True Colors

“Don’t freak out about this one, okay?” Vivi Ann said. “He’s lucky to have you.”

“Thanks,” Winona said, wishing she could believe it. “Noah asked if he could work till nine. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure. I’ll come back and get him when he calls. He’s been great to be around the past few days. Actually smiling. It’s like he’s gone back to the kid he was before the hormones hit. And I think a lot of it is thanks to you.”

“I haven’t done anything major.”

“Winona Grey not taking credit for something? Is there a new world order?”

“Very funny.”

Vivi Ann gave her a big hug, kissed her on the cheek, told her goodbye, and went outside, where she talked to Noah for a few minutes longer, and then left.

Winona immediately began pacing. She was like one of those polar bears in the zoo, wearing a groove into the ground at the fence line, slowly going mad. She hated first dates; there was so much hope. And God knew she’d learned how dangerous that crystalline emotion could be. Every time she met a new guy, she thought: Maybe he’s the one; maybe he’ll finally make me forget about Luke.

“Aunt Winona?”

She stopped pacing, thankful for the distraction. “You don’t have to keep working tonight, you know.”

“I want to. Otherwise I’d just chill in my room and play Xbox.” He grinned. “Oh, that’s right. My insane mother took my Xbox when I got suspended from school.”

“So you’re saying that scraping poop off wood is all you have to do on a Saturday night?”

“Jeez. Way to make me feel like a loser.”

“Sorry.”

He nodded and stood there, staring at her. It occurred to her that he’d cleaned up—his shiny hair was in a ponytail and his sleeveless T-shirt and board shorts actually fit him. He was still wearing those ridiculously swollen skateboarder’s shoes, but not all fashion battles could be won at once.

“You look like you want to say something.”

He sat down on the arm of the sofa. “What do you do when you like someone?”

“I tend to vomit,” she said, laughing. Then she looked at him. “Oh. You mean it. Well . . .” She walked over and sat on the old-fashioned milk crate she was using these days as a coffee table. “Different people will give you different answers, and I’m certainly no expert, but what I care about most are honesty and respect. If a guy gives me that, I’m happy.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

The question surprised her. No one had asked her that in a long time, and it wasn’t something she asked herself, and yet once the words were in the air she couldn’t pretend not to have heard. As expected, the image of Luke came to her mind, more clearly than it had any right to. She wished she could just forget about him, but she couldn’t. He was The One for her. As Vivi Ann would say, her Neo. He was the yardstick by which all other men were judged. And he’d never loved her in return. How pathetic was that? “A long time ago, yeah,” she answered.

“What happened?”

She wanted to lie, say nothing, or make an excuse, but when she looked into her nephew’s earnest eyes, she was reminded of the thing she’d learned because of Luke. Lies and omissions had a way of expanding; like too deep a layer of fertilizer, they could kill everything beneath. “He didn’t love me back.”

“That blows.”

She couldn’t help smiling. “Yes, it does. He’s married now. With two little kids.”

“Maybe he still thinks about you.”

“Maybe.” Winona got up, suddenly eager to end this conversation. “Well. It’s six. Mark should be here any minute. I’ll leave the house open for you just in case you need to use the restroom. There’s plenty of food in the fridge.”

The doorbell rang.

“He’s here,” Winona said nervously. “So scat. And stay out of my booze,” she teased, watching him leave. As soon as he was gone, she went to the front door, opening it.

Mark held out a bouquet of flowers. “Is this cliché? Do guys still give flowers on a date?”

She saw that he was as nervous as she was and it calmed her down. “The good ones do. Come in while I put them in water. Can I get you a drink?”