Wind Blown ✔️

9. I've never been in love

The jazz disc finally came to an end and with it the car ride, I was nearly home and I was dreading leaving Marine. Instead of dwelling on the fact that soon I'd have to leave the car I decided to discuss my favourite book to ever exist and Marine's least favourite; Of The River.

"I reread Of The River last night," I began, hoping to spark a heated debate about the origins of the plot, like what often happened when we attempted to discuss it.

Marine groaned, "I hate that book," she complained, obviously aware of the direction the conversation was headed.

"It's a fantastic book," I replied, "The plot and the writing are wonderful. I don't understand how you don't like it."

"I won't lie, the writing is wonderful but the plot is horrible. Two brothers fighting for the love of their mother?" She scoffed, "It's so stupid."

"No, it's a statement about human nature, how impulsive and reckless we are especially when the prize of our ministries is love," I replied, allowing my love for the book to take over.

Marine shook her head, "But we aren't like that, no one would do anything they did in that book to win the adoration of their mother."

"It's an exaggeration, Marine," I replied, exasperatedly, "Of course, no one would go as far as they did but the statement about human nature still stands."

"No, it doesn't. Haven't you ever been in love, Eric?" Marine turned to me suddenly, her eyes wide.

I cleared my throat, "No, I haven't but from what I've heard people do crazy things."

Marine swallowed slightly, turning her gaze back to the road with a nod, "Right, yep, of course. Neither have I," she replied, talking quickly so that she was stumbling over her words.

A silence blanketed the car briefly until I broke it. Connecting my palm to my forehead with force, "Dam-nit, I forgot."

Marine turned to me questioningly, seeming to have recovered from the tension moments ago. I noticed her perfectly arched eyebrow and explained, "My mother asked me to bring home eggs and milk."

She nodded after a moment, turning back to the road before turning the car around entirely, "Guess we better go back to the supermarket then."

The car sped along the near deserted roads, Marine seemed eager for the car trip to be over until we finally arrived at the supermarket nearest to my house.

I pushed open the car door and stepped out into the hot carpark, the familiar Texan sun beating down on my back. I trudged across the car park, the automatic glass doors sliding open upon my arrival.

I stepped into the air-conditioned building, breathing a sigh of relief and began my hunt for the eggs and milk. I located the milk easily, wrapping my large fingers around the milky white handle. I searched for the eggs second, I'd walked into this store so many times locating our groceries was almost second nature.

I picked up the egg carton, forgetting to check that none of the eggs were broken until I was on the other side of the store, I hoped that they were intact or my mother would be displeased, to say the least.

The acne-riddled teenage boy behind the counter took his time scanning my two items, it felt like years passed before I finally exited the store, the heat engulfing me the moment the doors slid open.

I practically ran back to Marine's blue Hyundai, yanking open the door and sliding into the passenger seat. The wellbeing of the eggs temporarily forgotten as I launched the bag into the back seat.

"There were eggs in there right," Marine asked, eyeing the bag with apprehension.

Realization dawned on me as I turned around in the seat, fumbling through the plastic bag until my hand found the egg carton. I opened the lid cautiously to reveal that nearly all the eggs had been broken, "Oh, shit!"