Safe Town

- Jones -

Currently, I'm standing outside the window of the room I'm staying in, waiting for Silvia.

What if she doesn't show? Honestly, I don't know what to expect from her. Although, she was perfectly punctual for our date.

That was by far the strangest date I've ever been on. Not that it was bad.

"Hi," I hear a breathless voice outside my window.

"Hi," I take the hand she offers me and climb out.

We walk through the small, safe neighborhood and I realize how out of place she is. Safe and fun are like water and vinegar.

Silvia leads me into a local gas station with a sign that says, "BEER, WINE, SPIRITS."

"Um, I don't-"

"Don't worry," she grins at me, "We aren't getting beer, wine, or spirits tonight."

I have a flashback of her telling me she doesn't drink.

We push the door open and a bell dings in the background. No one is at the register. I hope she isn't planning on shoplifting.

"You get the Pepsi, I'll get the Mentos," she instructs while tying her black hair up.

I go to the back of the tiny store and get a few liters of soda out of the refrigerator.

After a cashier comes out of the supplies closet (not completely sober I'll bet), we pay and leave.

Silvia and I arrive at the same park we had our date. You can hear the empty swings swaying in the breeze, it's a bit eery.

"Does this count as our second date?" she asks while opening the Mentos.

"I don't know, I've never been on one."

"I have," the soda hisses as she twists the cap off, "This is close enough."

I change the subject, "Why are we doing this at night? It's not illegal. . . is it?"

Silvia snorts, "Everything is better at night."

She pops a few Mentos in the plastic Pepsi bottle, puts the cap on, and starts shaking it, "Plus, it's like I-Spy."

I don't know what she means, but that's how it is most of the time.

We sit on the cool, dewy grass and she undoes the cap slightly stands back.

"Turn the flashlight from your phone on!" she orders me.

I do so. The Pepsi bottle sputters and hisses and you can vaguely see fizz building up on the inside. Finally, the carbonation builds up so much that the cap flys off into the sky along with the candies. Soda overflows onto the turf. Putting the pieces together, I shine my light into the darkness, trying to spot the white flecks.

Meanwhile, Silvia is jumping around attempting to catch them in her mouth.

We do this until we run out of Pepsi. Switching off looking for them in the sky with our phone lights and trying to catch them in our mouthes. We didn't catch any, but it was hilarious to watch the other person run around with their mouth wide open like a hungry baby bird.

"I had fun, Silvia," I announce as we lay side by side.

"I had fun too, Jones," her mouth illuminates with a smile.

"Call me Jones-y."