Chapter Three: Ruston Way
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REAR VIEW MIRROR THE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
C. Callinsky
PART ONE: TRUE LOVE
Chapter Three: Ruston Way
- Mount Rainier Tacoma Washington Waterfront
We jam and enjoy the beautifully warm evening air. We gaze up at the mostly clear sky as we drive up I-5 on the way to the Waterfront.
There is something about a convertible. They give you a feeling of freedom. I think it may be because it is the closest feeling to flying other than being a bird. I feel the warm air pushing against my face and the music notes drifting through the air and into my soul.
We get to the Waterfront and hit a back road that is way up above and runs parallel to Ruston Way. We want to enjoy the view tonight, but need some privacy. We park, top down, music still going.
We start talking about girl stuff. You know the kind. It helps you get centered and feel worthy again. It is the time when you hash over old times, get totally honest with yourselves and others, and admit that you aren’t the victim. You are in fact the writer of your own destiny, whatever it may be. Everyone has to take ownership for what their life is at any given moment.
I want to make it clear that you have some leeway. It is common sense that a woman can’t get on a scale during her monthly visitor and expect it to display fair compared to when she doesn’t have her monthly visitor. So if you have been through something traumatic, give yourself a break.
After a while, Candie is feeling better and we start talking about the old funny times. We talk about the time we went inter-tubing at Old McKinley Park. We didn’t get snow much and when we did, it usually wasn’t deep and it never lasted long. It was usually gone the next day. When we were in junior high, it had snowed a good amount. We probably had a foot. Old McKinley Park is pretty small. It has a shallow downhill slope that flattens out and is then followed by a very long steep slope. There are benches and stuff on the flat section.
Candie goes first. She hits the second slope and is gone! She is flying. I’m cheering and jumping up and down. It looks so fun. WHACK! She slams head first into an oak tree. It knocks her out cold. I’m flipping out, screaming and hollering. I run down to her the best I can. I start smacking her to get her to come around. I’m looking around frantically hoping for some help. What were we thinking? There are big ass trees everywhere. This was so stupid.
She comes to in the midst of my panic. “Oh God, Candie, are you alright?”
She doesn’t know where she is. She doesn’t remember her name. There is a huge lump emerging from her forehead. I pull her up and throw her arm around my shoulder and support as much of her weight as possible. Her house is nine blocks away. We start walking. I’m feeling a little sick to my stomach. I hope she’ll be okay.
I keep badgering her on the way home. By the time we get a block from her house, she starts remembering things. Thank God. I’m starting to feel relieved. We are both cracking up by the time we get to her house.
When she was in eighth grade and I was in ninth there was a mean girl that had a locker next to Candie. She was always picking on Candie and she was such a bitch.
I believe in standing up for yourself, but Candie is timid when it comes to that stuff. I kept telling Candie that if she stood up to this bitch, she would start leaving her alone. Of course, Candie is a peacekeeper, so she refused to do anything.
One day Candie and I are walking down the hall. Bitch is at her locker with her whole body leaned over to the left totally blocking Candie’s locker. She sees Candie coming and gives her a nasty grin and doesn’t move.
Okay, enough is enough. I whisper to Candie, “What’s your combination?” She gives it to me. I reach around Bitch and get the lock open and off. I look at this chick, meanly. “You might want to move.”
Bitch looks back at me. “I ain’t moving. You’ll have to wait.”
“Have it your way.” I open that locker door as fast and with as much force as I can, knocking Bitch in the ass like she has been hit by a dodge ball. She goes flying headfirst into her locker so hard that she smacks her head on the back of it.
She’s pissed. Candie and I are cracking up. Bitch says, “I am going to kick your ass for that.”
I’m still laughing, “Anytime, anywhere, Bitch. Just make it after school.”
Candie and I walk off with her things in tow, still laughing. Groups of kids have gathered around. Some of them are staring, eyes wide open in amazement and a few of them are laughing.
Needless to say, no one ever bothered Candie again and they sure the hell left me alone.
Jimmy calls me the next day. I figured it would take him three days to call. I’m so relieved that he is on the phone because truth be known, if he had waited three days to call, I probably would have written him off due to three consecutive days of that negative person talking to me inside of my head. I can’t speak out of certainty though, because HE DID CALL!
“Cindy?”
“It’s me.”
“How’d Candie take it?”
“Pretty good, I thought. I was prepared for a whole lot worse. I had some orange juice ready for her to guzzle.”
I hear his shy laugh. With that, I imagine his head tilting down, silky black hair swaying, his eyes smiling, and that crooked smile that I could totally eat!
Every woman knows that a good man is a woman’s best diet. When a woman has a man that treats her good and is sincere, she will scarcely eat, clean his house, car, and be his Energizer Bunny.
Jimmy then asks, “So, do you wanna go out?”
“Ah, when do you wanna go out?”
“How ‘bout tomorrow?”
This is much more than I expected. I was praying that he would call today, but never in a million years did I think he would actually ask me out already. Okay, now comes the payback. Don’t just say yes. Make him squirm a little. “What do you wanna do?”
“How ‘bout goin’ to the movies?”
“What ya wanna see?”
“A comedy?”
“OK, You gonna pick me up?”
“Sure. I’ll be there about seven.”
“Cool!”
Okay, the payback bit didn’t work too well. Why can’t you hold your ground, woman?
I tell Jimmy where I live and what exit to take off of I-5 to get here.
The next day is painfully slow. I want to see Jimmy bad. I spend hours getting ready. Man, I can’t believe he is coming.
Is he coming? Will he change his mind? Will he back out? Maybe he will get lost and by the time he arrives, I will be so mad thinking that he didn’t want to go that I will demolish the whole thing.
At 6:55 I hear a knock. I have to peek first to see if it is him. To my relief, it is. I see that baby blue low-rider with hot pink all over it parked out front. I don’t want to move. I want all of my nosy neighbors to see this handsome man in my doorway. I kick myself for being such a butt, open the door, and ask him to come in while I get my things. I turn on the porch light before I do though. That way, any really nosy neighbors will be sure to at least see us together as we leave.
I can tell that Jimmy is a little nervous. I am too, but I’m trying hard not to show it. I grab my stuff. He looks really hot. He is wearing a black jean jacket and black Levi’s. He has on the same black Vans. He looks good in black and he must know it.
I ask, “Shall we go?”
“Yeah, we should try to get there early.”
There aren’t very many good days in Washington. It rains a lot. That is just part of the scenery, so you get used to it. This is another clear and beautiful night though. As we are headed for his Nissan I ask, “What are we gonna see?”
“Well, we’ll head up to 72nd and Hosmer. Home Alone is playin’.”
I think it will be a funny movie. “Cool, I’ve been wantin’ to see that.”
Jimmy goes around to the passenger’s side, opens the door for me, and I jump in. He cranks the Nissan up and New Order comes on. This is the group whose music was featured in many of the icon 80’s movies.
Man, there is no need for words. We just sit there, listen, and cruise. It is the most comfortable silence between two people I have ever felt.
When we arrive at the theater Jimmy gets out and walks around to open the door for me. As I hop out, he grabs my hand. He is such a gentleman. I’m not used to being treated like this, but I so love it. Jimmy pays; we get sodas and popcorn and go in to sit down.
I have a hard time watching the movie; I keep watching Jimmy giggle furiously. I so want to kiss him right now, but I don’t. For one thing there are a lot of kids in the theater. Another thing is that I have this feeling that it is important to wait for him to make the first move. I keep thinking that he might not be interested, but the fact that he holds my hand inside of his reassures me
Finally, I make it through the movie. It was very funny, don’t get me wrong, but I’m anxious to see if Jimmy will kiss me goodnight at the door.
As we are driving back to my house, we are enjoying The Cure. I love The Cure, but I can’t help but begin to worry because Jimmy hasn’t said a thing. I decide to inform Jim that he seems rather serious, and I’m not sure if he has enjoyed himself at all because he is so quiet. He follows my statement by still not saying anything. Instead, he just looks at me really seriously. Shit. I have pissed him off. I hear a toilet flush somewhere in the distance.
About two blocks later we come to a stop. Okay, stupid. How are you going to fix this one? I can’t believe that you said that, you moron. All off the sudden Jim peals out and takes a right turn like he is some kind of race car driver. Man, he is really pissed off. I grab the “Oh Shit Handle”, look over at him, eyes full of panic, and see this shit-eating grin slapped across his face.
Man, I totally lose it. I smack him and start laughing so hard that I’m sprawled out half the way across the cab and very close to wetting myself. He so got one over on me big time.
About ten seconds later, as we pass a cop car, Jimmy says, “What’s up ocifur?”
I start cracking up again.
We talk about how well he pulled that whole thing off, still cracking up. We are almost to the house and I’m feeling chipper now. All of the sudden I hear a funny sound. It was sort of a thud. Then I hear a flump, flump, flump, flump, flump. It is definitely a flat tire. Man, this is Murphy’s Law. Things are going too damn good.
Jimmy and I get out and we push his Nissan down about a block and a half. I’m very worried because he has kick-ass rims and I’m sure we will mess them up.
We leave his baby blue in front of one of my friend’s houses because I know it will be safe here. Jim doesn’t know the area so he is understandably afraid that it will get broken into or worse yet, stolen. I assure him that we will get it first thing in the morning and that I will make sure that he gets to work on time. He is worried about his baby, like I would have been worried about my Midget if I had to leave it in an area that I wasn’t familiar with.
I find Jimmy’s passion for his Nissan endearing. I’m surprised at how many men aren’t really into their vehicles or even football for that matter. I’m a freak about both. It is nice to finally meet someone that is interested in so many of the same things that I am. He likes the Raiders and I love the Chargers. That could be a problem, but it could also be fun. I can imagine some really creative bets where even the loser comes out a winner, if you know what I mean! (Evil grin inserted here).
Finally, Jimmy calms down and we walk down the 38th street bridge, take a shortcut that lands us on East F street, and walk a block down to arrive at my house. It is a large, white, old two-story home. It has a natural wood porch that extends from one side to the other.
We cuddle on the couch and it feels so wonderful. Jimmy is enveloping me like a blanket and it takes everything I have not to drag him to my room. I really like this one and the attraction is stronger than I have ever felt with any other person. I can’t mess this one up.
I wake up the next morning and lay there for a long time. This feels so heavenly. There is no place on earth I would rather be.
I know that Jimmy has to get to work on time so I wake him up by nudging him softly. Jimmy opens his eyes and they look all dreamy, and I immediately want to kiss him.
Speaking softly I say, “Jimmy, we have to call a tow-truck and get you to work.”
Sleep and relaxation are oozing from him and his eyes look glossy as he replies, “OK.” He sits up and yawns and then asks me, “You have a phone book?”
I head to the kitchen to get it and hand it to him upon my return. “Here you go.”
Jimmy calls a tow-truck and we head out to my car. Guess what? The damn thing won’t start. I can’t freaking believe this. This is just too crazy, but mine isn’t the first M.G. to have problems with its common ground wiring.
Jimmy is freaking out. “God, how am I gonna get to work?”
“We can take my dad’s work truck. It’s around back.”
Jimmy looks relieved. “God, you scared me.”
I go back inside and get the keys for my dad’s work truck. It is a dive and it is so old that I don’t even know what year it is. It’s a Ford and its beige. The steering wheel is so huge it is hard for me to turn. The freaking stick shift damn near comes up to my neck. I’m so embarrassed. I’m waiting for Jim to ask me where my eight-tracks are, but he doesn’t say a word because he is grateful to be getting to work.
We head South on I-5 towards Fort Lewis. I notice a shake in the pickup that I’ve never noticed before. I ask Jimmy, “Do you feel that?”
Jimmy waves his hand. “Yeah, it probably needs the tires balanced or something.”
Cool. I keep going. A few minutes later the rear driver’s side of the pickup is grinding into the road. I look in the rear view mirror and I see a rooster tail of sparks shooting up like the fourth of July directly behind me. I still haven’t fully grasped what’s happening. Then I see a tire accompanied by its rim bouncing up I-5. Cars are dodging it and honking.
This is incredible. I can’t believe this is happening to me. I coast in a grinding kind of way to the shoulder. Luckily, no one wrecks. It is good that it is so early. There isn’t half the traffic on I-5 as there will be in another hour.
Jimmy runs out into the middle of I-5 to get the tire and rim. We walk up the closest exit and get to a pay phone. At this point, we are both hysterical and just cracking up. I keep teasing him about being unlucky.
I call my dad. He is really mad and I’m having a hard time not laughing. He wants to know why I’m almost to Fort Lewis at this hour of the morning, why did a guy stay the night, blah, blah, blah. Finally he is done lecturing me and I have managed to maintain my composure for the entirety of our conversation. I’m very proud of myself.
Jimmy calls a buddy to come and get him. Thank God he showed up before my dad did.
Copyright © 2006 – Infinity C. Callinsky
Read Chapter Four: Hose Yourself Off
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Photo Mount Rainier seen from Tacoma Bay
