Cheryl thought Pioneer Park was empty at first. The other kids must still be having dinner. Still, she gave it a once-over and then heard a faint sound. It was someone leaning on the other side of the trunk of the big cottonwood tree, and his elbow was sticking out from behind it. She approached and said,
"Hey." and he said,
"Hey back. And good job on your work. You're smart."
Cheryl tilted her head and wondered why he didn't seem to include himself in that comment.
"You must be smart too, otherwise you wouldn't have been there."
"I do my work. They wouldn't let me screw that up."
"How come you're here?" She asked him, and he shrugged. "I needed free time from my mom and dad. Dad's mad at me for something I did. Trees got damaged. You?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. Why are you here?"
"My mom and dad are fighting about her smoking."
"Hey. Do you feel at home here yet?"
"No," she said. She moved closer to him, close enough to feel their energies mingle. He stepped farther away and she let him go.
"Well, Blaine, the other kids must all be eating their dinner right now. I'm going."
"'Kay. I can't walk with you."
"Why?"
"Uhm. Forget it.
"No, I know. Reputation and all that," she shrugged and started walking. "I wouldn't want to ruin my rep walking around with a Mo-Daddy like you."
"Thanks for understanding," he said with a gentle laugh.
"Remember last fall? You already know me better than anyone else in the whole world."
"I know. But I will always ignore you in public and I feel crappy about that. But, Mo-Daddy?"
"Yeah. And Molly. I'm not a Molly."
"Come back later, K? Molly?"
"NOT Molly. My name is Cheryl."
"Okay, Cheryl.
She just walked away. She loved it when he spoke her name.
Back home there was chocolate cake. Dad put on his Sinatra record and Mom cooked spaghetti, and the night turned out decently overall. Summer began the next day, and Cheryl would start her job at MacClean's Jeans.
"Hey." and he said,
"Hey back. And good job on your work. You're smart."
Cheryl tilted her head and wondered why he didn't seem to include himself in that comment.
"You must be smart too, otherwise you wouldn't have been there."
"I do my work. They wouldn't let me screw that up."
"How come you're here?" She asked him, and he shrugged. "I needed free time from my mom and dad. Dad's mad at me for something I did. Trees got damaged. You?"
"Me?"
"Yeah. Why are you here?"
"My mom and dad are fighting about her smoking."
"Hey. Do you feel at home here yet?"
"No," she said. She moved closer to him, close enough to feel their energies mingle. He stepped farther away and she let him go.
"Well, Blaine, the other kids must all be eating their dinner right now. I'm going."
"'Kay. I can't walk with you."
"Why?"
"Uhm. Forget it.
"No, I know. Reputation and all that," she shrugged and started walking. "I wouldn't want to ruin my rep walking around with a Mo-Daddy like you."
"Thanks for understanding," he said with a gentle laugh.
"Remember last fall? You already know me better than anyone else in the whole world."
"I know. But I will always ignore you in public and I feel crappy about that. But, Mo-Daddy?"
"Yeah. And Molly. I'm not a Molly."
"Come back later, K? Molly?"
"NOT Molly. My name is Cheryl."
"Okay, Cheryl.
She just walked away. She loved it when he spoke her name.
Back home there was chocolate cake. Dad put on his Sinatra record and Mom cooked spaghetti, and the night turned out decently overall. Summer began the next day, and Cheryl would start her job at MacClean's Jeans.
