By Kelly Helton (Writer’s Choice)
“Let me get this straight. It’s thirty degrees outside, it’s almost midnight, and you want to open the sunroof.”
“Yep!”
Aislynn shook her head. “Kaiti, are you nuts?”
“Come on, Aislynn. It’s not snowing! Don’t you want to open the sunroof and sing at the top of your lungs?”
“Not really. We can turn up the music and sing without freezing!”
“Sure, but that’s not as much fun, is it?”
Aislynn raised one hand in surrender. “I give. Open the stupid sunroof. But I’m picking the music.”
“Fine by me!”
Kaiti flashed her Cheshire Cat grin and opened the sunroof. Aislynn turned on the country station, and Kaiti cheered. After a few minutes, Kaiti turned down the volume and asked, “What’s gonna happen when we’re roommates next year?”
Aislynn laughed. “I don’t know. But I hope Samford is ready for it!”
Suddenly, a car came around the corner and zoomed past Kaiti and Aislynn, nearly running them off the narrow road.
“Holy cow!” Kaiti said. “They had to be going at least sixty.”
Aislynn shrugged. “That’s Kentucky for you.”
Another pair of headlights whipped around the corner. This time, however, they came toward Kaiti and Aislynn and didn’t stop. The two girls screamed, and the car went spinning across the road into a tree. After the car had stopped, Aislynn lay perfectly still and flexed her fingers. Nothing was broken, but it hurt to breathe, and she felt a knot blooming on her forehead.
“Kaiti, you okay?” she asked, flexing her toes to check for breaks. Pain shot through her left knee like fire, eliciting another scream. “Kaiti, answer me. Are you okay?” Aislynn turned her head gently. To her relief, the small movement didn’t hurt. The glass in Kaiti’s window was gone, and a tree trunk was cradling her now motionless head.
“Kaiti?” Aislynn shouted. Nothing. “Kaiti!” Aislynn shook her friend’s shoulder. Kaiti’s head flopped sideways, like the dolls she and Aislynn admired at the state fair. Her eyes stared, but they did not see.
“Kaiti!” Aislynn shouted. “No! Kaiti! Kaiti!” She screamed her friend’s name over and over and over….
* * *
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! The doorbell interrupted Aislynn’s memories.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Her parents were gone, and she didn’t feel like playing hostess to any visitors.
“Aislynn, it’s me!” said a familiar voice.
Aislynn’s heart sank. It was Mrs. Crevecour, Kaiti’s mother. Aislynn had purposefully avoided Kaiti’s parents since her release from the hospital.
“Aislynn, I spoke to your mother. I know you’re home. Please open the door.”
Aislynn gritted her teeth and picked up her crutches. The crash had left her with one cracked knee, three cracked ribs, and a mild concussion. Early March was not a good time to be on crutches in Glasgow, Kentucky, considering the melting snow and sporadic rain. She opened the door slowly. Mrs. Crevecour stood on the porch holding a brightly wrapped box and a plate of fresh brownies.
“Want some brownies?” Mrs. Crevecour said. “These literally just came out of the oven.” She lifted the brownies, and the smell made Aislynn’s stomach growl.
“Come in,” she said. Mrs. Crevecour followed her into the kitchen.
“Aislynn, I know you’ve been avoiding us,” Mrs. Crevecour said bluntly. She put the brownies and the box on the kitchen table.
Aislynn’s stomach twisted guiltily. “What’s in the box?”
Mrs. Crevecour shrugged. “I don’t know. We started cleaning her room the other day, and we found this in the back of her closet. It has your name on it.”
Aislynn’s stomach tied itself in knots as she hobbled to the table and read the tag.
To Aislynn. Happy Birthday!
“Mrs. Crevecour, I’m sorry!” Aislynn cried. She collapsed into a chair, dropped her crutches, and stared at the floor. “I was being careful! The road was clear, and it wasn’t snowing.” Aislynn felt Mrs. Crevecour’s hand on her good knee. “I was going under the speed limit, I promise!” Aislynn choked back tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Me too, Aislynn,” Mrs. Crevecour said. “Me, too.” Aislynn held her head in her hands and sobbed. After a silent, teary minute, Mrs. Crevecour said, “It wasn’t your fault, Aislynn. It was that drunk driver. You and Kaiti had to suffer for his stupidity.” Mrs. Crevecour cupped Aislynn’s face in her hands. “Aislynn Mallory Ingram, the car crash that killed Kaiti was not your fault.”
Aislynn took several deep breaths, but all she could manage was, “Thank you.”
* * *
At ten till midnight on March 16, Aislynn took Kaiti’s gift from the closet and put it on her bed. Kaiti had always loved staying up until midnight on hers and Aislynn’s birthdays, especially since Aislynn’s was St. Patrick’s Day. Such nights had always involved singing, laughing, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice.
Aislynn stared at her mirror. She wondered how she would look if the mirror reflected her soul instead of her appearance. She ran her hand over her side, fingering the rough, ugly red scar tissue. Her ribs had healed well, but it still hurt to breathe sometimes. The scar she had resembled a sinister, twisted smile, as if Fate was mocking her.
Aislynn glanced at her clock. 11:55 p.m. She sighed heavily. The memories were strong, like the Brazilian coffee Kaiti had convinced her to try at New Year’s. Their favorite coffee shop had been giving out free samples, and Kaiti had given one to Aislynn. She had ended up spitting it right back at Kaiti, who had started laughing.
Aislynn looked at her clock again. 11:57.
Kaiti’s laugh had been one of Aislynn’s favorite sounds. It reminded her of the hyenas from The Lion King. Her own laugh sounded like a honking goose.
11:59. Aislynn swallowed hard and stared at her clock for a full minute, fingering tag tied to the box.
Midnight. Aislynn took a deep breath, removed the tape gingerly, and unwrapped the package, revealing a square white box decorated with multi-colored doodles. Aislynn worked harder to hold back the tears as she removed the lid. A white envelope emblazoned with “AISLYNN!” sat on top of a piece of felt, clearly meant to conceal the gift that lay beneath. The card in the envelope was handmade with several Calvin and Hobbes comics pasted on the front. It read, “Calvin and Hobbes had tons of adventures together...” Aislynn opened the card with shaking hands. The inside read, “And so will we. Happy birthday, friend.” A longer note was beneath it.
Aislynn, it said, I can’t believe that you’re eighteen. That means you’ve been alive for 936 weeks! I tried to count the days and failed. Anyway, you are the absolute best friend a girl could ask for. You’re awesome, I love you, and I can’t wait to celebrate your eighteenth St. Patrick’s Day! Love Now, Always, and Forever, Kaiti.
Aislynn put the card down and used the piece of felt to dry her tears. As she dug through layers of tissue paper and cotton, she heard the clinking of glass on glass. Her heart flew into her throat. She slowly withdrew a round piece of green sea glass. She stared at it for a moment before removing the rest of the pieces one by one. Every piece came from Kaiti’s collection.
Kaiti’s obsession had started the summer the Crevecours spent two months in Nassau. Aislynn visited them at the end of June. She and Kaiti both came back with several bags of sea glass. Something about finding pieces of glass that had been worn smooth by the sea simply felt peaceful. Kaiti would sometimes leave a piece of sea glass in Aislynn’s locker for encouragement on bad days. Aislynn would miss that. She would really miss that.
* * *
When Aislynn woke the next morning, she ran her fingers gently through the sea glass before putting each piece back in the box. She put the gift under her bed, picked up her crutches, and hobbled to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!” her father said. Aislynn smiled. The green eggs and ham she usually had on her birthday sat ready on the breakfast table. “Today is your day, sweetheart! What do you want to do?”
“Eat breakfast, first of all,” Aislynn said with a laugh. “Then I need to go to Wal-Mart.”
“Wal-Mart?” Mrs. Ingram said. “What do you need at Wal-Mart?”
“A canvas and a lot of craft glue.”
* * *
“Bye!” Aislynn called. “See you at fall break!” She waved as her father’s Ford pick-up shrank into the horizon. She went back to her dorm room and sat on her bed. The mosaic she had made sat on top of her desk, supported by Snoopy and Woodstock bookends. She had worked all summer so she could savor the process, remembering and grieving as she went. The end result made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. Green and brown sea glass was arranged on a clear background to form a single word: hope.
“Let me get this straight. It’s thirty degrees outside, it’s almost midnight, and you want to open the sunroof.”
“Yep!”
Aislynn shook her head. “Kaiti, are you nuts?”
“Come on, Aislynn. It’s not snowing! Don’t you want to open the sunroof and sing at the top of your lungs?”
“Not really. We can turn up the music and sing without freezing!”
“Sure, but that’s not as much fun, is it?”
Aislynn raised one hand in surrender. “I give. Open the stupid sunroof. But I’m picking the music.”
“Fine by me!”
Kaiti flashed her Cheshire Cat grin and opened the sunroof. Aislynn turned on the country station, and Kaiti cheered. After a few minutes, Kaiti turned down the volume and asked, “What’s gonna happen when we’re roommates next year?”
Aislynn laughed. “I don’t know. But I hope Samford is ready for it!”
Suddenly, a car came around the corner and zoomed past Kaiti and Aislynn, nearly running them off the narrow road.
“Holy cow!” Kaiti said. “They had to be going at least sixty.”
Aislynn shrugged. “That’s Kentucky for you.”
Another pair of headlights whipped around the corner. This time, however, they came toward Kaiti and Aislynn and didn’t stop. The two girls screamed, and the car went spinning across the road into a tree. After the car had stopped, Aislynn lay perfectly still and flexed her fingers. Nothing was broken, but it hurt to breathe, and she felt a knot blooming on her forehead.
“Kaiti, you okay?” she asked, flexing her toes to check for breaks. Pain shot through her left knee like fire, eliciting another scream. “Kaiti, answer me. Are you okay?” Aislynn turned her head gently. To her relief, the small movement didn’t hurt. The glass in Kaiti’s window was gone, and a tree trunk was cradling her now motionless head.
“Kaiti?” Aislynn shouted. Nothing. “Kaiti!” Aislynn shook her friend’s shoulder. Kaiti’s head flopped sideways, like the dolls she and Aislynn admired at the state fair. Her eyes stared, but they did not see.
“Kaiti!” Aislynn shouted. “No! Kaiti! Kaiti!” She screamed her friend’s name over and over and over….
* * *
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! The doorbell interrupted Aislynn’s memories.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Her parents were gone, and she didn’t feel like playing hostess to any visitors.
“Aislynn, it’s me!” said a familiar voice.
Aislynn’s heart sank. It was Mrs. Crevecour, Kaiti’s mother. Aislynn had purposefully avoided Kaiti’s parents since her release from the hospital.
“Aislynn, I spoke to your mother. I know you’re home. Please open the door.”
Aislynn gritted her teeth and picked up her crutches. The crash had left her with one cracked knee, three cracked ribs, and a mild concussion. Early March was not a good time to be on crutches in Glasgow, Kentucky, considering the melting snow and sporadic rain. She opened the door slowly. Mrs. Crevecour stood on the porch holding a brightly wrapped box and a plate of fresh brownies.
“Want some brownies?” Mrs. Crevecour said. “These literally just came out of the oven.” She lifted the brownies, and the smell made Aislynn’s stomach growl.
“Come in,” she said. Mrs. Crevecour followed her into the kitchen.
“Aislynn, I know you’ve been avoiding us,” Mrs. Crevecour said bluntly. She put the brownies and the box on the kitchen table.
Aislynn’s stomach twisted guiltily. “What’s in the box?”
Mrs. Crevecour shrugged. “I don’t know. We started cleaning her room the other day, and we found this in the back of her closet. It has your name on it.”
Aislynn’s stomach tied itself in knots as she hobbled to the table and read the tag.
To Aislynn. Happy Birthday!
“Mrs. Crevecour, I’m sorry!” Aislynn cried. She collapsed into a chair, dropped her crutches, and stared at the floor. “I was being careful! The road was clear, and it wasn’t snowing.” Aislynn felt Mrs. Crevecour’s hand on her good knee. “I was going under the speed limit, I promise!” Aislynn choked back tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“Me too, Aislynn,” Mrs. Crevecour said. “Me, too.” Aislynn held her head in her hands and sobbed. After a silent, teary minute, Mrs. Crevecour said, “It wasn’t your fault, Aislynn. It was that drunk driver. You and Kaiti had to suffer for his stupidity.” Mrs. Crevecour cupped Aislynn’s face in her hands. “Aislynn Mallory Ingram, the car crash that killed Kaiti was not your fault.”
Aislynn took several deep breaths, but all she could manage was, “Thank you.”
* * *
At ten till midnight on March 16, Aislynn took Kaiti’s gift from the closet and put it on her bed. Kaiti had always loved staying up until midnight on hers and Aislynn’s birthdays, especially since Aislynn’s was St. Patrick’s Day. Such nights had always involved singing, laughing, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice.
Aislynn stared at her mirror. She wondered how she would look if the mirror reflected her soul instead of her appearance. She ran her hand over her side, fingering the rough, ugly red scar tissue. Her ribs had healed well, but it still hurt to breathe sometimes. The scar she had resembled a sinister, twisted smile, as if Fate was mocking her.
Aislynn glanced at her clock. 11:55 p.m. She sighed heavily. The memories were strong, like the Brazilian coffee Kaiti had convinced her to try at New Year’s. Their favorite coffee shop had been giving out free samples, and Kaiti had given one to Aislynn. She had ended up spitting it right back at Kaiti, who had started laughing.
Aislynn looked at her clock again. 11:57.
Kaiti’s laugh had been one of Aislynn’s favorite sounds. It reminded her of the hyenas from The Lion King. Her own laugh sounded like a honking goose.
11:59. Aislynn swallowed hard and stared at her clock for a full minute, fingering tag tied to the box.
Midnight. Aislynn took a deep breath, removed the tape gingerly, and unwrapped the package, revealing a square white box decorated with multi-colored doodles. Aislynn worked harder to hold back the tears as she removed the lid. A white envelope emblazoned with “AISLYNN!” sat on top of a piece of felt, clearly meant to conceal the gift that lay beneath. The card in the envelope was handmade with several Calvin and Hobbes comics pasted on the front. It read, “Calvin and Hobbes had tons of adventures together...” Aislynn opened the card with shaking hands. The inside read, “And so will we. Happy birthday, friend.” A longer note was beneath it.
Aislynn, it said, I can’t believe that you’re eighteen. That means you’ve been alive for 936 weeks! I tried to count the days and failed. Anyway, you are the absolute best friend a girl could ask for. You’re awesome, I love you, and I can’t wait to celebrate your eighteenth St. Patrick’s Day! Love Now, Always, and Forever, Kaiti.
Aislynn put the card down and used the piece of felt to dry her tears. As she dug through layers of tissue paper and cotton, she heard the clinking of glass on glass. Her heart flew into her throat. She slowly withdrew a round piece of green sea glass. She stared at it for a moment before removing the rest of the pieces one by one. Every piece came from Kaiti’s collection.
Kaiti’s obsession had started the summer the Crevecours spent two months in Nassau. Aislynn visited them at the end of June. She and Kaiti both came back with several bags of sea glass. Something about finding pieces of glass that had been worn smooth by the sea simply felt peaceful. Kaiti would sometimes leave a piece of sea glass in Aislynn’s locker for encouragement on bad days. Aislynn would miss that. She would really miss that.
* * *
When Aislynn woke the next morning, she ran her fingers gently through the sea glass before putting each piece back in the box. She put the gift under her bed, picked up her crutches, and hobbled to the kitchen.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!” her father said. Aislynn smiled. The green eggs and ham she usually had on her birthday sat ready on the breakfast table. “Today is your day, sweetheart! What do you want to do?”
“Eat breakfast, first of all,” Aislynn said with a laugh. “Then I need to go to Wal-Mart.”
“Wal-Mart?” Mrs. Ingram said. “What do you need at Wal-Mart?”
“A canvas and a lot of craft glue.”
* * *
“Bye!” Aislynn called. “See you at fall break!” She waved as her father’s Ford pick-up shrank into the horizon. She went back to her dorm room and sat on her bed. The mosaic she had made sat on top of her desk, supported by Snoopy and Woodstock bookends. She had worked all summer so she could savor the process, remembering and grieving as she went. The end result made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. Green and brown sea glass was arranged on a clear background to form a single word: hope.