Page 26 of Red Zone Realizations
Well, that and to sell memberships and tickets.
Audrey and I walk slowly on the winding path through the brightly colored plants. Stopping to read about each species.
When we turn down the next path Audrey points out hot pink flowers. She looks up at me. “I saw flowers like this when we went to Hawaii a couple years ago on vacation.”
She snaps a photo of a butterfly resting on hot pink flower petals. She’s inspecting the oval leaves that come off the stem like corn on the cob. “I bet it was beautiful,” I say and move to stand by her and read the sign. “Who did you go with?”
“Me, my parents, my brother, my sister, and my nephew.”
“Wow. That’s a lot to travel with.”
“It was crazy. My nephew was only three, but my sister insisted that she didn’t want to miss out on vacation.” She hesitates. I see a flash of something behind her eyes. Something that leads me to believe this vacation wasn’t as fun as it should have been for her.
The sun coming through the huge glass-domed ceiling warms her face. “Crazy how?”
Audrey turns and heads toward the next blossoming plant. “There was a day when we were at the resort pool, and when I looked up my family was gone. It was just me and my nephew. I had been reading and hadn’t noticed them walking off. They didn’t say anything either. Just took off.”
I can’t hide my surprise. “Where did they go?”
“To an adult-only swim-up bar. They came back like two hours later drunk as skunks, ready to pack up for the day.”
“They just left their kid?”
“They said that since I was there by myself, I could help them out by watching the kid so they could have a ‘real vacation’. They knew I was trustworthy.”
“But it was your vacation too.”
“Yeah, I paid my own way.”
“And they just thought they’d brought free childcare with them?”
“They weren’t entirely wrong. It was just me, and I wouldn’t let the kid run amok.”
“What about your brother?”
“He’s taking over the family business, so he’s never expected to do anything else.”
“And your sister?”
“She’s his mom, so she apparently deserves a break.”
“Your family is something else.” I hold my hand out to her. I thought me and my dad’s relationship wasn’t that great, but this is next level.
“Don’t worry.” Her smile is small. “I’ve learned to temper my expectations over the years.” Hers is a quiet heartbreak. The kind that happens slowly over time. Regardless of my differences with my father, he has always supported me. Would I still be able to say that if I hadn’t wanted to play football? That’s certainly something to think about.
We walk a little farther in silence. I can see the exit ahead and it makes me a little sad knowing that we’re this close to the end of our day together. If I think back to where we were just a week ago, I’m startled by how much Audrey has come to mean to me. I’m not one to fall hard or fast, but I trust my gut when it’s telling me something.
“Noah, stand still,” Audrey exclaims, and I freeze, worried I’m about to smoosh a butterfly resting in the path.
“What is it?”
“There’s a butterfly right on your shoulder.” She points to my left side, and I look down to find a black and white butterfly lounging comfortably on my shirtsleeve. “It’s so beautiful. Hold still!” The camera that just a second ago wastaking photos of the flora and fauna is now trained at me. “Smile,” she says, and I look at her over the top of my shoulder. How could anyone not have a smile on their face right now?
The butterfly garden is magical, but soon I’ll be traveling more often, and I need to have solid footing between us before that begins. I’ve seen how hard the regular season can be on relationships, and having one in its infancy stage could be a recipe for disaster. “Speaking of expectations…”
“Yes?”
I gather my courage to ask, walking in a slow circle around Audrey, making sure there are no hitchhiking butterflies trying to catch a ride to the outside world, careful not to disturb the one hitching a ride on me. When I land back in front of her, I take her hand again. “Where do you think this is headed?”
