I was on the plane glancing at my watch every other minute. Why is it taking so long? I subtly leaned over the elderly lady sitting next to me to catch a glimpse of the window. Clouds! We’re still in the clouds. Come on!
“In a rush to land?” she laughed.
“Sort of.” I smiled politely.
“Any reason in particular?” She inquired. Under normal circumstances, I was not a fan of people coming in to my bubble. But when elderly people do it, it somehow makes it OK. Perhaps it’s because I grew up surrounded by them. My grandparents used to own an old people’s home and I always felt right at home with them. When I was little, I used to act like them. Play board games all day, tell stories, and complain about the aches and pains in my old body. I love them. They’re my people.
“Well, there’s this boy...” I said matter-of-factly.
“Oh, a love story.” She beamed. “Please share.” She urged.
And before I knew it, I was telling our story and random passengers were listening as if I was Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer.
“So is he going to meet you at the airport?” one lady asked.
“He doesn’t know I’m coming” I bit my lower lip.
“You should surprise him.” A woman in a blue hat shouted and three others nodded their heads in agreement.
“No” Lydia, the elderly lady, shook her head. “Here’s what you need to do” she placed her hand on mine. “You will go home, freshen up” she winked “and then you call him.” She smiled. “You tell him that you’re ready for your date and that he should pick you up at 7, and then you give him a night he will never forget” Lydia giggled and so did the rest of the onlookers. Gosh I love old people, they’re fearless.
I arrived at Dawn’s apartment around 4 p.m., which gave me just enough time to get ready for my date. Dawn was on her way home from school and I couldn’t help but feel excited to tell her the news. I am going on a date with Phil and it is going to be fabulous, he just doesn’t know it yet. I thought and grabbed my cell phone from Dawn’s desk to check the time. It read 5:22 and I told myself I wouldn’t text Phil until 5:30 so he would have enough time to get ready and wouldn’t have eaten yet. Plus, it would give him little time to over think it and back out. I had a plan, and in my mind it was unfolding perfectly. I wonder where he’ll take me? I pictured us sitting in his car in the Relay parking lot, eating skittles and listening to Sublime. I was belting out Santeria whilst doing interpretive dance in the middle of Dawn’s studio apartment when I heard the keys in the lock. I jumped and let out a little yelp as I dove for the couch. I leaned my left elbow on a cushion, crossed my legs and sat there casually as I waited for the door to open.
“Yeah, I’m here now.” I heard a man’s voice and ducked down on the couch looking from right to left to make sure I was in the right apartment. “In the closet beside the bed, or the one at the entrance?” the voice continued behind me and I heard a door open. I looked over the side of the couch and saw a guy down on one knee with most of his upper body hidden behind the white closet door. Trainers, black lycra leggings and the tail of a red wind breaker were all I could see. I didn’t recognize the voice, and I didn’t know any man who wore lycra leggings – at least not off a track or bike. “Dawn, it’s not here!” I heard him say in a firm tone. Oh, he’s a friend of Dawn’s. I realized. I stood up and cleared my throat. Nothing. I cleared my throat again. Still nothing. “I already check my car.” The voice continued and he stood up.
“Hi” I said walking up beside him. “Errr, who are you?”
“Dawn, there’s a girl in your apartment.” He said in the phone and look at me strangely. “I don’t know who it is” he retorted.
“Umm, yeah, hi!” I waved. “I’m Joyel.”
“Ohhhh” he smiled “OK wait” he handed me the phone “here”. I took the phone and walked back over to the couch.
“Dawn who’s the dude in leggings?” I whispered into the phone.
“It’s David. Did I not tell you about David? We go to school together and I babysit his daughter while he trains.” She explained.
“No, no, you failed to mention it, but errr at least that explains the rubber duckies in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, they’re Alicia’s” she laughed. “Look, I’m at the gym with Alicia now and David needs his other running shoes, I think they’re in the closet, you want to help him find them?”
“Well, when are you going to be home?” I asked, feeling a little disappointed.
“I probably won’t be back until later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I was curious.
“Yeah, well, umm, because errr “ she stumbled over her words “maybe I’ll have to babysit Alicia tonight so I’ll just stay there and David will bring me home tomorrow.” She explained.
“Right, OK” I wasn’t convinced. “So you just sleep over there sometimes?”
“Found em!” I heard David’s voice.
“David found his shoes.” I said to Dawn.
“Great, so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” She sounded rushed.
“Err, OK. Bye.” I handed the phone back to David, completely and utterly confused.
David picked up his shoes and said goodbye. Just like that the strange man in leggings was gone. What the hell is going on? Dawn is babysitting a little girl and sleeping over at this guy’s house? OK, so maybe it’s completely normal for people to do this. I reasoned. Maybe, some mothers are comfortable with the babysitter sleeping over, and find it to be normal for their boyfriends, or husbands, to be leaving rubber duckies and shoes over at the babysitter’s place. What else is here? I wondered.
I walked around Dawn’s apart, casually glancing in random corners, and drawer’s, but nothing. Wait a minute. I stopped and examined the four walls that surrounded me. They were empty. Not a single picture of Dawn and Pete. Dawn always had a picture of the two of them by her nightstand. And when I say always, I mean always. One time, when Dawn was 16 and I was 14, we went to Cuba with Mom and her husband, Louis. Mom had invited Pete to come, but he couldn’t make it, so Dawn brought along a framed photo of the two of them to put on the hotel room nightstand, next to her bed. I remember this because when we went down to the beach, I teasingly asked her if she was going to be bringing Pete along, a remark that I thought to be quite clever at the time. Something is definitely going on. I realized. Feeling like a detective, I picked up Dawn’s home phone and went through the list of recent callers. None of them were from Pete. In fact, most of them were from David and, well, of course, Mama. That’s it! Mama will know what’s going on. I realized and immediately dialled her number, but there was no answer. So I called the only other number I had on that phone, David’s.
“Hello?” I heard his voice.
“Hi David, err, it’s Joyel. Is Dawn around?”
“Yeah, just a sec.”
“Hello?” Dawn’s voice appeared.
“So I was just, umm, walking around the apartment, and I couldn’t help but notice that there aren’t any pictures of you and Pete.”
“Joyel, we broke up months ago. Remember?”
“Yeah...but I didn’t think it was for real.”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess I just figured you would be back together by now.” I paused for a response but she was silent “What happened anyway?” I finally said. Dawn and Pete had been together forever. Pete’s father was my Papa’s boss, so we had known him all of our lives. They always talked about how they would move home, get married, and start a family. I couldn’t understand how everything could change in the three months that I was gone and, like most of the time, Dawn never really spoke about it.
“We just grew apart.” She explained in a soft voice. “We didn’t want the same things anymore.”
“Oh” I managed. “Well that’s unfortunate.” I said sympathetically.
“Yeah, but, I mean, it’s fine. I’m OK.” She said confidently, and I believed her.
“So...” I paused before continuing “David?”
“We’re just friends.” She laughed, but I didn’t buy it. David was tall, dark and handsome. He had an athlete’s body and exuded confidence, which was the complete opposite of Pete. He reminded me of a boy Dawn had a crush on all through primary school and a part of high school, maybe that’s why I had a feeling Dawn wasn't being completely honest.
“OK, fine, don’t tell me then.” I laughed. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I have a date with Phil tonight!” I exclaimed.
“Stop yelling!”
“Oh sorry.” I paused. “I have a date with Phil tonight.” I whispered.
“Wow!” she sounded impressed. “Wait...is this the same Phil that left you so heartbroken that all you ate for a week was half of a yogurt and four peanuts?”
“Yep, that’s him” I smiled.
“The same guy that you swore you would never talk to again?” She paused. “The guy that you, if I remember correctly, called a poohead?”
“Yep, that’s him! The poohead!” I beamed.
“Well, good luck with that.” She didn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Thanks for the support there sis!” I said sarcastically.
“All I’m saying is, if I walk up to my door and hear Deana Carter’s Did I Shave my Legs for This? blaring through the door, I’m walking back to the elevator.”
“So I’d have the apartment to myself?” I thought for a moment before continuing “I may just have to go through your CD collection.” I added.
“I’m hanging up now!” The line went dead.
“How rude!” I looked down at the phone.
My phone read 5:47. Excited, I looked through my phone book on my cell phone and selected his number. I hadn’t been nervous about it all day. It just felt right, like it was time. I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. Maybe I’ll just text him real quick first, I thought as my fingers shook so fearfully that I couldn’t bring myself to hit the dial button on my phone.
Are you free to talk?
I hit send and waited for a response. Time was moving slower than usual and I was nervously pacing back and forth in Dawn’s apartment. Two minutes ago I was fine, and now I’m a nervous wreck. Oh crap! My stomach flopped and I ran to the bathroom throwing myself at the toilet bowl. OK. False alarm, you’re going to be fine. Just don’t think about it. Ignore the butterflies and you won’t vomit all over your pretty dress, just ignore the...
Yes :) You online?
Aww he made a smiley face. I smiled ecstatically as I saw his message and began jumping around excitedly with my phone in my hand. “Wohooooo” I yelled. OK focus, Joyel, I gathered my thoughts.
“Hello?”
Wait. What’s that? I looked down at my phone and saw Phil’s number and a counter that read 8 seconds. Shit! I must have accidentally hit call. I realized.
“Hello?” I could hear his voice in a distance.
I put the phone up to my ear. Oh my god, I can hear him breathing.
“Oh gosh he breathes beautifully.”
“Joyel?”
Shit. I put my hand over my mouth. Did I really just say that out loud? No, no, no, please, no! Say something! I instructed myself.
“Err, yeah, hi, it’s me.” I sounded frantic. Calm down. “Sorry I don’t really have good reception, let me just errr, change rooms.” I began hysterically walking around Dawn’s studio apartment looking for another bedroom to go to until I realized that I didn’t really have bad reception, and there wasn’t anywhere else to go.
“OK. Sorry. Hi.” I said, feeling flushed. This is ridiculous. He can’t even see you. How are you supposed to go on a proper date if you act like a complete lunatic over the phone?
“Hi” he laughed.
OK. Don’t panic. Just get straight to the point, Joyel.
“So, err, what are you doing?”
Good, good, small chat will make you feel more at ease. Nice thinking. I gave myself a pat on the back.
“Reading about brain hemispheres.” He laughed. I could tell he was nervous too and felt relieved. “Where are you anyway? This phone call must be costing you a small fortune.”
“Actually, I’m back.” I beamed.
“You’re back, back?”
“Yes. I’m back, back!” I couldn’t help but giggle nervously.
“Really?” I felt his excitement.
“Yeah, I’m actually at my sister’s apartment right now. You feel like taking a break?” I bit my lower lip. Gosh, that sounded totally casual. Yay me!
“I wish I could. I have a final tomorrow.”
“Oh.” I tried not to sound too disappointed and slumped miserably on the couch.
“You umm....you want to help me study?” His voice cracked.
“I’m a little overdressed for that” I said mockingly, starring down at my beautiful red shoulder dress and black velvet knee-high boots.
“Huh?” He sounded confused.
Shit, did I say that out loud?
“I mean, err, sure, I’ll help you!” I sat right up. “Wait. How can I help you study?”
“Umm, well, I have to read a bunch of chapters...I could read to you.” He laughed. “Would you like to hear about hemispheres and chromosomes?”
“I would love too.” I giggled.
I rested my head against the back of the couch, removed my boots from my feet, and listened to Phil’s voice as he read. On December 1, 2004, Phil read to me for one hour and thirty-eight minutes. It was the best first date ever.
