Something New

By:  Jen

 

Spring. It was the signifier of warm weather, parties, flowers, and love. Love. Something Erik-Michael Estrada knew nothing of. All of his relationships had ended badly and it seemed to be a blueprint for him. All of his friends were content and in love. Jacob had been married for about six months and he and Janie were very happy together. Dan and Erin were still going strong. Trevor had a girlfriend, too- something that was rare. Usually Erik was the one with a girl, not Trevor. And then there was Ashley. Ashley had so many girls after him, it was a revelation that he wasn't over Shelli yet. But he had a few girls he was casually dating.

 

Erik wasn't interested in dating. He was convinced that it would go wrong before it even started.

 

It was on a dazzling Sunday morning that he sat on a bench in a park in the middle of Michigan. The guys were doing a special benefit concert in some insignificant modest town that he couldn't remember the name of. The sun was shining down on the park, the beam glinting off the metal of the slides and swing sets placed along the edge of the park.

 

Erik watched two little girls playing in the sandbox in the center of the park. They were fighting over what kind of sand castle they were going to build. A small smile crossed over his face. Two boys were running around, chasing each other as they played tag with a little girl who looked like them.

 

"Kate, come back here!" he heard a voice call. He looked to his left and saw a little girl with a head full of copper hued curls running across the playground, set on going to a giant hamster-wheel like toy. "Kate!" jogging after the little girl was a young woman.

 

She was tall, about 5'9'' he guessed, and very curvy. She looked about twenty-four, but could've been younger. Her ginger hair was cut short, and flared out at the ends (AN: Like Reese Witherspoon's in "Sweet Home Alabama"). She wore a pair of jeans, a coral colored top and jean jacket over the top. She had a beach bag slung over one shoulder and sunglasses resting on the top of her head.

 

"Kate!" she called again. Erik studied her for a second longer, smiling at the little girl who was almost to him. For some reason, Erik wanted to talk to the woman. He hadn't wanted to talk to any woman besides his mother in over three months.

 

Before he knew it, Erik was standing up and moving in front of the little girl, kneeling in front of her and stopping her.

 

"Hey there, where do you think you're running off to? Your mom doesn't look too happy," he smiled at the little girl.

 

"I'm going to play!" she said. "Mommy knows that," she said matter-of-factly with an attitude.

 

"Does she?" Erik asked as the girl walked over to them, her eyes studying him. "Your mom doesn't look happy," he whispered to the little girl. "If it were my mom, I'd be scared!" he said dramatically. The little girl laughed, her cobalt eyes dancing.

 

"I'm Erik," Erik smiled at her. "What's your name?" he asked the little girl, while looking at her mother.

 

"Kate," the replied. "I'm four," she smiled.

 

"Four? No, you can't be four!" Erik remarked. "I would've guessed at least…thirty," he smiled.

 

"I'm not thirty!" the girl burst into a fit of giggles.

 

"Kate, why don't you go play in the hamster wheel for a few moments?" the lady remarked. "Caroline and Marsha are over there," she pointed. A little girl about six was there with a teenage girl.

 

"Alright Mommy!" Kate grinned and ran off.

 

"Thank you for stopping her," the woman remarked. Erik pushed himself to his full height of six feet. "You have no idea how much energy that little girl has." Erik thought momentarily of Ashley when he was particularly hyper.

 

"Actually, I think I do," Erik smiled. "Erik-Michael Estrada," he held his hand out to her.

 

"Neri," she smiled. "Neri Tillman."

 

"Neri?" Erik asked.

 

"Weird name, I know. I think my parents meant to name me `Mary'," she laughed.

 

"Your daughter is beautiful," Erik looked at Kate, who was laughing gleefully in the hamster wheel.  He'd never seen a playground toy quite like it.

 

"Thank you," Neri smiled. They made small talk as they sat on the bench he'd occupied earlier. People in small towns really were friendlier, Erik noticed. Most people would think he was some kind of creep, hanging out in a park. But in this small town, people just smiled at him and let him be.

 

 

"Neri!" Erik was interrupted by the voice of a handsome man. He had a muscular, athletic build and blonde hair. He was walking toward them from across the park.

 

"Hey!" Neri smiled. The man continued toward them, stopping when he got next to her before sitting down. He leaned over and kissed her lips lightly, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

 

"Erik, this is Jon, Jon this is Erik," Neri made the introductions.

 

^I knew it,^ Erik thought. ^Of course a normal girl, nice and pretty, would have a boyfriend. Of course she would, she has a daughter. Maybe he's not her boyfriend, ^ he said inside his head. ^Maybe he's her husband.^

 

"Nice to meet you," Jon held his hand out to him. Erik forced a smile and nodded. "Is Kate ready?" he continued, turning his attention back to Neri.

 

"Yeah, just a minute," Neri smiled. "Kate!" she called. "Time to go!"

 

From the hamster wheel, Kate looked toward them, saw Jon and grinned before climbing out of the hamster wheel and running toward them at full speed. When she got to them, she jumped into Jon's open arms.

 

"I missed you," Jon hugged her strongly.

 

"Me too," Kate said, still grinning.

 

"You ready to go?" Jon asked, ducking his head to look at her. Kate nodded vivaciously before leaning over and kissing Neri's cheek.

 

"Bye Mommy, see you later!" she said.

 

"Have fun, baby," Neri smiled.

 

"I will!" Kate giggled as Jon picked her up and put her on his shoulders.

 

"See ya Neri," he remarked, grinning at her. "Nice meetin' ya, Erik," he smiled before walking off.

 

"Well, I have to be going," Erik remarked, standing up.

 

"Going?" Neri asked.

 

"You two have a beautiful daughter," Erik remarked, motioning back and forth between Neri and the retreating Jon.  "Two? Jon?!" she asked. "You think he's her father?" at that, Neri burst out laughing.

 

"Well…"

 

"Jon's not her father!" Erik shifted from one foot to another. He was right. He was her boyfriend.

 

"He's not?"

 

"No," Neri smiled. "Jon's…he's a little too happy for me, if you get what I'm saying," Neri grinned. Erik just looked at her, not getting what she was saying. "Jon's gay," she remarked as if it were obvious.

 

"Then he's not your boyfriend?" Erik asked, letting out sigh of relief.

 

"God no," Neri laughed. "Hardly. Jon's my brother-in-law."

 

"Brother in law?" Erik asked. "I thought you said he was gay? Oh…" he stopped. "Wait, never mind," he remarked. "I get it." He blushed, feeling rather slow.

 

"I was gonna say…" she trailed off. "Look, I was just going to go get a bite to eat. You wanna come?" Neri remarked. Erik froze. A non-fan hadn't asked him out in months. And it had been months since he'd wanted to go.

 

"Sure," Erik smiled. Maybe it was the start of Something New.

 

The End

 

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