You're Different || Jimmy Darling

Chapter 3 "Jimmy...Jimmy Darling"

After learning the ropes at the diner I was so exhausted. It was fun and I was glad I was getting a stable income because I needed to help mother with John and grandma as well. All day through training with Jenny I couldn't get that boy at the counter off my mind. Maybe he was a regular, Jenny might have seen him before. At the end of the day before sunset Jenny handed me my uniform with excitement.

"Yay! Melanie were are going to be a great duo around here." She said as we were leaving the diner during closing up. On the walk home I just had to ask about the boy.

"Jenny the boy I was sitting next to with the mittens is he a regular?" I asked eagerly.

"Umm...I've seen him a couple times here and there but all I really know about him is that he's one of them...a freak. The other girls who have served him know that he works at the Freak show down there." Jenny said as she pointed down the dirt road opening close to the diner.

"Well I was just asking because he was wearing mittens and all, I thought it was a bit odd ya know." I said lying because he didn't seem that bad and I didn't mind his mittens at all.

"I just hope that Freak show flys out of here fast because people don't take a liking to them. Plus they are starting to drive away business since it's so close to Flo's and all." She said as we neared her house.

"I guess... I'll see you at work tomorrow Jenny. Bye!" I said waving as I entered my house.

There wasn't a person in sight and it was too quiet. "Anyone home? Mother? Grandma?"

I walked to the kitchen and there was a note on the fridge. Out grocery shopping, I took John with me and your mother went job hunting in town. Love Grandma xoxo

I was all alone and free to do whatever I wanted. I couldn't get him off my mind he was literally stuck in my mind all day, I just had to go see what he was all about. I won't dare to enter the Freak show but I was just so curious and interested by it, something about it fascinated me. I dropped my uniform upstairs in my bedroom and rushed out of the house closing the door right behind me. I had to hurry because mother and grandma would probably get home before sundown. I ran to the dirt road opening and I looked down it. You can do it Melanie just run. I ran down the dirt road and I saw the posters of the different acts like "The Siamese Twins" and "Amazon Eve" pass me by as I ran on the hard dirt. I kept running until I saw the giant banner marking the entrance of the Freak show. There was an old ferris wheel and a huge tent with little trailers and other tents surrounding it on the sides. I walked in just taking the sight all in. I could hear voices inside the main tent but no one was really around the outside where I was.

Out of nowhere I see the boy from the diner running out of the corner of my eye to me. He finally reaches me and starts loudly whispering to me.

"Melanie what the hell are you doing here!? This place isn't for people like you, if they see you I don't know what they will do. Come quick!" He said as he motioned with his hand for me to follow him. His fingers we conjoined kinda like a crab or a lobster. His hands didn't bother me they were normal in my mind. Sometimes people just didn't understand them and it wasn't right for them to judge when they didn't know how it was like for them. These people weren't freaks they were different, they didn't deserve to be called freaks because they simply weren't freaks they were just unique in their own way.

I followed him all the way to a trailer that had "Lobster Boy" plastered on the front. He quickly opened the door and rushed me in before him. He closed the door right behind him and locked it. He turned to me and started to talk.

"Melanie, what the hell were you doing out there?! If someone saw you right now you would probably be dead meat or I don't know." He said flinging his hands in the air all flustered.

"I-I just was curious and walked down the road I didn't know...Wait you remembered my name?" I said surprised.

"Of course, how could I forget a pretty face like yours...Anyway as soon as everyone goes to bed you have to sneak out of here." I could see he was blushing.

"What's your name? You never told me, I'm guessing it's Lobster Boy but if it is I refuse to call you that." I said crossing my arms.

"The name's Jimmy...Jimmy Darling."
He said nonchalantly.

"Jimmy that's a nice name and if you were wondering I did get the job so if I'm your waitress don't be surprised."

"Your not like the other girls, by now I thought I would have scared you off but no."

"Well I'm not like most girls out there." I said taking a seat on the mini kitchen's counter.

"No you definitely aren't Ms. Melanie."

"The way I see it is that none of you deserve to be called names and be mistreated. We are all different in our own way and to be honest you are all just normal people in my eyes...you are all unique." I said looking deeply into his eyes. I looked at his hands then back at him. He was shocked by my words and usually people don't understand them but I do.

"You are something you know that. Your like no other girl I've met. Your words really mean a lot..." He said as he looked down at his hands and hid them behind his back. I hoped off the counter and I stood in front of him, I motioned for him to give me his hand.

"Jimmy it's ok don't be scared, I'm not afraid to touch your hand." I said smiling.

He pulled his hand from behind his back and slowly inched it till his hand met mine. I held his hand and smiled up at him. He smiled back and his cheeks were blushing as I squeezed his hand. As we held hands he brought me closer and I got tense. I wasn't sure what to feel, things were going too fast and yeah I liked him but everyone and everything around me probably wouldn't want me to. Somehow I was willing to risk being with him because Jimmy was special, he wasn't like my father, he was different. The thought of my father and the night they were fighting brought a tear to my eye and I looked down and away from him as he still held my hand.

He put his other hand on my shoulder and asked, "Melanie are you ok? I'm so sorry." He said as he let go of my hand and tilted up my chin so I could look at him.

"No Jimmy don't apologize for something you didn't do, you did absolutely nothing wrong. I-I-I was just remembering something bad and somehow I let it get to me." I said wiping my tears.

"It's ok...we all have are weak moments, it's gonna be alright darling." He said pulling me closer for a hug. Jimmy telling me it was gonna be alright just really made me think everything really was going to be ok. Life won't be the same but it has definitely gotten a hell of a lot better without my father. What really hurt was the way he treated my mother and I because when he was drunk he became a person I didn't even know, he was a monster. I didn't wanna let go because being in Jimmy's arms made me feel safe like nothing bad would happen as long as I was with him. I finally had to pull away and when I glanced through the small window of the trailer it was already night.

"Oh my god Jimmy it's already past sunset my mother is gonna kill me! Is it clear for us to go yet?" I asked worried that my mother was gonna scold me as soon as I got home.

"I think so, let me drive you home, I wanna make sure you get home safe. Come on let's go." He said reaching his hand out toward me. I grabbed his hand and he lead me right behind him.

We snuck past the tents and trailers till we reached his shiny red car. He opened the door and I got in, he took the wheel and we drove off on the dirt road. Once we got to the main road I told him to make a left. He drove for a bit till we reached my house, he even got out of the drivers seat to come open the door for me.

As I got out I said, "Why, thank you Jimmy. I'll see you tomorrow." I said as I kissed him on the cheek. I've never kissed a guy on the cheek before but for Jimmy, it was worth the risk to give him a little something in return for taking me home.

He stood shocked and finally spit out, "Your welcome Melanie! See you aroun- what tomorrow?!"

"No buts about it Jimmy! I'm going whether you like it or not, now goodnight." I said waving to him and I tried blowing a kiss to him but I think it was too dark for him to see. He finally got into his car and waved as he drove off. Now it was time to face mother, what in the world am I going to tell her?