Grindstone

"Alek, where are we going?" I asked the boy leading me by my hand
into the woods, farther than I'd ever been before.

"You'll see"

"But?"

"Shhh!" He turned and looked at me, narrowing his eyes but still
smiling. I pretended to pout, but I broke out laughing. He reached over
and covered my mouth, then whispered,

"Shhh, just be quiet. We're sneaking away, remember?" I nodded, and he
winked at me. "Good. Come on"

We must have sneaked for another twenty minutes, at least, until we
came to a clearing with a stream running along the edge. There were a
couple of big rocks and a fallen tree, which I sat on as I began to
look around.

"How did you find this place?"

"I was exploring one day and just found it. It's nearly a mile away
from your house, and town is another mile that way. There is a little
grouping of houses not too far away over there-- in case it starts to
rain or something they have a drugstore where we can go sit until it
stops."

"Wow."

"Yeah" He sat down next to me. Alek is my best friend in the world. He
is two years older than me, and I'm 12, but almost 13. I'm not really
supposed to play with him because Daddy doesn't think it's appropriate,
with him being both older than me, and being the butler's son. But I
don't care.

"Does anybody else know this is here?"

"Not that I know of. It's pretty secluded. Though we should come and go
a different way every time so we don't make a path and make it much
easier for people to find us. That would kinda ruin the point, wouldn't
it?"

"What point?"

"Being here alone without being bothered"

"Oh. Yeah" We sat in silence for a few moments.

"Do you want to go back now? You're being really quiet"

"No. I'm just enjoying the silence. It's really nice here, with the
birds singing and stuff. They don't sing this much at home."

"That's because that's your home, not theirs. They like it better
here."

"So do I"

"I know you do, and I do, too, but," He looked at his watch, "we should
head back now. It's getting close to dinner time, and your father will
have a cow if you're not there, and so will mine." He got up to leave,
and I stayed sitting on the log for a second, thinking. Then I
said,

"Alek, I don't want to go back. I want to live here forever. Can we do
that, please?" He turned and looked at me, smirking.

"Not quite yet, Rosie."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^Five years later^

I pulled my favorite green cady dress out of my closet, unzipping it
and stepping in. I zipped it back up and slipped on my favorite pair of
leather flip-flops. After walking through a fine mist of perfume that
smells just like lily of the valley, I headed downstairs.

Today was going to be a good day, no matter what, I told myself as I
descended the back stairs into the kitchen. My father, judging by his
absence at the breakfast table, was either already gone or taking his
morning meal in his office, so I was all alone. Mrs. Perez, who was our
cook, didn't come in for another hour, so I fetched myself breakfast
from the fridge: a half grapefruit, apple juice and a piece of
gingerbread, which I warmed for a few seconds in the microwave. I put
everything together on a plate and took them outside on the patio where
I could eat and watch the koi in the pond.

The reason that I knew today was going to be a good day was, firstly,
because it was a Saturday, and I didn't have to go to school. Alek was
done with school for the year, and was coming home today. I smiled. I
was so happy to see him again. It had been almost a year, and I
desperately missed my best friend. He wouldn't be here until this
afternoon, so I still had a long time to wait. While I contemplated
what to do until he arrived, I decided that this was going to be a very
good, but still very long day.

"Rose, my dear, are you out there?" My father called to me from the
kitchen. He stepped out onto the patio and smiled when he saw me. "I'm
glad to have found you. I have excellent news for you, honey."

"What is it Daddy?" I asked eagerly.
"Do you remember that young man Edward that I told you about? The one
that is graduating from Harvard?"

"What about him?"

"He's come up here for the week, and would very much like to see
you."

"What do you mean?"

"He would like to take you out on a date. I think you should go, after
all, he is a very nice and respectable young man."

"I don't know?isn't he a bit old for me?"

"Oh no, not at all. I was six years older than your mother, and he is
only four years older than you. Besides, if I thought he were too old,
wouldn't I be being and overprotective father and forbidding you to see
him?"

"I suppose. When would he like to go out?"

"He is free for dinner tonight, and I've made you reservations at the
Bistro."

"But Alek is coming tonight! I want to be here when he arrives."

"Jacqueline-Rose, you have a reservation. You must go. Edward will be
here to pick you up at precisely six. Most likely he will have a
convertible, so wear your hair accordingly. Now, I've got to head out
to Boston, but I should be back for dinner tomorrow. Have a great time
tonight, and don't even think about standing poor Edward up. He is such
a nice young man." He turned and left. I sighed, and rested my forehead
on my hand. What a day.

I spent the rest of the day trying to hasten the arrival of the
evening. Alek's arrival that evening, not my date. It's not that I
didn't want to go on a date with Edward, but it's that it had to be
tonight of all nights.