The Circle of Friends

VII - Graduation and Beyond-3

When the fireworks began, everyone turned their attention to the sky. They cheered as each rocket exploded brilliantly overhead, caught up in the excitement. Jason pulled Lori against his chest and put his arms around her middle.

“Now this is how I like to watch fireworks,” he whispered, his cheek pressed against hers.

Lori tightened her grip on his arms, enjoying the moment. She had spent the previous Fourth of July with her parents at her aunt and uncle’s house. Watching the fireworks with Jason made it all the more special.

The following weekend, Jason’s parents went out of town for their anniversary. His mother always insisted they spend that particular day away from the house and their business. Jason contemplated inviting over some friends for a party while his parents were gone. In the end, he decided to spend the time with Lori.

She had previously teased him about cooking his own food, so Jason went out of his way to make dinner. As usual, there was way too much food for Lori to consume. Aware of the effort that had gone into the dinner preparations, she purposefully cleaned her plate though.

After dinner, they sat by the outdoor pool, dangling their feet in the water and watching the sun drop in the sky. The air remained humid, but the cool water offset the searing heat. With a portable radio playing in the background, they relaxed in one another’s company and enjoyed a private conversation.

“So how many years is this for your parents?” Lori asked, leaning back on her hands.

“Twenty-four, I think,” he answered.

“My parents celebrated nineteen years right after my birthday,” Lori said absently.

“Well!” exclaimed Jason, nudging her shoulder. “They wasted no time, did they?”

Lori just smiled at the familiar comment. “Actually, I was a surprise,” she admitted softly.

Jason covered her fingers with his hand. Rarely could he get Lori to talk about her parents or childhood, knowing it was a tender subject. Many times he had offered to listen, but she never allowed him into that part of her world. Perhaps she would be more open tonight.

“Certainly not an unpleasant surprise?” he asked.

She hesitated before answering, her eyes on the water. “Not for my father, I don’t think,” she said slowly.

“But for your mom?” Jason gently asked.

Lori sighed. “I rather ruined her plans to finish college. She only had a semester remaining and had to go back when I was six to finish.”

When she hesitated, Jason rubbed her back. She leaned against him, drawing support from his strong physical presence. Allowing him to massage her fingers, Lori closed her eyes. The only sound came from the radio as the music echoed across the water in the pool.

“They left you by yourself a lot, didn’t they?” he asked. When she did not reply, Jason pulled her closer. “That’s why you don’t like being alone, isn’t it?”

Lori nodded without raising her head. Jason could feel her body tense under his fingers and realized he had struck a nerve. He did not believe she was crying but sensed her turmoil. Continuing to stroke her fingers, he waited for Lori to regain her composure before speaking again.

“Why don’t you ever want to talk about it?” he asked finally.

Lori raised her chin, their eyes meeting briefly. “Because I don’t want to dump on anyone, especially you,” Lori answered firmly. “And I don’t want to ruin tonight.”

Jason sighed and leaned his head against hers. “Lori, you won’t ruin tonight, and you never dump anything on me, either. You listen to me all the time. When are you going to trust me enough to listen to you?”

“I trust you,” she whispered.

“Then talk to me,” he said, squeezing her hand.

Lori took a deep breath. “I’ve spent most of my life alone,” she began, her voice shaky. “My dad’s always had to travel for his job, so I usually only see him on weekends. He always tries to do things with me, but he’s missed so much. And my mother… she’s never home, even on the weekends. I could run away and she’d never even notice I was gone. We get along all right, but sometimes we’ll go days without talking. I haven’t had any one I could depend on until I met you.”

She leaned closer to him, her other hand gripping his arm. “And I waited so long for you,” Lori added, her voice barely audible.

“I’m here for you now,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “You’re not alone.”

Lori closed her eyes, gathering her words before speaking. “Did you know,” she said, keeping her voice steady, “I had a crush on you in tenth grade?”

Jason just smiled. “No, I didn’t.”

“That day in the boy’s bathroom, when I realized it was you who’d saved me… it was like a dream come true,” Lori whispered.

Jason released her hand and put his fingers under her chin. Forced to look at him directly, Lori felt herself tremble as his gaze pierced her soul. He pushed aside her hair and gently stroked her cheek.

“And if I could only put into words what I thought when I first looked into your eyes,” he said softly.

Leaning forward, Jason gave her a long kiss. When they parted, he put his arms around Lori.

“Thank you for waiting for me,” he whispered in her ear. “I love you.”

The remainder of the evening, the mood was much happier though no less intense. Jason knew he could not fill years of emotional depravation, but he could make their time together as meaningful and enjoyable as possible. Every day he felt closer to knowing Lori more completely. And every day drew nearer to the time they would be forced to say goodbye.

Lori stopped early Wednesday evening to pick up Maria. Her parents were under the assumption that just the two of them were going to the movies. Lori had not told Maria any different, either. In reality, they were joining Jason and the others at the theatre. It was challenging enough to get Maria out for an evening with a friend, let alone with a group.

Listening patiently while Maria’s parents imposed several ground rules for the evening, Lori wondered how Maria would survive on her own at college. She did manage to push Maria’s curfew to eleven to allow for coffee after the movie, despite the resistance. Lori promised they would not be a minute late and got Maria out of the house before her parents thought of anything else.

When they were in Lori’s car, Maria released sigh of exasperation. “You’d think I was twelve!” she exclaimed.

“At least they care,” said Lori, backing out of the driveway. “Somewhere between your mom and mine is the perfect mother!”

“Well, I’d rather have yours!” said Maria. “At least she wouldn’t try to run my life.”

Lori regarded her friend with concern. “You’ll have your own life at college,” she said, hoping to calm the unusually agitated Maria.

“I hope so! They’ve already badgered me for selecting a college so far away.”

They arrived at the theatre and Lori parked close to the entrance. She spotted Jason’s car the next row over and knew he awaited them.

“Well, let’s begin your freedom training tonight!” she said as she leapt from the car.

“What do you mean?” asked Maria, following Lori across the parking lot.

Smiling, Lori pointed toward the ticket booth. Jason stood to one side, accompanied by Matt, Sarah and four others. Maria hesitated and Lori grabbed her hand.

“Come on! Your parents will never know.”

Sarah bounded over to greet them, locking arms with Maria and propelling her forward. Lori went straight to Jason, and he greeted her with a kiss.

They did at least see the correct movie to avoid adding more lies to Maria’s evening. Everyone enjoyed the film and they regrouped at a nearby coffee shop. Maria appeared more relaxed now and even chatted casually with Matt. Lori knew a little social interaction would benefit her friend. Maria had been held captive far too long and needed to get out now and then.

When ten-thirty rolled around, Maria nudged Lori. Nodding, they arose and prepared to leave.

“Oh, you don’t have to go home now?” cried Sarah.

“I have to be home by eleven,” said Maria, appearing embarrassed by her early curfew.

“I’ll walk you out,” said Jason, rising from his seat and grabbing Lori’s hand.

When they reached her vehicle, he put his arms around Lori. “Are you coming back?” he asked hopefully.

She smiled and returned his embrace. “Yes, I am,” she said brightly. Lori had until twelve-thirty or perhaps longer if her mother did not notice her absence.

Sliding into her seat, Jason closed the door for Lori and waved goodbye to Maria. Lori started her engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

“You’re so lucky,” murmured Maria.

“Why?” asked Lori absently, concentrating on changing lanes.

“Because you have the best of both worlds.”

Lori laughed. “What do you mean?”

“Jason takes such good care of you and keeps you safe,” said Maria, tossing back her hair. “And your parents let you do what you want. You’ve got the life I’ve always desired.”

“Well,” began Lori, attempting to put everything into perspective for Maria. “I do feel blessed with the life I have now. It came with a price though. I spent a lot of lonely years waiting for Jason. You wouldn’t have wanted to go through all of that.”

“But you’ve got a boyfriend now! I haven’t ever gone out with anyone.”

“You will,” said Lori, smiling at her friend. “There’ll be boys at college who want to go out with you. You just have to be bold and remember your parents are not there!”

“What are you and Jason going to do?” asked Maria innocently. “You’re still going to the University of Florida, are you?”

Lori caught her breath. “I don’t know,” she said, unable to voice her real fears.

“You’ll stay together,” Maria said confidently. “You’re meant for each other.”

“I certainly hope so, Maria,” said Lori softly.

She pulled into Maria’s driveway and let her out of the car. The porch light glowed brightly, as did nearly every light in the house. Maria thanked her and winked before closing the car door and walking to the front door. Lori waited until Maria was safely inside before returning to the coffee shop.

When she arrived, only Jason and Matt remained. Jason stood up as she entered and pulled Lori down beside him on the couch.

“Everyone else go home?” she asked, snuggling close to him.

“Yeah, they just left,” said Matt, downing the last of his drink. “Although I think Sarah and Heather were going to cruise around looking for guys.”

Lori just shook her head. “Well, I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye!”

“They understood,” said Jason, entwining his fingers with hers. “It was nice of you to bring Maria along.”

“Well, her parents are just so protective. The poor thing never gets out!”

Matt snorted. “What a shame!”

They remained at the coffee shop until it closed at midnight. Lori continued to think about Maria and her situation until she went to bed that night. Before she drifted to sleep, her thoughts shifted to her own dilemma. With every passing day, her anxiety continued to grow. July was rapidly slipping away and Lori felt herself losing control. Her time with Jason would end all too soon.