“I can’t believe she said yes! Dude you’re so lucky!” Phil said as he walked down the hallway his hand slapping Tim’s back. “I mean, Julie, she’s like the hottest girl I’ve ever seen.”
Tim felt a little uneasy. Why was she going out with him? I mean it wasn’t his idea really. It was almost like his dad talked to her dad and then suddenly they were going on a date.
Tim was always a little shy with girls. Never sure what to say or how to act, he usually just stood there silent and watched all the people around him make fools of themselves. Now, all of a sudden, he was thrust into dating.
“Dude,” Phil continued, “I mean look at her! She’s gorgeous.”
Tim raised his head and watched as she walked across the hallway in front of him. He couldn’t stop looking at her, the blonde hair swaying gracefully, her blue eyes glimmering in the afternoon sun.
“I don’t think I can go through with this,” Tim looked at Phil. “I mean I can’t even have a conversation with her. The other day I went to her to say “Hi” and all I could manage was a “Haaaa””. It was awful.
“Dude, you have to it. Don’t stop now, you had the balls to ask her out didn’t you?” Phil looked up to Tim. “Well?”
Tim’s knees wobbled as he nervously looked at the figure of beauty as it passed the row of lockers and turned the corner.
“I…” Tim started to answer, “I don’t know what happened.”
Phil looked at him confused.
“Well I have to get home!” Phil shouted excitedly as he walked backwards down the hall. “I’ll see you tomorrow! You can tell me all about it.”
Tim looked up at the clock and slowly walked towards his car.
“Only three hours,” he whispered to himself. “And to think, here I am 18 years old, almost ready to leave for college and I’m afraid of a night with a girl. A woman now, I guess she’s eighteen. I don’t believe it.”
“What?” a guy looked at him, “Were you talking to me?”
Tim looked up embarrassed, “I’m sorry. I was just talking to myself.”
The guy looked at him with a weird look and yelled out “Freak!” and walked briskly away.
Tim thought about the incident his entire drive home. What makes him a freak? Why do people look at him and think he’s weird? It doesn’t make any sense that the most beautiful girl in the school would go on a date with him.
He walked up the driveway and towards the mallard green door to his house and inside.
“Dad, are you home?” he called out. “It’s me.”
He dropped his keys onto the table and fished through the day’s mail.
“In here,” his father finally called out. “I’m in here.”
Tim looked around.
“Well you’re not very descriptive,” Tim called out. “Where the hell is here?”
“In the basement smart ass,” his father responded.
Tim dropped the L. L. Bean catalog into the recycle basket as he slowly walked to the basement door. He hadn’t been in the basement for years, ever since his mother died. He felt his heart in his throat as he slowly opened the door.
“Dad, I’m home okay,” he called out over the clang of his father hammering something. “Can you hear me.”
Tim peered into the basement, the dim lighting glimmering off various bits and pieces of metal.
“Dad?” Tim called out again. “Can you hear me?”
The hammering stopped but still no answer.
Tim walked towards the first stair and bent over to peak in a little further, his heart now pounding harder.
“Dad?”
There still wasn’t an answer. Tim was petrified. He grabbed onto his chest and slowly bent himself further down the handrail. He couldn’t see anything.
Slowly he reached out his foot to the first stair and then the second.
“Dad?” Tim whispered.
Tim’s eyes were adjusting to the light and he saw the outline of a man leaning over a workbench, another man next to him.
Suddenly their heads flew backwards and Tim let out a shriek.
“Oh man! That was the best tequila I’ve had in years,” his father blurted out before turning to see what made that horrible noise.
“Tim! Haaloooo,” his dad called out. “You know Mr. Davis don’t you?”
Tim settled down, his heart still thumping against his chest.
“Yes, I know Mr. Davis,” Tim answered softly.
Mr. Davis slowly approached Tim.
“Hello son,” he reached out his hand, “I heard you’re going on a date with my Julie.”