Constant Pull Read Free Page B

the feeling they had been talking about me.
    “His girlfriend doesn’t want to go?” Murray asked, interlacing his fingers and wrinkling his forehead in a fake attempt at a curious expression.
    “I guess not . I mean, I don’t care if she comes, but he didn’t say that she was. So, I’m guessing she isn’t.”  I didn’t feel like fielding any ‘our generation didn’t have male/female friend’ questions tonight so I kept walking into the house. No, he wasn’t my boyfriend. No, I didn’t want him to be secretly. Yes, I know he’s dating a girl and yes she knows about me. I internally sighed. My Grampa stopped asking these questions a while ago, but Murray was more persistent.
    “Long a s she knows.” He said, disapprovingly.
    “I’m sure she knows.” I said in a firm tone, closing the screen door behind me a little harder than necessary. I turned to my Grampa through the screen door. “Grampa, I might grab dinner with him too if you’re OK on your own for dinner tonight. I’m not sure what we’re doing so I don’t want you to wait for me-just in case.”  It really didn’t matter because I didn’t cook much so it’s not like he was relying on me for anything other than company.
    “No no, I’m fine . Just give me a holler if you’ll be real late.”  He said, still looking down.
    “I will.” I answered, a little puzzled at his lack of eye contact.
    I heard Murray continue as I walked away from the door wall. “Movie and Dinner sounds like a date to me.”  I ignored him, figuring I was far enough away that he wouldn’t know that I’d heard him anyway.
    Kevin had very flexible working hours. He was finishing up school to be a Mechanical Engineer but I wasn’t sure his heart was in it. He just didn’t get excited about the topic, although it came easily to him. He always seemed to me like he would’ve made a great doctor. He had a lot of compassion and wasn’t easily annoyed by people. He had two jobs on top of school. He worked at his Uncle Pete’s bicycle shop and took care of his parents’ rental homes fixing stuff when the tenants had issues.
     
    After the movie, we ended up at our favorite Coney Island place. The dessert presentation carousel by the cashier reminded me when I was about five and used to beg my parents for the red Jell-O bowl with whipped cream on top. They almost always let me get it.
    We found a booth in the corner and ordered . I always got a loose burger which is ground meat with Coney sauce on top, served in a steamed hot dog bun. Kevin got two coneys with everything. He was almost always wearing a baseball cap and always took it off at restaurants. Today’s ball cap was LSU. He wore a faded Detroit Tigers gray T-shirt and jeans.
    “So what’s bugging you? Out with it.” Kevin said as we sat down, his brown hair squashed where the hat was.
    “What.”  It was a question, but it sounded more like a statement when it left me.
    “Something’s up . So tell me what it is. You didn’t meet someone did you?  Is that it?” he asked, a little mischievousness in his voice.
    “No, Lanie . That’s not it. Not at all.” I felt myself avoiding eye contact. Lanie was Kevin’s matchmaker girlfriend. I constantly had to swat away her attempts at blind dates for me. My last couple of boyfriends were less than perfect experiences. I wasn’t in any giant rush for a three-peat.
    “HA HA.” He spoke slowly without humor. “Something with work?  That idiot contractor back?” he asked.
    I just shook my head.
    “What then?” He asked. He waited impatiently and I found myself not wanting to get into it with him.
    “I’ve just been having strange dreams and I don’t know what to make of it.” I said finally, the words rushing out of my mouth.
    “Oh . But, you never remember your dreams.” He said.
    “Exactly.” I replied . “Not lately…it’s the exact opposite.”
    “What about them is bothering you?  Are they scary or something?” he asked.
    “No,