Three cars drive by as I sit on my front porch sipping my coffee. Two white, one red.
Red...
I'm hit with a flashback. Another one. A red jeep. Matt's red jeep.
It was the day I decided to go to the bowling alley. I wasn't planning on staying long, maybe half an hour or so. I'd called my friend, Anne, to ask if she wanted to go with me, and was surprised when she said she was already going. So I told her I'd see her there.
I like bowling, I just don't like all the noise. But I guess you have to take it or leave it.
It's about 6:30 as I pull my old, green Chevy truck into a parking space and head inside. I wanted to make sure Matt would already be here when I arrived. He is. I spot him right off. There aren't too many boys with long, bleach-blond hair walking around. And the tie-dye shirt makes him stand out even more. This time he's wearing cut-off shorts. Nice.
He's standing in a group of two other guys and about three girls, one of which is Anne. That surprises me. I didn't know she knew Matt. At that moment she sees me and waves. I walk slowly over to join the group. I feel nervous. This is definitely not my comfort zone. Being around so many people, especially people I don't know, makes me uncomfortable. I push my glasses up and try to smile as I reach them.
Matt sees me then. His face lights up.
"Bailey! Hey! You came!" He comes right over and gives me a hug. I freeze. I am not expecting that. I think he senses my feelings of awkwardness by the look on his face, but he doesn't say anything. He just sort of chuckles. Anne comes up and hugs me too, but that's normal. She looks a little confused though, so I quickly explain how I met Matt and that he invited me to come tonight.
"Ohhh, I see," she says, giving me this weird grin as if there's some secret I just let her in on. I glare at her.
"I think I know what you're thinking, and it's not what you think. At all." One of the guys calls to Matt, saying it's his turn to bowl. He waves at Anne and me, then goes off to take his turn. I sit down on one of the benches slightly apart from the rest of the group. Anne sits down beside me.
"Are you sure it's not what I think? Because what I think is, Matt is totally into you!" I huff and glare at her some more. "How would you know?" I ask her. That really is a dumb question, though. If anyone can tell when someone likes someone else, it's Anne.
She laughs a little. "Well, for one, did you see his face when he saw you? Totally smitten. And before you got here he kept glancing at the door like he was waiting for someone. I've known Matt for a while. Our parents are good friends. Growing up, he was the boy next door. Then in the eighth grade his family moved away. They just moved back a few months ago. I know he's planning on going to college this fall. That's part of the reason they moved back, so he could go to the university here." She pauses for a minute, considering something. "Bailey," she says. "Matt is a good guy. He's outgoing and funny and spontaneous. He's alive. Really alive. And he might not say it, but I can tell he has feelings for you. He's the same boy I grew up with." She smiles, remembering her childhood friend.
I sigh deeply. I didn't ask for this. What do I say? I rub my right temple in frustration. Finally I say, "Anne, I'm sure he's a great guy. But he's just not my type. And as you already know, I'm really not interested in a relationship right now. Maybe not ever." She raises one eyebrow at me and gives me a look, as if to say, "Please. You're being completely ridiculous!" Instead she says, "And what is your type exactly?"
"Well, I'm not really attracted to blond guys. Like, at all. And I'm not sure what's up with the whole 'hippie' thing he's got going on." I actually laugh then. Something about it amuses me. Anne laughs too. Matt walks over right at that moment.
"What's so funny?" he asks, grinning at us. For a second I'm worried that Anne will tell him what we've been talking about. That we've been talking about him.
"Nothing," she says, shaking her head. She gets up and walks back over to speak to the girls in the group. Matt sits down next to me.
Ugh. Not again. The engine stalls as I turn the key. Pointless. I've tried it half a dozen times. I glance out the window, searching the parking lot for Anne's car. Not here. She must have left already, or either she came with one of the other girls. I notice the red jeep in the spot next to my truck. Someone is sitting inside, texting. The light from the phone's screen illuminates the front of their shirt. Tie-dye. Matt. Figures.
I get out and tap on the passenger-side window of the jeep. His head jerks up, startled. I grimace and mouth the word, "Sorry." He leans across and rolls down the window.
"I didn't mean to scare you. It's my truck. It won't start and Anne left already and..."
"Hop in," he says. "I can drive you home." Just like that. In the fading evening light I look into his eyes. I don't find anything there to alarm me. He appears to be totally genuine all the way thru. I hope Anne is right about him being a good guy.
I grab my bag and keys out of my truck and lock the doors, then climb into Matt's jeep and buckle up. "Are you sure it's no trouble? I mean, I can call my dad and just wait here for him to come get me."
"No, no. Don't worry about it. Besides, I'm already here, and I wouldn't want you to have to wait here by yourself." He does have a point. I don't really want to wait here alone. It's getting darker as we speak.
It's quiet for a little while as we travel down the highway. I fiddle with my keyring as I try to think of something to say. But he's the one to break the silence. "So how long have you known Anne?"
"About two years," I tell him. "I met her when my family started attending the church she goes to. She was telling me earlier that you guys grew up together." He nods his head and grins. "Yeah, we did."
We talk for a while about simple things, things that have no hidden meaning, things that are easy to digest. And I find myself enjoying his company. It's not forced. It's just...nice.
No comments:
Post a Comment