"I'm so glad you're feeling better!" says my mother with tears in her eyes from the other side of the table. One of the staff from the resort is setting the table around us, while Uncle Hank and my father take their manly posts at the barbecue.
I give her a smile. It's dusk, and the sun is just beginning to bob behind the tops of the Evergreens across the lake. It's the first night that it's warm enough for us to have dinner outside without being uncomfortable.
I'm actually enjoying myself.
"So? Ya think you'll stay?" says Aunt Nancy as she raises her eyebrows and takes a drink from her wine glass.
"I think you should!" says my mother, "It's so peaceful here -- you could get a lot of writing done. Think of how wonderful it would be to lay by the dock every day!" she says and extends her arm a la Vanna White to point towards the lake.
She does have a point...
I start to give it some sobering consideration. The buzz has worn off and I have yet to reinstate it with our dinner wine.
It would be nice to stay. The air is fresh here. Not like LA. Here you can actually take in a full chest's-worth of clean crisp air. My lungs are working at their full capacity here.
Aunt Nancy lights a cigarette, "I think you should stay. Stay as long as you want. I can even stay with you for the first little bit if you're worried about being lonely." she says and takes a long drag.
"Oh, I doubt she'll be lonely!" sings my mother from the other side of table. Little visions of grand babies float around her as she drifts off into space.
"Don't you want to rent this place out?" I ask.
"Oh, puh-leeze!" Says Aunt Nancy as she tops off my wine. "Like I flippin' need the money. No. You stay. Stay the whole summer if you want. I don't mind. I obviously can't stay the whole summer because Hanky Poo Poo had his heart set on doing some other thing over there in Europe -- which you're more than welcome to come with if you want, but I like the idea of you staying here. We know you'll be safe," she says and ashes her cigarette on the ground.
I look around. I do love it here -- I'm healing here. Or maybe I've healed?
Even though the city has all my friends, there is something alluring about staying here for the entire summer --writing the best movie ever written, falling in love with the local hero, and simultaneously continuing my budding friendship-can't-be-anything-else-even-if-I-want-it-to with Benny.
"You know, the city is noisy..." I start.
My mother nods fervently in agreement. "Yes!" she pipes in, "there's sirens and lawn blowers, and neighbors fighting. Why would you want that? You need to take it easy!" she says and then extends her hand out to Aunt Nancy as a way of saying 'thank you for the wonderful offer -- we'll take it'.
I start to envision me sitting by the water talking to Benny, and boat rides with Mr. Green Sparkling Eyes.
KAAAAAAABBBBBBBOOOM!
We all jump.
"[garble, shriek, gasp!] dem der took us out!" laughs Uncle Hank as they both jump away from a mini fireball that shoots out of the barbecue.
"Ha-AANK! Watch what the hell you're doing, your niece is wanting to stay here for the summer and she doesn't need you all setting this place on fire and burning it down on her!" says Aunt Nancy as she laughs and turns back to us.
"So, it's settled!" says my mother as she claps her hands and we raise our glasses.
"To you, and all your loveliness; and your wonderful summer!" says Aunt Nancy.
"To summer," I say and clink glasses with the both of them.
"I don't see no James Cameron being able to write from such a place!" says Aunt Nancy as she takes another swig of her wine before reaching for the bottle to pour us some more. As she does so, she gives a wink to my mother when they think I'm not paying attention.
Somehow, I think the plan was for me to stay here all along.
And so, I take a swig of my wine to reignite the buzz from earlier in the day and enjoy the evening. And when the wine begins to hit, I smile to myself at the thought of a whole summer up here with those two men to keep me company.
