Saturday Highlights
"Should I call now or later.
But wait if I call now I seem pretty desperate, then again calling later makes me seem rude", I'd spent hours asking myself these questions the moment I got home from school.
I saved Cleo's number in my phone and kept on staring at the dial button on the screen. The fact of the matter was, Cleo wasn't like an of the local girls in my neighborhood, she was a high class girl. And you really can't talk the same way you talk to a middle class girls to a high class girl too. You need to have high class conversations with them
Question is, what the hell does a high class conversation sound like?
It was now 7 o'clock and I still couldn't find the guts to call.
"Okay think Khahil, if you were in her shoes what would be the first thing you want the guy to say to you.
Hey cutie. Uuuuggghhh that's so cringe", arguing with myself.
I remembered the words my mom once told me when I was young, "the way to impress any girl is simply being yourself". Well damn I don't have much of a choice here.
Boldly I grabbed the phone, dialing her number while repeatedly telling myself, "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this... "
"Do what", the voice asked on the other side of the phone.
I'm pretty sure in myself hyping I failed to notice the call had connected. The cringe on my face after realizing that was unbelievable.
"Uuuuuhm, sorry I was thinking out loud about something. Yeah, anyway it's me, Khahil the poor kid who can draw really well. So you said, well actually you left a note saying call you, so yeah Heeeyy", the whole time I said that I felt my ego lessening to nothing.
"Hey Khahil, thanks for finally calling. But your timing is a bit off, right now I need to go study", she responded with a giggling voice.
"Oh cool, my bad. I guess I'll catch you another day", I said.
"How about tomorrow at that new coffee place called the Saturday Highlights. You do know that place right, where all the teens meet up", she asked me.
"Sure, I know that place", I lied. "I've totally been there", still lying. "Let's meet around 10 am", I pulled that time completely out of my ass.
She seemed not to notice and agreed on the arrangement, and then cut the call. I have to admit that I felt like the man in the moment, till I looked at the time.
"10 pm", the clock read. "Crap tomorrow is a couple hours away", I yelled out.
Tomorrow was to be Saturday, and I didn't even check my own schedule to see if I was even free this weekend.
But thankfully this weekend I was free. Thank the Lord. There was just one slight problem, "what am I going to wear tomorrow"
Searching through my clothes, I tried to look for an outfit that would suite the occasion, let alone the place we were meeting at.
I literally spent two hours trying to figure out what I should wear, mostly spending the time deciding on tie or no tie. Eventually I felt content with what I was going to wear and at least with that contentment I could sleep.
I closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep but I was woken up by a thought in my head, "Crap Crap, Crap, I didn't get the location of the Saturday Highlights"
Just to cut the story short, I went to bed at 4 am.
The time to wake up came around and I got ready so quickly, I was dying in my lack of sleep. But I couldn't let that stop me from meeting Cleo today. I took the longest shower I'd ever taken in my life, with the intention to be looking and smelling fresh for the day. I choked myself in my cologne that I sprayed on me with all the windows and door to my room completely shut. Then after spending a good thirty minutes looking at myself in the mirror, my Dad yelled at me, "damn it boy you look fine, can you move on with life"
So I did just that.
I got to The Saturday Highlights before the set time, to at least be early for something the second time around. The Saturday Highlights was overwhelming, it wasn't my cup of tea, which was ironic that they didn't even sell tea there. The only teens coming there were the rich cool ones. Just like school, I was sticking out of the crowd. Still I couldn't let that affect me, I had to pull through the commitment I made with Cleo. She eventually arrived to the café and found me drawing in my art book, trying to pass the time. She sat across me and said, "I'm glad you made it, and you're actually early"
My response back to her was an awkward smile.
"So let's get down to business. I need you to draw a sketch of me, I want it to be a birthday present for my Mom. You can do that right",she asked me. I nodded back at her with a thought in my head saying, "well that's an INTERESTING gift to get for your Mom's birthday"
I was convinced that the day had ended there, and that we'd probably meet up again for me to draw the portrait of her. But what she said after was totally unexpected.
"Okay, how's this pose. You think this looks like a hey Mom I love you pose", she said that while positioning herself into multiple poses.
"Uhm wait, you want me to draw the sketch now", I asked in a confused voice.
"Well duh", she said. "My mom's birthday is round the corner"
I started taking out all my things to draw the sketch. I began to position her in a pose I felt fit to suite the occasion. "Okay, if you just sit up straight, lift your chin up, suck in your stomach and stick out your chest. Now just face me, perfect", I instructed her.
For the first few minutes I began to draw her, saying nothing to her but just letting the sound of my pencil speak. But it didn't stay like that for long for soon after she started asking me questions.
"So have you ever drawn sketches of people before"
"A couple times", I replied.
"Mmmmmmm, I bet the couple of times was of your girlfriend", she said in a flirty manner.
"That would be True if I even had the girlfriend to sketch", I replied.
"Ooooou I see", she said that in a manner of being happy about the fact.
"Question, how would your boyfriend feel if he knew I was drawing a portrait of you. I know jocks can be very territorial with their girls"
"That would be True if I even had a jock boyfriend to marked as his territory", she replied.
Like her I felt happy at the fact, simply because that was the confirmation I was looking for.
"So wait, Mike isn't your boyfriend", I asked.
"Pssssh him, he's definitely not my type. Which is funny considering that I'm an Avenue Girl",she replied.
"Avenue Girl, what's that", I asked her.
"It's a high class girl thing, meaning you only supposed to go for certain guys that fall in your class Avenue. It's really silly I think", she replied.
"Oooou, cool. So what is your type", I boldly asked her.
"A guy who's real and himself", she tells me with a flirty smile.
We spend an hour at the café as I finally finish her portrait. I feel proud of myself for this has to be my best sketch ever. I hand it to her and she seems to like it.
She puts it in her bag and prepares to leave. I was convinced that this will be the last time we'll ever cross paths again. But before she leaves she moves closer to me and gives me a kiss on the cheek, saying, "thanks, I'll see you on Monday"
As she leaves I already think about school on Monday, excited that I'll get to see her, and hopefully not let this be our last meet up.
Holding my cheek with her lipstick stain left on it, I smile softly, wishing for another kiss.