Who's blowing me kisses?

Okay, I guess I should start with my friend Devon. She works at Arby's. I wanted to stop and drop off some literature and a note card for her graduation before we left town on our trip. Dad agreed and said he'd meet us there after returning some library videos. Mom and I went to Arby's and lone and behold, she didn't work there anymore. I'm glad for her, her hours were crazy. She gets up at 5, goes to school, works one job from 12:00 to 4 and immediately transferred to Arby's to work until midnight... 7 days a week! Poor girl was running ragged. Having to support yourself when you start out with nothing is like trying to row a boat backwards up a fast moving river. You might do it, but you sure get...well...kicked.

"She's working at Connie's now" The girl behind the counter said.

Off to Connie’s. Devon took the things and thanked me. She smiled brightly even though she looked worn out. I wished there was more I could do than just wish her well.

Outside, Mom and I pulled up to a corner down the street from Arby's. I looked out of the window towards fast food joint. Dad wasn't there in the parking lot. Suddenly, my attention was distracted by a girl who was wildly waving in the small, junk of a car stopped beside us. It was packed full to the brim of teenagers. She caught my attention and began blowing me kisses and waving. I glanced at her and suddenly thought perhaps she was the friend of Devon's that I had met briefly while attending the local high school production of Shakespears "As You Like It" at the Panida theater. Blowing kisses...that in girl world... is interpreted as a spontaneous expression of a much talked about and ultimately very superficial, "you're my best friend I love you" devotion.

For some reason though, I couldn't quite place her, there was something not quite right. However, never being one to turn down expressed affection no matter how superficial it's origin, I hesitantly threw a kiss back, smiled brightly and waved excitedly thinking "Where have I met these people?" The entire car erupted in motion. Everyone was waving now, and some of the guy's in the front seat and the girl in the back were yelling for me to roll the window down. Was our tire flat? Did I have something in my teeth?

"Wow, I must have made a good impression at the theater" I thought "She must have thought I'm really cool". I was surprised and now beginning to wonder if they had mistaken me for someone else. I jumped for the window push button to find out what they were yelling from their windows. It was dark and I was in my Mom's car where the window button is located differently than in the one I drive. I couldn't find it but I desperately groped in the darkness, still wondering if it was the same girl.

"WHAT do you think your doing!" my Mother exclaimed in a tone that denoted she thought I'd gone crazy.

"I'm going to roll the window down" I replied still trying to find the button.

"No you're not, Seanna those guy's are whistling at you!"

"Oh I know that girl, she wants me to roll dow..."

"Seanna! That's not a girl, that's a boy!"

I looked back out the window at the girl who was still furiously blowing me kisses. The guy's in the front seat were yelling crazy and beginning to blow me kisses as well. Then I realized "she" was wearing a baseball cap and mouthing the words "I love you" between kisses. It hit me all at once, "she" was a "he" and he was flirting with me. My face flushed up red and it something like surreal shock I stared for a moment.

"Oh my... !"

I went from shock to humor mixed with embarrassment and began laughing at my awful mistake. I couldn't look anymore. And to think I encouraged them! Normally, such advances are met by my signature ice queen "drop dead" look. Unless I have special compassion and just ignore them completely. I was so humiliated!

Then upon further consideration, I figured I should take it as a complement that a bunch of 15 and 16 year-olds still think I'm worth the effort despite my advanced and decrepit age of 20. I voiced something of this opinion to my mother and was surprised by her exclamations " Seanna those boys were definitely older than 16! Some of them might have been 16 but not all!"

Miserable children. I shook my head and looked away.

What could I say? After all, I've never been a very good judge of age.

...And thus began our trip.