Totem (4 page)

              “What was that?” I ask Michelle referring to the kiss.

              “It is how people in New Orleans say good bye and hello to friends.” She rubs her cheek where Jake gave her a side kiss. “I guess we will have to get used to it. It’s kind of funny though. It reminds me of the kisses the French give as greetings. Only it is just on one cheek. And guys DO NOT do it to other guys. They just give handshake, but girls give each other kisses. It’s all confusing.”

              “So are we supposed to air kiss back?”

              “Yep,” Michelle laughs at my comment. “I guess as soon as we get used to it.”

              I shrug my shoulders as we begin to walk away from the front and deeper into the bar. I take a sip of my beer. It is cold and feels good as it goes down my parched throat. Despite my very small knowledge of alcohol, I am no stranger to beer.

              Often in high school, we would get older brothers to supply us with beer in exchange for cash. A case of beer and a lazy summer Saturday made for a deadly combination. Dressed in bathing suits we would go up into the woods following the small creeks trailing up the mountains. What we were looking for were the tiny gullies that would form. In these little pools we would relax in the cool water sipping on a cold beer. The hike itself usually took us a half an hour in and under the cover of the wilderness we were left alone to just be rebellious teenagers. It was in these handfuls of occasions that I would learn about beer. One thing I learned in those carefree summer days was that I enjoyed the taste of beer. My favorite beer of choice will always be Ying ling even though they don’t sell it here.

              Without speaking, Michelle and I step forward into the crowd. The music grows louder as we begin to walk to the back of the big room. To the right of us is a dark stained wooden L-shape bar, crowds of people are standing around it. Some talk aimlessly to each other while others wait for the bartender to help them. On the back wall, behind the bar is a large mirror. In front of the mirror are bottles of every type of liquor imaginable or at least that’s the way it seems to my untrained eye. Of course none of these top shelf liquors are being used by the college fueled crowd gathered tonight. Michelle and I continue to walk towards the back of the bar past vacant tables. A pool table lit up by fluorescent lights sits in front of us. I glance to the right and look at the jukebox where the music pours out into every open space of the bar.

              I watch a small group of girls as they dance in front of the machine. Their bodies sway and move in response to the beats pulsating through the floor. All of them have a drink in one hand and a carefree smile across their faces as they get lost in the music. They are dressed up like we are in their finest party attire and seem to be enjoying each other’s company. They pause only when the music stops. Then, as if synchronized, they begin up again as a song I have never heard comes on. A few of them let out a cheer in recognition and begin to dance in a distinctive style. Immediately I can hear the orders that the rapper is singing and the girls respond with unified moves. The song is one I later come to recognize as a song that is distinctively New Orleans. It is a style called New Orleans bounce and sounds like rap bouncing on a pogo stick. The beat pops more times than needed to move the song forward and so do the bodies of the dancers. I take another sip of my beer as I watch.

              I want to learn this. We pull ourselves up into bar-height seats around a small table. It takes Michelle a little extra to hoist up due to her height, but she handles it like a pro.

              “So have you been to a lot of bars back home?’ I ask.

              “Some,” states Michelle taking a sip of her drink. “It’s a lot harder to get into bars in Houston. You have to go to the under twenty-ones and they don’t serve minors.”

              She rolls her eyes. I nod. I am sure that it would be the same wherever else I would have ended up. It always struck me as odd that you are considered an adult at eighteen but still withheld certain rights until you are twenty-one. Those three years do not make you older or wiser. Besides, most people drink anyways. They find ways. Even if you upheld the law and did not sip a single beer until you turned twenty-one, you would still go through the same steps of learning your limit with alcohol. Nothing would change regardless of your age. I find it to be one of the most pointless laws in existence. I look around. Here in the state that was last to change their drinking age to twenty-one for fear of losing federal tax dollars, was a quiet rebellion going on. The only time I was told it mattered in New Orleans was around Mardi Gras, a holiday I was all too ready to celebrate.

              “Hey!” Michelle and I turn our heads into the direction of the voice. I see her perk up and adjust her posture out of the corner of my eye. Walking across the bar towards us is Daniel. He is wearing dark blue jeans and a light blue polo with his hair gelled up into careless spikes. Beside Daniel is our new acquaintance Jake. Daniel walks up to Michelle and gives her a side kiss on the cheek. Then leans in and does the same to me. I am ready this times and do my best to reciprocate the cordial yet endearing gesture.

              “So what you think?” Daniel opens up his arms gesturing to the whole bar.

              “Nice party,” I state matter-of-factly. “I notice you are not in your Frat attire.”

              “Fraternity,” he corrects me with a smile. “Upperclassmen tend to wear other clothes besides our jerseys.” He winks at me causing my cheeks to turn pink.

              “I like it,” chirps Michelle as she seizes the opportunity to touch his shirt. “Do you ever play volleyball next door?” She asks as she leaves her hand on his shirt.

              “Yeah we do. The fraternity will have events there a few times. It’s really cool. You can hang there on an empty court and buy a bucket of beer for real cheap.”

              “Do you have to pay for the courts?” I ask.

              “No,” Daniel replies. “I think they get most of their money from league games. You have to pay to play in a league which I think helps pay their rent on the land. When we go, it’s just open court.”

              “Who owns the land?”

              “No one,” he states. “It’s owned by the city. I think because it floods, the city can’t technically sell it so they do long contracts. All the boat houses and things out here have to rent their land as well.”

              “That is also why everyone in the marina raises their buildings,” adds Jake.

              “Interesting,” I state. “So how long have you two known each other?” I ask pointing at the two of them.

              “Jake is my little brother in the fraternity,” states Daniel taking a swig of beer.

              I had no idea what he meant by that. From the way he said it, I could tell that Jake was not his biological little brother. Rather the title meant something different. I did not want to look completely unknowledgeable on the subject of Greek life so I nod my head.

              “Too much talking.” A sly smile creeps over Jake’s lips bringing his brilliant dimples out from hiding. “Would you two ladies care to dance?” Jake’s smile turns up a few more watts as he holds out a hand to us.

              “Buy the two of us a shot first and we are all yours,” replies Michelle with an even more devious smile than Jake’s.

              “As you wish,” Jake bows as he shoots off to the bar.

              Daniel nods his head towards Jacob signaling for us to follow. Gentlemanly, he holds out a hand to help Michelle out of her seat. Michelle accepts his help with a smile. Fueled by a group shot of tequila (with training wheels), we try our luck at dancing with our two new escorts.

              It was a fun night to be had by all. Michelle and I passed the time dancing as we made new friends. Everyone was nice and with the introduction of alcohol no one was a stranger. It was my first college party and I was not disappointed in the least. Michelle chased up her shot with water. One beer and one shot was enough for Michelle as she was the driver. Shortly after 2:00 a.m., we left the party. My body immediately became warm as we stepped out of the air-conditioned bar and into the thick, warm air of a traditional New Orleans summer night. The heat made me all too aware that the last few drinks had caused my perception of the earth to tilt.

              “That was fun,” states Michelle as she searched for her keys.

              “That was awesome!” I exclaim slightly tipsy from the shot and four beers.

              “What a light weight,” jests Michelle as she continues to search for her keys inside her purse.

              Immediately my eyes are drawn to the water. I leave Michelle searching for keys and walk to the edge of the large lake separated by a cement barrier. In the distance are tall buildings in the direction of Metairie. I see twinkling lights from cars way off on the horizon as they cross this monstrous lake.

              Only in New Orleans can cars drive on water I think in my inebriated state. I cannot help but to smile. I am so happy. 

              “How in the heck can this little purse hide my keys so well?” states Michelle sending me out of my daydream.

              “Magic,” I respond holding my hands open. I raise my head towards the sky.

              Michelle laughs at me. I look at her and smile. I am so glad to have a roommate like Michelle. I am so glad to be attending college in a city like New Orleans. The whole thing is still surreal to me. I look across the parking lot where a single raven sits on the sidewalk under a street lamp. It gazes at us quizzically. Perhaps it is looking for food.

              “Ah! Here are my keys.”

              They jingle as she pulls them out of her purse. I begin walking to the passenger side door as she presses the button on her keychain to unlock the doors. With a huge smile I lean across her car resting my head on my elbows.

              “Michelle.”

              She halts getting into her car and glances at me.

              “I like you!” I proclaim slightly slurring my words. “You know what else? I can tell this is going to be an awesome year for the two of us!”

              Michelle’s face lights up with a smile. There is a twinkle in her eye as she looks at me with hope and adoration. It is the same adoration I have for her and in that one moment, we connect.  It is the connection two human beings have when they become closer to each other. We are growing together with a friendship that could blossom into a sisterhood.  Her grin widens and she shakes her head breaking the connection.

              “Get in drunkie,” she states as she plops into the driver’s seat.

              “Yes, ma’am,” I reply attempting my best southern voice as I plop into my seat. Even in my tipsy state, I can tell my feelings were genuine. I cannot wait to see what the year would hold for the two of us. I bid farewell to the lone raven as we drive off.

             
I walk into
the Human Performance Center in a lull. It’s week two of college and the Louisiana heat is still thick in the air. I wipe the sweat off my forehead stepping into the cool gym. Thank goodness the teacher planned volleyball inside the first half of the semester and soccer outside the second half. I spot Michelle on the other side of the gym. She waves at me as I begin walking across the shiny wood floor to join her. Most of the students mill around in the same area barely talking. People are still getting used to each other so conversation is at a minimum. Michelle and I talk freely amongst each other as we wait for class to start.

              “How was biology?” asks Michelle

              “Eh?” I shrug. “It was biology.”

              I like biology, but going over the classification system is mind numbingly boring. Plus listening to my teacher as he discusses how he discovered nine different types of fish for the twentieth time is getting old. Soccer and Volleyball is a much-needed relief from science.

              “So are you ready for some volleyball?” I ask Michelle feeling pumped.

              “Definitely!”

              I begin to stretch a little as we wait for our teacher. My legs are sore and cramped from our workout last night. The tension begins to drain out of them as I continue stretching. Finally, I feel like I am beginning to fall into a workout routine which consists of gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then, I go for a run on Saturday. Eventually I want to work in more runs but with the heat and my class schedule, I am finding it hard to make time. I sit down in a butterfly stretch pressing my chest to my feet. I look down at the hardwood floor. I stare intently at the natural swirling patterns of the wood as I feel my muscles fight and then eventually give in to the stretch.

              “Check THAT out,” Michelle’s voice got urgent.

              In this situation, I knew when I looked up there would most likely be some acceptably cute guy walking across the gym. I roll my eyes and finish my stretch before looking up. What my eyes beheld is something more beautiful and bewitching than anything else I have seen in my life.

              My breath hitches inside my throat as I blink my eyes making sure he is real. My heart pounds faster causing the world to move in slow motion as the most attractive man I have ever laid eyes on walks across the gym with our teacher. His skin is copper tan and his black hair tussled in a carefree way bouncing and shifting as he walks towards us. I watch him perhaps unknowingly staring at the poor new guy too much as our coach freely chats away with him. As he gets closer, I notice his outfit. He is wearing a green V neck t-shirt with a pair of black shorts. I can tell by the way his clothes hang that there is a nice physique underneath the soft cloth. I continue to stare until he joins the group with our coach. My gaze would have persisted had he not looked directly at me. As if shielding my eyes from something bright, I look away but not before I catch a glimpse of his eyes. They are startling. His light brown eyes were a complete contrast to his dark features. I chance a quick glance at him targeting his eyes.

              “Hi everyone,” begins Coach Lopez. “This is Ty. He will be joining our class for the rest of the semester.”

              Ty smiles and straight piercing white teeth greet the class. I look around at the other handful of girls in this male dominated class to gage their reaction. Just as I thought, they all stare at him longingly. My admiration of this new gorgeous guy is interrupted as Coach Lopez starts class.

              “Ok, so we had a week to get to know how everyone plays with free play. We all got to go over the rules as well as briefly go over technique. Now, we are going to break into four teams to do a round robin. Do we have any takers on being captain?”

              Of course the two muscular guys raise their hands. When no one else volunteered, coach picked two other people to be captains. Memories of my high school gym class begin to flash through my mind as the captains one by one begin picking players for their teams. True to form, I was not the first player picked, but like in high school I was nowhere near the last. Michelle and I were separated onto different teams for the first time since class had started. She shoots me a pretend frown as we divide up and make our way to our assigned courts.

              “Ok, team,” shouts Evan, my team captain. I roll my eyes. Evan is one of those types who didn’t get enough competitive sports in high school. Missing out on some unseen glory, he tries to relive it in every miniscule competition he can. If he really wanted to relive it, he should have played a sport in college.

              “Ok, team. Our team name is going to be…” Evan lets a dramatic pause go by, “Team America!”

              Some people smile but the general consensus seems to be that we are just going to do whatever it takes to make it through this class with Evan as our fearless leader. He begins barking off more orders as we organize our team’s rotation. Opposite me, on the other team, is the new guy. Secretly inside I am leaping for joy. Now I have a legitimate reason to stare in his direction. So I did. Ty is beautiful. His muscles are defined and he moves flawlessly as he swings his arms back and forth warming them up for the game. He takes a spot on the back row. I must have been staring too intently. His eyes meet mine. Quickly I look away as shyness unexpectedly takes over me. Shooting Ty a halfhearted embarrassing smile, I force my mind to concentrate on the game.

              “Zero serving zero!” I snap my head around just in time to see Evan make contact with the ball sending it soring over the net. The other team volleys it back. The ball went to the guy behind me. I hear a loud thud as he hits the ball sending it back over the net to a small girl on the other side. Feebly, she hits it sending it out of bounds and earning us our first point.

              “Yeah! Team America!” Evan shouts from behind as he recollects the ball to serve again. “One serving zero!”

              Evan sends the ball flying over the net. Where the girl in the middle swings and misses.

              “Yeah, Ace!” Shouts Evan.

              “I’d like to kick your ACE,” I state to myself under my breath.

              I look up and my eyes naturally find Ty’s handsome face. I feel my chest tighten as I notice him intently looking at me. A small smirk finds its way across his face as if in response to my pun on words and joke at Evan’s expense.

              Crap, am I saying it out loud? I look around at the people surrounding me to see if there are any signs they heard me. They all are completely wrapped up in the game oblivious of what I said. I look back at Ty. His smile grows wider. Then his eyes flicker back toward Evan. His concentration is back in the game and no longer on me.

              Once again, Evan sends the ball soring over the net. He places the ball in the same spot as last time. This time the girl is ready for it. She pops it up in the air to the front row. A guy sets it up for another who pounds it in to the gym floor on our side thus ending Evan’s reign as server.

              “Let’s try to hold on and get all three touches like that before we hit it over the net guys,” commands Evan.

              “I’d like to hit you over the net,” I whisper under my breath.

              As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret saying them. I know I am trying to think before I speak, but Evan pushes my buttons the wrong way. I know no one could hear it, but for some reason I quickly look for Ty. He is smiling, but this time he isn’t looking at me. He seems to be laughing at a private joke. I shrug off the notion that Ty can hear me. There is no way. The game continues as me and the rest of the team tolerates Evan. As soon as the game is done, I walk off the court to get a drink of water. Michelle comes hopping over to me.

              “We play you next.” She states with a smile. “I was kind of hoping to play against the new guy, but oh well.”

              “Yeah,” I respond. I can feel my body heat up as my face flushes. I shrug it off and smile at Michelle. She looks at me inquisitively. She analyzes my face for several seconds before speaking.

              “Miss Kimber,” Michelle states with a fake southern accent. “I do declare your blushing. Do you have a crush?”

              “Shh!”

              I quickly hush Michelle before she says anything else. Truth be told, she didn’t have to say anything else to know her words were true. The sly smile across her face said it all. Coach Lopez blew the whistle saving me from any further scrutiny. I dodge Michelle’s accusatory grin and return to the court first. Ty is not across from me anymore. Now I can really concentrate on playing.

              “Let’s go!” Yells Evan

              Now I just have THAT to worry about. I let out a small grunt of disgust as I get into position to play.

              The game went by quickly. Much to my relief, we won. I did not want to see what Evan would have done if we lost. His accusatory tone each time we missed a ball would probably pale in comparison. I grab my stuff and begin the slow walk out of the gym. We were the last to leave as usual. I did not mind. We always mill around and talk for a while before going outside. Today, I was extra thankful for not going out early. I did not think my body had the strength to handle seeing any more of Ty. Thankfully, he had already left and I could relax.

              “So Mr. Lopez is kind of hot.”

              “Michelle” I scold.

              “What?” replies Michelle defensively

              “He is our teacher,” I reply.

              “Yes, but he is not that old. I mean, he is probably twenty-five…twenty-eight tops. There are guys in our class older than him,” retorts Michelle. “Besides, he is short for a guy which is perfect for me.”

              “True, but he is our teacher,” I laugh as we push open the door. I hold it open for Michelle allowing her to exit first. As I walk through the door, my heart begins to race again. There, carelessly leaning against the wall talking casually with our teacher is Ty. Their attention turns toward us, the only other people in the hallway. Ty stops leaning against the wall and adjusts his posture as we walk closer. I bite my lip. The only option we have now is to go forward towards the front exit.

              “Hey coach Lopez,” greets Michelle.

              She has on her award-winning smile as we approach the two men. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Michelle’s reaction to Ty wondering if he has this effect on all women. She has the same smile as always. Her attitude is carefree, but it is the same confidence she exudes for all guys she finds attractive. Why did I react this way to Ty? It is something I cannot explain. I concentrate on my breathing hoping to still my heart before we get closer.

              “Hi Michelle,” replies Coach Lopez ignoring Michelle’s flirtatious attitude. He turns his attention back to Ty. “Ty, this is Michelle and Kimber. I am sure you haven’t gotten any names of the students yet.”

              “Nice to meet you,” replies Ty. He flashes a crooked smile that melts my heart.

              “So how did you like class?” Michelle asks Ty.

              “It was good,” replies Ty. “It is kind of strange having my workout partner as my teacher but I’m sure I’ll get over it.”

              “Should make for an easy A.,” Jokes Michelle.

              I stand quietly listening to their conversation as I get lost in watching Ty. His copper skin is flawless. His hair, weighed down by sweat, lightly wafts over his ears and forehead. He lifts up his hand and pulls his fingers through his sleek hair. His nose is prominent and strong. All of his features on his face mold together reminding me of the handsome Native Americans in movies. He must be predominantly Native American. His eyes are a light brown perhaps only a shade or two darker than his skin. All in all, he is an amazing specimen of a man. As if staring in to the sun for too long, I had to look away. I turn my attention towards Michelle concentrating to listen to her and Mr. Lopez talk.

              “So what do you think about the class?” Ty interjects. I watch Michelle’s smile turn towards me in anticipation for an answer. Only then did I realize he was talking to me. I look into Ty’s eyes and my heart skips a beat. Thoughts and phrases muddle in my head before I can pluck words from them to speak.

              “I like it,” I reply.

              “Even your team captain?” Asks Ty

              A crooked smile creeps over his face. Now I swear he could hear me under my breath, but that would be impossible. He would have to have super hearing.

              “Yeah,” I reply a bit thrown off. “Evan can be a little intense.”

              “He definitely gets really in to it.” Coach Lopez chimes in.

              “At least you only have to deal with him during class, right?” Asks Ty

              He winks at me. It catches me off guard and I cannot respond. I look up into his eyes. The questions that fill my thoughts begin to evaporate as his light chocolate brown eyes cause my body to heat up. My cheeks begin to blush as I give him an enthusiastic nod to agree. He stares at me with a smile. His face is unreadable. All I know is that my eyes are glued to him.