Kara's Quick Kiss

Jake was getting closer.

Oh, my God, oh, my God, here he comes!

"Yeah, I think it was rated as one of the best comic shows of the decade!" Lana was still gushing about her new “show of the week” on our walk home from Cheyer High.

"Hey, Kara," Jake beamed as he directed his eyes at me.

"Hi, Jake." I attempted to keep myself together as he smiled back.

"How are you?"

"Good, doing good. And you?"

"I'm doing good. Do you wanna walk with me?"

"Sure. Yeah! I'll see you guys later!"

"Bye, Karaaa!" Emma and Lana cooed and giggled as they strode away.

"So, did Mr. Hineshough not drive you all too crazy today?" Jake inquired as he shone his glimmering whites my way.

"He was actually not too bad. It was Ms. Moores who surprised us a little today. We had a pop quiz."

"Ooh..."

"It wasn't bad, though. It was like, exactly what we went over on Tuesday. I meant to tell you earlier, Spenny is having a New Year's party next Friday. It's at like 8. Ya know, we'd love it if you could come."

"Yeah, I'm down! This is my street. Wanna come in for a little hot cocoa?"

"Yeah, it's getting chillier out here by the minute!" I was so pumped. Score! The fourth walk this year, within a matter of days, with my crush and future boo! Before I knew it, we'd be holding hands!

"Our kitchen and everything probably isn't as amazing as yours. Ya know, you've got the bigger house and all," he chuckled a bit ashamedly.

"Yeah, it's nice, but it's not everything. You'll see next week. I mean, it's great, but it's no mansion."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, right. Here we are!" He chuckled as he guided me into his home.

After we shared some cocoa and memories of the holidays, I pointed out the “kissing item” in the room. The mistletoe was only a few steps away.

Unbeknownst to us, a little fluorescent cockroach was flapping its wings and wriggling all around its home over the mistletoe. It plopped lightly onto my hair. I leaned into the moment I had fantasized about a thousand times and gave him a soft kiss on his mahogany lips. Wow, how warm and sweet.

“I’ve gotta get something. I’ll be right back,” he told me while backing away gently, a bright smile covering his whole face.

“Okay,” I tried to stay calm with her grin.

Then, I realized something was feeling- different. I asked myself: Whoa, why is my face feeling like it's spreading or something? Why are my arms feeling so tight? Whaaa??

“Oh, no, no no… Ahhhh!!!!”

A scream touched the snowy skies that evening. I was magically transforming into a roach. I flew off, leaving Jake behind, thinking I had dissed him, leaving without any notice or trace- not even my clothes. Hours later, Jake’s sister and her beau arrived home and kissed under the same mistletoe… Wait, what was up with this bug? What was up with this mistletoe? This home? Jake?

Was I just reliving a memory- combined with a fantasy?

A car screeched and whizzed around me, swerving out of my way.

“Get off the road, you old, broke a** numb nuts!” the driver screamed.

“That deer must have been my “Jake”- and that barn owl must have been the roach... Oh my gosh, how do I escape from my past? Oh, no, did I forget my medicine again?” I mumbled to myself. Oh, yeah, I hadn’t taken it for months.

“You should go to a shelter, Kara. They can really help you,” everyone had advised and tried to convince me that I needed help, that I was just a desperate, confused, and needy woman, and that I should go and depend on a bunch of stuffy, obnoxious doctors and strange shelter people in order to enjoy a well rounded life. I have stability of my own, on my terms. And it’s been pretty darn good. Today was just an off day. Sort of.

“No, no, no… This can’t be happening right now. I’ve got to get to the Stumpy’s. Am I going the wrong way?!” I mumbled and hissed at myself, whipping my head around the two-way interstate in a minute of sudden bewilderment.

I may “look a fool” or look a roach, but I’m a f***ing human being. On my own.