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Neils
“Neils” Story
By Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
I had joined several dating sites over the past few months. Quite a few people had messaged me, but I wasn't really finding what I wanted. My preference was for a younger female, preferably someone who had kids. My 9-year-old wanted siblings, so I figured that our best bet would be trying to assemble a mixed family.
Michelle and I had been talking for a while, and we had become really good friends. She always told me that I kept her smiling, and she made me feel good about myself. I didn't really think of her as a significant other, but she was a good friend. Normally, I liked younger women. Michelle was nine years my senior. I was hoping for a single mom who was a few years younger than I was. But I soon saw things differently.
About three months after Michelle and I had started talking online, we decided to meet in person. Oddly, it seemed like we had already met in real life. She was already such a good friend, and we spoke daily. If I didn't get to message her on a given day, she told me how much she missed me. She had gotten used to me being around on some level. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. But it was what it was, and I accepted it.
She drove a semi-truck for a living, so she drove it to my apartment to pick me up. I had always wanted to ride in a semi, so this was going to be pretty cool! Michelle had told me that she was going to bring Neils with her, so I was not surprised when I went outside my apartment, and the two of them were standing outside her truck.
“Hi, you two,” I said. “How are you?”
Michelle came up to me and gave me a hug. “Aw!” I said and hugged her back. Neils was just as she had described. He was about 6 feet tall and was big built.
“Hi, Neils,” I said. “It's great to meet you!”
“Hey,” he said and smiled. I gave him a high-five.
He was mixed, part Caucasian and part African American, like my daughter. I hadn't brought my daughter with me this time. I didn't want her to get attached to them unless and until I felt the time was right. So she was with the babysitter.
Normally, I didn't just jump into a vehicle with a stranger. But I had done a background check on Michelle. She had a clean criminal record and no charges as a sex offender. So I got into the semi with them.
We had debated on where we wanted to go eat. Michelle had wanted to go to a sit-down restaurant. But she was running late, and I had to go to work in a few hours. So after debating for a little while, we had decided on Fazoli's. Lol, it gave me a chance to go there. I loved their food but rarely got to go there.
The three of us went up to the place where you could order your food without a cashier. We placed our order, and then went to sit down.
It took a while to get our food, but we almost didn't care. We talked about everything under the sun. The conversation just flowed naturally, just like it had in our messages online, and later by voice clips. We left so many voice clips, that it was like a regular phone conversation. But I was kind of shy on the phone, so this took away some of the stress of actually speaking on the phone.
Michelle ordered lasagna, and I ordered two pieces of pizza. Neils ordered a big plate of baked ziti and lasagna. “I'm in the middle of a growth spurt,” he said. We all laughed.
“Yes, you definitely need to get a good meal,” I said.
“Yep,” Michelle agreed. “We want you to be big and strong so you can help me with the family business in a couple of years.”
Neils smiled. He didn't look like a kid who would get into trouble at school. In fact, he was really well-mannered. He and his grandma got along really well. As Michelle had told me, they “bickered like a couple of siblings.” Michelle's southern accent was charming and contagious. And I liked how she kept opening doors for me.
The whole time we were at Fazoli's, Michelle and her grandson were going back and forth, picking on each other.
“We've been living out of our truck,” said Michelle. I laughed. I didn't want to say anything, but I could tell. The inside of the truck was kind of trashed ~ with empty cups and food wrappers, debris on the floor ~ and I cracked up a little when I saw a roll of toilet paper on the passenger's side of the dashboard. And another in the back seat.
“Understandable,” I said. “You two have been traveling all over the country!”
“Anywho,” said Michelle, “if some people would pick up their clothes and dirty socks off the floor once in a while…”
“You're one to talk!” laughed Neils. “Whose bra was that on the floor yesterday? Not mine!”
We all had to laugh at that one. Michelle and her grandson made me laugh. It was like everything was funny. Even just mundane stuff was hilarious with those two.
Michelle was putting the slam on her lasagna, and Neils was putting the smash on his ziti and lasagna. I ate my pizza quickly, and Michelle noticed.
“Did you want something else to eat, hun?” she asked. I was still a little hungry, but didn't want to complain. She had actually bought my food, and I would've felt bad.
“No thanks,” I said. “It was delicious.” I smiled and patted my belly.
They both laughed.
Spending time with them was like coming home. We just all naturally talked about anything and everything that came to mind ~ even if it was a little off.
So I decided to ask Neils about school. “So what are your favourite classes?” I asked.
“Well, I definitely don't like math!” he said with a smile. “But did you know that one-sixteenth is zero point six two five?”
“That's point zero six two five,” Michelle corrected.
“Whoa!” I said. “So he put the decimal point in the wrong place. But how many people actually know that?! That's pretty impressive! You're really good at math, Neils. As are you, Michelle!” I had found a talent, and I intended to make the most of it.
I promised myself that no matter what happened between Michelle and me, I would always be there for Neils. He had sounded like such a lost soul when Michelle and I had spoken. But in real life, he had so much promise. I feared that without outside influences like myself, Neils would end up in jail or prison. Or worse. But he really seemed to like me. And I felt I could be the positive influence he needed.
End
copyright 2021
by Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
November 2021
By Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
I had joined several dating sites over the past few months. Quite a few people had messaged me, but I wasn't really finding what I wanted. My preference was for a younger female, preferably someone who had kids. My 9-year-old wanted siblings, so I figured that our best bet would be trying to assemble a mixed family.
Michelle and I had been talking for a while, and we had become really good friends. She always told me that I kept her smiling, and she made me feel good about myself. I didn't really think of her as a significant other, but she was a good friend. Normally, I liked younger women. Michelle was nine years my senior. I was hoping for a single mom who was a few years younger than I was. But I soon saw things differently.
About three months after Michelle and I had started talking online, we decided to meet in person. Oddly, it seemed like we had already met in real life. She was already such a good friend, and we spoke daily. If I didn't get to message her on a given day, she told me how much she missed me. She had gotten used to me being around on some level. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. But it was what it was, and I accepted it.
She drove a semi-truck for a living, so she drove it to my apartment to pick me up. I had always wanted to ride in a semi, so this was going to be pretty cool! Michelle had told me that she was going to bring Neils with her, so I was not surprised when I went outside my apartment, and the two of them were standing outside her truck.
“Hi, you two,” I said. “How are you?”
Michelle came up to me and gave me a hug. “Aw!” I said and hugged her back. Neils was just as she had described. He was about 6 feet tall and was big built.
“Hi, Neils,” I said. “It's great to meet you!”
“Hey,” he said and smiled. I gave him a high-five.
He was mixed, part Caucasian and part African American, like my daughter. I hadn't brought my daughter with me this time. I didn't want her to get attached to them unless and until I felt the time was right. So she was with the babysitter.
Normally, I didn't just jump into a vehicle with a stranger. But I had done a background check on Michelle. She had a clean criminal record and no charges as a sex offender. So I got into the semi with them.
We had debated on where we wanted to go eat. Michelle had wanted to go to a sit-down restaurant. But she was running late, and I had to go to work in a few hours. So after debating for a little while, we had decided on Fazoli's. Lol, it gave me a chance to go there. I loved their food but rarely got to go there.
The three of us went up to the place where you could order your food without a cashier. We placed our order, and then went to sit down.
It took a while to get our food, but we almost didn't care. We talked about everything under the sun. The conversation just flowed naturally, just like it had in our messages online, and later by voice clips. We left so many voice clips, that it was like a regular phone conversation. But I was kind of shy on the phone, so this took away some of the stress of actually speaking on the phone.
Michelle ordered lasagna, and I ordered two pieces of pizza. Neils ordered a big plate of baked ziti and lasagna. “I'm in the middle of a growth spurt,” he said. We all laughed.
“Yes, you definitely need to get a good meal,” I said.
“Yep,” Michelle agreed. “We want you to be big and strong so you can help me with the family business in a couple of years.”
Neils smiled. He didn't look like a kid who would get into trouble at school. In fact, he was really well-mannered. He and his grandma got along really well. As Michelle had told me, they “bickered like a couple of siblings.” Michelle's southern accent was charming and contagious. And I liked how she kept opening doors for me.
The whole time we were at Fazoli's, Michelle and her grandson were going back and forth, picking on each other.
“We've been living out of our truck,” said Michelle. I laughed. I didn't want to say anything, but I could tell. The inside of the truck was kind of trashed ~ with empty cups and food wrappers, debris on the floor ~ and I cracked up a little when I saw a roll of toilet paper on the passenger's side of the dashboard. And another in the back seat.
“Understandable,” I said. “You two have been traveling all over the country!”
“Anywho,” said Michelle, “if some people would pick up their clothes and dirty socks off the floor once in a while…”
“You're one to talk!” laughed Neils. “Whose bra was that on the floor yesterday? Not mine!”
We all had to laugh at that one. Michelle and her grandson made me laugh. It was like everything was funny. Even just mundane stuff was hilarious with those two.
Michelle was putting the slam on her lasagna, and Neils was putting the smash on his ziti and lasagna. I ate my pizza quickly, and Michelle noticed.
“Did you want something else to eat, hun?” she asked. I was still a little hungry, but didn't want to complain. She had actually bought my food, and I would've felt bad.
“No thanks,” I said. “It was delicious.” I smiled and patted my belly.
They both laughed.
Spending time with them was like coming home. We just all naturally talked about anything and everything that came to mind ~ even if it was a little off.
So I decided to ask Neils about school. “So what are your favourite classes?” I asked.
“Well, I definitely don't like math!” he said with a smile. “But did you know that one-sixteenth is zero point six two five?”
“That's point zero six two five,” Michelle corrected.
“Whoa!” I said. “So he put the decimal point in the wrong place. But how many people actually know that?! That's pretty impressive! You're really good at math, Neils. As are you, Michelle!” I had found a talent, and I intended to make the most of it.
I promised myself that no matter what happened between Michelle and me, I would always be there for Neils. He had sounded like such a lost soul when Michelle and I had spoken. But in real life, he had so much promise. I feared that without outside influences like myself, Neils would end up in jail or prison. Or worse. But he really seemed to like me. And I felt I could be the positive influence he needed.
End
copyright 2021
by Insomnia
(AJ Kline Robinson)
November 2021
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Neils
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