The girl on the Tree Stump

She caught my eye right away, she was hard to miss. I slowed down the car some as we passed by her house. She sat on a tree stump her legs swaying as they hung off the ground. She was twisting and dancing as she sung to some music that I couldn’t hear. She didn’t notice me like I noticed her, with her bright colorful socks or that she didn’t seem to care what people thought or saw as they passed by. She was smiling bright and looked like the happiest girl in the world, even as she sat there alone just her and the world.

I wanted to know who she was, with her light brown long hair and how she didn’t seem to care how her bright orange bar straps were totally visible to the world next to the black spaghetti straps of her tank top. But I had to keep driving on get going, get home before it got dark or before she noticed how my car was just creeping down the road. So started to speed up getting one glance at her, she was still just sitting and smiling there while she danced. She glanced at my car and smiled at it not knowing who was in the car but just smiled without a care in the world.

I never saw her again, well not until many years later I knew it was her right away. She had shorter hair but same color. She was still so happy and go with the flow like nothing changed. She still wore bright socks and seemed to be in her own world.

What I learned though was she wasn’t just this happy go lucky girl without a care in the world she was a girl who been through tough stuff just like the rest of us and struggled but some how managed to stay happy and a free spirit.

When I first actually met her in person it was three years later, it was the summer after my first year in college and I was back home in our small town for the Summer. It was three days after I came home, I was in the local gas station buying some milk and snack for the house.

She walked in by herself laughing, causing the few people in the store to look at her like she was from another planet. As soon as she walked in I knew it was her. She walked right next to me looking at the star bucks frappachinos in the fridge next to me.

“You know those aren’t healthy for you?” I said to her as she took a Mocha out of the fridge.

“Really? Well did you know that neither are those chips, candy bar or poptart, but don’t worry I won’t tell a soul.’ She said giving me a genuine smile I saw three years before.

“I’m Jonathan but call me John.” I said sticking out my hand for her to shake. She took my hand and shook it firmly.

“Oo, Jonathan how fancy. I am sad to say I don’t have a fancy name. I’m Crystal.” She said smiling at me again as we walked towards the check out, she grabbed a pack of gum and a sugar daddy on the way up.

“So you from here?” she asked me as I put down my stuff on the counter, leaving enough room for her to put down her stuff too.

“Yeah, came home from college for the Summer, you?” I asked as the guy from behind the counter began to ring up my items.

“Same.” She said with a smile as the guy behind the counter began to check out her items too. “Oh no that’s separate from his.” She said to the check out guy.

“No its fine I’ll pay for it.” I said letting the guy keep checking out her stuff.

“Oh no I couldn’t let you do that.” She said politely.

“Too late.” I said handing the guy the cash before hading her, her bag.

“You know what, Jonathan? I like you already.” She said with a smile while we exited the store.

“Well I hope I see you again.”

“Oh I know you will.’ She said taking out the receit that was in her bag and quickly writing on it with a pen that was in her pocket. She handed it to me, it was her number. And right then as she walked away I knew we were meant to be together, I think she knew it too.