The original entry

It was about four PM and I had pretty much decided that CG wasn't going to call and I was going to say I was perfectly okay with that (I wouldn't be, but I like to pretend I am believable). To actually hear the birdsong of her over the phone (albeit with the static one associates with malfunctioning cell phones on bad sitcoms) removed me, bodily, from the earth for one precious moment

Aw, aren't you cute? The worst it would have been was a bit awkward when you saw her in class again and conspicuously did not mention it again. After all, she evidently didn't matter enough that her name etched itself in your mind.

Given that your mother thought CG sounded like Venessa, I was right about her vocal fry.

She told me that, obviously, she could not see me this weekend. However (I am suddenly very much liking that word), she wondered if we could maybe have dinner together on Tuesday after the test.

That's excellent! I cannot wait to see how this date turns out. (I know it doesn't work out. I just want to know exactly how.)

I am still maintaining that I just want to get to know her and count her among my friends. That way my waxen wings will not melt off (now we are into mythology, so try not to picture wax airplane wings).

No, you liar. You want to find out how her kiss tastes, even if it wouldn't have resulted in a dozen more kisses.

I can't blame you in the least. You knew a pretty, intelligent young woman and asked her on a date. You are a bit "literary" about expressing it, but it is encouraging to see you enthusiastic about a woman who isn't already in your coterie. Specifically, I cheer you crushing on someone who is not Kate. .

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Thomm Quackenbush is an author and teacher in the Hudson Valley. He has published four novels in his Night's Dream series (We Shadows, Danse Macabre, Artificial Gods, and Flies to Wanton Boys). He has sold jewelry in Victorian England, confused children as a mad scientist, filed away more books than anyone has ever read, and tried to inspire the learning disabled and gifted. He is capable of crossing one eye, raising one eyebrow, and once accidentally groped a ghost. When not writing, he can be found biking, hiking the Adirondacks, grazing on snacks at art openings, and keeping a straight face when listening to people tell him they are in touch with 164 species of interstellar beings. He likes when you comment.