One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 4

CHAPTER

FOUR

Quinn

I don’t work on Sundays. I wanted to have the day off to spend with Gertie, although I’m currently watching Gertie and Doris play poker, so maybe I should’ve just gone to work.

“You can’t possibly have better cards than me,” Doris says confidently.

Gertie loudly guffaws but doesn’t actually answer.

“It’s really a problem of yours, this excessive confidence. You can’t be better than me, you know. Just stop trying already,” Doris says with a laugh and a teasing tone.

“Okay sass-a-frass just show your cards,” Gertie replies with just as much sass as Doris. I laugh at the comment. It’s a phrase I’ve heard frequently, especially in my childhood and teenage years. I’ve been called the good ole Gertie “sass-a-frass” many times.

Doris dramatically reveals her cards and Gertie laughs as she throws hers down too. Gertie wins and Doris rolls her eyes.

“You must be cheating,” she accuses. Gertie simply laughs and starts dealing another hand.

I enjoy watching these two together. They are both unapologetically themselves and still fully love and accept each other. Gertie told me that it gets easier with age. I’ve never truly had a friend like that. I’ve had a few best friends throughout my life, but they never seem to stick around. But watching Gertie and Doris, you can just tell that even if they met as kids, they would still be this close now. I envy it a little.

“How are you feeling?” I ask Gertie after the next round. “It’s a beautiful day if you’d like to try going for a walk around the block.”

“She acts like I’m depressed,” Gertie mumbles to Doris.

“Because you’ve stayed holed up in this house,” Doris mumbles back.

“Who’s side are you on?” Gertie grumbles.

“The one that gets you out of here,” Doris snarks back.

“Alright, alright, let’s go for a walk,” Gertie resigns. She slowly stands up and grabs her cane. The doctor warned us that she might be using the cane a little longer than the average time simply because of her age. Gertie certainly did not like that assumption. She has never been one to let age stop her.

We slowly make our way outside. The sun is shining, unsurprisingly for a Florida summer day. There is a light breeze that feels quite nice as we slowly make our way around the block.

“I need to run inside real quick. You can continue walking without me,” Doris says as we pass her house. “I’m sure I can catch up,” she adds with a wink and a cackle.

Gertie rolls her eyes and continues walking. “She’s going to the bathroom.”

“What?”

“That’s why she’s running inside. She has to pee. I swear she has to go every time she stands up. It’s very inconvenient.”

I laugh. We walk in silence for a minute and I take a deep breath, enjoying the humid air. My skin absolutely loves being here. “It’s beautiful here,” I say out loud. Gertie doesn’t respond.

“I wish Colorado had more palm trees,” I add. I glance at Gertie and although I know it’s not a thrilling conversation I’m surprised by her silence. She’s not often this quiet.

“Are you okay?” I ask, coming to a stop.

“Don’t stop,” she says, continuing to hobble forward.

“Grandma…” I start.

“Just come on,” she urges.

I fall back into step with her and let a silence fall for a moment before asking, “What’s going on?”

She sighs, “I don’t like to be seen out here fumbling around like an old person.”

I would laugh except for the pure vulnerability on her face. “Gertie, you’ve never been ashamed of your age before.”

She stops and stands up a little straighter. “I’m not ashamed of my age, nor will I ever be. Age is simply a number and does not define me.” She swallows. That’s exactly the problem. I have always been the young and lively ‘old’ woman. I don’t want people seeing this version of me. I want them to see Doris and me riding our bikes around the neighborhood. I want them to see us doing our morning gossip walks. I certainly don’t want them to see me clutching this cane and walking like a turtle.”

I’m a little taken by surprise by her confession. Gertie is one of the most confident people I know. Even in her old age, hearing that she actually does care what others think about her surprises me a little.

“Do you want to go home?” I ask gently.

“No.”

We continue walking while I struggle to think of a reply. “I’m sorry you’re struggling,” I eventually say.

“You’re surprised that I’m human,” Gertie replies.

I chuckle. “A little, yeah. I didn’t think you ever cared what people thought about you.”

“I don’t think anyone actually cares what people think. They only think they do. In truth, I feel we all have our insecurities about ourselves. We project that and say that we worry about what others think of us when really it’s what we think of ourselves.”

Her words feel like they cut right through me. Somehow she just vocalized something that I didn’t even know I was feeling. She’s right. I’ve always been a little insecure and I’ve definitely worried about what others think about me but when I think about it, it’s all about what I actually think about myself.

“You’re kind of a genius,” I admit.

“Oh boy, why would you say that? Her ego really doesn’t need to get any bigger,” Doris quips from behind us. She shakes her head at me in mock scolding.

“How was your pee?” Gertie asks pointedly. Doris narrows her eyes and then gently loops her arm through Gertie’s.

Gertie makes it through the rest of the walk without struggling. Considering her hip surgery and age, I’m impressed by how well she’s up and moving. I don’t say this to her because she would only take it as a backhanded compliment. Doris goes home for the night, and I make dinner for us. We chat over the food and Gertie calls it an early night. I curl up on the couch to watch TV but can’t stop thinking about what she said earlier. Insecurity has always been one of my weaknesses. I was getting better, I genuinely believe I was, until I started dating Collin. In the beginning, it was a normal relationship. It was sunshine and butterflies, and I ignored any red flags that may have presented themselves. By the end, there was no way to ignore them. When a fist comes flying past your face and into the car window behind you, there’s no going back.

I decide to take full advantage of my pass to the park while I’m here for the summer. Tatum joins me sometimes, but honestly, I don’t mind going alone. It’s just as magical on my own as with others. I’ve tried to convince a few friends from Colorado to visit, but it’s a long trip.

Tonight, I’m meeting Tatum and Dylan in Norway. As I walk, I admire the colorful shops lining the water’s edge. I’ve never been to Norway, but as I pass by a gorgeous waterfall that looks like the Seven Sisters Falls, I think I might need to pay a visit to the real Norway. I pass by the northern lights show and quickly peek at the time. I wish I had time to go before I have to meet them. It’s so beautiful. It’s inside a large dome, and it feels so authentic as the colorful lights dance above you.

I reach the troll ride and spot Tatum standing by the entrance.

“Hey where’s Dylan?” I ask.

“Getting his nasty dinner,” she replies. Then she nods her head to the left and says, “that’s why we met in Norway. He loves mutton and cabbage stew.”

“Wow,” I say. “That sounds disgusting.”

“Hey, don’t be rude. We are in Norway afterall,” Dylan says, appearing behind us. He’s holding a big bowl of steaming stew.

“Why would you even want that during the summer in Florida?” Tatum questions.

“This is delicious no matter the time of year,” he replies sitting at a nearby table.

I try not to gag as I peek into his bowl.

“I’m hot, do you want to go ride Nessie while he eats?” Tatum asks me.

I agree eagerly. She knows she doesn’t have to ask me twice. Nessie is a water ride located in the Scotland area of the park. It’s right by Norway and it’s a quick walk to the ride. As we wait in line, I spot a few people in line with parkas. I see another group walk by completely soaked.

“Tatum, how wet will we get on this ride?” I ask.

She laughs. “Don’t worry; I know where to sit depending on how wet you want to get.”

She leads me into a spot where she says we will get splashed but not soaked. Most people around us seem to be clamoring for the most wet areas. I guess that’s what you want in the Florida heat. We are on a large raft with Tatum and me safely seated in the second to last row. The ride starts slowly going down a stream. We hit a few small rapids and then the stream turns and opens up a little more. A large Loch Ness Monster head sticks out of the lake before us. A couple of people in the front of the boat scream. Just then, the head goes back under and creates a giant wave that splashes the front of the boat. We pick up speed as we continue down a river. They use lights to make it look like the Loch Ness Monster is swimming right next to our boat. We get splashed a few times from the rapids and a small waterfall. When we reach the end of the ride, the Loch Ness Monster jumps out of the water and splashes back down, thoroughly soaking our boat. Everyone screams.

“How was Nessie?” Dylan asks when we find him again.

“Sneaky as always,” Tatum jokes and wrings out the bottom of her shirt.

“We are a weird couple, you know. You’re off riding water rides and I’m eating cabbage stew,” Dylan says as he wraps his arms around her.

“I guess we even each other out,” Tatum replies. “I’m also ridiculously hot and you’re just okay looking,” she teases.

Dylan smiles at her and shakes his head, “That’s not what the note I got at school today says.”

Tatum rolls her eyes, “Another one? Soon your ego is going to get bigger than your arms.”

I smile as I watch them together. They are sweet. I realize I haven’t been searching for any red flags with Dylan. Ever since dating Collin, I’ve caught myself looking for red flags in others. In some cases, I’ve even made up ones that weren’t really there. It’s been hard to recover. But maybe here I’m finally healing.