Free Kathy Abbott by CKJ Page A

important for them. It’s not like one of their usual
dates and since it’s their first time meeting in person she has
gone to a lot of effort to look good. She’s had her hair cut and,
in the last week, she has perfected a new eyeliner style. Both have
worked to bring out her best feature, her incredibly light-brown
eyes. Even her nails and toes are painted with his favorite colors.
Everything she’s wearing is new, down to her panties. He’s special,
and she wants him to know it; she has never gone this far to please
someone. She pulls on her coat, picks up her keys, grabs her
handbag, takes one last look at her clean apartment, and walks out
to her car.
    *  *  *
    Kathy slows to match the speed limit upon
entering Freemont. Until now she has been traveling at breakneck
speeds, singing along to her speed-worthy road-trip playlist. But
the last thing she wants is to get a ticket on the first day of her
vacation. She stays on State Highway 35 South until she reaches the
Freemont Mall, then turns into the parking lot. She keeps left as
he has instructed.
    The mall has gone through many updates and
some major renovations throughout the years; it’s now a monstrosity
that spans several acres. The parking lot that circles the exterior
of the shopping center’s brick building is sprinkled with various
businesses and eateries, allowing shoppers easy access to a variety
of stores, restaurants and one triple-level parking
garage.
    The parking lot is so huge she
feels as if she could get lost in it but she shakes off the trickle
of fear with calming thoughts. Just keep
going. He’s there, waiting just for me. But it is getting dark and she is in an unfamiliar place. The
adrenaline rush has her in a heightened fight-or-flight state and
her senses are in overdrive but she is choosing to ignore
them.
    The closer Kathy gets to the
meeting place the harder it is for her to hold in her excitement.
Tonight is their first time meeting in person since they started
dating online, six months ago. It is also her first relationship
since her breakup with Daniel last year. She still carries the pain
from the day she walked in on him and his new girlfriend. She
scowls. It would have been nice if he had
broken up with me first.
    She has never been to this mall before so she
is careful and alert. As she rounds the perimeter of the parking
lot she notices that there are fewer cars passing her than when she
started into it.
    She makes a right turn off the perimeter road
and drives toward Mario’s, a department store located at the end of
the mall’s brick building. Across from Mario’s is a section of the
parking lot that remains unused most of the year. It is the perfect
meeting place.
    *  *  *
    Clint is parked in his SUV. It’s cold out this
evening, so he’s keeping warm by running the engine. Old-school rap
and hip-hop stream through his radio while he waits. They met on
Facebook. Kathy is the kind of girl who accepts friend requests
with the expectation that she will remember when and where they met
at a later date. His profile pic was a car and, when they first
Skyped, she matched her profile picture perfectly. They have been
speaking to each other every night since.
    His freshly showered scent mixes with the
small, black air-freshener tree under the passenger seat. The
heater has risen the temperature inside his truck and it’s so warm
now that he’s already placed his coat in the trunk for the night.
The clock on the dashboard shows it’s getting close to eight
o’clock. She’ll be arriving soon. One last look in the mirror.
Perfect. He taps the radio’s display and starts streaming a
playlist he created for her. Nothing but love songs, and all by her
favorite artists.
    *  *  *
    Kathy spots his black vehicle with dark tinted
windows, and rushes to park next to it. He lowers his window,
allowing her see his face and, as soon as their eyes meet, she
becomes a giddy teenager. He steps out of his truck and walks over
to her