The Summer Bucket List

Chapter 1

I parked my car outside my old grandma’s house where my parents and I used to stay every summer. Watching from the outside, the house looks dead and grey. Plants outside dried like with a stint of autumn. I entered the door and found everything was still the same. From the vases and books on every shelf, old and with decades of collected dust. White sofa with a scheming color of brown, floors filled with dirt and every corner filled with spider web.

But oddly, it never disappoints me, because everything is still the same, in the same spot, in the same place. Everything is a trace of my old summer. Everything was a remembrance of my past that I would want to replay over and over again.

I settled my stuff in my old room. I grabbed my headphones and started playing music. I began cleaning every single piece and area of the house. From my room, to the windows, stairs, kitchen, bathroom, shelves and left no dirty area. I was standing at the front door of my old parents’ room. I wanted to clean it, but after a long moment of hesitating I decided not to. Instead, I grabbed the garden tools and started tilling the soil I found plain and boring. I have to bring this house back to life. This is one of my favorite places after all.

I was so focused on my work and my ears locked up on the music from the headphones that I didn’t hear someone’s calling from behind. Until I felt someone’s palm on my back. I slouched as I was completely surprised. I instantly removed my headphones on my head.

“Oh Farah? Farah Carson, Is that you?!” She asked, stunned. It was Marie Gaddisson. August’s mother.

“Oh, Marie. Hi.” My voice clipped between my words out of astonishment.

“It’s been so long, how are you? You’ve grown up so beautiful,” she said longingly as she wrapped her hands around me. There’s this odd emotion in her voice that quietly felt comforting.

“Thank You, Marie.” I hugged her back. I miss her. "Come visit my house. You know you’re always welcome there, "she said, still smiling at me.

“I will. Oh, how’s August?”

“August?” Her bright face silently turned blue when I mentioned him. Confusing, yet I still waited for a response.

“He’s fine.” The only response I got. “I’ll be going now, Farah. Come by to my place, I’ll make you your favorite.”

“Thank you, I’ll be there, I promise.”

“It’s good to finally see you,” she said before she left. I smiled back at her.

Mrs. Gaddisson is like my second mom. I’m always at their house playing with August, her only son. She’s wonderful, especially in the kitchen. That’s also one of the reasons why I love staying at their house. I love her food so much, especially August and I’s favorite, Baked Mac n Cheese. Summer isn’t complete without eating it. In fact, it was always on the Summer Bucket List.

…

It’s already twelve noon and I haven’t eaten lunch. I walked towards the fridge and found it empty. Of course! I forgot to grab some groceries on my way here.

I took a quick shower, got dressed, grabbed my purse and keys and grabbed a pen and my notes. I wrote a list of the stuff that I needed to buy. When I got to the grocery store, I started filing my cart with everything on my list. In the middle of my task, someone bumped my cart and that completely stole my attention. I should have been mad or irritated at that moment, but I wasn’t. How could I be mad, when the person who bumped me is smiling widely and opening her arms in front of me excitedly? It was Jella, my childhood best friend as well.

“Farah, is that you?” she said. I can’t paint the joy and excitement I felt when I saw her and heard her voice. “Jella?” I ran towards her attempting to hug her, but before I could ever do that, she stopped me and looked down on her belly.

“You’re pregnant?” I asked, surprised.

“Ah huh, so be gentle.” She calmly said, then instantly brought her energetic vibe back.

“Come here! I miss you so much, bitch.” I was standing steady, and she was the one who grabbed my arm and hugged me tightly. I gently hugged her back.

“It’s been so long, how are you? By the way, you look damn foine.” I chuckled at her funny pronunciation of ‘fine’.

“You look damn foine.” I responded the same and we both laughed.

We continued our chit-chat as we walked to every aisle, just catching up to our life updates.

“So, who’s the father?”

“You know, Chris.”

“Chris? Your childhood crush?”

“Yas girl. Who could’ve thought that my number one enemy when we were kids married me and did this?” She chuckled as she pointed to her bursting belly.

I laughed.

Jella is a dark beauty, they say. She has dark skin and curly hair, but she is the most beautiful girl I know. And I did never expect Chris and her would end up together because they’re like a cat and dog who always got into a fight and hated each other so much. Future is indeed uncertain.

“So, why did you decide to come back here to Morehead Farah? “ She asked calmly as she grabbed fruits in the boxes. It was just a simple question for normal people, but for me, it seems like I was being held into an interrogation for being guilty of a crime.

For a long moment I dived into a deep thought. She is my childhood best friend. Should I tell her the truth? How did all this start? Why did I leave? Or what truly happened to me? Or just cut some parts off? The same truth, yet revised. Or third option, lie? Like I always do as long as it puts me out of the equation?

“For the Summer Bucket List,” I answered. I didn’t lie, I told another truth.

“You serious? Like the Summer Bucket List that you and August usually do when we were kids? You came back just for that?”

“Yeah.” She just stared at me, unsatisfied. Her eyes were pleading, but she was silent, silent enough to persuade me to tell her the truth. “I’m getting married.” I showed her the ring on my finger. She was half shocked, half happy.

That moment should’ve been one of the most unforgettable. When you tell your girl best friend that you’re finally getting married, and that our girl's dream is finally happening? We could’ve jumped on the ground and screamed so loudly as if we had won a lottery.

But for me, it didn’t. Oddly, I felt blue. And perhaps, Jella noticed it.

“A’right, who’s the lucky guy?”

“Easton Tanner, he’s a lawyer.”

“Damn girl, is he with you?” She asked as she wandered her eyes.

“He’s in Seattle, working.”

“Is he coming here in Morehead?”

“I don’t know.” There was a moment of silence after that. “How about August?” She randomly brought him up. I was confused, because her question doesn’t really fit our topic.

“What about him?” I asked, puzzled.

“I mean did you already meet August?”

“Oh, I was planning to after this.”

“You should do that. Let’s wrap this up so you can finally go there.” Strange, but there’s something beneath everything," she said.