The Notebook Never Sleeps

Untitled (short story)

Looking out the back window I could see Ira watering the unruly garden of plants and flowers we had. I walked over to the back door window to take a better look at her. She's wearing the same shirt she did yesterday - the one that had a drawing of a lizard put right in the middle of the shirt. I remember we got into a dispute once about whether or not that thing on her shirt was a lizard. I told her that from far away, it looked like a worm or something. She pouted a little at that, but she got over it after a few seconds of ignoring me. She loves that shirt, I think. I walked out the back door, towards her.

"Hi," she stated without looking at me, "You finally decided to come out." I shrugged.

She turned off the hose, peered at me, and said, "I don't know why you gawk so much at people. I'll never figure out why you still do it to me."

She walks up to me and gently squeezes my cheek.

"I- I didn't think you saw me," I replied as she dropped her hand from my face.

She smiled, and we just stood there for a few seconds. Well, she sat down on the grass and lied down, and so naturally, I did the same. We stood quiet for a while. That's one of my favorite things about her. We could hold a silence without things being too slow or awkward. We speak to each other a lot, of course, but only when we had to say something to say. It just seemed like if she had nothing to say, I wouldn't have much to say either; and when she had a whole lot to say, I'd always have a reply.

"Oh! I almost forgot. I found something out here today," she remembered while sitting up. After strategically getting into a position that would easily let her take things out of her pocket, she pulled out what seemed small, silver-like ring. I didn't care for it much. I remained on the grass, and I closed my eyes. She opened my hand and placed it at the center of my palm. I closed my hand. The ring was warm from being in her pocket, and I sat up to get a better look at it.

"A mood ring?"

She nodded, "Did you ever have one of those when you were little?"

I shook my head and replied, "Well, my friends did. I thought they were stupid."

I lied back down on the grass and closed my eyes again as she took the ring from me.

"Do you find everything stupid?" she questioned, half amused and half serious.

"I don't think so," I smiled, "I think I'm getting better at liking things."

I looked away as she laughed, and stared off into space. Well, not into space, but into my mood ring, which was giving off the colors of a galaxy.

"What is this supposed to mean?" I asked, showing her the ring.

"It could be anything, really," she smiled, "Nah, it probably means you're in love."