Authors: David Bell

Somebody I Used to Know (42 page)

BOOK: Somebody I Used to Know

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“You want me to explain the social customs of small-town Ohio?” Jason asked. “Again?”

“It’s like the religion thing,” Nora said, ignoring him. “Why do people still try to get us to go to church with them? We don’t go to church, right? Big deal. Was the town like this when you were growing up?”

“Probably.”

“Do people ask you these questions?” she asked.

“Not really.”

“It’s because I’m a woman, right? They think they can ask me these things because I’m a woman.”

“You’re an idealist,” Jason said.

“What?”

“You’re an idealist,” he said again. “You think people will change for the better and act reasonable if you just talk to them enough.”

“So? Is that wrong?”

“I like that about you,” he said.

“Don’t jerk my chain.”

“I mean it. I like that quality.”

She threw several things into one of the pots and wiped her hands on a towel. Jason continued to watch her. She still looked good, better than he did, in his opinion. Only a few rogue strands of gray had invaded her red hair, and those were only visible on close inspection. Her fair, freckled skin remained wrinkle free. She kept in shape, ate well, worked at the public library. He wondered if she’d ever get used to the fact that they lived in Ednaville, Ohio, instead of New York City, where they’d met.

“What about you?” Nora asked. “Did anything interesting happen to you today?”

Jason swallowed his beer. He wasn’t going to mention Hayden. He’d thought about it all afternoon, sifting through his memories of what he saw on the square. He decided it wasn’t her, that his mind ran away from him when he saw a woman who happened to look like his sister. No need to stir things up.

Nora sat at the table and took his hand. “Hey? What’s on your mind?”

“You did ask me about my day, didn’t you?” He squeezed her hand back. Her skin felt cold, probably from handling produce.

“I did. It’s what married couples do. They talk. Open lines of communication.”

“You sound like that marriage counselor in New York.”

“You wanted to see her as much as me.”

“I know,” Jason said. He squeezed her hand again. “No complaints from me.” He swallowed more beer. “You asked about my day. Well, I got complimented. I went to that meeting with Colton, the guy from the festival committee, and he told me I’d hardly changed since high school. Looks-wise, that is.”

“Well, that should make your day,” Nora said, squeezing his hand back. “Is this Colton guy handsome?”

“No, he’s fat and bald.”

“Well, we take our compliments where we can find them. Are you doing the work for him?”

Jason nodded. “He’s thrilled. He thinks he’s getting a big-time New York advertising guy to make the poster for the summer festival.”

“He is, isn’t he?”

“Just like the Ednaville Public Library is getting a former supervisor from the New York Public Library system to work at their circulation desk?”

“It’s your hometown. We could have moved anywhere.”

“I know,” Jason said.

“You regret coming back?”

“When I see all these people I knew growing up, I start to think Anchorage sounds nice.”

“We all do what we have to do, don’t we?” Nora laughed and let go of his hand. She went back to the stove and stirred both of the pots. “I was thinking maybe we should go away the weekend of the festival this year. Between that and high school graduation, the town gets so overrun. And Rick and Sheila have been begging us to come back to the city for a visit.”

“I know.”

“We haven’t been back in three years.”

Jason finished his beer. He started picking at the label.

“Rick says the economy is doing well there. People are really hiring again—”

“I’ve been out of that game a long time,” Jason said. He knew he sounded short, and he regretted it.

“Not that long,” Nora said.

“It’s been almost seven years since I got laid off,” Jason said. “Rick didn’t say it, but I bet all the people they’re hiring are twenty-two. I look young here in Ohio but not in New York.”

“Well,” Nora said. “It was just a thought. I know getting laid off still stings. You’ve done good work for America’s Best, and we have a lot of friends in the city.”

“People come and go,” he said.

“Jason, listen, this was supposed to be a temporary move. Remember? Until we got our feet back on the ground financially. And we both thought if we came here, if we were away from the craziness of the city, we’d get closer too. Our marriage would get stronger. And it has, hasn’t it?”

“It has,” he said, softening his tone. “And you’re right. If I promise to think about it . . . can we eat? I’m hungry. And everything smells so good.”

Nora turned the burners off, her movements quick and confident. “Sure,” she said. “We’ll talk about it another time.”

PHOTO BY VICTORIA TAYLOR

David Bell
is a bestselling and award-winning author whose work has been translated into six languages. He’s currently an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He received an MA in creative writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a PhD in American literature and creative writing from the University of Cincinnati. His previous novels are
Cemetery Girl
,
The Hiding Place
,
Never Come Back,
and
The Forgotten Girl
.