Maria Hope grabbed her black converse that sat by the screen door. Her mother always said that “those converse were a boy’s shoe,” but Maria found no offense in those claims. She tied up the mud-stained, white laces and then ran out the screen door, hearing it slam shut behind her.
“Maria!” she could hear her mother yell as she ran out of the front yard, “be back before dark!”
Maria slowed down as she neared the field. The dirt road was empty, and the sun was hot. Typically, she saw no other person on this lonely road. She usually had it all to herself. Except for that ridiculously hot summer day, when she came across a young boy, who sat hugging his knees on the side of the empty dirt road. She slowly approached the boy who was, at that moment, unaware of her existence.
“Whatcha doin?” she asked hesitantly. The boy jerked his head up and placed his hands on the ground, ready to jump up.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said fidgeting with the hem of her pink floral dress that hit just above her knee. Unsuspecting any danger, she plopped down beside the boy.
“My name is Maria Hope,” she stuck out her hand for him to shake it. The boy, still looking half-stunned and somewhat annoyed, just looked at her. She dropped her hand down.
“Did your parents not teach you any manners?” she asked giggling, “that’s ok, I don’t mind,”
Maria looked around at her surroundings. The dirt road sat alone separating a large field and some woods. The sun beat down on the lonely road. The flat, open terrain made Maria feel small. Although she walked this road almost every day, she never really took the time to stop and embrace the atmosphere around it. She looked back over at the boy, who just stared at her with his mouth half open.
“Well,” Maria began, “you should come with me. I’m going to the woods, just down the road here,” she pointed down the road. Then she stood up and swiped the dust off her dress.
“Well, see you around, I guess,” Maria stated as she began to continue down the road. She walked towards the fence post that stood alone on the left side of the road. This was where Maria would enter the woods. Then, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see the boy running up to her. His bare feet throwing up dirt as he ran. He finally caught up with her and they walked together to the fence post.
When they reached the fence post, Maria stopped. Here is where she took the time to admire the surroundings. The skinny trees which towered high above Maria, the beautiful colors, and if she closed her eyes, she could focus on birds singing love songs. Then she continued, once again, into the woods. A day like that sweltering summer day was the perfect time to be in the shaded woods. Especially woods that had a creek. As they walked over fallen leaves and sticks, Maria wondered about the boy.
“Do you have a name?” she asked. The boy swallowed.
“That’s ok, you don’t have to tell me. You don’t have to tell me anything actually-“
“David,” the boy said, “My name is David,”
“Where do you live?” Maria questioned as she climbed over a fallen tree.
“Down off, uh, Mansfield Road,” David replied climbing over the tree after Maria.
“Mansfield!” Maria exclaimed, “that’s almost three miles away! What are you doing over here?” she stopped and looked at him, concerned. He shrugged his shoulders, showing no sign of concern.
“Do your parents know your this far out?” Maria asked in a worried tone as David kept walking.
“Yeah, they don’t care,” David kept walking through the woods even though he didn’t know where he was going, “well, my mom does care a little, but she just listens to my father,”
“Oh, and so your father doesn’t care?” Maria questioned.
“Nah,”
“Why not?” Maria wondered. David shrugged his shoulders in response.
“He’s got bills to pay and a family to provide for,” David spoke in a mocking tone. Maria stopped walking and turned to look at him.
“Funny that he says that cause’ he just spends his money on beer, and a stupid statue of a rooster that he put in the front yard,” David picked up a stick.
“That’s interesting,” she was unsure of how to respond, “I’m sorry,”
“It’s not your fault; besides, you should be sorry for my little brothers,” David continued walking, slashing the stick at little green plants along the trail, “they’re twins, and I have to take care of them a lot,”
“What are their names,” Maria asked as she got in front of David to lead the way.
“Luke and John,” David responded, throwing his stick off in the distance.
“Hmm, catchy,” Maria laughed, “are they really close?”
“Yeah,” David chuckled, “It’s two against one when I’m around them,”
Maria walked under the half-fallen tree, which meant that the creek was close. She finally began to hear and see the little creek in the distance.
“You come out hear a lot?” David asked as they came upon the creek.
“Just about every day,” she smiled. The creek welcomed her with the sounds of gentle running water. She could almost feel the sensation of the crisp, cool water rushing around her feet. She began to untie her converse and then she set them upon a nearby rock. David, having no shoes to take off, gladly walked into the creek.
“It’s so cold,” David turned to look at Maria, somewhat surprised, since it was so hot out.
“It runs all year long, so the water stays cold,” Maria replied as she walked into the creek. David let out a laugh and then sat down in the almost two feet of water. Then he leaned back, submerging his head under the moving water.
Maria and David stayed in the creek for close to an hour, until they became somewhat tired and decided to go to the shore and sit on the rocks.
“The stones are thirsty,” Maria stated as cupped her hands, scooped up some water, and then poured it over the rock that she was sitting on.
“They’re just rocks,” David chuckled in response.
“Maybe, but I think they’re special,”
“You’re pretty strange,” David told her.
“Thanks,” Maria laughed, “my mom says it’s ok to be different, she tells me that I’m one of a kind,” Maria noticed David smile, and then look away, but his smiled faded.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad,” Maria responded. David shook his head.
“Nah, you didn’t make me sad,” he paused as he picked a blade of grass beside him, “I’m glad you’re happy,”
“You deserve to be happy too, you know,” Maria replied. David, once again, shook his head from side to side. Maria noticed the sun was beginning to set.
“Hey, I’ve got to get home,” Maria stood up. David reluctantly stood up also.
“You’re not allowed to stay out after dark?” David questioned. Maria shook her head.
“My mom doesn’t like me to,” she responded as began to put her converse back on.
“Oh, yeah, well-,” David began.
“I’ll be out tomorrow though,” Maria told him. David smiled.
“So will I,”
“Well, I can meet you at the creek then, since you know where it is now,” Maria said.
“Ok,” David agreed and then stuck out his hand. Maria smiled and then shook his hand. She then began to make her way out of the woods and onto the dirt road.
She began to hear the crickets and could feel a slight drop in the temperature as she walked back. As much as she didn’t want to think about it, she knew that David would not be going home for some time.
The next day, Maria decided to pack some food and water to take with her to the creek. Once she had packed two chicken salad sandwiches and two bottles of water in a bag, she slung it over her shoulder and began to make her way to the creek. Upon arriving at the creek, she set the bag down and observed the area. It seemed as though David hadn’t arrived yet. She began to untie her converse as she sat on the big, flat rock.
“Hey,” David’s voice appeared, “look what I’ve built,”
Maria turned to her left to see David appear from the woods. She stood up and could see a little fort that David had built with some fallen sticks and limbs.
“How long did it take you?” Maria asked curiously.
“Not too long, I got it up before dark,” David responded with a proud tone in his voice.
“Before dark?” Maria questioned, “you mean you stayed out here last night?”
“Yeah,” David responded enthusiastically. Maria’s mouth dropped open.
“David,” she spoke harshly, “that’s not safe,”
“It’s fine,” David chuckled, “I do it all the time,” he then walked over to the creek and began to walk around, splashing the water by kicking his legs.
“You mean you haven’t been home since yesterday?” David nodded his head and seemed unbothered by Maria’s concern.
“Well, at least I brought some food,” Maria picked up the bag and held it out to him. David ran out of the creek and sat down on the rock beside Maria.
“Really! I’m starving,” David tore open the bag and began to scoff down the first sandwich. Maria sat quite stunned as she observed David. He truly was starving. He swallowed the last bite of the first sandwich and then grabbed the other one. Before he bit into it though, he paused.
“Were you going to eat this?” He asked. Maria shook her head.
“David, you have to go home,” Maria said hesitantly as she watched David devour both sandwiches and the waters.
“I will,” David wiped his mouth, “when I think it’s ok to go back,”
“What about your brothers?” Maria replied. David sat silent for a moment, then he rubbed his forehead.
“Yeah, I got to go back,” he spoke quietly.
David and Maria spent the rest of that day playing in the creek. However, they both knew that the fun time would end, understanding that David would have to return home. Acknowledging that he would be in some type of trouble, David told Maria that he didn’t know when he would be back. Thus, reluctantly, the two parted ways, unsure of when they would meet again.
For the next five days, Maria went to the creek, however, David was never there. When one week passed, Maria decided that she would wait three more days and if she didn’t see David, she would go and find his house, to make sure that he was still alive. Although it was still a sizzling summer day, the sun was not that bright. Grayish clouds were slowly overtaking the blue sky as Maria walked down the dirt road. The wind blew harshly, continuously stirring up the dust into her eyes. She could see the dark grey storm clouds coming nearer in the distance.
She began to run toward the fence post, where she would enter the woods. Running quickly, yet cautiously, she made her way over the fallen sticks and leaves. She came upon the creek and stopped running. And to her surprise stood David, leaning on a tree.
“David!” Maria said excitedly, “you’re back!”
“Yeah,” David chuckled, “still alive,”
“What happened?” Maria asked as she sat down on the big, flat rock.
“Well, whenever I got home, my parents weren’t too mad,” David sat down beside her, “but my dad took me with him to the rock quarry, where he works,”
“The rock quarry?” Maria spoke in a haunted tone, “you mean the one that’s a full day away? The one where people die?”
“Yeah,” David paused, “yeah, I worked really hard, and they want me to come back,”
“No, you can’t,” Maria shook her head.
“Why not? I’m still alive,” David stood up.
“How many people did you see get killed?” Maria demanded.
“Three,” David spoke quietly, “I got caught in the middle of a gun fight actually,”
Maria stood up and threw her hands in the air. The wind was picking up a lot, so she struggled to keep her hair out of her face.
“Do you hear yourself? I only saw three people die,” Maria questioned him forcefully.
“Yeah, but the pay is really good. I can buy my own food now, Maria,” David paused, “but you wouldn’t understand that,”
“Look, I’m just trying to look out for you,” Maria responded.
“I don’t need you to look out for me,” David stood straighter. Maria slowly began to nod her head as she began to feel small, cold raindrops hit her skin.
“Fine,” Maria awkwardly fidgeted with the hem of her dress, “guess I’ll see you around then,” She then turned quickly and began to run away from the creek. The rain was coming down steadily now and it was cold on her skin. She ran onto the dirt road, which would soon be turned into a mud road. Her feet hit the ground hard as she ran with anger.
“Maria!” She heard her name being called.
“Maria, wait!” David yelled after her as he ran behind her. Since he was faster, he caught up to Maria and grabbed her arm, slowing her down.
“What?” Maria yelled, “I thought you didn’t need me!”
“That’s not what I said!” David yelled in response, “I said I don’t need you to look out for me, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want you to,”
Maria opened her mouth as if to say something, but she said nothing. She realized that David was saying that he was sorry. Maria looked at David. His white shirt was soaked and was see through now. His brown hair was dripping wet and stuck to his head. She could see raindrops fly off his eyelashes every time he blinked. He breathed heavily and had a look of desperation in his eyes. Unsure of what to say, Maria gave him a hug.
“Come on, we should get out of the rain,” Maria said as she squinted her eyes, trying to see better in the now down pour.
Maria and David ran to her house. They ate peanut butter sandwiches and played a few card games before going back outside once the rain had stopped.
“Where’s your dad?” David asked Maria when they were walking along the dirt road.
“He um, he passed away three years ago,” Maria responded bluntly.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” David was slightly shocked, “why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was never a good time to bring it up,” Maria shrugged her shoulders, wiping the sweat off her brow. It was extra humid out since the rain had just ended. The sun was bright, and Maria thought she could smell the mud and the wet grass.
“Was it hard?” David asked her. Maria began to nod her head.
“Yeah,” she paused, “I forgot to give him a hug the last time I saw him. He was in a car wreck,” Maria suddenly stopped talking. She had never told anyone about how she didn’t hug her father before he died and it was stirring up that feeling of sadness, and she didn’t like sad things.
“I can’t believe school starts in two weeks,” Maria spoke, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” David agreed, “the boys are gonna make so much fun of me,”
“Why?” Maria asked.
“Cause’ I’ve been hanging around a girl,” he responded.
“Oh please! You poor thing,” Maria laughed. Then she picked up a scoop of mud and threw it at David. Hitting his shoulder, the mud splattered with part of it going onto his face. Maria laughed even harder and began to run down the dirt road.
Maria and David spent the next two weeks spending all the daylight they got at the creek. Building forts, bridges, and swings, they had created their own paradise. However, once school had started, they couldn’t do that anymore, except in the afternoon. After the first week of school though, Maria saw less and less of David. Eventually he stopped going to school and he even stopped going to the creek. One day, Maria found him at the creek.
“You better have a good story,” Maria approached him as he sat on the flat rock, tracing the lines with his finger. David said nothing in response and instead just looked forward.
“Um, David, hello!” Maria spoke up. David stood up, revealing a black eye.
“Don’t worry about me anymore, Maria,” David walked past her as spoke.
“What are you talking about?” Maria was getting more frustrated. David stopped walking and turned to face her. He stuck out his hand, waiting for Maria to shake it. She shook her head from side to side, refusing to shake his hand.
“Why would I do that?” Maria questioned, “I’ll see you tomorrow, when you finally decide to show up at school,” David dropped his hand and began to shake his head.
“Use your words, David,” she demanded.
“We’re leaving,” he stated, “my dad lost his job here so, we’re going to the rock quarry, we’re leaving,”
Maria didn’t know what to say. She took a deep breath, trying to understand what David had just told her.
“Sorry,” David said.
“I’ll see you again, right?” Maria asked, quietly. David shrugged his shoulders.
“Maybe,” he paused, “hopefully,” It was silent for a moment. Maria studied the ground beneath her. The dirt was dry and covered with small pebbles.
“I got to go now,” David put his hands in his pockets. Maria looked up at David. His left eye was red, from where he had been hit.
“I never noticed that you have green eyes,” Maria blurted out. David smiled.
“I’ll see you around, Maria Hope,” he responded.
“See you around, David,” Maria replied. David took a deep breath and then turned to exit the woods. Maria was left standing in the big woods all by herself. Although she was used to being alone and had often enjoyed it, after spending the summer with David, she had grown to hate it. Maria sat on the flat rock and brought her knees close to her chest. She didn’t cry and she didn’t laugh. In fact, she sat with no emotion written on her face. I didn’t give him a hug. Maria jumped up. She then took off running out of the woods. The sun was beginning to set, making her realize that she sat in the woods for a long time.
No, no! Maria thought to herself as she ran down the dirt road. Maria didn’t stop running until she got to Mansfield Road, which was three miles away from the creek. Tears began to slowly trickle down her face as she ran harder. Her legs and chest burned, but she couldn’t stop.
She began to run down Mansfield Road, actively looking for a house with a rooster statue and a sold sign. The houses were far away from the road, and they were spread far apart. However, in the distance she could see a small house on the right side of the road. As she came upon the red, rickety mailbox, she stopped running. She saw the sold sign in the front yard and a tipped-over statue of a red rooster. She then began to run down the long, gravel driveway. There were no cars at the home and no furniture on the front porch.
She ran up the old wooden steps and knocked on the screen door. She heard nothing. Tears began to flow, and she began to breathe heavily. She opened the screen door and then opened the door, which was surprisingly unlocked. She walked inside an empty room. The house smelled like cigarette smoke and water damage. No one was home. Everyone was gone, except for Maria who stood lifeless and limp in the empty front room. She slowly walked out of the house and then sat on the front porch step. With no one around, or even nearby, she hugged her knees and began to cry softly. Maria began to realize that she would probably never see David again. After all, the rock quarry was a dangerous place.
The crickets were loud. The sun was almost completely away for the night. Yet, Maria still sat on that front porch step. Taking a deep breath, she dried her tears. Coming to the realization that she hated goodbyes; she stood up and began to walk away from Mansfield Road. As she walked past the fence post, she realized that once again, it was just her and her black converse on that lonely dirt road.
