Meet Me at Taylor Park (6 page)

He answered his phone. “Yes, I just landed. And I’ll be there soon.”

Katie could make out a female voice on the other line. She was surprised that she was hit by a pang of jealousy.

Brandon said, “I love you too.” Then, he hung up.

Katie was tempted to ask who that was, but she kept her mouth shut.

Brandon noticed Katie staring at him. “That was my mom,” he said, amused at her reaction.

Katie merely nodded. She did not show it, but she was relieved.

They arrived in front of the automatic doors. Brandon looked like he was about to say something. Before he could though, a luggage cart crashed into him, nearly knocking him over.

He grabbed onto the cart to steady himself, biting his lips to keep from screaming in pain. He turned around to see who had hit him. It was a little kid with super short spiky hair, who stood there quaking in his shoes.

“I’m sorry, Mister.” The kid wouldn’t look Brandon in the eye.

Brandon lost all desire for combat. “It’s OK.” He stepped toward the kid, who backed away.

Brandon took another gentle step forward, and that was when the kid started to cry.

“Hey,” Brandon said softly, kneeling down so that he was at the kid’s level. He jerked back and clutched at his back. “Owww.”

“Are you OK?” Katie asked.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just got a bad back.”

He turned to the kid, patting his head. “It’s OK. Don’t cry. I’m not mad at you.”

The kid stopped crying long enough to say, “I want my mommy.”

Brandon put his hand on the kid’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll take you to her.”

Just then, a woman in thick glasses came over to them. “Andrew? Oh thank God!”

She hugged her kid, and said to Brandon, “He wandered away. I didn’t know where he was. Thank you!” She grabbed her son and pushed the cart away.

Katie looked at Brandon. “You were always the paternal type.”

He rubbed his shins. “I like kids.”

Katie wanted to grab him, and never let him go.

Brandon’s face got all serious. “That…” He pointed to the plane out on the tarmac. “…was perfect.”

“The kiss was a mistake. I can’t see you again.” She was surprised when the words flew out of her mouth.

He scratched his head. “Why not?”

She looked at him. He looked so innocent and sweet. “Because I don’t want any hearts to be broken again.”

Brandon exhaled, then looked away. When he turned back to her, he said, “Do you still have that ring I gave you?” His face was flushed, as though he were asking her out again for the first time.

“What ring?” She stared at him blankly.

He had this hurt look on his face, like a wounded puppy. “I know you know that I’m talking about.”

He leaned forward, hovering near her ear, which was now becoming a familiar habit to Katie.

“Tomorrow night, meet me at Taylor Park,” he whispered. “Bring the ring. I have something to show you.”

“Brandon, please, I don’t think we should….”

“Just promise you’ll meet me,” Brandon interrupted. “For old time’s sake.”

She looked at him. He was her first love, after all.

She nodded.

He kissed her on the cheek, lingering there for just a moment. Then, he went through the automatic doors and was gone.

Katie was left there with her thoughts. There were so many that she didn’t know which ones to focus on. Seeing Brandon brought back old feelings. And the way it made her feel. She felt alive when he held her, when he kissed her, when he confessed that he still dreamed about her.

*

In a daze, Katie left the airport through the automatic sliding doors and into the crisp west coast morning. It was 2am and dark.

She hailed a cab and arrived at her mother’s house in Burnaby. She stumbled around in the dark, and then found the key in her purse. She let herself in, went up the stairs to her old room like a zombie, and slumped onto her bed.

She was about to drift off to sleep when she remembered that Brandon had mentioned a ring.

Katie turned on the desk lamp and rummaged around in her desk drawers. She found the ring right away and held it under the lamp. It was heart shaped and there was an inscription.

To Katie, my love. Be my princess. I’ll be your prince. Brandon.

She rummaged around in her pocket and took out Steven’s ring. Comparing it, she realized there was no inscription. She put that one in the drawer and put on Brandon’s ring, and then fell asleep on her bed.

*

The next morning, Katie was awakened by the smell of eggs frying. She got up and wandered into the kitchen downstairs. Her mother, Catherine Simpson, a large matronly woman in her late 60’s, was standing in front of the stove.

She turned around and smiled. “Good morning, honey. I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

“I was quiet.” She stretched and yawned.

Then, she examined her mother. She looked like she always did. Like the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Her gray hair was worn professionally in a bob and the glasses on her face made her look like an authoritative figure, like a high school principal.

Catherine spooned some scrambled eggs into a plate and handed it to Katie at the kitchen table. “Like I always say, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

“Mom? I have something to tell you.”

Catherine put the pan on the table, and leaned in. At 6 feet, she towered over her. “Yes?”

“Steven proposed. And I said yes.”

“Oh my Lord,” Catherine said, putting both hands on her face. “I thought you were just coming for a regular visit. I’m so happy for you. Let me see the ring.”

Katie’s mother reached for her hand. And did a double take. “This is heart shaped. What kind of man gives you a pretend engagement ring?”

“This isn’t from Steven. This is an old one from Brandon.”

Catherine pursed her lips. “Brandon? Your high school boyfriend Brandon?”

“I ran into Brandon on the flight here.” Katie wouldn’t look her mother in the face.

Catherine frowned. “Uh oh. A mother can always tell. You’re having second thoughts. You weren’t even excited when you told me about your engagement.”

Katie finally looked at her mother. Katie’s face was a blank.

Her mother let go of her hand. “Brandon. The one who broke your heart?”

“Well, I broke his too.”

Catherine sat down. “Are you OK?”

Katie nodded. “I’ll be fine. It’s just that seeing him again brought back old feelings. ”

“I remember Brandon.” Her mother put an arm around her shoulders. “So what are you going to do?”

Katie put a hand on her mother’s shoulder. “I don’t know, mom.”

“I tell you, all my years as a teacher, I’ve seen heartbreak. I just don’t want you to be hurt again. He tried to stop you from chasing your dreams. You don’t need someone like that in your life.”

Katie wasn’t listening though. She was looking outside. It was early morning, and the day was gray. Even the bright colors of the autumn leaves were losing their shine.

After breakfast, Katie sat in her room, looking at the ring that Brandon had given her, stroking it.

Her cell phone rang. Startled, she expected it to be Brandon, but it was Stasha.

She answered her phone. “Hey Stasha.”

“Jet lagged yet?”

“A little. You’ll never guess who I ran into on the plane.”

Katie paused, and then said, “Brandon.”

There was silence from Stasha’s end.

Katie said, “You still there?”

“Yeah, I’m just shocked. Brandon? Your first love and high school sweetheart Brandon?”

“Yeah.”

“The one who you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with? The one who broke your heart?”

“I broke his too.”

“The one you had the best year of your life with?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re marrying Steven because….”

Katie’s tone grew sharp. “Stasha, stop. It’s not that simple. Brandon and I are over. We were just a high school fling. Puppy love. What Steven and I have is real.”

“If real means boring and tepid, then, yeah, what you and Steven have is real.”

Katie sighed. “It’s not that easy. Steven loves me. And I love Steven.” There, she had said it.

“Do you really?”

“Yes. He takes care of me. He’s a good man. I need to do some thinking. Let’s talk later.”

“Wait. Did you get up to something on the plane?”

“Am I that kind of girl?”

“You did, didn’t you?”

Katie remained silent.

Stasha howled, laughing. “I knew it.”

“I have to go now. Call you later.”

Katie hung up.

She looked at the ring. The inscription was carved brazenly on it, so that the entire world could see how he felt about her.

To Katie, my love. Be my princess. I’ll be your prince. Brandon.

“Of course I still have the ring,” she said aloud.

She looked out the window. Leaves of red, orange and brown were falling from the trees, swirling before landing.

Gazing at the autumn weather, she was reminded of her time with Brandon in high school so many years ago.

*

Chapter 6

1988

Katie was 18 and in her last year of high school at Burnaby South Secondary School. One day in September, she was walking down the hallway with her sketchbook when someone ran into her, knocking the book out of her hands. She turned around and saw it was a beefy football player who didn’t even bother to apologize.

She frowned, and then bent down to collect her papers. She was aware of people staring at her, but she ignored them.

Then, she felt someone was standing behind her. Before she could turn around, that person knelt down and began to help her gather.

He had long shaggy brown hair, deep green eyes and a pale open face.

She smiled at him. “Thanks, but I can handle this.”

“No, it’s alright.” He brushed a bang out of his eyes. “I know what it’s like to be a victim of thoughtless football players.”

Katie checked him out. He was wearing baggy clothes, which highlighted his scrawniness.

He continued to help gather the scattered papers. As he picked them up, he examined them. There was a glint of admiration in his eyes. “Wow, what are these dresses? Are you a tailor?”

She pursed her lips. “Yeah, something like that.”

“They’re really good.”

She looked up at him, her face brightening. “You really think so? I was going to submit them to a fashion design contest. The grand prize is an internship at Donna Yana’s.” Seeing the blank look on his face, she elaborated, “Donna Yana is only the hottest designer in New York right now.”

“So you wanna be a fashion designer? What made you choose that?”

“I like clothes,” she said, standing up. “And creativity. There are so many possibilities for what to wear. And I get to help with that. It just makes me feel alive.”

He stood up with her, then handed her the last paper.

She looked at him, and then laughed. “Here I am spilling my soul and I don’t even know your name.”

She held out a hand. “I’m Katherine, but everyone calls me Katie.”

He took it, and grinned. “I’m Brandon. But everyone calls me Brandon.”

She knew the joke wasn’t funny, but she burst out laughing anyway. That got him laughing too. Soon, they were having a laughing fest.

When they stopped, he said, “Actually, I sit behind you in history. And my locker is like, three away from yours.”

“Oh yeah,” she said, although she did not remember that at all. “Of course.”

“Do you have some time now? You wanna grab some food?” He was staring at the ground, shuffling his feet to some inaudible tune.

She thought it was cute that he was so nervous.

She smiled. “You bothered to stop and help me. My treat.”

He looked up and she could see his face. It was shining.

They left the school and entered an Autumn Wonderland. The oak trees were stripped of their clothes, standing totally naked as they withstood the onslaught from the wind. The streets were strewn with crunchy leaves of all colors, so full that one section of the pavement was completely covered.

A chilly wind hit them as they headed into the parking lot. Katie tightened the scarf around her neck.

Brandon saw that she was cold, so he reached his hand out, hovering just above her shoulders. At the last minute, he withdrew it. Instead, he kept his arms by his sides.

“My car’s this way.” He pointed at a silver car.

They crunched crisp leaves under their feet as they strolled through the parking lot.

He unlocked the passenger seat and opened the door for her. “After you.”