Cherub

When I woke up I felt completely refreshed and strangely relieved even though my head felt as if it was under an elephant and the remnants of colors swam under my eyelids each time I closed my eyes. There was a loud humming noise like the green of a dirty penny and in front of me sat a boy. He looked awful pathetic just sitting there, sad really with all his long shaggy hair. It was the same shade you see when you hear tree branches bending in a strong wind. Many might not find it a rather impressing shade but his eyes, they were completely different. They were so green, not like a dirty old penny but like moss. I won’t beat around the bush, I was staring. Now, it wasn’t like I was in love with the guy or anything, it’s just that I had never actually been that close to a boy as strange and unlikely as it seems. I had never even kissed a guy, let alone loved one and even if I was in love with him, I wouldn’t know the feeling. I didn’t know what love was.
I took the opportunity to get a good look at him. He was more of a young man than a boy really. The gentle sloping features signifying childhood had no doubt melted away to reveal more defined features befitting the face of a man. Instead of peach fuzz he had hair, the same shade as it was on top of his head beginning to cover his cheeks as if he had forgotten to shave for a day or two mostly covering his upper lip and a little under his bottom. He had a weird look on his face. It looked like a mixture of anger, surprise, and desperation. I decided to break the concreteness of the moment. I smiled as wide and friendly as I could. “Did you save me?” I whispered, there was no reply. His face no longer held any sign of emotion. When he finally parted his lips to speak, nothing came out but a low grayish squawk, the same color as gum you find on the bottom of your shoe after you unknowingly take it along with you for a while. It was as if the words had gotten strangled half way up his throat.

Suddenly, the door of what appeared to be a break room, furnished by what appeared to be a strangely eclectic collection of furniture was thrown open. It hit the wall with one loud black clap. In rushed a slightly plump woman wearing the same green apron as the man and the rest of the Stop Shop’s employees. “Harris, she’s awake!” The woman yelled at a man who trailed behind her. He was a tall middle aged man with a tired look upon his face, with copper hair and green eyes shielded by round spectacles. Her voice was the color of butterscotch, light and warm. The man ran his hand through his thinning red hair. “Yes, I see that Lindy, I bet you yellin’ sure don’t make her feel too happy about it.” The woman scurried her way from the door to the side of the younger man. In her hands she held my wide brimmed straw hat. “Darlin’ are you okay? You fell so hard, and all those cans! I was afraid you wouldn’t make it!” Her blue eyes were wide with worry, the younger man interjected, “Mom, she’s obviously fine.” He hadn’t taken his eyes of me yet, his face still had not a glint of emotion. So, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Stop Shop… baby Stop Shop. It made sense. The woman’s shoulder length slightly fluffed hair was the same shade as his and his eyes were the same shade of moss green as the man’s. The older man, Harris placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, either as a gesture of support or more of a sign to tell him it was time to shut up. “Young lady, we just want you to know that we take full responsibility for your accident and anything you had intentions of buying here today is completely free of charge. We’ve bagged it up for you already and it’s waiting at customer service.”I sat up. ”Uh, thank you sir, I really appreciate it.” As I began to rise off the couch, the woman, Lindy outstretched her arms to stop me. “Do take it easy sweet heart! You just damn near cracked your skull open! Kristofferson will help you see your way out if you’re on your way home.” The younger man, now revealed to be Kristofferson (though I suppose I could have just read his name tag) stood up abruptly. He was tall like his father. I finally got off the couch as slowly as possible in order to keep from sending his sweet mother into a frenzy. She handed me my hat and I placed it back on top of my still throbbing head and left her and her husband with a smile.

Kristofferson placed one hand on my shoulder which he immediately withdrew as soon as we had left the break room and his mother’s watchful gaze. He walked alongside me and seemed to have no intention of acknowledging me. I gazed up at his tight lipped expression and he all of a sudden came to a halt. He gestured to a register area significantly larger than the others where all my bags had been stacked. As I gathered as much as I could carry I turned to ask for assistance carrying the other bags to my bike but he was already retreating to the back of the store. “ Uh, sir, I need assistance with my bags. I don’t think I can get them all to my bike”, though he was around ten feet away, he stopped and let out an audible sigh and turned around. He grabbed all of the remaining bags and the ones I had in my own arms. “I’ll have to leave the tent this time around. There’s no way I can get it back today, is that okay?” He replied with what can only be described as half a shrug, half a nod and we proceeded out the door of the store. I recovered my Walkman from the basket of my bike and he began to put the cover up dinner and supplies inside. When he was done, I tied it all down with some twine I always bought with me on grocery trips just in case. He was a strange man but for some reason I felt sad about the fact that I would probably never see him again after picking up my tent. I put in my Walkman ear buds and swung one leg over my bike. He still stood there, slightly hunched with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Well… see you tomorrow.”I offered a toothy smile….nope, still nothin’. So, I turned up my music, hopped on my bike and rode away into the early evening. Like T-Rex said, life’s a gas.