Snakes and Skates

Wilson Berry answered the doorbell and was surprised – but elated - to see Rosa Simpson standing on the breezeway.

"Rosa! Wow! Hello!" He exclaimed, giving her a spontaneous hug which she gladly accepted.

"Hi, Wil," she said happily, giving him a squeeze before breaking from the embrace.

"It's great to see you!" He grinned, motioning for her to step into the house.

She was wearing a white turtleneck sweater, a black leather skirt, black stockings and knee-high leather boots, along with plenty of makeup and jewelry. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail but still reached halfway down her back.

"I'm in town visiting my grandmother," Rosa reported as she entered.

"How's she doing?" Wilson asked.

"Holding strong at ninety!" Rosa smiled. "My uncle told me where you live now."

"And how is your Uncle Parker?" Wilson asked. "I see him around sometimes."

"He's good," Rosa said, following Wilson into his living room where they both took seats on the couch.

"You're still in New York?"

"Yes," she answered.

"And your folks are still in Japan?"

"They should be back for a visit next year," Rosa replied.

"And Duncan and Marcy?"

"Marcy's in Japan, not far from the folks, and Duncan is in Guam."

"So, he's going to be Career Navy just like your Dad?"

"Looks like it," Rosa replied.

"Good for him!" Wil said with satisfaction. "Your Dad was the only one of the three Dad friends to really see the world."

"At least you got away for a while," she said.

"While you went everywhere as a Navy brat," he grinned.

"San Diego, DC, Scotland, Spain, and Norfolk," she replied proudly. "Japan too, but I was too young to remember. They transferred soon after I was born."

"How come you didn't go with them when they retired back to Japan?"

"I was living my own life by then," she reasoned. "Just because I'm half Japanese doesn't mean I want to spend the rest of my life there. That's where my mother grew up, not the rest of us."

"I know," Wil said.

"So, you're staying in Hillsboro?" She asked with interest.

"Well, at least for now," Wil answered.

"Your parents still running the supply company?"

"I joined the team," he revealed.

"And Jack Pollard's is still running the liquor store chain?"

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Are you the only one of us kids back in town?"

"I think so," he replied. "Except for my brother Ross who works with the company too, but he lives in Mt. Griffin. My brother Chuck is in Washington State and my sister Shelia lives in New Hampshire."

"And the Pollards?"

"Tim's still in Huston, I think Elaine is out in LA, and Butch lives in Maine."

"And your arch nemesis Nan?"

"I wouldn't call her that," Wilson laughed.

"Are you kidding? She was your sworn enemy. I was only around every three years and I still knew that."

"You stayed here that entire summer when you were fourteen," he reminded her.

"Yeah, with the Pollards, so I heard all about how you and Nan hated each other!"

"You know, none of us kids would have even known each other if our fathers hadn't remained lifelong friends through it all," Wil pointed out.

"And they're still friends," Rosa smiled.

"And I guess we are too," Wilson said. "Anyway, the last I heard, Nan was recovering from that car accident."

"That was horrible," Rosa groaned. "Her career's over, right?"

"I think so," Wilson replied. "Just like mine."

"You guys are only like thirty-three," she said, shaking her head.

"The career of an athlete is limited, even more so with injuries," he shrugged.

"It was your neck, right?"

"Straight into the headboards," Wil sighed.

"I'm so sorry."

"Life happens."

Rosa looked at him and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Wil," she said. "You were always my favorite."

"No I wasn't," he said knowingly.

"You and Tim were the oldest," she said. "I admired the two of you, but Tim was too stoic and detached. Everybody else was younger. I spent most of my time with the girls and I got a long with them the best, of course, but I was always leaving almost as soon as I arrived, so I really didn't get to know the younger guys that much – Butch and Chuck and Ross. I wanted you and Tim to notice me though."

"I was the jock, Tim was the brain, and you were the Princess."

"You saw me as a Princess?" She asked with surprise.

"Polite. Well-behaved. Over-protected by your parents. A bit spoiled, perhaps. A bit of a foreigner."

"Because I'm half-Asian?"

"And lived in Scotland and Spain and all that."

"I liked you guys because you all had a sense of place," Rosa said. "You treated Hillsboro as if it was Eutopia. Even my father would go on and on about growing up here, no matter where we were living."

"I guess that's why I came back," Wilson admitted.

"I really don't have a place to call home," Rosa realized.

"New York now?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "But it would be nice to have roots of the past, instead of being a wanderer, moving from place to place."

"Well, you'll always have Hillsboro to call home," Wilson said. "It's where your father's from."

"But once Grammy's gone, will I have any reason to come back if my parents don't?" She wondered.

"You're here now," Wilson said with encouragement. "How long you staying?"

"Just a couple of days," she said. "I try to see Grammy whenever I can for obvious reasons."

"Sure," Wilson said with understanding.

"I just wanted to let you know I was in town," Rosa said as she stood.

"You staying with your grandmother or with Uncle Parker?"

"Grammy," she said.

"You want to have breakfast tomorrow?" Wilson asked as he stood too. "Johnny C's?""God, I love that place," she grinned. "Nine o'clock?"

"See you there, then," Wilson replied, walking her to the door.

"I like your house," she said, glancing around.

"It was the Jones' house growing up," he explained. "Mean old couple with no kids. You so much as stepped on their lawn walking by and they'd yell at you and if you lipped back, they'd call the cops on you."

Rosa laughed as she gave him another hug. "You really are my favorite," She whispered before opening the door and leaving.

Wilson waved as he watched her go, amused by the unexpected yet welcomed blast from the past.