I'm Not Alone?
*Scene goes at the beginning of chapter 12 in the novel "The Catcher in the RYE"*
There was this girl across the street kicking stones. She was very interested in the ground, because that is what she always did, she never looked up. I mean it, never. I watched her kick around rocks like a sonuvabitch wile I stood on the curb waving for a cab. Goddam it was hard to get a cab at this time of night. Anyways I finally got one of those bastard cab drivers to stop for me. As soon as I ran towards the cab and got in, the girl that was kicking stones got in too. I swear she didn't notice that I was in the cab until the driver said "where too" and we both answered. I don't remember where she said she was going, but I do know she wasn't very observant, no one really ever is. Turns out her destination was on the way to where I was going, I didn't really mind sharing the cab, I really didn't, but she didn't want to get out and use one of the other hundred cabs around anyway, which kinda got on my nerves.
It was quite a long time after that, finally I broke the silence. "Im Mac". I said, assuming she would introduce yourself, but she didn't say anything for two goddam minutes. Boy that really made me a pissed, when you try to be nice a total stranger and they just ignore you, how many manners can a person lack. "..And your name is.." I questioned a lot louder this time.
"Huh?" she was very confused.
"Im Mac, I asked for your name." I said obnoxiously loud this time
"Logan, Logan Anne". She said silently still not looking up from the ground.
I would have said nice to meat you like another phony person would say, but truth is i wasn't to glad i said anything to her at that point. We sat in silence for an eternity. It gave me a lot of time to think about calling Jane to see if she was home, also about where the ducks went in the winter, I still couldn't get over where the ducks go.
"You go to Pencey, do you?" I looked down to scan my outfit and assumed I was wearing something that gave that away, that I had gone to that phony school. But I wasn't, I wasn't wearing nothing representing that phony place. So I just glanced at her, how would she know such thing about me, does she know who I am. On the inside I freaked out like a madman and I'm sure it showed on my face because then she said, "I have seen you around there, its Holden right?"
At that moment I wanted out of there. I felt so dumb for lying about my name. "Ah yeah, sorry, I.. what are you doing out here?"
"Same reason you are. How'd you flun—"
The cab driver interrupted us with an abrupt stop, "Alright there kiddo here's your stop". I wasn't mad at him for interrupting. I was beyond embarrassed for lying about my name. If didn't stop us I would have jumped out the car right there. No kidding. There is nothing worse than getting caught in your own lie, I felt like a dumbass.
Logan and I said our short goodbyes, very short. I was sweating like a pig. Id never seen her before, how did she know who I was, I still remember the last thing she said to me. "Don't your past define you, you can be whom ever you want to be. You were one of the only real guys at Pencey, would have been cool to get to know you. Now don't let that get to you, see you around Mac". Mac, that killed me.
I never did see her around, thats one thing I hate, when people say see you around, but they never exchanged any contact information to see each other around, so how could they ever see "you" around. It was just a phony way to end a conversation, it really was.