by Trish D.
After a few moments of silence Jacob finally got off his bike and scanned the area. “I guess so.”
As he walked closer to the water, I began to feel like I was going to have an anxiety attack. I had never gone too close to the water since the time Shanna told me there were probably water snakes and baby alligators swimming in it.
“Well come on, let’s see what’s all in here.”
His request stunned me. He wanted me to do something with him, but unfortunately, it was doing something that was terrified me. I had to be brave though. I couldn’t let him know that I was afraid, especially since it was my idea in the first place to come. Finally, I built up the nerve to follow Jacob as he moved closer to the water. I was a few steps behind him when I felt something brush my left ankle. As I jumped back and let out a yelp, I was so glad I used the bathroom before I left the house or the situation would have been one hundred times worse. Jacob was laughing enjoying every minute of me freaking out as he made his way back to me. He wasn’t just giggling; it was a belly laugh that brought tears to his eyes. As he got closer and inspected the area, his laugh got louder as he realized that I had stepped on a branch.
Jacob picked up the branch and tossed it aside as he continued to laugh. I was mortified. I wanted to get back on my bike and get out of the area as fast as I could, but I was too humiliated to move. If I could have disappeared under the leaves on the ground I would have. Jacob noticed my how embarrassed I was and finally stopped laughing. He genuinely looked concerned.
“Well, you have to admit that it was a little funny that you screamed over a branch.” He was right. I could not help but to crack a smile and laugh at myself. “Maybe you should walk beside me if you are scared.” I agreed and we started out once again towards the creek when Jacob suddenly asked “why did you bring me here if you are scared of the place?”
As I began to respond, I remembered Daddy’s words, “never let ‘em see you sweat.”
Though I had already let him see me scared, I couldn’t let it happen again.
“I’m not scared of the place. I come here all the time. I just wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Jacob and I were right by the creek and looking directly at each other. The look in that adorable face said that he knew I was bluffing. I hoped that he would leave it alone though and just feel flattered that I was braving the creepiest place on Earth, just to impress him. When he finally looked away and changed the subject, I breathed a sigh of relief. In my mind I was thinking that if I seemed cool enough about everything else, he would forget about my little mishap or call it even from his mom embarrassing him earlier.
“I bet there are frogs in here. My dad taught me how to catch frogs. It’s really easy.”
I cringed at the thought of seeing a frog. There was no way I could actually touch one. I wasn’t sure how I was going to play it off.
“Let me know if you see one and I’ll show you what to do.” Jacob was talking but his eyes were focused on the area in front of him. He was really into this idea of catching frogs and I was completely freaked out.
“Well, maybe I’ll just watch you do it first and next time I can help.”
I had to come with something quick, something that I hoped would not let on to my fear of the situation. Jacob looked up at me with a smirk and I knew that he could tell the truth. He didn’t say a word though. As he was concentrating hard on finding a frog, I imagined that he was doing this as a way to impress me. The thought made me smile and I had to keep telling myself, “just stay calm Cheryl, and play it cool.”
Jacob and I stayed there by the creek for hours. We talked about any and everything. Jacob Anderson was an only child. He had wanted his parents to have a brother for him, but apparently his parents were too busy for another child. His dad worked for a bank and the company had transferred them from Atlanta, Georgia. His mom had been a nurse in Atlanta and was currently looking for a job in Charlotte. I liked that Jacob’s mom worked outside the home unlike Mommy and Grandma. It showed that it was possible to do while raising a child. Jacob was a year younger than me. His birthday had actually been a month before mine and he had just turned 7. He would be enrolling in my school the upcoming Monday and I was thrilled that my new friend would be at school with me. I wanted to tell him how excited I was that he was going to be at my school, but again, I had to tell myself that I had to be cool. As I expected we both loved baseball, he, of course, was an Atlanta Braves fan and I was more partial to the Boston Red Sox like Daddy. Come to find out, we had many things in common. We both liked sports, peanut butter, and drawing. He wasn’t at all enthused when I mentioned a possible tea party and my feelings were the same when he offered to teach me how to play video games.
The more time we spent talking, the less afraid I felt about being around the icky creek. I didn’t think about the bugs and animals that were probably all around us. I just enjoyed being out having a good time. It was some time before we saw a frog, but just as he had said, it was easy for him to catch it. Jacob held it cupped in both hands staring at it with pride and even convinced me to touch it. It was all I could do to keep from gagging as I extended my index finger and gently placed it on the frog’s head. It wasn’t as slimy as I imagined it would be. In many ways, I found the experience to be pretty cool. I couldn’t wait to tell Daddy. The creek had been a hit and I felt so proud that I had conquered my fears and took him there. It wasn’t until we heard Jacob’s stomach begin to growl that we realized how long we had been gone. We were sitting side by side on a large rock by the creek watching fish swim by and as his stomach got louder, we couldn’t help but laugh.
“I better start heading back home. It’s probably close to dinner time and my mom might start getting worried.”
“OK, I’ll show you the way back.” Though I hated that our time together had to end, I had to admit that I was hungry too. Next time, I thought to myself, maybe I would try and get Mommy to pack us some sandwiches.
The ride back to Jacob’s house was so different from the ride to the creek. This time we rode side-by-side and chatted the whole way back. I even suggested that he let Daddy fix his squeaky wheel. He was adamant that his dad had been meaning to get around to it though. He just had been busy with the move and new job. When we arrived at the front of Jacob’s house I wanted to ask him if he wanted to hang again the next day after church, but couldn’t find the words. So instead, when he said, “Well, see ya later,” I kept it to a simple “Yeah, see ya.” I sat there and watched as Jacob made his way to the front door. I noticed a different car in the driveway and figured that his dad must have gotten home. His mom came to the door and greeted him, smiling just as she was when we first left the house. After they both waved goodbye to me, I made my way home feeling like I had met my best friend. I couldn’t wait to see him again. It felt like the best day ever.
When I got home, I was surprised to see that Daddy had beaten me home. As I walked in the kitchen, I saw that dinner was ready and everyone was waiting on me to eat.
“Well there you are, we were about to send out a search party,” joked Daddy.
Shanna saw me and immediately turned up her nose remarking that I smelled like I had been playing with skunks all day. On any other day this type of comment would have bothered me, but not that day. Nothing was going to ruin my mood. Even mommy looked at me like she wanted to suggest that maybe I bathe first, but didn’t say anything. Therefore, I took the initiative on my own to go get cleaned up for dinner. This gave me the time to get rid of all my giddiness before sitting down with my family. I wanted to tell them all about my new best friend. I was hoping I could get it all out without seeming too mushy. I didn’t need to give Shanna any fuel to get on my case.
When I got back to the table everyone was already eating and my plate was there waiting on me. Mommy had fixed Salisbury steak and rice. It was probably a meal I liked the least, but, I wasn’t going to complain. Shanna was staring at me the whole time as I sat down and began to eat. E
ven when I opened my eyes from saying grace, I could feel the heat from her eyes on the top of my head. It was as if she knew I had the best day of my life and was determined to ruin it. I refused to feed into it. So when she remarked that I still smelled and it was making it hard for her to eat, I just ignored her. Daddy and Mommy ignored her as well until finally she had no choice but to stop and finish her dinner.
“So what did you do all day Cheryl? Your mom says you were gone since lunch time.” I was thrilled that Daddy asked and that I could share my news with everyone. Well not everyone. I knew Daddy and Mommy would be happy for me even if Shanna wasn’t.
“I met a new friend Daddy! His name is Jacob and his family just moved in down the street. They moved from Atlanta and his daddy works for a bank. His mom is a nurse, but she hasn’t found”
“What a loser! You know his whole life story after just meeting him five minutes ago?” I knew Shanna wouldn’t let me tell too much about him before chiming in. How dare I have a better day than her? I chose to once again ignore her.
“We went to the creek Daddy and can you believe it? I actually touched a frog!” I exclaimed.
“You smell like one too.” Shanna mumbled under her breath. I swear that Mommy giggled at this comment, but when I looked at her she quickly looked down at her plate. “Aren’t you afraid of the creek? I told you there are snakes over there.” She continued.
“There’s nothing wrong with getting a little dirty” Daddy said. “I can’t believe you touched a frog though. You are making me one proud papa.”
Daddy and I fist bumped as I grinned ear to ear. I went on to tell Daddy all about Jacob. He was as thrilled to learn that he loved baseball as much we did. When Shanna realized that she couldn’t get to me she finally stopped with the comments. However, that did not stop her from shooting me dirty looks from time to time. I just kept telling myself that she was jealous.
At the end of dinner as we were cleaning up, Mommy came up to me and said to me, “I’m happy you met a new friend.” My mommy who never commented on anything expressed happiness for me.
“Thank you, Mommy.”
The next day I couldn’t concentrate to save my life in church. There was no children’s church that day so we had to go to the worship service with Mommy and Daddy, which made time seem to crawl by. I tuned out the preacher and watched the clock until I felt Mommy nudge me several times in an attempt to bring my focus back to the service. I wondered if Jacob was at church with his parent as well and if he was having as hard a time as me getting through service. My mind was a hundred different places. I wondered if I would see Jacob, if he would be happy to see me, and what we would do. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that it was time to stand for the benediction. Once again Mommy had to nudge me and even though she wouldn’t say, I knew she was upset with my behavior.
Service was finally over and I was that much closer to seeing Jacob. It was one Sunday I had wanted for us to go straight to the car and head home. No such luck though. By the time Daddy and Mommy stopped the third time to talk to someone I could swear I felt smoke coming out of my ears. Apparently Shanna caught on to irritation and giggled.
“What’s wrong? You worried that you won’t get to see your new boyfriend?”
She just didn’t know she was messing with the wrong person that day. I had to remind myself that one, I was at church and two; she was a lot larger than I was. Hitting her would not be a good idea.
“Shut up Shanna!” I barked. “It’s better than sitting in my room all day, staring at the television wishing I had a boy to talk to.”
The look on Shanna’s face was priceless. She was so stunned that she couldn’t even respond. I felt like I had hit a nerve and I had even surprised myself. I felt a little bad afterwards when Shanna remained silent the whole car ride home. Sometimes though, she just needed to mind her own business!
I had been anxious the whole time during church to get home, change and head over to Jacob. However, once I got home I wondered if I was being too eager. I didn’t know if Jacob went to church and if he did what time they got out. I also didn’t know if Sundays were reserved for family time like Aunt Michelle did with her family. While Mommy made us lunch, I wanted to ask for her advice, but I figured she wouldn’t have an opinion either way and Shanna wouldn’t have anything positive to say about the situation. That left Daddy. So while we both ate our lunch, I casually mentioned that after I finished I would probably ride my bike over to Jacob’s house.
“Well I may have to head over there with you to check this Jacob kid out. Not everyone is good enough for my daughter you know.” Daddy was such a jokester. I was glad to have his support behind my decision. “You kids have fun and if you catch another frog, bring it home for me. We need a pet around here.”
Even with Daddy’s reassurance, I felt a little uneasy leaving the house. I was nervous all over again. Jacob and I had hit it off so well the day before so I wasn’t sure why, I just was. Mommy was cleaning the kitchen as I was leaving so I didn’t want to ask her to make us sandwiches. Instead I put two bags of chips and two juice boxes in my lunchbox before I headed out the door. It was another warm day out and as I walked to the garage to get my bike, I took several deep breaths and gave myself a pep talk, “Relax Cheryl, just relax.” It seemed silly to have to talk to myself, but it did help. When I reached my bike, my legs didn’t quite feel like Jell-O and my breathing had somewhat returned to normal. All I needed was for Jacob to be excited to see me. I imagined that it would be a replay of the day before, with Jacob sitting in front of the television playing a video game. I wondered if I would meet his dad since it was Sunday and he would be off work. I wondered if he would be just as friendly as Jacob’s mom.
As I rounded the corner to Jacob’s house I began to feel nervous once again. Those feelings didn’t last long as I began to see the top of a navy blue cap with brown curls sticking out. There he was! Jacob was sitting at the end of his driveway on his bike waiting on me. I was so excited; I didn’t even bother to hide my grin. He grinned back.
“Wow, your church must get out late. I’ve been waiting a long time.”
“No, we’ve been out.”
“Oh, well I had my mom make us peanut butter sandwiches” he said as he tapped a plastic grocery bag that was hanging on his handle bar.
“I brought chips and juice boxes,” I replied as I pointed to my lunchbox that was in the basket in the front of my bike.
“Cool, I guess we’re good. I’ll race you to the creek!” Jacob smiled showing that he was pleased that we were on the same page. With that, he took off on his bike with that squeaky wheel of his, screeching with every turn. I took off on my bike just moments after him but it was clear that I wouldn’t catch him. He could fly on that bike.
“Wait, you don’t even know where you are going!”
I yelled after him. It was my best attempt to get him to slow down and give me somewhat of a chance to catch up. I heard him yell back something over his shoulder that sounded like he remembered where to go, but I couldn’t hear him over the wheel. To my surprise he did remember the way. When I got to the creek, Jacob was pretending to be asleep leaning over his handlebars.
“It took you so long to get here that I decided to take a nap.”
“You cheated you know. You took off before you told me you were racing. I guess that squeaky wheel gives you more power.”
“I didn’t cheat. You’re just slow” Jacob answered as he laughed.
He was different, seeming so much more relaxed. I was getting to see the real Jacob. He knew how to joke and have fun. I liked it. I got off my bike and walked over to stand by Jacob. He was already staring down at the water looking for something to catch.
“You think there are any snakes in there?” He asked.
“My sister says there are but I think she was trying to scare me” I nervously replied. Just the thought gave me chills. I had sucked it up and touched the frog but I drew the line at sn
akes.
Jacob didn’t seem to catch on to the nervousness in my voice. He kept right on scanning the water. “I doubt there are though. If I did see one I’d leave and never come back here.”
This caught Jacob’s attention finally as he turned and looked at me with a look of confusion. “Oh! I thought you weren’t scared of this place.”
“Well I’m not really, but I don’t like snakes at all.”
“Ok,” he answered. We could finally move past the snake search.
Instead of searching for snakes, Jacob and I did a lot of other fun stuff that day. We had contests to see who could throw rocks the furthest down the creek and laughed at each other trying to catch the swimming fish in our hands. When we once again heard Jacob’s stomach start to growl, we decided to sit on the large rock by the creek and have our sandwiches and chips. The sandwiches Jacob’s mom made were delicious. He had even remembered to ask her to put strawberry jelly on mine. When I spilled my bag of chips, he shared his bag with me. It reminded me of something Daddy would do. I figured Daddy was like him as a little boy.
Jacob and I were inseparable that spring. I didn’t get to see him much at school since our classes were on different halls. Afterschool we would do our homework together mostly at my house since on many days both of his parents worked late. Daddy and Mommy grew quite fond of Jacob and luckily Shanna didn’t give him too much grief. She actually seemed to be nicer to me when he was around. On a couple of occasions our families had dinner together and it seemed like we all meshed together. I could never convince Jacob to attend one of my tea parties. He was convinced that it was something that boys should never do. I had similar feelings about his video games, but on one or two occasions, I did try to play and once Jacob let me win.
Jacob told me that he wanted to be a firefighter and help people in trouble. It all seemed so perfect. I would be a teacher, he would be a firefighter, and in the evenings after work we would watch baseball games while eating peanut butter sandwiches for dinner. I had never asked Jacob if he wanted to be a dad when he got older, but I could tell he would be great at it one day. The creek, where we spent so much time seemed like a good wedding spot for us I thought. The area was small, but it would be just enough space for our parents, our grandparents, and Shanna if she wanted to come. As much as I wanted to tell Jacob of my plans for our future wedding, I decided to keep them to myself. I didn’t know how he would take it.