good.”
She sat listening to his music in her Taurus and idly thought it would be a good album to work out to. She lit a cigarette and waited.
After a few minutes he returned.
“Hey, foxy. I got somethin’ for you.”
“Did you finally buy me some smokes?” she joked.
“I got you this.” Jesse held up a men’s bathroom sign. It was blue with a handicapped stick-person on the front, and in big white letters spelled MEN.
“Did you steal this?” she shouted a whisper at him.
“Yes. What? Don’t look at me like that. It was starting to fall off the door – it was just begging me to take it.”
“You’re unbelievable. But thank you for the gift. I’ll treasure it, always.” She faked her endearment. “I do hope this is enough ‘trouble’ for you tonight. I will not spend the night in jail.”
Little did he know that she would treasure it. It would be one of those items that she would pack in a miscellaneous box everywhere she moved for the rest of her life, never forgetting where it came from or how it came to be in her possession.
“You wanna go check up on your frogs?” he asked.
“Sure. We could do that. But I can’t stay up all night again – I’m starting to look old.” She had a slight look of revulsion on her face.
“Old? What, you’re twenty-three? That’s not old. Try being twenty-six...” he said.
“Ha! Yeah, because twenty-six is just fossil! I said I was starting to look old.” She laughed.
“It’s crazy. Twenty-six years old.” He took a moment of contemplation before continuing. “I think about my mom and dad. They were married and had a four-year-old by now. I can’t even imagine having a kid at my age.”
“Your real mom and dad?” she asked.
He nodded and then silence.
Looking out the window in deep thought, he said, “Your skin is beautiful. You don’t need to worry about looking old.”
A shy smile crossed her face as she drove quietly on the way to the park. That was sweet .
“That’s my house, right there.” Charlie pointed as they passed.
“Seriously? That one?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I must have passed your house hundreds of times. It’s just weird, that’s all,” he said.
After she parked, they got out and he grabbed a quilt from her backseat. The car ride had given her some time to consider how she would ask him.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said.
“Shoot.”
“If it’s too personal or if you don’t want to tell me, you can just tell me to piss off. Seriously, no hard feelings...”
“Ask it, Red.”
“What happened with your real parents?” Flinching, she braced herself for his answer.
He took a few minutes before he responded. “I wasn’t a good kid. They were even worse parents.”
“Oh. Okay.” He carried the bundled quilt out to their spot and laid it out. They both plopped down and lit a cigarette. She didn’t say anything further in hope he would clarify what that meant, but the next time he spoke, he changed the subject.
“Why haven’t you had sex yet? Waiting for a knight in shining armor?” he asked.
Yikes! Wasn’t expecting that question. “Knight? Are you kidding me? I’m not waiting for anyone! In fact, if there was a way I could just get rid of it, I would. I’m kind of embarrassed about it.”
He nodded, smiling. “Normally, I would agree with you. But, for some reason it suits you.”
“I don’t even want to know what you mean by that.” She rolled her eyes and her posture changed.
“When I first lost my virginity, it was a disaster. I was sixteen and she was a year or two older than me. I wanted her so badly, I was so eager, I don’t even think I was inside her yet. It was over in seconds. Literally, seconds . She told all her friends the next day how horrible I was in bed. I couldn’t wait to get out of high school. I was known as the ‘Six-Second Screw.’” He shuddered at his memory. “I mean, you don’t want to give it away to just anyone, do you? C’mon Red. Don’t
She sat listening to his music in her Taurus and idly thought it would be a good album to work out to. She lit a cigarette and waited.
After a few minutes he returned.
“Hey, foxy. I got somethin’ for you.”
“Did you finally buy me some smokes?” she joked.
“I got you this.” Jesse held up a men’s bathroom sign. It was blue with a handicapped stick-person on the front, and in big white letters spelled MEN.
“Did you steal this?” she shouted a whisper at him.
“Yes. What? Don’t look at me like that. It was starting to fall off the door – it was just begging me to take it.”
“You’re unbelievable. But thank you for the gift. I’ll treasure it, always.” She faked her endearment. “I do hope this is enough ‘trouble’ for you tonight. I will not spend the night in jail.”
Little did he know that she would treasure it. It would be one of those items that she would pack in a miscellaneous box everywhere she moved for the rest of her life, never forgetting where it came from or how it came to be in her possession.
“You wanna go check up on your frogs?” he asked.
“Sure. We could do that. But I can’t stay up all night again – I’m starting to look old.” She had a slight look of revulsion on her face.
“Old? What, you’re twenty-three? That’s not old. Try being twenty-six...” he said.
“Ha! Yeah, because twenty-six is just fossil! I said I was starting to look old.” She laughed.
“It’s crazy. Twenty-six years old.” He took a moment of contemplation before continuing. “I think about my mom and dad. They were married and had a four-year-old by now. I can’t even imagine having a kid at my age.”
“Your real mom and dad?” she asked.
He nodded and then silence.
Looking out the window in deep thought, he said, “Your skin is beautiful. You don’t need to worry about looking old.”
A shy smile crossed her face as she drove quietly on the way to the park. That was sweet .
“That’s my house, right there.” Charlie pointed as they passed.
“Seriously? That one?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I must have passed your house hundreds of times. It’s just weird, that’s all,” he said.
After she parked, they got out and he grabbed a quilt from her backseat. The car ride had given her some time to consider how she would ask him.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said.
“Shoot.”
“If it’s too personal or if you don’t want to tell me, you can just tell me to piss off. Seriously, no hard feelings...”
“Ask it, Red.”
“What happened with your real parents?” Flinching, she braced herself for his answer.
He took a few minutes before he responded. “I wasn’t a good kid. They were even worse parents.”
“Oh. Okay.” He carried the bundled quilt out to their spot and laid it out. They both plopped down and lit a cigarette. She didn’t say anything further in hope he would clarify what that meant, but the next time he spoke, he changed the subject.
“Why haven’t you had sex yet? Waiting for a knight in shining armor?” he asked.
Yikes! Wasn’t expecting that question. “Knight? Are you kidding me? I’m not waiting for anyone! In fact, if there was a way I could just get rid of it, I would. I’m kind of embarrassed about it.”
He nodded, smiling. “Normally, I would agree with you. But, for some reason it suits you.”
“I don’t even want to know what you mean by that.” She rolled her eyes and her posture changed.
“When I first lost my virginity, it was a disaster. I was sixteen and she was a year or two older than me. I wanted her so badly, I was so eager, I don’t even think I was inside her yet. It was over in seconds. Literally, seconds . She told all her friends the next day how horrible I was in bed. I couldn’t wait to get out of high school. I was known as the ‘Six-Second Screw.’” He shuddered at his memory. “I mean, you don’t want to give it away to just anyone, do you? C’mon Red. Don’t
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