girlâyeah, theyâre cute, but I like someone whoâs a little quirky, who maybe I can click with in a way that not everyone else in the world does. Does that make sense?â
âIâll give you that one,â Naomi said as we circled back to the front of the building. âHey, listen, I should get inside. But about that kissing questionââ
âNo, donât,â I said. âForget it. I didnât mean to make things weird. I donât even know what I wasââ
âNo, I made it weird. It was a knee-jerk reaction,â Naomi said, fiddling with her pocketbook strings. âI like to be up front and real, and I donât want to leave it like that. I didnât mean to sound rude or anything, and I hope I didnât hurt your feelings. But between you and those guys at the concert, I guess itâs just my night or something.â
âThose guys were lame,â I said. âYou canât group me in with them. Where are they? Iâm gonna kick theirââ
âIâm just embarrassedâthatâs all,â Naomi said. âIâve never really kissed a boy or anything like that, and I donât think youâre supposed to really askââ
I scooped her toward me, my heart beating like it took up my entire chest. I leaned in and kissed her on the lips, closed mouth, but held it for a second. I didnât know if that was the right move or what, but I wanted to hold her closer and longer.
âI have one question left,â I said as I let her go.
âOkayâ¦â Naomi said, laughing at the discomfort of it all. She looked back at the door, probably hoping no one in her family was around. I was looking at my feet but made a point to look up.
Her eyes were reflecting the streetlights behind me.
âDid you have fun?â I asked.
She nodded. âThatâs an easy one. Good night, Walter,â Naomi said, walking backward as if she were drunk, still in a silly mood. âThanks for taking me.â
I stood in place and watched Naomi go inside. I watched the door close, jealous I wasnât on the other side of it. I felt light on my feet but glued to that one spot. The moon was close to full and the streetlights were bright, and it felt like the middle of the day, like the fireworks at Disney World. I spun away from Naomiâs and started to walk home, almost as if I were drunk, too. I smiled and waved to a passing couple. I smiled at everyone I passed on the walk back home.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
I got home to find Dad consoling Rosie on the couch, a box of tissues on the coffee table. She blew her nose into one of the tissues.
âWhatâs going on?â I asked, closing the door behind me.
âHey, Walter, leave us alone for a minute, would you?â Dad said.
Rosie shook her head. âNo, maybe he can help. It was a teenager, I think,â Rosie said. Her makeup was running from the crying.
âGood, thatâs good. It was a kid,â Dad said. He had his hand on her back, sitting right beside her on the couch, hunched in. âWas he black?â he asked. âIâve heard things, some black kids doing this.â
âI think so,â Rosie said, nodding. I took off my coat and sat down in the chair beside the couch. On the other side of Rosie, I could see her face was bruisedâsheâd been hit or something.
âYou think so?â Dad asked. âYou didnât see what color he was? Sorry, that was rude. Take your time.â
âHe was black,â Rosie said. âHe had a hat, too, red hat.â She took another tissue from the box and blew her nose again.
âWalter, get something for Rosieâs eye,â Dad said. âGet an ice pack and a cloth.â Then to Rosie, âSo go over this one more time for me.â
âI went to bed early, a little after nine,â I heard Rosie say as I went into the kitchen. âLong day. So
Patricia Davids, Ruth Axtell Morren