Easy Silence (6 page)

Geoffrey was the son of some political big wig. I wasn’t quite sure what his father’s exact title was. I just knew it was of some importance, and he was a big political backer of my dad’s. He attended one of the best prep schools around and was entering Princeton in the fall. He was the perfect guy in my father’s eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the perfect guy for me. We got along well enough at first, both being able to relate to the pressure of being a politician’s child, and he was kind of cute. I took him to my prom and then ended up losing my virginity to him on prom night—big mistake. He made my first time nothing very memorable; in fact it seemed to be over before it even began. Afterwards I regretted it, but at the same time I was kind of relieved to get the awkwardness of that “first” over. After prom, I found out that he was dating someone else on the side, which was fine by me, because it gave me the perfect excuse to break up with him. He must have dumped her, judging by the text that had just come through:

When will you be coming home? Would really love to see you before I leave for school.

I decided to be as blunt as possible with him:

Not for a while. Good luck with college.

Not ever, if I had it my way. I wished I could stay here forever with my Grammy and Hadley. I wasn’t ready to be an adult just yet. Or was it that I just wasn’t ready to be the adult my dad wanted me to be?

I walked down to the water in an effort to cool off. The cold wet sand beneath my feet and the breeze coming from the ocean were welcoming. I went in up to my knees, being a little more cautious after my incident the other day. As I bent over and splashed myself with the water, I couldn’t help but notice the little girl running past me, frolicking in the waves. Her laughter was contagious as her dad chased after her, picking her up and spinning her around. They were creating memories, memories that I never had with my dad. The only thing I could hope for now was to be able to create beautiful moments like that with my own children someday.

My face was sticky from the salty air, my shoulders were burned from the sun, and my stomach growled with hunger by the time I exited the beach. “Where are you headed, Hadley?” I asked as I met her at the door.

“Oh, your grandmother wants a bacon burger from the diner for lunch. I told Doreen I would run up and get it.”

“A bacon burger? But Grammy is a vegetarian.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess not anymore.” She gave me a sympathetic smile.

“I’ll go get it. Unhealthy, greasy food sounds good right about now,” I said.

“Are you sure?” Hadley asked.

“Positive.” I grabbed my car keys from the counter and was on my way.

I pulled into the local diner just up the street from my grandmother’s. Judging by the parking lot, it seemed as if everyone in town were here eating lunch. I was halfway through the door when I realized I didn’t even throw a tee shirt on over my bathing suit before I headed out. Oh well, it was a beach town after all; I’m sure they were used to people patronizing their establishment in just a bikini top and cut off shorts…I hoped.

I made my way through the people waiting for tables and found an empty seat at the counter.

“What can I get you, honey?” an older grey haired woman asked.

“Oh…ummm…” I quickly glanced over the menu. “I’ll take two bacon burgers extra well done, two large fries, and two vanilla shakes.”

“You got it!” She smiled.

I took my phone from my pocket and pulled up a game to kill time while I waited for my food.

He
was walking out from the kitchen area just as I lifted my head from my phone. I instantly remembered him saying that he had worked at a restaurant; I just didn’t know it was this one. I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I just sit here and continue playing on my phone, pretending I didn’t see him, or should I say hello? “Jaxson.” His name escaped my lips before I could even make up my mind.

He had an uneasy look on his face when his eyes met mine. I instantly regretted my choice when I barely got a nod from him as he continued on with stacking up the paper cups under the soda fountain.

I bit my lip and buried my head into my phone once again, battling with the sting of rejection, feeling relieved when the waitress came out with my bag of food and shakes. I inconspicuously scanned the diner while I waited for my change, seeing no sign of Jaxson. Working my way through the crowd, I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached the exit.

“Boy, someone’s hungry.” I jumped at the sound of the familiar voice just as I walked out the door, turning around to find Jaxson with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

“Oh, this isn’t all for me,” I replied, pushing the stray hair that was blowing in my face behind my ear. He was silent, looking like he was deep in thought as his eyes burned into me. The silence was becoming awkward, and I tried to think of something to say. My attempt was futile, so I finally gave up. “Good seeing you again, Jaxson.”

He nodded and took a drag from his cigarette. I was hoping that he would engage in a little more conversation, but when he turned his attention from me and looked straight ahead, I knew that was the best I was going to get. I was halfway to my car when something came over me, something that I normally wouldn’t do. I turned back around and gazed at his long lean body leaning over the railing of the diner entrance, staring off into space, still puffing away on his cigarette.

“Jaxson?” I shouted as I got closer.

He turned his head in my direction and stared at me until I was only inches away. “I was wondering…if you’re not busy…do you want to hang out tonight?”

He was silent for a moment, and I began to prepare for his rejection. “Umm…yeah. I mean…no.”

“Oh. Okay.” I could feel my heart sinking with each passing second.

“I—I—mean…we can hang out if you don’t mind catching frogs.”

I tilted my head and looked at him in confusion. “I’m sorry, but did I just hear you correctly? You mean the green slimy kind?”

He took one last drag of his cigarette and put it out. “Last I checked there wasn’t any other kind.”

“Is there a reason you catch…frogs?” Even hearing myself saying it sounded a little bizarre.

“Not really. I just always liked doing it at night. It relaxes me.”

“Oh.” I nodded, looking away. He was so peculiar, but I think that’s what fascinated me about him so much. “You don’t eat them, do you?” I cringed at the thought.

“Nah, but frog legs aren’t bad at all.”

“Yuck!” I crinkled my nose.

“One might say the same thing about bubble gum ice cream.” He raised his eyebrow at me.

“Touché.” I giggled.

“So, are you in or out?” he asked with his hand on the door to the diner, preparing to go back in.

“In…for catching frogs. Pass on the frog legs.”

“Cool. I’ll pick you up at eight?”

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled.

“See ya, Samantha,” he said, squinting into the bright sunlight.

“See ya, Jaxson.”

I walked back to my car with a huge grin on my face. Never in a million years did I think I would be this excited over the prospect of caching frogs, but catching frogs with Jaxson…something told me that could be very interesting.

Jaxson arrived promptly at eight, and we were on our way. “So, exactly what does catching frogs entail?” I asked. “I won't have to touch them, will I?”

A sly grin spread across his face. “Of course you have to touch them.” I shuddered at the thought.

We turned off the dirt road, and he threw his truck in four wheel drive as we headed into the woods, getting as close to the pond as possible. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail as I waited for him to get the nets and buckets out of the back of his truck.

“Ready?” he asked, slamming the tailgate closed.

“I guess.”

We walked around the pond for quite a while before he settled on a spot. “So is this the happening hangout for frogs?”

“Hear that?” he whispered.

I listened closely, hearing light splashes coming from the water. “Is that them?” I whispered back. He nodded. “Okay, so what are we supposed to do now?” I continued to whisper.

The sun was just starting to go down, and I began to wonder how this would even be possible once it got dark, but I was game for this new adventure. He handed me the net and pointed to a log. “Right there,” he directed.

“Just scoop it up?” I asked.

“Yup.”

I inched closer, placing the mouth of the net over the unsuspecting frog. “Now what?” I asked looking down at my poor pathetic prisoner.

“Reach down and place your hands around its back and then lift it up so it’s between the netting and your hand.”

“Really?” I asked, not wanting to touch it.

“Really,” he grinned, seeming to be getting enjoyment over my uneasiness.

I bent down and closed my eyes.
I can do this…I can do this. I can prove to him that I’m not a girly girl and not intimidated by a little old frog.
I was able to keep that promise for about two seconds until that frog began to squirm when I placed my fingers around it. “Eww!!” I screeched, dropping the net and taking a step back. Jaxson’s laughter was like the sweetest melody I had ever heard. It was the first time I had ever seen him break that angry demeanor and look genuinely amused over something. I felt my heart swell, and I knew that if I lived to be one hundred, I would never forget that moment.

He bent down behind my escapee, which was sitting still on the ground looking a bit stunned. He carefully wrapped his fingers around its back and lifted it up. I backed away as he came closer to me with it in his hands. “Touch it.”

“No.” I looked away as its bulging eyes settled on me.

“You’re seriously afraid of a little old frog?”

“I’m not afraid of it. It’s just sooo…slimy looking.”

“This is coming from the girl who was on my case about being more open minded and not pre-judging things?”

He turned the frog around so it was looking straight at him. “I don’t know frog, but she seems to be a bit of a hypocrite, don’t you think?”

“I am not a hypocrite!” I raised my voice in defense.

“Well then prove it. Touch the frog,” he challenged.

I pursed my lips before letting out an exasperated breath. Jaxson’s eyes remained keenly on mine. I could tell he was just waiting for me to concede, but I was going to follow through. As crazy as it was, I had agreed to catch frogs with him tonight, so that’s what I was going to do. But, in order to do that, I had to first get over my fear, and at the same time prove to him that I wasn’t a hypocrite.

I reached my hand up and tapped its head with my fingertip. “There, I touched it.”

“Hold it.” He lunged at me, shoving it in my face.

“Jaxson, stop!” I shouted.

“Knew you wouldn’t do it.” His voice was triumphant.

He wasn’t going to win this one, no matter how much it killed me to do it. I was going to prove him wrong. “Give it to me!” I said, lifting my outstretched hands up to him.

He let out a sarcastic chuckle. “You don’t have to.”

“No, I want to. Come on, give it here.” He placed it in my hand, and I cringed. It wasn’t so bad, maybe a little slimy and bumpy, but his big bulging eyes were kind of cute. I was relieved when he hopped out of my hand and onto the ground. I rubbed the palms of my hands together. “Piece of cake!”

“Good, now let’s catch some more,” he said, and I let out a deep sigh. “That is…if you’re not afraid to.”

“No…no…I’m fine. Lead the way.”

Two hours later, and I was feeling like the crazy frog catcher. I was amazed at how much fun it actually was, especially once it got dark. Using a flashlight to find the frogs in the dark made it much more challenging which only added to the fun. We released all the victims when we were done, and I was happy when I found antibacterial gel in my purse once we reached Jaxson’s truck. I waited for him to finish loading up the back before making him hold out his hands so I could squirt some gel on them. He rolled his eyes at me and reluctantly rubbed them together. I wasn’t ready to leave. I wanted to spend more time with him because I wasn’t sure if I would be getting anymore. Jaxson was a hard read. He hardly ever expressed how he was feeling, unless it was anger. To others he may have seemed a little odd, but to me he was intriguing. I wasn’t sure what the draw was to him. He was so unlike any other guy I had ever been attracted to, but underneath his tough exterior, I saw a sad little boy, a scared young man, and a lost soul, not knowing in which direction to take his heart. I didn’t feel sorry for him. I felt connected to him in some strange way. I also had kept a lot of my feelings buried inside. Not to the extent that he did, but in a smaller way. His life was the ocean, and mine was the lake. I smiled at the truth in that parallel. Jaxson was abrupt and fierce just like the waves in the ocean, and at times he could be calm and gentle in his own kind of way. But just like with the ocean, I knew to always be on guard because those waves could begin to churn at any moment.

“So, did you want to hang out for a little bit longer?” I finally got the courage up to ask.