DARREN
HAVING MONDAYS’ OFF is a blessing. I get to relax and really enjoy my evening workouts without the anxiety of rushing through it, trying to get back home. As I run on the treadmill my bliss is ruined thinking about all the shit I have to get done before work tomorrow. Adulting is really ghetto. I peep the clock in the corner and notice it’s getting a little late in the day and I need to leave now before I'm stuck in the H.E.B rush. Walking towards the locker room I decide against using their showers, besides, I’ll be in the store twenty minutes tops. Nobody should be that close to me anyway, their fault. I change my shirt, put on some jeans, and pray that the axe body spray cuts through the funk long enough for me to get in and get out. I head towards the exit, keep my head low, and hesitantly wave goodbye to the lady at the front desk. She calls out my name in effort to make conversation before I go, but my headphones are in and I fake jam to the silent tunes in my ears. Throwing my bag in the car I quickly peel out of the parking lot and head towards the store. Thank goodness it's right down the road so that saves me a few minutes of traffic stress.
I quickly make my way inside and decide to start searching for some potatoes that don’t look like they've been to war. Scrounging through the scraps I notice her. Giving myself whiplash I double back around the crates to get a better view. She’s not facing me anymore but that doesn't stop me from observing. Her skin, reminiscent of the milkiest chocolate, glows in the harsh fluorescent light. She walks around the crate, brushing her curls behind her ears before she bends back over the apples. I must have been staring too long because she quickly lifts her gaze and our eyes meet; I don't fold in my glare. A smile wraps around her lips and I'm sure I just found my wife. I gather my nerves and make my way over to her hoping for the best. But not before sniffing my pits, yikes. Play it cool, don’t overthink it.
Walking away with a win, I look down at my cart and I notice a lone bag of black seedless grapes. Wow, did I talk too much? I hope she didn’t think so anyways.... I strategically walk around the rest of the store to gather my items for dinner tonight, hoping that I don’t awkwardly bump into her again. I mean, I already seemed to bombard her earlier. Next thing you know she’ll be blocking my number when I finally do gather the nerve to hit her line.
I cautiously finish my shopping and begin to make my way out of the store. I begin to play back our conversation. Her witty replies and bright smile flood my mind and I drown in the thought of it. I’m unaware of my goofy ass smile on my face until I walked by this lady staring at me in confusion. I wave at her to shake her invasive judgment. She smiles in embarrassment and quickly diverts her attention to the ground in front of her. I mean, is it illegal to be happy these days? I laugh to myself and put my bags in my car and begin to make my way home.
As I unpack my groceries into my refrigerator I pick up my phone without even thinking about it and decide to send her a quick text, a follow up if you will. You know, just so she can save my number. Scrolling down to the K’s I find her name, I open up a new chat and I begin to type…
I’m reluctant to send it but I do it anyway. A blue bubble encasing my message appears and I realize there’s no going back now. I set my phone down and grab a beer to initiate my relaxation for the night, then I throw on a random channel for background noise so that I can whip up something to eat. Was it too soon to text her? Or maybe I should have called her? I find myself occasionally looking at my phone, checking for a response.
In the time it takes me to finish cooking, eat, and clean the dishes my notifications are still lifeless so I decided to wind–down for the night. I take a quick shower and go to bed before I let my mind wander and create bad scenarios. My mattress gives way, allowing my body to sink into a warm stillness and my eyes close to the deafening sounds of the upstairs tenants working on their daughter’s sibling. I put in my headphones and drift off to sleep.