Page 21 of Killer Summer
Dani’s eyes darted from her rearview mirror to the darkened edges of the woods as she drove away from the park. It didn’t take much to spook her or set her on edge, and it was true that she was suspicious of everyone and everything. Normally, she could shrug off her anxieties and remind herself that she was safe. That evening, none of her usual coping methods were working. She could only hope that a visit with her aunt would soothe her nerves and remind her that everything was okay.
Lisa Spencer lived a mile and a half from the park on the other side of Lake Seminole in a 55+ community of prefab homes. Like Dani, her Aunt Lisa was reserved and had few friends, preferringto focus on her own hobbies and interests instead. Her aunt was kind, but hardened on the outside by a tough life and an unusual, sordid past. The two women were more alike than either of them would care to admit and sometimes butted heads because of it. Lisa Spencer didn’t talk much about her past and neither did Dani, and they respected each other’s boundaries.
Dani spent every Friday night with her aunt, just as she had done for the last twenty-five years since she moved to Florida to live with her. Lisa was Dani’s only living relative, a symptom of being born to older parents in a small and often emotionally distant family. There were no cousins, no other aunts or uncles or kin to take her in after her mother and father had been brutally murdered by her stalker. Luckily, Lisa proved to be a warm and wonderful woman who Dani grew to love and admire. Dani loved her aunt so much that she even took her last name, partially as a way of saying thank you, and also to kickstart her new life, far from the terrors of Santana Beach.
“Getting dark. I was starting to think maybe you ditched me for a hot date.” Lisa opened the door to greet Dani with a knowing smirk.
“Sorry. Got my run in later than usual,” Dani said. “Did you already eat?”
“Yeah, but I saved you a few slices.” Lisa hugged her and shut the front door.
Dani surveyed her aunt’s home and eyed the kitchen table with interest. Whenever she came to visit, Lisa was always busy with one project or the other, but not quilting or crocheting or scrapbooking. Tonight’s project was handmade arrows. A dozen or so sticks with pointed arrowheads laid out neatly on the kitchen table surrounded by wood shavings. At seventy-two, her aunt was overdue for retirement, but like Dani, she preferred to keep busy and was nowhere near ready to slow down.
“Making more ammo, I see,” Dani chuckled. “Is this a custom job for a client, or just for fun?”
“Just for fun,” Lisa shrugged. “I’m getting some gut string from a friend to make a bow on Monday.”
“Ugh.” Dani pulled a disgusted face. “Don’t say gut.”
“Well, that’s what it’s called.” Lisa shrugged. “I’m not gonna half-ass it and use synthetic materials.”
“I know, I know,” Dani said. “I guess this is better than cleaning hides in your bathroom tub.”
“Only stopped skinning critters because of my back.” Lisa smiled. “So, did you have a movie in mind for tonight?”
Dani slung her overnight bag down on the entryway bench. “Well, there was this indie film I was thinking of giving a rewatch. I need to get a quick shower first.”
“Oh? What’s it about?”
“It’s a weird one. Experimental. Actually, one of my co-workers wrote and directed it. He even won an award.”
“He?” Lisa’s eyebrows raised. “Interesting.”
“Don’t get too excited,” Dani said, grabbing a towel from the hall closet. “He’s the new film history professor.”
“And?”
“And nothing,” Dani said. “I don’t date co-workers, for one thing. And for another, I just don’t have the time.”
“Fine.” Lisa shook her head. “I won’t pry.”
“That’s why I love you.” She gave her aunt a peck on the cheek and headed to the guest bathroom. After a quick shower, she changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tee; comfy clothes just in case she fell asleep on the couch. Dani was feeling slightly edgier than usual that night, and she was looking for an excuse to sleep over.
Truth be told, something had spooked her pretty good at the park, and she was more on edge than usual. Dani preferred to not be home alone this time of year anyway. It was nearly theanniversary of her attack, and old ghosts often came back to haunt her. She would see her mother’s face when she looked in the mirror, and wondered what she would have looked like now. She heard her father’s voice on the radio whenever that one announcer who sounded like him would come on. Her heart flooded with sorrow for the boy who never got the chance to fully become a man; her best friend and first love. Guilty that she still woke every morning and breathed the air and felt the sunshine. It took everything she had to keep her head straight at the end of every summer and not tumble head-first into a pool of grief and misery.
Dani wrapped a towel around her head and padded toward the kitchen where a large veggie pizza waited for her. She placed two slices on a paper plate, grabbed a diet coke from the fridge and returned to the living room. She felt like she was eighteen again as she ate and talked with Lisa about her day. This little ritual with her aunt gave her such comfort in a world where she felt like she had lost everything. Aunt Lisa helped to show her that even in her darkest moments, there was always a reason to keep going.
“So what’s this movie we’re gonna watch tonight?” Lisa asked, throwing a blanket over her legs. Dani knew that once the blanket came out, her aunt was ready to fall asleep. She didn’t mind watching the movie alone; she just liked the company.
“It’s calledInterference. It’s about a man who listens to radio scanners for messages and accidentally summons a demon.”
“Sounds good.” Lisa yawned. “You’ve already watched it?”
“Yeah, but now that the director is one of my coworkers, I wanted to give it another try,” Dani said, pointing the remote at her aunt’s TV. “I didn’t really care for the movie the first time I watched it, but I want to give it a second chance.”
“Not like you to give second chances. This must be an interesting coworker.”
Dani’s cheeks flushed as she pointed the remote toward the television and rentedInterferencefrom a streaming channel. It was impossible to hide anything from her aunt, especially in regards to her nonexistent love life. The opening credits rolled and her pulse picked up as the name Ethan Baker flashed on the screen. Within minutes, Aunt Lisa was snoring and Dani was left alone on the couch, engrossed in the experimental film. Whether it was because some time had passed, or because she was admittedly slightly smitten with her fellow professor, the film was considerably more enjoyable the second time around.
