Southern Belles, a Novel About Love, Purpose & Second Chances (9781310340970) (7 page)

I looked at my watch and realized that it
was almost nine o’clock. I whispered in CeCe’s ear that we needed
to get going to the party and motioned to Richie. We gave hugs to
Aunt Juanita, Grandma’s Evi, Rose, and her little man friend. I
kissed my mom and dad goodbye before walking towards the door. My
mother followed us to the entryway and quietly reminded us to stick
together, not drink, and not do anything that we couldn’t do if she
were in the same room with us.

“Thanks mom, I love you too.” I said as I
gave her another kiss and hug before tromping down the front porch
steps.

“Remember you need to be home before the sun
comes up; I’ll be waiting up for you.” She said smiling as she
stood in the doorway waving goodbye at us.

There were cars parked all up and down the
block when we arrived. I could already hear music wafting from the
house. I was a little excited about the party but knew I’d probably
be spending most of it by myself while CeCe exchanged spit with the
college guy she fancied from Trixie’s. Richie opted to stay home
and catch up on his video games. I didn’t mind hanging by myself as
my heart was already in Athens—where the real party was waiting.
This was just a bonus, in the meantime.

The music reverberated as we opened the
door. There were beautiful people enjoying themselves everywhere I
looked.

“CeCe, what’s the name of the guy you’re
looking for?”

“James or Jim, I think.” She said as she
scanned over the house.

“Do I look Okay Char? No eye or nose
boogies, right?”

“You look great, no eye or nose boogies.” I
said reassuring her. “What about me?”

“Beautiful of course, Char. You got some
good sun today; your freckles are all over.” CeCe said hugging me
quickly.

“So who are you going to be tonight Char?”
Ce asked as she continued to scan the room.

“I don’t know. Maybe, I’ll be Lucy tonight,”
I said jokingly.

“That’s a good name. I have to be CeCe,” she
said amusingly, “because Jim already knows my real name from the
diner.”

“That’s a great name,” I said grinning at
CeCe. We always gave fake names to guys we didn’t know or met at
parties just in case they ended up being annoying or creepy. We
figured it would make us harder to find if they weren’t boyfriend
material.

Yelling over the crowd, the guy CeCe had
been looking for found us. In tow, he had two guys and a girl
following him. Undoubtedly, CeCe would have tried to fix me up with
the lone guy had I promptly told her “Don’t bother CeCe, I don’t
need a date tonight and he doesn’t look interesting anyway.”

“Oh Char—don’t judge a book by its
cover.”

“I’m not. Just go enjoy yourself CeCe, I’m
going to get a drink and hang out on the deck. Promise me thou that
you won’t leave the party with that guy. I need a ride a home, you
know.”

“I promise! I would never leave you! You’re
my BFF!” She said as she skipped away.

Before CeCe snuck away with the college
cutie, I vowed to meet back up with her, in a few hours, on the
deck of this beautiful beach house humming with life and
mesmerizing music. Sitting quietly, with one hand resting in my lap
and the other holding a drink, I appreciated the calm peace I felt
in all the noise. There were young people everywhere laughing and
talking, drinking and dancing, inside and out on the beach. The
music drifted in muted tones across the deck sending goose bumps
across my neck and arms as I sat back in the lounge chair
over-looking the ocean. I was so relaxed that I was reminded of my
favorite book, the Great Gatsby. Gatsby always had the best
parties. His home, on the beach, was filled with people just like
me looking for a good time to pass the time. I sat silently taking
in the still beauty of the night, admiring the white caps softly
hitting the moonlit sandy shore. Almost a little too relaxed; a
sudden and thunderous belch sprang forth. I laughed and let out a
little “ooh” until I heard someone else, laugh behind me, and I
jumped. Thinking I was alone on the deck, I was surprised to find a
smiling guy standing behind me—a really cute, smiling guy.

“That’s pretty impressive. You know most
adolescent boys would be envious.” He said with a serious look on
his face before letting down his eyebrows and walking towards
me.

“Okay, you tell me a secret. You already
know mine. Heavy-weight belcher, defender of the Southern title”, I
joked to cover my embarrassment.

Blushing, he looked out at the crashing
waves rolling in before peering at me from the side of his face. I
could tell that my question had caught him off guard after my grand
impression.

“Really?” He asked with a smile deepening
the dimples chiseled above his smooth ivory jawbone. His eyes
twinkled from the light of the deck and the full moon overhead.
They were a brilliant blue that reminded me of the way my Aunt
Juanita described the Grecian seas in her travels around the
Mediterranean. Starring intently at me, he created a warmth that
slowly crept up my backside. I could feel it spreading to my arms,
that just moments ago had goose bumps.

“Yeah.”

Looking up to the left before his eyes
rolled to the right he replied, “I can’t stand Nirvana.”

“Wow, you got me there!” I said with an over
exaggerated look on my face.

“What?”

“I could have guessed that from your polo
and your loafers.”

“Are you mocking my style?” He said
charmingly.

“No, of course not,” I said coyly. “I said a
secret, not an obvious assumption.”

“Oh. So, you’re saying that I’m
predictable?”

“No, but most of the out-of-town guys
wearing polo’s and loafers are usually riding around on their boats
blaring U2. Dr. Dre if they’re trying to look a little less like
you know…a jock driving their dad’s yacht.”

“Is that what you think about me?”

“I don’t know. I just met you. Should I
think that? Does your dad own a boat?”

“Yes. But what’s wrong with being a jock?”
And why do wearing loafers or polo’s, owning boats, and not liking
Nirvana define me as a jock?” He asked, now looking directly at
me.

“What’s wrong with being a jock?” I
stammered as an image of a drunken, obnoxious, conceited Jersey
flashed through my head.

“Nothing, if you think being conceded,
ungrateful, and having everything handed to you on a silver platter
is Okay.”

“Wow, sounds like somebody got burnt?” He
said, taking a sip of his drink.

Quickly realizing I sounded like a bitter
and scorned ex-girlfriend from the abrupt seriousness our playful
conversation went to, I giggled and apologized, “I’m Lucy, can we
start over?”

“Before or after that extraordinary
monstrous belch?” He laughed, before extending his hand forward,
“I’m Skylar Flower. Only my friends call me Skylar and only my
really good friends get away with calling me Sky Flower.”

“Hmm… Sky Flower.” I repeated his words
aloud, hypnotized by his engaging smile and firm handshake.

“And now you know my secret. I’m a product
of hippies who wanted a baby girl.”

“I thought my burp was embarrassing; you’re
starting to help me feel a lot better about myself.” I teased.

Chuckling quietly, Skylar asked, “Do you
want to take a walk on the beach?”

“I’d like that.”

As we started to let our guards down, I felt
an unfamiliar tickling jostle around in my belly. Watching him talk
made me smile. The more he talked, the more I smiled. I tried
biting my lip to hide the smile but it just got bigger. The more I
smiled, the more he smiled. It was odd and infectious. I don’t know
why I couldn’t erase the smile off my face. It was almost like
having to pee and trying not to do the peepee dance in public, yet
still dancing around, trying to pass it off while others slowly and
amusingly caught on to what you were really doing. He was gentle in
his mannerisms and the slight facial expressions he made spoke of
his character. Calm and collected, he was skilled at being charming
without being rude or too nice. He asked me about my dreams and
what I wanted to do when I grew up—as if he didn’t notice I was
almost grown up. This was in contrast to boys I had entertained in
passing conversations. Like Jersey, I can’t ever remember having
any kind of a conversation where he wanted to know more about me or
my opinion. He was always busy telling me about himself or his
pumped up
accomplishments.
As I shared with him my dreams of
being a journalist and writing books one day, I could tell Skylar
was interested in what I had to say. He told me about visiting
foreign countries, as a kid, with his little sister and his parents
who had helped build orphanages all around the world. He laughed
and said that his hippie parents got saved, by some visiting
missionaries, when he was a baby while they were living in a
commune in Southern California. After that they felt called to help
the less fortunate. He said that because of his interesting
upbringing that he wanted to do something good in the world but
wasn’t sure what it was just yet. He knew he would find his purpose
eventually. For now though, he was attending college overseas,
studying international business.

“I’ve always loved coming to the beach at
night and watching the stars.” He said, taking a seat on the sandy
shore. “It gives me a peace inside—I know that somewhere up there
God is watching and listening to me. When life gets messy, I come
to the beach and think out loud.” He said drawing his knees up with
his arms resting over them, as his hair blew slightly in the
breeze.

“The beach is a second home to me too. I’d
live here if my mom let me. Messy?” I asked looking at him,
wondering what he had to worry about with the great family and life
experiences he shared with me earlier.

“Yeah, messy…you know, stressful.” He paused
for a moment.

“Stressful?”

“My mom’s had cancer twice in the last four
years and both times there was no guarantee that she’d make it out.
It was pretty scary for a while.” He said glancing out over the sea
at the stars twinkling in the sky.

“Wow—I’m sorry to hear that. Is she Okay
now?” I asked, seeing the heart behind his good looks and
charm.

“She’s in remission now but she’s been
pretty secretive lately. She doesn’t like to worry us.”

“My grandma Rose had cancer when I was nine
but she told me that she was too ornery too die.” I said smiling.
“I was probably too young at the time to understand the fullness of
her circumstances but after I overheard my mom talking to my dad
about her illness, I remember worrying that she would die and leave
me. That night I told God that he was not allowed to have her
because I was too young to be without my grandma.”

Smiling, Skylar looked at me warmly. “That
sounds like a familiar conversation I’ve had with Him too. I made a
deal with God that if he let her live, I’d willingly do whatever he
had planned for my life.”

“Are you scared what that may be?” I asked
curiously.

“No, I know He loves me and has good things
planned, whatever they are. For now, I’m waiting for Him to guide
me. He’s never abandoned me yet. So, I’ll wait for his call.”

“How will you know when He calls you?” I
asked, interested in the depth of his words.

“He always shows up at the right time. Just
when times get too dark and you feel all alone, he sends signs and
people to help lift our spirits and direct our paths. So, when He’s
ready, He’ll let me know.” He said, looking at me directly.

His magnetic charisma had drawn me to him. I
could have talked with him all night long and not have realized the
time passing. Not only was he smart and funny but his soul was warm
and deeply genuine. I found myself no longer wanting to pass the
time, to just get to tomorrow; I wanted to drench myself into every
minute I was with him. Every word he said and every smile that
embraced his lips made me feel like a kid in a toy store. I
couldn’t remember having this much fun just talking ever. I was so
intrigued and overcome with an unexpected, intense feeling of joy.
We talked about the lives we imagined for ourselves, one day. When
he talked about wanting to get married and have kids, I was
surprised to mentally find myself imagining me in his life. I
envisioned him and I running through a beautiful home chasing after
a giggling toddler, with a cute dog following close behind. There
was laughter, lots of it. I could even picture the dog—a yellow
lab, furry and sweet, probably one we rescued from an animal
shelter. I couldn’t believe that I let my mind wonder like this. I
didn’t even know him but I felt like he knew me in a way that no
one knew me.

A cool ocean breeze swept over me, forging a
chill to climb up my back and slip around my neck, causing me to
shudder and pull my shoulders together. Skylar took notice and
pulled off his cardigan. He draped it over my shoulders and
backside and I felt the ripples of warmth from his strong hands
radiate through my body. I wondered if he had a girlfriend or
someone special in his life. I figured he must have with all the
charm he possessed. If there was someone did they talk like this?
Did she know the beauty of his soul? I wondered if he could tell
that every second we were together, I was writing him into my life.
How I hoped that my face wasn’t giving me away.

His hand brushed the side of my face as he
pulled the cardigan snugly around me. It smelled like warm vanilla
and beach sandalwood. The intoxicating smell and the intensity of
the moment made me weak. I warily looked up not sure what would
happen next. Skylar looked into my eyes and paused a moment.
Looking into his crystal-blue eyes, I could feel an unexpected
burst of butterflies in my stomach making it hard to breath. I felt
weak, all of a sudden, and my hands became shaky. I was losing
control of my composure. A grin rose up his left side reaching
across to the right side before he reached for my hands and folded
them into his, nestling them in between our chests. I smiled back
nervously, thinking I could lose my bearings at any second and
fall. I didn’t know how much longer I could look into his eyes
before he could read my mind. Slowly, he leaned forward and I
closed my eyes. His soft, full lips pressed gently into mine and
everything in my body froze. It was as if everything around me went
silent and dark. His kiss was sweet like the nectar from the
peaches on our farm. I could have kissed him for a million years
with no regrets. One of his hands broke free from mine and slipped
through the back of my hair, gently caressing my head. His other
arm wrapped around my waist and held me tight. Our kiss
intensified, taking in his breath, his hold on me tightened. We
came up for air with our eyes wide open, leaning nose-to-nose. It
was reckless abandon. I had been taught to leave the sacredness of
our bodies and our hearts for only one person in life. I couldn’t
explain what was coming over me. Suddenly, an image of my mother
popped in my head before I quickly shooed her away. I had never
felt this way with anyone else, ever. This foreign and powerful
emotion swept over me—making me weak in my senses. I was caught up
in the moment and couldn’t think about where this might be going.
Never having felt this before I imagined this might be what love
felt like and I didn’t want it to end.