Tainted (Oh Captain, My Captain 7)

“Valo.” I stare at the puck in my hand and I don’t really have any smart-ass comment to yell at him. “This is very kind of you. Thank you. Now,” I smile brightly at him and change the subject before I become a weepy mess. “Are you ready for a real American date?”

“Of course. Do I get to know anything yet or is it all still a surprise?”

“Nope. I’m telling you nothing. But you’ll have fun.” I grab the keys from my pocket and shake them at him. “You need to drive though. As weird as it may sound, this is a lot of truck for me to handle.” I toss them to him.

He easily catches them and laughs. “Where am I going?”

“To the park, of course.”

Valo navigates the massive truck better than I did, and soon, we are at Central Park.

“I know it’s a bit dark out, but we’re on the good side of town. So, come on.” I take his hand and lead him to the swings.

“What are we doing here, Jade?” he asks curiously.

“Sit on the swing and listen.”

He sits down. “Am I listening to you or am I supposed to hear something right now? Because I don’t hear anything.”

I laugh at him. “It’s the nothing that you should hear.” I stop talking and listen to the quiet. “It’s the greatest sound. Look up.”

Valo does. “Okay. I see the sky and all the stars.”

“Valo, don’t be such a Debbie Downer. Those stars are the same stars you see in Finland. It’s the same stars you see in Canada and all over the world.” I don’t mean it to sound as sad as it comes out, but it does. “I used to run away from my foster homes a lot and this is where I would come. I would sit on the swings and listen to the quiet. No fighting, yelling, shooting, just … nothing. I stared at the stars and would think that maybe somewhere far, far away, there was someone doing the same thing I was. Looking at the exact same star. Wishing…” I stop talking because I’m telling him too much. I don’t know what it is about him, but I’m a fountain of emotions with him. “Anyway, I want you to swing. Swing as high as you can and then jump off. But if you get hurt and they deport your ass back to Finland, don’t you dare blame me.”

He laughs and it echoes through the park. “I’ll swing and jump, but you get your pretty butt in that swing and do it with me. I can’t do it alone.”

“I was planning on it. Ready, set, go!”

We both swing our legs until we’re high up. We look at each other and then jump to the ground. I try to hold back my laughter and we hit the ground.

“Did you ever do that back home? Were you an adventurous kid?” I ask him as he helps me to my feet.

“Not unless you count adventurous as being the same as a troublemaker. I was running full speed all the time and my parents had a hard time keeping up. The only time I ever really slowed down was on the ice, I guess. Maybe that’s why they kept me playing.”

“Slowed down on the ice? I must have been watching that game on fast forward then because you were flying all over the place.”

Valo smirks. “I meant it’s the only time I can really focus on one thing. I mean, you saw my house. I’m on the go more than I am sitting down or cleaning.”

“Speaking of your house, um…” I’m suddenly nervous. I don’t get this way. “I was just chilling out and I grabbed an apple and banana to tide me over. And I left the money you gave me on your nightstand. I didn’t need it.”

“An apple and a banana? That’s what you had for dinner? Do you want to go grab something to eat then? You could have used the money to buy something at the game or fixed whatever you wanted at the house. I said you could take advantage of whatever was in the house.” He frown deepens as he talks to me.

“Calm down, Valo. I had a huge lunch today and I just was in a snacky mood. I’m fine. I’m not hungry at all.” On cue, my stomach growls. “That’s nothing. Let’s head to part two of American date.”

“Part two isn’t happening until we eat. Lucky you, I’m starving and I’m driving, so we kind of have no choice but to eat.”

“You know, you’re a little pushy, Finny,” I joke with him.

“It’s one of my many talents.”

“Will I ever get to see any of your other talents? I don’t know about you, but it has been awhile since I had sex.”

Valo holds the door open for me and we head off to grab something to eat. “As long as you stick around, you’ll be able to see them all.”

“And people think I’m a tease. You have me beat. So, tell me about your true love who got away. What was she like?”

Valo remains quiet and I think I struck a nerve with him. We listen to the soft music of the radio. He pulls up to a pizza parlor.