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I
pulled into the restaurant parking lot and was sickened by what I saw on the
ride here.  I climbed off my bike, removed my helmet and then shook out my
hair.

“You
are so hot when you do that.  I think I heard a sizzle.”  David had
pulled up beside me and was talking to me from inside his car.  He rolled
up the window and climbed out.  A little beep sounded as he turned on the
alarm.

We
walked into the restaurant and the hostess seated us in a booth.  Our
waiter came up to take our drink order.  The waiter was a good looking guy
with brown hair buzzed short, but not too short.  He had friendly green
eyes that were as dark as jade and even through his uniform you could see that
he had a slim swimmer’s build.  He smiled down at me but his eyes
brightened when he took a look at David.  David didn’t miss the look on
the waiters face and he flashed him a brilliant smile.

The
waiter cleared his throat and introduced himself.  “Uh, hey, my name is
Matt and I’ll be your server today.  What can I get ya’ll to drink?”

Wow. 
His thick southern accent was divine.

I
ordered an orange juice and David ordered one of the weird mango and wheatgrass
health smoothies.  I gave David a strange look and waited for Matt to walk
back to the kitchen.

“Mango
wheatgrass smoothie?  Really?  What happened to your standard vanilla
shake?”

David
quietly laughed and looked quickly in the direction of the kitchen before
turning back to me and responding in a hushed tone.  “That Matt guy was
dreamy and looked like he took care of himself.  I want to give him the
impression that I’m not a human garbage disposal.”

I
laughed.  David was not the type to miss the opportunity for love.

“So
tell me, Paige, what was up with the mental vacation at the red light down the
street, hmm?  Were you looking at the same thing I was looking at?”

I
turned my head to look out the window and then turned my attention back to
David.  “Hot guy, balcony and a half dressed redhead?” I asked.

David’s
face broke out into a grin and he responded. “That would be it.  That man
was amazing, wasn’t he?  Artists have spent many years trying to replicate
his body with paint and clay.  He put Michelangelo’s
David
to
shame.  But I have to tell you I’m a little surprised you noticed
him.  You’re not exactly the type to admire the scenery.”  He angled
his head in question.

I
looked out the window again and responded, “Yeah, well, that was Daemon. 
He’s a little hard to miss.”

David’s
jaw dropped and he made a motion with his hand like he was picking his jaw up
off the table and closing his mouth.

“
THAT
was Daemon?  As in ‘speaker asswipe’ himself? That guy?”

I
chuckled and nodded my head.  “The very one.”

David
considered what I said for a moment and then let out a low whistle. “Damn
girl.  I know the guy is a prick but I think that body of his would more
than make up for it. In fact, he meets two out of three of my strict criteria.
I think you should reconsider your hatred of all things Daemon.”

I
scoffed at his suggestion.  “What criteria are you talking about and what
does he have besides his looks?”

“Well,
isn’t it obvious?  He has money.   And in my book, looks plus
money is a good combination.  The sparkling personality can be optional.”

This
time my jaw dropped, but then I thought about what he said. “Why do you think
that he has money?”

David
gave me a pointed look to silently imply I was being ignorant.  “Um, did
you
see
where he was standing?  Do you know how much those
apartments cost?”  He clapped his hands. “Oh!  I bet he’s
loaded.  You should go back to Tomb tonight and wrap him in your love
spell.  I’ll go with you and watch.”

I
quickly turned down David’s offer but then started questioning what he was
pointing out.  Why
was
Daemon standing on that balcony?  I
know a person can make decent money being a bouncer, but not enough to afford
those apartments.  I wondered if maybe he had gone home with the redhead
and that was her place.  The question was bothering me and I decided that
I would have to check Daemon out a little more closely.

Matt
returned to the table and gave us our drinks.  He took our food orders and
I ordered two fried eggs, sausage patties and a bowl of grits.  David
ordered a salad.  When Matt left the table, I laughed at David’s choice in
breakfast.

“What?! 
At least he isn’t looking at me like I’m going to keel over any second from a
grease induced heart attack.”

I sat
back in my chair and placed my hands on the table in front of me.  “Grits
with fried eggs and sausage mixed in are good. You should try it
sometime.  My mom used to make that for me every Sunday and I love it.”

David
shrugged his shoulders and then picked up the green concoction that Matt had
placed down in front of him.  He tilted the glass back and forth and
watched as the thick liquid slowly moved from side to side.”  I made a
face of disgust and David smiled.

“Bottoms
up!”  David took a large swig of the smoothie and his face puckered in on
itself.  He frantically looked from left to right and then sprayed the
table in front of me as he spit the drink out.

“Oh my
god, holy crap and heaven help me, that stuff was disgusting!”  He grabbed
a stack of napkins from the side of the table and started mopping of the puddle
between us.  I tried not to laugh, but it forced its way out and some of
the other patrons turned to look at us.  When David had finished cleaning
the table he pushed the stack of soiled napkins to the side and looked up at
me.

“Do me
a favor.” He whispered. “When Matt comes back, order a vanilla shake and
pretend like it’s for you.  I’ll slam it when he isn’t looking.”

I
chuckled.  “Did you want me to order some real food for you while I’m at
it?”

“Please?”

I
chuckled again and nodded my head in agreement.

David
and I ate our meals and then left the restaurant; David being one phone number
richer.  He had a shit eating grin on his face and I was happy for his
Matt induced ego boost.  We drove out of town and started on the long
route to The Center.  If we took the highway, we could make it to my
folks’ place in forty-five minutes tops, but if you added another thirty
minutes to your drive, the scenery was definitely worth it.

I drove
along the curvy roads that cut through the state forests.  The roads were
never busy and occasionally you would be passed by a family heading to the
springs or a fisherman towing his boat towards the beaches.   Florida
is surrounded by water and the limestone shelf it sits on often collapses,
creating natural lakes and springs.  The roads were lined by the trees and
grasses and every once in a while you would see a gator sunning itself in the
side ditch.  Between the natural scenery surrounding me and the sound of
the air rushing past me, I was immersed in this ride.  There were days
where I was so upset I would make the drive just to experience this serenity,
even when I had no particular destination in mind.

We
arrived at the Center and my parents stepped outside to greet us. Momma gave
David a huge bear hug and then made her way over to me while Daddy shook
David’s hand and clapped him on the back.  Momma grabbed me and pulled me
tight to her and gave out an excited squeal to have her arms wrapped around
me.  She wasn’t shy in her hatred of my transportation so when she got to
hold me in one piece, she always acted like it was the last time she would get
the chance.

“Now
move over Maia and give me a chance to take a look at our girl.”  Daddy
came up beside us and tickled Momma to get her to move out of the way. Momma
laughed and stepped aside so Daddy could take a look at me.  He grabbed me
by the shoulders and held me away from him like he was inspecting me before
pulling me into a hug.

I shook
my head when he pulled away and laughed. “You guys act like you didn’t just see
me a week ago.  Trust me, nothing has changed in that amount of time.”

Daddy
winked at me before saying, “Just checking baby girl.  You know we need to
make sure you haven’t sprouted a third arm or anything.”

David came
up next to us and acted like he was being ignored. “What about me, Mom and
Dad?  I could be wasting away to nothing and you two would not have even
noticed.”

Momma
and Daddy laughed and then Momma turned to look at David.  She put her
hand to her mouth like she was thinking and she gave him a good hard look up
and down.  “Yep, just as I suspected.  You are in excellent health
and you are an exquisite specimen of male masculinity and prowess.”

Daddy
let out a huff of air but smiled as he said, “Should I be worried that you will
be leaving me for a younger model, Maia?”

David
grinned and stated, “Oh, you have nothing to worry about there, James. 
Your lovely wife isn’t exactly my type.”

We all burst
into laughter and then started walking back towards the building.  I
couldn’t help but stare at those large double entryway doors and think about
the amount of pain that has walked through them.

We
walked through to the back parlor and David immediately ran to the children’s
play area to start acting like a human playground.  The children who had
been there for a while recognized him and wasted no time tackling his large
form to the ground.  As usual, David had to overdramatize his defeat,
making the children laugh even more.  He threw his arms out in surrender
and clutched at his chest for the take down scene.  He landed on the
ground with a loud thump and I winced wondering if that was going to leave a
mark.  The children who were newer to The Center appeared hesitant to
approach him at first but quickly warmed up to him due to his comedic
antics.  The mothers all laughed as they watched their children climb all
over David and their faces brightened to see their young ones enjoying
themselves.

I sat down
on the back couch and remembered my dream from earlier.  This was the
exact couch where Daddy had laid me after he found me in the water. Sitting on
it so close in time to that dream brought all the emotions flooding back into
my consciousness.  My parents didn’t notice my discomfort so I shook it
off and smiled brightly up towards them. 

Momma
sat down next to me and Daddy sat in the rocking chair to our right.  It
was rare that my parents took a moment out of their day to rest and have a
conversation, but they made sure to at least give me an hour when I came for my
weekly visit.  I was never upset that they couldn’t afford to give me more
uninterrupted time than that. I understood that what they were doing was so
important to the people they were helping.  Momma asked me about my job
and they gave me their full attention as I told them about Mr. Weber, the
miracle skier.   They laughed at my rendition of the story and Momma
made her usual comments about how it is so important for me to be
careful.   Concerned that I would get caught one day and that someone
would react with violence, they asked that I arm myself to protect against
attack.  Momma, Daddy and I all shared the same distaste for firearms, but
I agreed to pick up a can of pepper spray to make them feel better.  My
job isn’t as dangerous as they think but I have heard stories of investigators
accidentally stumbling upon drug deals or other criminal behaviors undertaken
by the people they were watching.

After
an hour, Momma and Daddy excused themselves to take care of whatever chores
they had to accomplish and I turned to find David reading a book to the
kids.  They all were laying on top of him and snuggling into his
side.  As he was otherwise pre-occupied I decided to go check out the
backyard.

When I
refer to the backyard at The Center, I may be using the wrong word.  The
Center was backed up to the outer perimeter of the state park and a large half
acre yard led out to a marsh land that fed into a lake.  Daddy would mow
the grasses closer to the building, but he left the area down near the marshes
as natural as possible.  The beauty of the place was always startling no
matter how many times you have seen it.  There were seven large camphor
trees that had now grown out to the point that a massive canopy shaded the
first thirty feet or so by the building.  Momma and Daddy had added a
medium size veranda and sitting area since I moved out and it’s the perfect
place to sit and read a book or watch out over the water.

The
breeze carried cool winds with it today which perfectly complemented the heat
of the sun.  It was one of those days where you could easily fall asleep
in a hammock or lounge chair and not wake up for hours.  The weather
combined with the natural music of the wetlands was an instant relaxer and you
couldn’t help but feel hopeful about life.  As usual, I felt an instant
connection to my surroundings and I knew I would spend several hours just
absorbing it all.

I spent
a few hours walking around and visiting all my favorite childhood hiding
spots.  Nothing has changed around this place since The Center started and
looking around the yard I remembered the dream again.  I glanced over to
my right and stared at the Cypress tree I had fallen out of years ago.  It
had grown taller since then and I shuddered at the thought of how high I had
gone that day.  I was a fearless child and I’ve stayed that way for the
most part except for when it came to heights, spiders and zombie clowns; well,
I guess I should say
any
clowns. 

Momma
came out after a while and found me sitting down in the grasses.  She took
a seat next to me and threw her arm over my shoulder and started rocking me
slowly from side to side.  I looked into my mom’s face and she had a
knowing look to her.

“What
are you thinking about, Baby Girl?  You look like you’ve got a lot on your
mind.”

I hung
my head down and was busying my hands, tying a piece of grass to another. 
I looked up at Momma and then over to the lake.  “I had a dream last night
that bothered me.” I paused and my voice became quiet.  “It was about
Buddy.”

Momma
nodded her head in understanding and then stayed quiet to give me time to
continue.

“It
wasn’t about what happened on my birthday, it was just a scene from when we had
been climbing trees.  But then the dream shifted and I remembered the time
I fell out of the Cypress.  The pain and the fear and everything else was
so real.  I woke up Momma and I carried those emotions into my waking
life.  I’ve been trying to shake them all damn day, but they won’t let me
go.”  I put my head into my hands. “I haven’t dreamt about him in years,
why now?”

Momma
was thoughtful for a moment.  She was one of those people that took their
time to really think about what they were going to say before she said
it.  Her responses were always so well stated and honest that I
appreciated the way she communicated with me.  Momma never had to take
back a hurtful word or apologize for not being forthcoming.  She had a
pure spirit and it was evident in everything she said and did.

“Well,
Baby, I don’t know exactly why you had the dream and I don’t know what it was
trying to tell you.  I know that the brain has a funny way of processing
information and sometimes our subconscious knows something we don’t and for
whatever reason it won’t easily share what it knows.  Dreams are a way for
us to look farther inside ourselves and every once in a while a memory will
sneak in there and it’ll be like you are reliving it.”

She
squeezed me closer to her and her voice took on a regretful tone.  “I
often worry about you, Paige.  I know how hard it is for you to let people
in.  You give so much of yourself to the people you love but you never
leave yourself vulnerable where it matters the most. Don’t get me wrong, Baby,
I’ve always said it’s important to guard your heart, but sometimes, and for the
right person, you have to lower the drawbridge and let someone inside those
walls.”

My eyes
started to well with tears and I kept my head turned so Momma wouldn’t see.

Momma
sighed and continued. “I want to think it is strange that you are still so
affected about what happened with Buddy.  It’s been sixteen years,
Darling, and you are at an age where you should be able to move past it. For as
short a period of time that you knew each other, you two bonded like twin souls.
I regret having taken you to those apartments that day.  You were too
young to witness something so terribly tragic.  Baby Girl, I know he meant
a lot to you, but you’ve got to let go and move on.  Constantly looking
behind you will only keep you from ever looking forward.  That’s no way to
live a life.”

I
reached up and quickly wiped that tears that had escaped my eyes and then I
turned and leaned into my mother.  “Did you ever look for him Momma, you
know, after he was taken?”

Momma
was quiet again.  She let out a slow breath before she responded.  “I
did look for him baby.  He was placed in the foster system a couple days
after Kristi died.  It was his natural father that had killed her and then
himself that day, so they tried to find family that could take him in. 
None of his extended family wanted him and he was placed with a foster family
after that.  Your father and I applied to be his foster parents, but the
State didn’t think it would be proper for him to be raised around The Center. 
We understood the concerns they had and we couldn’t argue that our home life
wasn’t exactly normal.  Once he was in the system for a few years, they
stopped giving us information.  Being that we weren’t blood related, there
was nothing else we could do.”

I put
my arms around my mom and pulled her into a hug.  “It’s okay Momma, I know
you tried.”

We sat
together silently for another hour, but then Momma had to get back inside to
tend to dinner.  It was getting late and I knew that David and I would
have to be leaving shortly.  I pushed myself up and brushed off my
bottom.  I looked over at the Cypress tree again and then, as if by their
own will, my feet somehow carried me over to it.  I looked down at the
base of the tree to see the roots spiking out of the water.  There was
enough sunlight left that I could see the sooty bottom of the marsh and I took
off my shoes, rolled up the bottoms of my jeans and walked into the cool
water.  When I was about shin deep, I stopped and looked out over the
lake.

I heard
the back door slam open and I turned to see David coming outside.  I
called out to him and he began walking in my direction.  When David had
gotten close to the marsh he waved his hand at me and started saying something
but he was cut off when his foot stuck in the ground near the edge.

I ran
out of the water while he was attempting to tug his foot out and only making
matters worse.

I
shouted out to him as I ran in his direction.  “Hold still David! 
Moving your foot around will only get it stuck deeper.”

David
ignored me and continued frantically tugging at his foot.  “Hurry up,
Paige.  The freaking swamp is trying to eat me!”  David stepped
forward trying to gain leverage to tug some more.  When his other foot
started sinking into the muck as well, he shrieked. 

I
finally reached him and had to keep myself from doubling over in
laughter.  He was moving in such a way that it appeared he was dancing,
the whole time waving his hands in the air and cursing the Florida
swamps.  “It’s not funny, Paige, I’m about to die here and all you can do
is sit around laughing your ass off.  Now do something! I’m stuck in
quicksand!”