The night was sticky and the heat rolling off all the concrete of the city was keeping the street overly warm. We walked in silence for a block but that ended when his soft soothing voice brings up another memory.
"Fifth grade, Mrs. Tucci's class." The way my crazy brain works it is easy to bring up pretty much the whole year just from that trigger, luckliy he pinpoints a spot for me. "You gave everyone the idea to start tripping me. Everywhere, I couldn't get through a day without landing face first on the floor. Chipped my tooth even."
I know, I saw. I was lurking behind the pillar in the lunch room watching him. Tyler saw him coming and was joking with his friends and whispering, as he passed stuck his foot out and tripped Emmett. He went down hard and twisted his head on the way down catching the bench. The impact echoed through the whole lunch room. Tyler got two days detention and his buddies got covered in spaghetti.
It takes longer to access the emotion or why behind it though. Eleven wasn't an age you put why behind your actions. I think as I rub my jaw and finally loosen my tie and unbutton my shirt. I know he is wanting me to answer but he calmly waits and now watches. I can see his glance over and watch as the words are reveal on my neck. Never pushing never giving me the pressured feeling. He just waits. And that was it, that was what it was.
"Everyone was waiting in line pushing and shoving for that field trip to go tour the middle school. I remember it was cold and dreary and the girls were complaining about how cold it was and the guys who thought they were top dog now were deluded that they would rule in the new school. Everyone was miserable but you, you were all content, head in a book not looking where you were going. I don't know why the small smile you had made me so angry. It did and I made a half ass comment to the guy that you better be careful or you were gonna trip. I knew what they would do. But I figured as long as I didn't do anything it wasn't on me." rubbing the back of my neck I dare a glance at him. He is looking at me, I wonder if he had been the whole time. But the look I don't know if I can decipher it, looks knowing and sad I guess.