Northern_Lights_2021

38 “I liked her,” he had sobbed pitifully, and it took everything in Willow not to brush his tears away. She knew he wouldn’t have liked that. Ike Chizoba was still a proud boy in every sense of the word, after all. “I really liked her.” He rubbed the heel of his palm into his eyes roughly, as if he were trying to push the tears back into his eyes. “I really like her.” As mentioned before, their feud ended in their freshman year of high school when Ike Chizoba had been hanging about New Town, West Virginia, and had beaten up some boys bothering Dee Robins outside of Ashe Salix’s Diner and Coffee House. Ike had taken a few hits himself and knew either of their parents would be infuriated at the prospect of their kids getting into trouble—so the two had absconded to Cooper’s Rock lakeshore with a small first-aid kit they had stolen from William Matsudana’s corner shoppe. Underneath Willow’s canopy of foliage, where Ike Chizoba had been crying alone not much over a year before, Dee treated the cuts on Ike’s face—and there, they finally talked out their feud. Willow had watched as Dee leaned over to kiss Ike on the lips for the very first time, her limbs had swayed in contentment. It had made her happy to provide them shade as they rested at her trunk, wide enough for the both. That had been their routine since freshman year. At night, Ike Chizoba would bike to Old Town, West Virginia, where he would pick Dee Robins up, and then bike them both to the Cooper’s Rock lakeshore. Together, the two would sit beneath Willow’s foliage until the sun began to fall. One day, Dee had carved their initials into her trunk. It had hurt, but Willow was happy that she could carry a reminder of their time together, no matter where the couple might end up. Willow was a living memory for the two, and that made her happy. The years passed, and the two came less and less often. Ike had finally gotten a car, and they had told their parents about their relationship. There was less hiding out, and more of the two going between Old Town and New Geyser, West Virginia. Willow was always a bit sad in their absence, especially when six months passed with the two not visiting, but she knew they were still having fun together. She only came to understand why no one was coming to visit anymore when Dee and Ike had reached their senior year. The moonlight had reflected on the water of the Cooper’s Rock lake front that night as it rippled from the moving form of Dee Robins, captain of the Old Town swim team, and Ike Chizoba, her boyfriend and a senior member of the New Geyser photography club. They had sneaked through the darkness of the Cooper’s Rock National Forest and into the Cooper’s Rock lake for a midnight tryst. Dee had dropped their duffel bag containing their change of clothing, ready for them once they finally tired after their swim. As Dee had set up her towel, Ike was already removing his shirt—backing up for a running start before he cannonballed into the lake. The water splashed and stilled before Ike finally breached the surface once more with a goofy smile on his face. Dee returned the smile.