Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

20. Jonah

Chapter 20

Jonah

O nce we get back to the house, all three of us part ways and go to our respective rooms. Molly needs tending, and we each need a shower and, well, maybe a few moments to decompress, too.

Today couldn’t have gone any better. Vivi’s continued to smile more than I’ve seen her smile in the past two years combined. I don’t know if she thinks of Sophie as a playmate or if she’s just so comfortable around her that she feels she can fully relax and be herself. All of this makes me wonder again, what is it that she’s not getting from me, that she is from Sophie? Is it that there are two of us? Or is it that she’s a woman? My gut says this is it. After all, little girls would tend to be more attached to a woman than their single uncle. I try not to let this upset me. It is what it is.

For dinner, the three of us eat some homemade pizzas, and afterward, we watch a movie in the living room. The sun sets so late here during the summer. While I would prefer Vivi to be heading to bed soon, I did promise her a trip to Bean Point, and I already know she’s going to hold me to it. As the credits roll, Vivi pops up and looks at me.

“Is it time? Can we go now?”

With that excitement in her voice, how could I ever tell her no? I glance out the window. There’s only a tiny tint of light left, and mostly, the sky has turned to night. By the time we get there, it’ll be completely dark out.

“I suppose so. Go put Molly in her crate.”

She leaps off the couch, startling Molly as she scoops her up.

“Where are you going?” Sophie asks, confused. She mentioned earlier that after the movie, she was going to head out and go home, but selfishly, I want her to stay longer. Maybe this will pique her curiosity enough.

“I think you should stay tonight and head back tomorrow morning,” I tell her. She’s curled up on the other end of the couch. For the movie, I sat on one end, she was on the other, and Vivi sat between us. She sprawled out like kids do, and the scene was so domestic, my heart pinched.

She studies me for a moment. “I’ll have to head back pretty early. I have surgeries scheduled.”

“Yeah, but heading up to Bean Point to look at the stars with us will be worth it. We won’t be there for long. I promise you’ll get your beauty sleep,” I tease.

She doesn’t take the bait and instead looks at me curiously. “Stargazing?”

“Yes. Vivi and I love to look at the stars.”

Her eyes briefly drop to my rib cage, and I know she’s thinking about the tattoo I added since the last time I saw her.

“I can’t remember the last time I looked at the stars. When I was a kid, we used to go outside and look for the northern lights.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen that, but I bet Vivi would love it.”

“She certainly would.”

Silence falls between us as she thinks about her schedule and what it would mean tomorrow if she stays here the extra night. One of the things I’ve learned about Sophie over the past couple of days is that she is not a spontaneous person in her everyday life. She likes to plan, she likes a routine, and she doesn’t like the uncertainty of what’s happening next. I’m kicking myself now for not mentioning this sooner, but I kind of wanted it to be a surprise, and I really want her to stay. Who knows when I’ll see her again after she leaves, but I’m hopeful she'll say yes if I ask her out again.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” she says, and I just smile.

“Okay, guys, let’s go,” Vivi yells as she bounds down the stairs.

“Did you get a blanket?” I ask her.

“Oh, right.”

She runs to the laundry room, where Camille keeps beach blankets and towels, and returns with the largest one she could find.

“Alright.” I look at Sophie as she stands. “You ready?”

“Sure.” She grins.

Vivi takes off for the garage, and the two of us follow. It’s not a quick walk to the Point, so we load up onto the golf cart and head out. There are hardly any clouds out tonight, making it perfect to see the stars.

Bean Point is the northernmost tip of Anna Maria Island. It’s where Tampa Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico. While the beach is beautiful and it’s a great place to watch the sunset or to stargaze, it’s not a place to swim. Rip currents can be fierce, as well as the sea life.

“It’s so dark here,” Sophie says as we park the golf cart and walk the tree-lined trail leading us right where we want to be.

Vivi has slipped her hand into Sophie’s and I pull out my phone and turn on the flashlight so we can see.

“You’ll appreciate the darkness once we’re down there,” I tell her.

Soon, we hit the boardwalk bridge that opens up the view of the Point and takes us to the beach. The sand here is crisp white, cool, and deep, and the sound of the water is hypnotic. I don’t know what it is about the water here versus the Atlantic Ocean in Boston, but it’s just different. It feels calmer and not as fierce, which makes it easy to see why people love Florida west coast beaches.

“I’ve never been to this part of the island,” Sophie says.

“You’re going to love it,” Vivi tells her.

We’ve paused to take in the view in front of us. The stars are striking in the night sky, and the moon has made it bright enough so we can see our surroundings. The white of the sand against the dark water makes the curve of the Point visible, and you feel like you’re standing on top of the world. But the half dozen fishermen lined up in front of us, spaced out about ten feet apart, cause us to pause.

“What are they fishing for?” Sophie asks.

“Sharks.”

She turns to me, shocked. “Really?”

“Yep. The currents here create the perfect pathway for them to go in and out of the bay. Bull sharks can tolerate salt water and fresh water, so the environment here is perfect.”

“Wow. Why are they using glow sticks on their lines?”

“They use the green ones because the bright hue attracts fish and sharks.”

“Do people eat bull sharks?”

“Yes. Here in Florida, this is legal fishing to keep the populations manageable, and if you hit up any mom-and-pop seafood restaurant near the coast, they probably have shark nuggets on their menu.”

Sophie frowns. “I’m not sure I would like that.”

“You never know until you try it. Come on, let’s head over there, away from these guys.”

“But, Uncle Jonah, I want to see a shark,” Vivi says.

“You just saw one at the aquarium.”

“But this is different.”

I can’t argue with her there. But we are not sticking around these guys out here at night. I don’t know them, and quite frankly, people who wrangle sharks at night might not be my kind of people.

“Why do you know so much about this?” Sophie asks.

“Tyler likes to fish. He loves to talk about all the different species here and the different ways to catch them.”

“Where is he from?”

“Originally, I think Jacksonville.”

“So he grew up fishing?”

“Yes.”

After finding a suitable spot, Sophie helps me spread out the large blanket, and we each settle in and lie down. Vivi is between us, her head right at about shoulder height for both of us.

“It’s so peaceful out here,” Sophie says as a breeze blows over us. “The last time I looked at the stars, I was in high school. We used to stay up late to see the northern lights. Do you know what those are?” she asks Vivi.

“No. What are they?” Vivi asks.

“They’re streaks of blue-greenish lights that swirl through the night sky, almost like a river in the sky.”

“Can we see that here?” Vivi turns to look at Sophie, eyes wide.

Sophie looks down at her. “No. The light gravitates toward the North and South Pole. You’ll learn all about it soon in your science class.”

“Okay,” she says, accepting that answer.

“Vivi, what do you see?” I ask her.

“The summer triangle. It’s right there. Do you see it, Sophie?” Between us, I can feel Vivi turning to look at her again.

“I’m not sure. Why don’t you point out what I’m supposed to see?”

Vivi scoots a little closer to Sophie and points at the sky. “That bright one right there is called Vega. It’s the brightest one. Do you see it?”

“I do,” Sophie says, a little animatedly for Vivi’s sake, and it has me turning to look at her, too. The profile of her face with her hair scattered all over the blanket—she’s so beautiful it hurts.

“What’s next?” Sophie asks her.

Vivi’s arm slides a little until she’s pointing at another star, but I can’t seem to look at the stars anymore. I just want to look at the two of them. Mainly Sophie.

“And then the last one is there.” Her arm slides again.

“How did you know how to find this constellation?” she asks.

“Uncle Jonah uses an app.”

Sophie turns to look at me, her brows raised in question. “An app?”

“Yep.” I slide my phone from my pocket and open SkyView. I hold it up to the sky, it reads the stars in the sky and then draws the constellation to identify it for us. At this moment, there is Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

“That’s really neat,” Sophie tells us.

“When Uncle Jonah travels, he sends me the stars so I can see that we’re looking at the same ones.”

“I love that,” she says.

“Ms. Sophie?” Vivi asks.

“Yes, darling.”

“Do you have a mom?”

Shock and then sadness slip over Sophie’s features as she thinks about how to best answer her question. We both understand what she’s asking and why. I just hope Sophie phrases it in a way that might bring her some peace of mind.

“Yes. Although she passed away a long time ago.”

Vivi’s quiet as she thinks about this. I know kids see things more in black and white. Either you have something or you don’t, but for Vivi, I know Sophie wants her to see she still has a mom. She’s just not here anymore.

“How old were you when she died?”

“I was seventeen.”

Sophie catches me looking at her. This is something else I didn’t know about her, but now I do. I know she can see the sorrow that has taken over my face. I don't feel pity for her. I’m just sad for what she experienced and what she lost.

“How did she die?” Vivi asks.

“She got cancer.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, it all happened pretty quick.”

Vivi rolls onto her side and looks at Sophie. Sophie rolls to match her, and the two of them stare at each other. It’s taking everything in me not to reach over and pull them both in close.

“My mom died quick, too.”

“I heard,” she tells her, and then Sophie brushes a few pieces of hair off Vivi’s face and tucks them behind her ear. “Why don’t you tell me three things about your mom?”

“My mom liked to sing and dance. She always had music playing and would dance while she cooked.”

“That’s so fun,” Sophie tells her. “Now I know where you get all of your dancing talent from.”

She giggles. “But she didn’t sing very good. My dad used to make fun of her, but she didn’t care.”

“As she shouldn’t have. I love that your mom used to sing because it made her happy. You should always do the things that make you happy, no matter what anyone else thinks. Okay, tell me something else.”

“She used to braid my hair.”

I stop breathing, and my chest aches. I remember her hair always being styled, but I didn’t know this was something she thought about. She never mentioned it.

“Do you know how to braid hair?” she asks Sophie.

“Well, it hasn’t been something I’ve ever really needed to do, but I will practice so I can braid yours next time I see you. How about that?”

“I like a fishtail braid.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? You do like dolphins.”

“I do. My stuffed dolphin, her name is Coral. My mom bought her for me.”

“That might be the best name I’ve ever heard for a dolphin.”

“There’s a real one named Coral at the aquarium. My mom took me to see her once.”

She looks over Vivi’s head. “Which aquarium?”

“Clearwater,” I answer, my voice rough.

She looks back at Vivi. “Oh, I’ve heard that’s a nice aquarium. They used to have a dolphin named Winter.”

“I saw the movie. The first one and the second.”

“Of course you did. Kind of cool what they did for his tail, huh?”

“Yes.”

“When that movie came out, I might have looked up on the internet to see if their tail has bones in it, and it does not.”

“You like bones a lot.”

“I do.”

“Their tails kind of go like this.” Vivi raises her arm in the air and waves it back and forth.

“Just like the guy at the aquarium told us today. Cartilage is bendy. Okay, you owe me one more thing about your mom.”

Vivi lowers her arm as she thinks about this.

“Her name was Ashley Lynn Dallmann.”

“Ashley is a really pretty name.”

“It’s my favorite name.”

“I think that would make your mom very happy.”

Vivi smiles, then she scoots a little closer to Sophie. Sophie, doing what comes naturally, starts running her hand up and down Vivi’s back.