Post by ELI WESLEY on Mar 30, 2014 18:40:01 GMT -5
Nick seemed almost stumped for an answer and it immediately raised a red flag for Eli. He was trying to come up with a good answer—but why? Childhood activities were usually the easiest part of childhood that people could open up about. “I told ya’ll b’fore. I gardened.” The stare Nick gave him told Eli to back off asking about more details. Of course gardening wasn’t the only thing he did as a kid, but Eli knew when a person was at their limits for questioning. Nick had given him an open invitation to fulfill his curiosity, but it seemed it was a superficial gesture. “I sometimes played with th’ horses.” So he grew up with horses? With his dad being an oil man, they would have the money for it. Eli tried to picture Nick caring for a horse, but that was a difficult image to drum up. His brow furrowed momentarily as he saw Nick grab his wine and gulp it down. Was it the horses or just the talk of his childhood that was making him nervous? Eli was torn between finding Nick’s uncharacteristic anxiety worrisome or endearing. Perhaps it was simply both. “I don’ care much for horses these days. Or any animal f’ that mattuh. Ya’ll don’ have any, now do yuh?” Eli shook his head with a small half smile. He had a dog and cared for the horses, but he didn’t enjoy animals anymore. That’s probably why it was so hard to picture Nick caring for them now. But he had to wonder what happened to his opinion of animals. “I didn’ explore th’ bayou all tha’ much. My time was always accounted for, doin’ chores or basic schoolin’. Learning my daddy’s trade…” That could very well be what brought Nick his money now. Perhaps he was involved in illegal oil deals and that’s why he was so secretive about it. Eli could see Nick working a business like that. And it was probably better that Eli didn’t know anything about it.
"But I'm sure I'm borin' ya'll…you musta had a fine childhood, what with three brothuh's an' uh baby sistuh?" Nick was anything but boring. He was a puzzle that Eli was eager to piece together. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear Nick was ready to be pieced together yet. Thus, Eli patiently moved on with a lopsided smile and a nonchalant shrug. “It was crowded, but it was good. My parents were always loving and on the lenient side. Of course we had our chores and they had expectations for our school performance, but they weren’t big on punishment. It took a lot for us to get grounded.” He sipped his wine, reflecting on the things his brothers did to get themselves grounded. Calling their sister a bitch…getting into fights at school… “My parents are Quakers, so we really only got in trouble if we did something that was violent or against love for others. Not that I was ever grounded. I was the bookworm that kept to myself. I got teased by some of the kids in school in my early years, but when they realized I didn’t care what they thought of me, they stopped teasing me. I rarely felt the urge to fight back.” Nick looked almost skeptical, but it was hard to read his expression otherwise. Was it…maybe envy? It was hard to imagine anyone envying his normal, uneventful upbringing.
“I tended to enjoy being on my own. My brothers Kyle and Adam were birds of a feather, active and outgoing. Luke was somewhere between them and myself, finding the balance between his love for sports and his quiet, somewhat geeky nature. And then Mary was my shadow. I didn’t mind playing pretend with her and she liked to read with me. We could spend whole afternoons just reading to each other or playing and planting in the garden. I didn’t have a whole lot of friends as a kid, so she was really my best friend.” Even now his little sister was the most important person in his life. He’d do anything for her. Again Eli shrugged his shoulders, giving a small, crooked smile. “It was a pretty ordinary childhood—very peaceful. My parents wouldn’t have it any other way.” He popped a piece of chicken in his mouth, his green eyes focusing on Nick’s handsome face. “Were you close to your mom?” His dad seemed like a sore subject and Eli didn’t want to pry too much. He was curious about the woman behind Nicholas, though. What was she like?
"But I'm sure I'm borin' ya'll…you musta had a fine childhood, what with three brothuh's an' uh baby sistuh?" Nick was anything but boring. He was a puzzle that Eli was eager to piece together. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear Nick was ready to be pieced together yet. Thus, Eli patiently moved on with a lopsided smile and a nonchalant shrug. “It was crowded, but it was good. My parents were always loving and on the lenient side. Of course we had our chores and they had expectations for our school performance, but they weren’t big on punishment. It took a lot for us to get grounded.” He sipped his wine, reflecting on the things his brothers did to get themselves grounded. Calling their sister a bitch…getting into fights at school… “My parents are Quakers, so we really only got in trouble if we did something that was violent or against love for others. Not that I was ever grounded. I was the bookworm that kept to myself. I got teased by some of the kids in school in my early years, but when they realized I didn’t care what they thought of me, they stopped teasing me. I rarely felt the urge to fight back.” Nick looked almost skeptical, but it was hard to read his expression otherwise. Was it…maybe envy? It was hard to imagine anyone envying his normal, uneventful upbringing.
“I tended to enjoy being on my own. My brothers Kyle and Adam were birds of a feather, active and outgoing. Luke was somewhere between them and myself, finding the balance between his love for sports and his quiet, somewhat geeky nature. And then Mary was my shadow. I didn’t mind playing pretend with her and she liked to read with me. We could spend whole afternoons just reading to each other or playing and planting in the garden. I didn’t have a whole lot of friends as a kid, so she was really my best friend.” Even now his little sister was the most important person in his life. He’d do anything for her. Again Eli shrugged his shoulders, giving a small, crooked smile. “It was a pretty ordinary childhood—very peaceful. My parents wouldn’t have it any other way.” He popped a piece of chicken in his mouth, his green eyes focusing on Nick’s handsome face. “Were you close to your mom?” His dad seemed like a sore subject and Eli didn’t want to pry too much. He was curious about the woman behind Nicholas, though. What was she like?