Page 39 of Forged Forever

“That was amazing, Sum. You do this every year?”

“I do now. It started with Alex’s mom, and he kept the tradition going. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jake lets out a big yawn, so Ray says it’s time to go home. Alex gives the three of them their own sweetgrass baskets with chocolate eggs, like they did for us last year. I give Jake a hug and a kiss on his cheek as they thank everyone for the invite today.

Dad announces two Finn employees need help removing trees that came down in the storm yesterday. They both had crews lined up for today, but they were called to help the power company instead.

We split up with me, Dad, E, and Bay going to one location while Troy, Alex, and Seb head to the other. Steven asks Sue to remain for some tea, which she's happy to do. I give her a hug, and then we climb into my Jeep, and Dad drives.

We end up at Jensen’s house, the other helicopter pilot at Finn. He’s outside with a chainsaw running as he cuts branches off the enormous tree leaning on his roof. Several more Finn employees arrive with chainsaws shortly after us.

I follow Bay up onto the roof. As he cuts branches with a chainsaw, I roll them off the roof for someone to either stack for firewood or burn. Bay is both comfortable and proficient with the chainsaw, making quick work of the branches. As we’re removing the last few, I hear some yell up to him that one of the chainsaws is broken. Dad switches places with him as he climbs down to fix it.

Once dad has the trunk chopped up, he helps me chuck the pieces onto the ground. Unfortunately, the tree did some damage to the roof. There’s a visible dip where it landed, although no hole. E climbs the ladder and hands us a tarp, strapping, and nails to protect the roof until it can be repaired.

I’m exhausted and covered in sawdust and twigs by the time we finish. Seb texts me as we drive back to Alex’s house to pick up Sue that the other house wasn’t damaged, but two trees blocked the driveway. I guess there’s many, many trees down around the area, and power is still out in remote places. I think all of Finn showed up between the two houses, which is great.

We pick up Sue before heading home. Dad and I hop in the shower as soon as we arrive, as Sue makes dinner. I talk to Jake, telling him about the cleanup when I get into bed, and sleep like the dead that night.

Sue and I spend the morning in the kitchen prepping for Easter dinner. We’re having baked honey brown sugar ham, scalloped potatoes, roasted spring veggies, salad, and biscuits. We also have several pies for dessert.

Troy, Seb, and Gabby arrive at 1pm with Troy carrying a bouquet of mixed flowers for Sue. Jake, Ray, and Will are a few minutes behind, and Jake has a bouquet of roses for me. I kiss his cheek and reintroduce Sue, Troy, and Gabby before finding a vase.

Gabby helps me set the table and island since there are so many of us this year. What a wonderful problem to have. I doubt Nick is celebrating the holiday, but I hope he knows I’m thinking of him. We use the far side of the island to set the dishes, going buffet style, and Seb, Gabby, and I volunteer to sit at the island. Seb keeps the conversation lively as we enjoy our delicious meal, and everyone is chatting and happy.

As we begin our dessert, Troy raises his glass to toast Nick. “Nick, we’re thinking of you today and hope you can return to us soon.” We each raise our glasses in cheers as my eyes fill with moisture. Seb squeezes my knee, and I give Gabby a side hug. She’s also fighting back tears.

All these holidays and moments he’s missing out on make me both sad and angry. He should be here with us today, possibly handing Sue another bouquet like last year, and Nick and Jake should be good friends by now. He should've been here when we got our acceptance letters and scholarships. Will he miss graduation, too? Shaking my head to refocus, I eat my delicious coconut cream pie.

Dad and I divide up the leftovers among the three households into containers, and then we settle in for some sports in the living room. Sue isn’t flying back until tomorrow morning this year, so she and I take a walk around the yard arm in arm before dark so she can see the blooms and what I’ve done to the flower beds since she was last here.

Jake and crew are the first to leave. This is more activity than Jake has had in years, so he still tires quickly, but he made it through. Seb, Troy, and Gabby stay until close to 10pm.

Chapter 25

The following week, E has his cooking class that I got him as a Christmas gift, and Seb is going with him this time. This class is for main courses instead of desserts, so we eat really well during lunch at school.

The MMA tournament is the weekend before Nick’s birthday this year. I have a track meet in the morning, and Dad is coming with me, while Finn is working security again this year. We can’t stop people from coming to the park, but the setup means you need a ticket to see the cage matches, as they’re strategically placed out of easy view. People will also pay to attend the classes if over the age of 12.

I pick up Dad after school on Friday to join Markus in the park for setup and checks, with Seb and E following in E’s truck. Alex and Bay are diving, but will join us later with Troy and Gabby if we need them. Markus has been here most of the day, so the cages are up and the stands are being set in place. Tents, canopies, mats, tables, and supplies should be here as well. I grab my checklist from the back seat, then Dad and I look for Markus. We find him near the cages. “Hey Markus,” I call.

He waves and then walks towards us. “Hi Summer, Z, boys.”

“What do you need help with?” I ask.

“I need to find another official. One called in sick just a few minutes ago. Can you go through the supplies that were dropped off and make sure we have everything? They’re behind the cages.”

“Sure can," I respond. An unmistakable pile greets us between the stands and the cage. Dad, Seb, and E move and call out items as I check them off my list. Finn will be on security overnight to make sure no one messes with anything. This park is well lit, but Dad brought in extra floodlights for tonight and Saturday to help security do its job.

It takes less than two hours to ensure we have everything. I feel bad that I can’t be here in the morning to help, but Markus already knows about my track meet, and he has a crew to set up the tents and equipment for him. He also has more sponsors this year, so he’s hoping to make a tidy profit. The tournament was advertised all over town and online too. Something we didn’t have time to accomplish last year.

Alex texts me after the dive meet, but we’re almost done, so I tell him to go home. The guys are staying at Alex’s house tonight, and I will join them overnight on Saturday.

Seb and E hang with me while Dad gets his employees set up for the night. He’s got 3 people working until 1am and then another three from 1am to 7am. When he’s ready, I get a hug from Seb and E before I drive Dad and me home.

Saturday’s track meet is at my school. I made more protein granola bars last night, so after packing lunch and my bag, Dad drives us to school. Seb wanted to come, but he’s the announcer again this year, so he couldn’t.

Dad sits with Holly’s mom as I join my teammates under the canopy. Jake, Will, and Ray arrive just before the distance run begins, so I wave to them and cheer as Jaxon starts his race. My three races are at 8:30am, 10am and 1pm today. Despite being distracted, I win my races, as do Holly and Jaxon. I might have pushed a bit hard, because my legs are sore. Oh well.