The First Conversation

"Boy, do you even know what you are saying?" She asked curiously.

We hadn't moved an inch from the door and thankfully, nobody had interfered with the conversation. Otherwise, I would have lost the only control I had on myself, which kept me standing in front of her despite the unforgivable blunder.

"Boy, let us take this somewhere else. Follow me."

To my surprise, she was pretty level-headed about it. Sure, if a girl would have done what I did to her, I would have brushed her away as crazy. Forget that, if I had done this to anyone other than her, I guess she would have responded quite heavily and reactively at the stupid declaration. Most women I know are like that. My friends confess, and they simply overreact. Like, "are you crazy?", "let us not talk?", or "who the hell are you?" I mean, those are legit reactions to what I did, but women my age, as I said, react, not respond. Surprisingly, she 'responded'.

There was a narrow path adjacent to the bookstore that led to the back of the store. It was the same back alley from which I have seen employees come and go during shifts. On the side of the path was the backside of the grocery store about whose wind chime I talked about. Not the safest option for anyone during any time of the day because of the diminished light in the area, but she chose that to be the best place to strike a conversation.

Leaning herself against the backdoor of the bookstore, she crossed her hands and her legs, almost giving me an impression that she had brought me there to interrogate. She raised her right eyebrow momentarily, and I knew it was my signal to explain myself.

"I am sorry. I just blurted out what was on my mind."

"You almost behaved like a creep, you know."

"I am just not used to this,"

"Used to what? Checking out women?"

"NO!"

I think I was quite loud.

"Then, what is it?"

"Well, I don't want to talk about that. Just know, I wasn't checking you out. It was something much respectable."

"Clearly, you have no idea. That makes women, in fact anyone, uncomfortable."

Honestly, I knew what I did was wrong but I wanted to tell her that my intentions were harmless. But, wouldn't that sound like an excuse? Judging by the flow of the conversation, I felt that she would ask me not to show up in the store again. There was nothing else I could do but stay shut. If only I were given one chance, I would not act like a damn fool I have been.

"Let us start over. You like me, you said. How long?"

I was surprised; so surprised that I could not reply for a few seconds.

"Three days," I finally replied.

"Are you kidding me, boy?"

"Hey, do not call me boy!"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one!"

She chuckled. Without uttering a word, she pushed herself towards me and brushed off the dirt which might have settled on her jeans. I watched her turn around and move her hand towards the doorknob, and this felt unfair to me. I thought she was leaving half-way through the conversation, but she wasn't.

"Boy, I am twenty-six. I am older and much more an adult than you are. It is a silly infatuation you have."

Is it?