The talk

The Talk
“Did you see that?!” Erik yelled.
“Nope, of course I didn’t,” I replied, clearly watching the TV.
“Are you kidding me? Good thing wii has an instant replay,” Erik came back with.
Erik is the most competitive person I’ve personally ever met. “Take a picture!” Erik exclaimed, “A score of 288, that beats all of you!”
“You want me to take a picture of your bowling score?” I questioned.
“Yah, I want proof that I’m a God at this game.” Erik claimed
“Whatever, your not a God at anything, cuz you couldn’t do this again if you tried,” I shot back.
I took a picture and he started another game. “I hate this!” Erik cried.
His first ball was a gutter ball, and then he quit because he didn’t feel like playing anymore.
Erik becomes overly competitive only with certain people. Erik is extremely shy and quiet until he gets to know the person.
I worked with Erik for almost four months before I even realized he worked there. Erik never said a word at work, and he just sat there and did what he was supposed to. Most of the dishwashers never did anything except talk all night. One night he came over and randomly started talking to me. I was confused and just carried on with the conversation. I started flirting with him, but since he is a guy he didn’t even realize what was going on. My friend texted Erik often, and she gave me his number, and she gave him my number, but I made him start the conversation. I asked him to the school dance late at night over a text, because if one wants something done right they have to do it themselves. Erik showed up at my house around 3, and I didn’t have my dress on, but my hair was done. He walked up to my door not realizing I was sitting on the trampoline watching him. Erik grabbed flowers out of his dad’s truck for me, and I walked up to him and said hello. We went into my room and watched Spiderman 3, half way through the movie we were in a heated argument. “The guy dies when he falls,” I stated
“Uh, actually he turns into the Sand man, he doesn’t die,” Erik claimed.
“Sand is not a living thing, meaning that he died,” I said getting flustered.
“Well, then the sand moves, talks, and has a brain, so I’m pretty sure that doesn’t mean he is dead,” Erik replied.
“No Way!” I yelled, “He died when he fell into the pit! Turning into an inanimate object means you die!”
After a while of fighting, I made him leave the room so I could change into my dress and then leave for dinner. He politely waited for me in the kitchen with my mom, and they talked about him. I reappeared downstairs and we left to pick Naomi up from her house. The dance its self was extremely awkward because we didn’t know if we went to the dance as friends or as a couple. Erik just kind of stood in the corner and half-way-almost danced, because he was too shy to mingle with my friends. It didn’t help that he goes to Slinger and didn’t know many people at Hartford. The slow dance came on and we danced, and again it was awkward because there was a space gap, that slowly disappeared. I had to look up at him. “You make me feel short,” I stated.
Erik had an awkward smile on his face as he gave a fake laugh. His eyes shone a beautiful shade of green as I looked up at him. His smile was crooked because he didn’t know how to react to the statement I had just said. Freezing time there would have been perfect, because I felt safe. Erik is always there for me in the good times and the extremely bad.
My grandma was diagnosed with cancer. Erik was the first one I told, I was crying when I told him and he just pulled me in and gave me a big hug. His arms reached around me and ended on my hips, and he lowered himself enough so I could be closer to his shoulder. No words were exchanged at that point in time, because there is nothing to say to a girl who had just lost her grandpa to cancer. A couple months after the diagnosis, things went downhill. My grandma was found to have cancer everywhere in her body. My family lives about half an hour from my grandparents house. I was planning on going to visit my grandma because I didn’t know how much time we had left with her. I called Erik and told him to meet me at Culvers. Without a second question he showed up just as I pulled into the parking lot. “We need to talk,” I started.
“Is this ‘The Talk’?” he asked.
“No, I was just wondering how willing you would be to go with me to my grandparents house, I have to visit my grandma before its too late,” I responded.
The tight expression at the thought of a break-up slid off his face, and it turned into more or less sorrow. He agreed to drive to my Aunt’s house and I would drive from there. Erik was going to drive me home because I didn’t know what kind of mental state I would be in.
We showed up to my grandparent’s house where my dad and aunt were. My dad was outside with my dog when I showed up. My dad stopped me and said, “Its not pretty, and I’m glad you brought Erik with you.”
That was the first time my dad had ever taken any interest in my boyfriend. I was shocked my dad said that in the first place, and in front of Erik was just astonishing. Erik and I walked inside the house with my dad and dog close behind. I walked into the small kitchen and said my hellos’ to my aunt Debbie and Grandpa. In the living room I could see my Grandma’s bed. Erik held my hand in his, as we walked out into the living room. Erik’s giant hands gripped tighter as we got closer to the bed. My little brother went and started watching TV, so Erik and I joined him for a while because my dad, Debbie, and my Grandpa tried to give my Grandma orange juice and morphine. Grandma was yelling and struggling, Erik put his arm around me because I started to cry. After about an hour we were leaving and I had to say good-bye to my Grandma. Debbie was sitting with her and talking to her, and I sat at the side of the bed, crying, and Erik pulled me in and gave me a hug. My Grandma made Erik give her a hug good-bye as well. Without a second thought he bent down and gave her a hug, and my Grandma said, “Take good care of her because I wont be able to.”
Standing back to is normal posture Erik responded, “I will, you have nothing to worry about.”
After saying that to my Grandma, he took my keys and we went into the kitchen to say good-bye to my Grandpa and Debbie. Tears falling from my face, and a reassuring arm around my hip, Erik and I slowly headed to the door. Jt was already at the car by the time we showed up. Erik let go of me so I could get into the car and head home. We started down the driveway and over to HYW 16. Before we went much further Erik’s hand landed on my knee, he just wanted the gesture that he was there for me, in the tough times.
Not long after the visit my Grandma died, and Erik once again drove me to Reeseville, this time he drove both ways and we were going to the funeral. The funeral landed on the same day as Hartford’s homecoming dance. Erik and I left the luncheon around 3 so I could do my hair, again it was silent, and his hand rested on my knee as he drove.
Erik doesn’t leave me out to fight the world on my own, he is standing in the middle of the battle with me. Usually. There have been times when he is too hard headed to listen to what anyone is saying.
“Can you set the table for me?” Erik’s mom asked.
Erik just sat at the computer pretending he didn’t know what his mom was saying.
“Hun, are you going to help your mom out or do I have to do it?” I questioned.
“Neither of us, come on, lets go upstairs,” He answered.
“Are you kidding?! Your mom is making dinner and she asked one simple favor, and you cant even help? Wow,” I said.
“She likes setting the table,” Erik started as he continued to stare blankly at the computer screen.
“Whatever, just sit there, its fine, I got it. Don’t bother moving,” I claimed with anger in my voice.
I set the table, as best I could, and got the milk and water out of the refrigerator. We ate dinner, then we upstairs to his room to watch a movie. “I’m sorry,” Erik started.
“For?” I asked.
“Making you set the table before, I don’t know I just didn’t want to do it, and now I feel kinda bad,” Erik replied.
“Just start the movie,” I said, pushing his head toward the TV.
When Erik knows he did something wrong he always tries to make up for it, and he always does a good job. I’m a sucker for his puppy dog face which he makes when its something minor.
Other times he does something completely out of the ordinary. One time when he went to work without letting me know, I was kind of let down because I didn’t know where or what he was up to. He got off of work at started texting me. However, I wasn’t in the mood to text him back, because I was slightly irritated. Erik knew where I worked because it was his former job, and he knew I started at 4. I pulled into the Ponderosa parking lot, and I saw his car. Slightly confused I got out of the car and started toward his car. Before I took two steps out of my car, I saw Erik standing there with a bouquet of flowers. “I hate Mondays, and figured you did too,” Erik said.
I couldn’t help but give a big smile, and a great big hug. I kissed him and started into work with my flowers in hand, because I didn’t want them to freeze in the car.
Erik isn’t always the perfect boyfriend, he makes me cry, he makes me angry, and he gets on my nerves. He is also spontaneous, caring, and willing to do anything for me. That’s why he may not be perfect, but to me he is.