The Understorey

Apparently, not in her usually playful mood.



“Jeez, mom, relax. I was just teasing.”



There was a knock at the door and I jumped out of my seat to answer but before I could leave the kitchen my mom hugged me and slipped something in my hand.



“Here’s some extra cash son, for whatever you need it for.”



“For the drugs?” I teased.



“Hush, boy.”



She reached way up to my head and brought my forehead to her lips.



“Thanks mom. Tell dad I love him and Maddy too, although she doesn’t deserve it,” I winked.



I grabbed my satchel and headed toward the door. When I opened it, there stood a shivering Jules with the rosiest cheeks and, boy, did she look stunning. My mom waved at the Jacobs and they waved back. We crunched our way through the snow and tumbled into Jules’ parents’ car.



“Hi Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs!” I said.



“Hi Elliott!” They said in unison.



“Excited son?” Mr. Jacobs asked.



“Very,” I said and stared at Jules with a grin that touched both my eyes.



She reached across me and grabbed my seat belt. When she clicked it into its buckle, she winked at me. She killed me. This game we got going on I like, I thought, touching her arm. She nodded.



“I brought our huge fleece blanket for the car ride there. And our awesome travel music,” she frowned, “ that we didn’t get to finish putting together. We’ve got at least fifty songs on here though.”



“I think that will get us through,” I winked.



Something about going away with Jules got me into such a cheeky mood. If her parents hadn’t been there with us, I’d have ravished the hollow of her neck. It didn’t help that she looked so incredible.



She was wearing something new, something she must have bought in Charleston when she went with her mom to pick a few things up for their trip. She wore a grey thermal top and faded distressed blue jeans. Typical of Jules, she had all this silvery jewelry on, tons of bracelets, a necklace. She wore this hat that made her literally look like the cutest girl I’ve ever seen in my life.



I pulled at one of the ear flaps and asked her what it was. She called it her pom-pom beanie. It was striped, light grey and black, a chunky knit, and had braided ear flaps with tassels that reached to the bottom of her ribcage. Her long raven hair hung in soft curls around her shoulders and reached the middle of her back. She was so beautiful, I couldn’t help myself.



“You look so pretty Jules,” I said.



She sat up from retrieving the iPod from her bag and her cheeks burned pink once more and I’m guessing it wasn’t from the chill air.



“Thank you Elliott,” she said.



We both glanced into the rear-view to catch her dad’s reaction and much to our surprise he was deep into his own conversation with Jules’ mom. Neither caught my comment or maybe they just acted as if they didn’t, either way what I said wasn’t that bad, just a little too intimate for Jules to feel comfortable around her parents. She was sort of a prude that way, especially in front of her dad.



Once, I tried to link pinkies with her at their house while waiting to leave for her mom’s birthday dinner and Jules looked at me like I’d assaulted her. What a goof. I could tell her dad didn’t care as long as we were being respectful but Jules was careful and I could appreciate that.  She plugged the ear buds into the iPod and handed me the left bud and I placed it into my ear and she did the same with the right. She started to play our list and we both took out our ‘time passers’ as she called them. She had her sketch pad and I brought a book. She spread the fleece over our laps and I almost burst into laughter when I saw her dad count to four, assuming he was counting hands. Parents.



I hadn’t even finished chapter four when I caught Jules drifting to sleep. I gathered her pencils and folded her sketch pad and placed them all into her messenger bag. When I tucked the pad into place I’d caught a glimpse at one of the pages in the back and nearly lost it. She’d written ‘Mrs. Elliott Gray’ all over it. She cracked me up, not that I didn’t mind it though. I wanted her to think of herself as my wife.



When I sat back up, I accidentally bumped her knee and she briefly woke and repositioned herself onto my shoulder. I wrapped my left arm around her and read my book with the right. There was absolutely no other place I wanted to be other than in that car at that very moment.



Eventually I dozed off myself and woke with my book at my feet. I glanced to my left and saw Jules still asleep. I reached down for the book and it woke her.



“I’m sorry Jules. I didn’t mean to wake you honey,” I said.



“It’s okay, I was about to wake up anyway,” she said stretching. “What time is it dad?”



“Nine,” he said.



“We’ve been asleep for three hours?” I asked.



“Six more to go,” said Jules.



“War?” I asked, my right eyebrow raised.



“Deal. And deal? You’re going down!”



I got out my deck of cards and we played for another two hours. Five hours down. She got tired of winning so we decided to play twenty questions. Twenty questions isn’t much fun when both partners can guess whom the other is thinking in three or less questions. We couldn’t talk either, at least not about the things we wanted to talk about. We stayed quiet for a few minutes when Jules suggested tic-tac-toe. She pulled out her sketch pad but instead of drawing the graph, she wrote,



My name is Julia, not Jules, Elliott. How many times do I have to tell you?



I laughed at the memory and took the pen from her.



I know that but I like Jules. I’ve noticed I’m the only one who calls you that. It makes me a part of you that only we share.



I know what happened. I just wanted to confirm that you knew too, so I don’t look like a fool.



We both laughed.



You’re so freaking cute Jules.



Seriously, YOU are Elliott. I’ve been dying to kiss you since Harrisonburg.



Seriously, you can’t say things like that when you look like you do right now.



You gonna’ do something about it?



Stop torturing me Jules. It’s not fair.



Alright, alright.



I’m glad to be getting out of Bramwell, I wrote, changing the subject.



Me too. I am most glad to be getting away from THEM.



They’re done. I’m certain of it. Besides, Jesse will get a shovel to the face if he so much as breathes on you.



Elliott! Your thoughts are always so violent



I’m violent? Does a certain football game mean anything to you?



She giggled under her breath.



Seriously though, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, ever. I promise.



No one can keep a promise like that babe. Be realistic.



I’m being honest Jules. Not one hair on your head will they touch.



She sighed aloud and I decided to change the subject, yet again.



So, can your family cook? ‘Cause I’m a growing boy you know? I need the calories.



My memaw Joan E is an excellent cook. She taught me everything she knows.



Did she? I’ll have to thank her then. I am forever indebted to her for that. You’re an amazing cook.



Thanks sweetheart.



Jules broke her most stringent rule, leaned in and pecked me on the cheek. I guess that was all I was going to get.



Whoa Jules! Now your dad is going to think we’re messing around!



Shut up Elliott!



More laughing.



Seriously though Jules, your outfit looks so nice on you.



Oh Elliott, get your head out of the gutter.



I’m not trying to be saucy with you. I mean it. You look incredibly beautiful.



Stop, you’re making me blush and that will make my dad want to read what we’ve been writing.



We both looked up and saw her dad’s eyes refocus from the rear-view back onto the road. Something told me it wouldn’t be a comfortable vacation for him. Poor guy. I promised myself I’d try to make it easier on him, to behave just a little more responsibly to ease his anxiety.



So, I can’t believe I haven’t asked you this yet, but who’s all going to be there?



I’d already met many of Jules’ family members from previous visits from them to Bramwell but there were a few I’d be meeting for the first time and although this would have scared a lot of guys my age and even older, it didn’t faze me in the slightest. I was comforted to know that while we would be living in Philadelphia she’d have some family nearby.



A lot of my cousins will be there, most you’ve never met before. Many aunts and uncles. I’m most excited for you to meet my aunt Isabel.



I’m looking forward to meeting all of them. I want this trip to go as smoothly as possible. I want to be invited to future visits. Got any suggestions?



Be wary of some of my cousins. They’re awesome, but they love to tease. My cousin Lizzy is the best, you’ll love her. Just stick close to me and you’ll be okay.



Oh that should be no problem whatsoever.



I threw a sneaky grin her way and we both laughed quietly.



“I need gas”, Jules’ dad said in a huff and slightly jerked the wheel toward the nearest exit.



We bumped heads.



“Ow! Dad!”



“Oops! Sorry kids!” he said with a slight smirk.



He was ornery, he must have been where Jules got it.



We stopped at a gas station in Greencastle and ate lunch at a little burger joint named Billy Miner’s. They had some of the best burgers I’d ever eaten in my entire life. It was an amazing town and every person we’d met there treated us as if we were family. I promised myself I’d go back again.



We finally got back onto the road and arrived in Mauch Chunk in record time. When Jules dragged me through the door I was overwhelmed by the amount of people despite the home being one of the largest I’d ever ever stepped foot in.



“No wonder everyone comes here,” I whispered. “This isn’t your grandmother’s den.”



I finally got where Jules’ eccentricities came from. We were at Jules’ aunt Isabel’s house. Isabel was her mom’s sister. She was smart and cool and had a young heart.  As we toured her home, I found so many interesting art pieces hanging everywhere on her walls.



“They’re all local,” Isabel said, “except these.”



She pointed to an entire wall in her living room and it was very apparent that it was Jules’ handiwork. Seeing so many pieces together made me appreciate the incredible talent that Jules possessed. I also noticed something else. Four of the maybe fifteen paintings hanging on the walls were the ones we had sold online to fund our trip to London. I pointed to them and Jules just nodded.



“I got these online,” Isabel said smiling.



“I should have guessed,” said Jules. “They were sent to an office in downtown Philadelphia and I never put two and two together.”



Jules’ aunt Isabel was an attorney and must have had them delivered to her law office.



“Thank you Isabel,” Jules said with gratitude.



“You’re mom told me what you two were doing and I couldn’t resist, besides, I get the most generous compliments from the guests who see them. So are you guys ready for London?” She asked.