I speak in Silence

7

November 13, 2018

"Hey" ugh, no. "Hi" not that either. "Howdy" ew, no. My blue eyes stared back at my reflection in the dingy mirror with discernment. My body slouched with an immense feeling of self-disappointment. Just act natural.

My phone buzzed.

Joseph: On my way!

It was clear he used the autocorrect feature that turns "OMW" into "On my way!" to type that sentence.

Ashleigh: Gr8! C u soon!

I cringed at myself for typing so hideously, but I had to chuckle a bit. What had this man done to me? I felt so ridiculous.

I swiped my lipstick on my lips and tucked it into my knock-off Louis Vuitton purse. I puckered my lips and blew a kiss. I looked the best I had since the day I arrived in this town. Even though it had not even been that long, I felt like the town had already changed me. My face was hard, along with my soul.

Knock knock knock

I could not help but notice his knock seemed rhythmic and almost musical. I opened the door in dire need of oiling in the hinges.

"Hello" his sly smirk blessed my eyes. His smolder was a sight to behold.

"Hey" I replied. He didn't present himself like most of the men I'd been on dates with. No flowers, no present, no suit. Just him, in a pair of ripped jeans that hung below his hips and a flannel shirt. In his own way, though, he was just as presentable as any other.

I looked pretty good too if I do say so myself. I was wearing a skintight burgundy dress with a black belt. I accessorized with amethyst-gold earrings and classic knock-off of a brown Louis Vuitton purse.

"You look nice" he said.

"You too" I had just realized that we did not know each other at all. Prior to this, we hadn't really talked a lot. We didn't know of anything we had in common, let alone, if we had anything in common.

We drove down the beaten road in my little orange car. It's funny, never had I thought that I would be the one to drive my date around town. "Where to?" I asked.

"McDonalds. I haven't been in forever." He replied.

"Do we have to go so far?"

"Yeah"

This guy is an absolute deadbeat! Making me drive 20 miles just so I can take him to a fast food restaurant. He better at least pay!

We arrived at the McDonalds. It was exactly what you would expect out of a McDonald's located smack dab in the middle of nowhere. The floor was sticky, and the walls consisted of tacky stucco. Two of three of the cash registers were labeled "OUT OF ORDER". The venue was dimly lit, and one of the lights flickered so much it became an epileptic hazard.

We sat down in an uncomfortable red seating booth. I could feel my rear press against the wooden frame of the seat. Joseph ordered our food at the front, and I remained seated. "Hey, so uh... I'm short by a couple bucks."

I stared at him blankly. Seriously?

Joseph stared back at me like a cute, dumb puppy who just made a mess of himself, not knowing what he did wrong. "Ugh, fine." I went up to the cashier and paid the remaining two dollars.

Joseph ordered the Big Mac while I chowed down on some chicken nuggets. After seeing various articles on them, I tried my best to avoid them, but they were the only thing on the menu I could stand. I wondered if we would have been better off with Ennay preparing us a meal instead.

I tried to wash away the mystery of these odd and scandalous chicken nuggets with a large Diet Pepsi. On the bright side, at least Joseph went out of his way to try and buy me a large soft drink.

Joseph was actually quite the entertaining date. He told me about his crazy family, and all about the town's history. He updated me on all the gossip, from his cousin, Susie dropping out of middle school to his neighbor Gracie, arranging her daughter in a marriage to a man ten years older than her. Eventually, the conversations grew less humorous and a bit more... sensual. We told each other some of our secrets, then we admitted our undeniable attraction to each other. We got closer and closer to each other. We leaned into each other's faces as our lips touched.

I noticed the McDonald's employee's obvious discomfort, and suggest we take this to the car. He tried to keep kissing me, but I pushed him back, and demanded we go in the car. In the car, things got a bit more heated, and a lot more passionate. Without anything stopping us, we continued kissing, and kissing, and a bit more...

When we finished we realized the sun was completely gone. The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky, and the air was cold, cold enough to create steam by drawing breaths. Joseph held me tight to keep me warm, and held his fingers in front of his mouth. He was able to make circles out of the steam. Dazzled by his skill, I gasped and attempted this trick myself. He held my hand, directing me and showing me how to. Before I knew it, little "smoke" puffs of circles floated in the air.

We drove back in my dirty little Prius, how I wished I could have gotten the car washed before this date. I drove back to Bratville, happy and satisfied. For as crummy and cheap as it was, it was fun. It was the most fun I had in a while.

When I got back to my motel, I told him how much fun I had, and how much I appreciated the outing. "Thanks for taking me out,"

"It was my pleasure"

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you back?"

"Yeah, I'm positive. I know the way back home." Coolly, he winked at me and walked away.