All Over Again

All Over Again-5

"Is someone there?" he asked again.

                    I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then stepped into the light. "Hi." My voice was quaking with fright.

   "Sorry for knocking you down earlier today...it's not like you wake up from a seventy year coma every day." Steve still kept his eyes fixed on the punching bag.

                    "Oh, it's fine. Don't worry about it. And you can look at me you know...I don't bite." I stuck my hands in my pockets and swung one foot back and forth while gazing at the floor.

                    He looked up and said, "I'm sorry, you just remind me so much of someone."

                    "I'm her granddaughter. It's ok, Steve."

                    He came a step closer. "Is she dead?"

                    Not knowing what to say, I sat down on a small set of bleachers by a boxing ring. I patted my hand on the bench next to me, inviting him to sit. He did, and looked at me with red, tearing eyes.

"I'm...so sorry," I whispered. I choked up and felt a tear slide down my cheek.

                    "It's fine. I should have expected this," he sighed. "So what did you come to talk about?"

                     "Everything, anything you're willing to tell me about my grandmother."

                    He looked me in the eye and said, "She was the first person I'd ever fallen in love with. And the first person to ever fall in love with me. The day I crashed into the ice sheet-actually, the moments just before, I'd saved America from destruction, and she asked me on a date through her tears. Before any of this, I remember telling her I'd never really talked to women. I'd never even gone dancing before, and I told her I was waiting for the right partner. She was the one..."

                    Once again, I was speechless. "Thank you. It makes sense now."

                    Steve stood up. "I'm sorry if I wasted your time."

                    "It's no problem, really. I wanted to hear from you." Trying to add some light to the conversation, I laughed, "If anything, I wasted your time!" I pointed at the punching bag lying on the other side of the room. "You're very good at that."

                     "Thanks." He smiled and picked up a new one. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

                    "Savannah," I said. "Maybe...I'll see you around?"

                    "Sure," Steve said, smiling shyly.

                    I turned to leave, but stopped and faced Steve again. "If...if you want..."

                    "Yes?" He looked up from the new punching bag.

                    "I could... teach you how."

                    "Teach me how to what?" he asked.

                    "Dance." I tried to change the subject when he just looked at me and didn't respond. "Of course, you don't have to I mean I guess that was kind of stupid to ask but-"

                    "No," he smiled, a spark of light in his sad, blue eyes. He looked down quickly at the floor and back at me. "I'd... I'd like that."