- William James Knutson
Waiting Room
For her
For her
Chapter I
It wasn't the weekend. I asked her out for coffee or beer and we didn't do either. Her name was Mary. The most common name a girl could ever have. I asked what her favorite Disney movie was so I could bring it over to watch it. I arrived rather late on a Tuesday night. I stood at the front door. It read, "4" through the screen mesh. She greeted me at the door holding her Dachshund.
"Well, hey there!" She said with a smile on her face.
I smiled and struggled my way through the door. I was holding a laundry basket full of all the necessary technology for us to watch a pirated copy of The Fox and The Hound. Her living room was small. It reminded me of my aunt's previous apartment. To the left was a couch. A couch worn out and most likely donated to her. Scattered artwork was tacked to the wall. One significant piece was an 11" x 17" black and white print of something I couldn't make out. The entertainment center was in front of the couch. It was made of plastic and a small 19" TV rested upon a zebra print cloth at the top of this ziggurat of collected knickknacks. They cluttered the exposed shelves. I can distinctly remember one being a hunting knife, possibly a fallen relatives or something of that sort.
She offered me something to drink and introduced me to Six, the Dachshund from earlier. As I studied the room I set down the basket and let Six get a feel for me. She was a sweet pup. The barks resonated throughout the small apartment and I warned Six to be courteous to her neighbors. It's always a shame to be woken up by the yelps of a small dog.
She handed me a glass of water, "Did you find my place alright?"
"I did. Only had to turn around twice and parking was a bitch." I said with a sarcastic sigh.
It wasn't the weekend. I asked her out for coffee or beer and we didn't do either. Her name was Mary. The most common name a girl could ever have. I asked what her favorite Disney movie was so I could bring it over to watch it. I arrived rather late on a Tuesday night. I stood at the front door. It read, "4" through the screen mesh. She greeted me at the door holding her Dachshund.
"Well, hey there!" She said with a smile on her face.
I smiled and struggled my way through the door. I was holding a laundry basket full of all the necessary technology for us to watch a pirated copy of The Fox and The Hound. Her living room was small. It reminded me of my aunt's previous apartment. To the left was a couch. A couch worn out and most likely donated to her. Scattered artwork was tacked to the wall. One significant piece was an 11" x 17" black and white print of something I couldn't make out. The entertainment center was in front of the couch. It was made of plastic and a small 19" TV rested upon a zebra print cloth at the top of this ziggurat of collected knickknacks. They cluttered the exposed shelves. I can distinctly remember one being a hunting knife, possibly a fallen relatives or something of that sort.
She offered me something to drink and introduced me to Six, the Dachshund from earlier. As I studied the room I set down the basket and let Six get a feel for me. She was a sweet pup. The barks resonated throughout the small apartment and I warned Six to be courteous to her neighbors. It's always a shame to be woken up by the yelps of a small dog.
She handed me a glass of water, "Did you find my place alright?"
"I did. Only had to turn around twice and parking was a bitch." I said with a sarcastic sigh.
As I took a sip of the tap water she said, "I notice Six has
already taken a liking to you, just don't look straight into her
eyes. That's why she barks at you."
I nodded. "I'll try not to. I don't really like dogs that much, but I think she can be an exception."
I nodded. "I'll try not to. I don't really like dogs that much, but I think she can be an exception."
She smiled with her head slightly tilted. I smiled and brushed
the bangs out of my hair. A haircut was long overdue.
"Do you want to go ahead and move the TV into my room and we can set up the movie?" She asked breaking the silence and the awkward tension you feel when you first spend time with someone. I love the awkward feeling though.
"Sure" I answered, "It shouldn't take too long to set up."
I reached for the laundry basket and Six licked my face as if she didn't want me to get up and leave. I looked into her small black eyes to reassure her that I'm only moving rooms and she could tag along if she wanted to. She thought about the offer for a second and nudged her nose into my elbow in agreement. I got up and followed Mary to her bedroom. The power chord to the TV she was carrying bounced softly up and down the hallway, sometimes hitting the wall with a slight thud. Six's paws clacked on the tile of the kitchen as she neared her water bowl. The hallway that led to her bedroom seemed to get narrower as I walked through it.
I entered her room and she twirled around and said, “Well, here it is. My domain.”
"Do you want to go ahead and move the TV into my room and we can set up the movie?" She asked breaking the silence and the awkward tension you feel when you first spend time with someone. I love the awkward feeling though.
"Sure" I answered, "It shouldn't take too long to set up."
I reached for the laundry basket and Six licked my face as if she didn't want me to get up and leave. I looked into her small black eyes to reassure her that I'm only moving rooms and she could tag along if she wanted to. She thought about the offer for a second and nudged her nose into my elbow in agreement. I got up and followed Mary to her bedroom. The power chord to the TV she was carrying bounced softly up and down the hallway, sometimes hitting the wall with a slight thud. Six's paws clacked on the tile of the kitchen as she neared her water bowl. The hallway that led to her bedroom seemed to get narrower as I walked through it.
I entered her room and she twirled around and said, “Well, here it is. My domain.”
“It’s really tiny, but I like it.
You seem very organized.”
“I try to be organized.” She
exclaimed as her body retired to the side of the bed and laid the TV
flat next to her.
I studied the room a bit before
setting down the basket. The bed took up most of the room. It
consisted of a cluster of decorative pillows that serve no purpose
and a heap of blankets. The comforter was a quilt, my favorite. She
had a small wicker bed side table next to where she sat. The closet
had sliding doors and appeared to be wood. They were shut and next to
it was a brown chair. I set down the basket into the chair and turned
to her.
“What all do you have to set up?”
She asked. The question seemed genuine enough, although her eyes told
me otherwise. They seemed to be eager as if she only said it, because
I was looking around her room and getting familiar with it.
“Well, I have to plug in your TV
first of all so we can actually watch the movie. So, where is the
nearest outlet?”
She pointed at the wall behind the
brown chair and said, “I think there is an outlet behind the
dresser. Just unplug whatever is plugged into it already if you have
to.”
I dragged the dresser away from the
wall and there was on outlet. Nothing was plugged into it so I turned
to the basket and grabbed the PS3 out of it. Mary shuffled on the
bed. She must have been taking off her socks or something. I placed
the PS3 on the floor after plugging it into the outlet.
“You may need this,” she said
handing me the TV with a slight laugh.
“That I do.” I laughed and set the
TV upon the dresser. I set the TV up with the PS3 and dug around in
the basket to find the external hard drive. After a while I found the
hard drive and everything was now set up. I grabbed the remote and
asked if I could take off my shoes.
“Of course, I didn't want you to
wear them in the bed anyways.”
Smiling, I slipped off my shoes and
sat next to her on the bed. Six crept into the room to make sure
everything was under control. She sat on her bottom in front of my
feet and stared up at me.
“She is trying to protect me from
you” Mary said.
“Nothing to worry about here though,
Six.” I said scratching behind her right ear. Six barked; she
wasn't letting her guard down.
Mary got up and said, “Well, Six. I
think it's time for you to go to bed. Mommy’s got to watch a
movie now and it's past your bedtime.”
I waved goodnight to Six as Mary
picked her up and took her to bed. Her legs kicked the air violently
as she was taken away. Her bed was a small cushion on the kitchen
floor next to her feeding bowls. I could hear Mary kiss Six goodnight
and the light clattering of her putting dirty dishes into the sink.
The faucet squeaked as the knob was twisted shut. One, two, three
utensils clanged against the walls of the sink. It echoed slightly
and I got lost in the sounds. I looked up and Mary already returned
to the room.
“What are you thinking about?” she
asked.
“Nothing really. I just kind of
drifted off into a day dream.”
Honestly I was thinking how normal Mary appeared to be. How routine her life was, well, from what I know and can see right now.
“Well, now that Six is out of our hair we can start the movie.” Six responded with a little barking fit.
I laughed at Six's disagreement. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Well, now that Six is out of our hair we can start the movie.” Six responded with a little barking fit.
I laughed at Six's disagreement. “Sounds like a plan.”
