"21"

Someone Like You

Someone Like You 

Things with Skip did not work out either.  Sarah dragged the spoon in her Starbucks coffee and watched the cream coalesce into patterns until it was completely blended.

She could still hear his parting words, “You never gave us a chance.  I won’t compete against memories.  Before I leave, I need to see you deleting my number from your phone.”  It was just symbolic, but she did it anyway. 

“Skip?  It doesn’t have to be like this.  I’m over Rich.”

“Not just Rich.  What about the others?”

“What?”

Skip looked at her and pushed a button his phone.  A disembodied voice said, “Contact deleted.”  His long stride was down the hall in a few seconds.

Sarah’s mind raced with something to say before he reached the elevator.  “It doesn’t mean anything, you know!  I still have your number on my bills, you idiot!”

Sarah regretted the words as soon as they were out.  It did make Skip stop his stride.  But only momentarily.  “Just let it go, Sarah.  I don’t wait.”
Sarah usually liked watching Skip walk away.  If she had any sense she would go after him.  Skip yanked the door to the stairs and heard him galloping down the cement steps until the metal door floated shut.  Another end, another scar on her heart.

Sarah pushed off the doorframe.  “Who needs you anyway?!”  She cringed at the crack when door slammed shut and managed to catch the picture that fell off the wall from the reverberation.  She waited patiently tapping her phone for a few minutes, then breathed a sigh of relief when she did not get any calls from management, her neighbors or the police.
 
“I memorized your number, sweetie.”  With that Skip’s number was reset back into her phone …. And her curiosity was re-ignited.  Swishing through the numbers, Sarah could re-experience the fun times or boredoms with her previous prospects.  With every name in the contact list she used the same pattern …  remember, laugh, next or not remember, delete, next.  No wonder Skip was a bit perturbed. She had no idea there were that many names in her contact list.

She tapped her phone as she meditated on the perplexities of her current circumstances.  Why did she still have Rich’s phone number?  Why did you still have any of the old boyfriends on her phone? Why did she let Skip look through her contacts in the first place?  When did Skip develop a working brain to start making demands?  She liked it better when he just did her bidding.  Maybe he was right and that she could not just let go.   
She did not realize that she her  fingers floated the list back to Rich’s name, until she saw his picture on the screen.  “I wonder what you are up to, Sweetie.”  She hit the icon to start the call.  Maybe he still had the same number.

A melodic woman’s voice came over the speaker, “Hello?”

“Sorry, wrong number.”  Sarah disconnected and threw the phone as if it were too hot.  “Shoot, Rich.  I thought you would keep the same number forever.”  Sarah idly pulled up the internet Wi-Fi on and punched in Rich’s name in the browser.  “I wonder what you’ve been up to lately.”  Finding nothing, “Okay, next try the phone book – No!  The paper.  I bet you did something newsworthy, didn’t you?”

Sarah thumped her head with the flat of her hand, “Of course, your local paper, not mine.  Silly me.  And what did you do?  Married?  Oh, Rich, I should have – That’s probably who answered the phone.”

“Rich, Rich, Rich, how can I find someone like you?” 

Sarah shook her head to bring herself out of the sad reverie.  She went back to her contact list.  With each name, she saw the faces of her previous boyfriends drift in and out.  So many memories tumbled over themselves, each replacing the one before, reliving happy times, followed by triumphs of breaking yet another heart.  This emptiness must be what they felt when she broke it off with them.  At least Rich is happily married now.  The others are probably the same.

She inhaled deeply the smell of her fragrant coffee and let the dark rich liquid slide down her throat, savoring the hazelnut splendor of her Starbucks coffee.

“Well, Rich, have a happy life.” She hit yes when asked if she wanted to permanently delete Rich’s contact information from her phone.  It felt good to give herself this gift.  A clean slate, a new start.  Who knew what the next chapter in her life would be.
 
“Excuse me.  May I have this seat?  All the others are taken.”

Sarah flashed a smile at the dark haired, dark eyed, handsome man.  “Please.”  Holding out her hand, “Hi, I’m Sarah.” 

Accepting the proffered hand, “Hi, I’m Richard.  Thank you.”
 
Sarah dropped her eyes momentarily before boldly diving right in, “So, do you talk or do you want me to mind my own business?”

Richard chuckled in reply.  “I was hoping you would want to talk.”

[word count: 834]

******
I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now
I heard that your dreams came true
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you
Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me, it isn't over
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised in a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days
I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me, it isn't over
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead, yeah
Nothing compares, no worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you, too
Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead
Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead