Secrets of the Night
"Do you think people will remember you?" Jason asked her softly as they settled into the car nearly twenty minutes later.
Brenna thought about it as she fastened her seat belt. Would the people in town remember her? Most of them had considered her a poor fragile child. She had been the only girl her age with an imaginary friend, and her mother had died when she was very young. They had embraced her into their smothering self-righteous folds. They'd remember her.
"Brenna?" Jason asked when they reached the end of the driveway. "Which way?"
Brenna gestured with her finger, still partially lost in her own reverie. Jason sensing her desire to be left alone like a good boyfriend turned on the radio and flipped through channel after channel of static before deciding on a cd. That's how it goes in the country sometimes, but Brenna was aware that he'd never really been to a place like this. She was being a poor hostess- guilt nagged at her, or maybe it was her grandmother's ghost back from the dead.
"This is the Bradley farm," Brenna announced as they drove past and recounted the story of the bull and the rose and the handsome Jay Bradley who'd come to her rescue. She told him about the different spaces of land, and about the different people that owned them until they reached Main Street where a smattering of cars and people took his attention to driving.
"Do you know that man?" Jason asked gesturing with his eyes toward a passing truck.
Brenna smiled, and it was the first genuine smile she had offered in awhile. "Nope, never met him. You always nod, smile, or wave in the south even if you don't know the people."
"Really?" Jason seemed intrigued by the idea.
Brenna giggled and waved at a trio of teenage girls skipping past. All three offered Colgate smiles and one of them added a wave. She smirked at Jason and motioned to the grocery store, where she was not at all surprised to see Annalise bustling out of her wagon.
"Oh dear," Jason smiled pleased that they would be walking in on the old biddy's gossip.
Jason got out first and came to open Brenna's door, something he had developed a habit of doing a few months ago after seeing it done in a movie. Brenna didn't care either way, she waited indulging him his fanciful little ways. She turned the rear view mirror so she could check her eye make up, and saw a very distinct face behind her. She let out a small scream and turned to look at the vacant back seat.
"You ok?" Jason asked quirking an eyebrow.
"My mascara ran," Brenna said haughtily, though on the inside she was quivering.
Brenna thought about it as she fastened her seat belt. Would the people in town remember her? Most of them had considered her a poor fragile child. She had been the only girl her age with an imaginary friend, and her mother had died when she was very young. They had embraced her into their smothering self-righteous folds. They'd remember her.
"Brenna?" Jason asked when they reached the end of the driveway. "Which way?"
Brenna gestured with her finger, still partially lost in her own reverie. Jason sensing her desire to be left alone like a good boyfriend turned on the radio and flipped through channel after channel of static before deciding on a cd. That's how it goes in the country sometimes, but Brenna was aware that he'd never really been to a place like this. She was being a poor hostess- guilt nagged at her, or maybe it was her grandmother's ghost back from the dead.
"This is the Bradley farm," Brenna announced as they drove past and recounted the story of the bull and the rose and the handsome Jay Bradley who'd come to her rescue. She told him about the different spaces of land, and about the different people that owned them until they reached Main Street where a smattering of cars and people took his attention to driving.
"Do you know that man?" Jason asked gesturing with his eyes toward a passing truck.
Brenna smiled, and it was the first genuine smile she had offered in awhile. "Nope, never met him. You always nod, smile, or wave in the south even if you don't know the people."
"Really?" Jason seemed intrigued by the idea.
Brenna giggled and waved at a trio of teenage girls skipping past. All three offered Colgate smiles and one of them added a wave. She smirked at Jason and motioned to the grocery store, where she was not at all surprised to see Annalise bustling out of her wagon.
"Oh dear," Jason smiled pleased that they would be walking in on the old biddy's gossip.
Jason got out first and came to open Brenna's door, something he had developed a habit of doing a few months ago after seeing it done in a movie. Brenna didn't care either way, she waited indulging him his fanciful little ways. She turned the rear view mirror so she could check her eye make up, and saw a very distinct face behind her. She let out a small scream and turned to look at the vacant back seat.
"You ok?" Jason asked quirking an eyebrow.
"My mascara ran," Brenna said haughtily, though on the inside she was quivering.