Elise told me she was new to my area, she too had a crazy ex. Although, her ex wasn't nearly as bad as Ferra. Elise was a goddess, once I got over the fact that she had a few traits of Ferra's, I found her to be quite unique. Her hair was actually dark brown and not black at all, she was a little taller than Ferra too. I got paranoid for no reason. Elise was in school to be a nurse. I think a nurse fit her personality, she was nice and caring. I was surprised she didn't slap me for my rude greeting. I didn't think Elise could hurt a fly, let alone a lonely guy just trying to find his way. Elise had two pets, not including her fish. A dog and a parrot named Tweet, she told me where she grew up, what she liked to do, things she loved, things she hated. I listened to her, geniunely. She was interesting, and I loved her voice. It was so soft but yet powerful but gentle all together. Boy, could she talk. I liked it though, spared me of reciting my boring life. No one wants to hear about a boy whose father would hit on him and the entire neighborhood knew about it. I'm sure Elise didn't care to know that my mom would have sex with men to feed us- my younger sister and myself. I bet Elise had better stories than I. I bet her life was a lot better than mine which is why I loved hearing about it. About how her father owned a local restaurant, how her mother was a grade school teacher. Her life seemed so typical, but yet, I could never get tired of listening to her talk. I sat there, gazing into her eyes then at her mouth, watching it move as she told me all about herself. Without noticing, I started thinking about Ferra. I wondered if she was really pregnant and if so, would she really change? Would she stop drinking and doing drugs? Probably not, Ferra is selfish, not even a child could make her change her ways. Sadly, I don't think that child will ever see the light of day. I wondered who the real father was. I knew damn well it wasn't me. I should have chose someone else to have sex with. I just figured she was experienced, so it would be amazing and it was. But, the end result wasn't what I expected.
-What about you? What are you doing in the park? You don't have kids, as I see, nor a pet- Was she talking to me? Obviously, there was no one else around for her to be talking to. I didn't want to tell her I was to pick up girls so I could forget my Ferra. Instead, I lied.
-I'm on my way to The Hide-Out to pick up some coffee. I never walk through the park, so I decided to today. Wasn't planning on meeting a pretty girl like you- I made her smile. That's good, and it wasn't a sinister smile like Ferra had when she was about to smash her beer bottle over my head. Elise's smile was real and sincere. Her smile was beautifull and contagious. I couldn't help but smile back.
-What are you doing here?- I asked her, I was actually very curious, I didn't see any children with her either
-Walking my dog, we go through the park around this time every day- Dog? I didn't see a leash in her hand. She did mention she has a pet though, I should have known she might be walking her dog.
-We live right across the street, actually. Maybe, I could drop him off and get some coffee with you, I mean... only if you want, of course. Unless you like going by yourself- Damn, she was cute.
-I'd love for you to come with, I'll walk you home,- She smiled at me again and called for her dog named Onyx. I was not an animal person. Especially not dogs. Big hairy creatures that slobbered everywhere and cleaned themselves in public. Oh well, for that pretty girl, it was worth it. I was thinking she would have a cute little dog, something I could punt if it ever upset me. But with the name Onyx, of course it wasn't a small dog. Instead, she had an all black Doberman Pinscher. Just my luck. His way of saying hi? He growled and barked like a rabid animal, I'm surprised he didn't start foaming out his mouth. Little Elise tried to hold him back, but he pratically drug her trying to make his way to me. I stood there, not moving, if my mom taught me anything, it was never run from a dog. I pretended to be calm, inside I was thinking, "oh, shit, please do not let this dog bite me, I can't cry in front of her!" I think I did a good job, she finally got him to calm down. Fucking stupid dog.
-Onyx! Be nice, this is Eli! He's gonna walk you home with me- Elise scratched the top of his head, The dog panted and huffed, I felt like he was glaring at me, waiting for me to turn around so he could bite my ass or something. I hate animals.
-Let him sniff you, Eli. He's a big teddy bear, I promise- Elise loosened her grip on Onyx against my better judgement. I cautiously placed my hand out and Elise grabbed it. She placed my hand in front of the dog who growled and snarled at it
-Onyx, it's okay, he's not like the other guy, be nice- I had no clue what she meant but I went along with her, smiling and telling the dog how much of a good boy he was. Onyx eventually sniffed my hand and gave it a disgusting lick, as he did so, I felt myself my cringe. I hoped that Elise didn't see my reaction.
-Sorry about his attitude. He's not fond of males- she apologized. I wanted to tell her, that's okay, I'm not too fond of animals. Instead, I told her it was okay for him to be afraid.
-Where's his leash?- I really felt that Onyx should have a leash, the dog was obviously crazy. By the look of his sleek coat of fur and nice white teeth, I could easily notice she cared for him in the utmost fashion. I must admit, he was a very handsome dog, and his name fit him perfectly; regardless, I didn't like him and I could detect the feeling was mutual
-He doesn't need one, Onyx is a good boy and won't leave my side unless I say so- Elise replied. I'm sure there was a park policy against pets not having a leash. Just as I suspected, there was a sign, "All pets must be kept on a leash at all times." Well, Elise was either a rebel or couldn't read. She noticed me looking at the sign as we approached it
-That's only if you're walking them, we were playing fetch until he didn't bring the stick back- She gave me that cute smile again.
After we took Onyx to Elise's, I didn't go in, I didn't want to rush anything, we walked to The Hide-Out where I bought her coffee. She liked decaf, just like me. So far, this was turning out fantastically, I didn't get my hopes up too high, she could shift into a real pain in the ass for no reason. As we drank our coffees, she continued to talk, she finally asked,
-So, what about you?- Oh no, that's not what I wanted to hear.
-What do you mean?- I asked
-Well,- she began,- I've pratically told you my whole life, aha. What about yours? What do you do? Do you live in town? Fill me in- she jokingly punched me, but it left like someone just hit me with a hammer in the arm.
-Uhm, I don't know- Good job, Eli. Tell her you don't know about yourself. -What do you want to know?- Not the smartest thing to ask! I was doing a terrible job.
-Start from the middle and work your way into the beginning. You don't know the end yet, so,- She sipped her coffee and looked at me with patient eyes. I sighed, I was not really in the mood to talk about myself, honestly. However, I figured the least I could do, so she wouldn't feel like she was hogging the spot light, was to intrigue her with my sad childhood.
-Well, uhm, I grew up with my younger sister, she's sixteen. It's just her, my mom, and myself. My dad walked out a while back. Ran off with my school librarian. My sister and I have different dads. Uhm- I didn't like talking about myself at all. I hate people feeling sorry for me. Elise kept looking at me, waiting for me to continue. I didn't know what the fuck to say. I wanted to ask, "can we just date already?". That's right, Eli, rush it.
"Well?" Elise asked, she sipped a little of her coffee and blinked at me. She turned her head as she waited for me to continue. I sighed again.
"Well, I finished high school after moving time and time again."
