Mr. White & Lily
Though Lily was walking home, passing intersections and empty parks with occasional homeless men and women with bathrobes and shabby long coats, she didn’t walk just herself - a man who Lily named Mr. White, becoming fond of the way Lily would choose her routes extending longer pieces of time, started walking by her side after every Thursday; he would stay until she turned down her street address, and step soundlessly away from the light posts, and into the darkness of wherever the sidewalks from then on took him. She had come from the University, seven blocks away from home; she turned down several neighborhood streets to make the time longer; going from one empty street to another she delighted herself seeing how small she felt walking among the lonely objects on sidewalks, the ditches she went over, the quiet cats that would spy within the bushes in front yards - everything that the moon touches showed how she became one of them for the next few moments she can, before walking back into her home and going upstairs to her room and locking the door.
“The moon is white today. Does it look blue or white?” Mr. White said, a grin appearing, turning to look at her.
Lily was half way down a strange neighborhood street. She had worn her favorite dress, not too much that she thought she looked strictive and not too less where she became conscious on whether she expressed herself being enough of a traditional college student, or a half together young girl who couldn’t keep much of standard expectations among her peers.
“I think it’s a mix,” Lily said, sure she answered correctly how she thought.
“It could be blue, I think. If you look enough it changes color,” Mr. White said. Lily took a glance at the moon, then turned to observe behind a small lady, with large jean pants and ruff, dry hair that scattered around her tattoos on her cheeks - they passed her and Lily saw she was still watching her walking away as she sat on the edge of the sidewalk - the orange light post strongly outlining the lady’s face from behind without revealing detail on her eyes.
“Everything is different when it’s dark,” Lily said, giggling nervously. She turns back to Mr. White.
“That’s true; Do you remember where you turned?”
“Where did I turn? Yeah. I think I’ve been down most of these roads.”
Lily looked down at her shoes and noticed, and forgotten, this morning she slipped on her red sneakers instead of her running shoes. Looking at her dress however, her running shoes wouldn’t match the color - choosing her sneakers was best fitting in theme - how she wanted to look when walking alone at night was always thought best to prepare her whole day before, and if she wanted to shift her dress to a standard t-shirt then she would hate to be caught looking careless, fearful her traditional function she craved presenting would automatically fade away.
“Did you hear that!” Lily said.
“Heard what?” Looking across the road, then glancing behind where the lady no longer sat the edge, she peered ahead making sure no shadow moved without permission - she looked back at Mr. White and wanted to hug his arms.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mr. White said lightly. “Look at the moon, it’ll keep you safe. See what I mean… it changes color - do you see, it changes.”
Lily half ignored what he said and held his arm. Mr. White didn’t flinch; and Lily was proud of herself. They walked around a corner and Lily thought she heard her mother calling her. “Did you hear that?” Mr. White said, holding a smile.
“I heard it. I think I’m losing it - do you think I’m losing it?”
“No, No. You’re just away from home, is all. When girls are away from home for too long they start hearing things.”
Mr. White chuckled as he said this and Lily decided to chuckle with him, as she thought it lessened the unease, thus, she was able to walk across the street and make her way towards her street address. The park they had to cross was partly lit by purple light posts making the path across a dream that Lily recalled having the last time, then the time after that, then the time after that…
“I think this is where we part. Do you want to meet next time next week?”
Lily stood on the edge of the road as the grass came to an end, and she stood over the edge as though she peered down over a cliff. The wind came and a soft warm hand touched her face as Mr. White turned her head gently, letting her eyes look at his, he said, “You know, you don’t have to go home, we could keep walking. I could show you where I go after.” Lily thought, and glanced down at the door where her home, her mother, her father, and her bedroom, waited and strongly prepared to lock her inside. Holding in a bold courage, she turned to Mr. White and said, “Next time. Right now, I’m not ready to leave, yet. Maybe next time - next time, this time, we’ll go.”
“Fine then. But whenever you’re ready, just tell me,” Mr. White said, he wiped her hair behind her ear and she looked away from him and began walking down the path.
Taking each step she watched how her toes came in contact with the ground, looking behind then, she didn’t see Mr. White leaves, turning back to her house she took out her key and twisted it in the lock, she opened her door and walked inside with precision; looking in the soft darkness her mother and father weren’t home from work.
There wasn’t much to say about the way Lily came home, she was tired and full of fear - very odd, she thought - I came home and nothing seems real; I come home to this very house every time, and yet everything feels unreal. The walk to the University, across the roads and sidewalks, down past the parks and intersection, it all escaped her when she walked through the door and set her backpack on the couch, walking into the kitchen she found herself unable to figure out why she couldn’t set herself, and nothing at all seemed wrong. It must be me - maybe I wasn’t supposed to make it home, Lily thought. Suddenly, she heard the door be unlocked. She closed the fridge and quickly went into her bedroom and locked the door. Mother and father were home.
