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 5 ...Pretty little one that I adore, you're the only girl my heart beats
for...  My Cherie Amour
   Rose was ten years old the first time I ever laid eyes on her.  I was
sitting in the lobby of the clubhouse; it was about six o'clock on a warm
summer evening, and I was drinking a cream soda when she wandered in.  That
moment is frozen in my mind forever.  The radio was playing "My Cherie
Amour" when the door opened and a mop of brown hair stuck its head in,
followed by the girl underneath.  She was probably under four and a half
feet tall, wearing sandals, jean shorts, and a t-shirt with the prism and
rainbow from the "Dark Side of the Moon" album cover.  I watched as she
idly walked over to the kitchen area and poked around in the cupboards and
refrigerator, pausing to turn on the cold water faucet over the sink for a
couple of seconds.  As she came out of the kitchen, she saw me for the
first time, and gave me a shy smile that almost broke my heart.
   "Hi, my mom and I just moved in today," she said, "and mom said I could
check this place out while she signs some stuff in the office."
   "Sure, help yourself," I told her, "this place is for anybody that lives
here.  There are games in that alcove over there, and down that hallway is
the swimming pool.  Do you like to swim?"
   "Yeah, I love to swim," she said.  "Can you swim anytime you want?"
   "Well, it's supposed to be closed after 10 on weeknights and midnight on
Friday and Saturday, but I don't say anything to anybody if they're having
fun.  Most people leave on time anyway."
   "Oh," she said, and her eyes got a little bigger, "are you the
lifeguard?"
   "No," I laughed, "we don't have a lifeguard.  I just pick up around the
place and do odd jobs here and there.  I'm Jack of all trades." Smiling at
her felt even better when she returned the smile with a 200 watter of her
own.  "Do you like soda pop?" I asked, still smiling.
   "Mostly just root beer," she said, ticking it off on her finger like the
first item in a list, "but I like cream soda," (item number two) "which I
see you have some of, as well."
   "Well then, come over here and let me get you one," I laughed, and I led
the way over to the soda machine on the far wall.  When I pulled out the
key for the machine, opened the front, lifted a cream soda, closed and
locked it, and handed the can to her, her hand flew up to her mouth and her
eyes were huge.
   "Omygod, that was amazing!  That was sooo flippin' cool!  You are one
handy guy to know!  Thank you!"
   I leaned in conspiratorially.  "I don't do that for just anybody you
know, only me.  And now you.  Guess I just consider it a fringe benefit."
Putting my hand dramatically to my mouth, as if trying to prevent anybody
but her from hearing me, I said in an obviously fake sotto voce, "The pay
ain't that great, to tell you the truth." I was rewarded with a genuine
giggle.  "You guys will get free stuff, anyway, at the meet and greet. 
It's this lame party the complex throws once a month so new tenants can
meet the current tenants.  They lay out pizza and chips and soda, and
somebody usually brings dessert.  You just missed the last one, the next
one is more than three weeks away.  Tell your mom about it if you don't see
anything on the notice boards.  That's supposed to be my job, too, keeping
those boards up to date, but I gotta tell ya, it ain't much fun.  God,
listen to me complain!  You'd think I hate my life."
   "No, no," she said earnestly, and laid a little hand on my forearm, "I
think your life sounds cool as all Hell!  Oh!  I mean, uh, uh..." (she
stammered so charmingly), "cool as heck!  I mean, uh, uh..."
   I felt laughter coming up from the gut as I said, "Don't worry about it,
sweetheart!  I like a woman who can curse a little.  Makes her more human,
you know?  More real.  More fun." I wanted to put my hand over hers as it
lay on my arm, just for the human contact, but I couldn't bring myself to
do it, to take anything that even resembled a liberty with her.
   At that moment, the door opened and a pretty brunette stuck her head in.
"Rose, honey, let's go move in, I've got the keys.  Oh, hello there," she
said, this last directed to me.
   "Hi," I said, "would you like me to help carry boxes or anything?"
   "Oh, thanks, that's really sweet of you, but we'll manage.  We don't
have that much stuff.  Come on, Rose, let's go." Rose walked out with her
mother.  Just before she left, she glanced out to make sure her mother was
far enough ahead of her, then turned and gave me that shy smile again.
   "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you around.  It was really, really nice to
meet you, Jack." And then she was gone before I could tell her my name was
Brent.  
  
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