Walking through stacks of comic books covered in dust, I followed my Uncle as he gave me a tour of his shop.
"Ok so over here are horror comics, towards the front we have super heroes and along that wall is where we keep a few manga novels" he said gesturing to each different side. I had never seen his shop before. The place was nerd central!
"This is Edgar and Allen Frog, the other half. They help run the shop and usually are up to no good" joked my uncle. I shook hands with Allen who was taller than Edgar with short-cropped hair and wearing camouflage. He smiled kindly to me.
"Damn, you're a spitting image of your mom!" he said. Edgar looked different from his brother. He was shorter with light brown long hair and seemed to have a perpetual glare etched into his eyes. I could see black tribal tattoos etched up to his neck. He was intimidating to say the least.
"Let's hope she doesn't have her same judge of character" said Edgar his voice gruff and raspy.
"Cool it Edgar" snapped Uncle Sam. A moment of tension filled silence passed between them.
"Basically, we need someone to go through the books we have upstairs. Come on I'll show you," said Sam.
"Nice to meet you guys" I said to the two men as I followed Sam to the back of the store. Edgar grunted at me while Allen waved me off as he punched his brother in the shoulder. I didn't have time to ponder over Edgars comment because before I knew it we were upstairs and into a huge loft. Sam clicked on an over head bulb that lit a long rectangular room.
The loft was filled with trunks and suitcases. Over a dozen plastic grocery bags filled to the brim were bulging and littered everywhere along with plenty of cardboard boxes filled with comics. It was a comic lover's wet dream! There was barely any room to move and breathing was difficult due to all the dust.
"Ok, so basically we need these bags and boxes to be sorted out and ready for pricing and placement around the store. If the book looks damaged then put it to the side," Sam said grabbing a bag and pulling out a few comics. He showed me an X-Men comic first.
"Ok so this is a good one, put it to the side with all the other X-Men" He set that one down. Next in the stack was a Batman comic that looked worn and wrinkled.
"Set ones like this aside. After they are sorted then put them in order by their numbers. Sound easy enough?" he asked. I nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. He smiled warmly.
"Don't worry Anna. It will keep you busy and give you some money in your pocket. Then again you can always work the register with Edgar?" he teased. I shoved his shoulder.
"Yea I think he would just love that!" I replied laughing. Sam put the stack of comics down and gave me a hug.
"Don't worry about him my little niece. He has been in a bad mood since 87. Just let me know if you need anything ok?" he asked moving towards the stairs. "Oh, I almost forgot. There are a couple of trunks up here that used to be Grandma Lucy's. You don't need to go through them but, when you find them could you let me know? They should be marked with her name on the front" he asked.
"Sure. What's in them?" I asked glancing around seeing if I could spot anything that might be hers. I loved looking through her old treasures.
"Just some old family albums. Pictures and probably some stuff from when your dad and I were little, nothing exciting. I'll come back up in a bit to check on you" he said leaving me to my dusty and large task.
I placed my purse on one box and sat down on the floor. I would start by going through all the bags. It was mindless work and by three o'clock, almost five hours later I had finished two whole bags. I was covered in dust and grime. All through my work I thought of David. I thought that romantic gestures, like him leaving me the rose, only happened in movies.
This morning I looked up the location he wanted to meet me at. It was within walking distance of my house. I used Google earth to see what was so special about this particular place and only came up with an over head view of tree's and rocks. Maybe he is a serial killer? Sad a particularly naggy voice in the back of my head. I shoved the thought away. That voice was the one that told me to study hard and give up my teenage life. Plus, he doesn't come off as a serial killer.
"Hey kid, how's it going up here?" asked Sam as he surveyed the piles of comics on the floor. I had just finished putting some Spider man comics in order by numbers.
"Good, do you want me to carry these downstairs?" I asked gesturing to the stacks that I had sorted.
"Nah, I'll have the frog brothers get them later. You ready to head home?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'll text my mom to come get me" I said reaching for my phone.
"Actually I'll give you a ride. I'm going over there anyway" he replied. I stopped and put my phone in my purse.
"Oh, ok" I replied. We left the shop and Sam drove me the fifteen minutes home in his topless jeep. We pulled up to the house and I rechecked the time. Sunset was in two hours. That gave me enough time to grab a quick bite then shower and dress quickly. I practically ran into the house and raced upstairs to my room.
A quick shower and three changes of clothes and I was back downstairs. I walked into the kitchen where my mom stood seasoning sirloin steaks in a pan. I guess my dad had set up the barbeque.
"Hey hon. how'd it go on your first day?" She asked placing tin foil over the pan and placing it on the little island in the middle of the kitchen.
"It was ok" I replied opening the refrigerator.
"Hey you want to grab the salad out of there for me?" asked my mom taking out a large mixing bowl. I handed her a bag of lettuce.
"Mom, I'm going to go out for a bit but, I'll be back ok?" I said heading for the back door.
"Wait a second Anna. Where are you going?" she asked placing her hands on her hips. Great, here come the suspicions.
"Just for a walk down the beach" I replied. She looked at me warily for a few seconds.
"What?!" I snapped a little louder than intended. My mom placed her hands on her hips.
"Who did you meet up with last night?" she asked still giving me the stink eye. I totally understood her concern but, really? Its not like I ever showed her any behavior that would be case for concern.
"I just met some local kids. We hung out on the beach for a bit" I said. I glanced at the setting sun. I was going to be late, anxiety racked through my body as I stood there. I had never lied to my parents before. There was never a need. Now, standing in the kitchen with my mother scrutinizing over me was making me extremely nervous. All the sudden her face softened and she lowered her arms.
"I'm sorry Anna" she said shaking her head. Didn't see that coming. "Look just be careful ok? I am glad you're meeting people. I guess I'm just not used to it" she said. I smiled back at her.
"Its cool mom. I'll be back in a bit" I said walking out onto the back deck. I had to keep telling myself to walk and not run. I was sure my mom was watching me from the kitchen and I didn't want her to be any more suspicious. I kept a leisurely pace until I was out of eye sight.
The sun was fully down now and the last rays of the day were the only source of light as I ran down the beach. The sky was a dark blue. I remembered the directions perfectly. At the first sign for Santa Carla beach I would find a walking path. Follow it up into the forest preserve until you reach the point. It was a rock formation that could be climbed and overlooked the beach and some of the houses in the local neighborhoods. Think of pride rock from the lion king onlt thirty times smaller and no singing animals. I followed the path through sand and some trees. I stopped walking when I saw a shadow standing towards the rocks. I couldn't make it out. In the dim light I saw its eyes reflect back at me, like an animal.
"Hello?" I called a little nervous all the sudden. Maybe there are lions up here, I thought. I heard a rustling as footsteps came towards me. I took a cautious step back.
"Hey, you came." I sighed with relief as I heard David's voice. He stepped forward in his regular jeans and black tee. I couldn't help but, smile at him.
"Well, you disappeared so fast on me I wanted to make sure you were actually real" I teased. He smirked warmly.
"And what would make you think I wasn't real?" he asked taking my hand in his. I shrugged non committaly as we strolled upwards towards the top of the point.
"I guess the way you seem to pop in and out of nowhere," I replied. He chuckled.
"Come on, I want to show you something" he said guiding me upwards towards the top of the point. We reached an open area that overlooked the beach below. The ocean spread out beneath us. I couldn't see my house from here but, I could make out the lights from the pier.
"Wow" I said walking towards the edge of the rocks. "It's beautiful."
"I figured you saw the pier and all its glory" laughed David. "I thought you might want to see the prettier side of Santa Carla."
I sat down on the edge of the rocks. I patted the spot next to me and David joined me on the rock. It was still warm from the day's heat. I pulled my knees up to my chest.
"So how was your day?" he asked me.
"Good. I mostly spent the whole day at my Uncle's comic store. How about you?" I asked. "You know you still haven't explained to me why you disappeared on me last night." David had the decency to look a little ashamed.
"I'm sorry about that. It was an emergency" he replied vaguely.
"So maybe I could give you my number and you could call me when you feel like leaving flowers outside my window? Just so I don't have a heart attack?" I was blushing furiously, but I meant it as a joke.
"So you liked my gift?" he asked very seriously.
"Not really," I replied. I had to hold my breath to keep from smiling.
"Seriously?" he asked. I almost felt bad for teasing him. He looked concerned.
"No. It was very sweet," I replied. We sat in silence for several minutes. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. I took this time to look at David. I could honestly stare at him for days. The longer we saw each other the more interesting he seemed to me. For example, his skin was a perfect alabaster. You would think living in California would give him some kind of tan. I wondered if his hair was really that blonde or if it was bleached out by the sun. Does he own any other kind of clothing? I mean black is ok but, it's like he wears the same thing. But then again, that can't be right because he always smells nice and clean.
"No one has ever described me as sweet," he said breaking me from my thoughts. He was staring down at his hands in his lap. I took one without thinking about it.
"Well, you're sweet to me," I told him. He looked directly into my eyes. I felt like I could fall into them. Our faces were mere inches from one another. I was close enough that I could see the small length of stubble on his perfect chin. I knew he would be able to smell my perfume. I leaned in without thinking and...
"Mike, I am sure she is fine," I heard my Uncle talking. I spun my head towards the direction of my house so quickly I heard it make a weird cracking noise. I searched the beach for the source of the voice and sure enough walking below us I could just make out the shape of my Dad and Uncle.
"Anna!" my Dad yelled.
"Shit," I whispered standing up. "My mom must have sent them after me." I exclaimed as David sat there immobile. My dad called for me one more time.
"David?" I whispered trying to keep my voice down.
He wasn't moving. He sat there still as a statue. I took a few steps towards him. Was he having a fit? Was it some kind of catatonic seizure?
"David?" I kneeled down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder. He turned so quickly that I yelped. I could have sworn I heard him growl at me. I jumped back a little and lost my footing. I could feel myself falling backwards through space. The inevitable fear of falling down made me reach for something, anything. Quicker than my eyes could follow, David stood up and pulled me to him before I could fall over the edge to a horrible injury. He held me close to his chest for a second.
"Are you ok?" he asked. I nodded, not sure what to think. I could still hear my dad calling my name, getting closer.
"I have to go," I whispered breathlessly trying to get my heart rate back to normal. Was it bad that I was probably about to get busted and yet I was happier than hell that I was so close to him? He nodded.
"Ill come by later tonight, Ill meet you at your window," he said releasing me. I shook my head.
"If my parents catch you they'll call the cops," I said. I heard my Dad and Uncle calling my name again.
"Ill be quiet I promise" he said. I smiled and before I could talk myself into staying and ran into the woods, towards my Dad's voice.