Sapphic Voices General Fiction

Penny Blue Eyes

by Alti Savage
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Copyright © by Alti Savage, August 2010

Penelope had stark blue eyes. It was the first thing that I noticed about her. Not her jet black hair, cut short in the back but longer at the top lying across her forehead in a slanted bang. Not her svelte figure exposed by the tight white wife-beater she wore. Not the hard nosed personal style of her army camouflage shorts which reached just below her knees. It wasn’t the pink pout of her lips or the slight flush of her cheeks that brought her to my attention. It was her blue eyes.

I’d watched her from my space in line, just four people behind. My mind had already been set to order my food but when she turned around to face her friend behind her, I forgot all I knew. It was those eyes-so bright, so blue that completely caught me off guard. It took a moment before I realized that I was staring. Wishing to regain myself, I shook it off and turned to face the menu overhead.

“May I help the next person?”

The line moved forward. A professional looking man was ordering curtly. I noted his gray suit more so as a distraction than out of any interest.

“Next in line.”

And so we moved. I watched as she stepped up to the counter and rested an elbow. Her friend pointed to the value menu and she nodded. I found myself listening intently just to catch a glimpse of what her voice sounded like. Did it match her appearance?

I imagined a lower sort of dragged out tone kind of like a skate boarder or adolescent boyish. She flipped her ban and began to order.

“Yea, I’ll take a number one combo with no pickles or onions, medium.”

She motioned for her friend to order. My eyes rested on her yet again. Well I’d been totally off. She was crisp, on point and her voice was all woman. Not too high like a fairy or a pixie but not low enough to be considered male either. No, she was one hundred percent woman. And I was one hundred percent enamored.

Again, I found myself staring.

The line moved once more. I saw her collect her food. To go bags. She smiled and nodded at the cashier before turning to leave. This was it. My last chance. If I was going to talk to her then I’d better do it now.

“May I take your order?”

The slightly chubby teen behind the counter held a hint of impatience, but forced a smile for profession’s sake. I glanced from her back to the blue eyed diamond preparing to leave the restaurant. Okay decision making time. Burgers or blue eyes.

“Ma’am?”

She was surveying the line of patrons behind me. One strawberry blond lock fell over her eye.

“You know what,” I stepped aside apologetically, “Take the next guy.”

Without another thought toward the cashier or the line behind me I trotted over to the exit to catch her. Exactly what I’d say to her once I did catch up to her was lost on me. I just knew that I had to catch her.

“Um, excuse me.”

She was stealing a fry from the bag when I finally caught up. Her hand was on the door pane, ready to release it to shut behind her. She and her friend turned to me curiously.

“Um…” I hadn’t thought any of this through at all.

“I-I just wanted to say that you have beautiful eyes,” I stammered nervously.

I sought to run my fingers through my curly hair but it was pulled back into a ponytail. With my hand already on my head I simply slid it back and brought it to my side. God, I must have looked like such a dork.

“Gee, thanks.”

She seemed flattered. Her lips formed a smile, revealing neat white teeth and one dimple in her right cheek. Her friend, a larger, stealthier chick wasn’t as inviting. She eyed me warily, no threatingly as if I were skating on very thin ice. I noted her muscular build, her toned arms exposed and tatted. A snake, a skull, the typical tough guy stuff. Her blond hair was braided down her back in one single plait. Her brown eyes never left me.

I stood for a moment, not knowing what to say. Should I just leave? Ask her for her number? Try to make conversation? The pause seemed to drag on. Awkward.

“Well if you’ll excuse us,” she finally spoke, possibly feeling the tension as well.

“We need to get back. Thanks for the compliment though. You made my day.”

As both turned to leave I felt a familiar tinge of sorrow hit my chest. Strike out. Once again. I’d never been good at talking to girls. Not the girls I encountered on a daily basis so why had I expected any different from a stranger? That’s what she was after all. A stranger. We’d never seen each other before a day in our lives and I was pretty sure we’d never see each other again. Exactly why I’d expected anything to become of speaking ot her in the first place was beyond me.

Too embarrassed to show my face back in the restaurant, I found my car and climbed inside. I’d just have to eat somewhere else for a while. At least until the memory of my rejection subsided. I pulled out of the parking lot in a hurry, eager to leave the scene of the crime. I didn’t slow my vehicle until I was at least six blocks away.

By then I was calm enough to find another spot-this time taking the drive—thru instead. While at the red light I found myself tempted to take a bite of my taco and carefully reached within my bag to do so. I could smell the meat. My mouth began to salivate. While it was still partially wrapped, I lifted the meal to my mouth and prepared to bite.

WHAM!

I jolted forward, my taco flying against the windshield. Without warning my airbag exploded right ion my face.

“Goddamnit!”

Feeling more agitated than anything I fought my way out of the vehicle. Behind me was a green Camry, it’s fender slightly dented.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?!” I barked on my way to meet the driver.

“Can’t you tell when there’s a red light?”

I took a look at my bumper which just so happened to be lying across the pavement. My agitation grew to outrage.

“What is wrong with you!”

The driver side door opened and I prepared to spar. This was absolutely ridiculous and if this driver had anything to say I swore I’d show him a thing or two. As my luck would have it, however, the driver turned out to be female.

A blue eyed female.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” she apologized profusely.

“I really had no idea that my brakes were this bad. See I just got this car from a relative and I trusted him enough to fix anything wrong.”

She was babbling on and on while her sister glared in our direction from the car. I decided not to glare back as of yet.

“I have insurance,” she was going on.

“I know it’s totally my fault. I’m so sorry. Why don’t I give you my information and we can work things out, okay?”

She ran back to her car and grabbed a scrap sheet of napkin and an eyebrow pencil.

“Here, I’m Penelope, Penelope Lancaster. I’m giving you my number too just in case you have any questions.”

I nodded though words escaped me. I could not believe what had just happened. Of all of the people to hit my car.

“If I report another accident my premium will shoot up. You know how insurance companies are. So I was wondering if we could find a way to settle this out of court.”

She waited for me to respond, her brows raised pleadingly. For the briefest second I forgot my car and saw only her blue eyes.

“I guess we can find some way to negotiate a monetary settlement,” I heard myself saying.

I let my hands rest in the back pockets of my Levis. She was grateful for my cooperation.

“We could discuss it over dinner tonight,” I suggested.

“I know a Mexican place off of Clifton.”

When she agreed to my offer we exchanged numbers again, this time I gave mine and we plugged the other into our cells.

“Seven o clock work for you?”

She nodded yes.

“I’ll be there. Sure. Whatever you want.”

Relief was spewed all over her face. I loved with it did to her eyes, the twinkle it produced. But I hand one more favor to ask of her.

“Oh by the way, feel free to leave you sister at home tonight,” I remarked, glimpsing her through the front windshield again.

She aimed a finger in a “gotcha covered” manner before placing her cell in the side pocket of her cargo shorts.

“Then I’ll see you at seven?” she clarified.

“Right-”

“Penny.”

“Penny. I’ll see you at seven.”

Indeed, we saw each other at seven. We enjoyed fajitas and Tequila and concluded the night back at my place. It would be the first of many nights we’d share together. Weeks went by, then months and finally a few years since the accident that brought us together. Penny’s sister, Erica I’d learn later, was not quite as related as she’d originally claimed. She was a good friend, an ex-girlfriend who’d become her best friend after the relationship had ended.

“She’s really good about my girlfriends,” Penny told me once in conversation.

“We go out, hit on girls and everything works out.”

I eyed her skeptically, recalling my first encounter with her ex.

“Oh, yea we got along swell.”

My sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. A smirk on her lips, her blue eyes glittering she reached into her bag of Doritos and took a bite.

“She only gets like that when she knows that the woman I’m interested in could be a long term stay. Most of my girlfriends after her don’t last six months.”

Seven years later Erica’s grown to accept me. We go out with her and her other friends frequently. I’ve since set her up wit a friend of mine, but time will only tell if they will work out. As for Penny and me, we’re still going strong, still very much in love and contemplating adopting a puppy from the local animal shelter.

Penny never did get around to paying me for that bumper. But I never pressed it. Her love is worth more than enough.

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Click here for a list of all of Alti Savage's Stories at Sapphic Voices Authoresses.

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