Page 82 of Spiral
Danny’s call is stifled by the expanse of open air around us. He’s about 50 yards away at the entrance of the garden, partially obscured by a series of mature live oak trees.
All three of us begin to march across the field obediently, surrounded at our feet by boxes of beautiful, oversized lanterns ready to be distributed. The sun shimmers across my irises in a blinding hail of gold as it stretches across the horizon, and I sigh in relief as I notice the line of cars gathering at the entrance of the garden.
“What do you think?” Danny asks, squinting upwards towards the large banner draping across the threshold of the festival.
“Oh my god,” Henry murmurs, his emerald eyes fixated on the bold lettering. “Georgia, I… I can’t believe you did this.”
47 | Henry
“IN MEMORY OF James Michael Anderson, TU Titans captain and loving father.”
The banner sways as the glossy letters commemorating my dad shine in the evening light.
“We’ll leave you two alone,” Jonah grunts, throwing an arm around Danny’s shoulder and guiding him towards the ticket booth nearby.
“Georgia, I–”
“You said your dad never got a funeral… I figured this was the best I could do to make up for that.”
I gaze towards his name again, written just below the title of the event in a bold, italic print. My eyes well with tears as I read over the letters again and again, almost in a state of disbelief. When my dad died, I felt like he was immediately forgotten – like I was the only one who cared to remember him, to think about him, to say his name.
But not anymore.
“If you don’t like it–” Georgia starts, her brows furrowing as a nervous look shadows her features.
“I love it, Georgia,” I interject, my voice cracking from emotion. “I can’t thank you enough. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
She smiles at me, her cheeks glowing crimson in the golden sunlight and eyes shimmering with joy.
I can’t believe this girl likes me, that she cares about me so much. What did I do in some other life to deserve this moment?
“Georgia… I need to tell you something.”
I swallow hard as her gaze meets mine and she asks, in that sweet, sing-songy voice, what it is I need to say.
“I think I’m in l–”
“GUYS! Our first guest!”
Eleanor frantically points across the parking lot as she yells for our attention, her gestures directed at a young family making their way towards the ticket booth.
“Oh my god, it’s happening!” Georgia squeals as she runs up to Eleanor, with both of them immediately jumping up and down in excitement.
The family buys tickets, Eleanor hands them a lantern, and they take their place on the field. The same pattern goes for the next guest, and the next, and the next until, before I know it, the entire garden is filled with people. Couples, young and old, cuddle up in the cold on the blankets they brought from home. Children run around, laughing and playing and hiding behind the giant oak trees. The perimeter of the garden is illuminated by fairy lights, casting a warm glow over everyone as they sit and wait for the festival to begin. Slow and smooth country music – Georgia’s choice – plays over the speakers, and I can’t help but hum along to every song I recognize.
“I think it’s almost time,” Georgia whispers to me as the final guest in line turns in their ticket and receives a lantern.
“How much did we make?” Danny asks hopefully, his eyes settled on Eleanor as she closes our makeshift cash register.
“$12,000,” Eleanor mouths, a look of disbelief contorting her features.
“Fuck yes!” Jonah exclaims, enveloping Danny and I in a bear hug that he immediately backs away from. “I mean, uh, awesome. Great job, y’all.”
“Alright team,” I remark, rolling my eyes at Jonah as a dimpled smile forms on my lips. “It’s go time.”
48 | Georgia
THE SOFT GLOW of lanterns ignites the dark field around us as people of all ages wait for their cue to release them into the sky. In this garden out in Central Texas, thousands of stars are visible in the night sky above us, and I find myself savoring every second of this moment with Henry. The festival is packed – even more packed than the Glow Gala was a few years ago. But, to me, Henry is the only other person on this earth as we stand in the quiet darkness, igniting our lanterns.