It's a Tuesday night when I get the call, "Yo, which one of these places is your's?"
It's him.
"Well look for the Apple sign, take a right immediately after it and follow the sketchy pathway to the last apartment on the left. That's mine."
I'm already blushing, and it's a good thing I was making home made sweet tea because I would have been pacing and ringing my hands if not.
I go outside to my porch/walkway. I live on the second floor, and hang over the balcony, looking in the direction he is to be coming from; phone in hand. "I'm outside right now," I tell him, " I think that's you pulling up."
"I think I see you" He says, nearing.
Like an awkward freak, I go back into my apartment, as not to wait awkwardly. I dash back to my stove to get the boiling water for the tea. My face feels hot. I tone down the giggles.
You see. As much as I hate to admit it, there's this whole other side to the strong bold ginger you know. I'll call this side.... feminine.
I hear a knock at the door.
Oh how I wish you would have just walked in you bastard.
I go to open the door. There he is, standing in the dark with only the dim porch light to illuminate his being, the ginger man.
An awkward stand-and-stare commence on my part, stupidly smiling.
Then the most romantic words one could ever hear out of another's mouth when they meet in person for the first time, "I really have to pee. That was a long trip."
I lower my gaze and go back to my kitchen, face still flush. "That way, to the right," I point into my dark room.
How impolite as to not turn on lights. I froze up! Forgive me!
I'm making tea, stirring in the sugar and pouring the giant vat into my pitcher.
Stir stir stir.
Deep breath.
You're not intimidated by anyone.
This is just another male.
Just another male in your apartment.
Here to party hard for your birthday.
Let's go back - I met Gingerman through an airman -known as Skit in a previous story. They go way back, those two. One night Skit asks, " My buddy in Florida is workin a night shift and needs someone to text him to keep him awake." Both men are from New York and just happen to meet each other in Florida. So it begun. Wasn't out of the ordinary that I would carry on conversation with a complete stranger. Why not?
We talked for seven weeks over the phone, day in and day out. I had a pretty good idea of who was coming to stay with me when my birthday finally came around.
*FAST FORWARD*
He walks into the kitchen. I take a glance. Over six foot, muscular, face still half-hidden by a hoodie. through it I see freckles, a small mouth, and eyes that do not belong on a redhead.
Think of all the redheads you know- all I've ever met are brown eyed. Then there's me, a bright blue. This jack? I dunno... something deep and turquoise. Like the colour of the sea at dusk, when the sun is covered by clouds, and instead of seeing rays of sun over the surface, all you see is the glow of blue and green waters in all of it's wholeness because for a moment you see it as much more than just water.
So weird.
"You like sweet tea?" I ask. Sweet one-liner, batman.
"Uh, yeah. That's cool. I'm hungry."
"Would you like me to cook, or shall we go somewhere?"
"Whatever you want to do."
I stare at him for a moment with a smirk. I'd love to be polite, but I hate that statement.
"Seriously." I smile at him.
He opens the fridge. Eggs. Spinach. Fish.
"What's open at this time?" He asks. It's about nine or so.. I can't recall the time. In the moment, it was completely irrelevant.
"Waffle House. Ihop."
My face is still red. I don't think I've looked him directly in the eyes since he's arrived.
"Ihop sounds good."
I forgot about the one over the bridge, and we started driving to the most out of the way Ihop in the area. "Is this place in Narnia?" He asks. "I just drove ten hours, and you're taking me another four just to eat?" He smiles at me. My smile hasn't left my face for days. Weeks even.
We get to ihop. He finally takes off his hoodie as we seat.
Ginger.
I get a good look at him in the light. His eyes are even more prominent. But holy fuck- as he takes his hoodie off, all I can think is, Never in my life have I known someone who had more freckles than I did.
We order. Begin talking, at first small talk about the trip, then our joined acquaintance circle of airmen.
To be honest, I really have no idea what was talked about. I probably rambled about nonsensicle things. Giggled incessantly. All I remember is how excited he was to get the chicken fried steak and those pancakes.
He'd been eating healthy for months and this was the first time he completely threw all rules out the window. It was his vacation, why not? That was his logic.
I just remember the way he eyed the pancakes, "Oh, come here sweethaht" he said in his New Yorker accent as he cut a chunk out of his short stack of pancakes and put it to his mouth.
That's all I really remember from that first dinner together. I still replay it in my head like it was the funniest fucking thing I'd ever heard in my life.
We get back in his car and drive away from Narnia. "Can you do me a favour? My friends will never believe me.."
He looks at me for a second, "What's that?"
"Take a picture of our arms and send it to a friend's number... you have so many freckles."
He just started laughing. "You serious?"
"Dead serious."
The reply he got back was, "Holy Cow! Fuck Yeah!"
He started laughing.
We get back to my place, "So what movie are we going to start with?" He asks as we get out of the car, the collection of movies I've never seen in my arms.
In my living room, I look through the stash," I don't think I've ever seen the second Boondock Saints," I say, tossing aside the other movies.
About 20 minutes left of it, I have to get ready to go to work, grave shift and all. (Don't worry, this is the only night I actually had to work when my guest was at my place.)
"Alright, well I'm probably going to bed. Been a long day of driving." He says.
"Yeah, cool. You gonna be fine? Help yourself to whatever. I'll see you in the morning."
He smiles at me for a second, kind of mockingly,"Yeah sweethaht, I'm gonna be sleeping."
"Oh. Right." blush blush blush- run out the door, locking it on my way out.
From that night on and for the next week I'll have a roommate.
Tune in next time to see what happens when I get home!!
It's him.
"Well look for the Apple sign, take a right immediately after it and follow the sketchy pathway to the last apartment on the left. That's mine."
I'm already blushing, and it's a good thing I was making home made sweet tea because I would have been pacing and ringing my hands if not.
I go outside to my porch/walkway. I live on the second floor, and hang over the balcony, looking in the direction he is to be coming from; phone in hand. "I'm outside right now," I tell him, " I think that's you pulling up."
"I think I see you" He says, nearing.
Like an awkward freak, I go back into my apartment, as not to wait awkwardly. I dash back to my stove to get the boiling water for the tea. My face feels hot. I tone down the giggles.
You see. As much as I hate to admit it, there's this whole other side to the strong bold ginger you know. I'll call this side.... feminine.
I hear a knock at the door.
Oh how I wish you would have just walked in you bastard.
I go to open the door. There he is, standing in the dark with only the dim porch light to illuminate his being, the ginger man.
An awkward stand-and-stare commence on my part, stupidly smiling.
Then the most romantic words one could ever hear out of another's mouth when they meet in person for the first time, "I really have to pee. That was a long trip."
I lower my gaze and go back to my kitchen, face still flush. "That way, to the right," I point into my dark room.
How impolite as to not turn on lights. I froze up! Forgive me!
I'm making tea, stirring in the sugar and pouring the giant vat into my pitcher.
Stir stir stir.
Deep breath.
You're not intimidated by anyone.
This is just another male.
Just another male in your apartment.
Here to party hard for your birthday.
Let's go back - I met Gingerman through an airman -known as Skit in a previous story. They go way back, those two. One night Skit asks, " My buddy in Florida is workin a night shift and needs someone to text him to keep him awake." Both men are from New York and just happen to meet each other in Florida. So it begun. Wasn't out of the ordinary that I would carry on conversation with a complete stranger. Why not?
We talked for seven weeks over the phone, day in and day out. I had a pretty good idea of who was coming to stay with me when my birthday finally came around.
*FAST FORWARD*
He walks into the kitchen. I take a glance. Over six foot, muscular, face still half-hidden by a hoodie. through it I see freckles, a small mouth, and eyes that do not belong on a redhead.
Think of all the redheads you know- all I've ever met are brown eyed. Then there's me, a bright blue. This jack? I dunno... something deep and turquoise. Like the colour of the sea at dusk, when the sun is covered by clouds, and instead of seeing rays of sun over the surface, all you see is the glow of blue and green waters in all of it's wholeness because for a moment you see it as much more than just water.
So weird.
"You like sweet tea?" I ask. Sweet one-liner, batman.
"Uh, yeah. That's cool. I'm hungry."
"Would you like me to cook, or shall we go somewhere?"
"Whatever you want to do."
I stare at him for a moment with a smirk. I'd love to be polite, but I hate that statement.
"Seriously." I smile at him.
He opens the fridge. Eggs. Spinach. Fish.
"What's open at this time?" He asks. It's about nine or so.. I can't recall the time. In the moment, it was completely irrelevant.
"Waffle House. Ihop."
My face is still red. I don't think I've looked him directly in the eyes since he's arrived.
"Ihop sounds good."
I forgot about the one over the bridge, and we started driving to the most out of the way Ihop in the area. "Is this place in Narnia?" He asks. "I just drove ten hours, and you're taking me another four just to eat?" He smiles at me. My smile hasn't left my face for days. Weeks even.
We get to ihop. He finally takes off his hoodie as we seat.
Ginger.
I get a good look at him in the light. His eyes are even more prominent. But holy fuck- as he takes his hoodie off, all I can think is, Never in my life have I known someone who had more freckles than I did.
We order. Begin talking, at first small talk about the trip, then our joined acquaintance circle of airmen.
To be honest, I really have no idea what was talked about. I probably rambled about nonsensicle things. Giggled incessantly. All I remember is how excited he was to get the chicken fried steak and those pancakes.
He'd been eating healthy for months and this was the first time he completely threw all rules out the window. It was his vacation, why not? That was his logic.
I just remember the way he eyed the pancakes, "Oh, come here sweethaht" he said in his New Yorker accent as he cut a chunk out of his short stack of pancakes and put it to his mouth.
That's all I really remember from that first dinner together. I still replay it in my head like it was the funniest fucking thing I'd ever heard in my life.
We get back in his car and drive away from Narnia. "Can you do me a favour? My friends will never believe me.."
He looks at me for a second, "What's that?"
"Take a picture of our arms and send it to a friend's number... you have so many freckles."
He just started laughing. "You serious?"
"Dead serious."
The reply he got back was, "Holy Cow! Fuck Yeah!"
He started laughing.
We get back to my place, "So what movie are we going to start with?" He asks as we get out of the car, the collection of movies I've never seen in my arms.
In my living room, I look through the stash," I don't think I've ever seen the second Boondock Saints," I say, tossing aside the other movies.
About 20 minutes left of it, I have to get ready to go to work, grave shift and all. (Don't worry, this is the only night I actually had to work when my guest was at my place.)
"Alright, well I'm probably going to bed. Been a long day of driving." He says.
"Yeah, cool. You gonna be fine? Help yourself to whatever. I'll see you in the morning."
He smiles at me for a second, kind of mockingly,"Yeah sweethaht, I'm gonna be sleeping."
"Oh. Right." blush blush blush- run out the door, locking it on my way out.
From that night on and for the next week I'll have a roommate.
Tune in next time to see what happens when I get home!!
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