Adelaide Upset Read Online Free

shoving the phone back into its cradle.
    Stephen, who’d been avidly
listening to my half of the conversation, perked up. “Did Francesca
invite you? Can I come along?”
    “ Sure,” I said. “Why
not?”
     
* * *
     
    St. Simons was a little
island off the coast of Georgia. For some it was a vacation
destination, a bit touristy in parts, but it didn’t have that
chintzy feel so common in holiday hot-spots. It was chock-full of
retired politicians, professional golfers and the wealthy who could
afford a second summer home, not to mention Reed Wallace who owned
substantial real estate around the Golden Isles.
    The Graves family had
visited once, my parents dragging their brood to the coast for some
quality time, bike rides, etc. Some aspect of that trip must have
made a mark, perhaps the giant oaks, maybe the lighthouse, the sea,
or possibly something not altogether physical, like the sleepy
stillness that sinks beneath the skin, how quiet the island can be,
even when it’s full of visitors. So when it came time to leave
home, finding myself desperate to escape without so much as a
goodbye, I crept back here.
    I’ve been trying to
control the empathy ever since, exposing myself to the outside
world at intervals, attempting to deal with the unwanted flow of
emotion that so often overwhelmed my own feelings. The festival
never helped, though I continued to let Francesca drag me back
every year. It was difficult to say no to her, more so if you had a
penis. She channeled sex appeal with her sultry, dark features,
making the most of her curves with visiting playboys like Conner.
That was the reason I didn’t want her to meet Lucas. Having felt
her skepticism every time I insisted he was handsome, I knew she’d
be surprised when she saw him. But it was his reaction I was
worried about. I was nothing compared to her, just a slender
washed-out girl with lots of strawberry-blonde hair. Though in my
defense, anyone would seem plain standing next to Francesca. I just didn’t
want to see his face when he realized that he wasn’t dating the
pretty one. Some might think I was being overly dramatic, but don’t
forget, I feel what people feel, know their failings and foibles,
can sense their shallow shortcomings. It wouldn’t be the first time
that a man was disappointed with his partner. And if I could have
put the moment off, I would have. But as I said, Francesca always
got her way, and so, that was how I ended up in the passenger seat
of Lucas’ old Ford Bronco, on our way to the blasted
event.
    One of the local churches
always held a festival during the summer months, a three day
function with rides and live music. Stephen was stoked, though I
could tell he was restraining himself in the back seat, a little
intimidated by Lucas who hadn’t bothered to say much more than a
brisk hello in greeting. Predictably, Stephen’s mother hadn’t
approved of his ‘riding off with that hoyden and her cohorts’ when
we’d stopped to pick him up, but she’d let him go, ringing her
hands from the doorway as we departed. Smith had come along too,
never one to miss an opportunity to haunt both me and Stephen at
the same time. He sat next to his son, a twist of white smoke
hovering over the bench seat. I was very unsettled by the whole
affair, sort of wishing the floorboard would swallow me up. I
reached for Luke’s hand, peeling it from the steering wheel to hold
in my lap. It was awkward, but it made me feel better and I smiled.
He smiled too, only slightly, but it was there, the corners of his
mouth turned up. I couldn’t remember ever seeing him do
that.
    Maybe the festival
wouldn’t be so bad after all.
     
* * *
     
    Francesca found me
straightaway as I lolled around the pretzel stand. She knew me
well, it was the first place I’d gone to after paying the entrance
fee.
    “ So where is he?” she
asked, her eyes scanning the crowd.
    The ‘he’ in question
happened to be standing not two yards away, waiting in line to