Dear diary, Friday, May 1st, 1964
I know I shouldn't feel this way, but Laura is so beautiful. Her smile lights up the entire room. Her beautiful blue eyes shine brighter than a thousand stars. Her laugh is music to my ears. I can trust her. She understands me. But if I tell her, it could ruin everything. Should I tell her? If I tell her, I could lose her forever. I could get in so much trouble. If I don't tell her, I'll be stuck feeling like this for the rest of my life. Why is love so hard? Why am I not allowed to love who I want? I just want to be normal. I'm going to meet up with her at our favorite spot. I hope I don't mess this up.
~ Elizabeth
At about six o'clock, I left my house and started walking to the ice cream parlor. "I can't wait to see her." I thought to myself. I arrived at L.D. Bassett, and sit down. "Hello, sir." I say to the man behind the counter.
"Hello, ma'am, I'm James. What may I get for you today?" He replied.
"Oh nothing yet, James. I'm waiting for a friend. Thank you." I said in response.
"Okay. Just tell me when you're ready, dear." He kindly said.
I wait for what feels like forever. Each minute that passes I get more and more worried. "Where could she be? She's never late." I wonder right as she walks in. I almost jumped up from excitement, but I was able to contain myself. I get up and give her a hug. "Hey! How are you?"
She hugs me back tightly. "Hey! I'm great. I'm so sorry I'm late. My sister needed my help with something. How are you doing?"
"I'm alright. I'm a bit overwhelmed, but I'm okay." I answer. "You want your regular?" I ask. Her favorite is a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a cherry.
"Yep!" she answers.
"Hey, James, we're ready now." I say, trying to get his attention.
"Okay ladies, what can I get for ya?" he responded.
"She'll have a chocolate milkshake with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a cherry. I'll have a vanilla milkshake with whipped cream and a cherry please." I say. I prefer ordering for her. I want her to know that I care about her. I remember small details about her, because I love those little things. It's the little things that count.
"Thank you." She says to me with a wide smile on her face. I couldn't help but smile back. "She's so beautiful. I'm so in love with her." We sit there, staring into each other's eyes, smiling. I have never felt so safe. As we sit there, I finally realize; she loves me too.
"Here's your milkshakes, ladies." James says, placing the milkshakes down on the counter. "Enjoy!"
"Thank you!" Laura responds. We sit there talking while drinking our milkshakes. All I could think about was how beautiful she is. Her voice is so soft, and relaxed. I love the way her eyes light up when she starts talking about something she's interested in. The way she laughs as she starts to tell a joke. We take our last sip at the same time. It makes a funny little sound, and we both start laughing uncontrollably. "All done, sir!" Laura says while pulling out her wallet.
"I got it." I say, trying to be polite.
"No, I got it. You got it last time." She responds. "Eighty cents, right?" She asks James while taking coins out of her wallet.
"Yep!" James answers, reaching out his hand to take the glasses. He walks back out from the kitchen and takes the money off the counter. "Thank you ladies, have a lovely night!"
"Thank you, you too!" Laura and I say simultaneously as we get up. We get to the door, and once we step outside, we give each other a huge hug. "Bye, Laura! I'll see you tomorrow!" I said while walking away.
"Bye!" She said walking in the other direction. It took me about ten minutes to get home. I love going for walks, but after saying goodbye to Laura, it was dreadful. I know that I will see her tomorrow, but I still hated saying goodbye to her. I get home and go in the shower. It was the best way for me to relax. Once I get out of the shower, I go straight into bed. I couldn't fall asleep. All I could think about was the eye contact; her smile; her laugh; her. "She's so beautiful. I just want to hold her in my arms. To be able to call her mine. To live with her. To run away with her. Into the forest. We can build a cottage together. That's all I want..." I slowly drift off to sleep.
