Read Return to Celio for Free Online

pompous ass. At least that’s what she told him.”
    “I like your aunt already.”
    “She moved in and made friends right away. Small town living suits her much better than it did me. I think she even likes the name of the town.”
    “Which is?”
    I sighed and dropped my chin to my chest. “Peanut Falls.”
    Darrios burst out laughing just as I knew he would.
    “I’m sorry, Maggie, but that is too perfect, especially with everything else you’ve said.”
    I ignored him and continued. “Yeah, well I’m not going to be there long. I never would have gone if it wasn’t for Gregg...”
    “Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Gregg .”
    Darrios said his name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
    I swallowed hard. I did not want to discuss him with Darrios. For one thing, I was so angry with Gregg, I didn’t like being put in a position where I had to defend him, especially when all I wanted to do was strangle him.
    “So, besides being a selfish tool, what’s this guy like?”
    “He’s a pharmaceutical salesman. He’s tall, not as tall as you, but still tall. He grew up in St. Louis, but then he got this job offer...”
    Darrios stopped walking and stared at me.
    “What?” I asked, a bit put out.
    “Can you hear yourself? I asked you to tell me about your boyfriend and you gave me his job description and his relative height.”
    I glared at Darrios, becoming increasingly annoyed by his criticism.
    “Normally, I’d say things must not be too serious, but you moved across the state with this guy. I’m a little confused,” he said in a rather condescending tone, I thought.
    “Well, you don’t need to concern yourself with it,” I snapped.
    “Don’t worry, I’m not. Just making conversation to try to pass the time.”
    He turned abruptly and began walking again. From over his shoulder, he asked, “How would Gregg describe you?”
    I thought about it for a moment and quickly decided to decline answering that question. I recalled the last time Gregg had called and asked me to come meet him for cocktails after work.
    By the time I’d arrived it became painfully clear he’d been there awhile. When he’d introduced me to a couple of his friends, he said, “See, didn’t I tell you she was hot? And look at these great tits.”
    I cringed at the memory and mumbled, “I...I don’t know.”
    Darrios chuckled. That was it. Even though it passed the time and made walking easier, not to mention less worrisome, I was done talking to him about anything personal.
    He started to ask me a question and I interrupted him by asking him how long we’d been walking. He told me a couple of hours and handed me some sort of flask of water.
    I gulped down a couple of big swallows, not realizing how thirsty I’d been. I recapped the flask, handed it back to Darrios, and thanked him. I asked him how long it would take to get to the Inland.
    “It’s not the Inland, just Inland. The Outer Rim, Midland, and Inland together make up Celio. That’s the name of this place, Celio.”
    I nodded, allowing him to go on.
    “We’ll walk the rest of today, at least half the day tomorrow, and then we should be there. Then we’ll be safe.”
    I was quiet for a few minutes. “What’s it like...Inland?”
    He got a faraway look in his eyes and smiled warmly. Clearly the place had some happy memory tied to it.
    “It’s the most beautiful place you’ll ever see. There are mountains and rolling hills. I’ve never seen so much green anywhere. The flowers are fragrant and sweet, and the colors? You won’t believe it. The streams and brooks flow freely with crisp, cool water and they’re loaded with fish just for the taking.”
    “Sooo...completely different from here,” I said.
    “Oh yeah, everything is plentiful Inland. The crops are exceptional, without disease, and more than anyone could want. And the people? They’re happy. There’s no illness or crime. Nobody wants for anything and everyone gets what they need. It really is