Leaves

By the summer of my seventeenth birthday the girls and I had established a strong friendship. We had established a ritual of meeting three times a week at a local diner for lunch to regroup after having gotten jobs. Rae was well on her way to running the temple on her own. Her grandfather's health had begun to degenerate and Rae had to hire help to take care of him. I helped her interview stay at home nurses, in the end deciding on one named Chad Dillon, previously a hospice nurse. He was cute, I'll admit, and he said he was lead singer in a local rock band. He would entertain us girls and Grandpa Terry. He was truly a delight to have lightening up the large empty temple. Chad, too, had become a staple in our group of friends.

In early June we began our ventures to the local diner "Andy's." A young entrepreneur Andrew Long owned it. Boy! He was as good looking as a boy ever had been. But the girls told me a local model had grabbed him up. As soon as we had been established as regular customers of the joint, Andrew started to come and talk to us, he would sit with us and engage in gossip about the other customers.


One time the girls, Chad and I met for dinner at the diner. All had been well as normal. I noticed a girl sitting alone, with no company to keep. Halfway through dinner Andrew was throwing out a group of punky men who were harassing her. Apparently she had taken their usual booth. As we were leaving we parted ways. Aimee lived across town and took a cab, Chad was going to walk Rae home. They expressed concern at my choice to walk home alone in the dark. I had never had a bad experience with walking at night. I watched Rae and Chad begin walking up the hill across the street, and I turned the corner and started my trek down the hill. The group of thugs from the diner stopped me.

"Aren't you a pretty girl," one with a sickeningly sweet voice said from the side. "What are you doing out here alone? Don't you know that bad things happen when girls walk alone?" I was so frightened. This was so clichéd. I looked around and started backing my way up the hill.

Another of them stopped me from behind, "Where do you think you are going?" I was just twenty feet from the corner of the diner, if I could just make it up the hill past these punks. "You're not going anywhere, girly. We've had our eyes on you." He grabbed me as I made a run for the diner. I let out a yelp and a cry as I was pushed to the ground. I got back onto my feet and found myself against a wall. I realized the scary situation I was in. I got a good look at the guy who was in charge and let out a scream for help. No one heard me, the streets were empty.

"HELP!" I called out. Still, there was no reaction from the empty area. From the corner of my eyes I thought I saw a girl, but she doubled back to the diner quickly unnoticed by the men. 'Please get help' I thought to myself pleadingly. I had no idea what these men wanted to do to me. The head guy then decided he had to hold me against the wall.

"You know, you're really pretty. I'd like to get to know you better. Much better." Then he forced a kiss on my lips. I turned my head and let out another scream as he hit me. Just then I saw the girl again, followed by Andy and relief flowed through my heart. The girl came up to the surprised men and pulled one away. She punched him in the face and then kneed him in the groin. Andy had pulled the leader off of me and knocked him out. I was just exhausted and scared I slid down the wall to my knees, crying. The third man had taken off down the street as sirens approached. The girl took off after him and grabbed him, pushing him to the ground. I was in shock. The police arrested the men and the girl came up to me and took my arm, guiding me into a booth in the diner where the cops took my statement. Those men had the intent to rape me. I had narrowly escaped.

"They would be taken care of," the girl assured me. "My name is Lita. I work a karate academy near by. Do you need me to take you home? I have my car parked outside." I nodded, and she took my arm and helped me out of the booth. With a hug from Andrew and reassurance from Lita we made our way to her car. The police were just leaving, having finished their investigation. I was so shaken, I would never walk home from the diner again. Lita took my number so she could check up on me later. I barely knew what to do with myself. It was only 11:30 when I got home.

The phone rang, and I answered. It was Rae, "Hey Serena. I was just calling to make sure you got home all right. Are you ok? You sound sick."

"Oh, Rae!" I nearly cried out. "It was awful!" I said as I began my story. She was shocked. Within ten minutes of hanging up the phone, there was a knock at the door. It was Rae with gifts. She waved to Chad and he drove home.

"Serena, Oh my God. That is so awful, I thought you could use your friend. Aimee is on her way over. I brought ice cream." I felt so much better knowing that the girls were there to take care of me. I was distraught. I went through the story over in my mind and fell into a fitful sleep, oft waking for a nightmare.

Lita called me the next day to check up on me. It was so kind of her to care so much about a stranger. She proposed we go to lunch. I had already had plans to lunch with the girls, but didn't think they would mind if I invited her along. They loved her. She was so funny, Lita definitely had a way with sarcasm and cynicism. She was like a protective older sister. Immediately she fit into our family.


I found that immediately I needed a car. After the incident, I wanted to travel more safely and I couldn't bear to walk alone. I did not, however, have the money for a car. I was dirt poor on my own. It occurred to me, 'Why not apply at "Andy's"? That would be the perfect place. I already spend so much time there; I might as well be paid. I talked it over with Andrew and immediately he agreed. He had been walking me to my home every night, like a big brother taking care of his sister.

Just a week after starting my new job as a waitress for "Andy's" I turned seventeen. I went to the courthouse the moment I left work and got my driver's license, it had taken me weeks to get the pedals down. In all the excitement I made a rash decision to buy my car that day. Chad and Andrew took me around to different dealers, making sure I wasn't getting cheated. I ended up with a beautiful blue sedan. The girls, guys and I went out to dinner that night at a new restaurant to celebrate my birthday. The place was called La Petite Belle. At dinner, an unusually quiet Aimee announced that she had been seeing this guy that she wanted us to meet. His name was Greg; he had just graduated from the next high school over. By the way she was blushing I could tell it was love. Andrew too announced that he was thinking about proposing to his girlfriend of just a year. Before anyone else could speak, I said "Andrew, we need to meet her first. We don't want you to end up with someone bad or unfit for my big brother."

To this he replied: "Serena, you'll love her. She reminds me of you, but different. You two could totally be sisters." Wow. Sisters, that I never thought I'd hear. He couldn't stop smiling as he told us about her. "She is nineteen, so it would be a long engagement. She has long blonde hair, and gorgeous blue eyes. She's been modeling off and on since she graduated last spring."

A model for Andrew? I couldn't believe it. I had thought that those rumors were just rumors. I guess he really did find himself a girl. However, she hadn't passed our test yet. "Andrew, we'll have to hang out with her soon. Bring her into the diner one of these days." Dinner was served, as was dessert. While we waited for the bill, I could have sworn I saw a pair of eyes I had not seen in three years, those of my lost friend. I felt my heartbeat rise in my throat and I blinked, closing my eyes for a millisecond. When they opened, Andrew was paying the bill and I could not find the face in the crowd that I had seen. A little flustered, I chalked it up to a wistful mind, wishing my Darien could be with me on my birthday. I let the thought go and joined my good friends as they shuffled out the door.

Just a few days later Andrew's girlfriend showed up at the café. She seemed perfect for Andrew, good spirited and honestly happy. She and Andrew sat together for a cup of coffee, enjoying one another's company, until I heard him call me over. Andrew got up and insisted I sit with her and talk. "Mina, this is Serena, the one I told you about. Serena, this is my girlfriend. Go ahead and take your lunch now with her," he said as he walked away to cover my shift.

"Hi, Serena. Andy's told me all about you. I've been waiting for the right opportunity to come and meet you," she said almost giddily. She made me want to giggle like a little girl. We just meshed so well, by the end of the hour you couldn't tell we had just met. We were like sisters right away. I knew instantaneously that the others would love her. Mina was a model for a local boutique, nothing too crazy. She wanted to be a private model, though, and only work for one designer. I remembered some drawings I had done during art class the past year. My teacher had said I had an "aptitude for fashion." Maybe Mina could tell me if I was any good in her realm. That would have to wait for another occasion. My lunch break had ended, and I had a new friend.


There's another one. Tell me what you think. This one was quite a bit longer, and I am much happier with it.