Not Your Typical Love Story By Brandi Wade Everybody that Evan went to school with lived in the city, unlike him. He lived just outside the city (about 15 minutes walking), on his dads farm. All Evan’s city friends were always joking and making fun of the poor people that lived on the south side of town. He would always hear that they should take control of lives, and Evan wondered what he could do for somebody that was living on the street. One day, Evan’s friends dared him to venture to that side of town, and help out just one person, if he thought he could handle it. He was scared by all the stories and jokes, but he went anyway, I mean, this is a dare, he wasn’t a baby, or at least that’s what he wanted his friends to think. So the next day, knowing that his father wouldn’t expect him home until after the cancelled football practice, he went to the south side. His friends teased him along the way, and seemed to know that he was frightened. Once to the alley that separated the two very unique sides of town, his friends stopped as Evan walked on. He began passing boxes and boxes, and people, oh yes, people: people that wore torn clothing and shoes with holes, or sometimes, no shoes at all. He walked on, with the homeless looking at him thinking, *what is he doing here?*. As Evan tried to understand why he was being stared at for, the prettiest girl he had ever seen had crossed his path. It was too late to keep her from falling when he had realized they were going to collide, but he was able to stop himself. As he helped her up, she seemed so familiar, like he had met her before, he felt a connection unlike he had with any other person. She introduced herself as Marissa and led him to a tiny box, just big enough for a kitten, about two blocks from where they had met minutes ago. She read the confused look on his face, and explained that she used to have a dog, but now she keeps food in it. They talked for what felt like five minutes, when in reality, it had been over an hour. Not wanting to seem like he wanted to leave, Evan promised her of his return, and soon afterward, had past the alley and rushed past his friends’ houses. On his shortened 10 minute walk (which was more like a jog) to his fathers’ farm on that rocky white road, he wondered about the things he and Marissa had talked about. And although he had no time to stop, he had to so he could rest and catch his breath. He soon realized that he was growing nearer and nearer to the time his dad expected him to be home. As he began walking again, he knew he could say that practice ran late, but he knew his father. The very strict man he knew would not like those words, and would call the school to complain. So, Evan decided to respond to his father’s complaints about the time by saying he got caught up in conversation with his friends. His father yelled at him after Evan tried to explain this lie. He was surprised that he got dinner, and the only punishment that he got for being late, was that he was sent to his room after eating. He was asked by his friends what he saw, and what he did. But he did not tell them about the girl. He didn’t know what they would say. How would they respond to him helping a homeless girl find her dog? But, Evan thought it was more than that, he liked her (as more than a friend). He didn’t care anymore if his dad got mad at him for being late. After school he walked with his friends home, and started to walk to his house to make them think that’s what he was doing. But he turned around and headed south. He just had to see Marissa again. Those eyes took his breath away when he saw them. She jumped up to hug him from the dirty sidewalk she had been sitting on. When she released him, she had tears in her eyes and the biggest smile on her face, and said, “You came back!” He hadn’t expected a reaction like this, and responded with, “I told you I would come back.” “Every time I have been promised of a return, the promise gets broken,” she said, with her smile beginning to fade along with her dimples. “My mom always said she would come back, and she did, but, a couple months ago, she said she would, and I haven’t seen her since.” Evan heard the words and saw the tears, but he couldn’t believe it. How could the mother of this beautiful girl, leave her to get her own food to live? Once she had used his right sleeve as a tissue about 7 times, he asked her if she wanted to find her dog. After she blew her nose one last time, she replied, “Yes, will you help me find him?” They decided that the next day would be perfect to search for a dog. And so, with the name, Bandit, revolving in his head, Evan walked home. On his way, he stopped at the office supply store, and spent all the money he had with him, on materials to make some posters. Bypassing his father when he came through the door, he went straight to his room. As he shut the door behind him, he could hear his father’s booming voice and creaking steps on the stair case that led to his room. Then, hearing the locked door being tampered with, he heard his father say, “Why did you come home late? I know you didn’t have practice today.” He cursed as he tried the door again, and not able to proceed stood at the door, as waiting for his son to open the door or at least say something. Getting no response, he repeated himself three more times, and not hearing a thing from his son, finally said, “Your dinner’s getting cold.” Evan couldn’t concentrate on anything while his dad stood at the door. But just as soon as he heard the creaking of the stairs, he began his work. He did have homework to be done, but there was a promise he had made, and it was more important than his school work. This time, Marissa came first, which meant, getting to work on the posters. He worked for an hour an a half, making each of the 20 posters as unique as he could. He finally decided it was time for a break and went down to get a bite to eat. His father said nothing to him until he began his ascent back to the posters that awaited him. “Son,” and Evan stopped where he was, but did not look at his father, “I’m sorry about my yelling when you got home tonight.” He began to explain. “I was so worried about what might have happened to you between here and there. Evan awoke the next morning with last night’s talk with his dad, still fresh in his mind, remembering every detail. As he got up, and got ready for school, he remembered finishing the posters and began sorting them and finding a way to conceal them at school, but, he had no recollection of doing any homework. So, not wanting his friends to know he actually cared about his grades, he rushed to school, and did his homework before they arrived. Throughout the remaining day, he imagined what his friends would have done if they knew he actually did his homework! After school, Evan found the posters, hidden in his locker, and proceeded to place them in his backpack. Today, he told his friends he had an orthodontist appointment and headed of to where he would usually go, but, once he saw that they were gone, he headed on there direction, but took a different way, so he didn’t pass by there homes. Before walking all the way to the other side though, he stopped. He removed his backpack from his back and removed the cell phone that his father had given him the previous night. So his father would no longer worry about him, they made a plan to call one another. After ending the call and slipping the phone back in its pocket, he removed the posters and replaced the backpack straps onto his shoulders. He walked on, and soon came to where Marissa had been only 24 hours before, but was not there now. Feeling quite tired, he sat down and found himself dosing off, but did not have the energy to stop himself. He woke up to her yipes of excitement. She loved the posters that had become quite dirty because of his nap. But, none the less, he smiled, and then, she, helped him up of the ground. Each of them carried 10 posters and found many places to post each and every unique poster. Then came the hard part, the waiting, but, when the phone rang, everything took a turn. Evan’s father had answered, with Evan not being home yet. He become confused within the conversation, but, told the voice that he would send the message on. After hanging the phone back on the receiver, he decided to stay out of it, and if Evan wanted him to know, he would be told, but for now, it was his son’s business. As his father handed him a piece of paper with numbers on it, Evan began to explain that he was helping a friend. “It’s none of my business, son. I’ll go in the other room so you can have the phone,” he told his son, and then proceeded to leave the room. Bandit had been found. After school the next day, he went by to get the little dog, then took him to the broken down barn on his fathers’ farm. He then gathered blankets and such, from inside the house, and took them to the barn. Then, he went to Marissa, and told her to bring all of her belongings, because he had a surprise for her and she would never need to sleep on a sidewalk again. When they arrived at the barn, no matter how much Marissa said it was too much to offer, Evan insisted that she stay, and she did. The next day, Evan sat his father down, and told him what he had been up to. To Evan’s surprise, his father understood, and allowed Marissa to come inside the house to live. But, there was a catch to it, not only did Evan have to get a job now that it was more of his house and home, but so did Marissa. Eventually, Marissa began school, and after both of them graduated high school, they attended college together, and move out of the house, married and had a family of there own. The End