A Summer of Lessons, Laughs, and Love_PDF Version

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2 © 2018 Kiarra All rights reserved. All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below. [email protected] https://kiarraliterary.wixsite.com/kiarratheblackwriter Cover by Kiarra

3 Summary Grace's grandma Bailey broke her hip. Now she's in Florida, after four long years, spending the summer before college with her grandma. It's been so long since they've last seen it each other and there's so much to tell. For Grace, there's so much to learn about the existence of love and how beautiful it can be. You never really know someone until you spend a summer together.

4 One June Oh man, the Floridian sun could be brutal! She removed her jean jacket and wrapped it tightly around her waist. She loved coming down during the summer to visit her grandma but now she remembered the downside to coming: the brutal heat, the persistent mosquitos, and the sneaky pollen. With her bright yellow suitcase in hand, she walked around trying to see if she could spot her grandma. When she didn't, she took a seat on one of the benches and called her. There was no answer although she called three times. There was the possibility that she forgot she was coming. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she began texting her mom. Maybe she could try to get in contact with her grandma. She might have better success. \"Um, excuse me but would you be Grace by any chance.\" His presence briefly blocked the sun from attacking my body with its warm rays. I appreciated the shade but why was this guy talking to me? And how did he know my name? \"Who wants

5 to know?\" I asked, lifting my head to look at the stranger. \"Your ride.\" He said crossing his arms against his chest. Was he mad at me? What I did except ask a question? \"Are your Grace or not?\" His impatience was not flattering. \"I'm Grace.\" \"The car is this way.\" He walked away from. Once I moved on from my bewilderment, I grabbed my belongings to follow him. He let me struggle to keep up with him and never looked back. He never even offered to help. He led me to a royal blue mustang. He got in and waited for me to get in the passenger’s seat. \"Jerk,\" I muttered under my breath. I stuffed my duffle bag and my suitcase into the trunk of the small car and plopped down into the passenger's seat with my backpack strapped on one shoulder. He lazily maneuvered the steering wheel one hand. \"Mrs. McDonald never told me her granddaughter was a jerk,\" he mumbled. \"If she would've told me, I wouldn't have been so quick to volunteer to pick you up.\" I fastened my seatbelt. \"I'm not a jerk, I'm just cautious. You've could've been a killer for all I know.\"

6 Don't let their small crime rates fool you, small towns have killers and murders and sociopaths like everywhere else.  I shoved my backpack on the floor in between my legs. \"Really?\" he asked backing out of the parking lot. \"I look like a killer to you?\" He swerved into the lane to exit the parking lot. I looked at him and I mean really looked at him. His dirty blond hair seemed wet and the strands of his hair stuck to his forehead. He might've just come out of the shower. His tan biceps showed taunt muscles underneath. His small lips were etched in a thin line as he focused on the road. He looked familiar. I narrowed my eyes to get a better look as my mind wondered if narrowing your eyes help you see better. Did it? My brain was weird. \"Wait,\" I said taken aback. \"Levi?\" I asked. \"The one and only,\" he said with a smirk on his face after successfully pulling a fast one on me. \"No!\" she said, frantically shaking her head. Time has done him good. Those boyish looks she used to tease him about were now grown and manly. There was a bit of stubble growing on his chin. There wasn't an ounce of baby fat to be found anywhere. \"This can't be true! It's you? It's really you?\" Not being able to resist her smile and excitement, he found himself

7 smiling too. She found herself wanting to hug him tightly! \"You jerk!\" she said punching him in the arm. \"If you would have just told me it was you, we wouldn't have gone through all that,\" she added. She rolled her eyes at his childish antics but kept grinning ear to ear. \"Wow!\" She couldn't but feel excited. \"It's you!\" \"And it's you!\" He smiled looking back at her. She and Levi weren't exactly best friends, but she would always look forward to seeing him when she came down for the summer. He would always have trouble for them to get into. She was surprised that despite their four-year age difference, he never looked down at her or acted like she was too young. He treated her like a regular person. It's no wonder she used to have a huge crush on him, one she was sure no one knew about except her. \"If I'm nineteen now, you must be like what?\" She quickly did the math in her head. \"twenty-three?\" He nodded his head, \"Yup, since April.\" \"Man does time fly.\" \"Only when you're having fun,\" he said winking at her. She threw her head back in laughter, that was such a Levi thing to say. \"So, what have you been up to since

8 I've been gone?” She turned to her side to get a better view.” Any new girlfriends? Any new jobs? How's school?\" The questions came right after another. She couldn't help it! It's been so long and there was so much to share! \"Woah! One question at a time Grace or else I'll feel like I'm filling out an oral application!\" he shimmied in the chair trying to find a more comfortable position He expected her to ask questions but no so soon and no so fast. \"Sorry.\" She slumped down into the chair feeling like a nuisance. He chose to answer the simplest question first. \"I've been doing what I've always done, nothing special. I’m just working and taking care of my grandparents.\" It was a simple life, one with occasional surprises but it's what he preferred. \"If anyone has been out doing spectacular stuff, it's you.\" He said chucking his chin towards her. She was the one from the big city. From what he's heard from her grandma. She was constantly traveling and doing all sorts of activities. She swam in the Pacific Ocean, ran a half marathon, went vegan for a month, tried snowboarding, rode an elephant, and other crazy stuff that made his head spin just thinking about it. \"I heard you're going to a university in New York.\"

9 She bounced her head up and down excitedly. \"You heard right then.\" Most likely he heard from her grandma. She was the second person she called once she got accepted into New York University. She planned on working towards a degree in counseling for mental health and wellness. She could imagine grandma spreading the news around the town, visiting every store and neighbor to give them the good news. \"Nice, we're all proud of you.\" \"Thanks.” The support she received from Levi and her grandma were more than she received in her own home. “Now answer the rest of the questions.\" He groaned but used the red light as an opportunity to look over at her, \"Do I have to?\" he asked. \"Mhm.\" \"I'm not dating anyone —\" \"Why not?” she asked. “You're a good-looking guy, there has to be a girl somewhere who wants you.\" It was a small town, but that doesn’t mean there weren't options. There were Lola Mitchell and her sister Lilly. There was David's little sister Anne and Olivia's daughter Casey.

10 He chuckled and shook his head, \"Maybe because I don't want one Grace... Maybe there is a girl out there, but I just don't want to be with her.\" \"At all?\" she asked shocked. It was the strangest thing she ever heard in her life. \"For now,\" he corrected. \"And for school, I don't go to school.\" \"You already went to a university?\" she asked. \"No, I went to a technical college.\" It was money well spent. He's never been one of those studying types. \"And studied what?\" she asked. \"Automotive service technology,\" \"English please?\" she asked. He felt his eyes start to twitch and his blood pressure start to rise like a kettle on a stove. \"You're the one going to fancy university, shouldn't you know what it means?\" It came out harsher than he intended. He should've apologized like his grandma would expect him to but didn't. He didn't get a chance to anyway. \"If I did, would have I asked?”

11 \"Probably. If you hadn't notice, you like to annoy me sometimes just for the fun of it,” he said to smooth things over. That was true. \"But really, what is it?\" \"Simply put, I learned how to fix cars.\" \"That's not an education though, what are you going to do to survive?\" She would hate to see Levi living in poverty. He had a quick mind and was good at working with his hands. His ability to crunch numbers always left her amazed. \"I've been surviving just fine —\" \"But for how long?” she asked. “That's not a real education Levi, it would be a real waste not to use your intelligence to get a real education so you can get a real job.\" She was lost in her rant that she didn't notice the reddening of his face and the clenching of his hands. \"Not everyone comes from a family that's well off and prospering —\" She understood that more than anyone but the point he was trying to make went right over her head. She was suffering from tunnel vision. \"I know but—\" \"Drop it Grace,\" he said with a coldness to his tone. He turned up the radio to cut the conversation short

12 and eliminate the possibility of another. She slumped down in her seat again and stayed quiet this time. She was just trying up help. She's always cared about Levi. She just wanted to help. She rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, they weren’t just from the cool air blasting from the air conditioner. Except for the radio playing, the car was quiet and void of any talking. She looked at him repetitively, trying to telepathically communicate to him to look at her, but he never did. He was focused solely on the highway then later then the bumpy dirt road. When they pulled up into her grandma's parkway, she saw her grandma sitting in grandpa's old wooden rocking chair on the porch with three glasses of raspberry lemonade beside her. Not waiting for the car to come to a full stop, she opened the door yelling \"Grandma!\" and ran up the porch steps. It's been a couple of years since she last saw her, but time has done her good. \"My baby girl.\" She said squeezing her tightly. She smelled like sugar cookies and lemonade. \"Welcome home for the summer!\"

13 Two My grandma tried her hardest to convince Levi to stay over for a meal, but her charm wasn't working this time. He wanted to be as far away as possible from me. \"What did you do to scare him off?\" she asked watching him speed away, leaving a mini dust storm and mud tracks behind him. \"Nothing,\" I mumbled wanting to forget about the last few minutes of the ride over here. \"You look good grandma!\" There were more wrinkles on her brown face than when I was a little girl, yet it only made me see her as a wiser woman. \"Do I?\" she asked striking a pose. The grey hairs suited her just fine. She was wearing her favorite blue cotton dress. The plaid reminded me of a picnic basket. \"Don't be surprised! You always do.\" I grabbed my suitcase and took my first step into the house. The floorboards creaked as they always did. \"Home sweet home!\" I said giddily bouncing up and down.

14 \"You know where to go, right?\" By the smile on her face and the teasing in her voice, I assumed she wasn't in pain right now. \"Yup, I'll be right back.\" Each summer I came here, my mom's old room became less like her room and more like mine. The old band posters were removed and replaced with my drawings and report cards. The desk was filled with books I read over the summer and borrowed from the library. The white walls were painted mint green with yellow stripes instead of the violet color she chose. I emptied my suitcase and stored away my clothes in the walk-in closet and the drawers. The sunset caught my attention from the window above the bed. I climbed on and pried the windows open. It smelled like summer and looked like it too. The ducks were retiring to the lake down the road and the birds were flying back to their nests. Seeing the sunset made me feel closer to my mom, she said it was the reason she chose this room to be hers. My grandma was moving her hips to the sound of Wait by Maroon 5 as she placed the crockpot chicken and noodles on a large white plate. I stole a piece of garlic bread from the bread basket and took a bite. \"Good as always.\" I climbed on the white countertop. \"Greedy as always.\" She smiled as she stirred it around.

15 \"I'm a growing girl.\" I said accepting the plate she handed me followed by a fork. The smell alone made my mouth start watering and my eyes tear up. I missed having home cook meals. Back at home, I had to rely on my poor cooking skills and take out. \"Aren't you going to eat too?\" I asked. “This will be enough.” Her plate had a tiny morsel of food and the smallest piece of bread. She slowly made her way to the porch where the lemonade waited. Two of the six ice cubes were gone. \"So, how was the plane ride?\" she asked taking a bite of the bread. \"Uh, I was squished in between a very talkative lady,\" I said taking a bite of the noodles and sipping the lemonade. It wasn't a tasty combination, yet I swallowed it down. \"The highlight of the conversation was hearing her talk about her daughter's recital that happened a month ago. It was a big scandal.\" I said dramatically. \"Her ex-boyfriend came with his new girlfriend and they ended up sitting in the same row.\" I said. \"She thinks she looks like a Barbie doll which I can attest to,” I said raising my right hand. “She showed me a picture on her phone.\" I wiped my mouth with a napkin. \"Other than that, it was uneventful.\" I did, however, have a question on my mind that I wanted to ask. \"Why didn't you tell me Levi was coming to get me?\"

16 \"I thought it would be a nice surprise. You like surprises, don't you? Don't tell me my granddaughter has changed so much I don't even know her anymore?\" she asked. \"No, no I do like surprises… just not all surprises.\" If I knew he was coming, I would've been more prepared. I wouldn’t have made such an idiot of myself. Levi was tricky. Our friendship for me was like walking on a tightrope, one false move and I would fall to the group. \"Beggars can't be choosers dear.\" \"Ain't that the truth,\" I said before taking another bite of my chicken. The inside was moist and well- seasoned. \"If it wasn't, I wouldn't have stopped coming here every summer.\" She gave me a wishful look as she took my hand in hers. \"You're here now Grace, that's all that matters.\" She squeezed as tightly as she could and that's how we remained for the remainder of the evening until the mosquitos forced us inside.

17 Three There was a lake not too far from the house. It was quiet and tranquil there. Sometimes the ducks visited and other times you could catch snakes slithering around to retreat to dark and cool hideaway. The snakes were harmless, at least that's what Levi always told me. I wouldn't be surprised if he told me that so I wouldn’t be scared. If he did, it worked. The following day, I rode my old yellow bike there and brought along a book for some light reading. My favorite tree, a Florida Maple, was still there in all its glory. Its leaves colored with muted yellows were starting to fall. The gray bark was a giveaway that it was old. I rested my bike on one side and sat on the other side. Before I opened my book, I sent a quick text to my mom reminding her to take her medications. She hated it when I did that, but I did anyway. I didn’t want a repeat of my past. A response never came but I knew she read it. For the next two hours, I lost myself in the graphics in the comic book and laughed at the misfortunes of this poor girl. I knew it was lunchtime when my stomach started rumbling and aching. The smart thing to do would be to head back but I was too close to the end to stop now.

18 ~~~  ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ \"I'll be in the room taking a nap.\" My grandma said. She was tired from our walk earlier this morning around the lake. She wouldn't admit it, but her hip was hurting. When she thought I wasn’t looking, she popped a pain reliever in her mouth. Trying to be as helpful as I could, I grabbed the grocery list off the fridge and headed to the fresh market on foot. I was there in ten minutes; I could have gotten there quicker if I didn't get distracted by Riley and Savannah. They were arguing in the park. If I hadn't gotten there, things were going to get physical. I used to babysit the two eleven-year-old siblings. Now they were grown and had a vague idea of who I was. \"Good afternoon Grace, I thought I'd be all grey by the time I saw you again,\" said Frankie. He's been the mailman for years. He was barely grey, just a few hairs here and there. \"I laughed as his exaggeration. \"It's good to have you back!\" \"It's good to be back Frankie, how's Isabella?\" I asked. His mustache was firmly on his face as ever. \"Oh, you know that crazy woman is always up to something.\" He adjusted the straps on his bag. \"But she is doing well thanks for asking. She would be