Boy (Chapter Two)

CHAPTER TWO.

the romance

Somehow courage has always been distilled inside me even when I never thought it was there; it would kick in at the most intense moment of situations. When I was young, I was a timid little shy kid. I never talked to anybody at school and I did everything on my own with ease. Even though I really never did talk to anybody, nobody would dare pick on me. One time this kid, Johnny Snider, poured pudding on me and I snapped. I went from little kid to diva kid. I got suspended from school that day.

I am Leo, the lion. I have a huge heart but a soul full of courage. That same courage always pushes me to the edge. To the point where sometimes I have to step back and bite my tongue. But part of a lion’s being is his pride. If his pride is tarnished, the lion is nothing. So, I push my limits and never back down. What can I say? The summer day I was born in was the hottest day of the year.

I have to admit that I pushed my limits and didn’t back down with Mary. After dinner I found myself falling fast. Even though the car ride home was silent, the chemistry annihilated the air we breathed, inhaled into our bodies, and exhaled. Her hand linked into mine and our thoughts got lost, intertwined. I never really fell for a girl as fast as I fell for Mary. There was just something about her. Besides the fact that she’s completely beautiful, it’s the mystery of it all. It’s the words that aren’t spoken and the touch of her hand as soft as cotton. The best part was when she looked at me with those eyes and smiled.

I walked Mary to her apartment in silence and held her with my hands. I stared directly into her eyes. Before my mind could comprehend what was going on, our lips touched ever so gently. Her kiss lathered my mouth with her moist lips. The kiss was astounding. Though brief and simple, it sealed my love for her. “I must go now,” Mary said so softly her voice blew away with the midnight breeze.

With that Mary was gone, almost as if she disappeared into thin air. I stood and let the night sink in. I slowly walked back to my car, whistling and fiddling with my car keys. Love struck, I went home in a daze and fell right to sleep. Courage was definitely key to this night.


“-And it is time to wake up with Davenport’s number one morning sports radio show Sports Talk with Mark Mitchell!”

I smashed my hand into the snooze button but somehow missed and switched the radio to alarm. The annoying buzzing noise started going off so I was forced to bend open my eyes. It was Friday morning. Shit, I have classes I need to go to, I thought. My mind was still swirling in a dream state.

I had dreamt that somehow Mary and I were infinite. We traveled the solar systems together and in the absolute glory of it all, we were one. We traveled to some planet far from earth and Mary explained to me every detail about its gravity and relativity. This planet made perfect sense to me. It was like a planet full of Mary’s. They all looked and talked the same. They all acted like Mary except less human, more robotic. They all had names like Mary 00142.

Mary explained that this was her home. I held onto to Mary tightly. Home? I had never seen such a place. Before I could question anything else, Mary turned towards me and smiled. Then she said, “And it is time to wake up with Davenport’s number one morning sports radio show”

That’s when I woke up. I had dreamt about Mary. I must have really fallen for this girl. Before I went to school, I placed an order of two-dozen roses to be delivered to Mary’s apartment. On the optional message they put on the cute little cards I wrote:

Hello mysterious love.
I saw your beautiful heart wandering.
Two-dozen roses.
Only respond when you know the right words.
Remember,
First loves are everything.
Leo.

Below the note I put the h sign Mary had in her note then I added:

P.S. what does that symbol mean?

After I had placed the order, I quickly got ready. As I rushed out of my room, I was surprised to see Jon sleeping, leaning against the wall in the living room. He had cards and poker chips laid out in front of him and a beer in his hand. I must have been so out of it the night before I didn’t notice him. I nudged him. Jon jumped and then looked at me groggily and acrimoniously. “I’m going to class,” I said with a smile.

Without saying a word, Jon closed his eyes again and fell back asleep. I thought about waking him up again but I didn’t really have time to. I felt bad, knowing I did ditch Jon this time but without another thought about it, I walked out the door.

After school, I saw a note stuck under my windshield wiper on my car. I opened it up and read it:

“I am impressed and humbled, staring man.
For getting this clever I shall tell you about the symbol.
The symbol is one of the symbols from my original family heirloom.
It means H in the English language.
H is the initial used for my given last name,
Hamel.
Mary Hamel.
Mary h”

The symbol means “H” in English. H is for Hamel. I got into my car and drove to the first place my mind told me to. The abandoned park. When I got there I saw Mary writing on the same bench I saw her before. She was wearing the same sun hat too. She looked up and saw me walking towards her. “You follow a lot, do you not, staring man?”

I smiled. “You did bring me here.”

“I did?” Mary sat down the note pad she had been writing in and got up from the bench, “Staring man, your charm kills my mysteriousness any day.”

“I know,” I said with a chuckle.

Mary walked to me and we melted into each other. Her kisses were so tender and pure. Mine, masculine but well thought out. Together, we represented love. A love unlike no other. My heart fell to the ground. Mary and I lay on the moist grass looking at clouds pass. Our hands were linked and our hearts were one. “Did you hear about the mysterious metal that crashed not that far from here a few days ago?”

The grip on my hand loosened. “No,” was all that Mary said.

“What were you writing in that notepad of yours?”

“Poems,” said Mary sternly.

“Poems! You should let me read some!” I said excitedly.

Mary let go of my hand and sat up. “No.”

Mary got her notepad and started walking towards her car. “Where are you going, Mary?”

“I have to go home, staring man. Call me tonight,” and like every other time, she was gone, as if she disappeared.


“I want you to meet Mary, Jon. You’d love her. She’s such a science know it all,” I said the next day to Jon at our apartment.

“I don’t want to meet her,” Jon said simply, not even making eye contact with me.

Jon was watching some documentary on supernatural life beyond earth. The narrator looked like he had hung out with the supernatural life a few times himself. He had zany silver clothes on with a big lab coat and his big messy hair was so gray, it was white. His glasses were so thick, they hung off his scrawny wrinkled nose. He also talked as if he had met aliens. I never knew why anyone watched these stupid shows. There was no such thing as aliens.

“C’mon, Jon. Give her a chance. I really think you’d like her,” I pleaded.

“What, are you two official now?” said Jon, eyes still glued to the television.

“Yeah. Kind of,” I said honestly.

“Awesome. I still don’t want to meet her.”

“Jon! Why have you been so rude to me lately?” after I spoke the words, I realized I was about to get an ear full.

“Let’s see!” Jon turned in his chair, his incensed eyes shooting me down, “You have not only been rude to me, you have been blowing me off every since you met that woman! The one night we had been planning for so long, poker night, you bailed out on me! Some friend! So do not fucking dare call me rude. Look in the goddamn mirror, Leo.”

I sat down next to Jon. “I’m sorry,” I said trying to sound sincere.

“Whatever. Sure you are, Leo.”

“No. I really am. And I’m going to make it up to you. How about we go to the movies tonight or something? Just you and me?”
“Have you had sex with her?” Jon half laughed, “That’s a dumb question.”

“What? No! I swear. I really like this girl, Jon. I feel like she is the one for me!”

“Leo, you’ve only known her for like five days, if that. How can you know this?”

“I just do, Jon. I just do. But I swear we have had no sex. I promise. So how about the movies! I’m sure we could find something better than this dumb show.”

“I like this show, Leo. Did you know that in 1958, it is actually reported that there was supernatural life on mars?”

I chuckled. “You really would get along well with Mary.”

“I’ll think about it,” said Jon, stubbornly.

“Going to the movies or meeting Mary?”

“Both,” Jon smiled.


“Mary, this is Jon and Jon, this is Mary!” I said at the cozy little restaurant I picked out to introduce my best friend to my girlfriend.

We sat at a booth. Mary and I sat on one side and Jon sat on the other. “So, you’re the science man staring man was talking about.”

Jon seemed dumbfounded. “Who is staring man?”

“Me. That’s what Mary calls me,” I laughed awkwardly.

“Ok,” said Jon eyeing me as if Mary was whacko.

“So,” Mary started, “What do you do, science man?”

“I am majoring in astrology,” Jon said confidently.

“Ah, the study of the solar system. Interesting.”

“No,” Jon corrected her, “The study of the universe. The universe, where time and space unite. Where we all play a role, though small, we still play a part in this little place deep inside it all, called Earth.”

Mary smiled widely at Jon. “Yes. I know about this. It is divine.”

I was happy that Jon and Mary were getting along but then they kept talking about scientific facts and discoveries. I grew bored at the conversation. “What do you think about the velocity of our planet in correspondence to the sun and the moon, staring man? Do you think it effects global warming?” asked Mary conscientiously.

“Uh,” science wasn’t really my forte, “It’s cool.”

“Just cool?” yelped Jon, “I think the velocity of Earth corresponding to the sun and the moon is irrelevant to the fact that global warming is somberly occurring. But that’s just what I’ve concluded with my studies.”

“Interesting,” I fake smiled.

After the dinner, the whole ride home Jon talked about how cool Mary was and how he would love to hang out with her again soon. I just sat in silence, nodding my head and agreeing when I should. Since when did I get so jealous over a girl? “The best part is that she actually understands everything I’m saying, you know?”

“Yeah. I know. Believe me, I know,” I said with lack of enthusiasm.


I never noticed the way the ceilings align with the walls, meet at the end and form a room. I never questioned the basic essence of a room, as plain or as simple as it may be. I would lie in my bed for minutes at a time, wondering if Mary would call me. I could call Mary. I don’t know why I got so upset the night before. Maybe Mary sensed it and she’s waiting. Waiting for that phone call.

Maybe she wasn’t waiting. Maybe we aren’t meant for each other. Maybe I should just stop worrying constantly. We’ve only been “dating” for a week. Am I coming on too strong? No, I didn’t screw her. Even though the initial attraction was there from the moment I laid eyes on her. But even then, was Mary initially attracted to me?

“Hey, Leo!” said Jon, swinging open my bedroom door, “Mary’s here!”

“What!?”

I automatically jumped out of my bed, dumbfounded and confused. “How did Mary get here?”

“She drove. But I invited her. Why? Was that a problem? I thought she might’ve told you.”

“No,” I itched my head in disbelief.

I pried myself from my bed and walked into the living room. Sure enough, there stood bright-eyed Mary. She was wearing a red dress that was short but not too short. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, which was the first time I’d ever seen her hair like that. “Hey. Surprise surprise,” I said hugging her.

Her embrace was soft and warm. The kind of embrace you missed every second of the day and never wanted to let go. As the night went on, we played poker and had a really exuberant time. Jon and Mary’s friendship didn’t bother me as Mary kept her hand in mine and constantly laid her head on my shoulder. The scent of her hair always made me feel better. It’s the kind of scent I could never forget. The odd smell of honey. Sweet, golden honey.


As the weeks went by I found myself falling more and more for Mary. We spent a lot of time together. If not her and I, Jon would tag along like a friend sometimes should. We would walk around the park and talk about unordinary things. I loved the way she made my mind work. It is the same way when you finally find that missing puzzle piece that fits perfectly together with the lonely one. Everything finally makes sense and you can see the ending picture. Mary was the missing puzzle piece to my life.

I would often drive Mary to places she would think exotic or extra ordinary. I took her to museums, concerts, the zoo, and even the circus. She would always find these things fascinating because she had never experienced anything outside everyday life. Mary was a sheltered child. Her parents found a baby, left for dead. So they took the little girl in and called her their own. Because her mother could never have babies, Mary’s parents were always over protective of the one child that was theirs.

Now, Mary could experience the world with me by her side. Mary started falling for me too. She would always depend on me for things I never thought would be a problem for her. Like that algebra problem or that science paper. Mary became more human. She started to adjust to the world more. She dropped her venire and I felt like I was really getting to know Mary. One day we were walking at the park and talking about our relationship.

“So, where do we go from here, staring man?” asked Mary.

“Anywhere you want, baby. I’m game.”

By this time of the year it was really cold out. It was December and the frost bit at our noses. Sweaters, jackets, scarves, gloves, and stocking caps were all essentials to our nearly everyday walks. Mary would hold on to me for warmth and I’d hold her close. “I love you, staring man. I love you more than I love a lot of things,” Mary said looking into my eyes.

“Same here, Mary.”

“It’s freezing out here, can we go?”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Back to my place. I want to watch a movie tonight. I rented this really awesome sci-fi movie.”

“Whatever you want to do, baby,” I breathed in the thick cold air and exhaled slowly.

Back at Mary’s place we watched this old movie about the government hiding the fact that aliens exist. Then of course aliens attack Earth. People start freaking out until one scientist finds the alien’s weakness. It’s this potion that has reverse affects for mutation. The scientist tricks all the aliens into drinking the potion and then the aliens start to crumble into dust. Eventually, the world is saved. I didn’t really care for the movie; I just snuggled with Mary under a blanket on her couch.

“You know, I never thought the aliens were that bad,” said Mary reflecting on the movie.

“They did attack the Earth.”

“But the government was trying to hide it from the citizens of the country. Does that making it any better?”

“If the government would have revealed life on other planets there would be complete pandemonium. Sometimes things are better as secrets,” I said insightfully.

“But they would have been more prepared,” said Mary.

“True,” I said leaning closer towards Mary.

Mary and I started kissing. Not just a peck on the lips or even a simple kiss, our tongues were locked and so were our lips. Before I could actually realize what was going on, Mary pulled off my shirt. The kissing didn’t subside, though. Eventually, Mary’s button up shirt came off, then her bra. Mary’s breasts were perfectly round and beautiful. Everything about her was beautiful.

I was glad that I had my condoms with me that night. The sex was so amazing. It was like the highest type of euphoria I had ever experienced. We ripped each other’s clothes off and our bare bodies became one, became infinite. It was the beauty of intimacy. Of course, not to be rude, I always made sure Mary was alright. Mary would chuckle and ask me to go a bit harder on her. So, I did. Sex, so mind blowing, I had to lie down for a while afterwards.

Mary and I lay in bed together looking into each other. I played with her hair as she talked to me. “You know, this is the first time.”

“First time? Having sex?” I asked.

“Yeah. I was a virgin. I thought you knew. Well, you never asked.”

“I don’t care. As long as you are with me,” I said so in love.

“Hold me, Leo”

I would have taken Mary in my arms immediately but I had to do a double take. She just called me Leo. Mary called me by my actual name. It was the first time she had ever. I gently grasped her body and held it against mine. Mary eventually fell asleep but I stayed awake for a while, staring happily into the darkness. I was deeply in love with this woman.

When I woke up the next morning, Mary was still asleep. I didn’t want to wake her up, so I decided to wait for her. As I got out of the bed, I noticed Mary’s notepad. Her poetry? I picked it up and opened it. The first page read:

December 6th, 2006.
(design used my microsoft wingdings)

Mary h

I had no idea what that language was but then it hit me. The piece of metal that crashed had the same exact designs. What did these designs mean? I know h meant “H.” Well, that’s not going to help much trying to decipher a message. “What are you doing?!” screamed Mary.

Mary snatched the notepad from me. “Why were you looking through my stuff? How is that any of your business?!”

“It’s not. You are absolutely right. I’m sorry, I thought it was poetry,” I said as earnestly as possible.

“Get out! Go!”

“What’s the matter, Mary? I am really sorry!” I pleaded.

“Just go. I love you but I need time alone now. Call me later.”

“Fine,” I said, upset.

As I drove out of the parking lot, I started to wonder. What was Mary hiding? It was now obvious to me that she is hiding something. It had something to do with those messages and that mysterious piece of metal that crashed in the park. In hindsight, I never noticed anything suspicious because I was so love struck. I still am very love struck.

I love Mary but what was she up to?