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she was at the Mexican restaurant - the best in macon - La Bella - having lunch with Dylan the man who would give her so many flowers. She had deigned to come because he was kind and she had hurt him and she liked him and was fascinated with areas of knowledge he had that she had no clue about. they were having lunch. It was October.
He stood up as she came in - even though she always said he didn't have to - it looked awkward for him to have to do so. He had invited her many times, and today she came. The stories were usually the same, and she could never talk about what she really cared about.
"you look lovely today dear. that color looks wonderful on you." They sat.
She replied, "thank you so much. I like that tie."
She didn't say. I'm in love. He bought this t-shirt for me in Florida. I'm wearing it backwards. I'm so in love, I feel like singing, but I'll sit across from you and you can eat me with your eyes and we can trade stories. why can't I ever just say the thing.
they finished. he either paid or they split the bill or she gave him a ten or twenty. She went home and anticipated Noel - the man who ...
--
She came out of the bathroom, and he was on the sofa uncomfortably laying She announced, "don't you just love a successful morning shit. it's so good to get it all out."
He looked nonplussed and wiggled awkwardly on the sofa. "you've got to get a better sofa. this one - it's just not wide enough."
She sat in the aqua and gold chair her niece had donated to her rebuilding a life cause - facing him. She paused, "I know, but think of the logistics. you've got to get an ad to get it out - do you even use craigslist for that? then, well the most important part - find the perfect sofa. yours are marvelous."
He preened. "Yeah, I told you the story of the bargain I got it for and the other one came with the house."
I know.
When she had been to his house in the coolest city in Georgia - Athens (which was kind of being ruined like everything cool - but people said that all the time), she had noticed he had these empty hooks. he said they had been empty for years. it was interesting to her - an artist's son. and he had some art work from his grandmother hanging - and it was the best stuff. he didn't have 'the eye' so to speak, but that's what she was for.
She asked, "did you ever hang that weird painted strip that I gave you - the art?"
He scowled a bit recalled, "god no. I threw that away. it looked like voodoo or something."
She laughed, "really? I just had thought it would look nice maybe - balancing the room - like on those two hooks to the right of the tv - just putting it on there - and I made the material that pokey thick paper board you can just press it onto the hooks."
He looked over his glasses with his vivid white eyebrows, "well darling, that ship has sailed. you weirdo."
"I know. I know. I"m sorry. there was this wacky girl I met at my local - the terrace room - in Oakland - and she was having a goodbye party and invited me. I was honored. she was going to Las Vegas, taking loans out, and becoming an interior designer. I was so jealous. I was like - wow, one can do that - one can just go for what you want? I mean, I'd Love to be an interior decorator, but you've got to have safety all the time right?"
He filled in another clue and drank a sip of his instant coffee in the clear glass with just the correct amount of cream and two ice cubes for affect. "Do you want to go on a walk today?"
"sure, but let's go somewhere different, and I want to canoe one day - not kayak - canoe. the rains made the river not so bad."
"ok. let me look at my trails app - although I don't think there's much we haven't tried around here."
"Let's try south."
"Or we could just watch a movie."
She smiled, "both."
He smiled, "let me finish the puzzle, take a shower. we'll grab something to eat then decide?"
"I'll just write in my silly little book".
"you'll never let me live that down will you?"
She looked at him with a beam, "we'll see how much groveling you can do."
He raised his eyebrows and went back to solving clues.
and the hardest part for her was
wondering if she had to beg for him to say it - or if this was saying it.
she blew.
he looked up.
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