MODERN DAZE- Mitch Kramer

5

~11.9.1973 🍄~

 The fall of 73' didn't end as I expected it to. I had made a to-do list at the start of 8th grade and wanted to finish it just before I graduated. A pretty easy list to accomplish if I do say so myself.

"1. Go to a Led Zeppelin concert.

2. Sell tie-dye shirts to pay for the Led Zeppelin tickets.

3. Figure out if Mitch likes Led Zeppelin.

4. Figure out if I like Mitch.

5. Buy roller skates.

6. Go roller skating with Mitch (and friends???)

7. Buy those super cute cherry-red bell bottoms from the mall. "

   Besides the whole list, I wanted to let my mom know I'm ready to have a boyfriend, but she would probably just laugh because she knows that I can make that decision without her input. My partner from Miss Bonham's museum trip, Mitch Kramer, was logically the only choice. After the field trip we had become close friends and I could confide in him about everything, well almost everything. He's a total weirdo but I think that's what has me wrapped around his finger and he doesn't know it. 

   Something about the way his hair flows against his face when he would skim through the schools selection of science-fiction books, or the way he would always pack me an extra PB&J when he knew I wouldn't like the cafeteria food, or maybe how he always rooted for me when I got pummeled by those stupid red spheres in dodgeball. 

   It felt like throwing a stone into a dormant volcano; such a small thing can cause such a catastrophe. In the case of my feelings for Mitch, he is the stone and I am that dark, dormant volcano and with every little thing he does it is just another stone being tossed in until the I erupt. 

 It was the day I found out Mitch liked Led Zeppelin and the day I would soon hate to remember; it was also my thirteenth birthday.

   The bristles of my comb had started to work its magic on my hair as I tossed my rollers aside, letting them roll off my vanity. The note Mitch gave me the day before sat next to my jewelry box. 

"meet me at harmonia park at 8-ish, : ) "

 I stared at his messy writing as a small smile crept upon my face. I'm not one to sneak out and lie to my mom but I don't think she'd mind, she adores Mitch. I pulled off the last roller from my bangs and sighed to brace myself to ask her permission to leave before dinner had even been served.

"Ma?" The creaking of my parents door echoed through the hall. "Mom?" 

My eyes scanned the room and saw no sign of the woman. "Mom! Ya' downstairs still?" My shoes thumped against the carpeted stairs that led to the dining room. 

"Mom-"

"I'm right here honey no need to yell." She hands me a stack of plates and cutlery which I hurriedly placed at the table, taking back a single plate with a knife and fork. 

"You not gonna eat? Made lasagna, your favorite." She pulls out the piping hot tray from the oven that I would gladly eat...all in one sitting of course.

 The words didn't want to come out and I looked like I was gasping for air every time I tried to speak. 

 "Take your time Val, I'm here for at least another 64 years." I let out a nervous laugh at her joke.

 "I uhm," I played with the ends of my hair. "Can I go hangout with Mitch tonight."

 "Sure, where?" My dad spoke up as he and my brother sat at the table.

"Oh? Okay, I didn't think you would actually say yes but we want to go to Harmonia and just, y'know, hang?" 

"As long as y'all don't end up on the back of the milk carton when I go grocery shopping tomorrow then go have fun love, just be careful." Ma walks past me and sets the lasagna down, she takes off her mittens and gives me a couple dollars for snacks.

"Cool, I guess I'll get going then?"

"Yes please go, I'm trying to watch rest of The Godfather and your obnoxious curls are getting in the way." My brother shoos me away while stuffing the lasagna in his mouth. I rolled my eyes and went up to my room to gather my things. 

The phone rang which had me rushing down the steps. "Valez residence." I huffed while brushing my obnoxious hair from my face. 

 "You coming now or what?" 

"Mitch?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're already there?"

"Uhm no not yet, look through your window." He laughs softly into the phone.

  I look through and open one of the windows near the door and see him a couple houses down using the payphone near the bus stop. He waves and I wave back immediately. 

"C'mon and get out here already!" He shouts as I hang up and run out the door. 

I gripped onto my satchel as I ran towards him, "Let's get to the gas station before they close." He nudges me along as we jogged to the station near the park.

 "M'kay let's stop running, I can't do this for much longer." He stops as we both lean over and grip our knees to try and catch our breath.

 "How much you got this time?" I hand him my bag as I was still trying to breathe normally, a bit of a wake up call to actually start running during gym class.

 "Awesome we have twenty bucks!" He crumples the bills and we wander in the stations convenience store. 

  The bells above the door rang as we split up and got snacks for one another. I scanned the candy aisle for sour candy and chocolate and grabbed a couple of each. I went over to Mitch who had drinks in hand. 

 "Dr. Pepper for you and Coke for me." He hands me a bottle and I give him some packs of candy. 

"Oh and I got these chocolate mint cookies, thought you'd might like it." He hands me the box of cookies, I smiled in response. 

"Are you two gonna pay for that so I can go back to my nap?" The cashier, a man who should be retired, yawned and stood up from his chair.

He punches in the prices and scratches his scruffy white beard. "5.75."

We pay the man and leave once he tossed the change into my hand. "He looks like my grandpa."

"Every old man with a white beard looks like your grandpa Mitch." I let out a laugh.