I am surprised but glad we don’t come across a jellyfish. Every time I go with someone to Tybee that gets into the water they end up getting stung. We jog out of the water picking up our shoes. Sand is sticking all over my feet and my legs. Not to mention I am pretty sure I have sand in some other places too. We get in the car and I am careful not to rub my legs against anything so as not to dirty his car. We listen to music like The Ataris on the way back singing along to a few of the songs. By the time we get back I think we are both shivering from that cool water. It could be worse though it could be sweat.
“I could so use a warm shower right now.” I say.
“Me too.” says David.
We go upstairs still caked with wet sand but both with beaming smiles. At the same time we say. “See you later.”
As I open the door to my room I see the note from Emily on the whiteboard Staying With Lilah Tonight. I am relieved I don’t have to face her like this since I am pretty sure she wouldn’t let me borrow another pair of clothes or shoes again. And I wouldn’t blame her with all the wet sand caked to it. I rinse off her dress and shoes first hanging them to dry. The warm water feels amazing and the sand feels like an exfoliating rub. I wrap my hair into a towel and throw on a tank top and pajama shorts.
Then I realize I never told David thank you for tonight so I give his room a ring. I mean friends at least say thank you right. It rings several times and then Dax answers “Hello?”
“Oh hey, Dax. It’s Thea. Is David there?”
“Hey Thea. He left like fifteen minutes ago. But I am here. You can come over if you want.” He says. I hear giggling in the background so I assume he is having some kind of party over there.
“I’m good. Thanks Dax. Have fun.” I say.
As soon as I hang up the phone there is a knock at my door. I open it and it’s David. His hair is wet. He has on shorts and a t-shirt and is holding a white paper bag.
“Hi.” I say.
“Hi.” he says back. “Can I come in or are you going to bed now?”
“What’s in the bag?” I ask.
“I realized we never had dessert. And that’s supposed to be part of the date.” He says smiling sideways.
“Well in that case. Yes. You can come in.” I say.
We sit on the bed and he pulls out two clear boxes filled with key lime pie.
“From Paper Moon!?!” I ask.
“Of course. That is our thing.” He says.
“Thank you.” I say.
“Sure.” David says.
“No I mean thank you for tonight.” I say. “This has been an amazing date.”
Chapter Six
I wake up to loud knocking on the door. When I open my eyes I remember I am naked and David is in my bed. I search for the pieces of my pajamas and put them on as quickly as I can. I stumble to the peephole in the door and squint out of it. I am wondering who the heck is waking me up.
“Shit!” I say. “David. Get up. Get dressed now.”
“What’s going on?” He says while he puts back on his boxers, shorts and shirt.
“It’s my mom.” I say pushing him out of the way and pulling the sheets up on the bed trying to make it look made.
“What? At the door is your mom?” He says.
“Yep. Now sit at the desk and draw something.” I say as I throw on some jeans.
Opening the door I say “Mom! What are you doing here!?!” she doesn’t say anything at first but we hug each other.
“Surprise.” she says. “I missed you and wanted to see your new city.”
She walks into the room noticing David and probably seeing how messy things are.
“Mom this is David. My friend.” I say.
My mom and I both look a lot alike. Not with the pink streaked hair, but with short dark black hair and green eyes. Both with a light olive complexion. We have a similar build too, not tall but not short and also not skinny but not fat. So average height, average build and I would say average chest size too. We also make the same facial expressions so I can tell she is surprised.
“Hi there David.” She says.
David stands to shake her hand. “Hi Mrs. Clark. You did a great job raising your daughter. Thea is pretty great.”
I blush and give him a look to stop it. It’s actually pretty sweet of him but it’s starting to get a little awkward in here.
“So mom did you already have breakfast?” I ask even though I am guessing it’s closer to lunchtime right now.
“No. I was hoping we could go to lunch or breakfast and catch up and then you can show me the rest of the city and where your classes are. I just came in for the day to see you.” My mom says. She adds, “Unless you already have plans.” Looking at David when she says it.
“No. She is good. I have to go to work in a few hours and don’t get off until around eight.” David says. “Actually I should probably go get ready. Nice to meet you Mrs. Clark.”
He leans in to kiss my cheek but I turn it into a hug instead. I think a hug is more like what friends would do in front of your mom.
“Ok mom. I know a great place a few blocks from here.” I say.
I gather my camera and bag and head to the elevators. I walk her to the Paper Moon. We both order pancakes, eggs, ham and grits.
“So tell me all about David.” Mom says.
“Well. He is from Pensacola, Florida. He is an amazing illustrator. And he is a really good friend.” I say blushing once again. “And I have just never met anyone like him before. He makes me nervous and self-conscious but also confident at the same time.” I say.
“Hmmm. That’s good Thea. He sounds good for you. You deserve to have some good in your life.” She says with a sincere smile. “He seems like he has a good heart, like Jacks.”
We both start to tear up just as our food arrives. Jacks was a great brother and son. He shared my love of breakfast foods too. So I can’t help but draw a little comfort while eating the pancakes, eggs, ham and grits – which I kind of devour. In between bites I ask about details from home. Like how dad is doing. And how my sister Cami is doing. Things at home sound a lot like how they were when I was there. Things were never perfect even before Jacks was still alive. But things were never the same after he died. It just didn’t feel like a family anymore. We finish up our food and walk to the station for the Old Town Trolley Tour.
My mom loves history so I can tell she silently enjoys the tour especially the historic squares that each have some special history to them. When we get to River Street the tour guide gives us the option to get off here. Another trolley will come by every other hour. My mom and I decide to get off. I haven’t spent too much time down here except with trying not to trip over the cobblestones. We carefully walk downhill and stroll down the street. There are signs saying it’s Oktoberfest even though it’s not October yet. There are a lot of people walking the streets. We pass shops and restaurants and admire the boats on the water. It’s a little muggy out but it’s starting to cool down some, which is good since it’s practically fall. It actually even feels a little bit like it might rain.
We notice a big crowd towards the end of River Street and decide to check it out. To our surprise it’s apparently the annual Wiener Dog Races, or Dachshund dog racing. It’s looks pretty fun so my mom and I decide to watch for a while. Some of the dogs are wearing jerseys with numbers on them. Some have bandanas. Others have their fingernails painted pink or some neon color. And there are a variety of coat colors and markings on the dogs. The race is set-up on the grass and has a white picket fence in a rectangle shape around it. There are light white lines along the grass indicating the lanes and a person at the start and the finish for each dog.
We watch several races picking a favorite dog for each one and cheering for it. Most of the dogs do what they are supposed to do and run as fast as they can on their short little legs to their person on the other side. Every now and then one gets confused or distracted more likely and runs across lanes or stops. It’s quite enter
taining really. I am glad I brought my camera and can click a few photos of the dogs and the races. The next race we pick our dogs and decide if one of them wins we each get to buy something in the shops. We are cheering and cheering. And my mom did it, well the four-legged guy did it. My mom picked the winning dog. Shopping it is.
We walk along the street and stop in a few stores. My mom gravitates to the ones that have clothes in them. So I know she is on a mission for a new outfit. She finds an aqua sundress that looks stunning on her. She also finds me a dressy cream-colored quarter sleeve top where the one side is meant to fall off the shoulder. We look around a little more but those two items of clothing are the ones. My mom buys us our new items. There is a candy shop next store so we check that out too. Each finding a small treat to splurge on. We walk around some more and take our picture together by the Oscar Meyer Winner Mobile.
It’s about time for another trolley to come by so we decide to go and wait for it up the cobblestone hill where it dropped us off. On the trolley back I am able to show my mom where the Photography Department building is and the Photo Lab. We pass by the alleyway too. The one that still haunts me in a way. Really it’s just a reminder of my guilt. I must zone out because before I know it we are back at the station that is a few short blocks from the dorm.
“Do you want to go to dinner mom?” I ask.
“Oh sweetie I am still full from breakfast and I have enough candy right here to make it through next week.” She says. We both laugh. “I have an early flight and I am ready to turn in and if I change my mind I will just get room service.”
I walk her to her car and we make a plan to say goodbyes in the morning on her way to the airport around six am.
“Thea, it’s nice to see you so….happy.”
“Thanks Mom. I am.” I say.
“Today was nice. I will see you in the morning.” She says giving me a tight squeeze and not letting me go for a few minutes. I squeeze her back. It’s nice to see her. I have missed my family but I am feeling happy in my new life.
I say “Hi” to Max as I head up the elevators to my sixth floor. As I walk out and round the corner I see David sitting on his stool on the stoop. I try to sneak up on him but he turns around just I am almost to him.
“Hi beautiful.” He says with the corner of his mouth raising up into his incredible smile.
“Thought you would still be at work.” I say embracing him with a hug. He lightly kisses my lips and I let him. The butterflies go wild in my stomach.
“Got off a little early. You already eat dinner with your mom?” he asks.
“No. We had a long day and she was ready to go back to her hotel.” I say.
“I was hoping you would be back soon. So it’s Oktoberfest. Wanna go check it out with me and some of the guys? I hear there are corndogs and turkey legs.” He says.
“Ya my mom and I went for a bit. It’s pretty fun. Who all is going?” I ask.
“Remy, Micah, Dean, Dax, and a couple of girls I think. We are going to walk it.” He says.
“Great. I’ll ask Emily then. Think I am going to change too.” I say walking the few doors down to my room. I have sweated in this outfit enough for the day. Emily is there so I ask her right away and she is excited about the festival and the opportunity for music and possible drinking and probably being around the guys. I change into the shirt my mom bought earlier today the cream colored shirt where one of the sleeves hangs down exposing my shoulder. I pair my dark faded jeans with it. Emily wears a bright orange dress. She starts to put on orange heels that match and I warn her about the cobblestones.
“I’ll brave it.” She says.
“Ok but I am sticking with flats tonight.” I say slipping on a pair that are checkered with black and white. We both brush our hair and she sprays her fancy perfume over both of us. Which smells pretty good actually like lavender and linen. Arm and arm we head out of the room and David and the guys are waiting for us on the stoop. They whistle at us. Emily takes full advantage of the attention and twirls around. We take the stairs down and the other girls David mentioned before join our walking party.
It’s a long walk but there is always someone in the group laughing about something so we are all having fun. And the laughing plus the fact that we are in a group keeps my mind off of the alleyway incident that happened close to this part of town. We finally get to the cobblestone hill and the guys are quick to help Emily and the other girls balance their way down. David takes my hand too which I welcome gladly. It’s pretty much wall-to-wall people at this point of the festival. Most of them drunk already or drinking so they can be. Don’t think we will all be able to stick together in this crowd so the guys suggest we each pair off so that at least no one gets left on their own. There is an odd number so Dax goes with Dean and Emily. Remy and the other girl pair off, Micah and the other girl, and then David and I. We weave the crowd to the turkey leg stand and David gets us one to share plus a soft pretzel. We walk closer to the river where it’s not as crowded and find a spot to sit where a few street performers are playing music. The rest of the crew also make it over and sit close to where we are too.
We take turns biting at the turkey leg as we enjoy the music together. There is an acoustic guitar and a trumpet player and they switch from playing jazz to oldies. They start playing a song that has a lindy hop sort of beat and I see Remy jump up and try to pull the girl he is with up with him. But she refuses. I see him search the crowd and his eyes land on me. He smiles and motions with his head towards the empty area in front of where the music is coming from. I look at David as if asking for permission.
“Go.” David says to me.
I give him a peck on the cheek and rush over to Remy. We start hopping and shaking and swinging all about. We are having a blast. I see the girl Remy was with watching and smiling and I know Remy notices it too. David is also smiling his devilish grin that only lifts up one side of his mouth. The musicians play another swing sort of styled song so we keep on going. By this time a small crowd has gathered. They are standing around us in a half circle. Some throw change into the performers buckets. We are all just having a great time. I am starting to sweat though so I know I am not likely to go on much longer. The song comes to an end and I stop leaving the empty space before I can get pulled into another one. The next song is a slower classic and the guy on the guitar starts to sing along to it. It’s Georgia on My Mind. The same song that David and I sang along to our first night in Savannah at the Paper Moon diner. We both look at each other and smile as if remembering the same thing. I am just about to sit back down next to him when he pulls me into his lap surrounding me with his strong but gentle arms. We sit listening to the song until it ends.
The crowd around the musicians starts to fade and they decide to take a break. The rest of the gang get antsy and want to walk around and get some drinks. Somehow they score some alcohol, David too. I am good with water after all that dancing. Dax and some of the others start to get rowdy and obnoxious. The crowd we walk through is also in the same state of drunkenness. A random guy runs into me from the side and sloshes his amber colored beer on me. He apologizes. David takes the bottom of his t-shirt and mops it up off my side and bare shoulder. He takes me into a big embrace trying to be silly and mop it up with his shirt and body even more. He touches my bare shoulder where he mops up this time with his tongue and lightly licks and kisses up my neck.
“Yep, you taste like beer. Didn’t get it all.” He says.
I laugh just as Dax says “Cannn ry ha somme beerrr Thheea?”
“Think I got it all.” David says. “I am about ready to go? What about you Thea?”
“Whaaat? Nawh you needa stayye.” Says Dax.
“Actually I have to meet my mom early in the morning and it’s getting late.” I say. “Emily you good if I head out?”
“Yes. Go. I am good with the guys.”
David and I say goodnight to the gang and start our long walk back. On the way an empty horse and buggy pas
s us and David flags it down for a ride back to the dorms. It’s unexpected and a relief to not have to walk after all the walking and dancing I have already done today. The horse is a light grey large Clydesdale with black leather blinders on to keep him focused on the street ahead of him. The whole ride David runs the tip of his finger on my bare shoulder reminding me of the feeling of him licking and kissing the beer away. Just as the horse and buggy pull up along side the dorm entrance it starts to lightly rain. It’s still warm outside and the rain that comes down is warm too. But the breeze makes it feel a bit cooler when it hits. David pays the driver and we rush through the door out of the rain.
In the elevator up I can’t help it I push David against the wall wrap my arms around his neck and move my lips over his. The doors open and I step back and out beckoning him with my smile. His wicked grin chases after me and he leads us to his room. Once inside he grabs me and leans down to kiss my bare shoulder that the cream shirt my mom bought me hangs off of. I stop him for a moment.
“David. We are still just friends right. Even if we go out to dinner together? Just friends?” I say.
He nods and trails kisses up my neck like he did on River Street but they are more intense and quicker and his lips make their way to my mouth. I nip at his lips and pull at the button on the top of his shorts with my fingers. His hands roam my body and his thumbs rub my rib cage. Then they move under my shirt and he pulls it off then pulls off his own. We kiss more and more and undress completely. His hands and lips feel amazing on my body. They guide me down onto his bed. His body follows and he moves on top of me.
Chapter Seven
The sun stirs me out of bed and I sneak out of David’s room not wanting to wake him up. I would like to just stay there in his arms for a few more hours but I need to go say goodbye to my mom. She is stopping by the dorms real quick before she is off to the airport. I go back to my room quickly so I can brush my teeth and my hair. I tip toe inside not wanting to wake Emily up. Dax is asleep on the floor fully clothed so I guess that means nothing happened between him and Emily. Maybe he stayed here because David and I kind of took over his room. I blush thinking of last night.
Capturing Savannah Page 7