Young Writers Society

Chapter 2- All downhill from here

I waited for as long as possible to get dinner that night. When the apartment was all but dead quiet, I cracked open my door just enough to slip through it and tip toe into the kitchen.

I knew it was silly, but I barely even looked at my own self naked. When getting undressed, I carefully avoided mirrors and windows. I was extremely uncomfortable with, and not quite sure how to handle, the fact that Nick had seen me naked, and had no idea what to do with her “nice rack” comment.

I figured a good strategy was to staw as far away from her as possible, at least until thinking about it no longer made me cringe and turn the exact color of a ripe tomato. Unsurprisngly, since we lived together in a four room apartment, this tactic did not work long. A sandwich seemed like the quickest, quietest thing to make, but the drawer where we kept the knives got stuck, and when I gave it one last halfhearted tug, about to just give up and use a spoon, the entire thing came loose and spilled to the floor with lots of loud, metallic clanging.

“Dang it!” I swore softly, gathering them all and dumping them in the sink. I didn’t believe in the three second rule.

I mad emy sandwhich with a spoon, grabbed the chips from the cupboard and tried to get back to my room in record time. Nick was leaning against her doorway, eyebrow cocked.

“Hi.” I said akwardly, looking down, face burning.

Nick snorted. “Dude, chill. It’s really no big deal. If it’ll help, you can see me naked. Then we’ll be even.”

My eyes widened and flew to her face, she couldn’t be serious. “I really don’t think-“

This time she gave an outright laugh. “I was kidding. But really though, we have to live with each other. I’ve lived by myself for a long time, and I’m getting used to this whole thing just like you are. With us being so…clearly oppositte, I think it’d be best if we came up with a couple guidelines.”

“Like knocking?” I asked.

“Yes, exactly like that. Think up a few things you’d like to see change, or hope not to see in the future and I’ll do the same. Hopefully, we can make this as non-akward turtle as possible.”

I gave her a confused look “Akward turtle?”

“Yeah.” She put one hand on top of the other and rotated her stuck out thumbs. To me, it looked nothing like a turtle.

“Okay. No akward turtle. Guide lines. Got it.”

It took everything I had not to sprint the rest of the way donw the hall to my room.

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In the morning, Nick was gone before I’d woken up. The temperature was already approaching unbearable. I opened up the windows, and made my way to the bathroom, trying to figure out what to do with myself for the day. I still wasn’t used to having free time, all to myself.

I decided to go back into downtown, for more job searching. My last visit hadn’t accomplished much. There were some interesting shops that seemed like they would be pretty cool to work in, especially the bookstore.

I remembered Saturday mornings with my mother, when she was still only dating David and not yet remarried. I quickly grew jealous of the amount of time she was spending with him instead of me, and she saw it, so she mad eup a ritual that every Saturday morning we would go to the library and read a book together. After, we always made cookies at home, and ate them all by ourselves. I would stuff myself, just so that there wouldn’t be any left for David. They were my cookies, mine and mom’s.

The ritual continued after she married, all the way into my 5th grade year, when I decided that I’d outgrown it, trading the outings to the library for outings to the lake with friends, or trips to Nate’s house. Sometimes his dad would even take us to Midville mall, a much more acceptable and grown up activity. But I’d never outgrown my love of reading.

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The bookstore was small, with a white awning that read

O’Brien’s Books

Inside, there was bright lighting, mostly from all of the windows, the whole front wall was made of them, and soft music played over the speakers. Something classical, instrumental. I looked around, running my fingers over the spines, smiling to myself when I saw a title or author that I recognized.

“Hello, may I help you?”

I turned to see a woman with a curly black afro of hair and beautiful dark ebony skin that contrasted starkly with the neon yellow of the tank top and mathcing capris she wore. I smiled, somewhat embarrased to be asking for a job instead of actually buying something, and said “I was wondering if you were hiring, or had any positions open? I don’t have much experience, but I love books, and I’m pretty good with people.”

She smiled. “Sure, we could always use an extra pair of hands around here.” She walked to the counter in the front of the store, and handed me a pen and sheet of paper.

“Give me your name, e-mail adress, and a number where I can reach you. I co-own the shop with my husband, and we’ll need to discuss it together first, but I’m sure we can find a spot for you. Are you from around here? I don’t remember your face, but the way you were looking at the inventory tells me you’re a literature lover.”

I smiled “No, I’m from Dover. But I do love to read.”

“Ah are you attending the university then?”

“Yes ma’am, I’m starting my sophmore year in the fall.”

“I remember sophmore year. Good luck, you’ll need it, it’s the hardest I find.”

I handed her back the sheet of paper.

“Thank you very much, feel free to look around, and I’ll most likely have an answer for you by the end of the week.”

“Thank you.” I said.

I spent a little more time in the bookstore, then left to put in applications at the grocery store, as well as a couple of small resturaunts around. I’d had more than enough practice serving food at church functions.

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When I got home there was laundry waiting for me. I cleared Nick’s load from the wash and put them in the dryer, shaking my head at some of the things she wore. I didn’t think I could ever be that outrageous. With my own clothes in the wash, and my job hunting done for the day, I went to make a snack in the kitchen, and picked up my cell to call my mother. I was making a mental note to myself to pick up more milk, and fruits from the grocer when someone answered gruffly “Hello?”

“Hi David, is mom there?”

“It’s not David, and no your mom isn’t here.”

I stood quickly, “Nate? Where have you been? And why are you at my house?”

I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ve been around. A lot more than you have. Your mom misses you. And I’m here because she needed some yard work done, and the David has been promising to clean out the garage for a while now, but she’s tired of waiting. So now she’s paying me to do it.”

“I thought you worked on-“

“Lost that position.” He said curtly, smile leaving his voice.

“Nate…I’m so sorry.” His family was barely making ends meet as it was, for them to have this kind of a set back was devestating.

“Eh.” He said. “Not so bad. Mom’s got a new man in our lives and he’s got decent pay at least. Buys her flowers and takes her out to dinner. Maybe he’ll start kicking in with the bills too.”

“Your mom’s got a boyfriend?” I asked, wondering which one of the men in town it could be. I couldn’t seen Brenda with any of them…in fact, I couldn’t see Brenda with anyone at all, other than Mr. Carson, but he was long gone.”

“Yeah,” Nate answered, “He’s a drifter. From somewhere out of state. Name’s Arnold. He’s alright I guess.”

I could tell that Nate didn’t really like the guy, but the promise of life improvement was enough to make him overlook whatever flaws.

“I hope she’s happy. I hope you all are.” I said.

“We will be.”

There was a moment of quiet, then I said, “Well I’ve got something that’ll take your mind off it. Guess what’s showing downtown?”

“What?”

“Gone with the Wind! And you are going, no excuses, no exceptions.”

He groaned. “Everytime you find out that movie’s playing somewhere you drag me to see it. Then you sit there, as close to the screen as possiblem and say every. Single. Line. And you always cry at all the same parts. And you comment on everything.”

“And you love me for it, and you’re coming with me.” I insisted. “A night on the town will do you good, it’s exactly what you need.”

He sighed, and I knew I was wearing him down.

“Please? Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty-“

“Okay okay! Stop, I’ll go, sheesh you sound like my sisters.”

“Yes! Works every time.” I laughed. “Thank you. This really would be no fun for me without you.”

“Uh-huh. I gotta get back to work now Amazing Grace.”

“Alright, I’ll come get you Saturday. And I hate it when you call me that.”

“No you don’t.” The smile was back, and it made me smile knowing it, and knowing that I was the one who put it there.

“Yeah I do. See ya Saturday.”

“Saturday.”

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There wasn’t much for me to do with myself for the rest of that day, I’d have to wait until Sunday to get grocery money from my parents if I was going out with Nate on Saturday. I thought about the guidelines that Nick had suggested we make. I wasn’t sure what to put, I wasn’t sure what would offend her. I felt it would be my best bet to stay with the basics.

1. Please knock before opening any closed doors

2. Please keep public areas clean

3. Please be respectful of bedtimes

4. Please only one or two guests at a time

5. Please clean shower drains when done showering

6. Please make a list of items we run out of, last to use next to buy

That was all that I could really think of, and I wanted to see what she had in mind before I elaborated.

There wasn’t much on tv that seemed interesting, I setteled on the kids channel, but found that I couldn’t be still and watch it. So I go tup to cook dinner. Maybe a hot meal would make Nick more receptive to my “guidelines.” I set the table then took a quick look at the inventory. I had inherited my mothers looks and her temperment, but none of her skills in the kitchen. I wasn’t completely hopeless, but it worked out best for everyone when I didn’t try to get too fance. I settled on fried chicken and spaghetti, with a side of frozen garlic bread. My mother would have made it from scratch.

I burned the first batch of chicken, then undercooked the second batch, and finally gave up on that settling for just spaghetti and garlic bread, adding chicken wings to the grocery list.

Nate came in as I was setting everything on the kitchen table, surveyed the scene, and asked with a slightly suspicious look “What’s all this?”

“I used to cook at home, and I kind of missed it. I hope you don’t mind.”

I felt bad about the lie, as small as it was. I did used to cook at home, when my mother didn’t want to, I just never enjoyed doing so. Nick didn’t notice the slight reddening of my cheeks as she set he rbag down on the couch.

“Fine by me. Smells good, let me go wash my hands.”

The meal was rather silent, and for me at least, rather akward, as I tried to think of a way to bring up the guidelines. As if she knew what I was thinking, Nick put her fork down, and said “So I’m assuming this dinner is less about homesickness and more about easing into the guidelines?”

I looked at my plate. “Yeah. How’d you know?”

“It’s the same move I would have pulled. My grandma always told me you can get people to agree to just about anything if you feed ‘em. Besides, you left your paper on the counter.”

I looked over to the counter, and saw the sheet of notebook paper with the bright pink hightlighted title GUIDELINES.

“Ah. Well…yeah.”

“Let’s see what ya got.”

I got up and grabbed tha paper, handing it to her and looking at her somewhat nervously as she read it. Her eyebrow cocked.

“Bedtimes?”

I bit my lip. “Not that it’s been a real problem, it’s just…I go to bed really early on Sundays, and I might go to bed earlier when I start working as well. So if it could be quiet in the apartment, that’d be great.”

She nodded, then asked “Wait, only two guests in the house at a time?”

This was the one I knew she would have a problem with and the one I most dreaded explaining. I took a breath.

“When you had your friend here the oterh day, that was fine, but, I’m not a smoker and I don’t like being around people who are. Also…” I stopped. She looked at me with challenge in her eyes.

“Go ahead. Say what’s on your mind.”

I said nothing.

“Look, I can do the smoking thing. Smoking, drinking, fine, they’re out. Wont happen again. But living with you isn’t going to change who I am. If I want to bring a girl home for the night, I’m going to. I wouldn’t tell you you couldn’t have any guys in the apartment, and I wouldn’t tell you what you could and or couldn’t do with those guys while they were here. I’d like to receive the same respect.”

I nodded.

She continued surveying the list. “Last to use next to buy?”

“That’s just a rule we had at my house, and I thought it’d be a good idea for here. For instance we’re out of milk, and you were the last person to use it, so you’d be the next person to buy it.”

“Technically, I didn’t drink the last of the milk, Kat did.”

I wanted to point out that as her guest, Nick was responsible for Kat, and therefore would still need to buy the mil, but I didn’t want to start a fight.

“Well, we’re also out of tomato sauce, so I’d be the next person to buy that. You see what I mean?”

“Yep, I understand. These seem pretty solid to me, with the earlier exception.”

She went to her room with the paper then came back with a pen and some tape. She signed her name to it, and handed the pen and paper to me, and when I’d signed as well, she taped the paper to the wall above the kitchen clock, and then sat down to finish her dinner.

Nick held up her glass of soda and said “To no akward turtles.”

I smiled, holding my glass up as well. “To no akward turtles.”

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