man she had seen from her window.
“Jodie?” he asked, a slightly bemused smile on his face.
“Um, hi” she replied,
They both looked at each other for a moment, an awkward silence hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Sean gestured towards the basket in Jodie’s arms.
“What’s that?”
A good question, but one Jodie had trouble finding the answer for, finding herself a little stuck for words.
“Um, it’s a gift basket to welcome you guys to the neighborhood.”
‘ Okay ,’ she thought, ‘ that sounded soooooo lame!’
Sean smiled, even chuckled a little.
“You live next door?”
Jodie offered him an almost apologetic tilt of the head.
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
“Well, that’s great. Thanks.”
Sean smiled and took the basket from Jodie’s hands. She suddenly felt an overwhelming awareness of her arms, not sure what to do with them now the basket was no longer there.
In her pockets? Crossed? In the end she just let them hang at her sides.
“Would you like to come in?” he asked.
Without even thinking, Jodie replied
“Why?”
Sean was a little taken aback. To be honest, he thought it was just the polite thing to ask, but now, because Jodie had questioned his offer, he was beginning to wonder if that had been polite or just creepy. He hadn’t meant to come across as inappropriate, but he knew how thin a line there could be sometimes.
Luckily, Jodie had sensed this too, aware that her response had been a little curt and reading the confusion in Sean’s eyes, so let him off the hook with
“No thanks, I’d better get back to my Mum. She needs...”
Except Jodie didn’t know how to end her sentence and in a haze of what would later surface as embarrassment she merely said, “...help,” before turning and walking back towards her house.
She didn’t even remember to say goodbye, not that it mattered at this point. Sean watched her go, a little bemused, wondering if the last minute or so had actually just happened or whether he had imagined it, before slowly going back into his house and closing the door.
Jodie slammed her front door and stood in the hallway for a few seconds, trying to compose herself. A barrage of questions spat at her from somewhere deep inside her brain.
‘ What the hell is wrong with you? It can’t be Sean. You’ve known guys like him all your life and never had a problem speaking to them before. Was it the situation? The lame gift basket? The next door neighbor cliché? What’s next? Asking to borrow some fucking coffee? Will Sean make jokes about it at school? And if so, why do you care anyway?
Why has today been such a disaster?’
“So, what’s he like?”
The question came from the living room, from her mother to be precise. Jodie took a few moments to think. Had she been watching from the window? Was she being funny? In the end, Jodie played it safe.
“What’s who like?”
“Your new English teacher? What’s he like?”
Jodie breathed a sigh of relief, happy that her most recent awkward moment hadn’t been a spectator sport. She’d had enough of that today already. She entered the living room to find Katy lying across the couch, watching the news. She didn’t speak at first, trying to find the least interesting answer. If she’d been honest she would have said something like
‘He’s gorgeous. Really Mum, he’s the best looking guy I’ve ever seen. And he’s young too. In fact, I’m pretty sure we shared a moment. His eyes met mine and there was a spark that can only mean one thing. He wants me. And I want him too...and his hair’s really pretty.’
Maybe not.
In the end, Jodie went with
“Oh, he’s nice, you know? As teachers go.”
“What’s his name?” Katy asked.
Then the doorbell went off and Jodie took the opportunity, the ‘saved by the bell’ cliché not entirely lost on her, to change the subject.
“Pizza’s here. I’ll get it.”
TWELVE
For all concerned, it had been a hell of
“Jodie?” he asked, a slightly bemused smile on his face.
“Um, hi” she replied,
They both looked at each other for a moment, an awkward silence hanging in the air for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, Sean gestured towards the basket in Jodie’s arms.
“What’s that?”
A good question, but one Jodie had trouble finding the answer for, finding herself a little stuck for words.
“Um, it’s a gift basket to welcome you guys to the neighborhood.”
‘ Okay ,’ she thought, ‘ that sounded soooooo lame!’
Sean smiled, even chuckled a little.
“You live next door?”
Jodie offered him an almost apologetic tilt of the head.
“I’m afraid so, yes.”
“Well, that’s great. Thanks.”
Sean smiled and took the basket from Jodie’s hands. She suddenly felt an overwhelming awareness of her arms, not sure what to do with them now the basket was no longer there.
In her pockets? Crossed? In the end she just let them hang at her sides.
“Would you like to come in?” he asked.
Without even thinking, Jodie replied
“Why?”
Sean was a little taken aback. To be honest, he thought it was just the polite thing to ask, but now, because Jodie had questioned his offer, he was beginning to wonder if that had been polite or just creepy. He hadn’t meant to come across as inappropriate, but he knew how thin a line there could be sometimes.
Luckily, Jodie had sensed this too, aware that her response had been a little curt and reading the confusion in Sean’s eyes, so let him off the hook with
“No thanks, I’d better get back to my Mum. She needs...”
Except Jodie didn’t know how to end her sentence and in a haze of what would later surface as embarrassment she merely said, “...help,” before turning and walking back towards her house.
She didn’t even remember to say goodbye, not that it mattered at this point. Sean watched her go, a little bemused, wondering if the last minute or so had actually just happened or whether he had imagined it, before slowly going back into his house and closing the door.
Jodie slammed her front door and stood in the hallway for a few seconds, trying to compose herself. A barrage of questions spat at her from somewhere deep inside her brain.
‘ What the hell is wrong with you? It can’t be Sean. You’ve known guys like him all your life and never had a problem speaking to them before. Was it the situation? The lame gift basket? The next door neighbor cliché? What’s next? Asking to borrow some fucking coffee? Will Sean make jokes about it at school? And if so, why do you care anyway?
Why has today been such a disaster?’
“So, what’s he like?”
The question came from the living room, from her mother to be precise. Jodie took a few moments to think. Had she been watching from the window? Was she being funny? In the end, Jodie played it safe.
“What’s who like?”
“Your new English teacher? What’s he like?”
Jodie breathed a sigh of relief, happy that her most recent awkward moment hadn’t been a spectator sport. She’d had enough of that today already. She entered the living room to find Katy lying across the couch, watching the news. She didn’t speak at first, trying to find the least interesting answer. If she’d been honest she would have said something like
‘He’s gorgeous. Really Mum, he’s the best looking guy I’ve ever seen. And he’s young too. In fact, I’m pretty sure we shared a moment. His eyes met mine and there was a spark that can only mean one thing. He wants me. And I want him too...and his hair’s really pretty.’
Maybe not.
In the end, Jodie went with
“Oh, he’s nice, you know? As teachers go.”
“What’s his name?” Katy asked.
Then the doorbell went off and Jodie took the opportunity, the ‘saved by the bell’ cliché not entirely lost on her, to change the subject.
“Pizza’s here. I’ll get it.”
TWELVE
For all concerned, it had been a hell of
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