“Hello Stranger” she said from behind me.
The sound of her voice caught me by suprise. I stood there in silence for a moment. I turned around wanting to say something clever, but “Hey there” was all I could come up with. I’m not one for being witty when I am caught off guard.
“What brings you up here?” she asked me.
“I was just finishing up some paperwork” I replied, still trying to read the situation between us.
The last time I spoke with Kelly Johnson, she told me she never wanted to see or talk to me again. She was angry, and was very clear that she had no intentions of speaking with me again.
So I was a bit confused, seeing how she was the one that prompted this conversation. She was acting as if nothing had happened. I wasn’t one for conflict, so I gladly went along.
We made small talk for a little while, and then she asked me where I was going.
I told her that I really had no other plans, so I was about to go back home.
“Do you have to leave this minute? I haven’t talked to you in a while, and I was hoping we could hang out for a few” she said.
At first I was hesitant, not really knowing where our conversation could lead. I was finally at a point to where I was ready to move on, and try to forget any hurt feelings left behind in Sanford. I didn’t want to get into anything that would prompt any bad memories. But as usual, her coy smile as she tilted her head convinced me to do otherwise.
“I really don’t want to hang out here. Do you want to grab some lunch or something?” I asked her.
“Actually, I have a better idea. I want to take you somewhere” she said.
Curious to where we were going, I hopped in her Red Honda Civic and let her lead the way. We only drove a few minutes away to the Park. I had never been there, but she told me it was one of her favorite spots.
We walked out onto one of the mini-piers that were scattered over the pond. By the looks of things, it appeared we were the only ones there. That was surprising, because it was a beautiful spring day. The sun was shining, and it was in the mid 70’s. It was a perfect day to spend outdoors.
We kicked off our shoes and put our feet in the water. I told her about working at WKML and how much I was enjoying my time there. She told me that school had been keeping her really busy, not to mention all of the other things she had going on in her life at that time. The water seemed to be getting cooler, so we took our feet out of the water and laid down beside each other on the pier.
Lying that close to her reminded me of the October night we first laid down beside each other. Wrapped up in a hand-me down pink blanket, I remembered thinking the whole time, how it was a bad idea to let my thoughts and heart go where they were going.
I didn’t mention the last conversation we had over the phone, nor did she. It appeared that any hard feelings between the two of us were in the past. I had accepted what was meant to be, and was moving on. Still, lying there with her, with my head in her lap… My heart had that familiar flutter it always had when I was around her.
She ran her fingers through my hair and we were silent for a while, just enjoying the moment. I looked up at her and broke the silence.
“I heard Bolton on the radio the other day, and I thought of you”. I told her.
“Really, that’s sweet” she said.
“Kelly, I don’t know how to tell you this… But I hate Michael Bolton” I said, laughing.
“Really? I think he is awesome!” she replied, laughing with me.
“I do, however like the Cranberries. That song reminds me of you as well.” I said.
“Yeah, I remember listening to that on our road trip together” she replied.
“Do you have to let it Linger” we sang together.
I reached out for her hand as we enjoyed the moment together. She smiled down at me, as I still had my head in her lap. I noticed she had on the necklace I got for her for Christmas. It was a simple necklace with a J pendant for her last name.
The trees were all green, and the azaleas were budding. Springtime in the Carolinas is so beautiful. The dogwood trees and azalea bushes are full of color. The changing of the seasons often seems to come overnight in the South. Warmer weather is welcomed by all tired of the winter. Heavy coats are put away for short sleeve shirts and shorts. It is a time of letting go of the cold, and embracing the change of weather. It is God’s way of reminding us that things in life are in a constant state of change.
I found it to be kind of poetic that I ran into Kelly when I did. I wanted to let go of the hurt and move on. I am sure in a way, she did as well. It was all left unspoken, but it was mutually understood. This was going to be the last time we would see each other.
I sat up and scooted close beside her. I put my arm around her and enjoyed watching the sun hide behind the trees over the water. I could feel her breath on my neck, and I turned to kiss her.
The last time we kissed, it was aggressive and passionate. It was right before I went away on Christmas break. I playfully pushed her against the wall, and pressed my body against hers as I laid one on her.
“This is going to be our last kiss” she said to me at the time, referring to the fact that I was going home for the holidays.
I was a bit nervous as I moved in to kiss her, not knowing if she would want to kiss me in return. Her lips were soft, as were her hands as she put them on the back of my neck. It was a complete opposite of the last kiss we shared in December, yet with just as much feeling. I knew after the kiss was over, that it really was going to be our last kiss.
We held hands as we walked back to her car. She drove me back to my car parked at the school. What was going to be a short trip wound up being two hours, but it was two hours that went by too quickly.
When we got back to my car, I leaned against the driver’s door, not wanting to leave.
We made more small talk as we put off the inevitable.
I stood there staring at her as the sun beamed through her dark hair. I imagined what she was going to look like in a gown and a vale. She was going to make a beautiful bride, though I wouldn’t be there to see it.
“Do you think you’re going to come?” she asked me.
“I don’t know sweetheart that might be kind of difficult” I replied.
“Well, I hope you will consider it” she said.
I told her I would, knowing that I would not be attending.
Everything happens for a reason I have often been told.
If I had never met Kelly, I would not have learned how to laugh at myself,
I would not have learned that love can be just as adventurous and exciting as it can be sweet and heartfelt.
The entire time I was with her, I told myself that ‘there would not be a happy ending to our relationship’. I was wrong.
The most important lesson I learned from my time with Kelly was –
Not every relationship has to end in ‘Happily Ever After’, to have a happy ending.
That day spent at San-Lee Park was a perfect ending to a not so perfect love story.
We were in two different places in our lives. I was living out my radio dreams at WKML, with the future wide open to possibilities.
The next month she would have a new last name, and a new life to live.
She was preparing to take a major step in her life, and I was not only finally at peace with that… I was sincerely happy for her.
Leaving Sanford when I did wound up being one of the best moves I ever made. From there I went on to work at one of my dream radio stations, and laid the ground work for my next big move to somewhere I never dreamed of living.
Not before I got the phone call. It was a phone call in the middle of the night that would lead to my meeting up with a familiar blonde from my past.
More about that next time-
Love Y’all
d
Check out the next entry in the Series!
Get caught up with these previous entries in the series as well!
Hey Dave, when r u gonna give all of us patiently waiting CH. 26 of AKTG???? Soon I do hope.
By: Anne Braddy on August 9, 2009
at 12:48 am