It’s slightly chilly as we exit the theatre. It’s getting late, but I’m not quite ready to say goodbye.
“Now that was a good movie,” Wendell says.
“Yeah, definitely,” I agree.
“Do you have to rush home?” He asks as if reading my mind.
“No,” I answer quicker than I intended.
“How about we grab a bite to eat?” Wendell suggests.
“Sure,” I say, again much too quick, although I have a feeling that he doesn’t mind or find it odd.
Wendell turns to lead the way and I’m all too happy to follow him.
The diner has quieted down for the night. I hope that Desmond and his friends have left. I’d rather not run into them.
We enter the diner and for once, I’m actually looking forward to sitting down and having a conversation with someone.
During dinner, Wendell explains a little more about his reasons for moving to Hidden Springs and they are very similar to my own. “I just needed a new start. I was tired of the same ole same ole, you know?” He says.
Once again, we’re outside trying to think of good excuses for not ending the evening. “I really enjoyed this,” I say to him. “I cannot believe how foolish I was last night.”
Wendell chuckles softly, “I can’t exactly blame you. I practically stalk you at the park, then act like a obsessed fan when I get a chance to speak to you.”
“I was actually flattered,” I admit. “You were the first person to show an interest in my writing.” I assure him.
I continue,” after you left, I did my own stalking. I looked you up online and ran across your blog. You’re a good writer by the way.”
Again he laughs, “No way…you didn’t read that did you?” He asks rhetorically. “Were you checking to see if I had a criminal record?”
Suddenly I feel embarrassed. “Uh,” I begin.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t exactly carry myself like a school teacher. I teach grade school. I was just hired over at the elementary school.”
I never would have guessed, but its good to hear that he works with children. “I used to teach, but I was no good at it,” I say.
“I’m sure you’re good at everything you do,” he disagrees. “Well, I hate to say goodnight, but I have to get home and make sure my dog hasn’t destroyed the house.”
We say our goodbyes and are forced to part ways.
During the taxi ride home, I replay the evening in my mind and come to another conclusion about Wendell…I can easily picture myself falling in love with him.
I make it across the street without tripping myself up too bad, although I almost fall when I get close to Wendell.
“Hi,” I say quietly.
“You ok?” He asks, apparently noticing my little trip-up, which I hoped he didn’t see.
“No,” I answer although I know that he was asking about me almost falling. “I wanted…wait no…I had to apologize to you.”
“OK,” he says. I can see that he is not going to bail me out by saying anything else.
“Um…I was rude and being a jerk last night. I uh…I guess I became a little paranoid because I had you in my house when I didn’t even know you.”
“How about you get to know me before you judge me,” Wendell says.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you…I’m sorry and I wish I had gotten to know you. But…I know it’s probably too late,” I say.
“It’s not too late,” he says, but I’m so afraid of him rejecting me that I almost don’t hear him.
“What?” I ask just to be sure that I did hear him.
“I said that it’s not too late. How about we get to know each other?” He says, this time with a smile on his face.
I smile, “I’d like that.”
“Good,” he says looking straight into my eyes. My gaze meets his.
I avert mine first, “So…are you busy now?” I ask hopefully.
“No, I was heading to the house of books, but if you have something else in mind…”
“I hear there’s a good movie out. Want to go see it?” I ask, surprised at myself for being so bold.
“The theater is my second home, I’ve probably already seen it-”
“Oh, that’s ok. Maybe another time,” I say not hiding my disappointment.
“You didn’t let me finish. I was going to say that seeing it with you would make it even better,” he says.
I’m flattered and not sure what to say.
This time he does bail me out. “Uh, we’d better go see what time the movie starts.”
“Yeah, OK,” I say.
“By the way…I’m glad you called,” Wendell says.
“Really?” I ask.
“I thought about calling you, but I didn’t want to freak you out or anything. I really wanted to see you again.”
I unconsciously smile at his words.
We walk down the street to the theater. “So ladies choice…what would you like to see?” Wendell asks once we’re standing by the box office.
“’Let the Right Sim In’ sounds like a good one”, I suggest checking out the poster.
“Sounds like a winner to me,” Wendell says before purchasing two tickets.
We enter the theater. Wendell buys popcorn and leads the way to the movie. We sit at the top and spend the 10 minutes before the movie starts talking about our all time favorite movies. We discover that we share similar tastes in movies.
We quiet down as the movie begins. Once or twice during the film, our hands touch. Each time I feel a tingle and find it slightly harder to breathe. I want to feel his touch again and again, but try to remain focused on the movie.
I decide to get over myself and give Cupid some well deserved quality time.
I run out the front door and she chases after me.
I run around the back of the house…
…and Cupid comes around the corner as fast as her little legs can carry her.
I finally stop and allow her to catch up with me.
It’s funny how clear your mind can be when you get out into the fresh air and get your heart pumping. In the midst of running around with Cupid, I get a strong feeling that now would be a great time to call Wendell.
After reading his blog last night, I looked him up in the white pages. He was the only ‘Harding’ listed, so it was easy to get his phone number.
I dial his number and he answers on the second ring. “Hello, Wendell speaking,” he says in a voice that lets me know that he has no idea who’s calling.
“Uh…hi. This is Athena…I was hoping that you’d give me a chance to apologize for last night,” I say trying to sound as apologetic as possible.
At first Wendell doesn’t respond and I think it’s a lost cause. Suddenly he responds,” I’m heading to the House of Books right now. See you there?” He says in a question tone.
“Yes,” I answer quickly and hang up the phone.
I’m determined to meet him there. I cannot blow the chance to make up with him.
My heart is pounding in the taxi. “Please God make him forgive me!” I beg.
Throwing all pride aside, as soon as the taxi stops, I jump out and break into a run toward the house of books. Please be there, please be there! I say to myself.
I enter the House of Books, but I don’t see him.
Little do I know, Wendell is still down the street trying to decide whether to meet with me or not.
After searching the House of Books and not seeing him, I decide to leave. Maybe he decided not to meet me after all, I say to myself.
Just as I’m walking out the door, I run into Desmond. My heart sort of skips a beat. He is still such a good looking man and I still find myself physically attracted to him.
I look past Desmond for a moment and see someone standing far off in the distance. Without my glasses, I can’t be sure, but I think it may be Wendell.
“Hey Athena!” Desmond says when he spots me. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine. How are you?” I ask.
“How is your book coming along?” Desmond asks.
He’s actually interested! I say to myself, thinking maybe Desmond and I may be able to build something after all. “Oh! It’s going well. I actually finished the first, now I’m working on my…”I stop because I can see in Desmond’s eyes that he was just asking to be polite.
“Uh…where were you heading?” I ask instead of continuing.
“Oh! I’m meeting some friends at the diner. We’re going to watch the game. Would you like to join us?” Desmond responds, finally showing some enthusiasm.
I’d rather poke my eyes out, I think to myself. “Uh…no, I have to be somewhere myself,” I answer.
“Well that’s too bad. I really enjoy spending time with you!”
I cannot tell weather he is being truthful or not. I can feel myself blush slightly, thinking to myself that maybe Desmond really does like me. “Really?” I ask.
“Uh…yeah. Can’t you tell?” He says with a smile.
I inhale. He is so fine, I think to myself.
Then I come to my senses because I know that we have absolutely nothing in common. “Well…I’d better go. Have fun at the diner,” I say.
Desmond says goodbye.
Now that he has moved closer, I can tell that the guy I saw in the distance is definitely Wendell. I rush over to see him, leaving Desmond behind.
