Reclamation

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREERYAN

June 26, 2007

“I know, Mom. I will. Yes, August second of next year.” I balance the receiver of my phone between my chin and shoulder as I walk over to the thermostat on the wall, still pulling my luggage behind me. “Well, of course it’s a Saturday, Mom. We did look at the calendar . . . not just randomly pick a day,” I chuckle.

“Okay, well, I just was checking to see if you made it back,” Mom says. “Are you tired?”

“I’m . . . beat, actually. Long flight.” I sit down on the sofa and kick off my shoes. “Tell Lily to just keep Carter over there tonight, and I will pick him up in the morning. Is that okay?”

“Of course, son.” Mom sighs. “Well, I’m glad Mallory liked the resort and that you joined them.”

“They really loved it, Mom. It was beautiful. She said to tell you and Dad ‘thank you.’” I lean my head back and hold the receiver in my hand. The clock on the wall says 8:30 p.m.

“Well, get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow,” she says. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” I slowly lean forward and hang up the phone. The cool air from the vent blows down on me and I lay my head back again. The flight home from Thailand seemed to take much longer than on my way there.

It has been almost twenty-seven hours since I left my fiancée in what she called “paradise.” Aside from lightly sleeping during the long legs of the flight, I feel exhausted and already miss her. I’m sure she and Jenna are already in route to Bangkok to start the adventure of their gap year.

I had surprised Mallory with an impromptu visit at the resort where she and Jenna were staying, courtesy of my parents as a graduation gift. On my last day there, the three of us were hanging out by the resort pool and drinking beer from a large bottle after the evening’s festivities on the beach.

“This is paradise,” Mallory said as she leaned back in the chaise lounge. Her demeanor was relaxed, partly because of the late hour and mostly because of the Singha beer.

“It’s pretty good, but for the record, it’s just as hot as it is back home.” I walked around the edge of the pool, carefully balancing myself. We were the only ones at the pool, and the sultry night air made it seem like our own private retreat.

“We have to come here every year, Mal,” Jenna said with the thrill of a new idea. “Let’s agree now that we will come here every year for New Year’s!”

“Agreed,” Mallory said. She waved her hand for me to bring her the bottle of beer.

She took a swig, then handed it to Jenna.

“New Year’s. Thailand. This resort. Every year.” Jenna tipped the bottle back, but I noticed she only took a small sip. She was trying so hard to relax and have fun, but there was still a bit of her trying to stay on top of everything, and getting drunk wasn’t on her to-do list. “Or every other year, at least.”

They giggled at their own compromising skills.

I couldn’t help but laugh with them. I was glad I had the chance to visit them on their journey before starting my new job. It hadn’t been the plan, but when the new boss called and told me they were going to delay my start date because of office renovation, I decided to take advantage of the situation. I already missed Mallory even though she’d only been gone a few days. I knew I wouldn’t have any other chance to visit during her year-long trip exploring, so I acted impulsively and booked a flight. My youngest sister Lily was happy to housesit and take care of Carter, our puppy, while I was gone.

“Okay.” Jenna rose to her feet. “I have one more pact, and then I’m going to leave you two lovebirds alone.”

“Let’s hear it.” Mallory faced her.

“If we somehow get lost on this adventure, or if anything happens, we meet back here. Like, we do whatever we have to do to get back here, you know?” Her face was more serious now.

“Jesus, Jenna.” Mallory seemed deflated. “Why would you say something like that?”

“I mean, it’s just smart to have some sort of central meet-up place, right?”

“Whatever,” Mallory said. “It makes it sound like you think we’re going to get lost or abducted or something.”

“No, just in case we lose track of each other or something weird happens, we have to do what we can to get back to the . . .” She looked up at the sign above the building. “Garden Sea View Resort in Pattaya, Thailand.”

Mallory stared at Jenna with a disappointed look.

“Come on, Mal.” Jenna smiled at her. “It’s just a backup plan. An easy way we can find each other.”

“Whatever, Miss Paranoid.” Mallory took the bottle from Jenna’s hand and took a long swig. “Agreed,” she said and handed the beer back.

Jenna sat the bottle down on the table. “Agreed. It’s a pact.” She grabbed her shoes and purse off the lounge chair. “And now, I bid you farewell.” She reached over to hug Mallory. Then she gave me a hug.

She looked at me squarely. “Oh my gosh. I won’t see you before you leave, will I?”

“Probably not, unless you want to get up at four in the morning.” I smiled.

Then she leaned in and gave me another hug.

“Safe travels, Ry.” She put her hands on my shoulders. “I promise, Mal and I will be very careful, and I will take care of her for you.”

Mallory was still eyeing Jenna with a look of impatience.

“Also, please tell your folks thank you so much for the graduation gift,” Jenna said. “The resort is beautiful.” She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

“For sure, Jenna,” I replied.

“Love you guys,” she said as she walked up the path to the hotel.

I looked at Mallory. “You know she means well, Mal.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” She walked over and put her arms around me. “Besides, I don’t want to let anything spoil our last night together on this magical island.”

The next morning, I slipped out of the hotel room without waking Mallory, leaving her a note on the bedside table. It was out of character for me to write love notes, so I hoped she appreciated the sentiment. The shuttle picked me up and drove me to the small island airport, and I flew back to the US via connections in Bangkok, Beijing, and Houston. When I landed in Omaha, I contemplated staying the night at a buddy’s, but then decided to just get back home.

The two-hour drive back to Everly Falls was rough. Every song on the radio reminded me of Mallory. Just a little over a month ago on the night of our graduation, we were together with our friends and classmates celebrating the big day, but I would have been just as happy if it were only the two of us, alone and unconcerned with the rest of the world.

The memory of her on graduation night immediately made my chest warm, and I felt a catch in my breath. Mallory’s eyes had never sparkled so bright. She laughed as we moved closer on the patio that was being used as the dance floor. I loved her smile and her laugh; it might have been one of my favorite things about her. Justin Timberlake’s synthesized voice was blaring with “SexyBack,” and the energy at the after-party was incredible. Mallory has always given me a hard time because she couldn’t believe I loved to dance. She loved it too, but while she had many skills, dancing was not one of them. But she didn’t care, and that’s what made it even better.

We were carefree and relieved at the end of such an important day as we danced and celebrated. This woman was going to be my wife, and it made me happier than I had ever been. I couldn’t imagine my future without her. The music changed to Shakira and the song about her hips. We kept dancing, and Mallory busted out some really spazzy moves. I laughed and tried to make up for it with my smooth skills. I wasn’t a superstar athlete, but I did have physical coordination. It’s probably attributed to my mom, who’s a dance instructor. Even though I’ve never taken a dance class, I think my mom and two sisters’ skills must have rubbed off on me.

Even with her awkward dancing, Mallory radiated confidence and beauty. As I watched her have fun and let loose, a warmness filled me. Her tall, slender figure kept with the beat in a clumsy but endearing way. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders. Mallory had intense, beautiful eyes, but when she smiled—really smiled—her entire face lit up and anyone around her couldn’t help but feel genuinely allured by her. She had a way of pulling people in and creating a sense of acceptance and encouragement. Mallory made me want to be my true self, and I loved her deeply for that. I wasn’t always comfortable feeling vulnerable or out of my element, but with her by my side, facing life’s uncertainties seemed doable. Graduation was a milestone for me, and it couldn’t have come fast enough.

I pulled Mallory close to me. “I love you so much,” I whispered in her ear. “Wife-to-be,” I added.

She squeezed me tight.

Then I felt someone else’s arms wrap around both of us.

“Okay, you two . . . help me.” Jenna giggled. “Bash is looking for me and thinks we should have one last night together before he moves back to Hawaii.” I could tell she’d actually been drinking. Jenna was pretty much in control all the time, so this was strange.

“Come with me,” Mallory grabbed Jenna’s hand and gave me a look that said sorry and thank you all at the same time, and they hurried off together to the bar.

After mingling with some people, I eventually made my way over to the bar area where Mallory and Jenna were talking with Sarah McAllister, who also graduated with us. She and I both majored in accounting and had several classes together. There was a man with her who I assumed was a boyfriend. He handed Jenna his phone and she was typing something into it.

“There he is!” Mallory shouted. “Hey, Ry, this is Seni. He’s from Thailand, can you believe it?” She tossed her hand up and smiled at me. “He still has a lot of family who live there. He’s offered to give us his aunt’s number in case we need a ride or anything. She has a taxi service. Isn’t that great?”

“Nice to meet you.” I shook his hand and smiled. It was somewhat of a relief to know Mallory and Jenna would have a local contact. I looked over at Sarah, who seemed half in the conversation and half looking for someone else in the crowd.

“Saaarrraaahh,” I said, drawing it out for comedic effect. “Congrats. Looks like we finally made it, huh?”

“Yeah.” She shifted her focus back to me. “Now, for all those student loans.” She seemed distracted and fidgety.

Seni handed a card to Mallory, who handed it to Jenna. I was happy Jenna was going with Mallory. Jenna was certainly a planner and would be sure they were safe and aware of where they were. I would’ve loved to have been the one going with her, but I understood why Mallory wanted to go on the adventure on her own. We both knew this time apart would only make us stronger.

I took a step closer to Mallory and slid my hand into hers. Her soft, warm fingers intertwined with mine and when I felt the ring on her finger, a smile washed over me.

“You ready?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m wiped out. Is it okay if we give Jenna a ride home?” she asked as we headed toward the exit.

“Of course,” I said.

“Nice to meet you,” Jenna said to Seni, followed by a loud hiccup. She walked over to us as we headed through the gate to my car.

After we dropped Jenna off at her apartment, I took Mallory to her parents’ house. She was staying there for a few days with some of her extended family who came in for her graduation. We kissed goodnight, and I watched Mallory walk to the door.

I drove around for a short time before heading home. Catching a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror, I noticed I was smiling when I pulled up to the apartment and turned off the car. This stuck with me because it seemed different. Whenever I pictured myself in my mind, it was never with a smile, so it caught me off guard a bit, almost like I was looking at another person. I hadn’t even been aware that I was smiling, but it made sense. College was over, my girlfriend said yes to becoming my wife, I was starting a great job the next week . . . life was good. So good that I didn’t even make it to bed; instead I plopped onto the couch after feeding Carter, the Golden Retriever Mallory and I adopted together. I wanted to name him Bruce after Bruce Wayne to commemorate my love of Batman. Mallory rallied to name him Odinson after Thor, her favorite superhero. She said we could call him Odi for short.

But then we remembered a class we had together sophomore year at Goodwin. It was a history class taught by an eccentric professor who praised President Jimmy Carter every chance he could. I could always make Mallory laugh with my impressions of this particular professor. Just the passionate enunciation of “Cahtah!” would have her rolling. Then we both knew the only solution was to name our dog Carter. And, as it turns out, Jimmy Carter was kind of a superhero in his own right.

Carter nuzzled on my lap. My eyes grew heavy, and then I fell asleep listening to Chuck Norris talk about fluctuating workouts in an infomercial. As I drifted off, I was still consciously aware of the campy smile that stayed with me into my dreams.

Now I long for that feeling that went with that smile, but as I roll over, the reality of not seeing Mallory for a year sets in and there is an awkward emptiness lingering inside of me. I close my eyes and hope for dreams of her.