We Move On

~9/17/14~ For the First Time

Since it was Saturday and I had a day off, I decided to go back to the dog park and get some air before returning home, it was already six pm and I had to be asleep by eight o'clock.

I was hoping not to see Nora there, otherwise, we would have talked again. Thankfully, she wasn't. I made sure to scan the entire court in case she was walking her dog. That was the only thing I had looked forward to seeing because Zoe was beautiful. Should I have given her a chance beforehand? Was I too much of a sissy to be a man and talk to her? I had preferred to stay to myself until I felt more comfortable in her presence.

I felt like that was never going to happen, mostly because I never gave in. That could have been the right choice if I wasn't such an overthinker. Being an overthinker has no plus sides, all you do is think and you feel as if you have no control over it, and even if people tell you everything is okay your mind tells you otherwise and you can't help but choose not to believe it.

I was sitting at a bench watching a dog and its owner play fetch when an Australian Shepherd appeared at my right leg. He was looking up at me, and his blue eyes were glimmering in the sunlight. I thought that he had run off from his owner, but no one came to get him. I felt bad for the little guy, but I couldn't have taken him along with me. I didn't have a kennel for him. As much as I wanted to leave with him, I couldn't. Replacing Tucker did not feel like the right thing to do at that time.

I was just about to leave when I heard someone pulling into the parking lot, and I had assumed it was Nora. I was right. She hopped out of her car and Zoe jumped out with her. She was running around with her and giggling, chasing after her like a child. What more about her could have driven me crazy? I knew nothing about her yet she seemed so perfect in my eyes. She noticed me peeking at her from the fence and I instantly looked away.

The dog who had been there before was gone. He was no longer standing at my foot, but from afar I could see him in the field running into the overgrown grass. How elegant it had seemed, he was so far away I could barely catch a glimpse of him trotting through the grass. I couldn't take my eyes away from the scenery, it was so graceful and full of peace.

It was like all my worries had been brushed away by the breeze. I felt the sudden urge to talk to Nora and maybe get to know her. I was ready to take a stand and be a real man. Though it still felt odd for some reason, I gathered the courage to walk up to her and say something.

I slowly kept my pace, and upon approaching her, Zoe started barking at me and alerted Nora. She quickly spun around and stood up to her feet.

"Geez! You startled me." she cackled.

She swept a couple of strands of hair out of her face and fixed her posture as if she felt nervous at the sight of me. I was slightly confused. I hadn't talked to her yet, I was still waiting to get the right words out, but I didn't even know what I was supposed to say. A simple hello? I didn't want to be boring but I had to be simple and keep it casual.

I finally thought of what to say, and I asked how her day had been. She hesitated before answering.

"Well, I've been fairly busy lately, so it hasn't been the best. How has yours been?" her voice was as delicate as a white violet.

In a low tone, I answered, "Quite strange if I'm being honest here. I don't really do a lot so it seems we're quite the opposite."

I managed to not break character, but in the seems of it all, I felt oddly uncomfortable. Maybe it was because I was finally talking to her like a normal person. It felt as if I was set free from a cage I had been trapped in for such a prolonged amount of time.

We had spent maybe twenty minutes talking to each other while we walked along the trail through the woods behind the park. I got to know why she suddenly started coming around the restaurant and why she was always looking at me whenever I was around her. There was no question about it, she said that she admired me and how quiet of a person I was. To be fair, she wasn't wrong- I was a very quiet person.

Our walk had finally come to an end and we were right back at the parking lot where her car had been sitting. Zoe was dancing around the two of us, panting and pacing around our legs. We had said our goodnights and left the dog park just like that. It was a splendid time I had and I did not regret making that decision.

~9/22/14~ Escalating

The dawn of autumn, how glorious and graceful as it would seem. I heard the dozens of birds singing right outside of my window. They were dancing and prancing through the branches, their voices were like flowers blooming in spring. Awaking to nature's beauty is perhaps the purest thing ever, even when you live in the deep trenches of the city.

I crave city life. I just think that it is beautiful. Isn't it strange, though? You'd think one would prefer living somewhere quiet and peaceful, but the city isn't so bad. Sure the blaring noises of cars and trucks passing by can be quite annoying from time to time, but it's bearable when you get used to it. I lived in the city my whole entire life until Nora and I moved out of state and into the country.

Nora had said that the country was her home and that's where she felt like a somebody. She explained all sorts of things you could do out there, and how the empty cornfields filled her with joy. Hearing her talk about it made me daydream. I couldn't stop thinking about what life would have been like if she and I never went out. Of course, we got married and had kids, but it was one hell of a ride with her. Don't worry, I love her.

Now is not the time to talk about our marriage, we're still in the first chapter of our story.

Have you ever thought about how a man would stay up until twelve in the morning writing a really long story about how he and his wife met and all the many journeys they had been on? I haven't either, because I am that man. I fell in love in just the span of two or three weeks.

I felt like a true man for the first time. I no longer felt like I was trapped, and it was a wonderful feeling. I could look at Nora and not feel guilty for it. Though I struggled to tell my mother the truth I still filled her in with small details. Bit by bit I would tell her my stories and what all happened throughout my days at work. I kept it simple and would tell her that some woman kept looking at me as she walked into the restaurant and that it was every time I was on my lunch break. She seemed to lighten her spirit a little bit because she did not lecture me, all she had said was,

"Elliot, my son, you are a handsome young man, and any woman would fall head over heels for you. The souls of women that seem brighter than others are less likely to be neanderthals, their beauty and grace is like a ray of sunshine. She might be the one, so keep your eye out." She snickered at me.

I had always listened to her advice because no matter what, she was right. Everything she had warned me about was true, and thanks to her amazing parenting skills, I successfully raised a family of my own without losing my sanity. The perks of growing up with mentally stable parents, am I right? I probably shouldn't be joking about that.

I guess it's sad to say that not many people grow up in a stable household. It's either they grow up being neglected, abused, ignored, yelled at, or blamed for things they weren't at fault for. I think it's ridiculous, because not many kids can grow up and have all the fun they need in order to mature properly, and they are not well disciplined for their actions.

Now let's get off this topic and continue talking about my progress with Nora. I arrived at work just an hour early and I didn't even realize it. I think the night before had caught me off guard and I completely forgot my work schedule as I woke up. The lights were off as I pulled into the parking lot. There was no point in driving all the way back to my house just to leave an hour later. It would have made no sense.

I fell asleep after sitting there for ten minutes, and I was awoken by someone honking their horn. I was enraged. I peered out my window and they were parked right in front of me. What a coward. I got so angry that I almost got out of my car and kicked their front end.

Just a minute later the person driving got out of their car and walked up to mine. It was Nora. I was so confused as to why she was there. Why was she there at seven in the morning? She didn't work there. I didn't even notice that it was her car, there was too much fog. I rolled down my window as she scurried up to me.

With her hands shielding her arms from the cool breeze, she asked me why I was there so early. I briefly explained how my morning went when I woke up and she chuckled. She was standing there shivering, looking all tensed up.

"Are you alright?" I asked calmly with a concerned look on my face.

She nodded and still stood there trembling. I offered her to sit in the passenger seat instead of standing in the cold because it was nearly forty degrees out there. She hurried her way into my car and just as she sat down she pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face into them.

I sat back in my chair staring blankly at the entrance of the restaurant. The sun was beginning to rise behind the building and the wind began to settle. Something felt odd in that moment, I couldn't put my finger on it. I looked to the side and Nora was sound asleep.

In her bell-bottom jeans again and a bright blue v-neck t-shirt, with her hair in low pigtails. If only I could've slept as peacefully as her. It felt like a dream.. To be there. The sun was rising over the restaurant, I was sitting in my car with the most beautiful woman I had ever laid my eyes on, who was sleeping so soundly. I wanted to brush away the strand of hair that was weeping over her eye and into her pursed lips, but I was too afraid. I felt like if I moved a single muscle I would've wakened her, but I had no choice because Reggie was about to show up. I didn't want him to see me with his daughter.

"Hey Nora, the restaurant is going to open soon. You might want to get up." I said quietly.

I waited a couple more seconds but she still was asleep. I began to get paranoid, and I thought Reggie would pull into the parking lot at any second. My mind was going places and all I wanted to do was wake her up. But finally, she awoke from her slumber. I had a sigh of relief.

I told her that the restaurant was going to open in less than fifteen minutes and she went back to her car. After she got out and shut the door, everything went silent. Everything changed immediately. It was like sunflowers, lilacs, and daisies when she was sitting next to me. It felt like an abyss. That doesn't make sense, does it? Well, it's pretty much a really empty feeling in your stomach. It creates that irrational fear of being alone.

Reggie pulled into the parking lot minutes after I was sitting in my car with the radio on. He noticed my engine was up and running and parked right next to me. When he walked up to the entrance and unlocked the doors, everything hit me. I visioned it all. The last thing I remembered was seeing Reggie standing there waiting for me.

Oh, what happened was- I was about to get out of my car and greet him to say good morning, but it all happened so quickly I didn't even get to swing the door open. Someone crashed into my car. Don't worry, it wasn't that bad of a crash. I had deep cuts and scrapes around my legs, and my left arm was broken. The only thing I cared about was my car. My beautiful car was totaled.

I was rushed to the hospital in an instant. They all thought I was going to die- How hilarious. I heard that Reggie cried while I was still asleep in my hospital bed. A grown man in his forty's crying over a twenty-six-year-old? Come on, that kind of sympathy is the greatest you could ever get.

Anyway, the person driving apparently tested positive for a drug test. It wasn't really my concern to know. I just wanted to get out of that hospital. I was in there for seven hours until Reggie came back to pick me up and take me home. I stayed home from work until my arm was completely healed, the number of paychecks that came in the mail was astounding. I was glad that I had an amazing boss who cared for my health and understood me.

My first day back at the restaurant was one hell of an excitement. More employees were hired, and I couldn't have been happier. It meant that our business was growing bigger. We had more customers, which meant we all were getting increased paychecks. I introduced myself to everyone and they all were incredibly friendly, it was amazing.

You'd never expect one to enjoy and love their job as much as I did. If you had my job, you would have loved it. The employees felt like family, I could talk to them about almost anything without offending anyone. We'd always crack jokes and tell our childhood stories whenever we were on break. Usually, you don't get that kind of luck when it comes to having a job, most of the time the employees would stay to themselves and hate their life, but at the time, it was the life of the party.

They all called me Leo, which was strange enough. I had never been called that, ever. The first time one of the employees called me that, I felt like a completely different person. Not in a bad way- It was honestly the greatest thing ever. It gave my life a new meaning, it meant that I had a new life and a new story.

To this day I'm still friends with some of the employees, which are Jackson, Charlotte, Liam, and Dakota. They are all great friends. Oh! The year is now 2021. The little concern you might have while reading my autobiography is predictable. It's hard to tell how the story is being told if there is little to no context about the narrator. It's quite strange, isn't it? Trying to understand how and what time the story is being told. My love life with Nora began in the year 2014, and I'm writing in the year 2021; today's oldest generation.

Now to jump back to the past, where it all began.