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Authors: Craig Lancaster
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understand.”
Denise, Toby, and Toby’s girlfriend waited at the burger joint around the corner. Someone else came along, too.
“Mitch, this is my sister, Jennifer,” Denise said.
I smiled at the girl next to Denise. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and little freckles dotted her nose.
“She’s ten,” Denise said.
“Hi, Mitch,” Jennifer said.
“Hi.”
Trying to hold back the oncoming blush, I sat down across from Jennifer.
“If you want, we could leave you two alone,” Toby said, and his girlfriend threw a french fry at him. That made me think that she was cool, a thought that lasted only until she stood a few minutes later, spread her arms, and yelled, “Who chooses this music? It sucks.” Someone had put Dr. Hook’s “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” on the jukebox.
“I like this,” I said. One of the ways I whiled away the hours in the field was by fiddling with the pickup’s radio to intercept whatever signal could reach where we were. I knew every hit from that summer, and I was partial to this song, “Time Passages” by Al Stewart, and “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb.
“You’re just a kid. What do you know?” she said.
“More than you.”
“Mitch,” Jerry said. “I warned you.”
I clammed up.
“Give me a little Bad Company, and I’m fine,” Toby said.
“All day long, brother,” Jerry said, and they slapped a high five across the table.
We rode the thirty-five miles to Beaver in two cars. Jerry, Denise, Jennifer, and I were in Jerry’s Camaro, and Toby and his girlfriend rode in Toby’s Bronco. I sat in the backseat with Jennifer. We hadn’t exchanged more than a hello.
“Don’t you two like each other?” Denise said.
“Sure,” I said.
Jennifer didn’t say anything. I tried to talk to her.
“What grade are you in?”
“I’ll be in fifth.”
“I’ll be in sixth.”
“Where do you go to school?” she asked.
“Garfield Elementary in Olympia, Washington.”
“I’ve never been there.”
“It’s a long way. I had to fly in a plane to get here.”
“I’ve never been on one.”
“It’s fun. Mostly.” I remembered my throwing-up episode, and I decided not to share that.
It took a little while for us to start talking, but once we did, we didn’t stop. She told me about her school and her friends and the things she liked to do. They sounded a lot like the things I did back in Olympia: riding bicycles and playing sports and going to church and having sleepovers with friends. I didn’t like Milford very much, and I would never trade all my friends and the places I knew in Olympia for this place—never in a million years would I do that—but I thought I could deal with Milford a little better if I had a bicycle (or a motorcycle) to ride and friends to play with.
When the alien popped out of John Hurt’s stomach during the crew’s dinner, Jennifer grabbed hold of my arm and squeezed. After the scene, her arm stayed in mine. I had never touched a girl like that, for such a long time. I tried not to get a boner, but the youthful rush was more than I could fight. I was thankful that I was sitting and no one could see it.
Plenty of other scenes scared Jennifer, too. I also felt scared, but I tried to act as though I wasn’t.
“I am never, ever, ever, ever eating spaghetti again,” Denise said as we walked back to the car.
“Oh man, that was so great,” Toby said.
“It was gross,” his girlfriend said.
“My favorite part was the end,” Jerry said.
“Yeah, when it was over,” Denise said.
“No, no, when the alien was inside the control panel of the ship. God, that was freaky. I loved it.”
“Were you scared?” I asked Jennifer.
“A little.”
“Me too.”
We got back to Milford a little after ten, and Denise said she and Jennifer had to get home. Jerry drove up to their house, and Denise leaned in and kissed him. Then she whispered something
Denise, Toby, and Toby’s girlfriend waited at the burger joint around the corner. Someone else came along, too.
“Mitch, this is my sister, Jennifer,” Denise said.
I smiled at the girl next to Denise. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and little freckles dotted her nose.
“She’s ten,” Denise said.
“Hi, Mitch,” Jennifer said.
“Hi.”
Trying to hold back the oncoming blush, I sat down across from Jennifer.
“If you want, we could leave you two alone,” Toby said, and his girlfriend threw a french fry at him. That made me think that she was cool, a thought that lasted only until she stood a few minutes later, spread her arms, and yelled, “Who chooses this music? It sucks.” Someone had put Dr. Hook’s “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman” on the jukebox.
“I like this,” I said. One of the ways I whiled away the hours in the field was by fiddling with the pickup’s radio to intercept whatever signal could reach where we were. I knew every hit from that summer, and I was partial to this song, “Time Passages” by Al Stewart, and “Reunited” by Peaches and Herb.
“You’re just a kid. What do you know?” she said.
“More than you.”
“Mitch,” Jerry said. “I warned you.”
I clammed up.
“Give me a little Bad Company, and I’m fine,” Toby said.
“All day long, brother,” Jerry said, and they slapped a high five across the table.
We rode the thirty-five miles to Beaver in two cars. Jerry, Denise, Jennifer, and I were in Jerry’s Camaro, and Toby and his girlfriend rode in Toby’s Bronco. I sat in the backseat with Jennifer. We hadn’t exchanged more than a hello.
“Don’t you two like each other?” Denise said.
“Sure,” I said.
Jennifer didn’t say anything. I tried to talk to her.
“What grade are you in?”
“I’ll be in fifth.”
“I’ll be in sixth.”
“Where do you go to school?” she asked.
“Garfield Elementary in Olympia, Washington.”
“I’ve never been there.”
“It’s a long way. I had to fly in a plane to get here.”
“I’ve never been on one.”
“It’s fun. Mostly.” I remembered my throwing-up episode, and I decided not to share that.
It took a little while for us to start talking, but once we did, we didn’t stop. She told me about her school and her friends and the things she liked to do. They sounded a lot like the things I did back in Olympia: riding bicycles and playing sports and going to church and having sleepovers with friends. I didn’t like Milford very much, and I would never trade all my friends and the places I knew in Olympia for this place—never in a million years would I do that—but I thought I could deal with Milford a little better if I had a bicycle (or a motorcycle) to ride and friends to play with.
When the alien popped out of John Hurt’s stomach during the crew’s dinner, Jennifer grabbed hold of my arm and squeezed. After the scene, her arm stayed in mine. I had never touched a girl like that, for such a long time. I tried not to get a boner, but the youthful rush was more than I could fight. I was thankful that I was sitting and no one could see it.
Plenty of other scenes scared Jennifer, too. I also felt scared, but I tried to act as though I wasn’t.
“I am never, ever, ever, ever eating spaghetti again,” Denise said as we walked back to the car.
“Oh man, that was so great,” Toby said.
“It was gross,” his girlfriend said.
“My favorite part was the end,” Jerry said.
“Yeah, when it was over,” Denise said.
“No, no, when the alien was inside the control panel of the ship. God, that was freaky. I loved it.”
“Were you scared?” I asked Jennifer.
“A little.”
“Me too.”
We got back to Milford a little after ten, and Denise said she and Jennifer had to get home. Jerry drove up to their house, and Denise leaned in and kissed him. Then she whispered something
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