Bella Notte (4 page)

He revved the little
beast up and we were off.

Since the town was
so small, it didn't even take five minutes to get to the little deli.
We still had a full twenty-five minutes to eat and get back to
school. I got off the bike and handed him the helmet.
Man,
it is a beautiful machine.

I watched as he
swung his leg over the bike and stuck both helmets on the handles. He
hooked his arm through mine and we walked into the deli.

The smells were
delicious. Fine cheeses, meats, and fresh vegetables twisted right
under your nose, drawing you closer to the sandwich bar. We didn't
really have time to have everything made right then so I steered us
toward the 'made fresh this morning' section. I grabbed a roast beef
sandwich, a bag of corn chips, and a grapefruit soda. His selection
was the same as mine except he got a coke instead. We went to the
register to pay.

“
Hello, Emma,
how are you doing today? I had the best tennis match with your
grandparents this morning, soon enough, I'll never win,” Mr.
Stevenson said as I reached inside my wallet to pay.

“
I'm doing
great, Mr. Stevenson. I'm glad you're still giving them a run for
their money though; they need someone to show them they aren't the
best
all
the
time. Oh, this is Michael O'Shanold, by the way.” I liked Mr.
Stevenson, he was a nice old man and he was always nice to me. He
used to give me Italian sweets when I was little.

“
Hello, Mike,
I know your family, although I haven't seen you yet. You guys live
quite a ways out there. Out by the lake if I'm not mistaken?
Beautiful house though. It’s nice meeting you. Keep our little
Emma out of trouble, okay?” His smile made the skin around his
eyes wrinkle under his wire-rimmed glasses.

“
Thank you,
Mr. Stevenson. Yes, our house is out by the lake. I usually went out
of town before, but since I enrolled in the high school, I should be
in town more often. And I promise to try to keep Em out of trouble.”
He smiled back as we paid for our food.

We went and sat at
the little table outside and ate in silence. It was great to be able
to sit with someone without them trying to fill every second with
endless chatter.

When we finished our
meal we threw the trash away at the little red garbage can at the
edge of the store and went back to the bike.

The ride back to
school was as quick as before. This time, when I handed him the
helmet, he stuck it in the hide-away compartment under the seat and
put his on the handles. We stood there for a minute in an awkward
silence.

“
Thanks for
coming to lunch with me, and introducing me to Mr. Stevenson. I
really enjoyed it. Perhaps we could do it again sometime? Maybe I
could take you out to do something soon, something new for you?”
He blushed but looked down at his boots to try and cover it.

“
I had a great
time this afternoon. I would love to go out again. Maybe we could
discuss where we know each other from too. I have to get to History
and you don't want to be late for Gym, even on the first day Mr.
Williams will make you do push-ups for being late. I probably won't
see you after school though; I've got to hurry to get home as I have
an instructor coming over to help with my dancing. My parents don't
want me making a fool of myself on my eighteenth birthday. So, I'm
going to cut out of Art early, but I'll see you tomorrow morning. Oh
and here's my number in case you want to call.” I handed him a
small piece of paper with my cell phone number written in crimson
ink. I wasn't normally this forward, but he brought it out in me. I
gave him a quick hug and headed off toward History.

“
Bye, Em. See
ya!” he called from his direction.

The rest of the day
passed without incident. History was really boring, just as I told
Mike it would be, and my Art class was more of independent study for
me.

Miss Forrest taught
an art class at this time, but we'd already discussed the fact that
I'd taken art classes since I was a little girl, so I was a little
too advanced for her intro class. We decided I could take the class
period and carry on with my own art work and she would occasionally
check on my progress.

Today wasn't a work
day so I helped her pass out her materials and sat in the back of the
class until fifteen minutes before the class ended, then I snuck out
the back door.

I raced over to my
car and threw my stuff in the backseat. I opened the door and found a
single red rose sitting on the seat. There was a little note attached
to it that said; “Thank you for a beautiful first day. See ya
tomorrow.” It was signed with just the letter 'M'.

I brought the rose
up to my nose and smelled- it was heavenly. My face flushed red and
my eyes watered up as I climbed into my little monster.
That
is so nice. I can't believe he got me a rose. When did he have time
to get me a rose? Oh!

I set the rose down
gently on the seat next to me and drove home. I left the stereo off
and enjoyed the silence and feel of the wind on my face.

When I got home, I
parked inside the garage and went through the side door again. I met
my instructor in our 'living room' that was more like a ball room.

He started the same
way he did every Monday, with me trying not to fall on my head while
he told me how to stretch. Come to think of it, the entire session
was me more or less concentrating on not falling, tripping, or
injuring myself in some odd manner.

By the time the hour
had ended, I still couldn't waltz and I am sure that his feet hurt
from me dancing on them. I was tired, and I thanked him for his hard
work. I knew I had another session on Saturday.

Perhaps if I
brought Michael with me, then the instructor could stand back and not
have to ice his feet every time he left here.
I
sighed and went upstairs.

I ate dinner in my
room, which was all right with my grandparents as they knew how I
generally felt after my sessions. After dinner, I got into my pajamas
and went to sleep. The dream didn't come until halfway through the
night, but it was the same dream and I woke up crying more fiercely
than ever- probably because I really knew him now- all I had to do
was wait for the next day to start.

The days fell into
routine and my dreams continued. The more time I spent with Mike, the
worse the reactions to the dream got.

It was the last
Monday in September and my birthday was approaching fast. My dancing
sessions had become two hours and I was miserable. Between the waltz
and foxtrot, my feet hurt and I felt unimaginably clumsy. I finally
decided that if I was going to suffer that I should do it with
company- I was going to ask Mike to join me in my torture. I needed
something to make the experience more bearable. Now that I had the
idea in my head, I needed to figure out how to approach the subject
with him. I didn't want to seem like I was suffering and he must save
me from this, I wanted it to be more enjoyable.
Not
that listening to my instructor yelp every time I stepped on him
wasn't enjoyable
.

During lunch at the
deli- we never ate at school anymore- I decided that it was now or
never. What's
the
worst that could happen? He could say no – no big deal.

I grabbed a salad
and green fizzy soda and went to sit down, it was Mike's turn to pay
and Mr. Stevenson saw what I got.

When Mike sat down
at the table he looked at me like he knew there was something on my
mind. It was frightening how close we'd gotten over the last three
weeks.

Mom and Dad will
be home tonight so he'll be able to meet them.

Both of us managed
to avoid going home while we were together. I was going to be the one
to change that.

“
So, are you
going to tell me what's up ... or continue to have the discussion in
your head without my input?” His grin was bright, but his eyes
darkened with concern.

“
It's nothing
really, I, uh, was just wondering if you might want to come over
after school, and go through my dancing lesson with me?” It all
came out so quickly that I was afraid it would be a jumbled mess.

“
Em! That
would be awesome! I was waiting for you to ask, I've been taking all
sorts of dancing lessons since I was five.” His enthusiasm was
a little shocking and my mouth dropped open in spite of myself.

“
You wanted to
come? You
know
how
to dance? I am terrible and you'll probably have to bandage your toes
afterwards.
And
it's
two hours, not to mention the fact that you'll have to leave shop
early. I suppose you'll have to follow on your bike too.” The
shock turned into doubt and then planning- my brain was in fast
forward.

“
Slow down,
Em! Yes, of course I want to come over, and yes I can dance. You
should have asked before- I could've been helping you. I'm sure you
won't injure either of us and I'll meet you in the parking lot
fifteen minutes before school ends, ok?” His voice was calm and
steady- it held all the confidence mine was lacking.

“
Ok,” I
mumbled, through a bite of my crisp salad.

We finished eating
and climbed back on the bike.

When we got back to
school we had to rush to get to class on time. Apparently, we had
taken longer at the deli than either of us had realized.

The rest of the day
flew by as I tried not to have a panic attack. I knew I'd make a fool
of myself, probably even trip and break both my legs.
Good,
then I wouldn't have to dance and they could just push me around the
floor!

There were quite a
few times when fear seized my normal functions and I couldn't do even
simple tasks.
What
is wrong with you, Emma? It won't be that bad, and it's not like Mike
will disappear because you step on his boots.
I
giggled in a way that sounded way too close to hysteria for comfort.
I took a few breaths to calm my nerves.

By the time to go, I
had started my sketch of the clearing from my dream and cleaned up
all the materials. It was relaxing to work simply with my pencil, to
get the base lines for something that I saw so vividly while I was
asleep, and, so far, the sketch was looking very familiar.

I slipped out of the
room while the newly budding artists were trying to draw their own
hands. I walked down the checkered hall and out the heavy door- it
always felt nice to feel the fresh air hit you in the face after the
stuffy atmosphere of the classroom. I was tempted to walk by the shop
to check to see if Mike had forgotten, but I decided it would be
quicker to go through the cafeteria and give him a little credit. It
was odd to walk by all the plain beige tables, where I never sat and
ate, as I was surrounded by friends. I could picture all the little
groups sitting together yet separate and all the work it took to fit
in- I didn't want that.

I got to the student
lot and saw him waiting for me by my Jeep. I walked slowly up to my
car and threw my stuff in the back. I turned quickly and gave him a
huge hug.

“
Thanks for
doing this.” I was so happy to see him.

“
Em, I told ya
I'd be here, now let's go before you get even more sappy,” he
said as he gave my cheek a kiss.

I could've easily
fainted but instead I got in my wrangler and watched Mike climb onto
his bike. He signaled “after you” at me and revved his
bike. I turned my key in the ignition and heard the purr of the
engine. I backed out of the spot and turned out of the lot. I drove
through town at the twenty-five miles per hour speed limit, but as
soon as I hit the highway, I hit seventy. I never lost sight of Mike-
he stayed right behind me the entire time.

When we reached the
turn off to my little road, I slowed down to fifty and went through
the gate. That was the only time Mike fell back, he looked like he
was lost staring at the gate. But it only lasted a second and soon he
was right behind me again.

I turned into the
garage and parked and by the time I got out of my beast, Mike was
standing by the front of the garage walking his bike deeper inside.

“
Just put it
where it will be easiest to get out for you,” I told him as I
thought of how my grandparents were out of town and how Mom and Dad
would park around the oval in the front of the house.