Arya Meets Hardy Down by the River

"What was Arya talking to you about?"

"Ah, she needs a ride," Jeremiah replied.

Drew paused, eyeing him. Eager to please Drew—and anybody—Jeremiah went on:

"We're going to the river."

"Huh." Drew stood there with an almost-but-not-quite stoic—and slightly confused—look. The sensitive sometimes assumed that look contained a hint of clever-as-a-fox. He had been perfecting it for all of his 28 years and was rather proud.

Drew walked towards his house without another word.

Once he was alone, he called his best friend.

"What are your plans tonight, Q? I'm thinking settin by the creek," Drew asked his friend.

"Been a while since we done that," Q replied.

"Ya thinkin Jamie'll let yuh?"

Holding the phone away from his mouth, Q said, "Hey, want to drink beers riverside tonight?"

Nervous, Drew asked, "Who you with?"

"Cousin's in town from Boyton... Yeah? Yeah, okay. We'll meet you. Which spot?"

"I'll text you," Drew replied.

Drew considered not texting them because Q's cousin was Hardy. And Drew was worried that Arya just might like Hardy.

"Too obvious," he said to himself about uninviting Q. "I need other people there, anyway."

Drew vigorously pursued every woman like this. But unlike with other women, in Arya's case, Drew told himself that he was only looking after his brother's naive widow.

Arya was smoking weed when Jeremiah pulled up to Drew's dad's place.

She slowly stood up as she took a drag. She calmly walked towards his truck. She closed the door of the pickup without acknowledging Jeremiah and settled into her typical glazed look.

Jeremiah attempted conversation, though Arya hardly replied. But he was a country boy so didn't enjoy talking much anyway. Besides, he reasoned, she didn't need to talk to help him out: people became more interested in him because Arya asked him to help her.

He hoped they'd become friends now since she usually spoke to no one. She wouldn't even nod when somebody spoke right to her.

When they arrived at the river, she thanked him with a nod and hopped out, a nod that he received as an honor.

He turned off his truck. She looked confused. If was too brief for Jeremiah to see it, even while looking through his back window.

Instead of telling him to leave, she threw her chair, book, and fanny pack on the river's bank. She began reading after she set up her chair.

Soon after, Drew, Drew's best friend Q, Q's cousin Hardy, Stan Keply, and a good-looking blonde woman arrived.

Arya hardly seemed to notice. She would have usually cared. She might have been the life of the party around this mild crowd. And even though she wanted to care about things that she used to care about, she didn't.

She easily accepted her night wasn't going as she had hoped—peaceful and alone in nature. Her initial surprise that Jeremiah stayed prevented her from being surprised about whatever followed. Nothing bothered her anymore. She was concerned with almost nothing, anymore.

She pulled out a joint as they got settled and they pretended not to notice her. Arya lit it, dragged it, and kept reading. She didn't pay close enough attention to tell how many people, or who, had arrived.

After hours of swimming and drinking, the group built a fire. Arya hadn't acknowledged anyone since she nodded to Jeremiah when he dropped her off. And none of the others talked to her, either. They knew she didn't want to be bothered and even the interested ones were too scared to brave speaking to her.

As the sun set Arya moved towards the fire for reading light. That brought her closer to Drew and his friends. Soon Q asked her, "Hey, want to go for a dip?"

He had known Arya before her husband's accident. She might have known him best in the group. Even so she only slightly swiveled her head in thought. After a moment Q assumed she planned to say nothing more, which probably would have eventually been the case, so he asked if she wanted a beer instead.

She looked at her joint and barely twitched the index finger holding her joint. It meant she didn't want a beer because she had her joint. Then she returned to reading.

Q didn't take it personally, or tried not to at being rejected in front of his lifelong friends. But he told himself she was nice before the accident. And more importantly she might be a useful business investor when the dust cleared.

As they sat around the campfire, it became clear to everyone that the blonde liked Hardy. But Hardy looked at Arya confused and wondering what was her deal.

Hardy wanted to walk over and say something. Then again he wanted to blend in with his cousin so he'd invite Hardy back to do more "fun country shit," as Hardy told his colleagues when they asked about these trips.

He wasn't the most outgoing, life-of-the-party guy but he was confident. And he wasn't a detached country boy and was bored.

He waited but stole glimpses. Other people noticed. He looked closer when he recognized her esoteric book. Unfortunately he didn't quite remember it. And his phone had no service.

After a couple more beers he walked between her and everybody else and said, "What are you reading?"

Everybody--Drew and Jeremiah especially--listened. They pretended not to but that was a waste of effort. Arya barely registered Hardy, and Hardy only paid attention to what he found relevant.

Arya didn't say anything and Hardy couldn't tell if she planned to. She moved and thought slowly these days. She rarely cared enough to attempt to understand questions.

Yet she might have answered if given enough time. We'll never know because as she first registered Hardy, he asked her whether she was okay.

She slowly looked at his eyes and then noticeably blinked several times. She swiveled her head towards the fire.

"It's John Locke," Hardy said as he looked at her book. She breathed in and slowly began to turn her head in his direction as he followed with, "And of course the better of the two treatises: the Second."

She ended her gaze at his face, seeing his pleasure while looking at the book. He seemed more interested in the book in her lap than her. She would have appreciated that quality more in better times. Her mouth opened ever-so-slightly as she looked at his eyes.

Drew glanced at her for the fourth time in the last minute. Everyone else did the same. They were all aware of the gravity of Arya's behavior or were interested from a sexual point of view. Unsurprisingly, the blonde paid attention because she wanted Hardy, so Stan looked on hoping that Hardy would favor Arya.

"Have you read it?" Arya finally asked.

"Oh, yes," he replied. "Parts anyway."

She paused again, as if she had grown up in these parts and had always taken long breaks in conversations.

"And how do you find his justification for our right to property?"

Everyone near the campfire collectively held their breath. While Hardy, Stan, and the blonde didn't know it, this was the most engaged that anyone had seen her since the accident.

"Remind me." She paused, slowly looked forward, and slowly looked up at him. Hardy knew she had more to say and waited. "I haven't thought about it... lately," Arya finished.

He did remind her and she recalled everything—everything he was right about, anyway.

This was one of her favorite topics. She became animated to 5% of what she would have been one year before, about anything.

Most there thought Arya knew more than Jeremiah and expected her response would make him look like a fool. Hardy felt everyone relax but she didn't notice. Hardy appreciated that and was unscathed by her corrections that kept everyone's attention.

Arya advanced to looking forward as she said, "He posits that once we mix our labor with the land, we're entitled to it."

She finished that sentence as if it were the last that she planned to say for the evening. Hardy noticed and found it strange but not alienating.

"Interesting. Political theory hasn't been my focus."

He hoped that Arya would ask what his focus has been. She didn't, and began opening her book again.

He quickly added, "I prefer moral philosophy."

The group was increasingly on edge. "I think her expression might be a smile," Jeremiah thought in distress.

She responded, "That was my first love. I love it still. It's..."

As she thought of how to describe her interest, Drew and then Jeremiah stood up.

"It's getting late, guys."

Hardy turned to look at the group.

"Yeah," said Q.

"I'll take her back," Drew said quietly.

"Arya, you're with Drew. He's heading by his dad's anyway," Jeremiah said.

Arya answered Jeremiah by way of a glance. She got into Drew's pickup.

As they started down the road...