Page 2 of Chasing Fireflies

The moving crew finished bringing everything in earlier this afternoon, so we sit at the kitchen table eating cold ham sandwiches with salt and vinegar potato chips for supper because we didn’t feel like going grocery shopping just yet. The countertops are filled with stacked dishes and glasses that need to be put away still, and the rest of the house is equally a mess, but there’s plenty of time to get to it.

“The lights get cut on tomorrow,” I tell her as she strikes a match and holds it to the candlewick.

“I like it better this way.” She smiles and the fifty candles in the small room reflect off of her pretty face. She sits and I jump up, remembering it’s not only move-in day but also our anniversary.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“I’ll be right back.” I grab the bouquet of roses out of the small closet in the living room I bought for her earlier today and hide them behind my back. She narrows her eyes at me when I walk back in.

“What you got back there?”

I walk over to her and lay the flowers down onto the table. She smiles and I grab her chair after I sit and bring it and her closer to me. I look at her face and down at her lips.

“Happy anniversary, baby.” I kiss her lips, and she grabs the flowers and brings them to her face.

“They smell pretty.”

“They smell pretty?” I ask. “How does something smell pretty?”

She shrugs. “They just do.”

“You smell pretty.” I grin.

We eat in silence until we hear a squeaking noise. Our eyes lock. Hers are filled with wonder and slight fear. Mine are filled with dread.

“Mice,” I say.

“We have to get some traps. But don’t you let me see one on there.” She puts a chip into her mouth and nearly spits it out when a mouse runs across the floor. “Holy shit.” She coughs and pulls her feet up. I pat her back.

“You aren’t scared of a little mouse, are you?”

“Yes! It might get my toes.”

I lean down and kiss her big toe. “Nothing is going to get your toes, woman.” I’m given another giggle, but she keeps her feet up for the rest of supper.

*

I sit on our bed and look out the bare windows in our bedroom. The moon shines through leaving a trail of light across our wooden floors, and I can see the tree outside shift from the wind.

“I’ll go into town tomorrow and get some traps. You want to ride with me?” I ask, still looking out the window. Hearing no answer, I turn as she walks out of the bathroom, mindlessly rubbing lotion on her hands.

“Sara,” I say, getting her attention. She looks up, and I can see it. That blank stare––that I’m-fading-into-a-different-mindset look in her soft blue eyes. The mattress dips when she sits down, and I run my finger over her hand. “Baby, I’m going into town tomorrow. Come with me.”

“I may not feel up to it.” She lifts her feet from the floor and lies down. I rub my face and look over at her as she grabs the covers and pulls them up to her chin. I look back down at the moonlight and wonder if the covers make her feel safe or if it’s something more. Getting up, I lean down and blow the candles out. I remove my T-shirt and lift the covers to get into bed. Lying down, I grab her by her waist and pull her to my side. Wrapping my arms around her, I put my face into her neck and breathe her in. I don’t want the damn covers to make her feel safe. I want to make her feel that way.

“You’ll feel better tomorrow,” I murmur against her soft skin.

“We’ll see,” she says.

“Yeah,” I agree quietly. “I’ll love you forever.”

“Forever is such a long time,” she replies. “You’ll get tired of me.”

“Never,” I say. She sighs and I don’t fall asleep until I feel her breathing even out.

*

The old truck my dad shockingly handed down to me years ago backfires and Sara thinks it’s funny today. We call him Old Blue, and that’s exactly what he is—old and blue. He’s a smelly 1971 Ford, makes a funny noise when you press the gas, and the heat doesn’t work, but he’s ours. Old Blue is paid for and gets us where we need to go. Sara laughs when I hit the gas pedal, and he makes a loud popping sound, but then she gets mad because the rusted floorboard is hot against her bare feet.

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