Empty Sheets

(5) A Story About Geoff

The first place Geoff ever took me to eat was at Johnnie's Pizza Party. Its location was not too far from our high school. We walked there on an early release Friday. Teachers had final exams to prepare, so school got out at noon.

Geoff and I were not a couple yet. We had just spoken a couple times, and I had already received one flower from him. This outing took place about a week after I found out he knew Taylor and two weeks before the drama project was due. I agreed to go to the pizza place with Geoff because I found no reason to say no. He was not so bad of a guy, so why not be friendly?

"This isn't even a real pizza place," Geoff said as he walked up the wooden front steps. "I mean, it is, but it's not even known for its pizza."

He paused and turned to me after the first sentence. He did so again in the middle of the next sentence-almost as though he were speaking to himself and then remembering my presence. I couldn't even get a word in because he continued explaining as he opened the door for me.

"He makes homemade South American food, burgers, hot dogs, and subs." Geoff walked in after me. "There are even special eggrolls on the menu." He leaned in toward me at that last part.

"Eggrolls?" I couldn't help the light chuckle that escaped me. "Where did those come from?"

He shrugged and joined in the chuckle. "After the place opened, he just kept adding items. It's almost like he had no idea what kind of restaurant he wanted to open."

"Then why call it Pizza Party? Maybe he used the pizza's sellability to lure in customers to his homemade cooking."

Geoff laughed. "Sellability? Is that even a word?"

I playfully scoffed. "It is now!"

The place was a lot fuller than I would have expected. It appeared like a popular spot for brunch. Geoff and I stood in line and glanced over the menu up ahead. It didn't take us long to figure out what we wanted and then order it. Afterward, we sat at a table and waited for the food. I picked up a salt shaker at random and looked at Geoff. "So how are you and Sam doing on the drama thing?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Look at you, little Miss Schooler. It's the weekend, and you still wanna talk about school."

I did my signature scoff again. "Hey, I'm just making conversation." I threw bits of salt at him.

We had spoken a few times in the past two years, but mostly about schoolwork. I had realized at that time that I became comfortable in joking a lot with Geoff. I just didn't see him as he had seen me. He confessed his thoughts about me a month or so after we started dating.

"We haven't done too much of the project," Geoff answered. "We're doing our own thing with it...certainly not like how you and Taylor are doing." He grinned.

I did my best to withhold a blush. What helped me was the fact that I replied quickly. Or maybe that hadn't helped at all. "How long have you guys been friends?"

"Pfft. We're not really friends." Geoff used his playful tone that I had grown to know so well. "We're just working on a project of mutual interest."

"Really?" I asked slowly while discreetly scrutinizing him. I wanted to ask what it was, but two things prevented me from doing so:

One - I didn't want to seem too nosey.

Two - Our order had arrived.

Geoff immediately commented on the garlic bread and urged me to try one. I have to say that I remember the food being really good. We went back there many more times after that. It sort of became our spot throughout the rest of our high school lives. Johnnie had even considered us part of his "pizza family."

"I remember seeing you differently that day," Geoff told me about two months later. "You were more...yourself...instead of the girl who lived in the world called school." He joined me in chuckles. "I already had a small crush on you then, hence the flower I left you. Now that I think of it, I think my crush had dated back a while."

That did prove to be true. You see...the first flower he left me came sort of as a shock. I remember seeing it in my locker, its stem sticking outside. On it was a note that read: 'I remember hearing you in middle school saying that you liked carnations. Hope that fondness still holds! -Geoff'

And beside it, he drew a smiley face.

I recall looking around, expecting to see him somewhere. When I didn't, I put the flower back in my locker and stood there for a couple moments. At the time, I thought it was cute, but I also felt bad. I didn't think I would come to see Geoff as anything but the funny guy I've known since middle school.

I also didn't think that I would see him as the man I would be divorcing soon.