Party of Four

Homecoming - Cole

The drive back from Kingsport had been a four hour symphony of road trip snacks, baby snores, and Nica recounting every single second of the third period until her voice gave out somewhere near Tallahassee. Being back in Emerald Bay felt like the final chord of a long, complex song. The air was different here. The scent of salt and damp earth wasn’t overpowered by exhaust and cooling concrete.

I stood on the back patio, looking out at my parent’s guest house we’d dubbed ‘The Cottage,’ watching moonlight reflect off the different surfaces of our back yard. Inside, Nica was asleep, tucked under the heavy duvet with Poppy in the bassinet beside her. Riley had been tucked away in his alcove when I slipped out here. Now, it was just me and grouchy gray cat that strutted along the edge of the concrete.

I sat on Nica’s old futon, the Martin resting against my thigh. My fingers found the strings, and for the first time in eleven years, they didn’t hesitate.

Kingsport had changed things. Seeing Nica’s happiness, and feeling the industrial pulse of the city had given me the “bridge” I needed. Life wasn’t just a slow, pretty melody. Sometimes it was loud, chaotic, and maybe a little mechanical. It was a hockey goal in the final seconds. It was a four month old covered in carrots.

I began to play. It was a low rhythm, mimicking the “heartbeat” of the city, before smoothing out into the familiar warm flow of the coast.

“Still at it?” I didn’t have to look up to know it was Riley.

“Just putting the city to bed,” I murmured. My fingers continuing picking a soft pattern.

Riley sat next to me. “The trip was good for her. She hasn’t stopped smiling, even when she was yawning.”

I hit a minor chord, letting it ring out into the night. “And Nica needed it. She needed to see that no matter where her dad moves or how her world changes, the foundation is there.”

“Speaking of foundations. Now that we’re back, and Nica’s ramping back up to full time at Stella’s, we have a window. I talked to Eli, and I’ve cleared our Tuesday afternoons.”

I stopped playing. “For what?”

“Growing Grace Academy.”

“Growing what?”

“Growing Grace. It’s not the same as Sprout & Tumble, but their baby classes have a very similar concept. Plus, as Poppy gets bigger, she can choose between tumbling or dance. They also have hybrid classes for older students.”

I looked at him, the moonlight reflecting off his glasses as he looked entirely too satisfied with himself.

“You found a baby gym in the panhandle?” I asked, a slow grin spreading across my face. “Let me guess, you’ve already mapped out the most efficient route and vetted the instructor’s credentials?”

“She’s a former gymnast with a degree in early childhood development, Cole, and their facility is sanitized three times a day. Most importantly though, Poppy liked the ‘infrastructure’ in Kingsport. I think she deserves a little bit of that neon energy here, even if it’s a smaller scale.”

I looked back down at the guitar, the wood feeling warm under my palm. “Nica’s gonna love it. She was so worried about Poppy being a ‘hermit’ baby. This gives her something to look forward to on her days off. When did you have time to find this though?”

“After we got back from the bistro. You were sleeping on the couch and Nica was still at the game. And we don’t have to go all the way to PCB either. It’s in Solana Beach.”

“That’s actually pretty close.”

I hit a final, resonant chord, the sound humming deep within the body of the Martin. The “bridge” I’d found in Kingsport felt solid now. It was the link between the life I’d had before the storm and the one I was building now.

“I think I’ve got it,” I whispered.

“The song?”

“The ending,” I corrected. “It doesn’t end on a fade out, Riley. It ends on a crescendo. Like a horn in an arena.”

Riley smiled as he stood up and stretched. “I like that. Just don’t wake up Poppy.”

“No promises,” I grinned.

As likely headed back inside, likely spending another hour perfecting the integration of Growing Grace Academy into our life, I sat alone for a few more minutes.