Why me?

         Once again I find myself lying on my back staring up at the ominous clouds that have so quickly filled the evening sky. I glance from side to side in hopes that no one has seen me trip over that blasted root from that tree and take my almost daily tumble. To my dismay, a group of college kids, or my peers, goofing around in one of the shelters, stop to point and laugh at my humiliating acrobatics. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not like I’ve ever had anything but bad luck. I pick myself up, along with the few remaining fragments of my dignity, and attempt to walk back up the path that leads to the top of the falls.

         Aside from my regular thrills and spills, I love coming here at this time of day and hiking up these paths. It’s good exercise, and I love the view at the top. There is a clear stream that cascades down the side of the mountain, the green foliage freshens the air and the relaxing sounds of wildlife just make me feel at ease. I could easily spend hours here just thinking and relaxing. After an extremely difficult day, like today, it’s especially nice to be able to come up here and let my worries fade away among the dense foliage and allow my troublesome thoughts to be carried away by the clear stream. It doesn’t matter how many people are up here, I can always find a place to be alone.

         As you might have guessed, I don’t have many friends, heaven forbid a girlfriend. And my family lives 300 miles away. So I spend a lot of time up here coping with good old college life. At 21, you’d think I would be all about having fun, going to parties and hanging out with friends. Not me. Besides the fact I don’t have any friends, I’ve never been a big party animal. Just never saw the fun in drinking myself under a table and then feeling sick for the next couple of days. Oh, and the little thing about me not being able to hold my liquor might have something to do with it as well. So I go about my days going to class, doing homework and studying, and then coming up here to waste the rest of the day away from my smelly cell, or dorm room, and psychotic cell-mate. Last time I checked up on him he was hanging upside down from his bed in hopes of having a massive head rush when he stood up. I’ve never actually caught him using drugs but I’m pretty sure it’s a safe bet that he does.

         Anyway, I reach the top of the falls and find that my favorite place by the edge is open. I set myself down with my feet dangling over the edge and take a deep breath. I can feel the moisture building in the air and realize that I’m likely to be forced back to my cell early by the coming rain, on a Friday night when people are the loudest no less. Wyoming hardly ever gets rain, even in the spring, but like I said earlier, I have the worst luck. Oh well, it would be a fitting end to another lonesome, rotten and down right horrid day. At least I might be able to sit and relax for a few minutes. But of course, the moment I think that, rain begins to pour down like a torrent unleashed from a broken dam. Don’t I have just the best luck?

         So I climb to my feet after just getting comfortable and turn to make my way back down to see if I can’t embarrass myself once more by taking another graceful fall. I take maybe one step when I hear a scream from further back in the wooded area behind the falls. I look around for the source, not sure of what to do even if I found them, that is if they were even in trouble. A simple scream around here could be for any number of things but this one had sounded of fright, at least I think.

         “Help!” I hear a girl’s voice call out. “Is anyone out there? I’m stuck.”

         Being the sucker that I am when it comes to helping a woman in need I call out, “Where are you?”

         “Over here,” is the response.

         I look around for the sign that reads “Over here this way” but can't find it. So I make my best guess as to which direction the voice had originally come from and head in the general vicinity of it. What I find is quite the comical scene. A young woman, whom I'd guess to be a bit younger than myself, is hanging upside down from a tree branch that her feet somehow managed to get caught in. She's wearing jean shorts and a gray T-shirt, which she is holding up to save herself from any further embarrassment. Oddly, I don’t laugh. You could say I know exactly how she feels.

         “Hi,” she says cheerfully as if these were normal circumstances. “I’m Kelly.”

         “Um, hi. I’m Jay,” I respond, unsure how to act. I've never been on the flip side of an embarrassing situation before.

         “Nice to meet you, Jay. Do you think you could give me a hand? I’d really like to see if you look this good right-side-up.”

         “Uh, sure,” I say taken off guard.

         She wraps her free hand around my neck as I push up on her shoulders and she wriggles her feet free. She flips over and falls into my arms. Her sparkling blue eyes dazzle me and I freeze for a moment wondering if this is what people mean by love at first sight.

         “My hero,” she smiles just before giving me a quick peck on the cheek.

         I nearly faint. I set her down easy and for the first time get a good look at her. She looks to be a bit shorter than me and judging from catching her I’d say she is half my weight. She is most definitely a petite young lady but to me she is the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on. In fact, she has enchanted me in less than a few minutes.

         She attempts to straighten her clothes and hair as best she can in the pouring rain before looking up at me, “You do look as good this way, maybe even better.”

         A gift from heaven! Is she for real or just being nice to the guy that just helped her down. “Are you all right?” I ask even though the question I really want to ask is, “Will you marry me?”

         “I’m fine,” she says in a tone that is in stark contrast to the weather. “Thanks again, um, Jay right?”

         “Yea,” I nod. She remembers my name! No woman ever remembers my name, not even for a few minutes. It’s a sign.

         “Well, I better be going,” she smiles. “I hope I see you around.”

         “Me too,” is all I muster.

         A hundred thoughts race through my mind as she turns to walk away. I want to call out for her to stop. To stay and talk with me. To smile at me. Heck, I’d even settle for just standing there in front of me so I could stare at her beauty all day. It’s not often that an angel pays attention to a dork like me. But for some reason I can’t even make myself move. I can’t speak. I just stand here wishing she'd come running back to me with outstretched arms. What the hell is wrong with me!? I smack myself outside the head for being such an idiot and begin running after her. I don’t care if I trip and fall, this is a matter of having an actual social life. Or at least a girlfriend. At any rate I need to catch her. Although I'm not sure what I am going to say if I do.

         Down the path I sprint, hopping over roots and rocks, while dodging various branches and shrubs. I know I should slow down but all I can think about is the girl of my dreams getting away before I have a chance to tell her how I feel. Well, at least ask her out. So I continue my suicidal plunge down the path only to realize that I am losing my footing and then the inevitable. I begin to fall. Not a light fall with a few tumbles. No, that would be just too easy for me. I keep tumbling. Off the path I roll and down the side of the hill, receiving all manner of bumps and bruises. By the end of my tumble I am pretty well scraped up, my clothes are in shambles, but at least I made it down to the base in time. For just across from me is the group of college kids laughing their butts off and just beyond them is Kelly. I quickly jump to my feet and run past the other kids right up to a startled Kelly.

         “Hi!” I say, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

         “Hello again,” she says with a confused expression.

         “Sorry. I just had something I wanted to ask you before you got away and I never would be able to see you again,” I over explain.

         “Okay.”

         “I was just wondering, um, if you're not busy tonight or anything, if you would, you know, like to, um, go out with me, maybe?” Great delivery moron! “Don’t worry about it if you don’t...”

         “Sure.”

         “...want to?” I look at her, unsure of what I just heard.

         “I’d love to. Here,” she produces a pen from one of her pockets. “This is my number.”

         I stand in awe as she takes my unworthy hand and writes down her name and number. Is this a dream? I'm speechless. Could this really be happening? I'm not about to question an obvious blessing.

         She smiles shyly at me as she backs away, “Call me and we’ll work something out, alright?”

         I nod, dumbfounded, as I wave goodbye. She climbs into her car and in moments she’s driving away. Once she is out of sight I begin to dance around, all the while kissing my hand. Nothing so good has ever happened to me. I am finally going to have a date. My first since I was in the seventh grade and even that one I don’t really count as a date. I glance down at myself and realize I better hurry back to my cell and get changed. I try to take a step, however, and trip over my own feet. Down I go, face first into the mud as the rain keeps beating down.

         For once I don’t care. For once I have something going right for me and nothing... It's then I realize that the rain and mud has washed her number away.