Lenny!

“Linda!” the strange boy shouted from behind the wooden fence, waving his hands up in the

air. I made my best effort to not acknowledge him as I kept retrieving the fresh eggs nestling

under the chickens. He was about my age and his name was Lenny, but I didn’t know that yet.

“Hi,” he said. I nestled the eggs in the fold of my shirt and looked up. He had swung his legs

around the fence so he sat on top and at such a perfect position that the sun glistened against his

pale cheeks. “I’m your neighbor.” I took a peak at his long, blonde hair and found myself

disgusted. A rat’s nest could be settling in there!

After a few seconds of silence, the boy repeated a “hi,” thinking I hadn’t heard him the first

time. I nodded my head in acknowledgement and shyly hustled away. The greasy-haired boy

was my temporary neighbor, just for the summer. That meant I had ten weeks left to live in this

remote Nebraskan town.

“Dear Linda,” he wailed cheerfully, “Won’t you come out to play?” I turned around, arms

crossed. Why do you want to talk to me?

I sighed at the prospect of having to make conversation but managed to mumble “That’s a

Beatles song, right?”

“That’s right,” he confirmed, “do you like the Beatles?”

“They’re okay… I guess.” A long silence emerged as I contemplated the various ways of

escape.

“Well, bye.” I tightened my grip on the eggs and sulked away.

"Oh come on, stop being so shy,” the boy insisted. I hid behind my curtain of dark hair and

walked on. “I’ll show you the river!” he shouted once more. I stopped in my tracks.

“What river?” I asked curiously.

“Oh, you like rivers?”

“Of course. They’re fundamental components to transportation, nourishment and electrical

energy.” Oh god, I’m a freak.

“Well, what do you know? We have something in common,” he said. I noticed his eyes were

strikingly blue. “I’m Lenny. Did you know it means lion strength?”

I looked back at the house. Grandma was probably making lunch; she wouldn't notice my

absence. "Where’s that river?”

“Look who’s not so shy anymore!” Lenny laughed. I shrugged. “Well,” he admitted, “it’s

actually more of a big stream, but I like to think of it as a river.”

* * *

The sound of flowing water enthralled my ears. I sat upon a crooked rock in the stream, toes

dangling, never daring to go any further. Lenny took off his t-shirt and dived in, not even

considering that I’d think his bony chest would weird me out… which it did, a little . I sighed,

envying Lenny’s… freeness.

“Are you gonna come in or not, damn it?” The sun played with my eyes, making Lenny

look godlike as he treaded water, his wet hair sticking to his face.

“Nope,” I smiled. “I like my rock.”

“I didn’t know city girls were so scared of life,” Lenny declared.

I’m not. Am I? I lowered my eyes to a tadpole that was whirling around my toes. He must be

lonely in that big river.

“I’m not,” I whispered.

“Prove it.” I rolled my eyes and then sighed. Fine, FINE. I took a good look at the bottom of

the stream. It was twenty feet at least. Not to mention infested with snapping tadpoles.

I jumped in.