“I’ll pick you up at one. Don’t forget your camera.”
David’s voice echoed in my head as I sat in the cluttered closet, desperately trying to find something to wear. He was picking me up in less than five minutes and I still hadn’t decided on anything. My phone buzzed from across the room. Panicked, I instinctively grabbed my favorite yellow shirt with the bow in the back and a black cardigan. As I slipped on my worn out green flats, my roommate Karlie tied the back of my shirt.
“He’s outside. Be good. Please say more than ten words to him. Oh, don’t forget these.”
She slung the camera over my shoulder, stuck my cell phone in my hand, and pushed me out the door, closing it before I could change my mind.
As I trudged from Cathcart to the parking lot, my heart jumped into my throat as the rust-grey Ford F-150 came into view. To anyone else, the truck would have been a piece of junk, but to David, June was his baby. The passenger door opened from the inside as I approached. With some difficulty I grabbed hold of the handle and swung my short legs into the musty, blue upholstered cab. David reached around me and slammed the door shut with a bang. He smiled at me with a mischievous look in his eyes.
“Good, you remembered your camera. I hope you’re ready to meet someone.”
David put June in gear and my insides mimicked the lurching movement of the truck. Meet someone? I’m nervous enough for going on something that could be considered a date with my best friend of three years, thank you very much. I pulled my legs up and sat cross-legged on the holey seat.
David patted my knee, sensing my discomfort. I managed to squeak in reply. He laughed heartily, and then began to tell me a story. I immediately relaxed and started to gaze out the window at Searcy flying by. David’s stories were the glue of our friendship. Whether telling a fabricated tale about a cowboy hunting a mountain lion or a recollection of sitting on the jungle gym during our day camp days at Camp Wyldewood, David never failed to make me laugh. With his stories and my smiles, we were destined to form the perfect friendship. I put my green-clad feet on the dashboard, allowing the hum of the engine and David’s baritone voice weave together and fill my ears. The sun, which hadn’t shown its face in days, warmed my face through the windshield. I closed my eyes and let my imagination whisk me hundreds of miles away to the mountains in David’s story.
“Psst... Smiles.” David’s hand on my knee again brought me back to reality. “Open your eyes, Buttercup, we’re almost there.”
Shading my eyes with my hands, I looked out at a long dirt road that seemed like it would take me to the end of the world. I glanced at David questioningly. Looking mischievous again, he winked and jumped out of the truck. I fumbled with the seatbelt and scrambled across the seat. Poking my head out the driver’s side window, I watched David turn the manual 4-wheel drive knob on each front tire. He stopped halfway back into the cab, taking time to knock the mud off his worn boots. I started to scoot back across the bench, but his arm around my shoulders stopped me.
“Stay in the middle. I’m gonna teach you how to shift.” He guided my hands onto the ball of the stick shift sticking out of the floor board. “Are you ready?” I squeaked again. So much for even ten words. “The road is pretty muddy, but the 4-wheel drive can handle it. We shouldn’t slide…too much.” He smiled at me, knowing I was both excited and scared.
David reached down and engaged the 4-wheel drive lever. The truck shuddered as it locked into place. The engine roared to life. David placed his calloused hand on top of mine, guiding both into second gear, then third. We laughed, bouncing along with the truck as it splashed in muddy potholes. After five minutes of being tossed, David slowed and pulled the truck up to a barn that had suddenly risen from behind a hill. He shifted June into park next to a rusted metal gate.
“We’re here. Stay in the truck for now so you don’t get all muddy. I’ll introduce you in a second.” The thud of his boots echoed the thudding of my heart. I had forgotten about meeting someone. Who could it be? Some random farmer friend? Are we near his house? Am I going to meet his family? My mind raced. I don’t like strangers. I don’t like strangers. I don’t like…
David whistled. I looked up, surprised to see him perched on top of gate with one leg on either side. He had rolled his jeans a few times as well as the sleeves of his signature black pearl snap. He whistled again, but not at me. He was looking well beyond the other side of the barn, past the hay bales that were now sinking into the mud. With surprising grace, David swung down into the fenced area and picked his way across the mud, behind the barn. I opened the truck door and kicked my feet impatiently like a small child. An orange striped cat with a perfect spot on its nose cautiously poked its head through a hole in the barn wall. It spotted me, but didn’t seem to consider my swinging feet a threat because it pranced out and began to sun itself in a patch of dirt that had dried out in the afternoon rays. Instinctively, I reached for my camera and snapped a picture. The cat purred in response and rolled over uninterested.
Feeling like I was being watched, I looked up into David’s smile. He had been leaning on the rail of the fence, for how long I wasn’t sure. He wasn’t alone either. Next to him stood the most handsome horse I had ever seen. He was chestnut brown with an almost-black mane, had deep brown eyes, and white stars on both his nose and forehead. I gasped in delight.
“Come on out here and meet my friend Zeus.”
I eased myself down from the bench seat and crept around the door towards the fence. Zeus flared his nostrils and snorted, taking a step back as I reached David.
“He’s a little shy. If you just hold your hand out and talk to him, he’ll settle down.” David reached out to grab the rope halter around Zeus’ head but the horse side-stepped out of reach.
I leaned on the warm metal of the fence and held my hand out towards the beast.
“Come here boy. I just want to say hello,” I whispered.
The deep brown eyes looked into mine. We stared at each other for an eternity, neither one of us wavering. Suddenly, Zeus took a step. Then another. Slowly, he inched closer until his velvet nose touched my hand. I smiled and looked over at David, who was staring at me, dumbfounded. He ambled over and grabbed Zeus’ rope halter.
“Of course! Zeus avoids me for twenty minutes before being caught but he’ll walk right up to a pretty girl!” Zeus nodded his head, seeming to agree with the exclamation. I laughed and scratched the horse under his chin. “Here, I’ll give you two some alone time. We’ve got to leave here pretty soon though; I think it’s about to storm again.” David jumped the fence and walked into the barn, the cat on his heels. I swung my camera up to my eye and took a few frames of the gorgeous creature. He nudged my camera with his nose, smudging the lens. Letting the equipment fall back down around my shoulder, I pressed my cheek against Zeus’ soft neck, breathing in the scent of hay and sweat and animal.
“Hey Beautiful.” My eyes opened. “We need to head out if we’re going to beat this rain.” David reached out to help me back towards the truck. I patted Zeus goodbye and knowingly, he turned and trotted back across the pen. David lifted me up into the cab so I didn’t have to jump and slammed the door shut. Leaning in through the window, he dropped a yellow flower into my lap and winked at me. After climbing into the cab himself, he turned to hold both of my hands and gaze into my eyes. My cheeks burned hot with embarrassment and I shyly smiled and looked away. David laughed because this happened to be one of his favorite games- make Kelsey embarrassed. He let me go and yanked June out of her slumber into reverse.
Once back on the main road, David reached down to take my left hand.
“Looks like you made more than just a friend there, darling.”
I smiled to myself. “Yes,” I twirled the flower in my fingers, “more than just a friend.”
