~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No…I…mean…yeah…I mean…” I just can’t seem to talk to her. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach. “Ya know if I like run into you again…here then the water would be on me. Well not on me on me but I’ll like buy…” this girl probably thinks I’m some kind of idiot.

“Umm okay, since you insist…do you come here often?” she asked me.

“Yeah, we come here every day for our morning walks. I love the beach. Ever since I moved here I’ve always felt a calm wash over me. My favorite time to come is in the mornings before the crowd gets here” now I’m just sounding like a babbling fool. I have never been like this when talking with anyone, it’s like…I’m nervous. “Aren’t you hot with all those clothes on? You’ve got a baseball hat, hoodie with the hood on and jeans. It’s not like its 50 degrees out!”

“Uh, well…umm…my hoodie is not a sweat shirt. See it’s thin and I just threw on the hat cause my hair is a mess” she said looking away from me. Her demeanor had changed, like she got all tense.

“Do you come here often?” I wonder what she’s hiding.

“Not since I was in high school. I just got done working almost all night and just wanted to wind down. Ya know like regroup. My life has been complete chaos for some time now and I am just looking for some down time. Enough about me…” she said reaching over to pet Casey. “Your dog is cute, what kind is she?”

“She is a mutt. The vet says she’s a terrier mix, but she looks like she could be part Whippet” I said, looking at her wishing I could see her eyes she’s hiding being those Prada sunglasses.

“She is adorable, how old is she?” she asked, holding the cup of water for the dog to drink from.

“She will be 10 this year. She’s getting old but still full of life!” she is so gentle with her and Casey seems to like her. I glance down at my phone to find out it’s 11:15 and I am running late. “I really hate to do this but I have to get going.”