Chapter 41
We had all our Christmas shopping done by four. We had gotten stupid things for mom. And I talked about Bennett and she talked abotu her boyfriend Charlie. Who she was going to break up with soon because he was too boring. She wanted to meet Bennett though. I was only going ot see him tomorrow. Quickly. When I was at work. He and his mother were going to visit his grandparents for a couple days.
The last person on my list. He seemed the hardest.
I went into the record store. Paul wasn't working but the kid they hated was. Amber started walking towards CDs. But somehow the vinyl section caught my eye. He liked vinyls more than anything. So I figured I could look there.
I flipped through them. Amber talkign about the stupid things Charlie did. And I was listening. He had done some really awkward things in super markets apparently. Thigns that were dirty for a computer technical repair major that's for sure. But I was laughing mostly. Laughing a lot more than I ever have in front of Amber. We were like real sisters.
"Hey Elisa!"
My head turned. She walked wuickly into the store. The annoying kid who Bennett and Paul hated checked her out- not surprising. It was Rainie. She was smiling. "Hi," I said.
Rainie looked at Amber smiling too. "I'm Rainie," She said politely. She held her hand out for Amber to shake.
She did smiling. Almsot laughing at Rainie. "I'm Amber, her sister."
"Oh hi," Rainie said. She wasn't annoying. She reaminded me of a little kid. The way she smiled and how polite and slightly odd and dorky she was. But she was graceful about it all. Casual.
"What're you up to-" Her eyes widened. The grey blue taking over slowly. "He's gotten to you huh? He's such a vinyl-nazi."
I laughed shaking my head. "No, this is for him."
"Christmas shopping?" She asked. "Me too." She lifted a bag up. "All I have are disposable cameras so far."
Amber looked at her curiously.
She caught on. "It's an inside joke between me and my boyfriend." She said. "Well not an inside joke exactly. Just some little thing." She said peeking in to the CVS bag.
I nodded. "I don't know what to get Bennett." I said.
"Paul's easy for me." She said. "I gave him random crap for Thanksgiving, and he doesn't even care. Saves it all too. I make him use it." She was smilign at this. "But yeah, this time I'll try something better. Disposable cameras are my best bet so far."
"For Thanksgiving?" Amber asked smiling.
Rainie looked up smiling still. "TV commercials do me in. I bought him a coin sorter and a special super-towel or whatever." She said. "He loved it." There was sarcasm I caught on to. I can see Paul getting those things easily. He didn't seem the guy who would put up with random stuff liek that, but it wasn't impossible to picture him with a coin sorter. Rainie checked a Hello Kitty watch on her hand. "I have to go. Sorry," She said. "I hve to be in work in half hour. But hey, I'll stop by Carol's sometime. When do you work there normally? You're hours change a little."
"Next week I work Thursday at three." I said.
"Perfect, I'll stop by." She smield at both of us. "It was nice talking to you."
"You too." Amber said.
"Tell me waht you find Bennett though." She said to me. "Okay, see you next Thursday."
"Bye,"
She walked away waving one last time. Her bag with the disposable cameras in it dangling from her hands. I turned back to the records. Amber watched her still. "She's so pretty." Amber said.
"I know," I said.
"Do you hang out at school?" She asked.
I shook my head. "She goes to Coolen and she's a senior. But she and Bennett are friends and she and one of Bennett's friends are in love."
"Paul?" She asked.
"Yeah," I nodded.
Then I came to a bin and hit gold. I saw a peachy pink color poking out of the others. I kept flipping through already knowing what it was. But I found another two. Dashboard Confessional Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most. I picked out both. Amber taking them from me and looking at them. They were cheap. Then I came to Death Cab For Cutie The Photo Album. Soemtihng I knew he didn't have.
I took the two records form Amber. She asked me why I was getting him these records. They were old. All from 2001 and 2000. I jsut said they were like an inside joke but not really. She understood a little. I think at least. I knew Bennett would like them.
I walked out of work. The bag dangling from my hand. I saw his car sitting idley in a parking space. He was reading. I climbed into his front seat. He was leaving soon. We were just going to say goodbye now. He wasn't shocked by me coming in. He looked tired. I smiled at him a little. He had on reading glasses. He sighed smiling too. They were big black-framed glasses.
He took them off. "They looked fine." I said.
"You were laughing at them on the inside." He said. He put them down on his copy of a book. I looked at it.
"What's that?"
He looked at the title. "My grandmother gave me a copy of it last year for Christmas." He said. "It's by e. e. cummings. It's better than I thought. But I felt bad about not reading it. She would ask about it." He looked at me. "I only see them once a year."
I nodded. The Enormous Room by e. e. cummings. I've never heard of him.
"I'll lend it to you when I come back though. Are you done with The Great Gatsby?" He asked.
"Last chapter," I said.
"Did you like it a lot?" He asked.
"Yes," I said smilign at him. "I did."
He kissed me. His lips warm agaisnt mine. I moved my hands into his hair. It was still cold in his car. The heat not cranked up. Only halfway.
I slid into my car. Freezing as it was, I felt warm. I always did. It had been twenty minutes since I left work. I placed my plastic bag onto the empty passenger seat beside me and I started the engine. Rubbing my hands together. Hoping the friction could at least warm my shking hands. But I was so warm inside. My heart pounding blood throughout me faster than it ever had.
The bag next to me not yet opened. But it had a tall cardboard box in it. It was slightly heavy. Not much. But neither of us were opening our plastic bags in front of each other. In fact we were both saving them for when we got home.
And when I shut my bedroom door behind me. I sat beginning to open my plastic bag. My phone ringing noisily. I checked the caller ID. I didn't answer letting it ring and send him to voicemail. A smile on my lips as I opened a cardboard box with a thick envelope taped to it.
It said my name in the neatest messy handwriting I loved.
