~ Tomahawk'd ~
by DS Bauden
Chapter One
1985 - The Northwoods Island City
Hearing the crunch of car tires on the pebbled drive alerted two excited eyes to appear in the cabin window. One blue and one greenish-brown eye watched the small blue Toyota pull into a parking space. The skinny dark-haired girl observed as a family emerged slowly from the vehicle.
Turning from the window, Jackson Thomas shouted to her aunt, "Jackie, they're here! They're here!"
Approaching her niece, Jacqueline Thomas looked out the window at her newest guests, while patting the girl's shoulders.
Her niece looked on patiently, resting her hands on the windowsill, as a man and woman stepped out of the car, closed their doors and walked toward the now open trunk. She was about to look away when the rear door opened revealing a blonde-haired girl, about her age, getting out of the backseat. Sighing unknowingly, she watched closely as the girl's parents handed her a Teddy Bear suitcase and a pillow.
Chuckling at her niece's excitement, Jackie said, "Looks like you'll have someone to play with after all, Jack."
Smiling up at the older version of herself, she nodded enthusiastically then turned her attention back to her potential new playmate.
The girl smiled up at her father and started to look around the property. Mystified by all the tall trees, young Erin Hawkins' feet moved slowly in a circle as her head was tilted back as far as humanly possible.
"Erin, honey, be careful. Watch where you're going," Erin's mother warned.
"Yeah, peanut, you look like a Pez dispenser gone wrong."
"Daddy!" Erin cried, swinging her head down, towards her father. Looking to her mother for assistance, she drawled out, "Mooooommmmm!"
Stifling a laugh, her mother, Katie, swatted her father's arm. "Joe, be nice; we just got here. God knows after 6 hours in the car, the last thing she needs is more ribbing from you."
"Sorry, peanut," he apologized, tweaking her nose with his fingertip. Looking to his wife, he continued, "Let's check in and find our cabin."
The family grabbed the rest of their things and headed towards the main cabin. Nothing but footsteps could be heard as they traversed the wooded path, leading them to the main office of The Northwoods Island City.
The walk to the main cabin was not far from the parking lot. The Hawkins took in the scenery reverently, not wanting to disturb any part of the gorgeous landscape and nature surrounding them. Approaching the cabin first, Joe, not finding a doorbell, knocked on the screen door.
Jacqueline opened the door with a large smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins?" she greeted.
Joe and Katie smiled at their host and nodded. Katie spoke up first, "Yes, I'm Katie Hawkins and this is my husband, Joe and our…" she looked back to find that Erin had found a bird's nest in one of the trees close to the cabin, transfixing the girl's attention. Smiling, she continued, "That's Erin, our daughter."
Jacqueline extended her hand to them, "I'm Jackie Thomas, nice to meet you all. Welcome to the Island City. I hope you guys enjoy your stay. You picked a great time to visit."
Joe's eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Oh yeah? Why's that?"
Jackie continued, "It's still too early to be considered fall, but late enough that the seasonal tourists aren't hanging around. You'll have a lot of the lake to yourselves, but there are a ton of water shows still happening this week," she explained as Jackson inched her way to the door.
Joe smiled at Jackie and looked down to see mismatched eyes looking back at him. "And who are you, little lady?" He was amused by her cut off jean shorts and dirty knees.
Standing up proudly, Jackson outstretched her hand, mimicking her aunt. "I am Jackson Thomas, sir. It's nice to meet you," she smiled broadly, making Joe grin. She repeated her actions with Katie, causing the woman to mirror her husband's expression.
"Well, Jackson, it's nice to meet you as well." Joe looked to Jackie and smiled. "Your daughter?" he asked.
"No, thank God!" she kidded. After receiving an outraged look, she patted her niece's head. "Jack's my niece."
Both sets of eyebrows raised in tandem. Katie said, "Oh, I would've thought you were her mother, you look so much alike." A look of sadness passed over Jackie's face but was quickly masked.
"I get that a lot. Her mom and I were identical twins," she explained softly, watching as Jackson eyed the smaller girl in pink overall shorts still enthralled with the bird's nest.
Catching the past tense in her statement, Katie replied, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Thank you."
Silence arrived like an unwanted guest and both parties felt the comfort level drop. Before it got out of hand, Jackie smiled and suggested she show them to their cabin. Nodding gratefully, the pair grabbed their bags and moved out of the way as Jackie and Jackson came outside.
"You'll be in cabin six. It's one of our only cabins with air conditioning units. After the scorchers we've been having, I'm sure it'll be a welcome addition. Even being this close to the lake, the days have been awful and the nights not much better."
Joe nodded in agreement and appreciation. Turning to his daughter, he called out, "Hey, Erin, come on! We're gonna find our cabin."
Jackson turned to him and said with a charming smile, "I'll show her where it is, sir."
Grinning at her niece, Jackie chimed in, "She's a regular eleven year old welcome wagon. She knows this place better than I do."
Agreeing, Joe called to his daughter, "Ok, Erin. Listen to Jackson, ok?" He picked up her discarded suitcase and pillow.
Erin shouted out from the nest and answered, "Ok, Dad." She turned to look at Jackson for the first time and noticed her eyes immediately. "Wow!" she exclaimed.
Looking around her, Jackson was confused. "What? What is it?"
Lightly reaching for the taller girl's hands, Erin replied, "Your eyes! How did you do that?" she asked in an awe-filled voice staring shamelessly into them.
Chuckling to themselves, Erin's parents turned to follow as Jackie led the way to their home for the next month.
Jackson grinned and rolled her eyes at the smaller girl. "Oh, them. Well," she began the story her aunt had told her, "I was laying down one day on the grass over there," she stopped, pointing to the direction of the land in front of the lake. "And I fell asleep on my side. But, while I was sleeping, this eye turned into the color of the sky above it," she said pointing to her right eye, "and this one turned into the color of the ground below it." At the girl's amazed expression, Jackson laughed.
Erin's face continued its look of wonder as she studied the orbs in front of her. "Like magic!"
"Yeah, something like that." She grinned at the younger girl. "So, you're Erin?"
Erin realized she hadn't introduced herself yet to her new friend. Finally letting go of Jackson's hands, she said, "Yep, my name is Erin, what's yours again?"
"Jackson."
"What kinda name is that for a girl?" Erin asked.
Jack sighed and put her arm around the girl's shoulders. "It's a long story, shrimp. Let's go find your cabin and I'll tell you some other time."
"Hey!" Erin cried, ducking away from the taller girl's arm. "I'm not a shrimp! You're just a… a big tree!" Erin crossed her arms over her chest, a pouting lip forming on her face.
Hiding her amusement at the flummoxed young girl, Jack replied, "Ok, so what should I call you then, if you aren't a shrimp?"
Looking confused, Erin replied, "Call me Erin."
Touching her chin in thought, Jackson replied, "You don't look like an Erin. What's your last name?"
"Haw…Hawkins?" she stuttered, not understanding how she didn't look like an Erin. She was Erin.
"How about I call you Hawk? We've got some cool hawks that fly around here sometimes. I think they're really neat."
Standing taller, Erin decided with a smile that she liked the name her new friend would call her. "I like Hawk." She bit her lip in thought. "Can I call you Jackie?"
"Um, no, that's my aunt's name. How about…"
"How about Jack?" she tried again.
"Sure, shri… Hawk," she quickly amended, seeing the hurt look on Erin's face. Once she corrected the moniker, she was graced with a beautiful smile from her younger companion. Seeing that face light up convinced Jackson she would spend the whole month making Erin smile as much as possible. "Let's go find your folks." She put her arm back on Erin's shoulders, only to have the girl grab her hand, pull it to her side and entwine their fingers as they skipped along towards cabin six.
Jackson was named after her grandfather, Jackson Thomas, Sr.. While pregnant, Jackson's birth mother, Emma, had told her father that she was having a boy and would name the baby after him. Emma gave birth to a baby girl, but didn't live long enough to see her. The baby's name was never changed, and Jackson Emma Thomas made her way into the world.
"So where do you live?" Jack asked her smaller companion.
"I live at 252 Forest Way, Paldeer, Illinois." Erin smiled, being able to recite her address so quickly.
"I live here," Jack offered, gesturing around them with her free hand.
"Wow, do you still have to go to school?" Erin asked, looking at the lake. "This is vacation!"
Laughing with a snort, Jack replied, "Of course, Hawk. I gotta learn stuff other than how to catch fish!"
Eyes wide, the blonde headed girl asked, "Can you teach me how to catch fish, too?"
"Nothin' to it." Jackson's confidence assured Erin that she would indeed, much to her excitement, learn how to fish this summer.
The smaller girl squeezed the hand she held, anticipating a fun filled vacation with her new friend.
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Joe and Katie Hawkins enjoyed the brief jaunt to cabin six with their host. Jacqueline Thomas was very proud of her resort and didn't mind talking about it to new visitors. They walked along the waterfront briefly before they reached their destination, with Jackie showing them the boathouse, fish-house, and sand pit area.
"My grandfather opened this resort over fifty years ago. I can't remember a time when I didn't love this place," Jackie shared with her guests.
Katie smiled. "It's quite obvious that you love it very much. It's so serene and just… breathtaking… I can't believe it took us this long to get here."
Joe smiled and nodded. "If the fishing is half as good as I've heard, I'll never want go back to work."
Jackie looked sympathetically at Katie. "I'll just apologize now then if he quits his job."
"Oh dear Lord, he can't quit, he's the boss!" Katie exclaimed, laughing.
Chuckling along with Katie, Jackie said, "Well then I hope you've got good people working for you while you're here."
"Actually, we close the shop for a month at this time of year. It gives everyone a nice breather. Our clients know our schedule so any pressing needs are taken care of before we shut down. It really works for everyone." Joe closed his eyes and inhaled the fresh air. His lungs seemed grateful of the reprieve from the city's polluted air. "Everyone comes back refreshed and ready to work hard. It's a system my dad instated when he opened our doors for the first time. It just works. Our employee turnover is low because of it as well."
Jackie listened thoughtfully and regarded her new guests. Joe had begun to lose his brown hair; he had wonderfully warm green eyes, had a tiny bulge in his midsection, average height and seemed to be very kind. Katie, his wife, had strawberry blond hair, pale blue eyes, was very thin and also seemed kind. They were charming and witty and Jackie thought they were very likeable, indeed. "I wish everyone had policies like that. I think people would be much happier. Kinda like that kindergarten nap rule. Or three months off for summer vacation. Some things should just carry over into adulthood!"
"Right on!" Katie chimed, laughing with her husband at this friendly and hospitable woman.
Jackie led them to the front door, opened it and ushered them inside. The couple walked through the space and smiled at the cool air coming from the air conditioner and the classic charm of the cottage. Avocado green and mustard yellow tones were everywhere in the small square kitchen. An old yellow range oven stood proudly in the center of the small counter with a window above it. The green refrigerator and kitchen sink completed the L contour. Red, black and green plaid carpet ran throughout the cabin. Curtains that matched the green in the carpet hung on rods over every window. Joe sat on the gold couch and bounced a little to check for bad springs. Katie was shown the bathroom, which had a shower, toilet, and sink with exposed pipes that led into the wall and floor.
Finally, Jackie led Katie into the main bedroom. Katie threw her bags onto the bed and called for Joe to bring in the others.
"This is just charming, Jackie. We're going to have a great time here."
Joe walked in with the rest of their belongings and handed all but Erin's things to his wife. "Yeah, this place is great. I think the TV even has cable!"
Katie rolled her eyes at Jackie who smiled a knowing smile at her. Turning to Joe she replied, "Yes, it's an upgrade of the resort. There aren't that many channels through our provider yet, but they've said they'll have over 100 channels by the end of the year. Next year, we should have a huge line up for you." She grinned at his wide-eyed expression.
"Well, I'm sure I can guess your schedule this month, honey. Fishing all day and crashing on the couch in front of the television set at night." She smirked and balled her hands on her tiny waist. "Am I close?"
Joe blushed at his wife's ability to read him so well. "Uh… uh…"
"Mmhmm… that's what I thought," Katie cut his stuttering off.
Laughing out loud at the banter, Jackie announced her departure, "Well folks, if you need anything, pick up the phone and dial pound, or just come on over to the office. Please enjoy your stay."
Jackie turned to leave but remembered a detail she'd not mentioned, "Oh and Joe? Your boat is docked in slip number four. It's the white and blue nineteen-foot Harbercraft. It's got a one hundred and fifty horsepower engine, so you'll be able to fish and ski if you want. We've also got a giant tube if you want to take Erin out on it. Jack can't get enough of tubing." Hearing her niece's footfalls, she opened the door to greet the girls.
"Well, speak of the devil."
Jackson grinned at her aunt. "Never speak of the devil, Jackie, he'll getcha when you're not lookin'."
Disregarding her niece's quip, she noticed the girls' entwined fingers. Raising her brow, she asked, "So what do you think so far, Erin? Has Jack scared you with her mice and bear stories?"
Erin's eyes shot wide open. "Wha… what mice and bear stories?" she cried looking to Jackson then her parents for confirmation of this awful possibility. Her parents shook their heads from inside the cabin looking like they were going to say something.
"Jackie!" the dark haired girl yelled, then looked to Erin. "She's pulling your leg. We don't have those things here." She narrowed her eyes at her aunt. "Do we, Aunt Jackie?"
Sensing what Jackson was trying to tell her, she replied, 'Ah, no, Erin, we don't have them here. Jack sometimes makes those stories up to entertain herself. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't telling tales."
Jackson squeezed Erin's shoulder for reassurance. "If I'm not scared of this place living here all the time, you can be here for a month and not be scared, right, Hawk?"
Erin looked at Jackson and puffed out her chest with confidence she didn't feel. "Nnn… no, I won't be scared." Her saucered eyes gave as much credibility to her statement as if she had said water wasn't wet.
"Come on, Hawk, let's go find your room." Jackson walked past her aunt and smiled at Erin's parents. She walked inside with Erin and stopped as she collected her bag and pillow from her father.
Erin's parents looked at each other and both mouthed, Hawk?
"First bedroom on the right, peanut," Joe said. Jackie waved and left to tend to some things at the main office.
Erin and Jackson entered her new bedroom and Erin's eyes took on a look of awe. There was a large double bed in the center of the room, with a large dresser and closet. "My room at home isn't this big!" she gushed.
Giggling at her companion, Jackson added, "Usually more than one person stays in here, but not now. It's all yours."
Erin threw her things on the bed, sat down and opened up the Teddy Bear suitcase to began sorting through her things. "So what grade are you in, Hawk?" the older girl asked, sitting on the bed next to Erin.
"I'm going into fourth. What about you?"
"Sixth. Next year is junior high; it's gonna be rad." Erin smiled and pulled some things out of her suitcase. First thing Jackson noticed was a large pad of paper and colored pencils. "So what's that stuff for?" she asked.
"I like to doodle. My mom thought I'd have lots to draw when we came here," Erin explained. Remembering the bird's nest she saw earlier, she knew her mom was right.
Jackson regarded Erin's statement and knew the perfect place for the girl to sit and draw. "So do you want me to show you around? Or do your folks need you?"
"Let me go ask. I wanna see more birds!" Jackson grinned at her enthusiasm.
"Well, let's go!"
~*`~*`~*`~*`
The girls got up and went into the living room to ask permission to go exploring. Receiving nods from both parents after a promise to be back by dinnertime, Erin and Jackson raced to the waterfront.
"Come on! Let's go sit on the pier. You can see the fish swimming really close." Jackson tugged on Erin's overall strap and the two raced to sit on the chairs that were on the large T-shaped dock. Erin held her pad of paper tightly and kept her pencils in her pocket.
Boats went by on the lake with Jackson waving to a few people she knew through her aunt. A big smile graced her face when one boat swung towards the shore and back to create a large wake of water. The waves that came at them were high and when they met the pier, the spray that was emitted hit the screeching girls while they tried to run away. Droplets of water raced down their joy filled faces as they ran off of the dock. Erin pushed her hair out of her eyes as she tried to get the water off of her face. The bubbling laughter brought a warmth throughout Jackson as she listened. A large toothy smile lit up her face and she knew from this point on that Erin would make a great playmate while she was here.
"I got soaked!" Erin cried out. "I'm glad my paper didn't get too wet." She started to leaf through her pages to make sure.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Hawk. I forgot about that." She watched Erin turn each page and noticed the drawings. "Hey, those are cool. Is that your tree house?" she asked, referring to one of the drawings.
"Yeah, my dad built it for me. He said I would be closer to God in it."
Jackson rolled her eyes. "You can't get closer to God unless you die." She folded her arms across her chest.
Looking at the mismatched eyes of her new friend, Erin nodded fiercely. "Yes, you can! The higher you are, the closer you are to Heaven and the closer you are to God. My daddy said so!" Erin was close to tears and Jackson sighed and backed off some.
"Hawk, you can believe what you want, okay, but God took my mom away before I even met her. I've climbed every hill, every tree, every thing to get closer to her and it doesn't work." She took a deep breath and paused to look up into the sky, willing her own tears away. "I stopped trying," she finished quietly.
Erin looked at her for a long time letting what she'd said sink in. Her mommy died.
A small hand on her forearm brought her back to the ground. Erin whispered, "I'm sorry God took your mom, Jack."
A small smile found its way to Jackson's mouth. "Thanks, Hawk. Jackie says she watches over me now." Erin kept her hand on Jackson's arm as they shared a warm connection. After brief contemplation, Jackson asked, "Wanna see my favorite place on this whole resort?"
Intrigued, Erin replied, "Sure!"
"Come on, then, let's go."
Jackson led Erin around the resort, away from the cabins and towards the boathouse. Lifting her sneaker covered feet so the branches on the ground wouldn't trip her, Erin tried to keep pace with her taller friend. The boathouse docked four boats inside. When the two walked in, the first thing Erin smelled was fish.
"Ew, it's stinky in here."
Smiling, Jackson replied, "Yeah, but you get used to it. Besides, we're not gonna stay in here. Come on," she instructed, "but watch your step," and cautioned. "I don't wanna have to tell your folks I let you fall in the lake." They exchanged smiles and continued walking around the wooden planked floor.
Jackson led them carefully to a ladder that went up to the loft of the boathouse. Erin looked at her sketchbook and realized she'd have to leave it to hold onto the rungs of the ladder. Looking down at Erin from the third rung, Jackson saw her friend putting her pad down.
"You can bring it; just stuff it in your shorts."
Erin looked doubtfully at her, but undid one of her straps to accommodate the pad and much to her disbelief, the sketchbook fit inside her overall shorts. "Thanks!" She grabbed onto the ladder after securing her strap and followed Jackson up to the loft.
Looking around Erin said, "Wow, it's cool up here." She looked out the window to see the clear blue sky above the calm lake. She saw birds flying around a bridge off in the distance. She started to unclasp her shorts strap to remove her sketchpad only to have warm fingers touch her arm.
"Not yet. We're still going up."
Eyebrows raised, Erin questioned, "We're going higher?" She swallowed. "How high are we going up?"
"Look over here." Jackson walked over to the wall, traversed a small set of steps and opened a large latched shutter. Once the shutter was opened, another ladder appeared on the outside of the boathouse. "Now watch me."
Jackson reached up to grab hold of a wooden grip above the opening, stepped forward and swung around onto the ladder. Erin's eyes went wide for the umpteenth time since she'd met Jackson and watched as her friend maneuvered her body onto the ladder.
"Jack, I can't do that! I'm gonna fall."
Jackson swung easily back into the loft. "No you're not, Hawk. It's easy. I'll let you go first and I'll be right behind you to make sure you don't fall. Ok?"
Erin looked uncertainly at Jackson. The dark haired girl asked, "Do you trust me?" Looking into the clashing eyes, she saw confidence and certainty. She nodded her blonde head.
"Ok, first thing you're gonna do is come up these steps and hold onto the grip up here." Erin followed her instruction and held onto the grip with one hand. Jackson held her other hand and guided it to the outer rung of the ladder. Once Erin realized she had a firm grip, she lifted her front leg to wrap around the wood of the ladder and landed a foot solidly on the bottom rung. Smiling confidently, she swung her small frame around to fully face the ladder. She brought her other foot and hand to the ladder and held on tightly.
Jackson kept some of her personal belongings inside the loft for these types of adventures. She grabbed a blanket, draped it over her shoulder then picked up a wooden box, which went inside her pocket, then grabbed onto the grip.
Looking up, Erin saw the boathouse roof. She looked down into Jackson's patient eyes. "Are we going onto the roof?" she asked before climbing.
"Yep, just keep going until you reach the top. It's flat so you won't fall off."
"K"
The two used their strength to climb up the ladder and reached the top without trouble. The roof was blacktopped and smooth. The heat coming off was seen in waves in the air. Jackson put down the blanket so they could sit without being burned.
"I did it, Jack! I climbed all the way." Erin was extremely proud of herself.
"Yep, I knew you could. Good job." Taking Erin's shoulders, Jackson turned the girl to face the water. "Now look at it."
The air left her lungs in a long, slow, reverent breath. "Wow, this… this is so pretty up here." She looked at her companion. "I can see why this is your favorite place."
Looking around her, Erin saw they had a canopy of trees around them. The sun was beating off the water creating a portrait in her mind she'd only seen in books and movies. Unclasping her strap, she removed her sketchpad and put it on the outspread blanket. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the box of colored pencils. She sat down and continued to look around in awe of this magical place. Jackson removed the wooden box from her pocket and sat down next to her. Placing the box away from Erin, she closed her eyes and took in a long deep breath.
"I always feel so much better when I'm up here. Doesn't matter if I'm happy or sad. I always just feel better." She shrugged and smiled at Erin's grinning freckled face. "Just don't come up here when it rains. That ladder is slipperier than grease when it's wet." She blushed at the memory of having to explain why she was "swimming" fully clothed in the lake during a rainstorm to her aunt. "I found that out the hard way."
"Did you fall?"
"Yeup. Big ol' splash." She smirked. "I'm lucky I didn't hit anything on the way down," she continued.
Giggling, Erin opened up her sketchbook to a blank page. "I wish I coulda seen that. I bet it was funny." Looking at her friend's outraged expression, she amended, "Only because you didn't get hurt."
"Riiight. Well don't expect me to save your sorry butt if you fall off, now."
Selecting a gray pencil, Erin began to draw the scene in front of her. Jackson watched as her hand moved around the page. Considering Erin was only nine years old, the talent was very evident in the girl's strokes. The shape of the bridge was well constructed, followed by the rippling water around it. Birds soon joined in the medley, then slowly shorelines and branches were drawn. As she drew, Erin's eyes scoped all around her, trying to see every little thing possible.
Jackson watched the girl delve into her work so intently that she almost forgot about her own special gift. She reached next to her and opened the wooden box to reveal a black recorder. Putting the small pieces together, she inhaled, put the mouthpiece to her lips and gently exhaled.
Music suddenly coming from her right startled Erin. Once she saw Jackson playing, she broadly smiled at her. Jackson winked at her and continued to play. The tune she played was wistful in nature and crept inside of Erin instantly. She found herself closing her eyes to listen more intently. Jackson's eyes closed as well as she let the music wash over her.
When the song came to an end, Erin opened her eyes and looked at Jackson. "That was really pretty."
Blushing softly at the welcome praise, Jackson replied, "Thanks. I sit up here a lot and just play." She held the recorder out for Erin to see. "This was my mom's. My aunt said she used to sit up here and play all the time. Once I learned how to use it properly, Jackie gave it to me. I use it almost everyday."
"Well, you're really good at it. I've never played any instrument."
"Have you ever tried?"
Shaking her head, Erin responded, "Nah, I like to draw." She shrugged. "I like to listen to music, but I don't want to play it."
"Just like I like to look at pictures, I just don't want to draw them."
"Exactly! You're smart, Jack."
"Nah, I'm just good at faking it."
The girls talked, played and continued to use their respective talents over the next few days. Erin drew her pictures while Jackson played her recorder as she watched the talented hands draw their masterpieces. The two had felt the instant bond between them. Small glances or touches made that bond grow every day. They weren't sure exactly what that feeling was between them, they just knew they couldn't wait to see the other and feel it again.
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Erin's parents were thrilled she had found such a good friend in Jackson. With Erin out playing most of the day, they were able to spend many hours just reconnecting with each other. Joe had taken the boat out many times with Katie along for the ride. He'd tried to teach her how to cast a fishing rod, only to find himself untying many knots in his reel. Realizing she wasn't going to win any fishing awards, Katie resigned herself to using the bamboo pole they had purchased for Erin. No muss, no fuss. Joe thought, relieved he wouldn't have to worry about his gear anymore.
Today they were going to hook the big inner tube up to the boat for Erin and her friend, Jackson. They had told the girls after breakfast that they were going to get it ready. Erin was very excited as she'd never done anything like that before. Jackson assured her it would be "totally awesome." With Erin believing anything and everything Jackson told her, she knew, without question, it would be.
Chapter Two
1986 - Paldeer, IL - Letter to Erin from Jackson
January 7, 1986
Dear Hawk,
Happy New Year! Can you believe it's 1986? I totally can't! Thanks for your last letter. Sorry it's taken me such a long time to write back. Christmas was very cool, how was yours? I wish it didn't cost so much money to talk on the phone. I'd much rather talk to you than right write these stupid letters. Well, they're not stupid, but you know what I mean J Aunt Jackie said to tell you hi. I think she really likes you.
Thanks for the birthday card! It made my birthday extra special, Hawk. You even got me Snoopy! That was totally cool.
I can't wait till the end of the summer when we can hang out again. I miss you, buddy. I'm glad your folks are bringing you back up north!
You know, I never taught you how to fish last time. I promise to make it up you this year, ok? I think it was because we couldn't get you off that tube! Ha Ha. You really cooked across the water. Probably because you weigh like next to nothing. I'm saying like a lot. My friends at school say it like all the time. It's driving my aunt crazy. Sometimes I say it on purpose. J Sh! Don't tell her I said that!
Hey guess what? I played a solo in front of the whole school on my recorder before Christmas break. I was so scared I almost peed my pants! We had an end of term show. All the band members played something. One of my classmates plays the paino piano really well. She was my accompanymint accompaniment for the song. Sorry for all the scratches, Hawk. I try to spell words right so you don't think I'm an idiot. After I wrote them, I looked in the dictionary and saw they were wrong. OOOPS! J
We got a new girl in class. Her name is Jennifer. I like hanging out with her. She's from California. Her hair is like white it's so blonde. She's really cool. I think you'd like her. She likes to play sports and she's tall too so I guess we'll get a new girl on the basketball team!
We've got so much snow I can't believe it. The trees are pretty though. I think you could draw them perfectly. It's weird that you never see this place in winter. But it's kinda boring since you can't really go anywhere since it's so cold out.
Anyway, tell me how your art project went in the fair. You sounded really excited about it when you wrote. I hope you won first place! You're really talented, Hawk. Never stop drawing or your biggest fan will be really sad.
I'll write better next time, I promise.
Friends 4 Ever,
Jack
1986 - Island City - Letter to Jackson from Erin
February 9, 1986
Dear Jack,
Thanks for the letter. Do you know I keep all of your letters in a shoebox? My mom says I shouldn't keep so much cludder, but I keep it hidden in my closet so she won't see. Happy New Year to you too. My Christmas was a-ok. I got some cool art supplies. My dad said he found the best ones since I take such good care of them. I got a big art pail to keep the pencils and pastels separate. I got so much paper too. It's totally awesome. J
I'm glad you liked your birthday card. You said Joe Cool was rad, so I sent him. Wow, twelve years old. You're almost a teenager. I'll be eleven in September though, that will be rad, too.
I won first place in my art fair, Jack! I used that first picture I drew from the roof. Everyone said I capjured the water perfectly. You were right! I don't think I could stop drawing ever. I love it too much. J So don't worry, ok? I have so many pictures from last summer. Remember how mad you got when you saw that I drew you? You shouldn't be mad. It just shows you are special. J I don't draw everyone. I bet I can draw you better by the summer.
You're not an idiot, Jack. You're one of the smartest people I know. You are talented too. You play your recorder so good. I can't believe you had to play in front of everybody! I would have peed for sure. J
We have some snow here too. I bet you have more. Yeah, I probably won't see your home in the winter. That kinda makes me sad. But you haven't seen my house either. I can't wait to see you too. I'm glad my dad found your place. We wouldn't be friends if he didn't. Do you think we'll be friends 4 ever? I hope so. I like using the 4 instead of spelling it out. That's really cool. See, you're smart. Ha Ha!
You can teach me to fish this summer. Maybe my dad will let us go on the boat with him. He said I would have more fun doing the tube anyway. I did like that a lot. You cooked on the water too! I still remember how hard it was to hang on with the turns. I'll be stronger this summer so I don't fall off so much.
Ok, my mom is calling me to eat dinner. Yuck, pot roast and brockly.
Write again soon.
Friends 4 ever,
Hawk
PS. Tell your aunt Jackie I said hi.
PPS I like her too! J
PPSS I won't tell her you say like on purpose!
1986 - Island City - Letter to Jackson from Erin
July 24, 1986
Dear Jack,
I'm coming in a week to see you! I am so excited. I like that my dad's shop closes in August. We get a whole month to play. He says he needs the break as much as his workers do. The car ride is going to be so long. That's the only part I don't like. I hate having to wait to stop to pee. When you gotta go, you gotta go! J
My mom said I could bring my art supplies again since I drew so many pictures last time. My art teacher said that my strokes are improving and that I have a great style! She said should couldn't wait to see my pictures from this summer when we start school. It was so awesome she said that in front of the whole class on the last day of school.
My summer has been ok, but I'm really exciting excited to come to Wisconsin again. Paldeer is cool and everything, but I miss my best friend, Jack. L
I told my neighbor Ricky that I was going there for vacation again and he called you a cheese head. What does that mean? He's just a big jerk anyway, I only play with him because my mom told me to. I don't like him at all. I'm glad we don't go to the same school.
I gotta clean my room to pay for all the stamps I'm using. My mom said you should earn things you want. I guess that makes sense.
OK, Jack. I'll see you really soon. You don't have to write back if you don't want to.
Friends 4 ever,
Hawk
PS My dad got me a super cool fishing pole!
PPS So you better show me how to fish this year.
1986 - Paldeer, IL - Letter to Erin from Jackson
July 28, 1986
Dear Hawk,
You might not even get this letter before you get here. But if you do, I'm really excited to see you in a couple days.
If you don't get this letter and read it after you get back home. It was totally awesome to see you and I miss you already! J
SSS (sorry so short) I got a lot to do before you get here!
Friends 4 Ever,
Jack
PS Tell Ricky to come to Wisconsin and say that! I'll squash him.
Chapter Three
Present Day - Chicago
Erin Hughes walked back and forth with the telephone glued to her ear, eyes scanning the ceiling, hand pulling her hair as she paced. She couldn't believe the words she was hearing. She held the device away from her head, flipped it off with her middle finger then squeezed and shook it with both hands. Her face scrunched up while silently screaming towards the phone. Bringing it back to her ear, the voice continued to annoy her.
"Jeremy, just stop it! If we have to go over this one more time I'm going to do something I won't be responsible for," she threatened. "I've been through enough, don't you think?"
The voice on the other line chimed again, "Look, Erin, I want this more than you do. Just settle, dammit."
Grinding her teeth, Erin answered sharply, "Of course you want it more! If you and that… that woman want your freedom, I have a solution. I. Want. My. House. It's just that simple. I picked it out, I paid for most of it and I furnished it. It's not my fault you knocked her up. You should've kept your pecker in your pants!" she screamed.
Silence was his only response. After a few moments, he spoke softly. "Er… please. We can't do this anymore. Our marriage wasn't perfect; you know that. We both made mistakes. I just…"
"You just went to another woman instead of coming to me," Erin cut him off. Exasperated with the conversation, she continued, "Had you come to me first and told me you weren't happy, I'd have so much more respect for you right now. But no, you had to cheat first and wait to get caught. If you aren't willing to give me the one thing I've asked for, you can have your lawyer contact mine, and then you'll have to pay up the ass." Erin took a deep breath. "I don't want you calling me anymore unless you can be practical, Jeremy."
Erin's husband seemed to consider her words as he took a long time in answering. When she thought he'd hung up, she heard, "Fine. Let's just do this."
"Fine, I'll call my lawyer. I'll have mine contact yours so this can be over." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair, pulling a few strands behind her ear. "I don't want to fight anymore."
"Sweetheart, I don't either."
"Don't call me that; you don't get to be a nice guy anymore. Just promise me that when you get the papers, you'll sign them. Please, Jeremy?" she almost pleaded.
"I promise."
Wanting to add, just like our vows, you son of a bitch? but not wanting to continue the conversation, Erin just said, "Thank you, I appreciate it."
"Take care of yourself, Erin."
"I always do." With that, she hung up the phone, ending their conversation. Sitting on her couch, Erin put her face in her hands and cried once more at her situation; more upset she didn't even see the affair coming than the actual marriage dissolving.
I know I didn't love him like I should have. I should have been the one to leave. I was comfortable and it made my folks happy to see me with him, especially mother. This is my own damn fault. Those niggling facts were always in the back of her mind.
Jeremy was a nice man, good looking, generous, but there was just something lacking in their relationship. The passion, the flip-flops in her belly, the ache that was supposed to come when she was away from him; she just didn't feel that way. About him.
Now at twenty-six years old, she would be divorced and, once again, single. Rubbing her eyes with her fists, she sighed and looked around her home. "At least I get to keep you."
"Mrrrrow," A small mew was heard from the study doorway. Erin's eyes brightened as the small orange tabby walked towards her. She scooped up the cat and held her as she began to purr. "I get to keep you, too, little Grace." The rumbling against her chest brought a watery smile to her face. "You've always been here for me, haven't you?" The cat continued to purr and rub noses with her owner.
Walking out of her study, Erin traversed the hallway, up the stairs and into her studio. She studied the landscapes and seascapes on the walls that she had created, absently petting the animal in her arms. Some were from memory, others formed from within her mind. They spanned from the time she was a small girl to her adult self. She was proud of what she'd accomplished in such a short time.
When she was around twenty, a friend of hers knew Kimberly Parks, the owner of an art gallery in town and got her a job there. On a whim, she'd asked if she could put up some of her artwork when they were having a slow period. Much to her surprise and delight, her boss agreed and gave her a small corner of the gallery to display her work. The drawings and paintings sold quickly with requests for more of the same. It was said by an admirer of her work that "she brought a childlike spirit to her outdoor visions that Thomas Kinkade could only dream of doing."
Erin clung to those words like a lifeline. It gave her the inspiration to keep going, since her true muse was no longer in her life.
"Jack."
It was said as a whisper as she continued to look at her memories on the walls. Because of Jackson, Erin had kept working on her craft until she had found her niche. One aspect of her work was never made public, to Jeremy or anyone other than her subject. The "Serenity" collection, as she called it, was her private and most heart-filled work. They were all black and white pencil or charcoal drawings, but they captured more colorful memories than any of her other works combined.
Maybe one day she'd open that grouping of collected works for sale, but for now, she had them in her closet, stored in several boxes, away from eyes that weren't worthy. It had been a few years since she'd even looked at them. Sometimes the curiosity overwhelmed her to the point of picking up the phone.
Then words from her memory would come back to haunt her and she'd put the receiver down. "Please don't call or write to me anymore, Jack. It'll be too hard."
Jack had respected her request for almost seven years and hadn't called her. They hadn't corresponded at all. Not even a birthday card. The emptiness she felt without Jack in her life led her to Jeremy. He had been at one of her shows and couldn't stop gushing about her talent. One meeting turned into several, then six months down the road, with her mother's enthusiastic approval, they were married. At twenty-one, Erin had a husband, a successful career, a beautiful home and any amenity she could ever want. The only thing lacking was the joy she used to feel. The smile on her face was for show only and rarely did it reach her eyes. She'd learned to play the part so well, no one ever realized it was just an act.
She slowly slid open the closet door that held her treasures. Putting the little cat down, Erin pushed aside rows of hanging clothes and reached towards the side where the storage cubbyhole kept her boxes. The first one she grabbed contained her most favorite drawings.
As she opened the box, her heart began to hammer in her chest. Wisps of dark shaded windblown hair appeared as she slowly pulled out the first drawing. The profile soon appeared and Erin's eyes filled with new tears once it was completely removed from the box.
"Oh, Jack."
The picture showed the profile of Jackson with her eyes closed as she played her recorder. Erin remembered that day so vividly. The blue sky, the calm waters and the serenity she felt while being with her best friend. She trailed her fingertip over the image on the canvas. Her heart breaking all over again. Putting the drawing down, she slumped against the wall, reached inside her button down shirt and caressed the pigmented skin above her left breast. "I'm so sorry."
Erin stayed in that position for almost an hour. Grace had crawled into her lap and contentedly fell asleep. Erin let memories plague her already tortured soul as she idly stroked the cat's fur. With Jeremy soon out of her life, she would have no one. Well, no one but Kim.
Uggh, the gallery!
"Come on, Gracie. I gotta get this stuff together or Kim will have my hide."
Erin got up and started to collect some of her works for an upcoming show at the art gallery. Since Kimberly, had given her the opportunity she needed, Erin vowed to use her gallery as her hub. Kimberly was very grateful of her young protégé and felt so lucky to have watched her grow as an artist and as a young woman.
Between Erin and the Parks Gallery, they had done well with Erin's works and had people calling in from all over asking where they could find more of her paintings. Commissions came all the time and Erin fulfilled what she could. Sometimes the images came clearly and other times she'd have to turn down requests. If her heart couldn't see it, the creativity just wouldn't come.
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Present Day - The Island City
Jackson Thomas reviewed her lesson plans for the next week and tucked her paperwork inside her brown leather briefcase. Relaxing in her recliner, she closed her eyes and smiled in the knowledge that summer vacation would begin in a few weeks. She was a music teacher for the gifted middle school children in town. All the children loved her and the faculty didn't know how they functioned before her.
She'd been teaching about five years after getting her certification. Once she figured out what she wanted to do when she grew up, it was easy. She taught music to kids during the school year and helped her aunt run The Island City Resort. There was always something to do there. Cabins needed upgrading, boats needed winterizing, the landscape needed tending, but all in all it was a wonderful place to be. All too soon it'll just be me.
Jackson heard the small bell ring, slowly blinked her eyes and walked to her aunt's bedroom. The sickly woman was in bed, covers tucked tightly around her with an oxygen mask placed over her mouth. Jackson put on her happy face to see what her aunt needed.
"Hey, Jackie. What can I get you?" she asked, running her fingers through the thinning hair of her aunt. "Do you need something to drink?"
With a small nod, Jackie rasped through the mask, "Yes, please. My throat is dry."
Jackson removed the mask, grabbed the glass from the bedside table, held the straw to parched lips and allowed her aunt a few good gulps of water before putting the mask back in place. It broke Jackson's heart to see her aunt hooked up to so many devices. Several machines directed medicine into the frail woman's body through intravenous tubes. Jackie's hands were bruised from the needles being inserted and removed. "Thank you," Jackie whispered.
As Jackson sat on the bed, a light knock was heard from the hallway. Jackie's night nurse, Cindy had arrived for her shift.
"How's my girl doing today?" she asked brightly, bringing a smile to the faces of both women.
Jackie gave Cindy an "OK" sign with her bruised hand. A string of harsh coughs suddenly erupted from her body. Jackson jumped off the bed so Cindy could raise it to try and ease her patient. After a few unbearable moments, the coughing subsided and Jackie was breathing more comfortably.
Cindy and Jackson exchanged a worried look, then returned their glances to the woman in bed. Jackson gently held Jackie's hand and started humming to her. The familiar tunes were a comfort to both women. Songs Jackie had taught her niece were ones she and her sister knew when they were kids. Jackson brushed the hair on her aunt's head with her fingers as she drifted off to sleep. Feeling the grip on her hand lessen, Jackson knew she'd finally fallen into a deep sleep.
Caring for the woman who raised her had been an easy decision for Jackson to make. She wanted Jackie at home instead of a hospital knowing quite well her aunt would not want to leave this world from any other place. The Island City had been her home almost her entire life. When her parents left it to her in their will, she had been more than willing to keep the resort going. Jackie had raised her to love and respect nature, but in doing so, she'd learned to love the resort just as much. No one else would be running The Island City but her until she found someone to run it with her. Or perhaps like Willy Wonka, she would have a child, so she too, could raise them to respect and love this place as much as her family had. However, I don't think osmosis can produce a child for my future.
With Jackie asleep, Cindy ushered Jackson out of her room and closed the door. A worrisome line etched her face. "The pneumonia has gotten worse really quickly, Jack. I want to be honest with you and not sugar coat it."
Jackson nodded. "Go on. How much time do we have?" Knowing that's where Cindy was headed, she braced herself.
"Unless a miracle happens, I don't think she has more than a couple weeks." She paused. "If that."
The news, as dire as it was, wasn't surprising to Jackson. She'd seen the health of her aunt plummet after the chemotherapy treatments. The colorectal cancer she was fighting wasn't even going to be the disease to kill her. Jackie's immune system shut down as a side effect to her treatments and she soon developed pneumonia. Up until six months ago, Jackson saw her aunt as the picture of health. Now she was as weak as a newborn kitten with Jackson unable to fix her. Cindy and Janet, the day nurse, both loved Jackie from day one. They would do anything for her. All they could do was pray that the medicines would treat the pneumonia so the rest of her body could rebuild its strength.
"So what do we do next?" Jackson asked.
"Just keep her as comfortable as possible. Janet and I will do our part as will her doctor. It's up to her and God now."
Jackson nodded, not wanting to debate her feelings of God with Cindy. She hadn't known Him to play fair with the people in her life, but didn't want to upset anyone else. "I'm heading outside for a bit. When she wakes up, let me know, ok? I'm gonna make sure everyone has everything they need."
"Ok, Jack." She put her hand on her shoulder. "You're doing the best you can for her. Never doubt that."
"Thanks, Cindy."
Jackson left the main cabin with one destination in mind. She climbed the ladder leading to the roof of the boathouse. When she reached the top, she let the tears come. She couldn't believe how many times she had cried up there. Anytime she was riddled with sadness, she would come up there and unleash it into the wind. She sat down with her denim legs hanging over the side. Looking down, she could see small schools of fish swimming happily in the water. Closing her eyes, the tears came in earnest.
"I think this is it. I don't think she can beat this anymore." As she continued to sob, her tears fell off of her face and into the water below. "I hate doing this alone!" she cried.
Jackson had a few girlfriends over the years, but none held her heart the way Erin had. She contemplated settling on one girl, Marcie, but knew it wouldn't be fair to her, or to Marcie. It was the closest Jackson had come with someone in wanting more than a just a physical relationship. But when her eyes opened in the mornings and she met the brown eyes of her lover, her heart just couldn't do it. She bid her farewell and had been alone since. That was over a year ago. With Jackie becoming ill, she had no time to give to a girlfriend anyway.
She leaned back on her side and rested her head in her hand. Unconsciously, her free hand found its way under her v-neck sweater to caress the pigmented skin above her right breast. "Hawk, I miss you so much." The thought of Erin brought on a new wave of tears and a broken heart that had never healed. Jackson knew things would be better if Erin were with her.
Jackson remained on the roof of the boathouse for over an hour. The sun began to set upon the water and it always took her breath away to watch. When the last of the color dipped into the horizon, she made her way down the ladder to check on her guests. After making sure everyone had enough linens and shooing the kids out of the fish-house, she went back home.
When she arrived, Cindy was sitting in a rocking chair in the family room. She smiled when she heard Jackson return. "Hey, did you have a nice walk?"
"As good as can be expected." They shared a sad smile. "Did she wake up?"
Nodding, Cindy said, "Only for a few minutes then she fell back asleep. She should wake up soon, though."
Jackson nodded at the information and sat on the couch. Releasing a long breath, she raked her fingers through her hair. She leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.
"Jack?"
Opening them slowly, Jackson looked at Cindy. "Hmm?"
"Who's Erin?"
If she were to imagine what it looked like to have the color leaving her face, it wouldn't have been close to the pain that Cindy witnessed with the sound of that one name.
It startled Cindy to an almost panic. "Jack! Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Mustering up some saliva in her mouth, she swallowed to speak. "How do you know about Erin?" Barely managing to get the words out, Jackson closed her eyes again, this time in pain.
"Jackie mentioned her when she woke up. Something about her needing you to call her," she explained, not understanding what was going on.
Jackson opened her eyes and shot up off the couch. "I can't!" Her eyes were wide like a scared child's. "Why would she need me to call her?" She began to pace like a caged animal. Cindy just watched as the normally stoic woman came apart at the seams. "She told me not to call her, Jackie knows that!" She crumbled onto the couch and put her head in her hands, grasping her hair tightly. "I can't," she strangled the words out, sounding to Cindy like the most painful ones she'd ever spoken.
The tiny ring of a bell was heard and both women went to Jackie's room. She had woken from her nap and wanted a little water. Seeing her niece's red eyes, she knew she'd been crying. After Jackson gave her aunt some water, she turned to put the glass on the side table. Jackie reached up to touch her hand. The younger woman looked down at beseeching eyes, put the glass down and knelt on the floor.
"What is it, Jackie? Are you in pain?"
Swallowing excess saliva in her mouth, Jackie looked to Cindy. "Could you leave us for a little?" She breathed a few times. "I want to talk to her."
Cindy, understanding the need for privacy, nodded her head and closed the door as she left.
"Jackson… what's on your mind?" she paused. "And don't tell me nothing or I'll get out of this bed and tell you myself."
Chuckling at her aunt's "threat", Jackson knew they needed to talk about the Erin situation. "You know I can't call Erin, Jackie. Why did you tell Cindy to tell me that?"
Rolling her eyes at the stubbornness of her niece, Jackie said, "I… I'd like to see her."
Eyes wide, Jackson wasn't sure what to say at that moment. "Jackie… I… I don't know if I can after all this time. It's been seven years…"
"Seven years you'll never get back." Understanding reached the mismatched eyes.
"I know."
"Honey, I've watched you live your life since Erin left." She paused. "I've seen you go through the motions, but not once have I seen the happiness in your eyes like I used to. I know what her mother did to you guys was wrong, but sometimes you have to fight to get the girl."
"But…"
"Don't make the same mistake I did."
Not understanding her aunt at first, but when Jackson reached into her memory, a tall woman with red hair came into view. A woman she knew for only a short time. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "Sandra?"
Jackie nodded slowly. "Don't let the love of your life walk away from you. If I could go back… and change that error in my judgment… I would do it in a second. I should've fought harder."
"I always wondered what happened, you never told me," Jackson's voice was rough with emotion.
"You were going through so much that summer dealing with your own sexuality. Besides, I didn't think it would be right to tell you all of that anyway. But, it was really hard for me."
"But… you've always seemed so happy." She never knew her aunt was missing someone so precious to her.
Jackie reached up and cupped her, sometimes naïve, niece's cheek. "My little Jack…that's because I had you." A tear ran down her cheek, but Jackson stopped it before it went into her ear. "I couldn't have loved you anymore… even if I were your real mother."
Tears ran endlessly down the young woman's face at this declaration. "You are my real mother. I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
The two women embraced as far as the technology around them would allow. Jackson couldn't remember a time she felt so much loss. She never knew her grandparents enough to mourn them. Jackie always told her stories, though, and a slew of photographs were always at the ready, just in case.
Jackie was quite worn out after their exchange and asked to be left to rest, but not without Jackson promising her that she'd make the phone call of a lifetime. She had no idea why she agreed to the request, except for the simple fact that Jackie wanted it. And right now, Jackie would get anything and everything she wanted, no matter what.
After letting Cindy know that Jackie was asleep, Jackson went into her room and closed the door. She flopped wordlessly onto her bed, reached into her top drawer of her night table and grabbed her address book. She flipped the pages over and over until she landed on the tab with the letter "H" on it. Seeing the woman's name again, brought on a slew of emotions she had no earthly idea what to do with. She just hoped, for Jackie's sake, she still lived there.
With shaking hands, she picked up the phone and began to dial. Once it started to ring, her heartbeat sped up immediately.
"Hello?" the all too familiar voice answered.
"Mrs. Hawkins?"
"Yes?"
She swallowed. "This is Jackson Thomas."
"Jackson, how are you, dear?" Dear? You condescending little… "It's been a long, long time."
Yeah, no kidding, lady. "Yes it has." Here goes... "Um… I'm calling to see if you can give me Erin's contact information."
"I see." Jackson didn't miss the change in tone of Erin's mother's voice.
"My Aunt Jackie is terminally ill and would really like to see her," she explained, trying to stop this narrow-minded and bigoted woman's thought process.
"Oh." Jackson succeeded and heard the change in Katie's voice. "I'm so sorry. What's wrong with her?"
"Well to make a long story short, she has cancer and the chemo knocked out her immune system and she developed pneumonia. Unfortunately, her team doesn't think she has much time left."
"Oh no, that's terrible. I really liked her." Jackson snarled, knowing exactly how she felt about her aunt Jackie. God, you haven't changed a bit. "I know Joe, God rest his soul, really enjoyed her company when we vacationed up there."
"Oh," Jackson's voice dropped in sympathy. She'd always thought the world of Erin's dad. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Mr. Hawkins had passed away." She truly felt sadness from this loss. Erin probably could've used an ear or a shoulder to cry on. She knew their relationship was so important to Erin. Poor Hawk, I wish she would've called me.
"Yes, back in ninety-seven. He, too, had cancer. We didn't know how bad cigarettes were for us when we were younger. They made them sound so good for you. Even though he'd quit a long time ago, the effects were still inside his body," she explained. "The Lord will take good care of him, though. Don't you worry."
"Well, again, I'm very sorry." She paused trying to not to sound like she wanted off the call as much as she did. "Would you have Erin's phone number or address that I could contact her… for Jackie?" she added for good measure.
"Of course. She and her husband, Jeremy, are still in the city. They're so happy and doing so well that they're trying for a grandbaby for me. Let me get my book. I always get her number confused."
Her husband… a grandbaby? Could this get any worse? I'm gonna throw up. Knowing she missed something Katie had said, Jackson asked, "I'm sorry?"
"I said do you have a pen ready?"
"Yes, go ahead." She clicked her pen and wrote down the information in her address book.
After some uncomfortable small talk, Jackson thanked Katie for her help and wished her well. Hanging up the phone, Jackson's head hit her pillow quickly trying to squash the nausea threatening to overwhelm her.
"She's married and is making babies?" she whispered to herself. As much as it didn't surprise her considering what had happened, it still didn't sit well.
"Ah, crap, if I don't do this now, I'm never gonna do it." She blew out a huge breath, wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and picked up the phone. Heart racing, she dialed the Illinois number and waited to hear that sweet voice again.
Chapter Four
1990 - The Northwoods Island City
Erin jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped. The car ride was unbearable. Six long hours with her mother was enough to give her a headache, especially with her "ragging on her." Katie wanted Erin to spend more time drawing than doing most of the things she usually did with Jackson. She didn't think that Erin playing in boathouses at almost fifteen was very ladylike. As much as Erin didn't necessarily agree with her mom's ideas, this was one thing she wouldn't compromise on. If Jackson wanted her wanted to play in a puddle of slime, she was gonna do it. We're best friends!
A tall lean girl met the Hawkins' car with a big smile lighting her face. Eyes shaded by sunglasses, Jackson waved at Erin's parents as they exited the car. Running towards Jackson, Erin collided with her taller, yet equally excited best friend. The embrace shared was warm and regenerating for both girls.
"Hey!" they both said in unison, pulling back to look at each other.
"Look at you! You've gotten so tall!" Erin said, admiring the five foot eight inch frame of her friend. Pinching her side, she added, "You need to eat a Snickers bar or something though. You're so thin!"
"Yow!" she shrieked at the pinch. "It's not my fault you got hit with the short branch. Besides, I don't see you being too fat either." Jackson looked her up and down, Erin was blossoming into a beautiful young woman and she liked very much what she saw.
Erin blushed hotly at the open appraisal. "I started training for the high school track team, so I've been running this summer. If you'd bothered to read my letters…"
"Hey! I read every one of them." She paused and looked guilty. "I'm just not a good pen pal these days. I'm sorry, Hawk."
Erin locked their hands together, just like she had during their first meeting. She hated knowing her mother would lecture her again about keeping her friendship with Jackson in perspective and acting like a girl supposedly should. Katie wanted to send Erin to cheerleading camp instead of coming to the Island City this summer, only to be told by Erin that it was not an option to go elsewhere. With every letter that arrived from Jackson to Erin, Katie would plead with her daughter to spend more time with her classmates and pay less attention to her tomboyish friend.
Not caring about anything now that they were together, Erin assuaged Jackson's guilt. "I know you're busy helping Jackie, it's alright." She put her hand on her forearm and Jackson nodded, relief flooding her. Unwilling to tell her the real truth about her lack of letters, Jackson just grinned.
Joe and Katie Hawkins walked up to the girls. Katie watched as Erin intertwined their fingers and scowled. Putting on a polite face, she took Jackson in a small embrace, as did Joe.
"It's good to see you again, Jackson," he greeted. "You're almost all grown up."
"You too, sir. Yeah, I'm working on it. I'm so happy you all like it enough to keep coming back."
"Like Erin would let us vacation anywhere else now," Katie semi-joked.
"No way!" Erin chimed. "That's not an option." Jackson looked between Erin and her mother, feeling extreme tension.
"Well it's a good thing your aunt charges us cheap rates or we'd have to go someplace else," Joe kidded.
"Dad! You know you said the fishing here was better than anywhere else." She looked at Jackson's smiling face. "He just likes to push my buttons."
"It appears he's gotten good at it." She winked at Joe who laughed. Erin lightly backhanded Jackson in the belly, giving her a fake scowl. "Ok, ok I take it back!"
The girls shared a smile and felt the warmth radiate between them. It felt good for them to be back together. Erin's mother watched the exchange with a growing unease, but was pulled away by Joe asking for assistance with unloading the car.
After the car was emptied and pleasantries were shared, Jackson told them they'd be in their regular cottage, cabin six. "I'll let Jackie know you're here. Go on ahead to the cottage, the door's open." When they started to walk, Jackson's voice stopped them. "And let me know what you think. We renovated the kitchen this year." A beautiful smile illuminated her face and Erin was completely fixated on her.
Katie replied, "Oh, how exciting. I can't wait to see what you've done to it." Her fake enthusiasm was evident only to Joe and as soon as she looked away, her skeptical demeanor returned.
"See you girls, later." Joe waved. "Oh and Erin, same rules apply like home."
"I know, I know, home before dinner," she groused.
"You got it." He waved again, then led Katie through the grounds to their cottage.
Alone at last, Jackson asked, "Wanna come and say hi to Jackie? I know she'd love to see you."
Erin's head nodded quickly. "Absolutely! I'm sure she's sick to death of you. I bet she could use another face to look at." Erin laughed and turned to go.
"Oh, um." Jackson put her hand on Erin's shoulder as she started to walk away. "I wanted to tell you something."
Stopping to face her fully, Erin replied, "So tell me."
"There's someone else staying our house."
Erin's stomach jumped for a few seconds. "Who?"
"My um… well I know you probably won't care, but um… well, Jackie is a lesbian and her…"
"She is?" Erin blurted out, eyes big from the unveiling of this information. "I've never met one before!"
"It's not a big deal, really. You don't even realize she is until someone tells you," she started to explain. "Her girlfriend, Sandra is staying with us."
"How long is she staying with you?" she asked.
Shrugging her shoulders, Jackson answered, "I'm not sure. I just know that I've never seen Jackie so happy. So, she can stay forever as far as I'm concerned."
Seeing a darkness cloud Erin's eyes, Jackson squeezed her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Erin took a deep breath and felt she needed to make a confession. "Jack, you can't tell my mom about Jackie. She would really flip out." Her eyes penetrated Jackson's. "I've heard her talk about gays in a really bad way. I don't want her talking like that about your aunt." Jackson looked into the caring blue eyes of her small friend.
"Thanks for telling me that, Erin. I appreciate it."
"Erin? Since when do you call me that?" she asked, a red eyebrow shooting up to her forehead.
"Well, we were talking about something serious, so I thought I should use your real name," she explained.
"Well, don't. You are the only friend I have who doesn't call me that and I really like that fact. So, please, call me Hawk, ok?" she asked with a small smile.
"You got it." She brought Erin in for another hug. "It's so good to see you, Hawk. I really missed you."
Burying her face into the fresh clean smell of her tall companion, Erin reveled at the incredible feelings of being with Jackson again. "I missed you too, Jack."
Jackson pulled away and made an observation. "Your hair has gotten really dark, Hawk, almost red."
Smiling, Erin replied, "I know. I used to be a total towhead, but it's changing. I kinda like it, though, so it's cool."
"Let's go say hi to Jackie." She picked up Erin's bags and the two walked over to the main cabin.
Jackson grabbed hold of the screen door and shouted, "You better be decent, we got a VIP guest coming in!"
Jackie flew from her bedroom, hair slightly tousled and looked at her niece like she wanted to say something nasty. With one look at the guest in her house, her face completely lit up. "Erin! It's so great to see you!" she cried, rushing to the teenager and put her arms around her.
"Hi, Jackie. It's great to see you too," Erin professed, pulling out of the embrace. "My dad and mom have already gone to settle in. I wanted to say hi before this one takes me all over the place." She smiled warmly at Jackson who returned one in kind.
From the hallway, an attractive and tall redheaded woman watched the interaction of the girls, which brought a smile to her face. She figured she should announce herself and with a clearing of her throat, she did just that.
Jackie turned around quickly and let the smile she felt, blossom on her lips. "Erin, I want you to meet my um, my fri…"
"It's, Ok… I told her Jackie." Jackson and her aunt studied each other for a few seconds.
When Jackie realized that Erin would be okay with her introduction, she continued, "This is my girlfriend, Sandra. Sandra, this is one of my favorites and definitely Jack's favorite guest." Erin didn't fail to notice the red that scorched Jackson's face and neck, following that admission.
Sandra walked over to Erin and outstretched her hand. "Hi Erin, it's nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you from this one over here," she said, pointing to a still blushing Jackson. "I feel like I already know you."
"It's really nice to meet you, Sandra. I hope we see more of each other this summer." Sandra smiled at this young girl, feeling as if Erin were older than Jackson had led on.
"Such a nice polite girl you are. What are you doing hanging with the likes of her?" She pointed again to a gaping mouthed, Jackson.
"Close your mouth, Jack. You look like a wide mouthed bass my dad would catch," Erin chimed in, earning a huge laugh from Jackie and Sandra.
"Oh, I like this one. Let's keep her and toss this one back." Sandra continued to laugh.
"Alright, that's enough! Is it pick on Jack day or something?" she said, arms crossed over her black Guns N' Roses shirt.
"No, we all love you, Jack. We can't help it if you're easy to tease," her aunt tried to placate Jackson while her burying her tongue in her cheek.
"That's it. Hawk, we're outta here." Jackson leaned over and kissed her aunt on the cheek. "I might be home later, if anyone cares."
"Hey, before I forget, your friend Molly called while you were out." Sandra handed her the message she wrote.
A strange look passed over Jackson's face. Erin catching it immediately, asked, "Do you want to call her back before we head out?"
"Uh, no. That's ok. I'll call her back later. Thanks." She crumpled the note and put it in her jean shorts pocket. "Come on, Hawk. Let's go say hello to the lake. It missed you." Jackson put her arm around Erin's shoulders and the girl returned with an arm around the slim waist. With a slight pull, they separated and headed out the door.
Sandra and Jackie shared a knowing glance at their retreating figures. "Oh, boy. Do you think they have any idea?" Sandra asked her partner.
"I think so. Jack came out to me right before her sixteenth birthday, but I'm not supposed to tell you that. I don't know about Erin, but I do know about Molly and Jackson, but I'm not supposed to tell you that, either."
"Yeah, I was gonna ask you about them next."
"Ooo boy, I have a feeling this summer is not gonna be pretty. My little Jackson has bitten off much more than I think even she can chew." Jackie laced her fingers with Sandra's.
"She does have a big appetite, though."
"Mmmm, must run in the family," Jackie saucily said, arms wrapping around the tall redhead's neck.
Leaning in for a small kiss, Sandra whispered, "Lucky me." She ran her fingers up and down the slightly smaller woman's back.
"Lucky us," the dark haired woman corrected. They leaned in once more and shared a much deeper kiss filled with every ounce of love they felt for each other.
Pulling apart, Sandra rested her forehead against Jackie's shoulder. "I wish I could take you to bed." She kissed the side of Jackie's head.
Heart beating wildly from arousal, Jackie managed, "God, I want you, too. I'll show you how much later."
"Uggh," Sandra groaned and buried her face in Jackie's sweet smelling hair. They swayed in each other's arms for a long while, relishing the feel of the other's body against her own. "Come on let's find something non sexual to do around here. I need to breathe some fresh air."
"Let's go play shuffleboard. That's the least sexual thing we can do without actually working."
Giggling at her partner, Sandra answered, "You're on. I get to be black this time, though."
Releasing her hold on Sandra's hand, Jackie opened the door. "You can have black if you can beat me to the playing field."
"Ok, you're on. On the count of three."
Together they started to count, "One, Two, Th…"
Jackie fled out of the house before "three" was even counted. Sandra chased after her cheating girlfriend and easily beat her to the board, much to Jackie's shock and dismay.
Grabbing the black slide, Sandra smiled in triumph. She walked to her side of the playing field after handing the red slide to a grumbling Jackie. "Shuffleboard anyone?"
Putting on her competitive hat, Jackie sneered and growled, "Puck you."
"Oh, that was bad, even for you." Jackie grinned then watched as Sandra's black puck slid effortlessly into the scoring zone.
Grin fading quickly, she mumbled, "I should've gone down to the lake with the girls."
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Erin kept her eyes closed as she breathed in the fresh air coming off the lake. The girls had stopped at the cottage to drop off Erin's bags and went down to the waterfront. Jackson had kept a hand on her shoulder as they walked down the pier. Erin thought it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Reaching for Jackson's hand, she gave it a squeeze before releasing it.
"It's so good to be back here." The smile never left her face. "I feel so differently when I'm here. It's like this place calls to me." Her face blushed a little. "I guess that sounds pretty dumb, huh?"
Eyes twinkling under her sunglasses, Jackson shook her head. "No it's not dumb at all. Some people don't understand the beauty of this place. But for some, you know - people like us, the love and respect for the nature around here is a gift. Whether you accept that gift is another thing. The fact that you have, says a lot about you, Hawk."
"My gosh, Jack, you speak so worldly now."
Laughing softly, she replied, "No, I'm just so happy you feel that way about this place. I don't have many friends that love it like you do," she explained. "Oh, sure, they love coming down here to water ski and that sort of thing, but the rest of it is so foreign to them."
"Well I'm not just any friend, you know," Erin said, grabbing Jackson's hand again to give it a light squeeze.
Don't I know it. Jackson looked into the warm eyes that reflected the sky and wished she could fully open her heart to her. "No, you're my best friend," she emphasized. She looked out over the water, keeping Erin's hand in hers, idly caressing it with her thumb. "I could live here, err, I hope to live here, the rest of my life. I want to find someone to run the resort with me when my aunt can't any longer. I don't think it'll be as easy as it sounds."
"Sure it will, Jack. Who wouldn't want to spend their life here with you?" If it wouldn't make my mom go into a tizzy fit, I'd do it in a heartbeat.
"You never know, Hawk. You never know." They shared a warm smile then Jackson offered a suggestion, "You wanna go down to the boathouse? You can grab some of your art supplies and I can play you a soothing tune on my recorder while you draw. Actually, I'm playing the oboe now too, so I could let you hear that. It has a totally different sound. Whaddya say?" Jackson was so hopeful to spend more time alone with Erin; she could hardly deal with the emotions coursing through her.
Jackson didn't know it, but Erin felt exactly the same way. She was so filled by this endearing girl that any time spent away from her felt like a lifetime. Excited by Jackson's new talent, she agreed enthusiastically. "Let me go get my supplies and I'll meet you up there?" Erin knew her mother was going to be annoyed and didn't want Jackson to have to deal with that.
Not really understanding why she wouldn't go with Erin, she just nodded. "Alright, I'll see you in a little while." She felt the bulge in her pocket and knew she had to call Molly soon anyway. "I'll give my friend a call back and meet you up there. Cool?"
Grateful for not having to explain her solo route, Erin gave Jackson her most winning smile. "Cool. Let's say 15 minutes?"
"Done."
The girls parted ways and went to their respective homes. Jackson walked inside her house after seeing Jackie and Sandra on the shuffleboard field. They were yelling fake obscenities at each other and drawing quite a crowd of onlookers with their comedic banter. She loved the way they played and egged each other on. The love she felt coming off of them was palpable and for that she was grateful. Jackie had been alone for a while before Sandra, and she seemed to make her aunt very happy. Jackson simply wished she had that to look forward to in her own future.
Picking up the phone, Jackson dialed Molly's number.
"Hello?" Molly answered.
"Hey, you."
"Hey, I thought you forgot about me," Molly said with fake sadness.
"Never. My best friend from Chicago is here." Not hearing a response, she continued, "You know, Erin? I know I told you about her. We've been best friends since we were kids."
Blowing out a breath, Molly answered, "Yeah, I just forgot she was coming today. I thought we could spend some time together. Maybe go swimming or um," her voice dropped lower, "go up to the boathouse loft?"
The insinuation went right to the southern regions of Jackson's body. Her face sporting a rose tinge, she said, "Uh, no, I don't think that would be a good idea. Erin doesn't know about me and I really don't want to tell her yet, ok?"
Feigning hurt, Molly said, "What kind of best friend is that? If she was your best friend, she'd accept you any way you were. So am I not supposed to see you for the next month? Is that it?" her voice was starting to raise.
"No!" her voice matched Molly's then softened, "No, it's not that. Just don't expect me to, you know, do stuff while she's here. I wouldn't feel right."
"You'll just have to come over to my house, then. I know I won't be able to not touch you for an entire month."
"That's fine. I'm sure Jackie will let me take my car when I have to go to your house."
"Have to?" she questioned.
"Need to," Jackson corrected, dropping her voice to soothe any possible waves Molly wanted to make.
"Mmm, that's better. I need you now." Molly tried to work to get her way.
"Sorry, I can't right now. I promised Erin that we'd sit on the roof so she could do some drawing. You should see her art, Mol, she's so talented."
"Really," Molly's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Not taking the bait, Jackson continued, "Yeah, she is and I promised, so we'll get together another day, ok? How's tomorrow? I'd like you two to meet."
Oh goody. "Sure Jack, I'll come by in the afternoon."
Jackson's face lit up. "Great! We'll have a lot of fun, I swear."
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Erin's decision to go alone had been a good one. Once her mother saw her leaving with her backpack, she immediately questioned where she was going.
"Are you going to that filthy boathouse again?" Her mother asked, not very kindly.
Rolling her eyes, Erin answered, "Yes, mother, I'm going to do some drawing. That's the best place to draw here." She tried to keep the daggers from her eyes. Their relationship had become strained with the months leading up to their vacation. "You said you wanted me to draw, so I'm drawing. But I get to draw on my own terms or it won't come out right."
"Fine, just don't go getting yourself dirty. I think your father wants to take us out to Bosaki's for dinner tonight."
"Cool, can Jack come, too?" Erin asked, hopeful but knew the answer.
"Can't you be away from her for two seconds and just be with us for one night?" her mother asked incredulously.
"I spend twelve months a year with you, mother. I haven't seen Jack in a year. Can't I be happy to spend time with my best friend?"
"You know, I was never that happy to see my best friends. I just don't understand it."
"Well, mother, then maybe you never had a friend as good as Jack because I miss her all the time when we're apart."
Her mother looked at her as if she'd sprouted two heads and repeated, "I just don't understand you."
"Well that goes both ways." She slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Can I go now? I'll be back before dinner." Her eyes took on a condescending stare. "I won't get dirty, either."
"Who's getting dirty, peanut?" Joe walked in from the bedroom to feel the usual tension in the air between his wife and daughter.
"No one, as I have told mom. She thinks I'm eight years old and am gonna get all dirty in the boathouse."
Rolling his eyes at his wife, Joe tried to placate her, "Honey, she hasn't come back dirty from that place since our first time here. Just let her have some fun this summer before she starts high school, ok?
"Fine, just go," she groused and went into the kitchen.
"Have fun, peanut, ok?"
"I don't get it, daddy. She's always riding me now. I can't breathe one word about Jack without her ragging on me. I would think she'd want me to have someone to hang with while we're here. What did Jack ever do to her?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.
Opening his arms, Erin fell instantly into his warmth. Joe embraced his daughter and patted the sack on her back. "Don't you worry about her. Just have some fun. Paint me a sunset, ok? You know they're my favorite." His chin rested on her head.
Nodding into the clean smell of her father's shirt, Erin gave him one last cuddle. "Ok, daddy. I am getting pretty good with the pastels now. I'll try one for you."
"That's my girl." He brushed her cheek with his callused thumb. "Go have fun."
"Is it true you're taking us to Bosaki's for dinner?"
"Yep, so don't be late."
Nodding, Erin answered back, "You got it."
~*`~*`~*`~*`
Erin climbed up to the boathouse roof, following the sweet new sounds coming from Jackson's oboe. Reaching the top rung of the ladder, she watched as Jackson played, unaware of her arrival. Her eyes were still covered by sunglasses, but Erin knew without question, they were closed and lost in the melody she was playing. When the last note ended, Jackson rested the oboe across her lap.
"You can come up now, sneaky pants." Jackson's words startled Erin.
"I didn't think you heard me. I could've sworn you were someplace else while you were playing," she managed to get out while bringing her body over the ladder.
"I always know when you're near." She shrugged. "I always have."
Erin's smile was contagious and Jackson found herself smiling back. Puling her pad of paper from the waistband of her shorts, Erin realized something aloud, "You know, ever since that first time up here, I always tuck my sketchbook in my pants if I need both hands for something. I can't help it!"
Jackson laughed at her admission. "Well I'm glad my advice has stuck with you for so long. I don't know many people who've listened to me and remembered what they'd heard."
"Well, like I told you before, I'm not just anybody."
Erin took a seat next to Jackson on the blanket of the rooftop. Looking over the water, the awe Erin felt washed over her once again. "It never fails. Every time I look out there, I'm just speechless. It's so… breathtaking."
Looking into Jackson's lap, she saw the new instrument and was instantly curious. "So, when did you start playing this? I know you were fiddling around with flute and piccolo, but isn't this like a clarinet?"
"Excellent question, Ms. Hawkins. It just so happens that the flute, piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, recorder and oboe are all in the same family." Erin marveled again at how much Jackson had grown up over the years. Even though she was only sixteen, she knew so much about music.
"You should teach music, Jack. You know so much about it."
Scrunching up her face, Jackson replied, "Yeah, but I don't know if I could do the teaching thing. Knowing what I know about kids, they're assholes, and I don't think I could handle not being able to smack them if they got out of line in my class."
Laughing at her normally calm friend, Erin replied, "Oh you would be fine and you know it. Once you get into something, you get everyone around you so hyped on it." Erin remembered an example. "Do you remember how crazy you were over that stupid potato salad from that convenient store across the lake? Soon after your outburst, my parents, your aunt and everyone else at the resort were cruising on their boats, to get some from that store! You could've written a prize winning essay on it."
Laughing at the memory, Jackson acquiesced, "You're right. I can get pretty nuts over something I love." She turned to look at Erin and the air seemed to stop moving altogether. Erin felt the shift and swallowed hard. Neither of them heard the footfalls on the ladder.
"Well isn't this cozy?" Molly's jealous laden voice instantly broke the connection.
Jackson's head whirled around and met the cocky smirk of her girlfriend.
"Molly! What are you doing here?" Jackson blurted out, her face flaming from surprise and instant nausea.
"Well you sounded like you really wanted me to meet the infamous Erin, so here I am." Turning to look at the pretty reddish blonde headed girl with the sky blue eyes, she extended her hand once she reached the top. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Erin, feeling the tension radiating from Jackson's body, extended her hand carefully. She regarded this small attractive blonde in an unfamiliar manner. A little jealousy was seeping into her heart at the brashness in the brown eyes. "It's nice to meet you too, Molly."
The air crackled with anxiety from Jackson not knowing how to calm her racing heart. Trying to get herself under control, Jackson pointed to the side next to her. "Have a seat. Erin was just going to do some drawing and I was going to um," She lifted her oboe and continued, "practice for awhile."
Erin's eyes went wide while she listened to Jackson stumble over her words. Erin? What is going on with her?
"You know, Erin, the way Jackson talks about you, I would've thought you were much older. You're just a kid," she stated, hoping to wipe the smile off of Jackson's face. It worked… but not to her advantage.
"Hey! She's starting high school in the fall. She's not that much younger than I am. Or is being a senior this year making you forget that you have freshman walking down the same hallways with you everyday?"
"Jack, it's okay," Erin's small voice stopped her rant. Molly looked on with interest. "She doesn't know me yet. Perhaps by the end of the summer she'll change her mind." Erin smiled sweetly at Molly.
"Yes, Jack, maybe I'll change my mind," she repeated with ice dripping from her smile.
"So what are you playing? Are you working on that little thing you wrote? What was it called, 'Hawks in Flight' or something?" Jackson's cheeks flamed with Molly's words.
Erin's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "You wrote a song?" Clearing her throat for emphasis. "About a hawk in flight?"
Jackson just wanted to jump off the roof of that boathouse right then and there.
"It's really good, she should play it for you sometime," Molly added, touching Jackson's bare knee. Jackson jumped up into a standing position and pretended to stretch. Molly looked at her with angry eyes and stood as well. "What's wrong, Jack? Don't you want to play it for her?"
Erin watched the strange interaction and wondered why Jackson would bother being friends with someone like her. She's really bossy. Starting to feel in the way, she stood with the other girls and started to say something when Molly opened her mouth, again.
"Jack, look at me." Molly reached up and took off her sunglasses. Smiling when she saw two blue eyes looking at her. "Ahh, there are the blue eyes I know."
Erin's brow furrowed hearing those words. Jackson turned to look at her and noticed her stiff posture. With eyes wide, Erin cried, "What happened to your eyes?"
Before Jackson could answer, Molly piped up, "Colored contact lens. Doesn't she look so much better? Those different colored eyes really freaked me out."
Erin's anger at this girl was almost overwhelming her. Her voice was calm regardless of the maelstrom burning in her belly. "Actually, no I don't think she does. Sorry Jack, but I really loved your eyes before. They were so unique and special." The "loved" slipped out before she could stop it.
Jackson was tired of being talked about like she wasn't in the vicinity. She grabbed her sunglasses and put them back on her head, trying not to drop her oboe. "Look, Molly please don't talk about me like I'm not even here. I can speak for myself." Turning to Erin she said, "It was a surprise. I didn't tell you so I could show you myself. I wanted to see what it was like to have two of the same colored eyes. Like everyone else."
But you're NOT everyone else; you're unique and special! "Well, if you like them than that's good. I do like your eyes the way they were though." Feigning tardiness, Erin looked at her watch. "I gotta get going anyway. My mom has some stuff for me to do before dinner." Turning back to Molly she spoke politely, "It was nice to meet you, Molly. I hope we see each other before I leave."
"I'm sure we will." Molly waved and smiled a saccharine smile that made Jackson's stomach roil.
"I'll see you after dinner?" Jackson asked with hope in her voice.
"Sure," Erin responded, trying hard to smile. She picked up her pack, slung it over her shoulders and walked down the ladder. She walked down to the loft window and heard Molly's whispered, "They're so unique and special," she mocked. "I told you she was a kid." And Jackson's, "Knock it off, Molly, the show's over."
Trying to keep her emotions in check, she swung into the loft and down to the main boathouse. Realizing she'd left her pad of paper on the roof, she debated whether or not to go back up there. "Screw that," she said, knowing Jackson would take care of them, and walked the small path that would lead her back to the grounds.
Up on the roof, Molly and Jackson were still having a strong debate on what had transpired a few moments ago.
"You owe her an apology, Molly. She didn't do anything to you and you attacked her like a jungle cat. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Eyes softening, realizing she'd hit a nerve, she tried a peace offering, "I'm sorry, Jack. When I saw you two up there I got really jealous and my mouth kind of took over."
"You have nothing to be jealous of," Jackson lied. "We've been friends since we were like knee high and every summer she and her folks come to stay with us. I love her like a sister and would really appreciate it if you were nicer to her next time."
"Ok, Jack. Again, I'm really sorry." She tried to reach up to give Jackson a kiss only to have the taller girl back away.
"Don't! I told you I didn't want to do that stuff while she was here."
"I don't see her anywhere, Jack, do you?" Blowing out a breath, she continued to rant, "This was just a bad idea. I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to step on the ladder and stopped. "Unless that's no good for you either."
"It's fine, Mol. Just come tomorrow. We'll go skiing or something. Erin's never skied before, so I'm sure she'd like to try something other than the tube."
"Great!" she snapped. "I can't wait to do everything Erin wants to do. See you later, Jack." Molly flew down the ladder and left Jackson to ungracefully plop down on the roof, oboe in hand. Shaking her head she looked onto the roof and noticed Erin's sketchbook, then out over the water.
Oh, this isn't gonna be good, at all.
Chapter Five
A few hours later found Erin sitting on the dock. Her stomach was upset after the afternoon she shared with Jack. Eating greasy fried fish for dinner didn't help her situation at all. With the sun starting to set, her fingers began to work in earnest. The colors coming off the water tonight were incredible. Purples and pinks with a hard line of red on the horizon; it was just beautiful. Her pastel sticks were bringing out the colors as well as her current mood.
What happened between Jack and Molly was hurtful if not a little unsettling. They definitely had a history, but of which she knew nothing. Jack hadn't ever mentioned Molly and when she'd found out that Molly knew of her, the troubling thoughts continued.
Why would she hide that from me? It's obvious Molly doesn't like me for whatever reason. I just hope Jack will tell me what's going on. I don't like this one bit.
Hearing footsteps on the dock, her heart sped up immediately. Speak of the devil. She didn't need to turn around to know who was approaching. Jackson sat down in the chair next to her and didn't say a word. Erin used her peripheral vision to watch her while she pretended to draw. Jackson sat quietly while watching the sunset.
"So what's up with Molly? Any idea why she hates me so much?" Erin asked flat out. And why didn't you tell me about her?
Jackson didn't answer right away. She was battling with so many emotions that she wasn't sure which ones she wanted to face. "Molly is a spoiled brat sometimes, Hawk. She can be the nicest person, but like today, she showed fangs I'm not too fond of."
"What's up with you not calling me Hawk around her? I feel like there is so much you haven't told me. I think you stopped writing to me because of her." Erin continued to finish her drawing before the sun went behind the horizon.
If you only knew how much I haven't told you. "You're right. I just was hanging out with Molly this summer and before I knew it, August was here and then so were you. I'm really sorry about that, you know how much I love your letters," Jackson confessed. "I'm so sorry about today. I really hated the whole thing." She ventured to put her hand on Erin's shoulders.
Erin's eyes met hers for the first time and she noticed the contact lens had been removed. Trying to hide her smile, she replied, "Well I didn't hate all of it. It was really nice before she showed up." She reached up and squeezed the hand on her shoulder, then brought it back down to work her magic on the page. "Although, I don't think you should hang out with a person who wants you to change yourself." She pointed to her eyes. "Your eyes are unique and are a part of the awesome person you are. Don't let her take that from you. No one should be allowed to do that."
Jackson started to dispute that argument, but Erin put her fingers on her mouth. "You know I'm right." Jackson smiled, unable to fight with her.
Jackson moved closer to look over Erin's shoulder. From the edge of the shore, Katie stood and watched the girls interact and couldn't help the discontent she felt inside. The closer Erin and Jackson got, the more unease she felt. She knew there was more to come from their friendship, it was a sinking feeling, but she would not allow it to happen if she could help it. No daughter of mine will act that way. She shouted towards Erin, "Erin, make sure you come in at dark!"
Erin, nearly jumping off her chair, turned around to face her mother on the waterfront. "Can I stay out until at least ten, mom? I'm working on a great picture for dad."
Trying not to be completely unreasonable, she compromised, "Ten o'clock, but no later."
Smiling with a brief wave, Erin replied, "Thanks!"
"Good night, Mrs. Hawkins!" Jackson bid Erin's mom, not knowing the angst the woman felt for her.
"Good night, Jackson," she returned semi-coldly, and then went back to her cottage.
"Hawk, what's up with you and your mom? She never used to give you a curfew while you were here."
Taking a deep breath, she stilled her fingers. "Jack, I wish I knew. She has been such a… God I don't even want to say it! Do you know she tried to get me to go to Cheerleading camp instead of coming here this summer? I couldn't believe it. Like there was any way I'd choose not to come and see you if I could."
Jackson was at a loss as to what to tell Erin about her mother. "I don't know, Hawk. What does your dad say about it?"
"He says not to mind her, but I do mind, though. It's like she doesn't want me to be friends with you or something. What the heck made her feel that way? You're my best friend in the world, how can she not want me to be around you?"
Jackson's arm went fully around Erin's shoulders, bringing their bodies close. "I don't know, Hawk. I'll just try to be extra charming so she isn't so hard on you." Without thought, she kissed the top of Erin's head. Eyes closing, Erin let her head fall against the broad shoulder beside her.
"I love you, you know," Erin whispered.
Pressing her lips against her head again, Jackson replied, "I love you, too, Hawk."
"Promise me something?" Erin continued to keep her voice low.
"Anything."
"Tell me about Molly when you're ready, ok?"
Not really wanting to think about her at the moment, Jackson agreed, "I will. I am sorry I didn't tell you about her. It might have been a much more evenly matched afternoon. She came out swinging, man. I didn't think she'd be so jealous of our friendship."
Feeling her face redden a little, Erin confessed, "I was a little jealous of her too. She was acting like you were her possession. I did not like that one bit."
Jackson bit off her smile at the admission; grateful Erin was so different than Molly. There was no comparison. If there was a reason Jackson would have to choose between the two, Erin would win hands down. For right now, she would relish in the idea of having her girlfriend and her best friend in the same place. She felt extremely lucky, indeed.
"Do you want to try water skiing tomorrow?"
A sudden fear washed over Erin. "I… I don't know. I'm kinda scared about it, really. Maybe I should just stick to tubing."
"Well, you can if you want. I think we're gonna take the boat out tomorrow and go skiing. You're always welcome to try, but we'll hitch up the tube to the boat if you'd rather do that."
"You wouldn't care?" Erin was feeling like the kid Molly said she was. "I feel stupid."
"There is no reason for you to feel stupid because something scares you. If you don't want to do it, just go tubing and a have good time." Jackson's calm voice burred in her ear making Erin feel more loved and content than she'd ever felt. Erin breathed a small relaxed sigh.
Breaking the warmth before it broke her resolve, Jackson asked, "So how's that picture coming? It's gonna be dark soon."
"Oh! I almost forgot about it." Her face blushed hotly. She brought the picture into view. The sunset was captured almost perfectly.
"Wow, Hawk. That's really beautiful. You've gotten so good with your work. People are gonna be paying you oodles of dollars just to own your pieces. Mark my words." Erin blushed a deeper red under the praise.
"Thanks, Jack. You've always been in my corner when it came to my artwork. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."
Smiling softly, "You're welcome. I'll always be your biggest fan."
"Speaking of fans, will you play me the song you wrote? I'd really love to hear it."
Jackson nodded her head. "Of course I will. I did name it after you because of your love of this place… and well our friendship. It means so much to me." Jackson hoped the look in her eyes didn't show too much of her heart. The last thing she wanted was for Erin to be unnerved by the amount of love she had for her. "I never told Molly I called you that and well, it's none of her business. I don't think she would like it very much since I know she'd put the two things together. The least amount of ammunition she has, the better for all of us."
Shaking her head, Erin just couldn't understand why Jackson would be friends with someone like that. It wasn't her place to say who Jackson could be friends with, so she said nothing.
"Come on, let's put this away and go hang out at my house. Jackie and Sandra are gonna watch Ghost tonight. I've never seen it so if you'd like to come over, we could go watch it with them. Sandra makes a mean cheese popcorn with Velveeta. Really messy, but really good." Jackson hoped she would come.
Erin nodded, happy to be on better ground with her friend again. "Sure, I wanted to see that, too. Let's go."
The girls walked to Jackson's house and once inside, they were greeted with a very friendly kiss being shared by Jackie and Sandra. Jackson immediately cleared her throat after hearing a small gasp from Erin's mouth.
"Get a room, you two!" Jackson shouted, not fazed in the slightest at this normal behavior.
Pulling apart quickly, the older women were clearly embarrassed having been seen by Erin, who was certainly not used to seeing two women show affection. The red on her cheeks spoke volumes of the swirling tides in her stomach.
"Are you okay, Erin?" Jackie saw the deer in the headlights expression and wanted to make sure she had enough air. "I'm sorry if that freaked you out somewhat."
"Nn… no, no. I'm fine, really. It's just um… wow. " She nervously laughed. "I ah, don't see a lot of that from regular people… well… not to say you aren't regular," she started stammering to the amusement of everyone in the room. "I'm just gonna sit over here and not say a word." She went and sat on the sofa.
"Awww, Hawk, I'm sorry you had to see that." Jackson thinned her lips and stared narrowly at her aunt. Sandra had the sense to leave the room already, much to Jackie's chagrin. Jackson sat down next to her. "You want something to drink? It might bring down the color of your face."
Erin's hands immediately went to her cheeks. She couldn't say anything with the images of the heated kiss flowing through her brain. Incredible. "Yeah, maybe some water would be good," she managed to squeak.
"I'll get it." Jackson jumped up and went into the kitchen, silently flagging her aunt to follow her.
Once in the kitchen a heated round of whispers took place. "Jackie how can you do that in the front room! Anyone could've seen you!"
Jackie took on a defensive tone. "Excuse me, but this is my house and if I want to kiss my girlfriend, I'm damn well going to!"
Feeling hurt, Jackson countered, "You knew I was going to bring her back here, though. I told you I was going to the dock to get her."
Nodding her head, Jackie began to apologize, "You're right, Jack. And I'm sorry Erin had to see that. But hell, the more people see it, the more natural it'll become. God, I can't even touch Sandra when we're with her family. I just can't stand to do that in my own house. I'll go in there and apologize again."
"I'm sorry I overreacted. You know that I don't care if you kiss her; I see it all the time. This is just very new to her and I don't want her to be freaked every time she comes to the door."
"Have you told her about you and Molly yet?" Jackie asked.
Jackson's eyes went wide and she stealthily looked around the corner to see what Erin was doing. Seeing that she hadn't moved, Jackson went back to her aunt and shook her head, "No, and I don't think I'm ready to. I think she'd be okay with me being a lesbo, but I don't think she'd be fond of me being one with Molly. They kinda met today and it wasn't pretty."
"Ooh, I want to hear that story after she leaves."
"Only if Sandra makes cheese corn."
The deal in place, the two women walked back into the family room, Jackson carrying a glass of water for Erin. Jackie went to tell Sandra that she needed to make the best damn cheese corn to make it up to Jackson and her friend.
"How you doin'?" Jackson asked, handing Erin the glass of water.
"You know, I'm fine," Erin said truthfully. "After the initial shock of it being, you know, two girls, well it was pretty okay. You can tell they really care for each other," she whispered the last part, making Jackson smile.
"Yeah, they do."
Sandra and Jackie walked back into the family room and Sandra announced she would be popping corn for the film. "Go ahead and start the movie, I've seen it a few times already. I'll have this corn made in about ten minutes. And Erin, it'll be the best damn popcorn you've ever had!" She winked, causing the teenager's cheeks to flush.
"Thanks, I'm looking forward to it. Jack says it's really really good."
"You'd better believe it's good," Jackie chimed in.
The three women sat on the couch and Jackie started the film. When the popcorn was finished, Sandra inched her way to the floor by Jackie's feet. Erin's eyes closed in extreme pleasure with the taste of the first kernel. Jackson's mouth watered as she watched Erin lick the cheese from her fingers. She knew at that point with the way her hormones were acting, she needed to pay close attention to the movie.
~*`~*`~*`~*`
The following afternoon was, in a word, perfect. The scorching heat had cooled down to a very pleasant eighty-two degrees. It was the ideal day to spend on the water.
At one o'clock sharp, Molly arrived wearing next to nothing of a bikini. Erin watched as she approached the two girls, Jackson hugged Molly when she got out of her car. She noticed Jackson's eyes close and wondered what Molly could've said to garner that response.
The hug lasted longer than Jackson had wanted, but didn't want to start Molly's jealous tirade any sooner than necessary. The feel of her body was so good against her own, she closed her eyes and sighed.
"So are you ready to ski?" Jackson asked her girlfriend.
"Sure, or I can just lay on the pier and watch you do your magic on the water." Jackson blushed slightly at the compliment then noticed Erin's approach to the gravel drive.
"Hi, there," Erin greeted. "Nice to see you." Molly barely acknowledged her.
Shorts covered Erin's bikini bottoms but her upper body showed off a revealing top and a strong but feminine torso. She kept her tank top tucked in the waistband of her shorts. Jackson's eyes were glued to the strong outline of Erin's shoulders and the swell of her breasts. Molly saw Jackson's unfocused look and lightly pinched her side.
With a shake of her head towards Molly, she tried to change the subject. "Are you guys ready? The water is so perfect today. I can't wait to pound the waves."
Both girls latched onto Jackson's incredible energy and silently agreed for the moment to be civil. Molly added, "My brother got us some beer if you want to bring it on the boat."
Erin's eyes were wide, but Jackson answered with a shake of her head, "You know I won't drive the boat if I drink. If you want to drink that's fine, but Jackie's only been letting me drive it this summer and last. I don't want to crash it."
"That's fine. It's in a cooler, so we can drink it later." She looked back and forth between both girls. "Is that cool?"
Both girls nodded, although Erin had never had more than a couple of beers before, so she was less than comfortable. Jackson could tell she was having second thoughts and reassured her, "It's ok if you don't want to drink, buddy, you can just hang out."
Jackson always had a way of making Erin feel so good. Even if a situation was making her feel less than comfortable, Jackson was always there to say just the right thing. Molly discretely rolled her eyes and started walking to the lake.
They made their way to the boat slips and took out the Mastercraft ski boat. It was a twenty-five foot "dream boat" as Jackson described it. With almost three hundred horsepower, it could pull anyone through the water behind the floating fiberglass.
Molly quite easily jumped into the boat, making herself at home. Being that she was a year older than Jackson, the angle of Jackie not having to get in the boat every time Jackson wanted to ski, made her agreeable to letting Molly drive the watercraft. With a promise to be very careful, Molly graciously thanked Jackie for her trust.
Jackson was bringing the life jackets out of the boathouse with Erin in tow carrying the water tube. Erin cheerfully waved to her dad as he and a few cabin friends were pulling out to go fishing.
"Have fun, peanut," he called out. "Don't forget to hold on!"
"Ha Ha! Don't forget to bait your hook!" she shot back to the amusement of his friends.
Jackson looked back at her. "I'm so glad he's caught some fish. He may not have come all the way back here each summer."
"I know! I almost want to put some big fish in his cooler to make sure he keeps wanting to come back."
"Ah, I think the trap was set a long time ago, Hawk. I can tell he has a lot of fun while he's here." She paused. "Your mom on the other hand…"
"Don't go there, I'm just waiting for her to suggest a trip to Disneyland next year," Erin said, only half joking.
"Hey, come on you too! The sun is calling my name!" Molly yelled from the boat.
"I wonder what the sun called her," Erin quipped, earning her a small chuckle from her taller friend.
Jackson ran back to the boathouse to get the skis and towrope. Molly and Erin put on their life vests and waited for her to return. Jackson had checked the gas levels, attached the towrope and put the skis on in minutes. She was more than a little excited to wedge through the water.
Molly was at the helm with Erin next to her on lookout. When the rope was just taught enough, she gunned the engine pulling Jackson up easily. The smile on her face grew exponentially as her turns and wave jumping increased. Molly steered the boat easily through the lake while Erin watched Jackson fly effortlessly through the water. When they got close to shore, Jackson dropped her left ski and tucked her left foot into the rear binding of the ski.
Side to side Jackson rushed through the water with Erin looking on in awe. Molly added a little more gas making Jackson's adrenaline soar. She watched Erin wave every once in awhile, but could tell she was having a great time, the smile never left her face. After her last trip around the lake she motioned to Erin to tell Molly to go to shore. With Erin doing just that, they slowly made their way to the pier.
As the boat slowed, Jackson dropped the towrope and skied until she sunk to the bottom of the shallow lakeshore waters. She pulled her feet from their bindings and walked up onto the waterfront. Ski in hand, she walked around to the other side of the pier to pick up the other ski that was floating towards the shore.
"That was so friggin awesome!" she shouted, feeling like she could walk on this very lake.
"You were incredible, Jack! You've gotten so good!" Erin gushed, much to the ire of Molly.
Putting on her happy face for Jack, she jumped onto the admiration bus, and added her twist. " Sweetie, you were fantastic out there. Nothing was gonna touch you." She smiled sweetly and Jackson smiled back while raising an eyebrow.
She slicked the hair back from her face and shook her head. "Man, what a rush!" She laughed happily. "Mol, you wanna go next?"
"Sure, will you help me with the skis? Your feet are bigger than mine.
"Yep, let's just secure the boat real quick so it doesn't go anywhere."
Sweetie? Erin didn't understand Molly's possessive thing, but she wanted it to stop. She wasn't a threat to their relationship, especially living four hundred miles away. Molly needs to get over it.
Molly and Jackson resized the skis to fit her smaller feet. When they were ready, Jackson jumped into the boat. She untied the dock lines from the cleats and started the boat engine once it was deep enough.
Erin smiled at the carefree expression on Jackson's face. It was a smile that melted her heart completely. This was her home, this was her calling and outside of mother not being with her, she looked to Erin like the happiest person alive.
Erin watched as Molly set herself up in the water. Balancing behind her skis, she positioned the rope between them. Jackson looked back and waited for the line to be taught. Molly gave her the thumbs up when she was ready and off they went. Jackson gunned the boat as Erin, once again, took the lookout position.
After halfway around the lake, they encountered some choppy water. When Molly tried to compensate for the fresh waves, she went fell down into the water.
"She's down!" Erin yelled, watching her fall.
Jackson steered the boat in a slow circle towards Molly so they could get her the rope. When they reached her, Molly was less than happy. "God damn waves." She spit water out as she bobbed in the water with her vest. "The tip of my ski dropped under one of them and I bit it, hard."
"Are you ok to keep going?" Jackson asked, idling the engine.
"Yeah, just need to straighten out."
Erin looked at her with a smile. "You were doing great until you went down, though," she said sincerely, although Molly took it completely in the opposite.
"It's not as easy as it looks, but you wouldn't know that, would you."
Fear being replaced by anger, Erin replied, "Not yet, but when you're done, I'm gonna try."
Jackson turned and put her hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? You don't have to do that. You know she's just baiting you."
Staring back into the shaded eyes of her best friend, she said, "I'm doing it."
Shaking her head with a laugh. "You're the boss." Looking back to Molly she was just about ready.
Molly gave Erin the thumbs up, or it could've been her middle finger, Erin wasn't sure from that distance. "I think she wants to go!" she yelled to Jackson.
Turning back to make sure, Jackson got a, "Go already!" from a wet and pissed off Molly.
Jackson gunned the engine and Molly stood right up, a smile back on her face. Erin looked over to Jackson who was steering with an enormous smile. She had pushed her sunglasses on her head to keep her hair out of her eyes. Jackson noticed she was staring and looked over, winked and continued to drive.
Molly made it around the lake a couple times and signaled, as Jackson had, to come in.
When the boat was at shore, Erin jumped onto the pier and went down to where Molly was removing the skis. Showing Erin how to adjust the skis, Molly helped her get the equipment on.
"Now just make sure you keep your knees bent and your arms straight. Lean back, but in a crouched position, so you aren't dragging your butt in the water," Jackson coached from the boat. "I'm gonna pull away slowly until the rope is tight. When I start to pull you a little, give Molly a thumbs up when you're ready, and we'll hit it." Erin gave a nervous nod and Jackson asked one last time, "Are you sure you're ready?"
Looking at Molly's cocky stance with her arms crossed, Erin's chin raised somewhat and she met Jackson's eyes. "Yea, let's do this!"
"That's my girl!" Jackson cheered, earning her a hateful glare from Molly. Jackson put her arms out wide in disbelief of the jealous nature of her girlfriend. "I'm just encouraging her, Jesus!" She sat behind the wheel not wanting Molly to drive and drag her too fast. "Tell me when she's ready." Molly moved right next to Jackson on the bench, facing the rear of the boat.
Erin was settling back in the water, trying to get a feel for the skis, keeping the tips up. "You can do this, Erin. You can do this," she coached herself. "If that scrawny wench can do it, so can I." Her words surprised even her, but looking at the smirk as she sat close to Jackson, hardened Erin's resolve even more. Raising a shaky hand, she gave a thumbs up and hung onto the towrope with all her might.
Jackson, getting the go ahead from Molly, gunned the engine. After a few seconds of battling her own balance, Erin stood on the skis and adrenaline shot through her. The smile on her face felt like it was the size of Lake Tomahawk. Her heart was racing, but she was still standing and having a ball. She went over to the right side of the boat as it turned left, picking up her speed. She bent her knees, using her legs as shock absorbers. to battle the waves.
"How's she doing?" Jackson yelled at Molly.
"She's doing great! She's bouncing off the waves like a pro." Molly was not pleased. Another point for the great Erin.
"Fantastic!" Jackson briefly looked back to see Erin's smiling face as she battled the water around her.
Molly decided to play with Jackson since Erin wasn't paying attention to anything but her skiing.
Erin was having the time of her life. Who needs tubing when you can do this?
When the boat slowed on its next turn, the slack on the rope was increasing and Erin found herself slipping backwards, very close to the water. As Jackson gunned the engine, Erin was jolted forwards once the rope tightened again. The handle flew from her hands, wrapped around her right leg and got caught on her binding. The action caused her to fall onto her back. "Oh, shit!" With the rope caught on her ski, the boat continued to pull her, dragging her under the water.
Molly watched her go down and smiled. She figured she could let her bob around out there for a while. She leaned over and kissed Jackson's cheek and stuck her tongue in her ear. Jackson playfully batted her hand away, completely unaware of Erin's situation.
Erin held her breath as she was being drug below the surface. Help me! Stop the boat! Panic had set in a long few seconds ago. Erin's chest was starting to burn, then everything went black.
When Molly looked back, waiting to see Erin bobbing far from the boat, she noticed that the rope was not bouncing off the water, but held a ski with a body still attached to it. Realizing she'd made a fatal mistake, her conscience finally kicked in and she screamed, "Oh, shit, Jack, she's down, she's caught, stop!"
Jackson immediately killed the engine and looked back at Erin's motionless body, still being pulled by the boat. The lack of speed and the buoyancy of her vest, brought Erin above the water.
Eyes in total shock, she screamed, "Erin!" Looking at Molly, she yelled, "Take the wheel but don't turn on the engines."
She threw off her sunglasses, stepped one foot on the back end of the boat and launched herself towards Erin. Diving into the water, Jackson swam as fast as she possibly could to her best friend. When she reached her, Erin's face was pale. She grabbed and pulled the ski off her foot and tugged on her vest.
"Hawk? Hawk, honey, can you hear me?" She felt for her neck as she floated, not finding a pulse. "She's not breathing!' she screamed to Molly. She grabbed Erin by the vest, keeping her head above water and dragged her back to the boat. "Hold her!" she yelled to the blonde as she climbed small ladder rungs to get aboard. "On three, we lift her in and lay her down. We need to do CPR on her now! One… two… three!" Both girls held onto Erin and pulled with all their might to get her over the side of the boat. Erin was flopped gracelessly to the boat floor with Jackson immediately undoing her vest. She quickly began CPR.
She tilted Erin's head back, pinched her nose and leaned down to breathe twice into her mouth while watching her chest rise. She put her palm down in the middle of her chest, between her breasts, covered it with her other hand, and began to pump. "Come on, Hawk, breathe! Breathe God dammit!" She breathed again into her mouth twice and began to pump. Molly watched on with frightened eyes knowing that her jealousy and stupidity could've cost this girl her life.
On the fourth attempt with Jackson pumping on her chest, Erin's mouth filled with water and she coughed and spat it out. As another huge water-filled cough erupted, she finally took a lungful of air much to the relief of everyone present. Jackson gently rolled her to her side.
"Hawk?" Jackson whispered through her tears, not knowing when she'd begun to cry. Erin's eyes opened then shut when another round of coughing violently burst forth from her body. A little more water was released from her lungs and she took another few uneasy breaths.
Erin opened her eyes successfully this time, not knowing where she was right away. Jackson leaned on her side to face her. "Hawk, can you hear me?" She pushed the wet hair out of Erin's eyes.
Blinking and glossily staring into the mismatched eyes she loved so much, Erin finally answered, "Jack, is that really you?" Her eyes welled with tears, and she began to cry. Jackson immediately grabbed and held her as they both wept from their fear and facing their mortality for the first time in their young lives. Jackson and Erin clung to each other for several moments while Molly sat and watched in disbelief of all that had just happened in such a short period of time.
"It's me, honey, it's me. I gotcha, you're going to be okay," she choked out between sobs. Jackson began to rock Erin back and forth as their hearts slowed to a normal hammering. "I'm right here…"
~*`~*`~*`~*`
The boat ride back to shore was, thankfully, uneventful. As they pulled into the slip, Jackson saw her aunt and Erin's mother on the pier waiting. Cursing silently, she knew they must have seen somewhat of the scene that happened from shore. She slowly docked the boat, killed the engine and tied off the cleats.
Erin's mother immediately ran to Erin as she unsteadily exited the boat. "Honey! Are you ok?" She held Erin out at arm's length to look her over. Outside of red-rimmed eyes, her daughter seemed fine, physically.
Erin nodded solemnly and leaned against her mother briefly before walking slowly down the pier. She sat heavily on one of the chairs and just stared out into the water.
Katie walked over to Jackson as she got the last of the equipment out of the boat. "This is your fault! My daughter could have died out there! How reckless and stupid are you?" she shouted inches from Jackson's astonished face.
"Mrs. Hawkins, I wasn't