by Anne Carol
“I’m much better, thanks.”
“Good. You gave me quite a fright yesterday.”
“I’m sorry. I should’ve turned back at the first sign of trouble.” Except that I wouldn’t have ended up in your arms.
“Perhaps, but …”
“But what?” I urged. My instincts told me he felt the same way.
“Nothing. I’d better go. Enjoy your evening, Beth, and I look forward to seeing you Saturday.”
I returned the sentiment, and we said our goodbyes. I had no doubt he was smiling on his end, while I sat there wearing a goofy grin, unaware that my mom was watching me from the kitchen.
“I think that boy likes you, dear,” she noted. “I saw the way he kept looking at you during dinner last night. And I understand he asked you out?” She came closer and sat on the sofa next to me.
“Jenny told you?”
“Yes, but I asked her what was going on, so don’t be mad at her, and I’m not going to intrude. It’s your decision, but try to keep an open mind,” she said, patting my arm.
“Yeah, I will.” Now that I had my mom’s blessing, I was moving closer to going out with David. But when I thought about Rick, a part of me still felt nothing but pure guilt.
I decided it might clear my head if I had a chance to talk to Rick, so a little later I dialed his number, half expecting nobody to answer. To my surprise, Rick himself picked up on the second ring.
“Hi Rick, its Beth,” I said, stating what should’ve been obvious.
“Hey baby. How are you liking England so far?” He was eating something, probably his breakfast, considering the time difference.
“I like it a lot. My aunt and uncle are great, and my cousin and I are doing a lot of stuff together.” I went on to describe some of the sights we’d seen.
“Wow, sounds like you’re having fun.” He seemed distracted as he kept up the chewing noises.
“Yeah, I’m having a great time. Although, yesterday I had a little fainting spell.”
“Oh, Beth, where did that happen?” he asked, sounding oddly amused.
Wishing I hadn’t told him, I answered, “In a record shop.”
“What’d you do, crash into the record shelves?” He snickered.
“No, someone caught me.” I was starting to fume. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I’m okay?”
“Honey, if you weren’t okay you wouldn’t be calling me, right?”
“Well, you could still ask,” I snapped.
“Hey, don’t get all mad. Geez, you’re so sensitive, Beth.”
“By the way, where were you at the beginning of the week? I tried calling you Monday and Tuesday.”
“We decided to stay a few more days. Sorry, hon.”
“Your parents didn’t have to work?”
“Oh, I didn’t go with my parents.” He said it like I should’ve known. “Boy, you really missed a great weekend, babe.”
“I’m sure.” A weekend that likely included a bunch of idiots getting wasted and acting stupid; I was actually relieved I hadn’t been there.
“Sweetie, I’ve got to go now. Heading to the shop.”
“Don’t let me keep you. Goodbye, Rick.”
“Goodbye, Beth. I lo—”
I slammed the phone down before he could say something he didn’t mean. I crossed my arms and leaned back on the sofa, sighing heavily.
Jenny came in the living room and took a seat next to me.
“You slammed the phone. What happened?”
I gave her a rundown of my conversation with Rick. She appeared disgusted.
“Beth, you could do so much better than that sod.”
Facing the floor, I said, “I know.”
The following afternoon Jenny bounded in from school, startling me since I was completely engrossed in a book.
“Beth, please don’t be cross with me.” She sat down at the end of my bed and wrung her hands.
I set my book down. “What is it, Jenny? Why would I be cross?”
“David asked about you today.” I could tell that she was ready to explode with information.
“Oh? About what specifically?” My stomach tightened in anticipation.
“He wanted to know how serious you were with your boyfriend.”
My eyes grew wide. He’s not going to give up.
“And you told him …?”
“I sort of told him … you and Rick weren’t getting on well.”
All I could do was sigh. “Jenny.”
“Well, it’s true, after all,” she argued. “Anyway, he asked if I thought you’d ever go out with him.”
“And …?”
“Honestly, I said I didn’t know …” She looked like she was holding back.
“But …?” I waved my hand in the air, demanding more.
She gave me an impish look and shrugged her shoulders. “But that he shouldn’t give up on you.”
“Oh my goodness.” I covered my face with my hands. “I’m gonna die tomorrow.”
“Are you angry with me?”
“No, I’m just nervous.”
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry. We’ll be there with you.” Her eyes sparkled.
It was useless getting back into my book after that. For once, reality was more exciting than fiction. After talking the subject to pieces, I fell asleep that night carrying a knot in my stomach that was to remain well into the next morning.
A wave of nausea hit me. “I can’t eat,” I said. Peering down at the traditional English breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage, and baked beans, I nervously took a sip of tea. (I’d discovered that Aunt Ellie’s coffee didn’t quite measure up to my American tastes, so tea it was).
“Bollocks, you need to eat. You’ll be ravenous,” Jenny said in a low voice as she crunched on her toast.
“Alright, but I’m not eating that.” I pointed at the pile of mushy beans. “That’s a disaster waiting to happen. And I do not need any more disasters.”
She quietly shook with laughter as I dug my fork into the eggs. Before long, I found myself snickering beside her, but mostly to release anxiety.
After my long chat with Jenny the night before, I was full of jitters about how to act around David. We obviously liked each other, but for me it was a big step to do anything about it. Soon, I’d have to decide which way to go. It wasn’t fair to string David along, and honestly, it wasn’t fair to Rick, either.
I figured today would be a good opportunity to get to know David without the pressure of being on a date. As much as I liked him, I wasn’t ready for a one-on-one event.
Still, I looked forward to spending the day with him. Jenny was right—I had to keep an open mind, because there was no way I could shove these feelings aside. Just the thought of him made me happy. He seemed like the whole package, so far. And those eyes, I could look at them forever …
“Yoo-hoo! Beth, are you with us?” Jenny’s voice brought me down to earth.
Once I safely landed, we talked about our plans for the day. We decided to start out at Buckingham Palace so we could watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony, a routine, yet popular, tourist event, which promised much pomp and circumstance.
I just hoped my heart could take all that excitement.
A short while later, David arrived looking amazing in a loose-fitting, navy button-up and dark blue jeans.
“Good morning, Beth,” he said, shyly giving me a once-over. Today I was dressed for comfort: my faded and very broken-in flair jeans, a pink V-neck, and low-heeled sandals.
“Hi, David. It’s good to see you again.” I gave him a quick one-armed hug. I didn’t even give it a thought, hugging him like that just seemed natural to me.
“Good to see you as well.” His cheeks looked flush as I drew back.
“Listen, do you mind if we head to The Palace to catch the Changing of the Guard?”
“Sure, whatever you want to do, I’ll go along.” He grinned, having that hypnotic effect on me again.
“Okay, then we
should get a move on so we can find a spot in front.” Tearing my eyes from his, I looked toward the staircase and called to Jenny.
“I’m here, I’m here.” She came dashing down the stairs, her purse swinging from her side.
“Where’s Simon?”
“He’s meeting us at the station.”
“Alright, then let’s go.”
I prayed silently, Oh God, please let today go well. When I looked at David again, he was watching me curiously. Oh, boy.
We said our goodbyes and headed out into the mildly sunny but breezy climate to meet Simon at the Tube station. Memories flashed back to the last time I’d been on this path with David, but I quickly erased that afternoon from my mind. Today was a new day full of possibilities. Though, as we started off, I found myself glued to Jenny’s side with David trailing behind. Clearly I still needed to get past my embarrassment.
As we approached the station, Jenny darted ahead and practically tackled a young guy with glasses and sandy-blond hair.
“Guessing that’s Simon,” I remarked to David.
“Yes, that’s him.”
The two of us strolled toward Jenny and Simon, where Jenny introduced me, and David offered his greeting. It dawned on me that David knew Simon from school, but I didn’t know how familiar they were with each other. I prayed they’d mesh well but resolved that this was one of those days I had to just go with the flow.
Once we got off the Tube, the four of us hustled over to The Mall, which was the road leading up to Buckingham Palace. Luckily, we were early enough to snag a spot right behind the gate. As I stood there taking in the ornate beauty of the structure, I couldn’t help thinking that for London natives this was no big deal, but to an outsider it was pretty incredible. It was like seeing The White House in Washington, D.C.
“Get comfortable, because we’ll be here for a while,” Jenny said. “But you’re in for quite a show, Beth.”
It didn’t take long for the area around us to fill in with other spectators, many of whom spoke a foreign language. I could pick out German, French, Japanese, a Middle-Eastern language, and English with varying accents. The more crowded it got, the more concentrated the air became with different aromas—cologne, body odor, tobacco, and pungent spices.
When a young woman next to me decided to light up a cigarette, I turned toward the gate, planting my face close to the steel bars.
“I take it you’ve never seen this before?” David squeezed in beside me. He kept a polite distance, but I could still feel his warm breath on me.
“Actually, I have, when I was younger. We visited about seven years ago. But I don’t remember a lot,” I said. “I’m sure you’ve been many times, right?”
“Oh, yes. School trips, family trips. My father likes watching the marching bands. He’s a trumpet player himself, you know.”
“Oh, really? How about your mom? Does she play any instruments?”
“Mum plays piano and sings.”
“And you play guitar, I assume electric?” This was my chance to continue the conversation from the other day at the record shop.
“Electric and acoustic,” he corrected. “I play bass, too, but I prefer guitar.”
“So you’re the guitar player in your band?”
“Yeah.” He looked proud.
“I’m impressed. Are you any good?”
“I suppose I do alright, but I’m always trying to improve.”
“Do I get to hear you sometime?”
“If you’d like,” he said, not able to hide his wide grin.
Feeling myself blush, I pointed my face away, not wanting him to know the effect he had on me.
Jenny, Simon, and David made casual conversation to pass the time while I people-watched and silently brainstormed for things to talk about with David. But just when I came up with a few topics, the crowd around us seemingly doubled in size and it was getting near impossible to hear each other, let alone carry on a conversation. The best thing to do now was just wait for the ceremony to begin.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I was standing next to David, the wait would’ve been agonizing. Admittedly, being forced into a small space next to him was heaven. There was no denying that I had a huge crush on him.
Finally I heard the sounds of trumpets in the distance, along with the clap-clap-clap of marching guardsmen as they made their approach up The Mall.
“Oh, it’s starting!” Jenny exclaimed, pointing to the perfect formation of men in red jackets, black pants, and tall black hats.
I tried to get a good view, but there were hordes of people in front of me, so I had to stand on my tiptoes to see the action. Without thinking, I casually placed my hand on David’s shoulder to lean on it for support. He smiled at me, and when he did I promptly took my hand away and mumbled, “Sorry.”
“Nonsense, you can lean on me.” He gently took my hand and placed it back on his shoulder, causing a chemical reaction inside me I can’t quite explain, amazing as it was.
As I again stood on my toes, he placed his hand on the small of my back to steady me. I couldn’t help but gaze at him in adoration.
“Don’t look at me, look at them,” he said into my ear, nodding toward the band.
I turned toward the street, blissfully aware that he was staring at me.
“You, too,” I said in a low voice, not really expecting him to hear me.
“I like this view better,” he answered, continuing to watch me.
Feeling the heat rise in my cheeks, I tried to focus on what I was about to witness. And when I did, I swiftly changed gears and was taken aback by the precise movements of the marching troops, outfitted in their crisp attire.
“Incredible,” I breathed.
Once the guardsmen were inside the gates of The Palace, our view was much better, so I relaxed my stance and let go of David’s shoulder. We watched the remainder of the forty-five-minute ceremony surrounded by hundreds of people from all over the world. I was fascinated by the carefully choreographed movements of the guards, but evidently the elegant ceremony had lost its appeal to Jenny, Simon, and David. The three of them wore similar glazed over expressions, and my cousin even yawned a few times. I wasn’t a bit surprised when, after the Old Guard marched back down The Mall, Jenny suggested a change of venue.
“How about we head up to Regent’s Park and stroll around, maybe grab some sarnies for a picnic?” Jenny suggested. “The gardens are beautiful this time of year, and there are loads of pathways for romantic strolls.” She eyed me and David, quite obviously, too.
“Sarnies?” I asked, trying to distract from Jenny’s remark.
“She means sandwich,” David answered.
“Oh, sounds good to me. David?”
“I’m going wherever you go,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Good answer,” I responded as we exchanged a brief but heated stare. He had both hands stuffed in his front pockets as if he were trying to hide them. Wonder what it’d feel like to hold his hand. I shivered at the thought.
We picked up some sandwiches and situated ourselves on a grassy area at the park. As we ate, I could tell Jenny was taking stock of what was going on between me and David, no doubt hoping for something to happen before the day was out.
After lunch, we meandered over to the park’s Inner Circle, where we walked around Queen Mary’s Gardens. It wasn’t long before Jenny took me aside.
“Beth, Simon and I are going over to the lake. Go ahead and enjoy the gardens and we’ll be back in a little while, alright?”
I shot her a panicked expression, which I hoped neither of the guys noticed.
“You’ll be fine,” she mouthed, and off she went with Simon, leaving me alone with David.
I looked back at David, who—no luck—had been taking in my nervous exchange with Jenny. He closed the gap and joined me at my side, hands again firmly planted in his pockets.
“Is everything alright?” he asked, looking slightly concerned.
“Yeah, everythi
ng’s fine.”
He surveyed the surrounding area and was clearly trying to suppress a grin. “Well, I suppose it’s just the two of us now.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” My grin, however, was shouting in his face. He seemed to have that effect on me.
Without shifting his hands, he tapped his elbow to mine and dazzled me with a smile. “Fancy a stroll with me?”
I could’ve melted into a puddle right then and there. I was becoming addicted to his voice, or maybe just him in general.
“I would love a stroll with you.”
We wandered amidst the roses in silence, but the lack of conversation wasn’t awkward; the underlying connection between us spoke louder than any words. I loved being near him and frankly had never felt more at home with another person.
“So, you really want to hear me play guitar?” he asked as I bent down to study a delicate pink rose.
I straightened up. “Yeah, if you’re willing to play for me.”
“I am, as long as it doesn’t complicate things for you.”
“Complicate?” I questioned, wondering what he meant. “Complicate what?” And then I remembered our short conversation from earlier. “Oh, you mean with Rick?” I shook my head. “I wouldn’t worry about him. I don’t even think he misses me.”
Before I could process what I just revealed, he lightly touched my arm, igniting a spark I felt right down to my toes.
“Why do you say that?” He looked directly at me as if he were looking into my soul.
“Just the way he was talking on the phone the other night. It’s almost like he’s glad I’m gone so he can do whatever he wants.”
“I’m terribly sorry. I mean, if he hurt you,” he said longingly, wearing a pained expression.
I knew it then, there was no doubt—I wanted David more than I ever wanted Rick.
What to do about it was the big question.
“Don’t worry about it. Things … haven’t been going well between us.” I shrugged my shoulders, and then with a wave of my hand, said, “Anyway, enough of that! Where to next, Mr. Somers?”
He looked at me as if he were seeing me for the first time; like he was really trying to figure me out.