtyard at Wildland Elementary. No cops or the hoodie gets it .

I laugh, startling a sparrow hopping through the grass beside me. Does the blonde she-devil actually have a sense of humor? I tap out a response .

Me: I don’t have that kind of money. You can keep the shirt .

While I wait to see what she has to say about that, I update her contact info, and hit save just as my phone pings .

Tessa: I don’t want the shirt. It belongs to some jerk who spilled nachos all over me. I’ll trade it to you for one hundred thousand .

Me: I still don’t have that kind of money .

Tessa: Fifty bucks ?

Me: Still nope .

Tessa: Well, what do you have ?

On a whim, I snap a picture of the pond and send it to her with the words I have this as the caption .

Tessa: Oh wow! That’s totally worth this stinky old sweatshirt. Where are you ?

I consider my response, trying on any number of silly answers before I decide to go with the truth .

Me: It’s a pond on the farm where I live. It’s my favorite spot .

Tessa: I didn’t take you for that kind of guy .

Me: What kind of guy?I purse my lips as I stare at the phone, trying to understand her meaning .

Me: The kind of guy who goes somewhere serene to sit by himself and have deep thoughts .

Me: Ouch. That hurts. I am very capable of deep thoughts, thank you .

Me: Also, there’s a lot you don’t know about me .

Tessa doesn’t respond immediately. I lean back on my elbows and stare up through the trees. The leaves twist in the wind, bits of sky peeking through the ever-changing shapes of the branches. There’s a splash in the pond, maybe a fish breaking the surface, maybe one of the herons finding lunch. I close my eyes and breathe in the damp earth, letting the sounds and smells wash over me. A few minutes later, my phone pings again .

Tessa: I’m starting to think that’s true. There’s definitely a lot I don’t know about you .

I frown down at her words, surprised that we’re having an actual conversation and I’m not fuming .

Me: There’s a Halloween party at Smitty’s this weekend. You going? You could return my sweatshirt then .

I don’t have to wait for her response .

Tessa: I know! I’m going with Sarah and am way more excited about it than any adult should be .

Pushing up on my elbow, I search for something, anything to say. Me: I’ll be there, too. As long as my sweatshirt is unharmed, things between us should be good .

Tessa sends a string of laughing emojis and I watch a heron wade into the water and then jab its beak beneath the surface .

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