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Movies with John

Yesterday John asked me to go to the movies with him. It has been a long time since I saw a movie. If I lived in a city I could take the bus, but since I live in the middle of nowhere, a driver’s license and a vehicle are required. I don’t have either.

I didn’t expect it to be very much fun. I thought they’d pick a horrible movie and actually, I didn’t want to see the one they chose, but miraculously, it turned out to be acceptable entertainment. I was also surprised at how nice John and his sister were. She didn’t seem to have any concept that anything was wrong with me and she didn’t look at me like I was a ghost either. I didn’t expect to fit in with them as well as I did.

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A couple days later, Kerry was in her front yard picking up trash. She had barely got started when a truck drove by her place. John was driving and when he saw her, he waved. She expected him to just keep on driving. After all, all he had promised was a boost and he had a lot of work to do since he was working for the town that summer. But he didn’t. He swung a U-turn in the middle of the road and pulled up in front of her house.

“Hi,” he said as he got up. As he walked towards her, he started picking up dirt encrusted napkins and paper plates.

“Thanks, but you don’t have to do this. It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but still it’s not your fault either. Living here shouldn’t be a crime.”

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

He finished helping her tidy her lawn and when they finished, he looked at her neighbour’s, whose lawn was five times messier than hers. “Let’s clean up this yard, too.”

“We can’t,” Kerry said quietly.

“Why not?”

“There’s a no trespassing sign.”

“So, what’s the owner going to do? We’re helping. They’re not going to come out with a shotgun.” He stepped over the property line and when she hesitated, he came back to get her. Grabbing her hand, he took her across the line. “Come on. We can help.”

Kerry bent over and started picking up candy wrappers. After she had picked up half a dozen things, she saw the curtains move. Her heart quickened. She didn’t want to meet the old lady who lived here. They would certainly get yelled at. It was only a matter of time.

Three.

Two.

One.

The door opened and the lady came out. She was wearing a shapeless cotton dress of ancient pattern and her hair was tied in a low ponytail.

“What are you doing?” she asked sharply.

John answered, “We’re tidying up. We’re almost done, so we’ll be out of here in a second.”

“Don’t you work for the town?” she asked fretfully. “Did the town send you to clean this up because it’s too much of a mess? Because if they did—”

“No. No,” he interrupted. “I’m just helping Kerry.” He pointed to her.

“The girl next door,” the woman acknowledged.

“Yeah.”

“So you won’t be coming back,” the old lady said slowly. It seemed like she was losing strength just standing there.

“Excuse me?” John asked. “Do you need someone to help you with this on a regular basis?”

The woman’s whole face scrunched up distastefully. “I don’t want to bother anybody.”

“Kerry, do you think you could help?” John asked, looking at her.

Kerry was horrified beyond belief that John was volunteering her for this, but at the same time, there was a part of her that had always felt that it would be better if she did help. She gave into the softer side of herself and said, “I can do it. It only takes a minute.”

The lady looked surprised and a little skeptical. It was obvious that she didn’t think Kerry would actually follow through. All the same, she smiled and mumbled a word of thanks before she went back into her house.

As Kerry and John walked back, he said, “Thanks for being so helpful when I put you on the spot. I appreciated your willingness. You have a good heart.” He patted her on the head.

And she was speechless.