Saturday Morning

Saturday morning the doorbell rang at the Graham’s house. Caroline came to answer the door.

As she opened, there was Tess smiling with a little fruit basket on her hands. At first, Caroline thought that maybe she was selling them.

”Hello, my name is Tess and I live in the house next door, I just wanted to come by and welcome you to the neighborhood”. Tess told Caroline as she smiled.

Caroline didn’t really know what to say, she was not used to people welcoming her like this. Especially on a strange country.

“Is very kind of you, I’m Caroline Graham by the way”. She replied as she extended her hand to shake hers. “Come on in please”. Caroline opened the door for Tess.

As Tess stepped inside she looked up at the beautiful ceiling and big windows the living room had. It was a very old house, but it had been recently remodeled and it looked just like new.

“I never thought this house could look this beautiful from the inside”. Tess said.

“Yeah is very nice, it’s the one they gave us, my husband is in the military”. Caroline replied.

“What a coincidence, my son is on the military too”. Tess said with surprise raising her voice and laughing so high and sudden that she woke up Robert who was still on the couch.

He opened his eyes and glanced to the kitchen to see his mother talking to someone he didn’t recognize, so he turned the other way and covered his head with the blanket.

Then Caroline asked Tess to take a seat and as she did she noticed someone was sleeping in the large couch next to her.

“Oh that’s my son but that’s fine, he can sleep even if a train is passing right next to him”. Caroline whispered.

“I think I met him the other day, he found my daughter’s lost cat, and there was a cute little girl with him too”. Tess said.

“Yes that’s my little girl Claudine, I’m glad they found him, well maybe Claudine did, but I don’t think Robert did, he hates animals”.

Robert was under the blanket but he was listening to every word they said, he couldn’t believe his mother was talking about him like he was seven years old, and what was more, he couldn’t believe she was talking about one of his secrets with a complete stranger. He felt his face hot and red as a tomato that he didn’t dare to move so they couldn’t know he was already awake.

“Anyway Caroline, I wanted to invite you and your family to my house tomorrow afternoon, I’ll make you a delicious welcome dinner and we can get to know better”. Tess said hoping that Caroline’s answer would be yes. After thinking for a minute Caroline accepted Tess invitation.

As Robert heard that, he felt a big hole forming down his stomach. Just the thought of being at the girl’s house, having dinner with her, it was just bad and good at the same time.

“Of course, we will be there tomorrow afternoon, do you want me to bring something?”.

“No, don’t worry about anything really, me and my daughter will be more than happy to have you over, and maybe once I meet your husband I can ask him about my son he may know him”. Tess said.

“Yes maybe, well thanks a lot for the kind welcoming and the fruit basket, it is really nice of you Tess”. Caroline said as Tess stand up getting ready to leave.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow then, it was nice to meet you, good bye”. Tess said shaking Caroline’s hand.

“Pleasure to meet you too, bye”.

As soon as Robert heard his mother closing the door he got up from the couch scaring her.

“My goodness you scared me!”. Caroline said placing her hand on her chest.

“Who was that lady?”. Robert asked pretending he didn’t knew her.

“You were listening?”.

“Of course I was listening mom, I was right here”.

“Well I thought you were sleeping. That was our neighbor, her name is Tess and she came to invite us to have dinner at her house tomorrow afternoon”.

Yeah, that thought just couldn’t go through his mind, he knew he couldn’t be kind to Nerissa even when he wanted to, but he was aware of the fact she made him a little nervous every time she was close to him. That was something he had never felt before. And it sure was something that scared him a little, that was one of the reasons he didn’t like to be near her.

“Do I really have to go?”. He asked his mother hoping she could give him the option of choosing whether not to go.

“You absolutely have to come young man; it would be rude from you to ignore that nice lady’s invitation”.

Robert rolled up his eyes. “But is just going to be girls there”.

“Your father is coming too and Tess husband is going to be there as well, so nice try but you don’t have a choice”.

Feeling trapped and like he couldn’t win that argument with his mother, he simply walked upstairs to his room. He slammed the door behind him and locked it up. He couldn’t understand the anger he was suddenly feeling. It was like if he was being forced to see someone he hates with all his strength, someone whose presence was anything but pleasant, but he knew, that at the end, he will have to do it. So his brilliant mind was telling him to assimilate it and start thinking of a strategy to survive the inevitable event.

He changed from his sweatpants into his black jeans and put on his black coat over his white shirt. He brushed his teeth, washed his face and fixed his hair with his fingers before heading out of the house. His mother interrogated him right before he stepped out of the front door.

“Where are you going?”.

Robert stopped and looked at her. Why couldn’t she understand that a nineteen year old guy doesn’t need to be treated like a ten year old boy who heads out his house on a Saturday morning?. There were not to many places he could go to. Or was it that she expected him to stay in his room watching cartoons all morning long like his little sister?.

He looked at her with a serious look on his eyes. “I just need to take a walk, I’ll be right back”. He didn’t wait for her to reply anything and he just walked out after saying this.

With both hands inside his Jacket pockets he slowly walked down the sidewalk, thinking what his strategy would be and why did he felt the need of avoid that situation in particular so much. He had been able to face the fact of living in a strange country, and he had started to overcome his fear of being the new kid at school. He had managed to survive both situations by gathering the courage and strength he needed. But  it was those beautiful hazel eyes that have sunken into his soul, and that angel-like smile that was threaten with stealing the deepest sigh from his chest that didn’t seem to give him any truce.

He walked about three blocks until he made it to the small park that was nearby. It looked quite empty for a Saturday morning, there were only a few little kids playing in the slide and on the swings. Robert seated beneath a tree resting his hands on his knees. He lowered his head between his legs trying to think about what to do, wishing that for one moment the world could skip a day. He never thought there could be something that made him feel this way. Something that send his feelings into a swirl of emotions. Maybe he could pretend to be sick and convince his mother to let him stay at home.  Nothing seemed to come to his mind, nothing credible and good at least.

As he was deep on his thoughts a little kid came to him. Looking up Robert didn’t know what to tell him, he wondered why was he just standing there looking at him.

“Hello”. Robert kindly said to him.

“Are you ok?”. The little kid asked.

“Yes, I’m ok”.

 “Can you please help me get my ball down from there?”. The kid asked Robert pointing up to the tree.

“Sure”. He said standing up and looking up for the ball. Once he spotted it he grabbed a large stick from the ground and climbed the tree to reach it.

“Thanks!”. The little kid said to Robert as the ball fall to the ground.

From up the tree Robert could get a good view of the park , even if was small, it had plenty of beautiful green trees and it even had a small lake in the middle, as his eyes were wandering  he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, Nerissa was there just a few feet away from him. She looked so beautiful, her wavy hair falling down on her shoulders as she was sitting under a tree reading a book, the white headband with a little bow she was wearing on her hair made her look like an angel. He couldn’t help himself staring; she was so beautiful to admire, he was asking himself, how he could be so scared of talking to her.

Nerissa had that feeling of being watched, but as she looked around her she couldn’t see anyone anywhere, except the kids playing in the playground, so she turned the page on her book and carried on. Coming down the tree, Robert was determined to talk to her and try his best to be nice with her.