Page 100 of Songs of Summer
Suddenly, the boat began to turn.
“What’s going on? Is this normal?” Jason asked the couple in front of them.
“Not in the fifty years I’ve been here,” the older gentleman replied, before standing to face the shore.
“I see a man on the edge of the dock, holding something high over his head,” the man reported.
Jason stood too, and squinted at the distant sight.
“I see him too.” He looked down at Maggie. “There’s a guy holding something in the air with both hands.” He squinted more, and then opened his eyes wide, trying to focus on the image in the distance. “He looks like…”
“John Cusack inSay Anything?” Maggie asked, still facing sternward, her butt flat on the bench.
“Exactly!” the older man said.
“Yes,” Jason concurred with a mixture of happiness and wistfulness. “This guy is a little corny, Mags. Are you sure about him?”
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m not sure at all, Jason. I love you. So much.”
He sat back down next to her.
“I love you so much too, Mags. That’s not changing.”
She wiped her cheek and kissed him goodbye.
“I’ll see you back home,” she whispered, the words getting caught in her throat. “And Jason?”
“Yes, Maggie?”
“Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself.”
The boat pulled into the harbor. Some people on board stood and waved at the small crowd who had gathered on the dock: Shep, Beatrix, Veronica, Dylan, Renee, and Jake. And some just sat, checking their watches, calculating the time lost, or questioning the crew, trying to make heads or tails of the unusual ferry ride.
But only one, Maggie May Wheeler, grabbed her bag and flew down the steps, her feet barely touching the ground, her heart clenching in her chest so tightly that she could barely breathe.
She arrived at the gate before the ferry landed and shuffled her feet in place until a crew member finally pulled it open.
And there he was. Just Matt. Standing away from the others, boom box now at his feet.
“You came to say goodbye?” Maggie asked breathlessly after stepping off the boat.
“I came to say hello,” Matt said, wrapping his arms around her.
As the ferry pulled away again, the Matty and Maggie Fan Club waited patiently in the background. Matt held Maggie’s face in his hands and looked into her eyes, before kissing her with five days of pent-up longing. It felt more like five years’ worth. Everything she had always thought to be make-believe suddenly came true—her stomach dropped to her toes, her knees shook, and a tingling sensation traveled up and downher spine. She reached her hands around Matt’s neck to steady herself. Looking deep into his eyes, she basked in their reflection of a wonder and certainty that matched her own. It was almost too much. She held his gaze until she had to look away, burying her head in his chest, wiping errant tears on his T-shirt.
The peanut gallery couldn’t take it any longer. With wide arms and even wider hearts, they stormed the party of two, enveloping them in a group hug.
As Maggie’s wobbly legs grew strong, her breath light, and her heart full, fuller than it had ever felt before, she caught sight of her mood ring on her hand. It was bright violet, to match her eyes and her heart. Violet signals romance, abundance, and clarity. She had never felt so abundantly clear in all her life.
The group finally broke apart, and Maggie stood in the center as seven sets of eyes she’d never seen a week ago beamed in on her. Seven sets of eyes filled with love. She looked back at them, at a complete loss for what she could possibly say at such a monumental moment.
“Anyone up for a bacon, egg, and cheese with salt, pepper, and catsup?” she asked.
“Catsup?” they all laughed.
Matt put his arm around his girl and explained.
