{"id":828,"date":"2011-03-07T12:58:44","date_gmt":"2011-03-07T17:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.old.caraghobrien.com\/book\/?p=828"},"modified":"2013-03-30T17:27:15","modified_gmt":"2013-03-30T21:27:15","slug":"porch-meeting-bonnie-at-fifteen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/miscellaneous\/porch-meeting-bonnie-at-fifteen\/","title":{"rendered":"Porch Meeting: Bonnie at Fifteen"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is a bit story about characters from the world of Birthmarked<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The field laborers were collecting their lunch buckets and heading home when Bonnie Orion came up out of the unlake.\u00a0 She slowed to watch how the late afternoon light washed the men and women in anonymous orange, aging them into indistinguishable silhouettes, until the road fed up against the first houses of Wharfton, and with the changing angle of light, they transformed into unique, tired individuals.<\/p>\n

She wasn\u2019t particularly surprised when Theo Rupp veered out to join her, and when she saw how he smiled, she didn\u2019t have the heart to tell him it was only coincidence that had brought her there at that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat herbs were you looking for today?\u201d he asked, falling into step beside her.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few different kinds.\u00a0 The rose hips are ripe just now.\u00a0 I found some chamomile, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNice.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was filthy from his work, his shirt drenched with sweat, and his arms where he\u2019d rolled up his sleeves were a burnished tan.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t you ever burn?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Do you have some lotion for me?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cTry keeping your sleeves down, like the smart people.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed, and pointed a thumb over his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cI promised my mother I\u2019d pick up some eggs.\u00a0 Come with me, and then I\u2019ll walk you back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to bother,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll just take a minute.\u00a0 It\u2019s right on the way. \u00a0It’ll be good to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnie didn\u2019t want to go, but Theo had such an awkward, eager way of dipping his face to look under her hat brim that she couldn\u2019t be rude to him.\u00a0 He walked sideways up the road, talking animatedly to make her laugh. \u00a0Soon he pushed open a gate to a dusty yard, and she looked up the path to a small, stone house with a porch along the front.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee?\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t far,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 \u201cThis will only take a minute.\u00a0 I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A figure sat cross-legged on the floor of the porch, huddled over a jumbled handful of small gears.\u00a0 The slant of the late sunlight had shifted the line of shade into a sharp diagonal, and when he glanced up, he had to squint in their direction. \u00a0Bonnie realized he wasn\u2019t a child with toys, but a young man only slightly older than she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, Jasper,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 \u201cDo you have those eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re around back,\u201d Jasper said, his gaze on Bonnie.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou going to get them for me?\u201d Theo said.<\/p>\n

Jasper lifted the gears.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m kind of in the middle of something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been in the middle of that for half a year,\u201d Theo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFour months,\u201d Jasper said.\u00a0 He brushed his brown hair off his forehead, still looking at her.<\/p>\n

She came nearer. \u00a0Something smelled like coffee, but she couldn’t see a cup or pot.\u00a0 \u201cHi,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Bonnie Orion,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 \u201cJasper Stone.\u00a0 We\u2019re kind of in a hurry.\u00a0 The eggs?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jasper gave him a little wave but didn\u2019t get up.\u00a0 \u201cHelp yourself.\u00a0 They\u2019re in a basket, on the shelf, by the coop.\u00a0 You know the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theo put a hand on his hip for a second.\u00a0 \u201cIs this what you call service?\u201d<\/p>\n

Shifting his regard to Theo, Jasper simply waited, the picture of calm self-assurance, and said nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 With an apologetic shrug to Bonnie, he started around the corner.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll just be a second.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d Bonnie said.<\/p>\n

Jasper patted the step before him.\u00a0 \u201cWant to sit?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnie wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0 She couldn\u2019t quite figure him out, but she took a step closer to where shade fell on her shoulders.\u00a0 A banjo rested on the chair behind him, and an odd metal frame stood waist-high beside that.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you working on?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the pieces for a sewing machine.\u00a0 One of my neighbors gave me the kit after I did some work for her.\u00a0 It came with no assembly directions and it\u2019s missing a couple pieces, so it’s taking me longer than it should.\u00a0 I don\u2019t get to work on it very often, either, but I can’t let it go, you know?\u201d\u00a0 Jasper\u2019s voice had a rusty quality she liked, and his brown eyes were attentive and curious.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll figure it out,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you will.\u201d\u00a0 She smoothed her skirt beneath her as she sat, and set the basket beside her.\u00a0 \u201cIs your shirt purple?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 Odd hue, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 I like how it feels, though.\u00a0 It\u2019s soft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to tell the color in the orange light.\u201d\u00a0 She wished she could touch it.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo ahead,\u201d he said, offering out his arm.<\/p>\n

She pinched a bit of his sleeve lightly between her fingers to rub it, liking it, and then let go.\u00a0 She looked down at her fingers, almost expecting to find them tinged with purple.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheo likes you, you know.\u00a0 Are you going out with him?\u201d Jasper asked.\u00a0 He lifted his eyebrows.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s good,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cAnyone else?\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head, smiling. \u00a0\u201cAre you always this direct?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it matters.\u00a0 What\u2019s in your basket?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRose hips.\u00a0 Chamomile.\u201d<\/p>\n

He tugged the basket, peering down inside.\u00a0 \u201cDid you dig them up because you need the roots, or are you transplanting them?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransplanting them,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m trying to start an herb garden.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard without much water, but if these grow in the unlake, they should be okay in Western Sector Three, don\u2019t you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSure.\u201d\u00a0 He rubbed a bit of the chamomile leaf and then lifted the scent to just below his nose.\u00a0 \u201cMy mother likes this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is she?\u201d\u00a0 Bonnie reached to separate out a bunch of the chamomile and twirled it gently upside down to shake off a few flakes of dirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents went to the Tvaltar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd left you behind?\u201d\u00a0 She wondered if his family couldn\u2019t afford an extra pass.<\/p>\n

He smiled.\u00a0 \u201cI wanted to stay and do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

She glanced down.\u00a0 Besides the knot of gears he held in his hands, other metal, mechanical pieces were carefully laid out on a clean piece of gray cloth.\u00a0 She picked up a heavy, flat grill of ironwork, recognizing it as a treadle.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what it\u2019s supposed to look like?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stopped in at the tailor\u2019s once and inspected the innards of his machine.\u00a0 It\u2019s a different make, but I got the idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not mechanical at all,\u201d Bonnie said, setting the treadle back in line.\u00a0 \u201cMy mom works at a repair shop.\u00a0 She might be able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe probably could, but where\u2019s the fun in that?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed. \u00a0She knew what he meant. \u00a0He leaned his elbow easily on his knee, and let his fingers go idle as he smiled at her.<\/p>\n

Theo came around the corner of the house with the eggs in his lunch bucket, and when he saw them, his smile visibly faded.\u00a0 Bonnie felt an odd hitch in her chest, as if, without even trying, she\u2019d disappointed him.\u00a0 She slid forward on the step, preparing to stand, and she realized that if Jasper asked her to stay a little longer, she would want to.<\/p>\n

\u201cFind the eggs okay?\u201d Jasper asked Theo.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0 He took a nugget wrapped in brown paper from his lunch pail and set it on the seat of the chair beside the banjo. \u00a0Bonnie guessed it was a chunk of the hard cheese Theo\u2019s mother often traded.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Jasper said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on our way, then,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 \u201cReady, Bonnie?\u201d<\/p>\n

As she stood and turned to look at Jasper once more, a breeze lifted a strand of her light hair before her eyes and she had to reach to clear it free and hold it back for a moment.\u00a0 She offered Jasper the bunch of chamomile.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t pay,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all right.\u00a0 It\u2019s a gift for your mother,\u201d Bonnie said.<\/p>\n

Jasper reached for it, twirling it slightly, and when he lifted his gaze to hers, his smile was rather strained.\u00a0 \u201cTell me something now, Masister,\u201d Jasper said.\u00a0 \u201cAre you going to break my heart?\u201d<\/p>\n

She could have laughed.<\/p>\n

Theo certainly did.\u00a0 \u201cVery smooth, Jasper.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bonnie took a step backward, toward the gate, but she was smiling deeply now.\u00a0 He would come and see her garden.\u00a0 She would see his sewing machine when it was finished.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t care how she knew these things.\u00a0 She just did.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never would,\u201d she said to Jasper, lightly enough so that Theo would think she was joking.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Jasper said.\u00a0 \u201cThen I can let you go now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a big relief, I\u2019m sure,\u201d Theo said.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Bonnie.\u00a0 The guy\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She nodded, happy.\u00a0 And she was nice to Theo all the way back to Western Sector Three, because he was the one who had introduced her to Jasper Stone, and everything sweet in the world was destined to come true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following is a bit story about characters from the world of Birthmarked. The field laborers were collecting their lunch buckets and heading home when Bonnie Orion came up out of the unlake.\u00a0 She slowed to watch how the late afternoon light washed the men and women in anonymous orange, aging them into indistinguishable silhouettes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miscellaneous","tag-tie-in-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":832,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions\/832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.caraghobrien.com\/book\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}