She walked out her LA home into her driveway. She pulled her keys from her pocket and cigarettes in the other. She hopped in her truck and lit up her cigarette. She turned the ignition and pulled out of her driveway. The phone rang inside the house. The call was for her but she had left to run a few errands. She fumbled around her radio stations and heard something catchy….the new Justin Timberlake song. Not the stuff she normally liked but she liked this song. It only took an hour to get her errands done and she headed back home. She glanced a herself in the rearview mirror and wondered about her life. Her eyes hid pain behind them. She had hopped from one bad relationship to another…..a man who cheated on her…to a man who was abusive…to another man who cheated on her. She laughed to herself, “Guys are assholes.” She was home now. Her father met her at the doorway.
“Lea…that boy called you when you left.”
“Who? Mike? You know I don’t want to talk to him Dad..”
“No….the boy from up north.”
She knew who he was talking about. And she sat down to think about the boy. She hadn’t talked to him in nine years. And a flashback of how angry she was filled her heart. She smirked. She realized it was silly and picked up the phone to call him.
“Hello?” The spikey-haired boy answered.
“Hey cutie…long time no talk.”
“Lea…its so good to hear your voice. And I know I’m a jerk. It’s been so long please forgive me.”
“I’m not mad. …but you owe me big time.” She laughed.
“I know….let me take you out. Tonight.”
“What? Tonight? What do you mean?”
“I’m getting on a flight to LA. I will be there this afternoon. Deal? Let me make it up to you.”
“Sure….wow. Ok, tell me when your flight lands so I can pick you up.”
She said goodbye and hung up. She stopped to think about the night. She had no plans but now she felt she didn’t have time to get ready. But, she couldn’t wait….she missed him so.
A few hours later she parked at LAX airport and headed to the arrival area for United Airlines. She didn’t know what to expect. She had no idea what he looked like now. She surveyed the terminal and saw him. His eyes caught hers and he smiled and waved. He began to walk to her. He no longer had the spikey-hair, his head was completely shaven now. He was dressed in formal clothes and you could hear the click clack from his dress shoes. He stepped to her and gave her a hug.
“Hi Lea…wow, you look good. You haven’t changed.”
“Hey cutie…and look at you Mr. Fancypants.”
They walked towards her car and started to catch up. It was familiar….it was comfortable. It was like they were teenagers again. She pulled into her driveway and helped him with his luggage. He walked into her house and was greeted by her father.
“Hey…its the boy from up north. Well, not a boy I see. A man now.”
“Thanks Uncle..” He said nervously.
“I see why Lea loves you so much..”
Lea gasped. “Dad….stop.” Her father laughed loudly and left the room.
She turned to him and asked if he needed to get ready. He replied yes and walked into the bathroom. She went into her room and waited. She heard him stirring in the living room and called for him. He peeked into the room hesitantly.
“Whoa…a lot of pink. Didn’t know you had the room of a 9 year old girl. The only thing missing is Cabbage Patch Dolls.” He continued to look around her room and spotted hot pink panties on her bed. He began to blush.
“What? Seeing my underwear makes you nervous?” She picked them up and threw it at him. He dodged it and giggled.
She looked at him up and down. His style had changed. He wore Dickies and a ringer tee. A chain dangled from his pocket connecting to his wallet. She left the room to take a shower. Her mind raced. She was excited about their impromptu date.
He stayed in her room and sat down on her bed. He felt time was flying too fast…he only had two nights with her. He was anxious. He thought about their history together. Fourteen years. They were no longer teenagers, they were both 24…and they both did not know what would come of this weekend.
She stepped out of the bathroom. He saw her enter the room and he was speechless. She was beautiful. She could read his eyes. She grabbed her keys and they started their night together. They ended up a bar.
“This is my spot….we can drink….dance.”
“Cool…I like it. Now if this is ‘your spot’, we’re not gonna run into any angry ex- boyfriends or anything right?” He said it jokingly.
“Of course not…not tonight at least.”
He loved her sense of humor.
They sat down and ordered a couple of drinks. He looked at the bottle of beer that landed at his table. He did not like beer. He hated the taste but he took a swig. She could see the disgust on his face.
“Tastes good right?”
He said, “yeah, sweet like candy.” He choked and coughed.
But as the night went on the bad flavor disappeared. She jumped up.
“We gotta dance. I love this song.”
“Justin Timberlake? Never knew you were a fan.”
She grabbed his hand and they danced like no one was in the room. The last time they danced it was in his room as teenagers. The rest of the night was a blur. The bar was going to close soon. They decided to sit on the curb outside to sober up. They talked for hours. She laid her head on his shoulder. He was falling for her again. Finally, they walked back to the car. The car ride was unusually quiet. She had a lot on her mind.
She walked him into the house and noticed her father had left a note. He left for the night. She put the note down and left to her room. He decided to change his clothes. She came out a few minutes later wearing a tank top and shorts. He watched her walk across the room. She started to herself.
“I can’t do this. Things are already complicated. I can’t.” She was trying to convince herself to hide her feelings. But she couldn’t.
She walked up to him and pulled him closer. They started to kiss. Raw emotion filled the room. She led him to the kitchen. He picked her up and sat her on the kitchen counter. His hands roamed freely around her body. They had waited years for this moment. She started to undo his button to his pants. She hesitated. …she decided to take him to her room instead. The door closed.
They woke up in each other’s arms. But, their peace was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Lea? Lea? It’s Auntie Vee.”
Panic filled the room. She told him to hide. He hid in her closet.
“Lea….I got some extra tickets to Disneyland. I figured you would want them…especially since your spikey-haired friend is here to visit…and hiding in your closet.”
misplacedtalent2 