Raffle Ticket by Daniel Kelley

Author:Daniel Kelley [Kelley, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-10-10T23:00:00+00:00

Eighteen: Dinnertime

It was almost dark, but not quite. Lee shouted a goodbye to Mary Kate’s parents as he ran outside, and then blew a kiss to Kates as he started pedaling down Eighth Street. As always, she watched from her upstairs bedroom window until he turned onto Grove Drive. And, as always, he threw out a last wave before hitting the corner.

Past Seventh, past Sixth and then Fifth. And then Lee braked suddenly, and hopped off the bike to begin walking it down Grove.

“Well, hello, Lee!” Julie Darling had pivoted to see who was behind her, and was visibly delighted to see him.

“Hi, Julie. On your way home from work?”

“Yes, and I’m unusually late. I’m guessing you didn’t want to enter the Halloween fiction contest this year?”

“Nope! ‘Boo is How a Book Begins’?”

She laughed. “Close! It’s ‘Did You Notice that Book Begins with Boo?’ Anyway, we received fourteen entries – eight in the under-12, and six in the 13 to 18 – and I stayed to read them all. I miss your stories! They were always so creative and fun.”

“Weren’t any of the entries good this year?”

“Three. Only three! And not one of them was in the older category.”

“I think it was that fourth year in a row of winning that did me in. Cousins and all, you know?”

“Oh, la-di-dah! Second cousins once removed, and who cares if your cousin judged them? Your stories were the best of the lot, every year, and anyone who read them knew it!”

“Yeah. Well… try telling that to the sour apples at school!”

Julie laughed again, and they stopped walking as she turned to face him. “That’s one of Mary Kate’s expressions, isn’t it? I like her, Lee! I don’t know what the two of you are going to do when you go to college, but I… I hope with all my heart that you can find a way to continue being friends. Or…” She looked away from him. “Whatever it is you call yourselves.”

Lee couldn’t stop himself. His bike was set down on the street. His arms rose, and he swiftly enfolded Julie in a close embrace.

She was as taken by surprise as Lee. “What’s this for?”

“I think I adore you,” he said, releasing her. “And I also don’t think I can remember seeing you this happy. Ever! And… I hope you don’t mind my saying all this.”

Julie shook her head, fighting the tears as they attempted to rush in. “I am happy, Lee. I don’t even have a good reason, I just am. And thank you for noticing! Sometimes, at the advanced age I’ve attained, I feel more than a touch invisible to most people.”

Lee could only smile at her. Julie Darling had never been invisible to him! He always remembered visiting her cottage with his mom, or stopping by the library so the two women could chat in Julie’s office for a few minutes. Lee had never minded: the longer the better, for he’d loved perusing the tremendous walls of books in both locations.

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