Dzhosh Malerman - A House at the Bottom of a Lake

Its the best first date Ive ever heard of.

Amelia smiled big and nodded.

Yes? James said, not sure hed read her right.

How can I say no?

How can I say no? Canoeing with a stranger? Yes. Id love to.

Both seventeen. Both afraid. But both saying yes.

James ran sweaty hands through his brown hair then wiped them again on his apron. This wasnt the first time hed seen her in his fathers store. It was the fourth.

My name is Amelia, she said, wondering if he already knew that, if hed found her online.

James, he said and smiled, too. And wow was I nervous to ask you out.

Really? She asked it earnestly but knew he was. The fidgeting revealed that. She was anxious, too. Why?

James snorted a single awkward chuckle.

You know boy girl people meet I dont know! Its scary!

Amelia laughed. It felt good to have a boy ask her out. God, it felt great. How long had it been since shed gone on a date? And here, at the very onset of summer, it felt natural.

A new day.

A new season.

And a yes to a stranger whod asked her to go canoeing for a first date.

So heres the idea, James said, checking over his shoulder for his dad. My uncle has a place on a lake

You said so, yep.

Yeah, but theres a second lake, off the first one, that nobody uses. I mean some people do, but there wont be, like, a ton of speedboats. We can actually paddle right up to the shoreline, to the base of the mountains. And well pretty much have them all to ourselves. The mountains.

Sounds great, Amelia said, hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of her jean shorts. She arched her back beneath her yellow tank top. She worried she was augmenting her breasts too much. So she slumped. Then she worried that she was slumping.

James was even more self-conscious than she was. This being his fathers hardware store, he was sure Amelia would have second thoughts if she hung around too long. Is this his future? she might think. A girl said that to him once. Asked if this was his future. James didnt want Amelia asking that. Didnt want her walking away. If she was thinking anything like he was, she was already seeing a future together, a life rolling out ruglike from their first date. He saw them laughing on the first lake, kissing on the second, getting married in a canoe, Amelia giving birth in a canoe

Saturday then, she said, and for a crazy second he thought she was saying they should get married on Saturday. His cheeks flushed. He became very aware of that. His cheeks. Then his whole body. He worried suddenly that he didnt work out enough. Worried that she was going to leave here thinking about the paunch beneath his apron and not the mountains hed tried to distract her with.

And yet he managed a smile. Even found some confidence in his voice.

Yes, Saturday. Nine a.m. Wanna meet here?

Here? She looked up and down the aisle of rubber hoses, hose clamps, and bolts. Maybe this was the moment, then, when she realized the scope of the situation, the job he had, his future.

Unless you wanna meet somewhere else? I dont care.

No no, Amelia said, attempting to appear casual while worrying that she was being suddenly indecisive in front of him. Here is fine. Here is great. Saturday. Nine.

James stuck his hand out for her to shake, then realized how awkward that was.

Here is great.

He brought his hand back just as she reached hers out to shake it. Then she lowered hers, too.

Great.

Great.

They stared at each other, neither certain how to end their first conversation. A Muzak version of a love song from the 1980s played through the hardware stores equally archaic speakers. Both felt the cheese.

Bye, James said, then scurried back down the aisle.

He nearly knocked a box of garden floodlights from the shelf. He didnt look back at Amelia as he fixed it. Instead, he set out to find a customer, anybody who looked like they might need help. But when he was far enough away from her, he wished he had looked back.

He just wanted to see her face once more.

Saturday, he thought. Youll see her again.

Outside, walking quick to her car, Amelia replayed Jamess offer. She loved it.

Its the best first date Ive ever heard of.

And it didnt hurt that James had kind eyes. A kind face and kind voice, too.

It wasnt until she got behind the wheel of her used yellow Omni that she realized she hadnt bought what shed gone into the store to buy. A new hose.

She thought of going back in.

No, she decided. Maybe a date was what you came here for.

She started the car.

Cool, Amelia said. Its green.

It was cool. A green canoe with brown trim. It looked like the kind of canoe youd find in a history book, two Native Americans seated inside.

Its sturdy, too, Jamess uncle Bob said. His jean shorts and open flannel were straight out of 1995. But that doesnt mean it wont tip.

Amelia and James exchanged glances. They were already ankle-deep in the cold water.

They hardly knew each other at all.

We wont stand up in her, James said. I know better.

I do, too, Amelia said.

Youve canoed before? Uncle Bob asked her.

Amelia blushed.

I wouldnt say Ive canoed, you know, but Ive been in one. Yeah. Is that canoeing?

Uncle Bob laughed and lifted the paddles from inside the boat.

These are solid cherrywood. Dont ask why. Trish wanted them that way. I dont think shes used them since we got them. But heck, you two get to use some pretty fancy paddles.

Bob eyed the cooler James had already placed in the canoe.

I dont mind if you two have some beers out there, but be careful, all right? He turned to Amelia. How old are you?

Seventeen.

Bob considered this. But not for very long.

A couple of seventeen-year-olds, he said. His eyes got glassy. Like he was remembering seventeen. Awesome.

When James got to the front of the canoe he was shin-deep. He stepped over the edge and sat down on the front bench. Amelia got into the back behind him.

Thank you for this, Bob, Amelia said.

Absolutely. He placed a sandaled foot on the back end of the canoe. Now go be seventeen.

He pushed them out into the water.

This is the lake, James said. Then he snapped his fingers, like trying to catch the words as they left him. Of course it was the lake.

Its gorgeous, Amelia said.

James was paddling on the right side of the canoe. Amelia paddled on the left and steered.

Her eyes traveled to the rippling surface of the water.

It was a great blue, the kind of blue you painted.

Amelia felt like she was painting, the oar as her brush. As though all this beauty fanned out from the simple motions she and James made.

What do you think is down there? she asked. Then wished she hadnt. The question made it sound like she was scared. Whats in there? I mean what kind of fish?

She didnt have the heart to tell James that his shorts were hanging a little low and she could see the very top of his plumbers crack.

Plumbers crack. Hardware store. This made her smile.

All kinds, James said, not sure of the answer. Bass I think.

He wanted to tell her there was something magical in this lake. A buried treasure. A mysterious shipwreck. A monster.

He also regretted sitting up front. He couldnt see her from here.

He turned around to face her.