CHAPTER TWO
Max
The girl is here again today. I watch her handing out lollipops to random strangers. Because she’s friends with a good friend’s little girl, Gwen, I know she spends four or five dollars a day on those lollipops. She just hands them out. She buys them at the grocery store and hands them to anyone she sees as she walks around. I have no idea why in the world she does this. It’s confusing to me. I know it isn’t on behalf of the grocery store. I know because that’s the first thing I ask Gwen. Nope. It’s not samples to advertise. She’s just doing it.
At the moment, I sit on a chair outside of a coffee shop sipping coffee. I watch her as she hands out lollipops. I’m fascinated with the mystery.
Okay, full disclosure. I’m also fascinated with this girl’s appearance. She wears a sundress white sundress today and it perfectly complements her bright smile and happy eyes. She has her hair braided and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look so wholesome and sweet. She even has a flower in her hair, tucked right by her ear.
Oh, who the hell am I kidding? The most noticeable thing about her appearance for me is the silhouette of her body as the sun shines through the sundress.
I can’t figure her out. I don’t understand her and, honestly, I’m not used to not understanding things. I’m irritated at the moment because I can’t remember her name.
“Hey, Daisy!” a kid of about nine calls as he rushed up to her.
She smiles and says, “I bet Brandon wants a lollipop!”
He nods. “Cherry!”
She laughs and says, “I only hear colors, silly.”
The kid blushes and says, “Red, please.”
She hands him the lollipop and I still stare in wonder. I just don’t get it. This is…
Daisy.
My mind just repeats the name over and over. It’s an odd experience. A few other people see her and there are more lollipops. Then, a customer a table down calls to her. She takes a lollipop and tries to pay her and Daisy flatly refuses. The woman says, “Okay but I’m still gonna offer to pay tomorrow.”
Daisy laughs and says, “Just like every day.”
The woman grabs a muffin and presses it to Daisy’s hand. “It’s not money. Take it!”
Daisy laughs and says, “Okay, but just to keep you from obsessing about it all day.”
The woman smiles and says, “I win!”
Daisy says, “Great job. See you tomorrow!”
I zone out for a second because I realize Daisy probably comes to this coffee shop every day. That means I can see her every day.
Why the hell am I thinking about that.
“What kind of lollipop do you want?” she asks, and I stare up at her.
“Yellow,” I say.
“Oooh! I like a man who knows how to talk about lollipops.” Why does that feel like a caress? “So you’re officially one of my favorite people now.”
She rummages through her bag for a moment and I spend that moment failing to find words to say to her and driving myself crazy wondering how she can affect me so much that I’m actually speechless in front of her.
“Hmm,” she says, “Well, darn it. I guess I don’t have any yellows left.”
“That’s okay,” I say, finding my voice. “I’ll take an orange one.”
“No, no, no,” she says. “You want a yellow, you’re getting a yellow.”
“It’s really no big deal,” I say.