Chapter Eight:
"Kristy, where are we going today?" Eight-year-old Mariah Perkins asked me as we
walked to the park.
"Just to the park." I told her. "We're going to meet up with a friend of mine
and his younger brother." I looked down at her. "I think you might now him.
Derek Retlin?"
Mariah crinkled her eyebrows and gazed at me, puzzled. "Is he that skinny, yucky
boy?"
"Oh... so you know him?" I asked.
"Yes." Mariah said, with obvious disgust. "And I hate him."
An uneasy feeling came over me but I kept on walking. Cary and I planned an
afternoon for Derek and mariah so that they could get to know each other better
and Derek wouldn't be so daunted by her. I had a feeling this would be one long
afternoon.
Once we arrived at the park I spotted Cary and Derek waiting on one of the
benches by the Merry-Go-Round. Cary looked up and saw me and Mariah walking
towards them and I felt my stomach flip when our eyes locked. It was so strange,
only a few weeks ago it did the same thing, only in disgust. Now it was out of
excitement to see him.
"Hi, Cary!" I greeted.
"Hi, Kristy!" He said, looking like he wanted to scoop me into his arms but
restrained himself for the sake of public decency.
I looked down at Mariah and sighed before putting on a smile.
"Mariah, this is Derek." I said.
"I know." She replied icily.
"I know her too." Derek said without a beat and just as icily.
Cary and I exchanged a glance before I put on a bright (er) smile. "Well, we're
sure going to have a good time today! Mariah, you know how much you like Peter
Pan? Well, were going to watch 'Return to Neverland' today. How does that
sound?"
Mariah's expression lit up like a lightbulb. "Goody! I haven't watched a movie
without Gabbers forever! You know how much she likes to talk through all the
good parts."
"Who's Gabbers?" Derek asked.
"Gabbie." Mariah clarified. "She's my little sister. She's four years old and an
absolute pest!"
"Oh. I have a little brother named Ben. He's only seven but he's a big pest
too."
Then, as if sibling trials were the icebreaker, Mariah and Derek walked off
together, talking as if they were old friends. Cary and I looked at each other
and smiled, after some thought, Cary took hold of my hand we started after the
two. A year ago, when Bart and I were going out, he used to always grab my hand
or put his arm around me. I wasn't a baby but it just wasn't comfortable for me,
it made me feel timorous and unsure. But for some reason, with Cary, it was
different.
"Don't you wish fairies, flying boys and pixie dust was real?" Mariah asked as
she danced around after movie. The two had enjoyed the movie and both decided
that it was better than the first one.
"There are other ways to fly, you know." Derek said.
"Really?" Mariah asked curiously. "How?"
"don't you feel like you can fly when your doing gymnastics?"
"No. My gymnastics teacher doesn't make us do any fun stuff yet."
Derek went on to explain to Mariah all the stunts he knew and once we reached
the park, he demonstrated them. Mariah was very impressed. The once cold,
distant expression she had when she first arrived was replaced with a warm,
friendly smile.
As an ending to the afternoon, Cary and I bought the two ice cream cones. Both
seemed depressed when we had to drop Mariah home, but promised to stay see each
other at school. Derek seemed to be on Cloud Nine when we dropped him home.
"He looks really happy." Cary said to me as we took the wooded path to my house.
"You know match-making."
"No." I disagreed. "I just know kids."
Cary laughed and we paused beneath a tree. "Kristy, Wednesday, when we were at
the lake, I realized that I know so little about you."
"How so?" I asked, puzzled.
"I never knew you were the kind of girl who could..." Cary cut himself off.
"...sneak away with a guy and kiss so well."
I laughed uncomfortably at first but shook off the feeling. "Well, it's not like
I do it often--"
"I didn't mean it like that." Cary said.
"Then what did you mean?" I asked.
Cary drew his mouth up into his cheek like a drawstring and pulled me down onto
the big roots of the tree. I was kind of hoping for a kiss, but Cary just gave
me an amuzed look.
"I just meant that, despite all the time we've known each other, all the jokes
and pranks and arguments--I really don't know all about you."
I smiled widely. "Is that all?" I leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Well, I
was born in the Yankee Stadium for one thing."
"Really?" He asked, interesting lighting up in his eyes.
"Uh-huh." I said.
We took turns telling our lives to one another, almost like truth or dare
without the dare. I knew that his father was a police officer but I didn't know
that Cary wanted to become on also. He wanted to do writing and music too, but
something made him want to be on the force too. I told him that he follow his
gut. I told him that I wanted to be a lawyer or a P.E. teacher or some other
occupation where losing your temper every now and then was completely
exceptable. He agreed that I was kind of hot-headed.
I was surprised when I realized that we had been talking for two hours.
"I'd better get back." I said.
"Yeah, I have to be getting back too." Cary said.
We stood and dusted ourselves off and I looked at him closely. Before he could
head away, I took his arm.
"Um, Cary?"
"Yes?" He asked.
"My friend, Abby, is in a play for the Little Theater in town in two weeks." I
said. "You want to go?"
Cary looked as if he were debating this very carefully before grinning. "Sure."
I nodded, "Great."
Before he turned around again, Cary pulled me closer and gave me a small kiss. I
felt it lingering on my lips long after we pulled apart from each other. As a
matter of fact, I was still in a daze until I climbed into bed that night. Once
my head hit the pillow I
knew that I was going to have trouble sleeping. Absently, I began to wonder if
this was how Dawn was feeling about her relationship with Jason. Sure, I had
known Cary ever since seventh-grade, three years, which was significantly longer
than Dawn had known her boyfriend, but... maybe meeting your soul mate at this
time in life wasn't so unusual.
After all, Mary Anne and Dawn's parents were high school sweethearts and now
they were married. Eventually, sleep did find me and I dreamed of what my life
would be like with Cary in it. I decided that I liked the idea.
"Kristy, where are we going today?" Eight-year-old Mariah Perkins asked me as we
walked to the park.
"Just to the park." I told her. "We're going to meet up with a friend of mine
and his younger brother." I looked down at her. "I think you might now him.
Derek Retlin?"
Mariah crinkled her eyebrows and gazed at me, puzzled. "Is he that skinny, yucky
boy?"
"Oh... so you know him?" I asked.
"Yes." Mariah said, with obvious disgust. "And I hate him."
An uneasy feeling came over me but I kept on walking. Cary and I planned an
afternoon for Derek and mariah so that they could get to know each other better
and Derek wouldn't be so daunted by her. I had a feeling this would be one long
afternoon.
Once we arrived at the park I spotted Cary and Derek waiting on one of the
benches by the Merry-Go-Round. Cary looked up and saw me and Mariah walking
towards them and I felt my stomach flip when our eyes locked. It was so strange,
only a few weeks ago it did the same thing, only in disgust. Now it was out of
excitement to see him.
"Hi, Cary!" I greeted.
"Hi, Kristy!" He said, looking like he wanted to scoop me into his arms but
restrained himself for the sake of public decency.
I looked down at Mariah and sighed before putting on a smile.
"Mariah, this is Derek." I said.
"I know." She replied icily.
"I know her too." Derek said without a beat and just as icily.
Cary and I exchanged a glance before I put on a bright (er) smile. "Well, we're
sure going to have a good time today! Mariah, you know how much you like Peter
Pan? Well, were going to watch 'Return to Neverland' today. How does that
sound?"
Mariah's expression lit up like a lightbulb. "Goody! I haven't watched a movie
without Gabbers forever! You know how much she likes to talk through all the
good parts."
"Who's Gabbers?" Derek asked.
"Gabbie." Mariah clarified. "She's my little sister. She's four years old and an
absolute pest!"
"Oh. I have a little brother named Ben. He's only seven but he's a big pest
too."
Then, as if sibling trials were the icebreaker, Mariah and Derek walked off
together, talking as if they were old friends. Cary and I looked at each other
and smiled, after some thought, Cary took hold of my hand we started after the
two. A year ago, when Bart and I were going out, he used to always grab my hand
or put his arm around me. I wasn't a baby but it just wasn't comfortable for me,
it made me feel timorous and unsure. But for some reason, with Cary, it was
different.
"Don't you wish fairies, flying boys and pixie dust was real?" Mariah asked as
she danced around after movie. The two had enjoyed the movie and both decided
that it was better than the first one.
"There are other ways to fly, you know." Derek said.
"Really?" Mariah asked curiously. "How?"
"don't you feel like you can fly when your doing gymnastics?"
"No. My gymnastics teacher doesn't make us do any fun stuff yet."
Derek went on to explain to Mariah all the stunts he knew and once we reached
the park, he demonstrated them. Mariah was very impressed. The once cold,
distant expression she had when she first arrived was replaced with a warm,
friendly smile.
As an ending to the afternoon, Cary and I bought the two ice cream cones. Both
seemed depressed when we had to drop Mariah home, but promised to stay see each
other at school. Derek seemed to be on Cloud Nine when we dropped him home.
"He looks really happy." Cary said to me as we took the wooded path to my house.
"You know match-making."
"No." I disagreed. "I just know kids."
Cary laughed and we paused beneath a tree. "Kristy, Wednesday, when we were at
the lake, I realized that I know so little about you."
"How so?" I asked, puzzled.
"I never knew you were the kind of girl who could..." Cary cut himself off.
"...sneak away with a guy and kiss so well."
I laughed uncomfortably at first but shook off the feeling. "Well, it's not like
I do it often--"
"I didn't mean it like that." Cary said.
"Then what did you mean?" I asked.
Cary drew his mouth up into his cheek like a drawstring and pulled me down onto
the big roots of the tree. I was kind of hoping for a kiss, but Cary just gave
me an amuzed look.
"I just meant that, despite all the time we've known each other, all the jokes
and pranks and arguments--I really don't know all about you."
I smiled widely. "Is that all?" I leaned against the trunk of the tree. "Well, I
was born in the Yankee Stadium for one thing."
"Really?" He asked, interesting lighting up in his eyes.
"Uh-huh." I said.
We took turns telling our lives to one another, almost like truth or dare
without the dare. I knew that his father was a police officer but I didn't know
that Cary wanted to become on also. He wanted to do writing and music too, but
something made him want to be on the force too. I told him that he follow his
gut. I told him that I wanted to be a lawyer or a P.E. teacher or some other
occupation where losing your temper every now and then was completely
exceptable. He agreed that I was kind of hot-headed.
I was surprised when I realized that we had been talking for two hours.
"I'd better get back." I said.
"Yeah, I have to be getting back too." Cary said.
We stood and dusted ourselves off and I looked at him closely. Before he could
head away, I took his arm.
"Um, Cary?"
"Yes?" He asked.
"My friend, Abby, is in a play for the Little Theater in town in two weeks." I
said. "You want to go?"
Cary looked as if he were debating this very carefully before grinning. "Sure."
I nodded, "Great."
Before he turned around again, Cary pulled me closer and gave me a small kiss. I
felt it lingering on my lips long after we pulled apart from each other. As a
matter of fact, I was still in a daze until I climbed into bed that night. Once
my head hit the pillow I
knew that I was going to have trouble sleeping. Absently, I began to wonder if
this was how Dawn was feeling about her relationship with Jason. Sure, I had
known Cary ever since seventh-grade, three years, which was significantly longer
than Dawn had known her boyfriend, but... maybe meeting your soul mate at this
time in life wasn't so unusual.
After all, Mary Anne and Dawn's parents were high school sweethearts and now
they were married. Eventually, sleep did find me and I dreamed of what my life
would be like with Cary in it. I decided that I liked the idea.