MEETING AUBREYA Story by Marie A love story... Travis followed the girl into the park, staying at a distance. He wanted to meet her, but he didn’t want to offend her. If only she’d drop something so he could pick it up and give it to her and start a conversation that way. He wished he had his cousin Geraldo’s confidence. Geraldo would spot a pretty girl, approach her and say “Hi. My name’s Geraldo, and I’d like to meet you. Wouldn’t you like to meet me?” Invariably, girls wanted very much to meet Geraldo.
Geraldo, of course, was tall and slim and staggeringly handsome, with smooth brown hair. Travis was 5’6”, twenty pounds overweight. His red hair curled in unruly corkscrews. No girl could possibly want to meet him.
Travis stood by the fountain and pretended to read a plaque, as, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the girl sit down on a bench. He wondered if he dared to go talk to her. He could say something like “Nice weather we’re having today.” Or “Looks like it might rain, doesn’t it?” Or “The grass sure is green today, isn’t it?”
Then the girl’s cell phone rang, and she answered it with a smile. Travis slumped in dejection. That would be her boyfriend. Of course, a girl who looked like that would have a boyfriend. He really should just give up and go home now. But he lingered, looking at the perfect profile, the sun streaked blonde hair dropping like honey to her shoulders. Then the girl frowned and put the phone back in her pocket. Travis felt his spirits lift. Maybe she’d broken up with her boyfriend. Maybe he still had a chance. Maybe… ****
Aubrey frowned as she put the phone back in her pocket. That had been the mechanic from Roy’s Garage with the bad news that her car would not be ready within the promised hour but much later that afternoon. Oh well. There was nothing she could do about it except wait. Aubrey turned her mind toward other things. Like that cute, chubby little man with the red gold curls who was watching her from behind the fountain. She’d been watching him watch her for almost twenty minutes, in fact. He probably wanted to meet her and was too shy to do it. Aubrey realized she’d have to help him�"but how?
In another century a woman could drop her handkerchief to start a relationship. But Aubrey hadn’t a handkerchief or a scarf. She couldn’t take a chance on dropping her cell phone or her pocketbook. An idea came to her. She would stand up, take a handful of change out of her pocket, and pretend to count it. A few coins would slip through her fingers, and she would pretend not to notice. He’d run after her, pick them up…it was enough to initiate a conversation…
The plan worked, up to a point. Travis darted after Aubrey, scooped up the change�"and froze as he saw Geraldo enter the park from another gate, headed directly toward the girl Travis wanted to meet. It was all over now. He might as well go home after all…
Aubrey walked as slowly as she could, but nothing was happening. Maybe she’d misread the situation. Maybe this guy didn’t want to meet her after all. Maybe…
She didn’t notice the tall, slender man with the sparkling blue eyes and the dazzling smile until he tapped her on the shoulder. “Hi. My name’s Geraldo, and I’d like to meet you. Wouldn’t you like to meet me?”
Aubrey was trying to formulate a response, when Travis was struck by a perverse notion. Instead of leaving the park, he approached the two. “Hi, Geraldo,” he said firmly.
Geraldo was extremely annoyed. Couldn’t the jerk see he was busy here? “Hi,” he muttered reluctantly. They all looked at each other for a few seconds, and then Aubrey knew what she had to do. She smiled at Geraldo.” My name is Aubrey. And if you know this man, why don’t you introduce us?” Annoyance boiled over into anger, though Geraldo was careful not to let it show. Ungraciously, he made the introductions. “Aubrey, this is my cousin Travis. Travis, this is Aubrey.”
Travis handed Aubrey two nickels and a dime. “You dropped these.”
“Thank you,” Aubrey said softly. She turned away from Geraldo, dismissing him from her sight and from her life.
**** Geraldo’s anger turned to bewilderment. What had just happened? He’d honored Aubrey by making her his choice. He’d spread his charms before her. How could she look at anyone else? Especially his fat cousin with the carrots growing all over his head. He refocused his thoughts. There were certainly other girls…like that attractive brunette over there. She was a little shorter than he liked them, and her ankles were a little thicker, but he suspected she’d be glad to meet him. She was.
**** Aubrey and Travis sat down on the bench and talked. They were still talking two hours later when the mechanic from Roy’s called to say that her car was ready. Aubrey and Travis walked out of the park, still talking, holding hands. Neither of them saw any good reason why they should ever let go. © 2015 MarieReviews
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MarieSan Antonio, TXAboutI have been writing for almost 60 years. Writers' Cafe is the best writing site I've found. If you send me read requests, expect me to be blunt. I don't like poor grammar, misspelled words or mistake.. more..Writing
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