Night Walkers - Halloween 2023

Chapter 7

When Sunday afternoon rolled around, I made my way to the park. I searched around for Carson, but I didn't see him right away. Since the day was beautiful and sunny, there were plenty of people out at the park. There were several children playing on the playground. Some people were walking their dogs. Groups of friends were tossing around a ball or a frisbee, couples were enjoying a walk together, and others were simply enjoying the fresh air and sitting on the benches.

I sent Carson a message. 'Hey, I'm here at the park. Where are you?'

Not long after I sent the message, my phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

'Hey, I got your message.' Carson said on the other end. 'From the entrance of the park, go to the center where the pond is.'

"Okay." I followed his directions and made my way to the pond. "I'm there."

'Good, now to the right of the pond, there is a path, follow the path until you reach a clearing.'

I did as he instructed and found the clearing. "I found it."

'Perfect. I see you, look to your left slightly.'

I looked to my left to find Carson standing and waving his arms in the air to get my attention. He was standing in a clearing that was designated for park picnics. There were several other couples and small families sitting on picnic blankets eating the food they brought in their baskets. Carson, too, had a picnic blanket under his feet with a basket sitting in the center. Luckily, the clearing was large enough that each picnic spot was spread apart from another.

I waved back to him.

'I'm going to hang up now.'

"Okay."

We hung up and I made my way over to him. "A picnic?"

"Yes, a picnic." He replied. "I saw it was a beautiful day today and not too hot. So, I thought having a picnic with you would be perfect."

I smiled. "Well, then let's sit. What did you bring?"

Carson and I sat down on the blanket as a soft breeze swept over the clearing.

"I hope you are hungry because I brought quite the selection, bought with love from the grocery store and Gideon's Sandwiches."

I giggled.

Carson smiled, then continued. "I brought a turkey sandwich with provolone and mayonnaise on French bread for you." he said, as he pulled the wrapped sandwich from the basket and handed it to me. "And a roast beef and cheddar sandwich on toasted sourdough bread for me. There are also some fruits and vegetables, as well as some cookies in the basket too. I wasn't sure what you wanted."

"This is so sweet of you. You remembered what sandwich I order?" I asked as I unwrapped my sandwich.

"Of course, how could I not remember the order of the customer that stole my heart." He finished pulling out the fruits and setting them out before he unwrapped his own sandwich.

"That's probably the sweetest thing a guy has ever said to me."

Carson's face turned red, while he pulled at the loose meat at the sides of his sandwich. "A beautiful and kind girl like you should hear more of those kinds of things."

My cheeks warmed and I was not sure if it was because of the sun or the constant sweet words this boy was showering on me.

Carson and I ate our sandwiches and talked about different things like where we wanted to be some years in the future; our biggest dreams; and our goals. We talked about the smaller things as well, like our favorite colors and our favorite foods other than the sandwiches of course.