Flashback – Shane

“Oh my God, Shane! Stop the car, stop!”, Carmen squeaks, delighted.
I jolt, pushing the footbrake and turning my head to see what is so interesting.
And then I see it.
The house.
A beautiful, huge Victorian mansion towering over a small hill.
I glance at Carmen and her perfect face looks astonished, amazed.
Right now, she’s like a six-year old who’s about to get the most beautiful Christmas present.
I can’t help but chuckle, gently brushing her cheek.
“Honey…”, I murmur, smiling.
Not looking away, Carmen grabs my hand and kisses it, distractedly.
“Babe, oh my God!”.
“Yes”, I admit, “Yes, it’s beautiful…”.
Carmen watches me with pleading eyes.
“Oh Shane please, please let’s have a close look, please, please…”.
She’s so sweet.
I’m whipped.
I sigh, patting my hands on my thighs.
“Alright, alright… Come on, let’s go”.
We get out the car at the same time and we start walking towards the house, holding hands.
The closer we get, the wider the smile on Carmen’s face is.
And the closer we get, the more I know what’s going to happen.
Carmen silently goes up the stairs and knocks at the front door.
She looks up at the beautiful porch, mouth agape.
“Carm… They’re not home…”, I murmur, shoving my hands into my hip pockets.
Carmen waves her hand in the air.
“Wait, wait…”.
I chuckle, staring at my shoes.
“There’s nobody in there…”, I repeat, quietly.
She bites her bottom lip, shifting. I can almost hear the gears working into her brain.
“Alright”, she finally says, “I’ll write them a note…”.
She starts rummaging into her purse and extracts a small notebook and a pen.
She quickly scribbles something and rips the page.
“Look”, she says, handing it to me.
The note recites:

“Dear Homeowner,

Carmen Morales McCutcheon”

And our phone number.
I shake my head, chuckling, and I pull her towards me.
“You’ve been doing this for months and nobody’s called”, I mumble, pensively.
She kisses my lips as her eyes are still wide open, observing the porch.
“This is a great house, Shane. I love this house”, she murmurs.
I nuzzle her neck, gently.
“I know you do, but it’s a waste of time, Carm…”, I reply, kissing the soft skin of her chin.
She pulls away a little. Just a little.
Her eyes are staring at me and shining.
“I bet I get this house”, she states, grinning confidently.
“You won’t win…”, I tease her, raising my eyebrow.
She smirks.
“Are you sure?”, she replies, “Five bucks”.
“What?”, I chuckle.
“Five bucks, Shane”, she repeats, tapping my forehead with her finger.
“No way…”, I murmur, slowly shaking my head.
She gasps, acting surprised.
“See? You’re a LOSER!”, she giggles, biting her bottom lip.
“Ok, ok, ok”, I reply immediately, “I changed my mind. Five bucks”.
“Deal?”. Her fingers softly grasping my neck.
“Deal”.