The Calm Before the Storm

Mr. Brightside

I drove the opposite direction of my church. I was driving automatically, I was trying so hard to rack my brain around what had just happened. I just could not believe what had and what was happening to me. I was going to be....a mom....a mom....I'm only seventeen....

When I snapped back into reality, I realized I was in the stuffed animal aisle of the kid section inside of Walmart.

 My wallet was clutched tightly in my hand and hugged against my chest. my hands were shaking slightly, I was so scared.

My eyes scanned all the cute stuffed animals meant for baby's and toddlers. Something in the very back caught my attention, I involuntarily reached my hand in and grabbed it.

I pulled out a bear, clearly a reject and forgotten. It was a soft pink, random denim and coffee brown patches were sown onto it. A clear heart shaped plastic frame was over it's heart, clearly to put a picture inside of it, its mouth was just a line that was sown on, in brown thread. It's beady eyes that were supposed to be black were a piercing bright blue.

I hugged it close to my chest, a few tears escaped my eyes, landing on the bear. A few quiet sobs escaped my mouth, I fought to silence them when I felt two, big, strong arms engulf me into a perfect hug. I felt love, care, and belonging in that hug. I broke down in it. I felt like these arms knew and saw everything....that I could unmask myself and throw my heart out. I didn't even care that tears and snot stained the hugger's shirt.

When I finally could pull myself together and stop my crying, I looked up and saw two stunning blue-green eyes staring back into my red, puffy hazel ones.

What I saw was a guy about my age. He was round 5'11'', his hair was spiky and dark brown...almost black. He was muscular and tan, he wore worn out Levi jeans. His black muscle shirt fit every inch of his six pack perfectly, causing me to blush slightly. I glanced down at his shoes, which were converse about thirteens.

He held my shoulders, keeping me at arms length. He leaned down slightly and kept eye contact with me.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a deep, husky voice.

I wiped my eyes and my nose on the sleeve of my black jacket that was to big on me.

"Yeah-yeah, I'm good, I'm fine" I replied, chuckling a little at myself.

He smiled softly, patting my shoulder with his right hand.

"You sure?" He asked me again.

Good Lord, his voice shook me down to my soul. His eyes were mesmerizing.

"Um....yeah, yeah....I'm fine. Thank you, I'm Jude" I replied to him.

"I'm Will" He said smiling back at me.

I smiled back at him, feeling happy for the first time in these past few days.

"See you around Jude, take care" Will said, walking away.

A genuine smile actually played on my lips as I walked to the cash registers to but the bear.

After I purchased the bear I walked to my truck and took it our of the plastic bag, sitting it next to me in the passenger seat.

The drive home from Walmart was long and over many, many bridges and over a big lake. that was okay with me, I still wanted to be anywhere but home. Anywhere but there.

 It gave me time to think, time to reflect and realize. I thought about Will most of the ride, yeah...he should have been the thing farthest from my mind, but I just could not help it. I couldn't get over that this complete stranger came up to me when I was breaking down in the middle of the baby section of Walmart and he just hugged me. He held on to me and it seemed like he was never going to let me go. It felt like he was there for me forever. Like someone actually cared about how much pain I was going through. Like someone could see through my exterior and saw right into my interior...into my heart. Like I belonged somewhere. From where he rested his chin on my head, to his strong hands on my waist, to my side being pressed against his chest.

I shook my head, trying to forget that....I just broke up with the guy and I'm pregnant....and all I was thinking about was some random guy I met at Walmart who showed me one act of kindness that I would probably never see again. Ever.

Though he was pretty hot....

I shook my head again and turned on the radio, classic rock bled through my stereo system, a song I knew pretty well. I sang along, the lyrics poured out of my mouth. Just like the rain that poured out of the sky at that moment. Man this year is wet.

 My hands beated against the steering wheel of my truck, keeping with the beat of the drummer on the song. Once the song ended another came on. It was softer and more soulful than the last one. One that talked about being addicted to a guy that was a complete d-bag. The singer obviously doesn't want to be addicted or be in love with guy, but she couldn't help it....she couldn't even breathe. She wanted to be rid of him...she wanted to be rid of him...

I felt a pang in my heart and my vision started to blur, the song only made me feel worse.

"Not know....please not now..." I whispered quietly as I passed my house and drove up a winding dirt road, well now it was muddy.

The drive out to the abandoned cherry orchard was quite a few minutes, but I liked the drive out there.

The landscape was beautiful. Green was everywhere you looked, luscious, luscious green. Horses and cows were under the trees in pastures, trying desperately to be dry and keep out of the rain.

 Their lives were so simple: eat, poop, mate....die. I wish my life wasn't so complicated. I wish I could be a horse. Free, wild, never bored. Not a care in the world.

I parked under the third tree in the fifth row in the orchard. I turned the engine off, but kept the battery running to listen to my C.D's.

 I put in  random C.D, anything to just get me to stop crying. To get me to stop thinking about him.

The first song to play was a song that I heard a thousand times. A song that my heart knew all to well.

I choked up as I started to sing along, my voice betraying the tears that were going to come up.

Memories flooded my mind.