I

Love

New York

Chapter 1: Saying Goodbye

          High school graduation, don’t you just hate it? I guess I should explain why. See I’m going to New York for college, leaving everyone in this hick town in Tennessee behind. I plan on being a Broadway director. I have the school set up, the apartment (which my well paid parents are paying for), and an accounting job to hold me over, because I’m good with numbers.

          Well anyways, my name is Clive Van Owen. My father, Nick Van Owen, is German, but my mother, Cindy Hatcher, is American. My father took me to Germany once, not all that great. My mother had a kid with another man, before Nick, my older brother, Frank Wilson. Other than my brother, was pretty much a normal family?  

          Of course I’m ganna miss my friends, I just hate goodbyes. I’ve been trying to work on a speech to tell the girl of my dreams, Samantha Perry. I’ll elaborate; Sammy here is dating my long time friend Joey. They’re going to the same college for teaching, so I don’t really have a chance with her. She has the bluest eyes ever, you feel like you’re next to the ocean, like a breeze is coming off her that cools you down. Well that’s just her eye.

          I though I’d be polite and talk to some people. The graduation is over; instead our teacher Mr. Reeves is throwing a going away party for the class of 2009. I see Reeves standing by the bar drinking a beer, I made myself a drink. I’m twenty-years-old, I’m the oldest in my class, and I got held back in first grade.

          I have known Reeves all my life, he trusted me with a lot of things. He knows I handle my liquor well, and no one else at the party does. Therefore he let my have an alcoholic beverage. I made the traditional, whiskey, club soda, and coke.

I shook Reeves hand, “Hey, Mr. Reeves, good to see you.” We made small talk about sports, weather, then New York.

          Reeves just spurted out, “Hey I’ve been you English teacher for three years now, so I know how your writing is.” I starred at him, waiting for him to get to the point. “I really think you should become a writer, not a director.”

Ha, writer, I suck at writing. Besides who writes for a living, that’s hardly work at all. “I think I’ll stick to directing.”

I turned around and saw Sammy walk into the room. I slipped away from Reeves and made my way to her. “Hey Sam,” I choked out; wondering if now would be the time to tell her how I feel.

“Hey Clive,” Sammy said back. Her saying my name was enough to make me collapse, but I didn’t. God, wouldn’t that be embarrassing.

“How’s ah, Joey doing?” I asked.

“Were doing great,” she said. Damn. “He asked me to marry him,” she said flaunting her ring.” Double damn, shit on a fucking cow. Pardon my French.

I tried to choke out a nice sentence instead I said, “O, now you guy can live in poverty together.” She looked at me very seriously. “That’s not what I meant, I mean you guys can have a happy two year marriage.” Damn I could no find the words to say. “I love you,” I spit out. I’m sure that didn’t help the situation, so I just went with it. “I’ve always love you, and I’ve always though you deserve better than Joey.”

“O and your better,” she shot back.

“No, I’m not, you can do better than me. I just want you to think over the marriage, I don’t want you to make a bad decision.” There is spilt my guts.

She was speechless, so I said one more thing. “I guess this is goodbye,” I said hugging her. Then we broke the embrace. I kissed her cheek and walked off. Don’t turn around, do not turn around.  I must be damn good, because I didn’t turn around. This was like a scene out of a movie or book.