Inachevé

Twenty-five - When Boy Meets Girl (All Over Again)

"Dad! Dad!" Thomas Goldman exclaimed excitedly as the screen door slammed shut behind him.  His heart bubbled with uncontrollable excitement and his muscles were stiff with tension with the good news.  He dropped his school bag by the front door and searched for his father.  His excitement faded away the longer the search went on.  When he finally found his dad sitting in front of the computer, Thomas leaned against the doorway and knocked on the wood.  "Hey Dad, I'm home."

His dad looked over his shoulder and smiled.  "Hey, buddy, what's up?"

Thomas's face reddened in sudden embarrassment and the overwhelming feeling came over him again.  His father smirked and raised an inquiring eyebrow.  Thomas broke away from his nervousness and threw himself into the nearby arm chair.

Thomas was an attractive boy of sixteen, sharing his father's defined chin, slender mouth, and thoughtful eyes.   His chiseled jaw was a trait from his mother as was his tendency to be sensitive and overly cautious.  According to his father, his mother had left them when he was only three.  Thomas barely remembered her, and photos served no support to his memories.   Thomas's father, John Goldman, was thirty-five years old and worked as the manager at a Lowes Food super market.  

John had lived in Scotland till he was fifteen before residing in America with his dad, where he met his first wife, Lucy.  They were married quite young, John seventeen and Lucy sixteen.   John's parents found it inexcusable, but they couldn't do anything about it.  Lucy gave birth to Thomas at her tender age, and then leaving John and the boy at age nineteen.   John, devastated, moved from Ohio to California, where he raised Thomas and found a job as a Lowes Food manager.

John leaned forward in his chair, giving his son his full attention.  Smiling, he gestured to Thomas to spill the good news.

Thomas bit his lip.  His fingers drummed anxiously on the chair.  He threw his head back, releasing a long sigh he had been containing.  He looked back and his father and inhaled.  "I...I think I'm in love."

John blinked in surprise.  He sat up and squared his shoulders.  His pale blue eyes dropped to the floor and he began clearing his voice loudly, a response Thomas found disappointing.  John scratched the back of his neck violently, as if a patch of mosquito bites had magically appeared.

Thomas tossed his hands in frustration and glared at his father.  "Dad, stop.  At least ask me who she is."

John coughed into his hand and moistened his lips.  In his heavy Scottish accent, he questioned softly, "Alright, what's her name?"

"Her name is Christina Grey and she's beautiful, absolutely beautiful!"  Thomas's dreamy smile returned.

Seeing his smitten son, John pressed his thumb and index finger against his forehead.  He rolled his wheelie-chair over beside Thomas and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.  John smiled, easing the tension.  "Is she the cheerleader? Academic whiz?"

Thomas shook his head.  He rubbed each finger individually as he broke the eye contact.  He said bitterly, "She's Martin Taffono's girlfriend."                  

John exhaled in both relief and sadness.  Patting Thomas's shoulder, John replied encouragingly, "Hey, don't stress over it, mate, if it's supposed to happen, it'll happen.  It can't be forced."

Thomas's dark eyes lit up in hope and his mouth pulled in a smile.  "I guess you're right, but," Thomas stopped in midsentence.   He searched his mind for the right words, but silence was enough to let his father know that he was deeply in love.

"I understand, Tom, but really, you can't hold onto something that doesn't want to be kept, know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, you told me that before."  Thomas broke away from his father's side and began pacing the room.  "But this is different.  I know it!  She's so pure, so...so angelic."

"Do you have a picture of her?"  John asked curiously.

"Yeah, she's on Facebook!"  Thomas rushed over to his dad's computer and jiggled the mouse violently until the screen appeared.  He logged into Facebook.

"You friends with her?"  John asked as he leaned against the desk, waiting for the screen to load.

"Oh no, heck no!  She wouldn't accept me!"  Thomas declared positively.  He laughed at the absurdity.

"Well, I don't think she'd ignore you," John said as he ruffled Thomas's hair.

"Yeah, well, I'm the dork, remember.  And she's the most popular guy's girlfriend!  That automatically makes her unreachable!"  Thomas explained as he typed in her name.  He had to rewrite her name several times, as his fingers were shaking in excitement.