”So I got this girl coming over tonight.”

”Yeah, congrats. You want a cookie?”

”Nah, I mean she’s swinging by for the Ep, ya know.”

”Ah, I see. Anticipation is pure extacy.”

”What does that mean?”

“Forget it. So what’s her name?”

”Erin. I met her at this restaurant. She’s small, but has this chest. Man, I can’t wait to see what’s under that shirt.”

”Sounds good. Just dont’ get cast in an MGM flick.”

”And that is…”

”Manipulation, Greed, and Melinda.”

“Who’s Melinda?”

”She’s this girl I knew a while back, when I was moving around with Circuit City.”

”When was this?”

”You want to hear the story or not?”

I’d just moved into Samberg and it took them two day before they found me a phone that actually got service. Yes, I worked with Circuit City. I was the salesman that helped open new stores, teach employees and all that.

So I’m in this building and it’s like four apartments with a laundry room in the basement. I would sit down there and read while I did my laundry. Taht’s where I met her.

She was 16 (legal age) and everything was so firm. I thought she was older at first inspection, but when she spoke, I could hear the age in her voice and what she said. The first time I saw her, she was still in her St. Pius uniform and I’ve always had a fetish…

”What you reading?”

”The Odyssey by Homer. You ever read it?”

”Nah. We were supposed to for English, but I got out of that.”

Everything always starts out simple, then it goes down a bumpy road.

I kept running into her. In the basement, at the Safeway, even one time when I was at Blockbuster. I hadn’t rented in months and figured there would be something I’d missed in the theatre. I started in New Releases from Z and worked my way backward. I met her at O.

”Hey, how you doing?”

”Fine. I just came to pick up Lolita. How about you?”

”Really? What version?”

”Version of what? You mean the movie? Oh, the one with Jeremy Irons and that girl…”

”You know there’s an older version, right?”

”I’m just trying to watch it to not read the book.”

”Well, the old one is more true to the text. I got it back and the crib, if you want to borrow it?”

”Really? Wow. Thank, maybe I’ll do that.”

BEEP BEEP!!!

”Oh, that’s me. I gotta go, but I’ll stop by.”

I watched her jog out of the brick and mortar, wondering how gravity just didn’t seem to effect certain women.

I don’t remember what movie I got because I was almost waiting at the door for her to knock.

The life of a traveling salesman is lucrative, if played correctly. But extremely lonely. It’s hard to find a girl that’s willing to move every 6 to 9 months. Plus, once you get going, you never really have enough time to really settle down and get to know people.

Yeah, you make friends and sometimes enemies, but you aren’t there long enough to establish an identity. More importantly, you can’t really see what those people are like.

Everyone has a mask that they showcase to the public and rarely is it clear. Everyone has a skeleton or two…

She knocked on the door Thursday afternoon. It was 6:30, but she was still in uniform, wearing her backpack.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

”Have any white wine?”

”Aren’t you underage, miss?”

”I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Then she smiled at me. I don’t remember much then, just that smile echoes back through my memory. It wasn’t friendly, it wasn’t innocent. But it wasn’t seductive or slutty. It just…fit the moment, I guess. Or maybe I just let my mind play tricked on me.

Maybe I wanted that smile to mean so much more than it actually did. I gave her the wine.

For weeks, the events of that night were played in slow motion in my head. Now, I only think about the key points. She put on Marvin Gaye and we talked about music. Then she bent over. I don’t remember why, but she must have stayed like that forever.

When she straightened up and turned back around, I was still staring.

”You like what you see?”

”Yeah, I mean, yes, but I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”

”Oh, don’t worry about it. It happens all the time.”

I can’t remember who kissed who first, but I know I carried her into the bedroom soon afterwards.

It was one of the greatest nights of my life, made even more special when she said,

”I’m on the pill.”

Round 3 was done around 11 p.m. I know only because I was trying to time myself. I wanted this to last.

”Shouldn’t you be getting home?”

”You want me to go?”

”God, no. I just don’t want you to get in trouble. Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

She smiled.

”Wait right there.”

She came back into the room, all dressed with her school bag. She threw it on the bed at me.

”Open it.”

It was full of clothes.

”They’re having parent-teacher conferences tomorrow. My mom thinks I”m at a friend’s house for the weekend. Besides, she just got a new boyfriend and they’ll probably want the house cleared.”

I was speechless, but the silence seemed to worry her.

”It’s not OK if I stay here?”

You could almost see a tear start to form in her hazel eyes. She stood in my doorway and the light from the other room did wonders. I could have went 20 rounds that night.

”I’m sorry. I’m just in shock, that’s all.”

”Well, I remember the first time we met. You seemed nice, but I knew you were smitten with the uniform. Most men are.”

”Especially with you in it. Come here.”

We never watched the movie. I cooked pancakes and bacon for breakfast. She made Corn Puffs for lunch. We skipped dinner.

After that weekend, she would stop by. I met her mom and told her I was tutoring her daughter, helping her out. I just didn’t know who was doing what.

This went on for weeks and finally, I couldn’t stand it. I wanted her all the time. I started slipping at work because I couldn’t stop thinking of her. If she told me she’d stop by at 7:15, I would flip at 7:16. Soon, she began the notice, then

POOF!

Just like that, she was gone. I didn’t feel brave enough to ask her mom and the City transferred me two weeks later. I never got a chance to say goodbye, but what would I be saying bye to. My youth, trapped between the legs of a 16-year-old girl.