As I sit there, completely zoned out with the plate of spaghetti getting cold in front of me, I notice him. Not many people come around to this restaurant anymore since they opened the new burger joint down on South Main, so I was surprised to see other signs of life. Cindy was blabbering in my ear about who was dating who, but I showed her no attention. I was souly focused on the boy across the room.
He sat in the booth in the far-right corner between the windows and the door of the kitchen. He had a hamburger in front of him and a milkshake, which was now just milk. He was staring out the window with a far away look in his eyes, and I could see the loneliness hidden beneath the blue depths. I'll never forget how he looked in that moment. His longish black hair swept aside, casting a shadow across his left eye, and the torn Nike sneakers and ripped jeans and ACDC sweater he had on.
"Cin, I'll be right back," I said, pushing by chair out and getting up. I strode over to the table and sat across from him, not daring to look back and see Cindy's gawking expression. "Hi," I said, sitting down. He looked up and just stared at me for a few second. "Hey," he whispered, barely audible, as if afraid someone would hear him speak. "I'm Ammie,"I said, reaching my hand across the table. He flipped his hair, sat up a little straighter and accepted my hand. "Dylan," he said, shaking back, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.
"So how can I help you?" he asked.
"Actually, I came to talk to you. You looked so lonely, and I mean come on, man! That was a good milkshake! Now you'll just have to drink milk!" I threw my hands up in false aspiration and he smiled and let out the breath of a giggle. I smiled, retaining the picture of his smile in my mind.
We sat in the corner of the restaurant for hours, talking about school, the web, and everything in between. After the first ten minutes, Cindy stood up and yelled "I'll talk to you later Ammie! Bye love!" And left. Dylan and I smiled. I had to go at nine, to be home by ten for curfew, considering it was a school night.
Two days later we went out on out first date. He took me to the aquarium,which his uncle owned. We swam with the fish and the turtles. I expected a movie or dinner, but Dylan wasn't like that.
I still remember out first kiss. Dylan took me to the Rock Fest, a spin off of Battle of the Bands out town has every year. At the very end, they spur fireworks everywhere, and that's when he kissed me. It was so amazing, a sensation I'd never had before.
And then we went on many more dates, all to unique places I'd never thought I'd go or do, like one summer when Dylan drove us down to New Jersey and we went to the beaches and through a drive-through safari. I knew I loved Dylan since we first sat down in that little burger place and I told him so everyday, even when we'd only been dating for three weeks. And all he did was smile, wrap his arm around me, and said he loved me too.
But then, three years later, Dylan fell sick with cancer. We all thought the worse. He began to go through chemo, and he lost all of his hair. He wasn't grief stricken that he was dying, or had to go through countless radiations every week, he was sad he was bald.
And that's when I remembered the first day I met him. I walked into his hospital room and took a sharpie and drew his black locks back onto his head. He began to cry and held me close and whispered "I love you." Days passed faster and faster and Dylan got sicker and sicker. tThen the day finally came when the doctors told me that Dylan was done, and to come say my last goodbye. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, but I forced myself to go in. I seen him laying on the bed with all the IVs and machines hooked up to him, and the sharpie hair drawn on his head and I couldn't control my tears. I walked over to him and hugged him. "I love you, baby. Since the first day I saw you, I knew you were mine. Dylan, just remember I love you so much," and then I kissed him. "I love you too," he whispered with all his breath into my ear and hugged me. Then the doctors asked me to leave the room. He gave me one last squeeze and then I left.
One year later I sat in that burger joint, in the booth in the far-right corner between the window and the kitchen door, with a plate of spaghetti and a melted milkshake in front of me staring out the window remembering Dylan. How easily he laughed, how nice and loving he was, and how much I miss him. Then I hear the seat in front of me squish down. I look up and there's a boy in an ACDC sweater, ripped jeans, torn Nike sneakers, and black hair casting a shadow over his left eye. "Hey, that was a good milkshake you know. Now you have to drink milk!" I smile.
He sat in the booth in the far-right corner between the windows and the door of the kitchen. He had a hamburger in front of him and a milkshake, which was now just milk. He was staring out the window with a far away look in his eyes, and I could see the loneliness hidden beneath the blue depths. I'll never forget how he looked in that moment. His longish black hair swept aside, casting a shadow across his left eye, and the torn Nike sneakers and ripped jeans and ACDC sweater he had on.
"Cin, I'll be right back," I said, pushing by chair out and getting up. I strode over to the table and sat across from him, not daring to look back and see Cindy's gawking expression. "Hi," I said, sitting down. He looked up and just stared at me for a few second. "Hey," he whispered, barely audible, as if afraid someone would hear him speak. "I'm Ammie,"I said, reaching my hand across the table. He flipped his hair, sat up a little straighter and accepted my hand. "Dylan," he said, shaking back, a smile tugging at the edges of his mouth.
"So how can I help you?" he asked.
"Actually, I came to talk to you. You looked so lonely, and I mean come on, man! That was a good milkshake! Now you'll just have to drink milk!" I threw my hands up in false aspiration and he smiled and let out the breath of a giggle. I smiled, retaining the picture of his smile in my mind.
We sat in the corner of the restaurant for hours, talking about school, the web, and everything in between. After the first ten minutes, Cindy stood up and yelled "I'll talk to you later Ammie! Bye love!" And left. Dylan and I smiled. I had to go at nine, to be home by ten for curfew, considering it was a school night.
Two days later we went out on out first date. He took me to the aquarium,which his uncle owned. We swam with the fish and the turtles. I expected a movie or dinner, but Dylan wasn't like that.
I still remember out first kiss. Dylan took me to the Rock Fest, a spin off of Battle of the Bands out town has every year. At the very end, they spur fireworks everywhere, and that's when he kissed me. It was so amazing, a sensation I'd never had before.
And then we went on many more dates, all to unique places I'd never thought I'd go or do, like one summer when Dylan drove us down to New Jersey and we went to the beaches and through a drive-through safari. I knew I loved Dylan since we first sat down in that little burger place and I told him so everyday, even when we'd only been dating for three weeks. And all he did was smile, wrap his arm around me, and said he loved me too.
But then, three years later, Dylan fell sick with cancer. We all thought the worse. He began to go through chemo, and he lost all of his hair. He wasn't grief stricken that he was dying, or had to go through countless radiations every week, he was sad he was bald.
And that's when I remembered the first day I met him. I walked into his hospital room and took a sharpie and drew his black locks back onto his head. He began to cry and held me close and whispered "I love you." Days passed faster and faster and Dylan got sicker and sicker. tThen the day finally came when the doctors told me that Dylan was done, and to come say my last goodbye. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, but I forced myself to go in. I seen him laying on the bed with all the IVs and machines hooked up to him, and the sharpie hair drawn on his head and I couldn't control my tears. I walked over to him and hugged him. "I love you, baby. Since the first day I saw you, I knew you were mine. Dylan, just remember I love you so much," and then I kissed him. "I love you too," he whispered with all his breath into my ear and hugged me. Then the doctors asked me to leave the room. He gave me one last squeeze and then I left.
One year later I sat in that burger joint, in the booth in the far-right corner between the window and the kitchen door, with a plate of spaghetti and a melted milkshake in front of me staring out the window remembering Dylan. How easily he laughed, how nice and loving he was, and how much I miss him. Then I hear the seat in front of me squish down. I look up and there's a boy in an ACDC sweater, ripped jeans, torn Nike sneakers, and black hair casting a shadow over his left eye. "Hey, that was a good milkshake you know. Now you have to drink milk!" I smile.
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