Tied Up in Knotts Ch. 02

Clean up was easy, everyone ran down to the lake and jumped off the dock. The cold water stopped no one.

I was making sure everyone was accounted for when a bucket of slop got poured on my head. I knew it was coming. It happened every year, still I pretended to be surprised and upset with betrayal. It made them feel like they pulled one over on me. I wiped the slop off my face and found David and Christian standing there with giant grins on their faces.

The crowd roared.

Before they knew what was happening, I threw each of them over a shoulder and ran toward the dock. They weren't big guys, maybe a buck twenty each. Slop dripped down my face and the dock vibrated under my feet. I had the whole group following me. When I reached the end I kept running, right off the dock and into the cold water. When I surfaced the air was full of laughter and splashes as everyone re-entered for an encore.

It didn't last long. We made our way back up the clubble and toweled off. Everyone settled into the grass and waited for me to give the final club talk of the year.

I asked for a volunteer. Several kids raised their hand. I had Britney come forward and I handed her a paper plate with a tube of toothpaste on it.

"I want you to squeeze some toothpaste out," I instructed.

She took the toothpaste and squeezed a line onto the paper plate. She stood awkwardly like all kids do when they're standing in front of their peers. I looked at the toothpaste and frowned.

"That's barely any. More," I encouraged her.

Britney laughed and then squeezed a big dollop onto a plate. I quickly held out my hand and stopped her. "Whoa! Too much. I need you to put some of it back in the tube."

Britney looked at me like I was crazy. "I can't. It's impossible."

"Well, I need you to try. I need you to try really hard. I need all this toothpaste back in the tube."

The crowd eagerly watched as Britney tried to finger the toothpaste back into the tube. When it didn't work, she tried again. When she finally gave up, the toothpaste was smeared all over the plate, her fingers were a mess, and the tube was covered. All that work and none of it had actually been pushed back into the tube.

I grabbed the plate, thanked her for her help, and sent her back to the audience.

I explained about a time when I was younger. A friend of mine had upset. In retaliation, I said some really hurtful things that damaged our relationship past the point of fixing.

"Here's the thing about words, you can't unsay them. It's like the toothpaste, once it's out, you can't get it back in," I held up the plate so everyone could see the mess that Britney made. "It doesn't matter how hard you try; you're left with the mess you made."

I talked a little more about how to choose our words. Words said out of anger can cause damage that we can't repair. Words said out of ignorance can build divides. We have a choice to use words to build people up or to tear them down.

"Which do you want to be known for?" I asked.

The atmosphere was always somber after I spoke. I gave them something to think about and wrestle with. I challenged them in ways others were too scared to. They needed someone to call them up.

After updating them with camp info and saying farewell for the summer, everyone left.

****

I was so busy I didn't realize Penn and Marcos were still there. I don't know why I expected them to be gone. Their truck was the literal power supply to the cornerstone of my evening. They were kind of stuck.

"That was amazing. Watching those kids made my heart beat with joy. And your words, so important," Marcos said, his Spanish accent thick and broken.

I shook his hand and thanked him for his kind words. They were gracious enough to help me clean up. They'd already removed the sandbags and turned off the fans so the clubble was almost completely collapsed. They helped me hose off the totes and load everything in the back of the Suburban. When it was mostly done, we went back to the pile of plastic.

I sighed. "I really didn't think this through, I have no clue how to get rid of this."

It was too big to fit in the back of a truck and too smelly for me to even consider putting in my SUV. It was heavy to begin with but now there was one-hundred pounds of food in it.

"I'm sure Len could have one of the drivers pick it up tomorrow."

I roughly cupped Penn's face in my hands and smiled brightly. "You're a genius! I didn't even think of that!"

I let go and grabbed my phone. I explained the situation to Lenny and he agreed to have one of his garbage trucks come by and pick it up in the morning, no charge of course.

With everything loaded in the truck, I pulled out a pair of clean sweat pants and a sweatshirt that I had hidden under my seat and changed. It was cold and I smelled. There was no one left at the park besides the three of us so I stripped off my shorts. I covered myself with a towel and pulled off my wet underwear, slid a new pair on, then tossed the towel on the seat while I finished getting dressed.

"As guilty as I feel that you guys stayed here all day, I'm so thankful you did," I said as I adjusted the waistband low on my hips before grabbing a fresh shirt.

"It was more fun than cleaning toilets," Marcos said with a laugh. "It was a good day. A big adventure."

I liked Marcos. He had lines on his face and callused hands, yet there was a softness in his chocolate eyes, a sparkle that made you comfortable. He was good people, that much I knew.

"Yes," I laughed, "Today was definitely an adventure."

I looked at Penn, who was smiling. He really looked nothing like his brothers. Ryan and Logan had short, dirty blond hair while Penn's hair was shaggy and dark brown. Ryan and Logan had blue eyes; Penn's were dark brown. He was stocky but leaner than both his brothers. It wasn't fair that they were all so gorgeous and nice. I mean, Penn had just spent the entire day saving my ass and I was pretty sure he didn't even like me all that much. That showed just how good a person he was.

I reached out and shook his hand. "Seriously," I looked straight into his eyes. "Thank you so much. I owe you."

"Nah, it was my pleasure. I had fun."

"If you have fun saving my ass, then expect a lot more requests of this."

"Sounds good."

I pulled the sweatshirt over my head and smiled, "Careful what you agree to. I need someone who can put my crazy plans into action."

"Just let me know."

There was no doubt he meant it. He was a Knott after all. They were nothing if not the most helpful people on the planet. It was in their DNA.

I thanked him again then drove home. It was another long day and I was in need of a shower. There was something about the final Club of the year that was bittersweet. Bitter, because I loved my Monday nights and I missed the hustle and bustle of the school year. Sweet, because work was exhausting and the summer allowed me to recharge a bit. I still had camp but life would be slower until September.

When I got home, Lee was asleep. I wanted to tell him all about my day but, at the same time, I was happy to have a little peace and quiet. An hour later I crawled into bed. Lee looked inviting as he slept. I kissed his soft skin a few times and he roused to my touch, then settled back down. I wrapped myself around him.

My fingers wandered over his belly. It was something Lee didn't like me to do when he was awake. He wasn't insecure but he wasn't happy with his body. Years of working hard at the firm had made him soft. I didn't see anything wrong with it. I thought he was dynamite and he knew I couldn't get enough of him. I used his sleep as an opportunity to fulfill my need for touch. I never wanted to stop touching him.

****

On Thursday I visited Sam Masey. I would've visited him a lot more but he insisted I had better things to do, said he only wanted to see me before and after my marathons.

He was passionate about running in his younger years. He coached track and field for the University and was always running marathons in his free time. One day he woke up and couldn't move his legs. They thought it was temporary paralysis, that was forty years ago.

He was the reason I ran marathons. He became a mentor and challenged me to push my own limits both mentally and physically. Then he bribed me; told me he'd pay my entry fees and travel expenses if I started running marathons. It was a no limit situation. I could run as many as I wanted, wherever I wanted, and he'd pay for it all. He said it brought him joy to see someone who shared his passion.

"I brought you coffee. How you drink this dark lava I will never know." I handed him the coffee I picked up on my way over. He took a sip of the bitter dark roast and smiled.

"Hmm, nothing better than life juice."

I gagged, making the old man chuckle. I might've shared his passion for running but I didn't share his passion for coffee. He was sitting in his lift chair with a blanket tucked around his waist. His legs had lost their muscle tone and his arms weren't far behind. It had been years, maybe even a decade, since he was able to transfer himself from chair to chair. Despite his failing independence, Sam hadn't lost his spirit.

"When do you leave?" he asked.

"We'll drive up Saturday and drive home Monday."

"How are you feeling about it?"

"Good. I haven't been training as hard as I wanted, and I know it won't be my best race, but I'm confident that I'll make a qualifying time."

"It's fine if you don't. Every race you get to participate in is a gift."

"I'll cheers to that," I lifted my water bottle and tapped it against Sam's coffee. "If I qualify, are you going to make it to Boston and watch me cross that finish line?"

"I dream," he said with a sad smile. "It would be a production to get me there. I don't think it's possible."

"I'll only run if you're there to cheer."

Boston was a big deal because Sam had been six days from racing it himself before the paralysis. He wouldn't admit it but me running that race was a big deal for him. I would get him there no matter what.

"We'll see. First, you qualify, then you register, then we wait until April. A lot can happen between now and then."

Those words would prove to be painfully true.