Kidnapped

This is from Katie's perspective


You can imagine my surprise, no make that shock, when I woke up that Thursday morning in a moving vehicle. Of course I don't sleep with my glasses on so things were a bit blurry too. Although my feet had sneakers on, the rest of me was still in the pajamas I wore the night before. I scanned around the car to confirm my purse, my wallet, and my cell phone were all amiss. Thankfully I did spot my eyeglass case on the armrest between me and my kidnapper. Quickly I snatched it and put on my glasses to get more clarity on what exactly was going on.

Charlie was behind the wheel. A huge mischievous grin spread across his face when he saw I was awake. "All I ask for is twenty-four hours. Let me show you how to live."

"Last time I checked I was doing just fine."

"See that's the problem Katie. Who wants to do just fine? You're living in a black and white world when there's a whole lot of color out there to play around in."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. I can't really explain it, I'd rather just show it."

"You realize I'm completely indecent for an outing?"

"Not really. You're wearing men's pajama pants and a hooded sweatshirt. It's not like you're going into work dressed like that. And before you worry I already called in sick for you. Your boss, nice lady by the way, wishes you a speedy recovery from your vomiting and diarhea."

Okay you probably already knew this, but I'm a bit of a square. Pajamas are for wearing at home at night when you're about to tuck yourself in for the night. Despite what Victoria Secrets may want you to believe, some things are just not meant for public viewing. I'm not a glamour queen or anything like that as I hardly know the difference between eye liner and lip liner; I'm just embaressed knowing that people are going to see me like this. Yes I care about how others view me. Some may argue, Charlie of course, a little too much.

We were traveling down some highway lined with tall trees on both sides. I had no idea exactly where we were or where we were going and Charlie refused to drop any hints. I stared out the window and admired the autumn. You know the time of the year when the leaves have all changed colors but haven't fallen yet? There's nothing more beautiful to me.

Charlie was blaring some home made mixed CD that had everything from Disney songs to Korn. Currently BoyZ II Men "Motown Philly" was playing. It's funny how a particular song can bring you back to an exact point in your life. I was actually starting to get lost in my own thoughts when Charlie announced that we had arrived. We had pulled into a small parking lot across from a dark gray brick building.

"What is this place?"

"Nyack."

"What's a Nyack?"

As he laughed he got out of the car, came over to my side, and let me out. "Let me show you."

We walked up a small hill to a street lined with shops. At first I was resistant because I was too busy getting caught up in my own head thinking how I should be at work or how ridiculous I felt walking around in my pajamas. My spirits were changed by an old old sepia toned family photo in an antique shop. No one was smiling. How could you be surrounded by loved ones and not smile? Didn't they appreciate what they had? What about me, didn't I appreciate what I had? Here's this sweet guy who put in this huge effort to show me a special day and I was acting like a spoiled brat. Charlie O'Shay is not a planner yet he had planned all this. Clearly I still had so much more to learn about him.

I put my hand on his arm and when his eyes locked with mine I reached up to kiss him. Charlie's whole face brightened, "What was that for?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"No, I guess you don't." His hand brushed against mine, then our fingers intertwined. I was twenty three years old and had never held hands with someone in a romantic way. Something told me this would be a day full of exciting firsts.

There was this store dedicated to collectable dollhouses and everything you could ever think of to put in a dollhouse. I have to admit I was a bit envious that the dolls had nicer furniture than I did. And I was impressed with the fine details in everything from the sink faucets to the cereal boxes. You'd think Charlie would have been less than enthusiatic to walk around a shop like this, but he was the one that pulled me into it.

He pointed to a small cape house. "Someday if I ever settle into one place I see myself living in something simple like that. I don't need a lot of fancy things, just the basics to keep me happy." He slung his arm around me and pulled me in for a gentle squeeze.

"Where do you think it would be?"

"Don't know. Some of the best things in life happen when you least expect them." He was staring deeply into my eyes.

Who eats ice cream for lunch? Apparently we do while walking barefoot in the park. Then we joined in on an ultimate frisbee game with some local college kids. Do you remember me telling you how uncoordinated and clumsy I am? Yeah, well that hasn't changed much and now I have the bruises to prove it. A few of my teammates complimented my pajama pants too. I explained I normally wear my evening gown to the park but it was stuck at the dry cleaners.

For someone who hasn't known me all that long, in some ways Charlie knows me even better than Nick. For example my lack of childhood. I wa slaughing so hard it hurt as he gave me a piggy back ride to the playground. Charlie insisted on pushing me on the swings until I managed to convince him to swing alongside me and see who could go higher. He's got the longer legs so naturally he won. Later on we browsed more tiny shops along the main streets. Did I mention we got kicked out of the toy shop on Main Street for getting a little too rowdy?

The highlite of the day happened that night. Hand in hand we walked down to the Hudson River and sat on the rocks by the shore watching the lights from the cars cross the Tappen Zee Bridge. The only sound was the water crashing against the rocks beneath us. It was funny to think that there could be another couple doing the exact same thing as us on the other side. I leaned my head on his shoulder as I whispered, "Thank you for showing me colors." He gently kissed the top of my head.

Up until this point I honestly couldn't imagine any kind of realistic future with Charlie. He didn't fit who I currently was yet he fit the person I inspired to be. Maybe that doesn't make much sense to you. Most people wouldn't consider running towards their fears instead of away from them. My biggest fear was the vast unknown. Charlie was living in a bubble of unknown. He was making me question just how happy I am the way things are. And if I'm keeping things completely real I don't think I'm as happy as I could be.

Time to shake things up a bit.