Beware of Love in Technicolor Read Online Free PDF Page B

on the outskirts of town, and the clock tower chiming six. I remember the flicker of the streetlamps as they struggled to reach their full glow in the early autumn twilight, and the sweet, acrid smell from the university incinerator about a quarter mile away. But I don’t remember what we talked about.
     
     
    ***
     
     
                  Unfortunately, in my need to drop my load of shopping bags in my room, Molly seized upon John and me, and we found ourselves a threesome at dinner.
                  It was fish and chips night. I filled a bowl with Cap’n Crunch and found a table beside a window. We talked about music. Molly informed us that we just had to listen to Jimmy Buffet. We also talked about movies. There was some movie or another I was dying to see.
                  Molly had gotten up for seconds on dinner. For a little girl, she sure could pack it away. Anyway, she was away from the table.
                  “Why don’t we go see that movie on Thursday?” John suggested to me. “There’s a theater at the mall. We can take the bus.”
                  I thought about it for a moment.
                  “C’mon, it’s my birthday,” he prodded.
                  “Your birthday is Thursday?” I asked.
                  “Friday, really, but you’ll be away.”
                  I agreed to go, and when Molly sat down at the table, I invited her to come along. I remember the looks on both their faces at that moment. Molly nearly hugged me. It was the first time she was asked to be included in something since the night we saw Pippin.
                  John was not so thrilled. He shot me a look of surprise and disappointment. I had no idea why.
                  “What?” I asked, not understanding.
                  “I asked you on a date, and you invited your roommate along!”
                  “A date?” I asked incredulously. “Your girlfriend is coming here on Friday to spend the weekend with you.”
                  “Ex-girlfriend,” he stated. “And so what? Why does that matter?”
                  “It’s tacky.”
                  “So, I’ll tell her not to come,” he offered.
                  I paused, and thought for a moment. I figured he was bluffing, and I still was not sure how I felt about him. I didn’t want to look like an idiot if he was just kidding around. Besides, I did not intend to be there past Christmas, so I figured it was pointless to get a crush on someone now.
                  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said with mock authority. “The three of us will go to the movie like normal people. And Friday, you can disrespect your girlfriend any way you wish, as I will be blissfully gone from this one horse town.” I stood up with my tray, and both he and Molly followed suit.
                  “Ex-girlfriend,” John stated again.
                  As she was getting up, Molly asked John, “You have a girlfriend?”
     
     
    ***
     
     
                  Despite the impression I may have given of myself thus far, I am actually a nice person. I’m just a little slow to warm up. So when Thursday rolled around, I told John to come to my room to pick us up before the movie.
                  I knew he was approaching by the thud of his boots thundering down the empty, echoing hallway. I had left the door just barely open, so all he had to do was push on it to enter.
                  “Happy birthday!” Molly and I called out in unison.
                  I had gone to the local grocery store after my afternoon French class and bought a small birthday cake from the bakery. At Memories, I had picked out a funny, but not too personal, birthday card. Molly and I both signed it.