Ch 4: A Walk In The Park
The moment was rapidly drawing nearer by the second as T-man waited patiently by the fountain. He came a few minutes earlier than plan so he could catch a glimpse of her approaching. He could already imagine her walking towards him, her body illuminated in the afternoon glow of the setting sun, that gentle smile of hers as she waved to greet him. The picture was so perfect, so clear, that he could almost swear he heard her call his name. But it was only the cool breeze of the evening making the trees around him restless. Bending to sit down, He buried his face in his hands and started messaging his brain. “What a childish thought.” He told himself . “Stuff like that only happens in movies.”
Trying not to stress himself out too much, he decided to listen to some music as the time passed by. The hypnotic rhythm fixated his body into a very relaxed state as his mind began to drift more towards Lisa. He could see her so vividly. Her voice, the movements of her lips. But what got him the most was her smile. That smile of hers had stuck on his mind like taffy on the roof of a child’s mouth, and he was loving the sweet sensation it brought him. It seemed as if his heart was calling out for her. He couldn’t wait to see her. Here what she had to say. Finally know that he was appreciated. That he was…cared for deeply. He didn’t want to jinx it by using the L word. At least, not yet anyways.
As he began to stretch his bones out, he took notice of his surroundings. The trees providing shade in just the right locations, creating a very soothing sensation that seemed to kiss his shoulders and send chills down his spine. He saw a few friends getting together and hanging out, families spending an evening together, kids playing, well just about everywhere they could. In the water, on the field, doing cartwheels and football. He smiled, cause he could easily see himself along with Lisa doing all those things. Spending time alone together, playing together like kids. Just enjoy each others company and absorbing the moment together.
As the sun sank lower into the earth, he made a quick glance at his watch. 7:09 it said. A little past time, which meant she should be arriving any moment now. He looked around some more and noticed the birds flying back home. Getting some late minute bites in before departure for the evening. He even noticed a butterfly passing him by. He always took this as a sign of good fortune. And he continued to watch as the butterfly dances so gracefully about. Its beautiful lilac wings scattering about, seeming almost to appear as if it was caught by the currents of the breeze. As his eyes followed the butterflies movements, it soon latched onto a girl sitting all alone in the shade of the tree behind him.
The way she sat reminded him of a portrait he once saw in a museum. She sat their, with crossed legs, hair loosely placed in a ponytail, with the most calmest face you’d ever seen. She looked down her pink shirt for a moment, and reached in to pull out what appeared to be some kind of charm. At least that’s what T-Man suspected it to be since he was near sighted and never wears his glasses in public. (only in school or to the movies) A smile went across her face as she twirled it around peacefully in her hands as if se was replaying an old memory in her head. After squinting, and staring for over a minute, T-Man turned back around. Then thought about it, and turned back around again towards the girl. Then like an idiot he turned back around and smiled. He knew for sure it was Lisa. The smile she was wearing said it all. But before he could look over at her one more time he noticed she had already spotted him and was headed his way.
A bit off guard, he quickly rose up off the bench he was sitting on and turned to great her. Dropping his CD Player in the process and still managing to embarrass himself in front of her.
“Hi” He said, totally ignoring the fact that his CD Player just cracked against the cement walk way of the park.
“Oh, I‘m sorry about that.” said Lisa in compassion. She was about to reach down herself and grab it herself but he beat her to it. “Didn‘t meant to startle you like that. Is it ok?” She said with a sincere voice. .
“Oh, yea, its fine.” Said T-Man, not really caring if it was or wasn’t at the moment. His mind was preoccupied with other thoughts at that moment.
“Its Just a little dent, that’s all No worries“
“ Well that’s good.” she said with a sigh of relief. “For a sec, I thought I had broke it.”
“Na, it takes a lot more than that to crack this one.”
She Smiled as the shared a laugh together. But their moment was short lived as their mild laughter quickly turned into an awkward silence. Normally, with any other person, T-man would have allowed the conversation to die and evaporate into nothingness. But with Lisa, his mind raced to find a topic starter. Anything to rekindle the conversation, and keep her interested. And just in the nick of time, he remembered the pink phone in his pocket.
“Here you go Lisa.” he said as he pulled it out and handed it to her. “Sorry for the mix up.”
By the look on her face, it was easy to tell that she forgot all about it.
“Oh yea, …this little thing.” She said, feeling a bit embarrassed about it. “Thank you for holding onto it for so long. I know it must have been very embarrassing for you to haul it around all day.”
“No, not really. I made sure to keep it in a very safe place, my pocket.” They found themselves sharing yet another laugh once again as if they‘ve been bitten by the tickle bug.
“I think it looks good on you. Maybe you should hold on to it for a bit longer. You never know, it just might be your lucky charm.” She nearly busted out in laughter after seeing the expression on his face. “Kidding! Just kidding. Sorry, it was a joke that’s all. No offence tonto.”
“None taken.” She smiled at him as she looked him up and down. She couldn’t believe she was actually standing here with him. By now, some of the butterflies in her stomach had flew away, but she was still a bit shy and nervous around him. Her warm smile turned into a light hearted laughter.
“I’m sorry. Its just that….this, us meeting here…I know this is gonna sound silly but it kinda reminds me of a movie scene. You know, like two friends, who’ve never meet in person all of a sudden bump into each other one day out of the blue on the bus, and in a strange turn of events they end up meeting in the each other at a park. During a lovely sunset.” She looked up at him with a wide grin. “It just feels so surreal you know. Almost as if I’m dreaming.” Her lips began to loosen a bit as she started to form her words.
“ Its just…nice to finally be able to see you in person tonto.” A Strange yet calming sensation began to form from within as T-man continued to look boldly into Lisa’s eyes. It was his heart talking to him at a million miles a second. Although he was fully aware of what it wanted him to say, he’s mouth just hung their motionless. Finally the motors in his brain began to work as he muttered the first thing on his mind.
“It truly is a thing of beauty.” He said unconsciously.
“Oh, The Sun set.” He said trying to cover it up with a nervous laughter. “I was just saying how lovely it was. that’s all.”
He tried his best to play it cool, but on the inside he wanted to bang his head up against a wall. Lucky for him, Lisa seemed not to notice it too much. In fact she even laughed a bit as her eyes shimmered like diamonds in the glistening sunlight that remained scattered on the earth as the sun continued to slowly descend westward.
“I almost forgot how poetic you were.” She looked passed him to see the beauty of the moment for herself. “It is rather lovely.” She sighed slightly, then glanced over at him.
For some reason, whenever she looked at him, she couldn’t help but to smile. Their was just something about him, his personality, this moment. Something that she couldn’t explain to herself, and dare not discus it with him. She was already having difficulty keeping the butterflies in her stomach at bay. And the atmosphere was only making it worse. Love was in the air, and ever where she glance their was a couple enjoying the sun set together. All she cold do was to look down and twiddle her thumbs, but her eyes were constantly being drawn to his which made her blush on the inside. She soon found her lips began to slip as the words gently rolled off her tongue.
“So…would you like to go for a walk around the park with me?” She found herself asking. Without hesitation, he quickly responded .
“Sure. Sounds nice.”
The Smile on Lisa’s face grew 2 inches wider as they began to venture into the heart of the park. Although a few words were exchanged between them, they mostly just walked side by side along the concrete path oblivious to the people around them. In their hearts they were the only two souls around to enjoy the mystic trees and singing of the birds as they made their way home.
“So how long were you waiting up on me? Hopefully I didn’t take up too much of your time with this.”
“Of course not.” He said with a grin. “To be honest this was actually the highlight of my day.” She Started to blush on the inside as she felt her heart beat.
“What a sweet thing to say….Oh, I just realized you had work today. I didn‘t disturb you did I?”
“It‘s no biggie. We had a slow day anyways, so you calling was actually a nice surprise .”
“So, was that Skullz voice I heard yelling in the background?”
“Yep….that was Skullz alright.”
“You Two must have a lot of fun together.” T-Man didn’t really think so. And it was very easy to tell by the expression on his face what he really thought about it. Not that Skullz was a bad guy or anything, he just was sort of obnoxious at times. But despite his wild nature, he‘s still manages to get some of his work done. He just prefers to slack off more than actually working, which leaves T-Man with more to deal with (which T-Man honestly doesn’t mind at all since it gives him something to do and keeps him from sleeping on the job himself) .
“ ..I guess you can say that. He does seem to make work more entertaining that it should be. I never know what to expect when I come in. He‘s always seems to be up to something devious or disruptive.”
“ Wow, no wonder.” Said Lisa with a giggle. “I got a few headaches for friends myself , but I still love them like sisters.”
“Yea. Well that’s a goodie.”
“Yea, knowing them their probably stalking me right now. I apologizes in advance for anything they might do. They’re so nosy sometimes. They always assume every guy I talk with I either like or I’m dating.”
“Its ok, I don‘t mind. As long as you‘re alright I‘ll be alright.”
Lisa’s heart began to thump even harder now. His soothing words seemed to grab a hold of her heart and caress it with tender love and care. More deeper than anyone she’d ever came across before.
“You always know just what to say don‘t you.”
The two friends continued to walk side by side and nearly hand to hand, as the sun cast its final rays upon the earth. They decided to take a moments rest as they spot an empty bench right along the side of the park which faced the calm waters of the river bed.
“What a beautiful way to end the day said Lisa as she looked out into the moment. T-Man nodded in agreement. The way the sunlight danced on the surface of the river was a sight to behold indeed. His attention soon shifted towards Lisa as her face seemed to glow with excitement. He was tickled by the thought as he continued to look at her rather than the sunset itself. Lisa noticed the grin on his face and started to smile as well.
“I’m sorry, but theirs just something about a beautiful sunset such as this that really just feels my heart with joy.” T-Man just smiled.
“No need to apologize Lisa. Now you know why I love nature so much.”
“ Yep. That’s exactly why I chose this park for us to meet up at. I Knew you’d love the scenery. I figured if all else fails, you’d at least be able to find some bit of inspiration from this encounter.” T-Man was a bit taken back at first. “wow…all this for me huh? Man, thanks a lot Lisa.”
“No, its ok really. Just being able to see you is reward enough. I wanted to make this moment special for you because of all the wonderful things you’ve done for me.” T-Man sighed lightly as he fiddled with his thumbs.
“But I really don’t do to much of anything honestly.”
“Yes you do tonto. You’ve been a friend to me when I need it the most in my life and I’ll always appreciate it. You’re not like most guys our age you know. You’re very in tuned to your feelings and not afraid to show it.”
All T-Man could do was smile as she spoke. It wasn’t the first time she’s told him these things but it touched him on a deeper level than before since she was only inches away from him.
“Thank you Lisa for your kind words. You’ve always managed to touch my heart in that’s very special way. And that’s just one of the many reasons I like talking to you so much.”
“You’ve always been so Supportive and warm hearted towards me and all my ambitions no matter how childish and silly I think some of them are. I can tell that you truly care about me a lot and I thank you for putting up with me for so long Princess. I just hope I’m not being too much of a burden on you.” He smiled as he leaned back and looked towards the night sky.
“You know something, I’ve always secretly looked forward to the day that we’d be face to face with each other. And it seems that fait must of heard me. Although I never expected it would be thanks to a pink cell phone.” T-man turn around they locked eyes with one another as he placed a hand on her lap. “I’m just so glad to be here with you Lisa. I really feel blessed to have you as a friend.” as the words left his lips they began to echo in Lisa’s ears and started to tug at her heart. Finally she couldn’t fight it anymore as she started to break down and cry. “What’s wrong !? Lisa, are you ok? Did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to offend you in anyway, and I’m very sorry if I did….”
“No…” she said as she tried to stop the tears from flowing. “You’re just so sweet to me tonto…and I feel the exact same way about you too.”
She sat their hunched over, tears still dripping from her wet face as looked up at him. T-Man felt powerless as he watched the tears continue to rain down. she manage to smile at him only for a moment, then turned away to dry her eyes again. that’s when she felt the gentle hands caress her back as her worry and tension began to melt away . Images began to appear in her mind as he continued to gently stroke her back. Filled with a unknown but familiar sensation, she slowly inched over towards him and rested her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him.
The world around them started to fade as they held each other close. The aroma of both of their colognes began to intertwine and rest gently in both of their nostrils as T-man stretched out most of his body onto the bench, allowing Lisa more room to lay on top of him. She looked up at him with those piercing pink eyes of hers which became even more dazzling as he moved he hair back away from her face. Almost like a kitten, she snuggled up a bit more in his arms as she closed her eyes and continued to hold onto him. He smiled softly as he continued to stroke her hair back. The whole moment felt like it could last forever, and that’s exactly what both of them wished for. A warm smile slowly appeared on Lisa’s face as she listened to the rhythm of his heart. The image was more bolder now than before as her smile started to fade. This was exactly how she spent her days with her ex whenever they where alone together. She started to feel a bit unease as she shifted a little to reach for her necklace. As it popped out, she began to eyeball the ring attached to it. T-man Began to notice something was up as she rotated again to where her back was posted up on his belly and her head still leaned up against his chest.
“Have I ever told you about this.” She said as she held up the ring still attached to a self made necklace around her neck. She didn’t wait for a response as she continued. “My grandmother gave me this ring back when I was six. She Told me the story of an angel who fell in love with a demon. She tried her best to reform him, and bring him into the light, but with each passing moment, she herself grew closer and closer into darkness until one day he left her side without warning. She helplessly called out to him, but her cries were all in vain. She soon realized that she herself had been consumed by the darkness. It had came threw the hole he left within her broken heart, and neither her children nor the other angels could save her. She had fallen to far for anyone to rescue her, and end the end she chose to continue to fall deeper and deeper into the pit of despair, eventually becoming the very thing she sought to avoid. A demon.”
She griped the ring firmly in her hands as she continued to speak. He could tell that their was more to her story than she was letting on.
“I made a promise to my grandmother that day. That I’d never loose my heart to a demon. That I’d always be her sweet little angel, and never fall from grace….” She took a long pause as t-man started to feel the tears from her eyes hit his chest like a bullet. “…I nearly broke that promise one.” She said rather feverishly. “Their was this guy once…a little rough around the edges but sweet on the inside. He really cared a lot about me,…at least I thought so at the time. We used to do nearly everything together. And I really felt like I he was my soul mate. But then one night things sort of went too far too fast…. I told him I wasn’t ready but he started yell at me and call me names. The next day I found out he had left town, without even saying a word to me or anything…. I felt so useless and empty on the inside. How could he do this to me? How could I do this to myself? Night after night I would cry myself to sleep. I’ would have done anything for him…but he only wanted me for one thing and I didn’t feel comfortable doing it…at one point I even regretted saying no. if I had said yes, he would have still been with me…but I wouldn‘t feel right on the inside. But then you came into my life, and made me realize that it wasn’t my fault at all. You saved me from drowning in my sorrows and I….” She paused. Then she looked up at him intensely. “ I just don’t know were I’d be without you tonto.”
As her eyes shimmered in the moonlight, sparks began to flicker in T-Mans heart. The glow from her eyes let him know she was feeling the same way. The air was right, the mood hand been set, and their was nothing to loose. As they stared intensely, their heads started to gravitate closer and closer until finally, it happened....
