The Universe is a Very Big Place (20 page)

"See," John said. "You are a celebrity."

Spring stumbled and clutched her cart. "I feel dizzy all of a sudden."

"Next," called the butcher. Spring regained her balance and moved forward. John watched her and she felt a strange, tingling sensation. "What can I do you for?"

"A pound of ground beef please."

"It’s ninety-nine cents today." The man smiled approvingly. He scooped his gloved paw through the meat and set exactly a pound on the scale. "Do I know you?"

"I don’t think so."

His bushy brows knit together while he studied her. "You sure? I know I seen you before."

Spring heard John begin to speak but stomped on his toe before the words came out.

"Ouch," he said, laughing. "Why are you hurting me?"

"I know. You were on News at Noon! You’re the young lady giving CPR to that penis." The butcher’s eyes lit up with recognition. He rang the little bell on his counter three times. "Hey, boys. We have a celebrity here! Can I get your autograph?"
 

Spring left the line without her purchase as the other shoppers watched her flee.

"Some people like to be famous," said John, catching up to her. He handed her the ground beef, neatly wrapped in brown paper.

"I’m not talking to you. You were gonna rat me out."

John laughed. "No. I wasn’t. But it was kinda funny to watch you squirm a little."

Spring grabbed a small bag of potatoes as she passed through the produce section. John kept pace with her step for step. "You should be leaving me alone. Can’t you see my life is screwed up enough without some kid following me around pointing out what a freak I am?"

John blinked. He reached for her wrist, but she shook him away.
 

"Hey, I’m not a kid. And I never thought of you as a freak. I‘m just not used to talking to beautiful women."

Spring stopped but he was already on his way out.
 

"Take care, Spring." His plain T-shirt and his plain jeans disappeared from her view, and for some reason she was a bit sad to see him go.

He called me beautiful.

Looking at her watch, she noticed it was ten minutes until six and Trevor would be waiting at the bar. She raced towards self-checkout with her bag of potatoes and a feeling that some part of her had been lost.

When Spring arrived at Paradise Pub it was ten minutes after six. Not only was she late to see Trevor, her time was also limited, as Sam would surely start to wonder where dinner was in a few hours. She looked at her reflection in the side-view mirror. Her time at the parade had given her a hint of a tan. Her lipstick was perfect, and her hair was combed and smoothed. For once she wasn’t a total mess. A good sign. Before leaving the car she changed from sandals into her silver heels and tucked some Kleenex into her bra.

The place was dark, kept dim so customers could forget about time. It had been over two years since she had been here on a Saturday evening, but it was like she had never left. The two pool tables in the far corner were occupied by men in faded jeans and tight T-shirts, blue collar guys, complaining about work, lack of overtime, and the impending recession. Young women in restricted clothing with flesh spilling out in obvious places chatted up guys old enough to be their fathers. Neon signs advertising every known beer company winked erratically around the room, like uninspired Christmas tree lights. The juke box was playing a combination of country music and classic rock. The rest of the world might pass, age, change, decay, but here in Paradise Pub things always stayed the same.

She saw him before he saw her. He was engaged in an animated conversation with a man occupying the next stool. She took a deep breath and made her way towards him. She placed her hand on the back of his shoulder, and he turned towards her, beer frothing at the sides of his lips. She resisted the urge to lean over and lick it off.

"Hello beautiful!" He raised his mug to her and elbowed the guy next to him in the ribs. "This is the love of my life I’ve been yammering on about. Isn’t she gorgeous?"

The guy nodded and sipped on his drink while Spring tried to control the vicious thumping of her heart.
The love of his life?

Trevor patted the empty stool beside him and called out to the bartender. "Piña Colada for the lady, please. Two cherries. Pineapple. Whipped cream." He turned to Spring. "I miss anything?"

Spring couldn’t speak, but she managed to shake her head.

"Good. And keep them coming."

"I can only have the one."

Trevor frowned. He leaned over and brushed the hair away from her ear and whispered, "Hope you aren’t planning on leaving early. I got all night."

Spring closed her eyes and tried to picture Sam. "I don’t have much time. But I needed to see you. Can we go to a table for a moment?"

Trevor raised an eyebrow at his friend, who nodded that he would survive a few minutes alone. Spring took his hand and led him to a small table in the far corner, away from the crowd. Their table.

"So what’s on your mind, beautiful?" Trevor walked his stool close to Spring’s, and she could feel his warm breath on her neck as he spoke. He was studying her, moving his eyes across her body like she were an undiscovered island.

"Why are you here?" Her knees were weak. Her body was reacting in strange ways. She had forgotten what he could do to her.

"Because you told me to be here." He winked and took a long swig as he hailed the waitress and motioned for another.

"No. Why are you here in Phoenix?"
 

Trevor nuzzled her neck and Spring closed her eyes. Sam. Sam. Picture Sam.

"There are some things I couldn’t stay away from." He placed his hand on her knee. "I miss the desert. It’s so...warm here."

Spring took his hand and placed it over her heart.
Tell me you love me
, she thought.
Love me and I will take the boys and we will run away together. I just need to hear it.

Instead he grabbed her boob. "Honk, honk." He squeezed and Spring pulled away. "Oh, come on. What’s with western girls? Don‘t they have a sense of humor?"
 

Her face tightened. He stopped moving and looked at her, a look Blaine or Shane had given her when they knew that they were in trouble but were going to try and sweet talk their way out of it.

"Trevor. Do you love me? Is that why you are here?"

Trevor sat and thought for a moment. He pursed his lips together and looked up at the ceiling fan. Spring dared not breathe while he considered his answer. Finally, he sat his beer on the table and took both her hands in his own. "Yes. I love you. I’ve always, always loved you."

She knew it! He had come back for her. She reached over and hugged him, both arms firmly securing him, pulling him into her body. Their lips met. For the first time in a very long time she was happy. Wonderfully, deliriously, deliciously happy.

"Oh God, Trevor. I knew it. I knew you couldn’t leave me."

Trevor nodded his head and kissed her. Her lips. Her cheeks. Her forehead. Every inch of her face. His lips were so warm. "Yes. I love you."

Spring squeezed him tightly, feeling his heartbeat beneath the thin cotton of his shirt. Their beats synced up. "I don’t believe this. It’s amazing. I’m so, so happy." She wiped her nose on his shoulder and pressed his cheek to hers.

"It’s okay, beautiful," Trevor said, pulling her head into his chest and running his fingers through the back of her hair. "I’m here now. Everything will be fine."

Spring collected herself and sat back. "I’m gonna tell Sam. Give me some time. I will tell him as soon as I can."

Trevor smiled. "Who's Sam and what are you going to tell him?"

"My fiancé. I need to think. I’ve got to go now." She looked at her watch. "When can I see you again?"

"Anytime you want. I’m always here." He opened his arms wide. "I’m always here."

Spring dabbed at her face with a napkin and rose from her stool. "I love you. I’m so happy, Trevor. So happy." She kissed him on the cheek and gave him a final hug. "I will call you in the next few days. I promise."

Trevor lifted his mug to her and his eyes followed her as she went out the door. She blew him a quick kiss and ran to her car. It was getting dark. And Sam would be hungry.

Trevor stretched and returned to his seat by the large, bald man that had been nice enough to buy him a round earlier. "Hey Paul," Trevor called to the bartender on duty. "Another one, please."

The bald man next to Trevor wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Nice ass on that one. I wouldn’t kick her out of bed."

Trevor furrowed his brows in an attempt to figure out who the bald man was referencing. "Oh, the girl that just left? Yeah, she’s cool. Likes Piña Coladas. I never forget a drink."

The bald man nodded and Trevor stared at his reflection in the Miller Lite mirror across the bar. His hair had thinned some since last he had seen that mirror and he tried not to think about it. A memory dropped into his brain and he caught it before it scurried away. "She wasn’t bad in the sack either, come to think of it." He lifted his glass and took a drink, swashing it around in his mouth before swallowing.

"Fuck, man. You East Coast boys get all the good shit."

Trevor shrugged and took another drink. "After a few of these they all start to look the same."

"Yeah. I hear that, man. I hear that."

Seventeen

Spring woke up to the sound of Jason honking the horn. It played La Cucaracha. She blinked twice and looked over at the digital clock on her night stand.
 

6:15 on a Sunday. She was going to kill him.

Sam was up, sipping coffee in the kitchen. He liked his quiet Sunday mornings, reading the newspaper and listening to something called 'The Whipper Wills,' and would be annoyed to have it interrupted. Spring scrambled out of her sheets and felt around the floor with her toes for her robe. Finding it, she pulled it on and headed out to see Jason.

"What are you doing here so early?" she demanded as she opened the door. He was leaning against the doorframe, perfectly white teeth peeking out from a lazy smile, his sandy brown hair loosened from its normal pony tail. He smelled like incense and sex.

"Nice to see you too," he said, tracing her cheek with his index finger.