Can Somebody Love Me

"Sorry...about my Dad" I could feel my cheeks burning roisy red, I was so embrassed. I should've apologized for Joseph too, he was totally out of line calling him a big black dude!

"uhh...Joseph too" I put my head down, he probably would never see me the same. He'd probably see what everyone else at my school could see, I think my crazy was showing.

"I'll tell you the truth, I am a little offended. But I don't think that should effect our...relationship" he said it slow, kind of like a question. I looked up my hair blowing back, I'd managed do keep my hair straight today so I didn't have big curls flopping in my face.

"So where should we go for our...umm...date?"
"Date?"
"well not if you don't want it to be! I don't want to pressure you or anything" now it was his turn to look down in shame, I held all the cards. Now the only problem was choosing how to play them.

"I know somewhere" I intertwined our fingers together, wow did he have big hands. But my hand fit perfectly into it, just right. I could feel the goose bumps rising on my arm, and they weren't from the cold.

As we walked I was scared, but at the same time I felt...power. I could hear a voice in my head saying "this is your territory! your in charge" so I kept walking. We walked through the woods, and past a ton of ponds. But our destination was further than that, it was on the outskirts of town.

"It's getting kind of late Row, are we almost there?"
"yeah, just through these trees" As we emerged from the trees I could feel him stop for a moment to take in the scenary.

"A...Swamp?" The power was gone from my veins, I took my hand out of his. Maybe he wasn't so perfect, but I'd already brought him here.

"I used to come here with my grandma...before she died" he looked into my eyes urging me to go on, but not pressuring me into it.

"She used to take me here every friday 6:05 sharp, no sooner no later. Sometimes we'd play hide and seek and other times we'd just lay there, not even talking. She was my escape, and this swamp was her's. After awhile we started swimming in it, she got me a full body suit so nothing poisnous could affect me" I could feel the tears welling up and my throat starting to close, but I forced myself to keep going. " One day we came and she really wanted to go swimming but i didn't so I stayed on the side. It was her 85th birthday, you know? She walked right into the water, she didn't stop walking..."

"she just went under. I called her name again and again, but she never came back up" The tears started flowing now, there was no stopping them. Why would I bring my first date to this spot, so stupid.

"I come here to talk to her now, I think she's still here. Just hiding, just like she always did...this was a dumb idea, you don't care about my dead grandma. I just...needed to tell, someone" the tears slowed and the humility set in.

"No, I'm happy you brought me here," he grabbed my hands and looked into my eyes "I think your grandma's still here too. Will you introduce us?"

"yea, I think she'd love that"