I've been waiting for a girl like you

 

Gabe couldn't keep his eyes off her, even after his cousin got back from his deliveries.

"You could come with me on my next round," Diago smirked as he had to hit him in the arm a lot harder than Gabe expected. Of course, Gabe responded with a grimace.

"No, that's OK dude." He squinted rubbing his arm as if he wanted Diago to remember they weren't kids anymore. "Who is she?" 

"Who?" Diago looked around as if he was expecting a celebrity at the counter. "Oh, she's new. That's Sammie."

"Sammie? Is that short for something?" Immediately, he expected his cousin to say. "Oh, she's gotta girlfriend..." But instead, he motioned this chick Ali to come over. Of course, Gabe looked at her twice. Thinking maybe he could be wrong, but maybe he was right. But he would not say a word.

He remained his rather cool self. Diago had someone, even if Gabe wasn't sure if they were a girl or a boy. And then Diago used the word THEY and it finally hit Gabe that he didn't know what he should say. He looked back at Sammie, but mentioned how bad the weather had been in Rapids and how he was happy to be here (they had no idea how bad snow could get). And he was glad he could stay with Diago and his parents for a while. Still, he didn't know how long that might be. Possibly forever at this rate. 

He was going to be a welder but hated it. He was going to drive a truck but saw a horrible accident on the interstate that he wouldn't speak of it, but the trauma still kept him up at night. Fresh out of high school, they kept saying, but it would be a good two years now plus all those years in the pandemic and he didn't even do well in the semester of college he'd taken, this was Gabe's last chance before the military. But his uncle, Diago's dad had him working at the convention center, setting up things and taking them down. He needed a job or everyone in the family was going to start worrying about him.

Finally, the night came to an end and Diago said he could drop Sammie off. Suddenly, it was an opportunity to sit in the backseat with her. After all, Diago and Ali were all cozy upfront.

"You remind me of someone," Gabe didn't know why he said it, but she looked at him as if she wanted to know who. It was a weak opening line. "Are..are you indigenous?" Probably a weird question.

"Um, I never thought about it," she then shrugged.

"It seems to be a new word," he said. "I mean, growing up everybody said half-breeds, and I didn't mind it, but now it's a word no one wants to hear."

She nodded.

"I don't really know many people and well, I was pretty much good riddance when I left..it's just.."

"Sure, let's just text." It was as if she could read his mind. Gabe smiled, thinking if she really knew me she would not have said that. But it was a relief. It felt good to have someone in his contacts that he definitely wanted to communicate with.