Drew Barrymore

The Parking Lot Part 3

So there we were, on our way to the dollar movies located on Old Highway 77. Its tucked away behind Taco Bell and Lowe's and has a Charlie Clark Nissan dealership right across from it. On the other side of the highway, the Sunrise Mall sits leaning over the small theater.

The dollar movies has these bright light bulbs that form a large rectangle on the left and right side of the theater that make it visible from a mile away. Inside these two rectangles are pictures of common movie themed items such as popcorn, soda, film rolls, old fashioned black and white cameras, lights, and much more. There are large signs outside the left side of the theater which show the viewer what movies are being previewed. These signs are bordered by flashing light bulbs in order to make the boring movies appealing to anyone who walks by. When you purchase your ticket, you are protected from the unforgiving rain and scorching sunlight from mother nature by a red overpass that is supported graciously by ten metal beams. Upon entering the theater after you have purchased your ticket, black and white tiles will greet your feet while the aroma of fresh made popcorn simmers around in the atmosphere. While the tempting popcorn and ice cold soda tempt you to waste your money on them, do not fall for them. Looks can be deceiving. After you stroll through the concession stand, you'll reach the ticket box where an employee will ask for your ticket. Once you make it past the ticket box, there will be a long hallway lined with red carpet to help guide you to your destination: the actual theater.

I had been to this theater a thousand times before and each time I went, another memory would be made inside my heart. The movies at the mall did not interest me whatsoever because of the ridiculous price they charge for one ticket. It costs about ten dollars just to see a film without adding the price for food and drinks. What I once thought of as a cheap place to spend a Saturday evening filled with laughs and dumb conversations, would soon turn out to be the birth place of a bachelor.

We strolled into the parking lot in my jet-black Volkswagen while the sun was still trying to find its way beneath the clouds. The lines that separate each car from one another in the parking lot were faded with time so I had to more-or-less eyeball where I was going to park. I picked a spot right beneath a tall lamp pole that was slowing starting to shine its white fluorescent light. While walking towards the red overpass, her hand was interlocked with mine just like every couple in the world does. I forgot the movie we went to go see, but it probably because the movie was boring. Each time I go see a movie, I always save the ticket stubs and tape them on my wall in my room so each time I walk past it, I smile and remember who I went to go see it with.

"That will be five dollars," the cashier said while I simultaneously whipped out my black leather wallet and handed her a piece of green paper with Abraham Lincoln's face on it. We stepped into the theater, walked past the tempting concession stand, and gave our tickets to the man working the ticket box. "It will be number six, on your left thank you enjoy your movie," he murmured as we walked away from him. We walked down the red carpeted floor towards theater number six at a slow pace, not trying to miss the previews. She picked our spot as she led me to the right side of the theater while we walked down the middle aisle. She held my hand and pulled me towards the two seats we would be siting at in one swift motion. Before the movie started, my peripheral vision caught her taking off her vans and getting comfortable.

Fast forward to the last maybe thirty or fifteen minutes of the movie. She had her arms wrapped around my right arm in a tight squeeze. Suddenly, she released the firm grip from my arm and folded both of her arms into her chest. I remember thinking to myself, "Oh maybe she wants some attention from me now," so my right hand lingered over to her left hand and held it in a tight squeeze. My right hand held her left hand with a firm grip except, she wasn't holding my hand at all. Her hand was completely limp like all the life had been drained from her body. When I felt this, I turned towards her and asked, "Hey is something wrong?" She didn't turn my way but she blurred out in an audible voice that said, "Nothings wrong." With all the time I spent with this girl, I knew when something was wrong and this was one of those times. With my eyes still fixated on her brown complexion, I asked, "Do you want to go to the car to talk about it," since I was not about to have a conversation, or possibly an argument, with this girl inside a movie theater. She still faced the movie screen aimlessly staring straight forward trying to evade my gaze.