Igneous Stone (Changed by Fire)
The irony was not lost on Simon. Swinging from his right hand was a thin but nice gold chain and from it hung a dazzling pendant. It featured a border of diamond chips set to reflect and amplify the light of the deep blue stone at their heart. At first he had meant to give her a ring but that had too many implications, ones he wasn’t quite ready to face yet.
Today wasn’t the first time he had tried to get Ginni Shelton’s attention by throwing this particular rock at her. Hopefully this time he wouldn’t get a bruise when she threw it back. He carefully laid the jewel in a red silk-lined watch box and, closing the cover, placed it atop his television set. He wanted to be sure this little piece of his heart was not lost.
Simon needed everything to be perfect tonight and thankfully Jody was absent on one of his mysterious weekends away from school, so he wouldn’t be there to interfere with his Grand Plan. He busied about the dorm room trying to erase several months of bachelor life which had left thick grime on the furniture and untold minutia in the most unexpected places. Being Jody Martin’s roommate, he wasn’t too surprised to find apples resting safely within the lacy cups of a black brassiere, hooked over a cabinet door in the kitchenette. Simon quickly removed the impromptu hammock and tossed it into Jody’s room. The four-foot tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, exact in every detail except the 42-24-36 figure and polka dot bikini, was unexpected but Simon decided it would be safe remaining under the couch. What he simply could not explain was when or why 500+ jelly beans had been glued to the ceiling representing the major constellations.
Simon would never have thought it should take six hours to clean a four room dorm. But after clearing the initial layer of junk and miscellaneous detritus, he found that what they had taken for a soft plush carpet was in reality a two inch thick stratum of dirty clothes. Scrubbing, washing and keeping an eye on the joyfully bubbling pots on the stove, he had barely finished making his place habitable when Virginia
Near panic, he moved the necklace box onto an end table; sifted his thick brown hair through water-pruned fingers; and hurried over to the entry. Simon paused to take one enormous breath and turned the handle to let in his beloved.
“Hi”, said Ginni nonchalantly as she walked past him. She was very casually dressed in jeans and a white button-up shirt which may have at one time belonged to her Father, her hair in a loose pony-tail.
The slightest twinge of irritation twisted Simon’s heart. Here he had been working all day to make the place nice, cooked dinner and everything and all she had to say was ‘hi’? He shook it off, thinking to himself, “She doesn’t know how important tonight is…might be.”
Years of dance, cheer and other training had given Ginni a distinctly graceful walk. She appeared to glide into the room and settled easily onto his couch. Simon’s eyes had been caught in the shimmering net of her hair, dragging him around as she walked by. The beauty of her mesmerized him. She was wonderful, delectable, and yet dangerous in so many ways. His heart felt to crack under the pressure of her nearness. Simon imagined tonight was the most important of his life. If she felt like taking their love to the next level then life would be a Heaven. If not…
He suddenly had second thoughts about giving her the necklace. What if she didn’t want any more than a school-year romance? For a brief moment he began to make a lame excuse just to send her away and free himself of her intoxicating presence. Simon found the more often he was with her, the harder it was to say goodbye. His tongue cleaved to the roof of his mouth and he stood mute, rooted at the door.
Ginni leaned forward slightly and asked, “What’s the matter? Is something wrong?”
He struggled to answer but found his entire body in rebellion. Knees wobbled, stomach churned. Sweat poured from his face. Simon could have sworn at that moment that even his pancreas was clinched in nervous anticipation.
“I could come back another day if you don’t feel well.”
Ginni floated to him and rested a cool hand on his fevered brow.
“You look kinda hot to me.”
The unintended compliment jolted Simon like adrenaline straight to the heart.
“No! No, no. I’m fine.” He almost screamed at her. “Please, sit down. I’ve made us some Jambalaya. Jody taught me how.”
“You’re sure?” she queried. Her look of maternal concern was not to Simon’s liking at all. He would much rather have her laughing at his jokes or listening raptly to some deep and sophisticated idea rather than fussing like an old biddy.
“Yea, I’m fine. Great, really”, He smiled while pulling out a chair and motioned her to the table which was simply but romantically arrayed. Simon had collected dishes from several discount and second-hand stores. Nothing matched but the effect was more endearing than embarrassing. Elegant plates surmounted by crystal flutes, an ornate vase holding fresh flowers, and silver candlesticks sat neatly in a setting for two. Reassured, Ginni happily took her seat and politely waited.
“I hope you like Cajun food. It’s a bit spicy for me but Jody insisted that this was the only way to make it.”
“He would know. But I love spicy food,” she said with a grin, “makes me feel…like I’m glowing inside.”
He resisted the urge to toss-off a true but painfully cheesy compliment like, ‘You don’t need jalapenos to glow beautifully.’ Simon wasn’t that ignorant when it came to women. Ladling out the food, he was able to keep his back to Ginni until the blush faded from his cheeks.
“Here ya go. Watch it, don’t wanna burn yourself.” The mound of shrimp, pork, dirty rice and vegetables steamed as he set down her plate. “What would you like to drink?”
Ginni caught the slight hesitation in Simon’s voice. She didn’t like to drink alcohol much and Simon knew it. But she had also noticed a pitcher of greenish liquid on the counter and thought, “Maybe just a couple. But I’ll play with him first.”
“You aren’t trying to get me drunk are you?” she asked in a stern voice.
“Nnnnnoooooo” he drawled. Though his heart missed a beat.
“Good”, she smiled and continued to a faux cultured tone, “Then I will have one. Do you have any Mint Julep? Just for tradition’s sake.”
“Of course”, he answered happily, “Tradition is important” and smiled in relief.
The dinner conversation grew light and easy. An invisible hand, which had been gripping his insides all afternoon, seemed to loosen as the evening progressed. After an hour they were just close friends again, sharing an evening meal.
Together they cleared the empty dishes from the table; he offered her a small bowl of ice cream which was kindly refused; and then she suggested they move to the couch. He was out of stalling tactics now. It was time to decide whether to go through with his plan and take the chance of losing this angel forever. Pleasantly full of food and his fear blunted by three juleps, he knew the moment had finally come.
No comments:
Post a Comment