Que Será Será

The Connor Chronicles V: The Hike (2016)

So, Connor and I eventually got to a point to where she would show up at my house, and our so-called "dates" we more of us just hanging out. I didn't mind that at all, because I was able to be with her. It was a nice time.

I brought her into my room, and the last time a girl I liked went into the house, we laid on the bed and stared at each other (see Felt Sorry For Me). I tried to play it cool, and let her in my incredibly messy room. We were just sitting on the bed, petting the dog, and talking, when she tells me that she's never seen Scream, and that surprised me, considering how much she loves the horror/thriller genre. So, we laid on my bed, held hands, and watched the iconic movie on my beautifully large 15-inch TV. I didn't have my own job, and the only TV available at my house was a tiny-but-heavy TV that had more backing than screen that came straight out of the early 2000's. I made sure that a new TV would be one of the first things I'd get with my own money. It was embarrassing to let this Hummer-driving girl in my thousand-year-old house with ant-sized TV sets. Throughout the movie, I kept freaking out about how awful she must think my place is, and I kept stressing about how she might leave me because I'm too poor for her or something goofy like that.

After the movie, both of us agreed that we wanted to stretch our legs, so we stepped outside.  There, she told me about her "emergency survival kit" in her trunk, and showed me a bag with a change of clothes, some granola bars, a couple bottles of water, and a $20 bill. I asked her why she had one in the first place, and her instinct response was "in case I get kidnapped." No, not "in case I break down" or "in case I forget to pack something for a road trip." She went straight for kidnapping. I mean, I guess I could see why she thought that, considering how often she watches people get murdered in media. I couldn't even scare her. I couldn't jump out of a corner without her expecting me. I probably shouldn't have attempted to scare her, knowing her background in martial arts.

So, after I learned what exactly would happen if Connor got kidnapped, she asked me about the woods surrounding my house. Well, almost surrounding. My house is after a long dirt road (typical North Carolina residential location), and after the fields lie a mysterious forest. I'd always be curious as to what creatures might reside in those woods, when occasionally in the fall, I'd hear many shots in the distance and realize that whatever did live in those woods were probably deer or squirrels. So much for a mystery.

Even with knowing that creatures get shot in the woods, I invited her to join me in a hike through the woods to explore. I needed to know what was back there, my child-like curiosity was pulsating beneath my skin, begging me to go, and with Connor by my side, it would be a lovely time. She was down for it, and we explored.

The hike was a bust. There was nothing to discover. All we found was a snake-infested lake and hunting perches. At least I had Connor to keep me company, because if I were exploring these anti-climactic woods by myself, I'd be much more disappointed. At least I got to do some flirting, so it wasn't all that bad of a trip.

When we got back, we said our goodbyes. It was dinner time, and she had to visit family.

Little did I know that in a week or two's time, she would break my heart. Little did I know that the embarrassment of a hike was the last time I'd hold her hand. That day, I was joyed that she got to come over and have a good time, but what I didn't realize that day was that she was actually getting ready to leave me. For good.