Dec 7, 2008

The diary of Sadie Alvarez: Page 5


“Eighty per cent of success is showing up.”
-Woody Allen

I pull up into the parking lot and kill the engine. After one last glance in the mirror I head towards the front entrance.
“Sade!” I hear from behind me.
I turn to see Tom walking towards me and looking as good as ever. His hair was a little bit longer than I remember and he had grown a short beard. Its scruffy, but I like it.
The break-up must have hit him hard, I thought, as the years go by he looks more and more like a hobo.
I smile and wave.
“Hey Tom!” We hug. Good, got that out of the way. The first hug can be awkward sometimes. Arms up? Arms down? Who knows?
Good hug, good start.
We went in to the bar, which had been turned into this super-modern dance club- a.k.a. not my scene- and sat down at a small table for two off in the corner.
Over a few beers we yelled to each other; over loud trans music, what our lives had been like over the past few years. From what Tom yelled to me I had learned that he took it pretty hard after his break-up with Laura. He had been living on his own since then and had gone back to university to occupy his time. I didn’t really get a straight answer as to what he was taking at school, but I didn’t care. I was here for one reason and one reason only. Plus half the battle is showing up, and I'm already here.
Tom hadn’t really dated much since then, let alone had a girlfriend. Perfect.
“No girlfriend?” I asked. “A guy like you, come on!”
“You know I just don’t want one right now,” he said, looking at me with his gorgeous blue eyes. “I’m just kind of, I don’t know….”
“Coasting,” I said with a smile. “Me too.”
“Do you want to get out of here?” Tom asked. “It’s loud in here and my place is just around the corner.”
“Perfect,” I said.
I follow him to his apartment and park in the visitor parking. He seems a bit nervous and we had just been talking all night. He probably doesn’t know what to expect. I know that it has to be me who breaks the ice.
As he unlocks his door I lean in close to him and kiss him. He wraps one arm around my waist and fumbles with the lock with his free arm. I hear a lock click as the door shoots open and both of us are thrown to the floor of the apartment. Laughing I roll on top of him and kiss him again. He’s not the greatest kisser, I thought, but I can work on that.
Tom kicks the front door closed and everything goes dark.

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