Just Hatched

tell me what to do. If he had a problem with you, he would have said something when I stayed over those couple of times.”
“I like your dad a lot.”
“Me, too. He has always been there for me. I wish he would date or something, but he won’t even hear of it. When he’s not working, he’s hunting or fishing. I go sometimes.”
“You hunt? Like you shoot deers?”
“Deer, yes.”
“And cut out their guts? And tie ‘em on your truck?”
“My dad’s truck bed, but yes. One deer will last us all winter. If we get a second one, we give it to a family that needs it. And there is always a family that needs it.”
“Wow.” We were staring at the building across the street. “What’s that mean? ‘Union Block.’ Is that about the mining unions? I heard there were a lot of conflicts over unions out here, like spies and mining ‘accidents.’”
“There were. You know, we could take a day trip up to Silver City sometime, if you want. But that building was actually named by some pro-Union people from the Civil War. There’s more Civil War history around here if you look for it. Most of the historical markers talk about the Oregon Trail, though.”
“Yeah, those are the only ones I’ve seen.”
“Hey, would you be okay with coming over and hanging out with me and my dad sometime? Like maybe watch a game or play Wii bowling. That’s all he plays. I know it sounds dumb, but would that be okay?”
“It doesn’t sound dumb at all. I don’t mind just hanging out. It sounds like fun.”
We were starting to get cold, so I stood up to go. “Shall we?”
Jodie held my hand on the drive back to the farm. It was close to midnight when we got there, but neither of us was tired. We plopped onto the couch and locked eyes for a long moment.
“I can’t stay.”
“I wish you could, but I understand.”
“I know you’re used to things moving faster, but I think we should take our time. There’s no rush.”
“I’m okay with that. I think about you all the time. I like being with you, no matter what we’re doing.”
“Me, too. But I don’t think I can stay over here again and not jump your bones.”
I laughed. “Jump my bones?”
“Sorry, I’m around older people a lot.” She shrugged but then leaned across me and gave me a long, soft, wet kiss. The kind of kiss that could cause or end wars. The kind of kiss that could make people cross the ocean or catch red-eyes across continents. The kind of kiss that made me want to bolt the door behind us and not come out until summer.
“Gotta go.” She stood up.
“Ugh! No way.” I slid off the couch on one knee.
“Hey, this hurts me more than it hurts you.”
“Gotta grab the bull by the horns.” If you can’t beat ‘em, confuse ‘em.
“What?”
“I thought we were trading random expressions.”
“Ha.” She took a deep breath and looked at me. “I really do have to go.”
“I know. I’ll check with Dad. See you at the library on Monday?”
“Of course. Call me tomorrow if you get bored.”
I stood at the edge of the porch and watched her drive away. Despite the cold, I was still warm from being close to Jodie. I sat down on the step and looked up at the millions of stars in the sky. I found the Big Dipper, which pointed me to the Little Dipper and Polaris, the North Star. The star to guide your ship by. I stared at Polaris and did the ‘arc to Arcturus,’ and I would have ‘spiked to Spica, but the trees in the yard were too high. I breathed in a sigh of - what was this, happiness? Hmm. So, that’s what that feels like.

March 24, 2013
I met Liv and Nate at their church this morning, and Liv about yanked my arm off, showing me around to all the cool people she knew. The church is very welcome to LGBT people, and since all faiths are celebrated there, I actually enjoy going sometimes. The service was about social justice and local farming, oddly enough. There was that awkward moment when Liv introduced me during the service, but the concert violinist, who played an entrancing sonata, quickly made me forget my embarrassment. Afterwards, we walked over a foot bridge, through a grove of trees, and around a stone labyrinth. The place is gorgeous, and it was a beautiful day. Afterwards, I followed Liv and Nate over to their house, and we had lunch.
When I opened my mouth to tell Liv about my decision to stay, I didn’t have two words out before she shoved me hard and said, “No way! You’re staying!” And to Nate, as if he hadn’t heard, “She’s staying!”
“She knew.”
“I knew!” Oh, goddess, they are like a set of Muppets. “It’s Jodie, isn’t it? I have got to meet her. When can we come over?”
“How about nev…”
“Saturday?”
“Nope. Saturday will only be our second official date. I don’t want you to scare her off. I thought I would grab some of my stuff tonight, and maybe you could bring a load over this week if you have time? Maybe, if she’s there, you could do a quick, low-key meet and greet?”
“I can be low-key.”
Nate snorted.
“Did you just scoff at me? I distinctly heard scoffing.”
“Nope, just sinuses, no scoffing, dear.” He rolled his eyes.
“I love you guys. Should I call you Lit or Nave?”
March 25, 2013
I stayed up ‘til 1 a.m. this morning, my mind racing with all the things I have to do. Around 7:30, Frodo leapt off the bed