Walt

Friday, December 16th, 2010. Around 8pm

The Atlantic sea breeze is a much different cold then the winds of Wyoming, it carries salt and spray with it as opposed to the scent of pine. I am not sure if I like it or not yet to be honest. It's only been three days since I was spirited away to this gods-forsaken pit in New Hampshire and already I'm already looking for reasons to despise it. My new home for the foreseeable future, the street I live on, the family I've neither met nor spoken to prior to these odd two months, or even the journey itself have all felt distant and left me strangely ambivalent. I was under the distinct impression that moving from one state to another would have been a much more jarring and traumatic experience, one with half cocked plans to return "home" or an attitude shift brought on by impotent rage and yet I am ultimately, ambivalent.

My new room was rather spartan accommodation; a bed, a dresser, an office chair with casters, and an old roll top desk with a small lamp plugged into the wall. Beyond that there were no posters, photographs, or other accouterments found in the average American boy's room, I was thankful that my maternal grandparents deigned not to presume my interests and decorate the room for me. As per grandfather's instructions I had packed light; a week's worth of clothing, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a Louis L'Amour book I had only recently begun to read, all of which had been put in their proper places.

Grandma Saoirse had assured me that along with Grandpa Finn we would go shopping for clothes, some decor, and school supplies come the weekend, a prospect I would dread had it not been absolutely necessary. The most pressing of my concerns was this blasted window, my room being on the second floor and facing the east where the moonlight would shine in with greatest effect. I would need to get a good set of blackout curtains if I wanted proper rest, perhaps a cheap music player and comfortable headphones as well.

Not being in a particular mood to continue my reading with this blasted natural light coming in I have taken to observing the view; the next door neighbor's home in profile. According to Grandpa Finn our neighbors were a widowed man and his daughter, the girl being about my age was emphasized with a knowing look from Grandma Saoirse. That look in her eyes did not set me at ease in any capacity to be frank, and Grandpa Finn merely continued that the man of that house was a hardworking man who was big in some union or other. For the past three days I observed their comings and goings out of utter boredom and a morbid curiosity at catching a glimpse at this girl next door. I did nothing to obscure my actions, I merely moved the office chair to sit at the windowsill and passively observed, I did not expect my evening observations to be anything more than studying the features of this old house.

Oh how I was proven wrong.

The window on the second story facing my position had been thrown open, and there I finally saw the Hebert girl. My initial observation; she was rather plain barring her dark hair and height and she was currently angry in some capacity with her eyes meeting mine, I could only assume that she was tiring to bore through my head with her vision alone.

"What is your problem!?" she shouted, she must have if I could hear her with my window still closed.

It would have been rude not to respond so I pulled up my window and leaned out, my arms resting on the windowsill

"What do you mean?"

She scoffed and gestured to my direction with her arms outstretched towards me

"You have been staring at my window for the past three days, just staring at it the whole time!"

"Actually I've been looking at your whole house, not just your window." I pointed from one end to her house to the other. This did not make her any less irritated and the scowl on her face grew deeper

"Why?"

I shrugged, my eyes not leaving hers, eye contact is important according to Grandfather.

"I haven't felt the urge to continue reading my book further than 20 pages a night, it's the only book I have with me and its only two hundred some odd pages."

The girl merely gave me a look of utter confusion "Seriously?"

"Yes" my explanation does not appear to set her at ease or satisfy her curiosity

"You have been staring at my house for the past three days because you're bored and didn't feel like reading more of your stupid book?"

It occurred to me that this may be seen as odd behavior in these parts, I had never had neighbors so close to me before nor did I ever socialize with other people around my age in earnest, it was only now that I was horribly out of my depth yet again. I did not turn my eyes away from hers while I wracked my brain looking for something to say. Never was much of a conversationalist.

"Yes" I finally replied, slowly and somewhat sheepishly, she crossed her arms and looked away, her long hair draping over one of her shoulders and muttering something I couldn't hear from the window.

"Did Emma put you up to this?" she asked in a volume I could hear

I tilt my head in confusion, looking back on the past three days to try and recall if I knew anybody by that name. Nobody came to mind.

"I do not know anybody by that name, miss." I replied truthfully. "Barring my grandparents, I haven't met anybody from around here and you are the longest conversation I've had with anyone not living with me."

I adjusted my posture and gave her a smile "I'm Walt by the way, Walt Connolly"

The girl said nothing for a solid ten seconds, her eyes darting around her room and occasionally to me. She broke the silence, though not by much.

"Taylor…" I was fortunate there was no traffic down the street, I could barely hear her.

I nodded to her, had I been wearing my cattleman I would have tipped it to her "Pleasure to meet you, Taylor."

I noticed a familiar pair of lights and engine sound coming down the road, it appeared that Mr Hebert was arriving home.

"I imagine that'd be your father coming down the road. I apologize for disturbing your evenings, I'll not make a habit of it in future. Have a good night then." I shut my window then, I'd rather not have her father catch me conversing with her from the window. I did not need to leave another bad first impression.

With that whole awkward mess out of the way, the only thing left for me to do tonight was to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow would bring fewer awkward conversations and this wouldn't be the start of some minor feud between neighbors. I really did not need to make life for Saoirse and Finn more difficult then my presence no doubt has already made. Perhaps I'd ask if either of them knew of a suitable peace offering to give to this Taylor Hebert. Hopefully in a way that didn't encourage Saoirse into a flight of fancy.