chapter 3

The next day I woke up to the alarm that I had set before I went to bed.  I turned it off, then went back to sleep.  A few more minutes of rest and I would be fine.

     Kevin came in, grabbed my foot and pulled hard.  I sat up with a start and saw him standing at the foot of the bed smiling.  “Get up lazy bones!  Dad’s pissed.  Where were you last night?”

     “If dad catches you talking like that you’ll be dead,” I growled while rubbing my foot, “and it’s none of your business where I was!”  I snatched a pillow from my bed and threw it at him, but he ducked and scampered out the door.

     I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom to take my morning shower.  After the shower, I glanced at the clock and realized that it was already eleven.  Jonathan was coming for me at noon and I still had to get ready!

     I groaned and rubbed my head because it felt so groggy.  I had thought taking the shower would clear it, but it only helped it a little.  I found a pair of jeans and my favorite red cotton knit sweater and put them on.  After putting my hair in a loose ponytail, I went downstairs to get a bite to eat and take some aspirins.

     In the kitchen, I made a cheese sandwich and got two aspirins from a nearby cabinet.  Just when I sat down at the kitchen table with my sandwich, my father walked in with his hands on his hips.

    “Where were you last night, young lady?”

     I sighed, I knew what was coming, “I was out dad.”

     “Out where?  Sarah called and said that you weren’t at the club.  So, where were you?”

     “I was at another club.  I didn’t feel like going to the same club again.”

     “Who did you go with since you weren’t with Sarah?”

     “A friend.”  I mumbled as I chewed on my sandwich.

     “Who Alexandria!?!” he snapped.

     “A friend from work.  Her name is Terry.”

     “Right, Terry.” He nodded slowly, “Fine, but I don’t want you staying out until all hours of the morning!  You know that your curfew is one!  Do this again and you will be grounded. Understand?”

     “Yeah, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”  I gave him a little smile to reassure him that I was listening.

     He seemed to accept that, but looked me over and noticed I was dressed to go out, “So, are you going somewhere today?”

    I nodded.

    “Where?”

     “To have fun in the city.”  I didn’t say anything else hoping he wouldn’t ask anymore questions.

     Thankfully he just nodded and walked out of the kitchen reminding me once more not to stay out too late because I had school the next day.  I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that he didn’t ask me anything else.

     I looked at the wall clock and noticed that it was now ten ‘til noon.  I went back upstairs to get my jacket and decided to wait for Jonathan on the front porch so that none of my family would see him.  Once outside, I noticed that it wasn’t really cold for February, but I knew my jacket would probably come in handy because it was slightly windy.

    I sat down on the porch and watched the clouds drifting past until I heard the sound of a car horn. I looked up and saw Jonathan pulling up to the curb in a black Ferrari Testorosa convertible. I stood up and gaped. I couldn’t believe that he would own such a car. I walked down the sidewalk to the car as he leaned over to open the door for me.

     I got in and immediately blurted out, “Are you rich?”

     He chuckled as we pulled away from the curb, “Not really, but it’s too cold to ride a motorcycle.”

     “You have a motorcycle too?!” I gasped.

     “Yeah, actually the Ducati is my favorite mode of transportation, but I think it’s still a little too chilly to take you out on it.”  He grinned and looked at me, “So, ready for an adventure?”

     I nodded, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

     He took me to the far side of the city where I’ve never been before.  Eventually he pulled into a parking lot that was packed with cars.  I looked around and spotted huge tents swarming with people.

     “What is this?” I asked, my curiosity rising.

     “This," he said with a sweep of his arm, "is a flea market."

     “A flea market!” I gasped.  “Why are we here?  Isn’t this a place for poor people to shop?”

     Jonathan gave me a look and suddenly burst out laughing.  I made a face letting him know that I was not amused.  He took a few breaths and replied, “No Alex, it’s not just for poor people.  Anyone can come here.  C’mon,” he held out his hand, “I know you’ll find something you like.  There are plenty of things here that you’ll find interesting.”

    I doubted that, but I followed him anyway.  As we neared the entrance, he put his arm around my shoulders.  I glanced up at him and noticed the smile on his face.  He looked happy to be there.  It made me suddenly realize that I didn’t really know him at all.  In fact, all I really knew was that his name was Jonathan, he owned a Ferrari and a motorcycle, liked going to clubs to dance, and he liked flea markets.  That wasn’t much at all.

     Questions started popping up in my head.  Was he rich? He had to have money to afford a Ferrari!  How old was he?  Did he go to school?  What did he do for a living?  Where was he from?  All these questions and more started rolling around in my head as we walked into the market.

    I didn’t have a chance to ask anything because we had passed the entrance and I was suddenly bombarded with all the sights and sounds of a busy flea market.  There were all kinds of people there, young and old alike.  We started walking along the rows of tables and I saw all the various items being sold there.  There were electronic appliances and equipment, clothes, jewelry, mirrors, paintings, and even large kitchen appliances like refrigerators.

     Jonathan was right.  I did see plenty of things that I liked.  I found some jewelry that was unique and really beautiful.  There were silver bracelets with turquoise or other tiny stones set into the metal in intricate, yet simple designs.  I had never been big on jewelry, but when I saw the silver bracelets and even the rings, I knew I would probably buy something before we left the market.

     When I glanced at Jonathan I saw that he was already looking at several pieces that seemed interesting to him.  When he saw me looking at him, he smiled and said, “Why don’t we look around at everything first, then take a break and decide what we want to go back and purchase.”

     I nodded as we walked to the next tent that contained summer clothes like sundresses and shorts.

     We continued to enjoy ourselves as we walked from tent to tent inspecting all the goods and goofing around some.  Eventually he steered me towards a food court area and we got a couple of hot dogs and cokes before sitting down at one of the nearby benches.

     In between bites of his hot dog, Jonathan asked, “Did you find anything interesting enough to consider buying?”

     I nodded as I swallowed then answered, “Yeah, I saw some silver bracelets and rings that looked interesting.  There were some clothes that looked nice too, but there is this leather jacket that I think I’ll buy.”  I took a swig of my coke before continuing on, “There were some really beautiful paintings, but I can’t think of where I would hang them.”

     He grinned at me as he finished off his hot dog.  I looked around at the place and decided to tell Sarah all about it as soon as I could.  I just knew she would love it and try to buy everything in sight.

     Jonathan stuffed his paper plate into his cup and aimed it for the trash can nearby.  As the cup landed in the can, I looked at him and grinned, “Two points!”

     He laughed and nodded as he said, “Okay, let’s go and buy the things we want now.  Oh, and whatever you want, just let me know and I’ll get it for you.”

     I gaped at him, “What?!  No, that’s okay; I’ve got some money to spend.”

     He chuckled, “It’s my treat, and don’t worry, I don’t intend to run out of money.”

     We got up and returned to walking through the tents to buy the things we wanted.  As we walked we argued about who was going to buy what, but eventually I gave in and let him buy me the things I had wanted.  I was still careful at choosing things because I didn’t want him to spend too much.

     Finally we left loaded down with plenty of bags full of things we had both chosen to buy.  We put the bags into the trunk of the car and climbed into our seats.

     As he started the car, Jonathan turned to me and asked, “You want to go to another one?  It’s actually my favorite one and it’s much bigger than this one.”

     My eyes widened, “There’s another one?  But we already have so much stuff!  Besides, I don’t want you to spend that much money on me.”

     “Don’t worry; I still have plenty of money left.”  He flashed one of his trademark smirks, and then looked at me with a serious look, “I’ll just drop this stuff at my house, then we’ll head to the other market okay?”

     I nodded in agreement and he drove out of the lot.

       He lived in an apartment on the rich side of the city which was actually about a mile from my neighborhood.  I helped him carry all the bags into his apartment on the second floor.  He held open the front door for me and told me to dump the bags anywhere I wanted to.

     I put the bags on the floor near a coffee table and surveyed the room.  I noticed how neat it was, which I found hard to believe since he was a guy who lived alone.  I had expected to see clothes thrown everywhere and empty food containers littering the place just like in my brother’s room.  Instead, there was a small entertainment system against one wall and a couch against another wall.  A small table was near the front door, there was the coffee table in front of the couch, and an end table was on either side of the couch.  Other than that, the room was empty.

     Jonathan set the bags he was carrying down next to the others and asked, “Do you want to see the rest of it?”

      I nodded, curious to find out more about him and his life.  He led me through a door that was directly opposite the front door.  We were now standing in the middle of the kitchen which had an island surrounded by cabinets to the left of us.  To the right of us were the stove, sink, a dishwasher, microwave, fridge, and more cabinets.

     I noticed several pots and pans in the sink, “You like to cook?”

     He smirked, “Yep, I’m a budding chef.”

     I chuckled and continued to look around the place.  Other than the dishes in the sink, the kitchen was still as neat as the living room had been.  I noticed another door on the opposite wall which led to the balcony.

     Jonathan pointed to the table out on the balcony and said, “That’s the dining room,” he grinned at me, “at least that’s what everyone says because there’s no room in the kitchen for a table and I don’t have one in the living area.”

     He led me out onto the balcony which turned out to be larger than I thought.  We walked to the left until we came to a sliding glass door.  He opened this door and we entered his bedroom.

     The bedroom was obviously the largest room in the apartment.  Even with a king sized bed, a nightstand, a chest of drawers, and a huge audio system the room still looked quite empty.  Against the wall that separated the bedroom from the kitchen was a pair of folding doors that concealed a closet.  On the opposite wall from the glass sliding doors was the door to the bathroom.  The wall behind the bed was covered in mirrors, like a dance studio.  Looking around his bedroom I realized that he had to be the neatest person I knew.  Everything was so clean that I wondered if he had a maid.

     I turned to Jonathan and asked, “Are you sure you’re not rich?  This place is immaculate.”

     He shook his head, “No, I’m not rich.  This apartment was actually not that expensive.  Most of the furniture I found at second hand stores or flea markets and I just tinkered on them a bit.  I think the entertainment system in the living room cost me the most money.  This place was quite a disaster area when I moved in.  Maintenance had to come in to repair the cracks and holes in the walls, then the walls had to be painted and I requested new carpets and fixed the rest of the place up myself.”

     He took my hand and led me back into the living room, “C’mon, let’s finish unloading the bags.”

     We finished unloading and then left for the other flea market. It was bigger just like Jonathan had said, so we spent a longer amount of time looking around. I saw more beautiful paintings and complained to Jonathan more than once about how I wished I could buy some to hang at home, but there just wasn’t any room. I also knew my parents wouldn’t be thrilled about those paintings ruining their magazine perfect house. So, Jonathan told me to make a deal with him, I’d pick some that I liked and he’d hang them on his empty walls. I finally agreed and chose some that he seemed to like also.

     When we finally left, it was nearly seven o’clock in the evening.  We’d spent all afternoon at the flea markets and I agreed that it was indeed an adventure.  I also knew that I would go there again and even bring Sarah along for the adventure.

     We went back to his apartment, dropped off the things we had brought, and decided to go out for pizza.  We sat in a booth at the back of the restaurant and debated over what kind of pizza we wanted.  We finally agreed on half pepperoni and half Hawaiian.

    After ordering, I asked if he wanted to choose some music in the jukebox, so we went to pick out some songs.  I soon discovered we had the same taste in music.  We both preferred rock, but we liked some rap and techno thrown in for good measure.  Over the pizza, we talked about various music groups and artists that we liked or disliked.

     “You know, I don’t understand why people think Justin is so good, while others think Eminem and Usher are terrible.  I think Justin is like them.  He performs the same kind of music, wears an earring, and sometimes wears leather.  What’s the difference?”

     I shrugged, he had a point.  “Maybe he seems safer or something.”

     Jonathan made a face, “With his newest single?  I would have thought parents would be locking their daughters up!”

     I laughed.  It was hard to picture parents doing that since I personally knew some parents who liked his music too, but I understood what he meant because I didn’t like Justin either.

     As we left the restaurant later, Jonathan asked if I wanted to go dancing again.  I said yes, so we stopped by his apartment, separated my things from his, and carried them to the trunk of his car.

     We returned to ‘Harvey’s’ and this time I relaxed right away.  Jonathan got me a couple of drinks, but soon the night came to an end as eleven began to approach.  I dragged myself off the dance floor and told Jonathan that I had to get home by eleven since I had school the next day.

     He drove me home and helped me unpack the bags from the trunk.  I thanked him for taking me to the flea markets and promised to show him around my house someday.  He nodded, leaned in for a kiss good-bye, then returned to his car.

     As I opened the door, he started the car and waved to me before pulling away from the curb.  I walked inside with my bags, thankful that everyone was already asleep.  I didn’t want to have to explain Jonathan or the bags I was carrying.  In my room, I put all the things Jonathan had brought for me away before going to take a shower.  After the shower, I got into bed, but I wasn’t really sleepy, so I put on my earphones and listened to some music.