Upon seeing Robin’s ease with the situation, Zoey’s nerves were subdued for the moment. She tried to remain optimistic, forcing herself to believe it was possible and in fact likely that she’d be equally as calm for the rest of the night as she was for a moment. This defied all logic considering Zoey was not a tranquil person in the least, constantly worried about something or another and whether or not she’s improving her relationship with her peers at all times. The inevitable resurfacing of her nerves came not even a minute after they departed with Zoey’s fumbling of the bear and the notification that her date was in fact allergic to the stuffed animals. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, knowing their color would soon match that of her ensemble’s. In yet another attempt at recovery, she gave out her gave her “bless you” along with her profuse apologies and set the bear in her previous seat. “One second,” she requested, her pointer finger raised. In a rushed manor, she snatched a napkin from the bar, seized a pen out of her purse, and scribbled on the napkin, “Free teddy bear! Perfect for your Valentine!” She swirled around, prepared to balance it on the top of the bear’s heart but quickly turned around again, recalling that she was in France and a good number of the people who would be stopping by would not be able to decipher the text. She tried to recall what she had learned in French class, but in her anxious state it was exponentially more difficult than in normally. Knocking her head from side to side in an odd effort to recall the information, it finally came to her. Under the English, she jotted down, “Gratuit ours en peluche !”
She shuffled back towards the bear and Robin, her hair bouncing and a grin peaking onto her face, happy with her idea. She achieved her goal after resting the napkin on top of the decent-sized heart and then proceeded to explain to Robin, “Hopefully it’ll still go to a good home. My apologies for the wait and for the whole ordeal in general, again,” with an awkward giggle she continued and tried to steer the conversation in a way that could bounce in a different direction, “At least I’ll know what not to get you on your birthday!”
She prayed that was a sufficient way of ending the whole entire situation. Internally, she promised herself it would get better. She searched her mind for something new she could bring up that was most likely a common interest. After a slight pause, an idea came to her and she blurted it out without thought, “C-can you believe it,” her voice soon after picked up confidence, “Paul McCartney and John Lennon walked down this very hallway hundreds of times and had super small audiences that didn’t even know what they were witnessing! If I could go back in time to this very instant decades ago I could have been watching them play. I think I would cry!”
She figured that to be a fairly general statement, and if Robin was one of the few who wasn’t a fan of the Beatles it was at least an excellent conversation starter to see if they enjoyed similar bands. At home, her ¾ of her walls were lined with posters of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr with posters of 1950s and 1960s fashion covering the gaps. Vintage records hung on the final wall, all gifts given to her from people who had no use for them and didn’t care where they went.
“I don’t think either of us can legally drink here, but can I buy you an eat like soda or something to drink? Wait, no, a drink like soda or something to eat?” Zoey politely offered, trying to follow what she had seen in movies or read in books when it came to dates, but stumbling, setting her two steps back once again.
theartofmadeline
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