My Own Private Carolina (Part 1)

She responded with a barely audible “hi,” and for the briefest instant a subtle smile crossed her face. Then she immediately looked away and reentered the garage and rolled down the door.

It was a most trivial encounter. The kind I’d usually forget about as soon as it happened. You certainly couldn’t say that we ‘met’ in any meaningful way. But there was something about her look - that fleeting smile. I thought about her the rest of the night. I just couldn’t shake her. I wondered what the hell was wrong with me. Here I was, obsessing over some girl, at least 15 years younger than me, who I’d not only never met, but had only laid eyes on once for a few seconds. I went back to my hotel and fell asleep dreaming about the face of a girl who’s name I didn’t know.

The next morning I had to return to the old house to finish clearing out the garage: mostly some old tools and fishing gear of my dad’s that Mom asked me to keep for myself. While I was carrying a load out to the truck, I saw a flawless, black, early-seventies vintage Cadillac pulling up to the Johnson house. Out stepped the young lady who’d been stuck in my head since the night before! I watched as she opened the trunk and began to struggle to gather up several large bags of groceries. Without a second thought, I walked right over and offered to help bring them inside. Seeming reluctant at first, she soon accepted my offer with many thanks. We were met at the door by a visiting nurse who ushered us inside. The nurse reported that her grandfather had eaten his lunch, bathed, and was now sleeping soundly. She then left the two of us alone with the groceries. The young lady thanked me again for my help, and introduced herself as Christina. “Pleasure to meet you! I’m Seth,” I replied. She must’ve noticed that I was a little sweaty and dusty, so she offered me a glass of iced tea. Christina asked if I was moving into the house next door. I explained that I was actually only there to help my mom move out and that it had been my childhood home. She said she’d been living with her grandfather for about six months, and that his care took up most of her time.