Not Mine [ON HOLD]

Coincidences

October 8

Today was more eventful than I could have ever imagined. I woke up early and got dressed in my yellow plaided pencil skirt. And paired it with white knee-high socks that made me feel like I was five years old again. It's Nanna's favorite dress, and I wanted to make her happy when she asked me to wear it. And I made sure to tie my big messy hair up in a tidy bun rather than leaving it in its natural untamed state.

Nanna drove there literally honking at everyone in sight, which happened a lot whenever she was behind the wheel. I had to sort of dunk my head down the entire ride so no one could see me in the car.

When we got to church, a few of her friends from the congregation were waiting for her. And she introduced them to me. They all seemed decent enough at first. But that was before I learned they were all just as inappropriate as Nanna. Birds of the same feather really did flock together after all, even at an old age. There were also some kids my age, but they all seemed well acquainted already. So I felt awkward introducing myself.

After the ceremony was over, we headed to the service. It was beautiful. They had it in the garden at the back of the church, and I got myself a pineapple juice and decided to look around.

Then I heard someone call my name, and I froze when I saw who it was.

"Wyatt?" My voice came out louder than I intended.

The fact that anyone I knew would be there, especially him, had to be some cruel joke. I was dressed in a way that absolutely made me feel unpresentable.

"Surprise," He chuckled. "You look-"

"Please, don't!" I cut him off and tried to explain that I only wore the dress to please my grandmother and that she basically forced me into it.

He looked at me with amusement the whole time and then said,

"I was actually going to say you look like you've seen a ghost. But I think your dress is cute."

Universe: 1 billion Alice: 0

My face felt hot, like flaming Cheetos.

I tried to hide my embarrassment and asked how he happened to be there, and he told me that he was volunteering with some school peers to feed the homeless. So what they do is find ways to raise money throughout the week, so they can give it to the homeless on Sundays with the food that the congregation brings. There are different volunteer groups, so the same group didn't have to do it every week, only when it was their turn. And by chance, I was there in my yellow plaided pencil skirt, with my white knee-high socks when it was their week.

I told him I thought it was incredible that he does volunteer work. But he brushed it off like it was no big deal. He said I could join in and help them out whenever I am free, so I said I'd like that.

As we made our way through the garden, my graceful self slipped on mud and almost face-planted, but he caught me just in time.

"Forgetful and a danger to herself." He noted.

"At least there is no rabbit hole," I chuckled, and he doubled over in laughter.

For the first time, I noticed the way his whole face smiled when he laughed. He has a deep throaty voice for someone his age that made his laughter sound like music to my ears. For a brief second, I wondered what it would be like to feel his chest vibrate as he laughed, and I immediately scolded myself.

"Alice in wonderland, is that how you got your name?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah. Mum said that it was the first word Lydia learned to speak because they read the story to her all the time. And when I was born, mum told her to say hi to her little sister, and she said "Alice." so they named me Alice." I told him and cringed. That was way too much information.