I Guess I'll Never Get To Call You Mine
CHUCK
I returned from my secret daily walk today to find the door slightly open, which is weird because I’m pretty sure I locked it before I left. Has Ashley returned home early? I decided to cross the garden and go inside from the back door just to be safe, but it turns out someone beat me to it. Sitting right underneath the shade of a tree is none other than the person I’ve been half-hoping and half-dreading to meet. I know we’d have to face each other eventually, but I didn’t know it was going to be this soon.
“You’re Aline Young, the guitarist from The Youngbloods,” I blurted out, and then blushed. This is not a good way to start. Aline looked up, looking amused. She is simply dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans, her wheat-colored hair tucked underneath a knit beanie, a few strands falling out toward her shoulder. I can’t help contrast her appearance with my wife, who always strived to look her best with what little resources she had, so she always looked like she was about to attend a dinner party. Of course I’d thought she’d looked beautiful, but there was something natural and merry about Aline that makes her seem even more dazzling. Maybe it was the way she held herself, with both feet spread out in the ground and both arms supporting either side of her, her face slightly turned up toward the sky like she was star gazing. Or maybe it is because of the casual way she dressed, which makes her seem more like a young girl than an adult, a girl still retaining all the untainted innocence and glory of her youth, still yet to be mismanaged by the unforgiving world that lies ahead. Her deep hazel eyes though, which those little flecks of gold in the middle, tells me that she is wise and mature beyond her years despite her appearance.
“Well, I am certainly not Aline Young the exotic dancer,” she joked, and I have a feeling that she liked to tell jokes a lot. She’s one of those of people who enjoyed making others laugh. “Um, hey, sorry about barging in like this. Violet gave me the house keys. She, um, figured that you’d wanted to talk.” “I do,” I said, surprised at my response. “I, uh, realized that I hadn’t been very civil toward you when you came to visit me at the hospital. I wasn’t in top form. No offense?” “None taken.” I plopped down on the ground next to her and noted the careful distance she seemed to be drawing between us. I don’t blame her. I’m supposed to be married after all.
“You do know that your wife isn’t home.” “Yes, and I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened when she eventually did. She’s been good to me, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to trust her completely yet.” I took a deep breath and decided to go straight to the point. “So…we’re supposed to be best friends, huh?” “I suppose so, although we sort got into a fight before your accident.” “Oh, really? What did we fight about? Who gets the last slice of pizza?” I joked, and she laughed. “I wish it was that simple,” she smiled. “But, um, it’s along the lines of you disapproving my relationships with Sébastien and David.” “Did you really go out with those two?” “Seb? Yeah, for a while,” she shrugged. “He liked Star Wars and I was the only one who can keep up with his all-night series marathon, so…” “Nerd bond,” I grinned, before sighing and running a hand through my rumpled hair. “I wish I can remember more about these Simple Plan guys. I’ve been researching about them, and they seem pretty nice albeit kind of wacko.” “Wacko? Oh, they’re more than that. Sometimes I feel like they belong in an asylum,” Aline laughed. “Does that mean I belong in one too? After all, I chose to be friends with them,” I grinned. “Tell me more.”
“Well, Pierre is your other best friend, if you call someone who constantly pulled pranks on you, stole your things and slap you for fun your best friend,” she grinned. “I think he also took your clothes once when you were showering. Anyways trust me, I’m the better best friend. Then there’s Jeff. He’s the bald guy and the lip piercing if you remember.” “Of course I do. His shiny head glitters in the light like a disco ball. Why is he even bald?” “How should I know? Maybe he wants to promote cancer awareness?” “Or maybe he simply decided to copy the Dalai Lama and become an advocate for world peace.” “I guess. He also likes to practice his guitar really loud all the time, which I wouldn’t have minded, except for some reason he enjoys playing Ode to the Joy and It’s a Small World on repeat. If we complain he would throw his guitar picks at us with impressive accuracy.” “He sounds annoying. Who’s next?”
“Um, we have Sébastien…” “The dude with the blue eyes who’s named after the crab in The Little Married.” “You know, we actually used to call him Crabby because of that. We thought it was kind of funny but of course he hated it. He told me once that if he had the chance he would legally change his name to Yoda Adoy.” “But Yoda doesn’t have a last name.” “Exactly. Seb couldn’t figure it out either so he just spelled ‘Yoda’ backward and used that as a surname.” “Something is wrong with the guy.” “He used to eat furniture as a baby. We think it’s the varnish.” “Oh, right.” I hesitated before saying, “And…David?”
“Ah, David.” Aline smiled at the mention of his name. “He’s always full of spirit, and always at the center of everything. He’s got boundless energy and he speeds through life like a bullet. He’s cra—” She caught herself at the last minute, and shook her head. “He’s a really good person, and a decent man. He’s fun to be with, but he’s also thoughtful and reflective and a really good songwriter.” I nodded slowly. “Ashley told me that you two are going on.” “To be honest, I think she’s been trying to set me up with him from the moment she set her eyes on both of us.” Aline raised an eyebrow. “I love him like a brother, but that’s the extent of my feelings. I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.” For some reason, I let out a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
“He sounds great. They all seem like good people. I’d like to meet them sometime, learn more about this band they say I helped found.” “That’s a good start. Eventually you should have some recollections. Maybe you’d like to hear some Simple Plan songs to help jog your memory?” “I’d love to, thanks for doing this.” “I can bring some of their albums some other time and show you…if you still want to see me again that is.” Without thinking I reached out and took her hand, curling my fingers underneath hers. “Of course,” I said sincerely. “Why would I not?”
She blushed and gently pulled away, and then I remembered once again that I am married to Ashley. I shouldn’t be seeing Aline anyway, since she’s supposedly ‘the enemy’, but after two weeks of being stuck all alone with little to do, it was good to meet someone new to talk to.
“What about you?” I smiled. “Tell me about yourself.” “Nah, I’m not that important,” she said shyly. “I insist. Come on, we’re friends, right?” I pleaded. “We are?” she said, looking pleased. “Well since I cannot recall that fight you mentioned, and since I’ve decided to judge people by my own eyes now instead of wife’s, I decided that I like you a lot and if it’s OK with you, consider you as a friend.” “Oh, thank you,” she smiled. “I like you a lot too.” “So how did we first meet?” “When we were toddlers. I bonked you on the head with a toy truck.” “Ouch. OK, I take that back. I definitely don’t want to be friends with you.” “What the heck?” she laughed. “That was a long time ago! Besides you got your revenge. You and Pierre turned my backyard into a haunted house for my tenth birthday party.”
We talked our way through more than three hours. Aline is an easy person to talk to. She’s patient, took time to listen to my questions, and peppered her stories with countless jokes that complement her witty sense of humor. I find myself enjoying my day with her.
“That letter I gave you, the night before my accident,” I said finally. “What do you think it’s about?” Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It was right after that…fight. Perhaps you wanted to apologize?” “No, no, it’s more than that,” I insisted. “I can feel it. It’s something really important to me. I so wish I can remember.” I buried my head in my hands in frustration, and I felt Aline rubbing my back comfortingly in small circles. “There there,” she said soothingly. “I’m sure you’ll have your memories back in no time.” “I hope so too.” I hesitated. “Al, do you know my wife is telling me things against you? Do you know why?” Her face showed no specific expression for a moment before she said, “What’s past is past. Maybe it’s better to draw conclusions for yourself. What I can say now is that she, my brothers and your band mates aren’t exactly buddies.” I nodded. “I understand. Thanks for all your help today.”
“No problem. Wow is it seven already? Man, I should be going. See you soon?” “Yeah.” I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I’d had such a good time today and I didn’t want her to leave. I walked Aline to the front gate. We both reached for the lock at the same time and our fingers touch, sending a jolt of electric current through the surface of my skin. There is something sensual about the way her thumb had brushed the top of my hand, and I can feel my skin pores tingling in delight. I looked to see if Aline felt it too, and by the look on her face I can tell that she did.
“So, um, goodbye,” she said awkwardly. I frowned. “I have this strange feeling that that is not what you usually say when we parted.” “Oh.” Aline turned a little red. “Love you, bro.” I was caught by surprise at her words, but it must’ve been it because my lips responded faster than my brain and I find myself saying, “More than Harrison Ford?” Holy crap what am I doing? I’m not supposed to be exchanging sweet remarks with another girl. I have a wife for crying out loud! But the way she said it, with certain sincerity and casual lightness, you can tell that this was personal between us but you can just as well receive it as simple teasing.
Aline blinked, and I must’ve given her the right response because she grinned and said, “Of course. What about you? You do love me more than Katie Holmes, don’t you?” “Obviously,” I laughed, a little embarrassed. “Bye, Al. Love you too.”
“You’re Aline Young, the guitarist from The Youngbloods,” I blurted out, and then blushed. This is not a good way to start. Aline looked up, looking amused. She is simply dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans, her wheat-colored hair tucked underneath a knit beanie, a few strands falling out toward her shoulder. I can’t help contrast her appearance with my wife, who always strived to look her best with what little resources she had, so she always looked like she was about to attend a dinner party. Of course I’d thought she’d looked beautiful, but there was something natural and merry about Aline that makes her seem even more dazzling. Maybe it was the way she held herself, with both feet spread out in the ground and both arms supporting either side of her, her face slightly turned up toward the sky like she was star gazing. Or maybe it is because of the casual way she dressed, which makes her seem more like a young girl than an adult, a girl still retaining all the untainted innocence and glory of her youth, still yet to be mismanaged by the unforgiving world that lies ahead. Her deep hazel eyes though, which those little flecks of gold in the middle, tells me that she is wise and mature beyond her years despite her appearance.
“Well, I am certainly not Aline Young the exotic dancer,” she joked, and I have a feeling that she liked to tell jokes a lot. She’s one of those of people who enjoyed making others laugh. “Um, hey, sorry about barging in like this. Violet gave me the house keys. She, um, figured that you’d wanted to talk.” “I do,” I said, surprised at my response. “I, uh, realized that I hadn’t been very civil toward you when you came to visit me at the hospital. I wasn’t in top form. No offense?” “None taken.” I plopped down on the ground next to her and noted the careful distance she seemed to be drawing between us. I don’t blame her. I’m supposed to be married after all.
“You do know that your wife isn’t home.” “Yes, and I’m going to pretend this conversation never happened when she eventually did. She’s been good to me, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to trust her completely yet.” I took a deep breath and decided to go straight to the point. “So…we’re supposed to be best friends, huh?” “I suppose so, although we sort got into a fight before your accident.” “Oh, really? What did we fight about? Who gets the last slice of pizza?” I joked, and she laughed. “I wish it was that simple,” she smiled. “But, um, it’s along the lines of you disapproving my relationships with Sébastien and David.” “Did you really go out with those two?” “Seb? Yeah, for a while,” she shrugged. “He liked Star Wars and I was the only one who can keep up with his all-night series marathon, so…” “Nerd bond,” I grinned, before sighing and running a hand through my rumpled hair. “I wish I can remember more about these Simple Plan guys. I’ve been researching about them, and they seem pretty nice albeit kind of wacko.” “Wacko? Oh, they’re more than that. Sometimes I feel like they belong in an asylum,” Aline laughed. “Does that mean I belong in one too? After all, I chose to be friends with them,” I grinned. “Tell me more.”
“Well, Pierre is your other best friend, if you call someone who constantly pulled pranks on you, stole your things and slap you for fun your best friend,” she grinned. “I think he also took your clothes once when you were showering. Anyways trust me, I’m the better best friend. Then there’s Jeff. He’s the bald guy and the lip piercing if you remember.” “Of course I do. His shiny head glitters in the light like a disco ball. Why is he even bald?” “How should I know? Maybe he wants to promote cancer awareness?” “Or maybe he simply decided to copy the Dalai Lama and become an advocate for world peace.” “I guess. He also likes to practice his guitar really loud all the time, which I wouldn’t have minded, except for some reason he enjoys playing Ode to the Joy and It’s a Small World on repeat. If we complain he would throw his guitar picks at us with impressive accuracy.” “He sounds annoying. Who’s next?”
“Um, we have Sébastien…” “The dude with the blue eyes who’s named after the crab in The Little Married.” “You know, we actually used to call him Crabby because of that. We thought it was kind of funny but of course he hated it. He told me once that if he had the chance he would legally change his name to Yoda Adoy.” “But Yoda doesn’t have a last name.” “Exactly. Seb couldn’t figure it out either so he just spelled ‘Yoda’ backward and used that as a surname.” “Something is wrong with the guy.” “He used to eat furniture as a baby. We think it’s the varnish.” “Oh, right.” I hesitated before saying, “And…David?”
“Ah, David.” Aline smiled at the mention of his name. “He’s always full of spirit, and always at the center of everything. He’s got boundless energy and he speeds through life like a bullet. He’s cra—” She caught herself at the last minute, and shook her head. “He’s a really good person, and a decent man. He’s fun to be with, but he’s also thoughtful and reflective and a really good songwriter.” I nodded slowly. “Ashley told me that you two are going on.” “To be honest, I think she’s been trying to set me up with him from the moment she set her eyes on both of us.” Aline raised an eyebrow. “I love him like a brother, but that’s the extent of my feelings. I’m pretty sure he feels the same way.” For some reason, I let out a sigh of relief, as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders.
“He sounds great. They all seem like good people. I’d like to meet them sometime, learn more about this band they say I helped found.” “That’s a good start. Eventually you should have some recollections. Maybe you’d like to hear some Simple Plan songs to help jog your memory?” “I’d love to, thanks for doing this.” “I can bring some of their albums some other time and show you…if you still want to see me again that is.” Without thinking I reached out and took her hand, curling my fingers underneath hers. “Of course,” I said sincerely. “Why would I not?”
She blushed and gently pulled away, and then I remembered once again that I am married to Ashley. I shouldn’t be seeing Aline anyway, since she’s supposedly ‘the enemy’, but after two weeks of being stuck all alone with little to do, it was good to meet someone new to talk to.
“What about you?” I smiled. “Tell me about yourself.” “Nah, I’m not that important,” she said shyly. “I insist. Come on, we’re friends, right?” I pleaded. “We are?” she said, looking pleased. “Well since I cannot recall that fight you mentioned, and since I’ve decided to judge people by my own eyes now instead of wife’s, I decided that I like you a lot and if it’s OK with you, consider you as a friend.” “Oh, thank you,” she smiled. “I like you a lot too.” “So how did we first meet?” “When we were toddlers. I bonked you on the head with a toy truck.” “Ouch. OK, I take that back. I definitely don’t want to be friends with you.” “What the heck?” she laughed. “That was a long time ago! Besides you got your revenge. You and Pierre turned my backyard into a haunted house for my tenth birthday party.”
We talked our way through more than three hours. Aline is an easy person to talk to. She’s patient, took time to listen to my questions, and peppered her stories with countless jokes that complement her witty sense of humor. I find myself enjoying my day with her.
“That letter I gave you, the night before my accident,” I said finally. “What do you think it’s about?” Her shoulders slumped. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “It was right after that…fight. Perhaps you wanted to apologize?” “No, no, it’s more than that,” I insisted. “I can feel it. It’s something really important to me. I so wish I can remember.” I buried my head in my hands in frustration, and I felt Aline rubbing my back comfortingly in small circles. “There there,” she said soothingly. “I’m sure you’ll have your memories back in no time.” “I hope so too.” I hesitated. “Al, do you know my wife is telling me things against you? Do you know why?” Her face showed no specific expression for a moment before she said, “What’s past is past. Maybe it’s better to draw conclusions for yourself. What I can say now is that she, my brothers and your band mates aren’t exactly buddies.” I nodded. “I understand. Thanks for all your help today.”
“No problem. Wow is it seven already? Man, I should be going. See you soon?” “Yeah.” I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I’d had such a good time today and I didn’t want her to leave. I walked Aline to the front gate. We both reached for the lock at the same time and our fingers touch, sending a jolt of electric current through the surface of my skin. There is something sensual about the way her thumb had brushed the top of my hand, and I can feel my skin pores tingling in delight. I looked to see if Aline felt it too, and by the look on her face I can tell that she did.
“So, um, goodbye,” she said awkwardly. I frowned. “I have this strange feeling that that is not what you usually say when we parted.” “Oh.” Aline turned a little red. “Love you, bro.” I was caught by surprise at her words, but it must’ve been it because my lips responded faster than my brain and I find myself saying, “More than Harrison Ford?” Holy crap what am I doing? I’m not supposed to be exchanging sweet remarks with another girl. I have a wife for crying out loud! But the way she said it, with certain sincerity and casual lightness, you can tell that this was personal between us but you can just as well receive it as simple teasing.
Aline blinked, and I must’ve given her the right response because she grinned and said, “Of course. What about you? You do love me more than Katie Holmes, don’t you?” “Obviously,” I laughed, a little embarrassed. “Bye, Al. Love you too.”