Polaroids and Postcards | ✔️

Chapter 16: Her Smile

"Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends... The mind can never break off from the journey." – Pat Conroy

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Della was quiet and rather subdued through our early breakfast. It was unusual to see that the hustle and bustle surrounding us in the restaurant was more active than her. It was a first for me. Plates clattered, people chatted, and cups of orange juice spilled occasionally, but Della made no move to join the cheerful chaos or make any of her own. She merely grasped her fork in one hand and moved her food around on her plate, occasionally lifting a sluggish bite to her mouth. As she munched her breakfast scramble, I watched her carefully over my cup of black coffee.

I had made up my mind to say nothing more about our moment on the beach, nor about the phone call. And I certainly wasn't going to bring up Derrick again. This was the way I had been raised to deal with an emotional problem...

Ignore it until it goes away.

Up until this point, this strategy seemed to work decently for the people in my family. My dad ignored me and Grant until he was able to disappear. Mom ignored her bad situation until it got better. Grant ignored my terrible early stages of musicianship until I learned to sing and play correctly. And I ignored Della until...

I watched her thin hands moving the eggs around in another circle on her plate, noticing for the first time how very tiny she really was. She was a good 10 inches shorter than me—and I was just barely over the six-foot mark. It really made me wonder about where she put all the food she ordinarily would've scarfed down.

I ignored Della until she saved me.

This realization was one of those that come to you went you aren't looking for it. I didn't necessarily want to admit to myself that this strange, complex creature had saved me. But she truly had! I was on my way to my future, and she bothered enough to give me a ride.

Now, Della needed someone to save her from something much more important, and it was my turn to oblige. I instantly constructed the perfect plan, and finished off my coffee.

"Hey," I said, causing Della to shake out of her deep reflection over her cold breakfast.

"Hmm?" she replied, trying to seem interested.

"I forgot something in the car, I'll be right back."

She glanced back down into her food. "Okay. Take your time."

I leapt up from our table and marched out to the parking lot, where the trusty Beetle was waiting. This was going to either be really great or really terrible. I reached into the back seat, pulled out my guitar and tested the strings.

Still in tune...

I slid the strap over my head, and proceeded to walk back into the restaurant, stooping to grab a handful of flowers out of the flowerbed by the door on my way inside.