Free Distractions by J. L. Brooks Page A

savored the flavor
    of the fruit candies he’d munched on the
    drive back, which lingered on his tongue
    sweetly.
    “You taste like rainbows,” I
    giggled
    His chest pushed me back into the
    bedroom dresser, knocking over a
    picture frame and causing a slight tink as
    the brass disc hit the ground. Curiously,
    Shepard turned and picked up the shiny
    metal object.
    “Why do you have zils?” Peering at
    the item and then back to me, he quirked
    his eyebrows upwards.
    “I used to dance a long time ago.
    Sometimes I still do when I am alone.
    You would know that if you could see in
    this window.”
    With a wink, I leaned down to
    remove my shoes and freed my aching
    feet. A week of flip-flops and sandals
    must have caused them to flatten in
    rebellion of the heels I favored so much.
    Without a word, he snapped the zil
    tightly into his fist before bolting out the
    door.
    Okay.
    Through the bathroom window, I
    saw the light to his bedroom come on for
    a moment before flickering back off.
    Shortly after the downstairs door opened
    and slammed shut, pounding steps
    vibrated the wooden stairway.
    “Want to tell me what you are
    planning to do with that thing?” I
    couldn’t help but smile at the violin in
    his hands. I knew he played – very well,
    in fact. I would open my windows in the
    summer to hear him practicing rare
    Paganini pieces while I worked on lab
    data.
    Holding his hands to his knees,
    regulating his breathing, he huffed out.
    “I want to watch you dance while I
    play.”
    The excitement in his voice was
    electric. How could I deny such a simple
    request?
    “Okay, let me get my computer and
    load a song. You can run through while I
    change, deal?”
    My mind started to reel at how
    intriguing this was turning out to be. No
    one had seen me dance in years. It was
    one of the few things I could do to keep
    me feeling grounded. However stressful
    a day I had, I could move until I was
    exhausted, physically working out what
    was paining me mentally.
    I pulled the song up and propped
    the laptop on a chair for easy viewing.
    The low hum of the first note being
    pulled across the strings with the horse
    hair bow sent shivers down my spine.
    Each following tone was drawn with
    precision. For never hearing it before,
    his ability to translate it so perfectly lent
    to his talent.
    I plucked the purple and black coin
    scarf out of the closet along with the
    crushed velvet skirt that brushed my
    ankles. An intricately embroidered
    bodice fit tightly across my shoulders
    with the lacing along the bust hanging
    freely. I used my index finger starting at
    the bottom to pull tight each crossing of
    the ribbon. My other hand held the next
    area together as the boning cinched my
    ribs in tighter. Over a decade later and
    the overflowing breast I had hoped for
    as a girl still failed to appear. Small
    mounds of flesh burst out from the top,
    causing me to sigh in amusement. My
    self-loathing dissolved the moment I first
    stepped in front of a crowd. As I grew
    older, I became not only accustomed to,
    but also thankful of my smaller chest.
    I sauntered out of the closet into the
    bedroom and watched the biggest smile
    grow across his face. Suddenly I became
    nervous and self-conscious without
    reason. Shepard turned off the lights and
    lit a few luminaries that cast shadows
    along the walls.
    “What?” Doubt was creeping over
    me under his watchful stare.
    Shaking his head with a grin, he
    went back to practicing the song that
    took me back in time. A young girl
    named Marianna walked the festival
    with me. She was a little under fourteen,
    but her skilled fingers with a bow
    melted my heart. Just as Melissa took me
    under her wing, I too cared for
    Marianna. Her mother owned a floral
    garland booth and would occasionally
    sit nearby while oil painting to keep a
    close eye on us. Considering that we
    were just kids, our show made quite a
    bit of money. As one of the few friends
    similar in age, it was hard saying good-
    bye