You Were Always on My Mind

I wake up around nine and eat some breakfast. Dad has left the house and I notice that Tim’s car is missing from the driveway; they’re probably at Charlie’s. After breakfast, I change into some hiking clothes and head over to the Reed’s house. I walk right into the house and notice that no one seems to be around.

“Hello?” I call out. I hear some footsteps upstairs and start to walk toward the stairs. “It’s Jacob.”

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Sammy calls back. I sit on the couch and watch the stairs as I wait for her to descend the stairs. Sammy walks down the stair in these shorts that show off her long, tan legs and a flowy shirt that makes her look graceful as she walks.

“Do you have any plans for today?” I ask, watching as she puts her hair into a ponytail.

“Nope, I was hoping that we could do something,” she answers plopping down onto the couch.

“How about a ride up in the mountains? Alex left his car and we can stop by the general store to get a meal for the picnic,” I offer.

“That sounds great!” She exclaims getting up. She heads over to the closet and gets an old blanket and her purse along with the keys to the truck. “Let’s go!”

I quickly drive to the general store and get some snacks and drinks. Sammy wants to stay in the car and when I come back, she’s singing along to the radio.

“In our own little world, the music is the sun. The dance floor becomes the sea, feels like true paradise to me. Baby boy, you stay on my mind, fulfill my fantasies. I think about you all the time, I see you in my dreams,” she sings along to the radio, oblivious to my presence.

“Hey there,” I greet. She slightly jumps out of her seat.

“Hi,” she greets back acting as though she wasn’t scared. Samantha continues to sing along to Baby Boy by Beyonce.

We finally reach the base of the mountain and I’m thankful that I’m taking the truck instead of my car on the dirt road. The dirt roads are wet and muddy today from the rainstorm, so it’s taking a little longer to get up the mountain.

“Another two miles or so till we reach the ledge of the cliff,” I tell Sammy, right before the car jerks to a stop.

“I’m guessing you didn’t see the pothole,” Sammy states.

“I was focusing more on how to get to the secret spot,” I explain while getting out of the car. Sammy gets out of the car as well and meets me at the back of the car. As she walks around the car, she grips onto the side, trying not to slip in the mud. Since the potholes on her side, I climb over the truck bed and hop down next to Sammy. Mud splashes all over us and Sammy just stares up at me then bursts out laughing. I look down and notice that she’s barefoot, but I don’t bother to ask why. The pothole isn’t too deep so it shouldn’t be a problem to get the truck out by pushing… And then there’s mud on my face and Sammy’s running away.

“Really?!” I exclaim. I chase after her, pick her up and dump her in a mud puddle. We end up wrestling in the mud and we’re soaked within seconds. “Now we have to push the car back out.”

Our hands are all slippery on the back of the car, but we manage to push the car out.

“You should sit in the truck bed so that we don’t completely ruin his car,” I suggest.

“Okay, fine with me,” she replies hopping onto the truck bed. She sits on the tire bump and watches patiently as I get into the car. About a mile up, we hear a stream and stop the car.

“Want to try and find the creek so we can wash up?” I ask getting out of the car.

“It doesn’t sound far, so why not,” Sammy replies then hops out of the car, “you might want to take off your shoes so that you don’t lose them.”

I slip off my shoes, put them in the truck bed and grab Samantha’s hand. We follow the sound of water, and find a small stream. We quickly wash up, getting as much mud as we can off of us. I watch Sammy out of the corner of my eye and was able to dodge a splash of water before it hit me.

“Can’t get me,” I inform her and chase after her as she squeals and runs away. We run back toward the car, but I catch her before we’re out of the clearing and toss her over my shoulder. She giggles and struggles in my grip, but I don’t listen to her pleas.

“Let me go!” She demands laughing and short of breath. Once I reach the car, I put her down then get in the front seat and start to drive again. The back window is open and I can hear Sammy singing in the back. I look through the rear view mirror and see her standing in the truck bed.

“What are you doing?” I ask laughing at her stupidity.

“I feel so free!”

“You won’t feel free if you fall off.”

“Fine,” she replies then sits down.

About twenty minutes later, we reach the picnic spot. Sammy hops out of the trunk, then gets the picnic basket, blanket, and Alex’s old guitar. I pick a nice spot under a family of redwood trees and set up our picnic. There’s a perfect view of the ocean and James Island from where we’re sitting.

“How’d you end up finding this place?” Sammy asks, guitar on her lap.

“I went on the highest point on Little James Island and saw this empty spot. It took weeks to actually find it. I eventually found the dirt road that led up to this spot. I like to come up here every once in a while to clear my head and just think,” I explain. She gets up and looks over the edge staring down at the ocean. There’s a slight breeze that blows her hair around her. She turns around and smiles at me, hair flying perfectly behind her now; she just looks so beautiful at this moment.

“We should go down to the islands some time. And Jake…”

“Yeah, Sammy?”

“Thanks for bringing me up here,” she says sitting down next to me. “Hungry?”

“I’m starved.”

Surprisingly, we slowly eat our lunch and enjoy the peace of the mountain. We spend the next few hours just sitting around and talking. I watch as Sammy plays her favorite songs on the guitar and sings along.

“Beauty queen of only eighteen, she had some trouble with herself. He was always there to help her, she always belonged to someone else. I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door. I've had you so many times, but somehow I want more. I don't mind spending every day, out on your corner in the pouring rain. Look for the girl with the broken smile. Ask if her she wants to stay a while. And she wiiilll be loved. And she wiiill be looooved. ”

I admire her as I watch how focused she is on playing the guitar. She looks over at me and sees me watching, then she starts to blush.

“Sorry, I’m a little rusty. I haven’t played since last summer.”

“It sounds perfect,” I assure her. I almost lean in and kiss her, but decide against it, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Once the sun sets and the moon is bright in the sky, we clean up and start the drive back home.

Sammy takes my hand and looks at me waiting for me to return the gaze.

“Thanks for today, it was really nice being able to come up here and just relax.”

“Anytime, Sammy.” I smile at her thankful that she decided to come with me. All of a sudden, the car jerks again and our hands separate.

“Should’ve been using your high beams,” Sammy mumbles, but laughs a little. I just laugh at her as I slip out of the car. Sammy meets up with me at the truck bed and we push the car out. We run back inside and I notice that Sammy’s all muddy and shivering. I hand her the picnic blanket and pull her toward me. She’s definitely not used to the cold weather up here, but she always referred to me as her personal heater. She curls up next to me, fitting perfectly against my body. Once we reach the house, we hose off in the backyard.

“Thanks again for such an amazing day,” Sammy says then quickly kisses my cheek. She runs back home, while I stand still in shock and blushing crimson red.

I head inside my house, get ready for bed, then join my dad on the porch.

“So was that a date then?” He asks.

“What are you talking about?” I ask feeling the heat come to my face again.

“I saw that little moment between the two of you before she went home. And you guys were out all day.”

“Well it wasn’t really a date, we just hung out on the mountain all day.”

I look up and see Sammy sitting on her porch reading a book. The light from the room emanates behind her and made her look angelic. My dad notices where my gaze is and rolls away.

“Just ask her out on a date.”