The Time Between

Shortly after things between Joe and I were finished, Tom and I discussed an incident that occured at McDonald's that put everything into perspective.
One day after school we went to McDonald's before some sort of band function. I asked Joe to go up to the counter to get something for me, I don't know what that's not important now. He did but he came back with an empty bag. Tom said that I deserved someone who would bring me what I wanted and not just the container it came in. It was such an epiphany. Guys will promise you the world but often come empty handed, sneaky, palms closed, untrustworthy. Whatever, it made sense then. I'm not materialistic, it's just a metaphor. Mostly I was tired of the same old thing, defending my friendships which I didn't feel needed to be defended.

I didn't get together with the next guy right away. I hung out with my friend Amy alot. We would go out with Tom and one of his friends. Mostly Ben A. at this point. Cause, Amy liked Ben. It was at this time I know Tom did still want to date me. He had dated another girl our sophomore year while I was with Joe. By his own admission he thought it would make me jealous. Didn't really work, she was one of my friends and he was a great guy, mostly I was happy for her, and him because she was a great girl. I don't really get jealous.

On one occasion during that summer, a friend named Mark was going away to Germany for the year so he had a party. He was a mutual friend of mine and Joe's, so Joe was there. Tom couldn't make it because he was on a family vacation so I went with Amy. During the party, I gave Joe his space. I didn't want to force anything, he might still be mad and what would a scene accomplish. I had nothing to say to him. I did say we could still be friends so not talking to him at the party really angered him. I didn't exactly ignore him, I just stayed away from him. On the way to the car, we walked past a swing set, the party was at a park, Joe was swinging with one of his friends. He said loudly something like, "Oh look, she won't even talk to me anymore! She said we'd still be friends!" It was very uncomfortable, but warranted, I felt anyway. He didn't understand my method, what I was doing was trying to give him space but he wanted to talk, about what? There was nothing to say. He clearly wasn't in the right mind to be civil, so I really said nothing, I just walked to the car. Amy tried to calm him down, I don't really know what she said to him but it worked, she was good at that. Tom was irritated that he hadn't been there I don't know why, I thought I handled it fine.

By the end of the summer, Tom and I were dating. This was cemented by the experience we had at band camp. Now get your minds out of the gutter, not all band camps are like that of "American Pie!" All during band camp I was ill with some sort of sickness that made me really really tired. I would get short of breath and unable to march. I got to ride in the gimp mobile. Which was just a van that the asthmatics and the dude who twisted his ankle, or something like that, rode back to the dorm in.
One night I went into shock. I got all the way to my room, with Ben and Amy helping me, and then I went down. The had to carry me back to the elevator and get me back down to the lobby. They laid me down on a bench just in time for the band to come in the building, and Tom kind of freaked out he was so scared, that's kind of sweet. They pulled the geek mobile around front and Amy and Ben rode with me to the hospital. Tom didn't go because Amy said he'd be to upset and upset me more. Anyway we sat around the waiting room in the er and found I had Bronchitis. Lot's of fun. It got me out of practice. So it was really late at night by the time we got back to the dorm. I called my Mom who was really upset. I think she cried. Weird. Then Ben and Amy took me to Tom's floor where he had waited all night by the elevator for me to come back. Then I went to bed.

After that the summer was pretty much over and we were dating. So stay tuned for that...