Emerge (25 page)

             
I laughed and hid my face in his neck because I was so
embarrassed
.

             
“You’re gonna have to rename it.
It sounds so lame.
” I laughed.

             
“It’s the way you moan for me
,
”
h
e whispered into my ear.

             
I nodded, still hiding. “Yes, it is.”

             
“Come on let’s get off of this bed before I rethink this whole ‘wait until you graduate to sweep you away’ thing.

             
“Ok
,
” I agreed and we picked up all of the photos and I cooed one more time at his baby photo before I placed it into the box.

             
“Hey, can you do me a favor?” I knew he would.

             
“Name it.”

             
“You’re gonna think I’m so weird.”

             
“Spill it.”

             
I reached into my shirt and he reddened.

             
“What kind of favor are we talking about here?  I take it back.”

             
I pulled out my bonus money and showed it to him.

             
“This is the bonus I got at work today.  It was in…you know…there…because I can’t hide it a
t home
.”

             
“Because they’ll take it again…”

             
“Yup.”

             
He was kneeling on the ground putting his box of pictures in his drawer. 

             
“You want me to keep it for you?”

             
“Yeah, if that’s ok.”

             
“Of course it is. 
Here.
” He took the money from me and pulled out his wallet.  It had a space for cash and he had some in it and it had another space for cash that was empty.  He put my money in it and said. “There.  You’ve got a space in my home, my heart and now my wallet.”

             
I rolled my eyes at his cheesiness. 

             
We walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. I turned and put my feet on his lap and he didn’t move them, he started rubbing my feet for me. He turned on some Credence Clearwater Revival with a remote.  I loved the classic rock stuff just like he did and we talked for a while going back and forth about bands.

             
He got a mischievous look on his face and said
,
“Tell me about prom dress shopping.”

             
“Ugh…it was humiliating.”

             
He tried to stifle his laughter but it wasn’t working.

             
“I thought it was supposed to be fun.”

             
I was enjoying his hands on me a little too much to be talking about bad things, but I continued telling him the story.

             
“It was fine until I showed Mom the dress I wanted and she…”

             
He stopped rubbing my feet and changed the tone of his voice.

             
“What’d she say
or do
?”

             
“See? You’re getting pissed off. Nope, I’m not telling you.
I don’t want to spend our time like that.
”

             
He put his head back and looked at the ceiling.

             
“I won’t be pissed. Ok, ok, I will
try
not to be pissed. Tell me.”

             
I groaned. I knew it wasn’t me he was angry with but I still didn’t like it.

             
“Fine.
She said that the dress and the color I picked out was a perfect choice for prostitutes and whorehouses.”

             
I looked up at the ceiling like he had done before and forbade myself to cry.

             
He let me stay that way for a few minutes and then wiggled one of my feet to get my attention.

             
“Hey, come here.”

             
I hesitated because I was still composing myself. But I couldn’t resist him or the comfort I felt from his presence.

             
I looked over at him and he reached over and pulled me over to him and engulfed me in his embrace.  He didn’t say anything.  He didn’t have to.  I knew that the way my mother acted affected him now as much as it did me.

             
While he was still holding me I finished the story and told him all about Rebecca and what she had said about us. 

             
“She’s right.”

             
“Yea
h, I’m in pretty deep over here
,
” I admitted.

             
“She was right about me too.” I hugged him tighter and replied, “I know.”

             
We stayed like that until the lock on the door jiggled a bit and scared the crap out of me.

             
“It’s just my brother.  He has the damndest time with that lock.  It’s funny to watch him struggle with it for a few minutes though.”

             
“You are a shame.  Go help him.”

             
He moved to get up and just as he did, his brother won the war with the lock and entered the apartment. 

             
He walked in and put a bag and a helmet on the floor in the front hallway and smiled as he broached the living room.

             
He was a little taller than Carlos. His skin was a little darker than Carlos’ too and he was skinnier than a stray cat.

             
He extended his hand, “Hey, I’m Saul.  You must be Jenna.”

             
I reached my arm out to shake his hand. “Yeah, I’m Jenna, nice to meet you.”

             
He walked back to retrieve his bag and told Carlos, “I’m going…um…out tonight. 
Won’t be back until tomorrow sometime.”

             
C
arlos just shrugged and replied
,
“Yeah, ok.”

             
Saul went in his room and dumped all of his stuff out, packed it up again and was saying “Goodbye” before we knew it.

             
I looked at him and said
,
“Time?”

             
He check
ed his watch, “8:12, we’ve got
two
hours.”

             
He was looking straight ahead and was desperately trying to hide a smile on his face.

             
“Ok, your turn.  What are thinking about when you grin like that? Or do I want to know?”
             

             
“I was thinking about what I could bribe you with to make you tell me about your dress.”

             
I was trying so hard to be a hard-ass about it.
“Nothing.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.

             
“Ice-Cream?”
Damn you cold creamy treat.

             
I didn’t hesitate.
“Done.
Let’s go.”

             
I got up and grabbed my stuff and headed towards the door.  He wasn’t following me so I looked back and he was laughing so hard that he was doubled over.

             
“It’s not that funny.
”
I was putting on my mean girl face, which is so far from mean it’s pitiful and
squinted
my eyes at him while
tapping my foot in mock anger.

             
He got up and grabbed his keys and headed towards me.

             
He was trying to make himself stop laughing but it was in vain. 

             
“You’d be a pitiful hostage.  They’d just offer you ice cream and you’d tell them everything.”
             

             
“True…
b
ut you love me, so it’s ok.”

             
His whole face became as serious as I’ve ever seen it.

             
“Remember
that
,
J.” He smiled again and swatted me on the butt and said “Now…ice cream for the woman.”

             
I laughed at him and we left on a quest for my bribe.

             
We drove out to Ben & Jerry’s and he had never been there before. 

             
I looked at him like he was out of his mind.

             
I rushed to the counter and order my favorite cup of Phish Food.  He
was still looking and I offered him a bite of mine to try it.

             
“I don’t like chocolate
,
Jenna.”
My
whole face dropped and I nearly dropped my cup of ice cream.
             

             
“Now we have to break up.” I tried to look like my world had fallen apart.

             
“I don’t like peanut butter either.” He shrugged as he said it.

             
I stuck my spoon into my ice cream violently and said
,
“That’s it, take me home, we’re
sooo
over.”

             
He laughed and leaned into me so that the whole ice cream shop didn’t hear him. “
There’s better things
than chocolate and peanut
butter
,
J.”

             
I giggled, “Dirty….Go
get
some ice cream before you melt mine.”

             
He laughed and ordered a scoop of Banana Split.

             
We decided to go sit at the beach and finish our ice cream.  We still had a little over an hour before we need
ed to leave to get back
on time.
We parked in the parking lot by the Pier right on the edge between the parking lot and the beach.  We both sat on the hood of his car.

             
I was thoroughly enjoying my Phish Food and watching the waves roll in and out.  The moon was illuminating them and made them look unreal.

             
I felt him looking at me
and
stopped eating. “What?”

             
“You got your bribe, where’s my details?”

             
“Well, the truth is that I don’t know other than the color.”

             
“I’ll take it, what color.”

             
“It’s a light blue. That’s the fabric we bought.”

             
He nodded.

             
He resumed eating and finished it way before I did but waited until I finished before he walked over to throw them away.

             
We sat there together in silence and I looked at his watch way too often. 

             
I just didn’t want to make that mistake again. 

             
“We’ve got time, plus I
set my watch
ten
minutes faster.”

             
I tried to be happy even though my stomach was turning somersaults because I had to go back home.

             
“You know what the best thing is about Sunday dates?”

             
“What?”

             
“You get to see me tomorrow.”

             
“True. But you know what would be better?”

             
“What?”

             
“Saying ‘let’s go home’ and meaning the same place.”

             
I moved closer to him and we held each other until it was time to go home.

             
He dropped me off and I knew she was going to have something to
say about me spending almost eleven
hours with him. 
She’ll get over it.  She can’t control me forever.