Lucy After School

Chapter 1 Meeting Lucy to Walk Home

Lucy is a girl I went to school with for years but who I never truly saw until one day when I called her for help with a homework assignment.  Why I picked her that day, I don't know.  No particular reason really.  She just was someone I knew would help me with this particular assignment and it was nothing more than that.

We chatted briefly about why I called her after sending her a text - I needed a bit more guidance because I was confused -- and then we got right into it.  She helped me see what I was missing and in no time at all, I completed my work.  But there was something about her, something about her voice or her mannerisms that intrigued me and made me want to stay on the phone with her.  Made me want to ask her things.  I don't know what drew me into her, but almost instantly like putting on a warm jacket when you're cold and feeling very comfortable all of a sudden I was involved in a long conversation with her about all sorts of things -- movies, music, art, school, exes, and the like.  It was like turning on a faucet and the water flow kept increasing!  I couldn't get a handle on what exactly what happening, but before either of us knew it, we had talked until late into the night.

The next day at school Lucy was all I could think about.  We were both tired from staying up late -- way too late to be effective the next day -- but the idea that I was going to walk her home after school that day kept us both artificially alert with excited energy inside.  I kept daydreaming and wandering away from my studies to think about her and our playful conversations from last night.   We talked about everything that meant anything to us, particularly love and romance and what it would be like to hold each other and snuggle together and fall asleep in each others' arms, her with her head on my chest and me with my arms around her back, our legs entwined together.  It was warm and safe, and the feeling of completely letting go with that thought made the entire conversation seem like in reality we were together.  I could not stop thinking about her the entire next day.

In eager anticipation of meeting Lucy to walk her home, I was quick to arrive at her classroom door at the end of the day.  She was still picking up her books and putting them in her school backpack, saying friendly goodbyes to the folks near her, when she glanced up at me and our eyes met for the first time that day.  The moment I had been imagining arrived, and flush with emotions I didn't expect, I made a shy glance downward as if seeing her - really seeing her for the first time ever in my life was too intense for me.  A small blush of red in her cheeks indicated she was feeling emotions flow over her too, like a wave.  I looked up again to see Lucy walking directly towards me, and this time our eyes stayed locked on one another.  It was as if the rest of the world didn't exist and didn't matter anymore.  I heard nothing and saw nothing except Lucy looking directly at me and coming my way, and it was all my mind could do to absorb this very moment -- a moment that had caught me completely by surprise.  Just yesterday I didn't notice Lucy any more than I noticed the desks or chairs or lights.  All of these things just were.  But after talking with her nearly all night, she is all I can think about today.  And suddenly she shines brighter to me in my life than I could have ever imagined.  Where did this girl come from?  And what was she doing to me?

Lucy was beautiful.  Maybe not in a traditional way, but to me she was.  And I had never noticed just how beautiful until this very moment.  She was a little awkward and cute in her mannerisms but she was definitely her own girl!  She didn't pay much attention to what other people said or worry what other people thought.  She was her own independent girl and I was too blind all these years to notice her, until now.  It took a chance phone call about a stupid homework assignment for me to see her light.  And here she was, in front of me, and I a boy in eager anticipation standing before her.  My heart began beating faster when she started to walk towards me in that classroom that day; my hands began to sweat a little, which I immediately put against the sides of my pants to make sure she didn't notice.

In her school uniform - something I have seen a million times before, she looked like an angel to me, like she was in the most beautiful outfit I've ever seen anyone wear.  I realized now that reality barely had a grasp on me as my emotions took over and clouded everything in me.  At that instant I was feeling so much joy inside I don't think a needle pricking my skin would even be noticed.  It was pure joy inside of me, and that overwhelming feeling of happiness overcame anything else in reality.  And all I kept thinking to myself is -  I'm about to walk Lucy home for the very first time!