When I open my eyes, it's roughly 9am. I turn to my side and find that Jade is gone. I glance at the coffee table and see a note scrawled in her clumsy handwriting.
Stud-
I went ahead and left. I hope you had fun watching those movies alone ;) Sorry to bail on you. Your dad said to let you sleep in and that when you woke up to tell him, then you both will head to the antique shop. Bring me back a cassette tape! By the way, I'm glad I spent time with you, stud. - Your Punk
I smile as I read her note. She's such a loser. I clean up downstairs before sprinting up to the bathroom.
"Dad!” I yell. "I'm going to jump in the shower before we leave! I'll meet you downstairs in 20!"
He yells back in agreement before I take a quick shower.
Half an hour later, we're in the car on our way to Brandon Antiques.
"Did you and Jade have a good time last night?” he asks glancing over at me.
"Yes, Dad. Totally. She fell asleep right in the middle of the movie. We finished 1/15 of them, ha ha. That's alright. We've got all the time in the world to watch them, right?"
"Yes, exactly. This antique shop is pretty large, but we shouldn't get too lost in the process of admiring... I called them last night just before closing and they informed me that records and cassettes are at the back. There's signs hanging down from the ceiling indicating where everything is. The coolest part about this? Right next door, there's a cheese shop. Plus a coffee shop. A coffee shop, Brone! I cannot wait to explore a new flavor,” he says to me in complete delight. I'm coming to believe he's enjoying this trip more than I am. What a coincidence.
"Sounds good! Jade wants me to bring her back a cassette tape if that's alright with you,” I tell him. “And! I sort of want to look around for potential Christmas presents like we were going to.”
He nods as we park and walk giddily into the store.
~
We've spent close to an hour just looking through old 45's and my fingers are beginning to feel scummy. The feel of records is so old and the smell isn't very pleasant, but it's completely worth it. Luckily, there's a record player sitting on an old dresser beside the records/cassettes.
I slide in an old Leslie Gore 45 and let the sound resonate through the back corridors. Call me insane, but she's my woman crush of the decade.
My Dad throws his hands up in excitement and then says, "Yes! I've found it! Neil Sedaka's Greatest Hits. I've searched everywhere for this."
I nod and hum along to It's My Party. I rummage through the cassette tapes for what feels like forever until I find a completely absurd tape I know will have Jade smiling in glee.
YOU ARE READING
Story of A Lonely Guy
Mystery / ThrillerA girl. It only takes one for Brone’s life to go ripping at the seams, down the line of stitches like it was never strong enough to uphold life, let alone his. She takes wrong turns and he’s led right back to her. But she was never the one he wanted...
