Free Mine: A Love Story by Scott Prussing

once I nodded off, I was out for the night. If I dreamed at all, I don’t remember it. I check my phone, calling up last night’s text, just to make sure THAT wasn’t a dream. It wasn’t. I smile again at the RBGB thing.
    I go downstairs for a quick breakfast. There are eight or ten other girls there, but none that I know, so I wolf down a bowl of Cheerios over in the corner and head back up to my room.
    I’ve got the whole day to myself. Marissa won’t be back until later this afternoon. It’s beautiful outside—warm and sunny. I think I’ll go for a long walk. There’s a big county park not too far from campus that’s supposed to have lots of pretty trails. That should be fun—I haven’t taken a real walk since I got to school last week. I think about texting Chris to see if he wants to join me. Yeah, right. Marissa might be able to do that, but no way I can, not at this point, anyhow. Besides, I don’t want to seem too eager. Aren’t girls supposed play a little hard to get? I wish dating came with a manual.
    I slip into a pair of black exercise shorts and a white tank top and put on my Nikes. I think about taking my iPod, but most of my walk will be in the woods and I want to listen to the nature sounds. I grab a bottle of water and head out the door.
    The park is less than a mile from campus, so in fifteen minutes I’m turning into the entrance. I skirt the edge of a gravel parking lot and a shaded picnic area dotted with wooden tables and metal barbecue grills. Beyond the picnic area is the park’s central attraction, a large lake. Rowboats and paddleboats for rent are tied to a short pier on the near shore. A few boaters are already out on the lake, floating idly, some with fishing poles hanging over the side. I stop and watch for a moment, wondering what kind of fish they’re catching. Or if they’re catching anything at all. I’ve never done any fishing, but it sure looks peaceful and relaxing. I think actually catching something might ruin that, at least for me.
    I continue with my walk. Over on a large grass field to my left, a group of shirtless young men are playing soccer. I bet Chris looks good without his shirt. The thought makes me blush, even though there’s no one near me. Down, girl , I tell myself. Take it easy .
    Other than the soccer players and boaters, I see only a few other people in the park. A man and woman about the same age as my parents are sitting in folding chairs near one of the grills. Thin white smoke wafts up from the grill, and the succulent smell of slow-roasting meat makes my mouth water. From the amount of supplies covering three of the picnic tables, I’m thinking the couple is making preparations for a fairly big gathering.
    The park’s relative emptiness doesn’t surprise me. It’s still not even eleven o’clock yet. I’ll bet by lunchtime the place will be much more crowded, with the day as beautiful as it is. Lots of people probably slept in today, or are still sitting in church.
    Up ahead, several trails lead up into the woods, just as the park’s web page promised. There’s one that circles the lake along the top of the ridge, and that’s the one I mean to try this morning. A carved sign on a wooden post guides me to the path I want. A second sign at the trailhead informs hikers that it’s a three-mile loop. Counting the walk to and from the park, that will make about five miles—just about perfect. I forge ahead. This is going to be fun.
    The dirt surface of the trail is dry and hard, making walking easy. It slopes upward into the trees, but not steeply enough to slow me down. The woods are beautiful—lush with end of summer growth. In amongst the taller trees, I see lots of gnarled dogwoods. The blossoms are long gone, replaced by shiny red berries. The berries look like they could be tasty, but I know they’re poisonous. A few berries won’t kill you, but they could make you awfully sick. I think there might be a broken heart song in there