Our third meeting was different, in so many ways. The
snow was gone completely now. In its place came spring rain, nights disrupted
by thunder storms, and cool breezes that stirred the warm air. Her winter coat
was gone as well. This time she wore a blue plaid shirt, sleeves rolled up to
expose her pale arms to the sun.
The biggest difference was how we met. The first time I
had seen her from a distance, and she was gone almost before I knew what had
happened. The second time we simply crossed paths. Everything had happened so
fast before. Now she was sitting on a bench at the nearby playground, reading a
novel. There was no need to rush; she wasn't going anywhere.
I sat down at the other end of her bench, avoiding
conversation at first. What did you say to a perfect stranger that you were
madly in love with? Everything that popped in to my mind seemed strange or
overbearing. In the end I decided on the simplest approach.
"Hello."
She looked up from her book, a bit startled at first. She
must have been completely engrossed in the story and not realized I was there.
After a moment she smiled though, the same bright smile she had given me when I
helped her up last month.
"Hello." she replied. "Lovely day, isn't
it?"
"Yeah." I replied lamely. "Hopefully the
good weather will stick around."
She nodded. Then her eyes scrunched up a bit as if she
were trying to remember something.
"If you don't mind me asking, have we met before?
Your face seems familiar."
It was better than I could have hoped for. She had
actually recognized me somewhat, if not completely. I had been worried she
wouldn't remember at all. In my mind I had imagined stumbling over words,
trying to make her recall what I remembered so clearly.
"I helped you up when you fell a few weeks
ago." I told her, pointing to the spot. "Right over there, I
think."
"Of course." she laughed, and there was that
smile again. "How embarrassing. You must think I'm a total klutz."
"It could have happened to anyone." I reassured
her.
"Thanks. To be honest though, I am a bit of a
klutz."
We both laughed. The more I heard her laugh, the more I
loved it. Some girls had pretty, fake laughs, but not her. Her laugh was
heartfelt and unafraid of judgment, and as wild as her hair. Some people would
think it was too loud or too strong, but I was not one of those people. I
wanted to make her laugh again, but there was something I wanted more just
then.
"I'm Jared." I said once we had calmed down.
"Nice to meet you Jared." she replied. "My
name's Claire."
Ever since I had seen her last I had been trying to dream
up her name. I had never thought of Claire, but as soon as she said it I knew
it was the one I had been looking for. It was like the name had been made just
to describe her. It started out strong, but ended lightly. Similarly, she was
strong and vibrant, but she was at the same time soft and light.
Just as I was about to speak again a little girl who had
been playing on the playground ran up to us. She tugged on Claire's shirt to
get her attention, then whispered something in her ear. Claire smiled at her
and patted her head gently.
"No, he's a friend." she told the girl. Then to
me, "She wanted to make sure you weren't bothering me. This is my little
sister Madison, by the way."
I gave Madison a smile to put her mind at ease. She
shared Claire's bright, emerald eyes and wide smile, although her hair was
brown and not nearly as wild. Her face still held a bit of baby fat, but
instead of making her look pudgy it just made her smile seem even bigger. She
was adorable, and very sweet for worrying about her older sister.
"Hello Madison." I said, holding out my hand to
her. "I'm Jared."
"Hi." she answered softly, shaking my hand once
before quickly releasing it.
"Well Maddy," Claire announced. "How about
we head home and make you some lunch, how does that sound?"
Madison cheered happily. I however, was not quite as
happy. This may be my last chance to talk to Claire. I had no idea if or when
we would run into one another again. I did not want to wait another
who-knows-how-many months to see her. I could not let this opportunity slip
through my fingers like I had last time. I just had to come out and say it.
"Claire." I blurted. "Before you go, I was
wondering... well... would you like to go out with me?"
For a long moment I thought she was going to say no. I
could tell she had not been expecting the question, and I could almost see
everything crashing down around me. I should have waited longer. She probably
thought I was crazy, or that I asked out every girl I met. We had just met, and
we knew hardly anything about each other. There was absolutely no reason in the
world for her to say yes. But she did.
"Alright." she said. "When?"
"Are you free next Friday?" I asked. It seemed
like an eternity to wait, but any time before that would definitely be too
soon.
"Yes. Seven o'clock?"
"Sounds good."
She entered her number and address on my phone so I knew
how to get in touch with her and where to pick her up. Then, after a smile and
a goodbye, we parted ways once again. Like the last time we met I watched her
leave. I couldn't remember ever being happier in my life.
