30 Days of Love

Proposal

Joanna's POV 

Barbara speaks in my mind saying, we'll figure it out together, reminding me that I'm not alone as Liam and I sit on pillows, protecting our butts from the wood covered with a thick blanket, that's not thick enough.

In between us, a flat dark brown, almost black, treasure box separates the two of us. Placed on top in a vase, is a bouquet of forget-me-not flowers that are as vibrant as the water that encircles us, surrounded with a container of quesadillas, Spanish rice, Papas Arrugadas, with Spanish Sponge Cake for dessert- all Spanish foods that prove his efforts are pure.

"What are you thinking about?" Liam asks, distracting me from my thoughts.

I look up, glaring into his eyes as I admit, "I'm thinking about how much of an effort you made; you remembered my favorite flowers and made all the foods my mama made a-and it made me realize you know everything about me, but I know nothing about you."

Liam's face droops before it purks up, a smile spreading across his face. "Well.. what do you want to know?

"What about... what's your favorite sport?"

"Tennis, duh!" He chuckles. "I love how the... how the ball..." I can't help but laugh at him playing around and soon he starts laughing as well.

"No, I'm being serious," I say, my laugh fading away. "What's your favorite sport?"

"Bowling," he answers, his laugh stopping and instead of turning back into his usual grin.

Duh, I should have known that? I think, bashing myself for my stupidity.

"Okay, why? Why do you like bowling?"

"Why do you like poetry?" he asks, turning the subject onto me.

"I like it because that's how I get my emotions out. That's how I comprehend everything in life," I clarify, looking into his brown eyes.

"Same for me. I bowl, not because I have to, but because I want to. I enjoy bowling because that's how I get my anger out."

Though I would never expect us to be similar by any other means, both Liam and I are two souls searching for a way to get our emotions out. Mine poetry and his bowling.

"What about debating? What makes that so fun?" I question.

"Debating isn't fun," Liam explains, "Yes, it has its amusing times but it's not all fun in games. Debating is serious, especially when you do it for a competition. It's something that needs to be taken seriously, not as a joke."

For a moment I'm taken back, shocked by how deliberate he takes debating. Yet I can't help but wonder why he does it?

"Why debate if it isn't fun? Why do you even want to stress yourself out about that?"

As his shoulders drop, his smile disappears behind a frown, and his eyes change focus from me to the trees behind me, I can tell what he's going to tell me is serious. Meanwhile, as he hesitates I can't help but question, do you not trust me?

Though as the thought comes to mind, Liam looks at me and explains, "I debate... because I want life to change. You know us growing up as people of color we are bound to grow through racism and I want that to change. I want the future to be better. So, I debate making that change happen, not only for racism but for many other things as well."

Mindlessly thinking, not pondering the results of my words, I question, "Like what?"

Rather than the trees surrounding us, his eyes lock on the barely eaten quesadilla and his face grows from concentrated, wondering what to say, to numb as if he were a robot, having no emotions within him.