by Teya Tapler
“This is your place.” Mitchell invited Evan to enter the front yard.
She smiled, curtsied without taking hands off her jacket and followed the path to the front door. With the sidewalk tree half-hiding the street light the place looked romantic. She turned and pressed her back on the wall next to the door and waited for him in the shadow of the small porch. Mitchell followed her and stopped at his preferred distance of three feet. He looked at his yellow basketball shoes and said.
“Thanks for seeing the movie with me. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
“Thank you for inviting me.” Evan touched his hand and smiled. “The movie was great. I haven’t laughed that much in a long time.”
“I had a wonderful time too.” He said and blushed.
The two of them stood for a while holding hands in the awkward silence. The porch light was off and only a dimmed ray from the street light shone shyly between the leaves on Evan’s face. Mitchell’s hand moved up and he caressed her loose brown hair. The scent of her shampoo filled the air as his face turned red again. Not knowing what to expect he was both worried and afraid of her reaction. Evan smiled slightly and didn’t move when his hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up at him and said quietly.
“We should do this again.”
He moved closer and looked at her adoringly. The wind blew into her hair spreading it over her face and Evan raised one hand to clear it away. Mitchell blushed again and retreated. “Sure...Some other time,” his hands were back in his pockets and he was looking down at his yellow basketball shoes again.
“Good-night!” Evan said and started opening the door.
“Good-night!” Mitchell waved at her and headed to the bus stop.
Evan signed; that was yet another disappointing date. Ever since her high school senior year, after … Zander left … she had been trying to find someone to fall in love with. Someone who would like her the way she was, someone who would take care of her and help her when needed. Her search had been long and fruitless. Initially everyone in the school considered her mourning Kevin’s death. The explosion at his house had rattled everybody and hence no one even dared inviting her to the senior prom. She didn’t want to go anyway. It was too painful for her to watch the happy couples dancing around when she was not sure where her heart was. At the time Evan was still confused. She was still mesmerized by Zander’s eyes and his kiss but the reality of him never coming back hadn’t sunk in yet. It took her two years, and over 700 days to grasp the simple truth that she had to move on and forget the little adventure she had with the charming time traveler. When she tried dating again, it wasn’t a fun experience as all the boys around her seemed … plain. She attempted to ignore their shyness when they struggled making her a compliment and she even encouraged the bravest by inviting them to a date herself. After each date when the guy acted in his own, weird way; took her to a western movie, left her at a racetrack or lost her at a convention, Evan felt down. She gave up after the third try and didn’t date anyone at all. It felt right. It felt safe. Her heart was alone but at least she wasn’t lying herself that she could fall in love again. Tired of searching, she had decided to let the things be and happen in their own way.
And then, Mitchell had shown up on the horizon. He was extremely bashful but he was a nice guy. He was the one who took the first step and invited Evan to the movie that night. They watched the latest comedy sharing plenty of laughs and popcorn and then he took her back home … all the way to the front door. It felt nice. It felt as if he was watching over her, protecting her from the darkness around them. Well, he kept the three feet distance between them all the time, but he was still watching over her.
Probably this wasn’t that bad. Evan thought.
Seeing hope and love in her future she opened the door quietly to avoid waking everyone and tiptoed inside. There she bumped into Brittany and Carmen. The two had hidden behind the front door carefully listening and watching the events outside. Carmen should have left hours ago but hearing that Evan was on a date found something to do filling up her time until Evan’s return. She had tried several times to make Brittany describe the guy Evan was with and every time Brittany had said that Mitchell was a nice and very smart guy. She had been avoiding a more descriptive response, not mentioning anything about his height, hair or eye color.
“He should kiss her. He not the right man for her.” Carmen whispered stressing the Rs as usual.
“He did just fi-ine Carmen.” Brittany protested. ”They shouldn’t kiss on the first date. It’s not right.”
“You said not right. That’s what I meant. He not the right man for her.” Carmen didn’t give up.
“Hey, what's going on here?” Evan said entering the house with a breeze of fresh air.
“He not the right man for you.” Carmen pointed towards the door.
“Well, good evening to you too, Carmen!” Evan smiled.
“He not the right man for you.” Carmen repeated pointing towards the door.
“He’s a good guy. A little too shy but he’s a good guy. He's the smartest one in our computer network security class and plays in the college basketball team. He has a bright future.” Evan said. She had started to like Mitchell, his kindness and good heart.
“And he followed the rule. He didn’t kiss her on the first date.” Brittany raised her index finger.
“His son better.” Carmen pointed in direction of the landlord’s apartment and winked in her usual conspirer kind of way. “You see tomorrow.”
“What are you trying to do here Carmen?” Evan asked with a smile.
“You see tomorrow. Now I go.” Carmen left after another wink. “My husband needs food.”
“She’s funny. What was all that about? Is she a matchmaker now?” Evan raised her eyebrows and the two girls went upstairs.
“You should have heard her comment the way Mitchell looked at his shoes.” Brittany laughed and imitated Carmen. “That’s not a macho thing. Go on kiss her.”
“Should I ask my dates to drop me off at another location then?” Evan asked.
“Na-ah. Carmen’s fine. I’m sure she meant well. Come on, tell me everything.” Brittany said.
“Well you saw how it ended-” Evan said.
“Yes, and I saw how it started. Mitchell almost fell down the stairs when you were leaving.” Brittany opened their apartment door.
“Don’t laugh at him. I know he’s a bit awkward when I’m around but he’s working on it. He’s nice and he's smart and he plays in our winning basketball team.” Evan said.
“I noticed that he dared to touch you tonight and that is a huge improvement for the two years since you first met. And he was three feet away from you without a desk or a table to protect him. I know that he's nice and that he's a good guy and I’ve seen his impressive moves on the court. ” Brittany said and pulled Evan to the couch in the living room.” But how do you feel about him? Is it the same as what you felt with, you know, Kevin?”
Evan sat down, put her feet on the couch, pulled her knees closer to her chest and hugged them with both hands. Perched like a little bird on the tree, she fell deep into her thoughts. Brittany sat like a pretzel in the other end of the sofa, took one of the cookies Carmen had left for them earlier that day, and waited. She could see the shadows of the memories dancing on Evan’s face as her expression changed a few times. Evan’s eyes were still looking at the air in the middle of the room when she started talking.
“I, I have to wait and see.” Evan said. She hadn’t told Brittany the whole truth about what happened between her and Kevin. Brittany didn’t know about the damaged Maserati, the kidnapping or the attempted murder. She would not have understood and at the time she would have told the whole school. Telling Brittany what Kevin Mort and his father really were had never been an option.
“Well then, what do you feel about Mitchell?” Brittany insisted.
Evan took a cookie from the coffee table, closed her eyes for a second and t
hen bit with determination. That brought the crunchy treat to life and the chocolate chips started to melt in her mouth. The sugar rush invigorated her mind as she fell into her thoughts once more. That time her expression didn’t change. Looking at the air in the middle of the room, Evan resembled someone who was objectively evaluating the current circumstances.
“Mitchell’s a nice guy but…I feel that it would be a long time before he dares to kiss me, and I don’t know, if I’d want to…Za-a-Kevin, was very different.” Evan said.
“I remember Kevin kissing you in the corridors after almost every class. I envied you two so-o much. He was the best looking guy in the whole school and his father was so-o rich and famous. You were the perfect couple.” Brittany continued bubbling about old times.
“Yes, we were.” Evan said softly, thinking about her and Zander. Her eyes still focused at the air in the middle of the living room, on something visible only to her. Brittany saw her smile to the thing she was seeing there. Events from the past were replaying in front of Evan’s eyes; she was hearing Zander’s husky voice saying that he would think of something and that everything would be all right.
“One day you’ll meet a much better guy than Kevin.” Brittany patted Evan on the back. Thinking that her friend was still recovering from Kevin’s death Brittany left her in the living room and went to sleep.
***
It was Saturday morning and Evan and Brittany were watching the morning show on the local channel. Their breakfast laid on the coffee table in front of them; bagel with cream cheese for Evan and grapefruit with sweetener for Brittany. In their pajamas and fluffy slippers, feet on the couch the two girls were soaking the news. Brittany was imagining her as a reporter in just a few more years while Evan was analyzing in her mind the presented statistics about the irritability level of the coffee drinkers among men and women. The window was open to let the fresh air in but the curtains were down to keep the light away from the TV screen.
“Cream?” Brittany asked lifting the small carton.
“Is it non-diary?” Evan asked.
“I don’t know. It says cream on the box.” Brittany said. “You are not lactose intolerant, are you?”
“Gotcha-a!” Evan pointed at Brittany and smiled.
“Wait, wait.” Brittany pushed down Evan’s hand and grabbed the remote to increase the volume. “There is nothing more important on the Saturday morning show than the weather forecast for the weekend.”
Evan put three packages sweetener in her coffee, added a spoonful of cream and started stirring the reviving liquid. The wind was tiptoeing behind the curtains brining in refreshing ribbons of crisp air into the room. The coffee mug was warming her hands, reminding her of the hot chocolate she would have with her sister after playing in the snow until their toes froze. When drinking the hot chocolate after a long snow fight, Evan would still feel her skin cold but the hot drink would help her warm from the inside out, making her feel like a “melting snowman” as she used to joke.
Evan sipped from the coffee and closed her eyes to focus on the taste in her mouth. The coffee warmed her pallet and after she swallowed it went slowly down her esophagus and its warmth spread gently inside her body. That nice start of the day was promising a great weekend ahead.
A knock on the door startled them and Evan spilled her coffee. A big, wet, brown spot appeared among the flowers on her light green top. She left her mug on the table and started dabbing the stain with a napkin. Another knock followed. The two girls looked at each other. Evan pointed to the fresh coffee stain and nodded towards the door.
“One moment Carmen!” Brittany shouted and halfheartedly got up. Barefooted with half of her pajama top outside of her pants she dawdled to open the door. She checked her hair in the mirror and straightened the pajama top before opening the door.
“Hi!” Evan heard a pleasant husky voice. “I’m Mr. Woodsworth’s son.”
“Ahm. We thought it was Carmen … Hi. I’m Brittany.” Evan heard Brittany collecting her thoughts.
“I’m here to check the plumbing in the bathroom and the dishwasher in the kitchen.” Mr. Woodsworth’s son said. “My father mentioned a leak I had to look at and I also heard that the dishwasher’s causing you troubles. May I come in?”
“Su-ure. The bathroom’s right here and the kitchen’s over there.” Brittany showed him around.
Evan looked towards them and froze. In the corridor she saw …Zander, dressed in blue jeans and a dirty T-shirt with a bucket full with plumbing instruments in one hand and glasses with thick black frames on his nose.
This is definitely Zander. He has the same posture and hairstyle, the same look on his face and...
As she stared at him she noticed that the scar was missing and the glasses were real; the corner of his eyes and the end of his eyebrows changed shape as she looked at his face through the corner of the huge glasses.
This isn’t Zander. I am becoming paranoid. I am seeing him everywhere. I must really miss him. She thought.
He noticed her stare and said.
“Hi … I’m Za-ak, I didn’t mean to startle you.” His hesitant smile made her relax a little. She remembered the big coffee stain on her chest and tried to hide it with a napkin.
“If you soak it in cold water it will get out easily.” Zak said standing in the middle of the corridor.
“W-what?” Evan said quietly almost to herself. She looked confused and surprised that he was able to talk at all.
“The coffee stain. If you soak it in cold water it’ll get out easily.” Zak said and headed to work on the leak.
Brittany ran to Evan and sat on the sofa next to her as screeching and banging noises started coming from the bathroom.
“I think Carmen’s right.” Brittany said.
“W-what do you mean?” Evan asked. It was hard for her to come to terms with her memories and feelings while trying to distinguish the reality from her dreams. Her burning, red cheeks stood out on her now pale face. Eyes wide open Evan was staring with disbelief at the spot Zak was standing a few seconds ago.
“Nothing. I think that you like Zak and that he likes you back.” Brittany said matter-of-factually.
“I need to soak this in cold water.” Evan said and automatically got up. She mechanically pushed the coffee table away and headed towards her room. Her mind was somewhere else. ”I don’t want a coffee stain there forever.”
“He’s working in the bathroom. You won’t be able to use the sink.” Brittany shouted at Evan as she closed her door.
Chapter 7
The rumble coming down the stairs grew louder and louder. Hurried footsteps, accompanied by clanking of a metal bucket full with metal items, rushed towards the first floor apartment. The door opened with a bang and shortly after was slammed shut. A muffled curse was followed by Zak bursting into the living room.
“Why didn’t you tell me who these girls are?” Ignoring his father’s presence Zak strode into the kitchen and dropped the bucket with plumbing instruments behind the door. The sound of gushing water and items moved around with unnecessary force indicated that something was wrong.
“Don’t break anything!” Mr. Woodsworth shouted from the sofa. “They’re just girls. Does it really matter?”
“Why did you let anyone live upstairs? We agreed that even thought this is a two story house no one was going to move into the second floor. And now we have people living up there!” Zak kept on talking over the sound of the running water.
“The item is in the black box. It has been enough to protect its surroundings so far,” Mr. Woodsworth said, “and with the pearls being in the vault it has been dormant ever since.”
“If you have shared it while we were searching for the pearls, a lot would have been different now.” Zack shouted back.
“You know that I couldn’t have done that.” Mr. Woodsworth said to himself then added louder, “What’s bothering you exactly?”
“You know very well what happens when someone’s exposed t
o the power of the item.” Zak stopped the water.
“Having a few more people with deeper intuition in this society will do more good, don’t you think? Besides they’re good girls from good families. One of them’s a professor’s daughter, the other one comes from a family of accountants.” Mr. Woodsworth said.
“I already know that.” Zak stood in the middle of the living room wiping his wet hands off his jeans and T-shirt.
His father pulled a pair of glasses from his top pocket and focused on Zak’s face. “The reception’s not as good today. It’s hard for me to read your facial expressions. Your face looks blurred. Zander? Is there something you’d like to tell me, son?” Mr. Woodsworth said.
“Just, make them go away.” Zander paced around the room.
“It won’t be polite, they moved in last week.” Mr. Woodsworth said.
“Then tell them that there’s something wrong with the apartment, that there are a lot of cockroaches and spiders, that I couldn’t stop the leak, or that the gas’ll explode. Anything! Just make them leave!” Zander plead.
“Tell me, which one’s bothering you?” Mr. Woodsworth patted the sofa seat next to him inviting Zander to sit there. “I don’t think it’s the talkative one. She’s too bubbly for you. You’ve always liked the more analytical type. I still remember how you fell for Mary when you joined the Anaconda team.” Andy smiled as Zander’s grimace indicated that had happened a long time ago and he had no right to bring them up now. Andy tried rephrasing his thoughts. “You’ve always wanted your girlfriends to be able to think on their own. So, it’s Lin, isn’t it?”
Zander sat quietly on the sofa.
“Or it’s Evan as she prefers to be called, right?” Mr. Woodsworth insisted.
“Okay. okay!” Zander gave up. He knew his father wouldn’t stop asking questions until all the details were out. Their relationship had always been like that. Even when Zander joined the Anaconda team under his father’s command their assignment debriefs would go under the fatherly questions and advise logo. “It’s Evan. You’re right ... D’ you remember the pearls retrieval mission?” Zander said.
