Mr.Sandman

(6) Lonesome Nights are Over

The suspense was worth killing. My mind on little else, I attacked the computer.
I Googled ‘Nyles’ on the internet and after two pages, I got an article from the Miami Herald with the picture of him in swimming trunks and goggles on his forehead.
I double clicked on it and gaped. It was him, caught in photography, coming out of a pool and leaning forward to receive a medal.
I made the image smaller and went back to the article, reading.
“Raine Nyles, age:18
100 free record holder: 1:15:72
And Captain of Brickell High School’s Swim Team says,
‘The team’s support is important under any circumstance, and with it, I’ll one day swim across the Atlantic Ocean.’
Other swimmers pictures followed and a brief description under them like captions.
It made sense, the dreams about the sea, that he should be a swimmer. That Raine should be a swimmer.
I spoke his name out loud and I blushed. The fact he had a name made it so much more intimate.
I thought back on his school. I had never heard of Brickell High. But I had heard of Brickell Rd.
Of course, since it was summer, he must have already graduated. How would I find him?
Still scrolling on the screen I stopped at a familiar picture of someone taking breath after a breaststroke. I read the caption.
It was my friend, Amy. She was the captain for both the girl’s soccer team and the school’s swim team.
She might know more about him! I bit my lips in happiness, how wonderful things were turning out for me!
What a change!
I got my phone book and dialed her cell number. The answering machine came on and I cursed my lapsing luck.
“Hey, Ames, It’s Tracy. Did you meet a Raine Nyles at any of your swimming competitions? Call me back A.S.A.P. Thanks.” I clicked and thought.
What if she couldn’t tell me anything?
I would be screwed.
I decided to take a nap.
Life would seem better, at least with Raine.
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“When I was younger, my brother told me mayonnaise was pus.” Raine grunted, looking away from his burger.
I scrunched my nose at my plate and nudged his arm. “Your evil. How can you say that when I’m about to eat it?”
He smiled and leaned on his elbows, his face inches from mine. “Maybe I want you to take a bite of something else.”
I snorted and he laughed. “I’d rather the burger.”
“I don’t.” he hummed playfully.
“You’re a tease.” I countered with a smile.
“I am no such thing, you and I were born to cling to one another with nothing but our leather-” I covered his mouth and looked around the restaurant. The people were blurry silhouettes of color. I saw the large yellow ‘M’ over one of the booth walls.
“Do you mind?” I grinned at him.
His smile was soft and beautiful, his eyes on me and sparkling. “I do.”
His hand clasped mine. I tilted my head and I touched his black shirt sleeve.
His hand tightened and I looked up.
His eyebrows had settled into a frown and then they relaxed with his grip.
“What was that?” I asked.
“What was what?” he took a bite from his burger.
My smile fell. “Nothing.”
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I woke to the ring tone of the Gorillaz ‘Feel Good Inc.’.
Sitting up, I picked up my phone.
“Yellow?”
“Tracy?”
“Ames, hey!”
“Hey, so what’s up with your call? Trying to freak me out?”
“No, so, do you know him?”
“Yeah, I met him several times, he’s nice. Why, Tracy?”
“I met him, but I want t get to know him better.”
“Then call him instead of calling me, silly girl.”
“I don’t have his number.”
“Oh, then go by where he works.”
“I know it’s a McDonalds, but I don’t know which one it is.”
“Oh, I didn’t know it was a McDonald’s he worked at. He told me he worked On 8th street. Is there a McDonalds on 8th street?”
“I have no clue…”
“Why not call Natalie? She’s a walking Mapquest.”
“Great idea! Thanks Ames, talk to you later!”
She laughed and hung up.
I dialed Natalie.
“I’m at church, make it fast.” she answered.
“Natalie, is there a McDonalds on 8th street?”
She sighed. “Yeah, next to that place where I bought my school ring and you had to go at the last minute to buy your cap and gown for graduation.”
I remembered it. YES, Oh my god, YES!
“Thank you, I love you!”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I clicked and rummaged through my closet for a better outfit.
I was out of breath by the time I reached the closet doors.
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I was under a restricted driver’s license, so getting out of the house wasn’t as easy.
In a clean pair of Capri jeans and a lacy brown shirt, I took the keys and called out to my mom from the doorway.
“Mom! I’m gonna go out for a while.”
“Alright, sweetie, but don’t get yourself in a pickle!”
“Sure.” I said closing the door behind me. It was easier than I thought it would be.
Fate was finally on my side! I floated to the car.
The trip was easy as I actually knew how to get there like the back of my hand and entering the parking lot, I needed extra minutes of breathing before unstrapping myself and getting out of the car.
The place was pretty empty and the smell of cheap fast food made my head ache.
I went to the front counter with a battering heart and clammy hands.
The employee wasn’t him. It was the guy with the green Mohawk.
“Welcome to McDonalds, how can I help you?” I looked to his name tag.
His name was Albert.
“Um, Is Raine here?” I couldn’t meet his gaze.
“Raine, naw, his shift starts in like, 10 minutes, he usually comes in late. The prick is always sleeping.” He smacked the cash register and it beeped.
“Sleeping?”
“Yeah, ever since the accident, he just sticks to sleeping. I can’t complain around him cuz he gets all angry, but you know him, nod to what he says and deal with it. Doesn’t matter to him they’ll fire me for letting him come in late.”
I looked at his name tag again and smiled weakly. “Thanks, Albert, I’ll be over at the booths waiting for him.”
He sniffed and spit into a McDonalds soda cup he’d been filling up with saliva.
I turned around and went to an empty booth.
Accident?
What accident?
I remembered him telling me he needed me.
Had I misunderstood him?
“Yo, man? How about appearing at the time your shift starts for once?” Yelled Albert.
“Fuck off, I’m early today, alright? Shit.” I heard Raine respond angrily.
“Fuck you, there’s some chick waiting for you. Last time I do you any favors.”
“What chick?”
I froze. I was ready to hurl a life’s worth of food.
“She’s over there, came here asking for you. Whatever your gonna do, do it fast, I need you on the grill.” Albert pouted.
I covered my eyes. BREATHE, I told myself. BREATHE!
I heard the squeak of the plastic seat and glimpsed up. Raine was sitting down, fixing his visor with his eyes angrily towards the counter.
The only thing that kept me from crossing the table and pinning him down was the thought of the possibility that he might not know me.
Oh shit.
What was I doing?
He turned his gaze at me and went rigid, his lips parting with a surprised ‘O’ and his eyebrows rising to his hairline.