Capturing Savannah (6 page)

We take his white Honda A
ccord and I can tell by how long the drive is that we are going to the beach and should be there soon. We park the car and I see a sign that says
The Crab Shack
. It does look a little like a shack on the outside with weathered wooden sides and a surrounding deck to match. But the tiny white lights wrapping the outside and serving as a canopy on the inside make it a spectacular site. The tables inside are made from the same weathered wood. They are round with a hole in the middle. David gives the host his name and they lead us back to a table outside at the very edge of the deck. It overlooks the water. The tiny white lights from the building dance in the waters reflection.

“This is awesome
David.” I say. “Have you been here before?”

“No. I wanted to go here with you
.” he says.

I try not to think about how him just saying things like that or looking at me gives me butterflies. This isn’t supposed to be a serious relationship.
He must see me looking at the hole in the middle of the table because he adds, “That’s to put the crab shells in. It’s a trash can.”

“Oh
.” I say.

We both order sprites and
a pot of the low country boil to share.

“I am glad we
finally got to do this.” David says.

“You mean that I finally agreed t
o go on a date with you?” I say.

“I knew you would
agree someday. I just meant that I’ve been waiting for tonight and our schedules to work out so we could have our second date night.” He says with his sarcastically wicked grin.

“
This is technically our first date. But I guess I have been looking forward to it all week as well.” I say.

In between back and forth conversations we break to admire the
water beside us. The dancing white lights on the surface are mesmerizing. The low country boil cast iron pot arrives with crab, crawfish, and corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage all in a still simmering broth. We also get bibs, plates, a crab cracker and wet wipes, which I plan to take full advantage of all of these things.

“Do you have low country boils in Pensacola?
“ I ask.

“A lot of seaf
ood, but not anything like this.” he says. “And you? What is the Memphis cuisine?”

“BBQ and cornbread is a pretty big deal for us
. I have to say though this low country boil is stellar. I could eat this on a regular basis.” I say just as I bear down on the crab cracker and squirt a little crab juice on my bib. I look down at the wet spot on the bib but don’t see anything on the dress. I look up and David is pausing mid chew starring at me. His sideways grin lifts up the corner of his mouth and he lets out a chuckle.

“I know very funny right. Can’t take me anywhere
.” I say.

“
Well I already knew this about you.” David says.

We eat and eat and make a good dent on the cast iron pot.
We are both stuffed but impressed by the place. I am sure the company has a little to do with it also.

“Before we head back to the dorms
do you want to take a walk with me on the beach?” David says.

“Ya
. I would like that.” I say.

After
David pays for the meal we head around the side of
The Crab Shack
to the beach walkway. We walk over the bridge and end up in the sand. I grab onto David’s arm to steady myself and take off my black high heel shoes. It’s hard enough to walk in them without trying on the sand. We walk in comfortable silence along the beach. We go what seems like miles and then I notice where we are. We are in that spot with the rocks where I slipped and knocked him down the day the bus took us to the beach.

David
stills us so we stop and sink a little in the sand. “Déjà vu” he says. “

“Don’t worry I won’t knock you down this time
David.” I say.

“It’s my turn then
.” he says with his devilish smile and pulls me to the ground with him. We both laugh rather hysterically for a few minutes. Then he props himself up on his side and looks down at me laying on my back. He has one hand on my hip and it feels nice. And I think those cool blue grey eyes of his could melt anyone.

“I have to ask you
something.” He says.

“Ok
.” I say back unsure of what I am getting into.

“I need a favor from you
,” he says pausing. “Can I draw you for my figure drawing class?”

“You mean like nude?” I ask.

“Not completely nude. But it’s figure drawing so I’ll need to capture your form.” He says as his eyes trail across me.

“Well I guess you did so kindly help me out
with my last few assignments. The shots at the pizza shop and then there was developing the shots from the squares. So, ok. I’ll do it.” I say.

He kisses my neck and then quickly stands and yanks me to my feet with him.

“Ok so you mean like now?” I say.

“Ya I have my sketchbo
ok in the car. And I am feeling inspired.” he says.

“Ok
.” I say as he practically drags me behind him.

We jog across the bridge, me
delicately on my tiptoes since I don’t have my shoes on. He digs the sketchbook out of the back trunk.

“Ok so where is this happening?” I ask.
Once again David grabs my hand and leads me quickly back to the same spot on the beach. He seems to have already planned this out. He tells me to face a certain way so that the light from the moon and clouds are behind me. The spot is on a slight hill, which is the part he wants me to sit at. I sit catty-cornered to him with my legs bent and folded together to the side of me. The black jersey knit dress hugs the top of my thighs up to my shoulders. I peak behind me and see the coastal reed grass silhouetted by the moonlight and blowing in the wind like the ends of my hair. It’s a peaceful night and I sit relaxed just listening to the wind and the noise of David’s pencil sketching on the paper.

I am not sure how much time has passed but
David gets up and comes and sits next to me.

“Can I see it?” I ask.

“Sure. But I am not finished with it yet. Needs more shading work and I may add in some of the gold and blue and purple tones from the sky and the sand and those legs. But I will finish it out this weekend.” He says.

The drawing is amazing. I never thought of myself as beautiful but this person, this form in
David’s drawing is just that. The leaning reed grass in the background is solid black, a silhouette. My form is a mainly a silhouette too. Though since I am closer to the foreground you can see several details. Details like the tops of my knees and where the muscles start in my calves. Details like the bottoms of my bare feet, one of my forearms and one shoulder. You can also see some of the lines in my jersey knit dress resting on my thigh and curving around my bottom. My face is a silhouette with flyaway hairpieces sweeping around one side of my face. There are also various details and shapes in the sand surrounding me.

Without thinking I move my lips to
David’s and kiss him. Parting his lips open with my tongue. He kisses me back with that gentle lip biting that drives me crazy. I let him close his sketchbook grabbing his hands when he is done and placing them on my legs. He moves his fingers over them gently. I move my hands under his soft grey shirt craving touching more of his skin. He pulls his shirt off as if obliging me. He moves closer leaning me back with one hand in the small of my back and the other propping himself up on the sand and also touching my hip. He trails kisses and licks along my extended neck down to where the jersey knit dress blocks him from touching my skin. I pull the dress down over my shoulders first, which he kisses. Then I pull the dress down even more so it’s in the sand and his bare chest is against mine.

He moves his mouth back to mine and
bites my lip again forcing a moan that has been building. Wanting more of him I unbutton his pants and he pulls them the rest of the way off kicking his shoes off too. His fingers play with the straps on my silk black bikini panties. He caresses my thighs too with soft grains of sand moving with his fingers on my skin. I move my fingers to his and guide them to pulling the sides of my panties down and off. He kisses my chest and moves so he rocks on top of me. I grip the muscles in his back with intense pleasure rolling him over so I am on top now. He touches the side of my rib cage lightly caressing the sand and my skin. After awhile he rolls us back over so he is on top again. I moan when he moves his lips back to my mouth and rocks on top of me. We both go over the edge.

We clean the sand off
each other in silence and both get dressed. I look at him and he has that beautifully wicked one-sided grin. He looks at me and I know I am beaming at him and probably blushing a little now too.

“Thea
.” he says pausing “You’re incredible.”

“Your not to bad yourself
.” I say.

We sit next to
each other looking at the reed grass swaying and the soft rolling tide in the distance.

“So you ready?” says
David.

“Ready for what?” I ask.

“This!” he says picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder.

And I know where this is going
. He is going to toss me in again like the last time we were at the beach.

“
David!” I holler right before he tosses me in.

The water is stingingly cold.

“Déjà vu?” he says chuckling.

“Oh ya. Well I think it’s your turn then mister.”
I say jumping on him so he falls back into the water.

“Ok I guess I deserved that
.” He says. With another chuckle he adds “Let’s get out of here it’s freaking cold. And I don’t want to find out right now if there are anymore jellyfish nearby.”

I am surprised but glad we don’t come across a jellyfish. Every time I go with someone to Tybee that gets into the water they end up getting stung.
We jog out of the water picking up our shoes. Sand is sticking all over my feet and my legs. Not to mention I am pretty sure I have sand in some other places too. We get in the car and I am careful not to rub my legs against anything so as not to dirty his car. We listen to music like
The Ataris
on the way back singing along to a few of the songs. By the time we get back I think we are both shivering from that cool water. It could be worse though it could be sweat.

“I could so use a warm shower right now
.” I say.

“Me too
.” says David.

We go upstairs
still caked with wet sand but both with beaming smiles. At the same time we say. “See you later.”

As I open the door to my room I see the note from Emily on the whiteboard
Staying With Lilah Tonight
. I am relieved I don’t have to face her like this since I am pretty sure she wouldn’t let me borrow another pair of clothes or shoes again. And I wouldn’t blame her with all the wet sand caked to it. I rinse off her dress and shoes first hanging them to dry. The warm water feels amazing and the sand feels like an exfoliating rub. I wrap my hair into a towel and throw on a tank top and pajama shorts.

Then I realize I never told
David thank you for tonight so I give his room a ring. I mean friends at least say thank you right. It rings several times and then Dax answers “Hello?”

“Oh hey
, Dax. It’s Thea. Is David there?”

“
Hey Thea. He left like fifteen minutes ago. But I am here. You can come over if you want.” He says. I hear giggling in the background so I assume he is having some kind of party over there.

“I’m good. Thanks
Dax. Have fun.” I say.

As soon as I hang up the phone there is a knock at my door.
I open it and it’s David. His hair is wet. He has on shorts and a t-shirt and is holding a white paper bag.

“Hi
.” I say.

“Hi
.” he says back. “Can I come in or are you going to bed now?”

“
What’s in the bag?” I ask.

“I realized we never had dessert.
And that’s supposed to be part of the date.” He says smiling sideways.

“
Well in that case. Yes. You can come in.” I say.

We sit on the bed and he pulls out two clear boxes filled with key lime pie.

“From
Paper Moon
!?!” I ask.

“Of course. That is our thing.” He says.

“Thank you.” I say.

“Sure.”
David says.

“No I mean thank you for tonight.” I say. “This has been an amazing date.”

I wake up to loud knocking on the door. When I open my eyes I remember I am naked and David is in my bed. I search for the pieces of my pajamas and put them on as quickly as I can. I stumble to the peephole in the door and squint out of it. I am wondering who the heck is waking me up.

“Shit
!” I say. “David. Get up. Get dressed now.”

“What’s going on?” H
e says while he puts back on his boxers, shorts and shirt.

“It’s my mom.”
I say pushing him out of the way and pulling the sheets up on the bed trying to make it look made.

“What? At the door is your mom?
” He says.

“Yep. Now sit at the desk and draw something.
” I say as I throw on some jeans.

Opening the door I say “Mom! What are you doing here!?!”
she doesn’t say anything at first but we hug each other.

“Surprise
.” she says. “I missed you and wanted to see your new city.”

She walks into the room noticing
David and probably seeing how messy things are.

“Mom thi
s is David. My friend.” I say.

My mom and I both look a lot alike. Not with the pink streaked hair, but with short dark
black hair and green eyes. Both with a light olive complexion. We have a similar build too, not tall but not short and also not skinny but not fat. So average height, average build and I would say average chest size too. We also make the same facial expressions so I can tell she is surprised.

“Hi there
David.” She says.

David
stands to shake her hand. “Hi Mrs. Clark. You did a great job raising your daughter. Thea is pretty great.”

I blush and give him a look to stop it.
It’s actually pretty sweet of him but it’s starting to get a little awkward in here.

“So mom did you already have breakfast?” I ask
even though I am guessing it’s closer to lunchtime right now.

“No. I was hoping we could go to
lunch or breakfast and catch up and then you can show me the rest of the city and where your classes are. I just came in for the day to see you.” My mom says. She adds, “Unless you already have plans.” Looking at David when she says it.

“No. She is good. I have to go to work in a few hours and don’t get off until around
eight.” David says. “Actually I should probably go get ready. Nice to meet you Mrs. Clark.”

He leans in to kiss my
cheek but I turn it into a hug instead. I think a hug is more like what friends would do in front of your mom.

“Ok mom. I know a great place a few blocks from here.
” I say.

I gather my camera and bag and head to the elevators.
I walk her to the
Paper Moon
. We both order pancakes, eggs, ham and grits.

“So tell me all about
David.” Mom says.

“Well. He is from Pensacola
, Florida. He is an amazing illustrator. And he is a really good friend.” I say blushing once again. “And I have just never met anyone like him before. He makes me nervous and self-conscious but also confident at the same time.” I say.

“Hmmm. That’s good Thea. He
sounds good for you. You deserve to have some good in your life.” She says with a sincere smile. “He seems like he has a good heart, like Jacks.”

We both start to tear up
just as our food arrives. Jacks was a great brother and son. He shared my love of breakfast foods too. So I can’t help but draw a little comfort while eating the pancakes, eggs, ham and grits – which I kind of devour. In between bites I ask about details from home. Like how dad is doing. And how my sister Cami is doing. Things at home sound a lot like how they were when I was there. Things were never perfect even before Jacks was still alive. But things were never the same after he died. It just didn’t feel like a family anymore. We finish up our food and walk to the station for the
Old Town Trolley Tour
.

My mom loves history so I can tell she
silently enjoys the tour especially the historic squares that each have some special history to them. When we get to River Street the tour guide gives us the option to get off here. Another trolley will come by every other hour. My mom and I decide to get off. I haven’t spent too much time down here except with trying not to trip over the cobblestones. We carefully walk downhill and stroll down the street. There are signs saying it’s
Oktoberfest
even though it’s not October yet. There are a lot of people walking the streets. We pass shops and restaurants and admire the boats on the water. It’s a little muggy out but it’s starting to cool down some, which is good since it’s practically fall. It actually even feels a little bit like it might rain.

We notice
a big crowd towards the end of River Street and decide to check it out. To our surprise it’s apparently the annual
Wiener Dog Races
, or Dachshund dog racing. It’s looks pretty fun so my mom and I decide to watch for a while. Some of the dogs are wearing jerseys with numbers on them. Some have bandanas. Others have their fingernails painted pink or some neon color. And there are a variety of coat colors and markings on the dogs. The race is set-up on the grass and has a white picket fence in a rectangle shape around it. There are light white lines along the grass indicating the lanes and a person at the start and the finish for each dog.

We watch several races picking a favorite do
g for each one and cheering for it. Most of the dogs do what they are supposed to do and run as fast as they can on their short little legs to their person on the other side. Every now and then one gets confused or distracted more likely and runs across lanes or stops. It’s quite entertaining really. I am glad I brought my camera and can click a few photos of the dogs and the races. The next race we pick our dogs and decide if one of them wins we each get to buy something in the shops. We are cheering and cheering. And my mom did it, well the four-legged guy did it. My mom picked the winning dog. Shopping it is.

We walk along the street and stop in
a few stores. My mom gravitates to the ones that have clothes in them. So I know she is on a mission for a new outfit. She finds an aqua sundress that looks stunning on her. She also finds me a dressy cream-colored quarter sleeve top where the one side is meant to fall off the shoulder. We look around a little more but those two items of clothing are the ones. My mom buys us our new items. There is a candy shop next store so we check that out too. Each finding a small treat to splurge on. We walk around some more and take our picture together by the Oscar Meyer Winner Mobile.

It’s about time for another
trolley to come by so we decide to go and wait for it up the cobblestone hill where it dropped us off. On the trolley back I am able to show my mom where the Photography Department building is and the Photo Lab. We pass by the alleyway too. The one that still haunts me in a way. Really it’s just a reminder of my guilt. I must zone out because before I know it we are back at the station that is a few short blocks from the dorm.

“Do you
want to go to dinner mom?” I ask.

“Oh sweetie I am still full from breakfast
and I have enough candy right here to make it through next week.” She says. We both laugh. “I have an early flight and I am ready to turn in and if I change my mind I will just get room service.”

I walk her to her car and we make a plan to say goodbyes in the morning on her way to the airport
around six am.

“Thea, it’s nice to see you
so….happy.”

“Thanks Mom. I am.” I say.

“Today was nice. I will see you in the morning.” She says giving me a tight squeeze and not letting me go for a few minutes. I squeeze her back. It’s nice to see her. I have missed my family but I am feeling happy in my new life.

I say “Hi” to Max as I head up the elevators to my sixth floor. As I walk out and round the corner I see
David sitting on his stool on the stoop. I try to sneak up on him but he turns around just I am almost to him.

“Hi beautiful.” He says with the corner of his mouth raising
up into his incredible smile.

“Thought you would still be a
t work.” I say embracing him with a hug. He lightly kisses my lips and I let him. The butterflies go wild in my stomach.

“Got off a little early. You already eat dinner with your mom?” he asks.

“No. We had a long day and she was ready to go back to her hotel.” I say.

“
I was hoping you would be back soon. So it’s Oktoberfest. Wanna go check it out with me and some of the guys? I hear there are corndogs and turkey legs.” He says.

“Ya my mom and I went for a bit.
It’s pretty fun. Who all is going?” I ask.

“Remy, Micah, Dean,
Dax, and a couple of girls I think. We are going to walk it.” He says.

“Great.
I’ll ask Emily then. Think I am going to change too.” I say walking the few doors down to my room. I have sweated in this outfit enough for the day. Emily is there so I ask her right away and she is excited about the festival and the opportunity for music and possible drinking and probably being around the guys. I change into the shirt my mom bought earlier today the cream colored shirt where one of the sleeves hangs down exposing my shoulder. I pair my dark faded jeans with it. Emily wears a bright orange dress. She starts to put on orange heels that match and I warn her about the cobblestones.

“I’ll brave it.” She says.

“Ok but I am sticking with flats tonight.” I say slipping on a pair that are checkered with black and white. We both brush our hair and she sprays her fancy perfume over both of us. Which smells pretty good actually like lavender and linen. Arm and arm we head out of the room and David and the guys are waiting for us on the stoop. They whistle at us. Emily takes full advantage of the attention and twirls around. We take the stairs down and the other girls David mentioned before join our walking party.

It’s a long walk but there is always someone in the group laughing about something so we are all having fun.
And the laughing plus the fact that we are in a group keeps my mind off of the alleyway incident that happened close to this part of town. We finally get to the cobblestone hill and the guys are quick to help Emily and the other girls balance their way down. David takes my hand too which I welcome gladly. It’s pretty much wall-to-wall people at this point of the festival. Most of them drunk already or drinking so they can be. Don’t think we will all be able to stick together in this crowd so the guys suggest we each pair off so that at least no one gets left on their own. There is an odd number so Dax goes with Dean and Emily. Remy and the other girl pair off, Micah and the other girl, and then David and I. We weave the crowd to the turkey leg stand and David gets us one to share plus a soft pretzel. We walk closer to the river where it’s not as crowded and find a spot to sit where a few street performers are playing music. The rest of the crew also make it over and sit close to where we are too.

We take turns biting at the turkey leg as we enjoy the music together.
There is an acoustic guitar and a trumpet player and they switch from playing jazz to oldies. They start playing a song that has a lindy hop sort of beat and I see Remy jump up and try to pull the girl he is with up with him. But she refuses. I see him search the crowd and his eyes land on me. He smiles and motions with his head towards the empty area in front of where the music is coming from. I look at David as if asking for permission.

“Go.”
David says to me.

I give him a peck on the cheek and rush over to Remy.
We start hopping and shaking and swinging all about. We are having a blast. I see the girl Remy was with watching and smiling and I know Remy notices it too. David is also smiling his devilish grin that only lifts up one side of his mouth. The musicians play another swing sort of styled song so we keep on going. By this time a small crowd has gathered. They are standing around us in a half circle. Some throw change into the performers buckets. We are all just having a great time. I am starting to sweat though so I know I am not likely to go on much longer. The song comes to an end and I stop leaving the empty space before I can get pulled into another one. The next song is a slower classic and the guy on the guitar starts to sing along to it. It’s
Georgia on My Mind
. The same song that David and I sang along to our first night in Savannah at the
Paper Moon
diner. We both look at each other and smile as if remembering the same thing. I am just about to sit back down next to him when he pulls me into his lap surrounding me with his strong but gentle arms. We sit listening to the song until it ends.

The crowd around the musicians start
s to fade and they decide to take a break. The rest of the gang get antsy and want to walk around and get some drinks. Somehow they score some alcohol, David too. I am good with water after all that dancing. Dax and some of the others start to get rowdy and obnoxious. The crowd we walk through is also in the same state of drunkenness. A random guy runs into me from the side and sloshes his amber colored beer on me. He apologizes. David takes the bottom of his t-shirt and mops it up off my side and bare shoulder. He takes me into a big embrace trying to be silly and mop it up with his shirt and body even more. He touches my bare shoulder where he mops up this time with his tongue and lightly licks and kisses up my neck.