LOVES COOP

I’m what you would call vanilla. I am very careful when I talk about any sexual topic, in fact sometimes I avoid it all together. From any outsiders view I guess I would be called asexual. That was until I met her. It was late in November when a new girl joined the office. This girl was, in a word, different. She had bright blonde locks and wore hot pink lipstick, the opposite of myself. I never really ventured out of the soft nude lipstick and kept my hair pretty much brown year after year. This girl also smelled like a Victoria’s Secret store, wearing what seemed like a coconut and margarita body spray. Of course, I smiled at her and wanted to make here feel welcome at the office, however when she smiled back at me, she lingered a bit. I quickly looked away and then went back to my office. Later in the day my coworker and friend Daniel walked into the office.

“Did you get a load of this new girl?! That was the brightest shirt I have ever seen. Who wears a tight bright red shirt on the first day of a new job? She reminds me of high school for some reason.” He sat across from my desk.

“Daniel, that’s not nice. I mean, yeah, she doesn’t quite look the part now but give her time, I’m sure in a few weeks her soul will turn beige like the rest of us” I sighed and looked at my laptop.

“Ugh, when you say it that way maybe she should stay the way she is. Perhaps we need more color in this office, right? I mean when I look at my closet it is very boring” Daniel laughed. “Still, that must have been the brightest red top I have ever seen!” at this exact point the new girl walked into my office. She stared at both of us. Daniel quickly got up and left without saying a word.

“Hi, come on in and take a seat, um, I’m sorry I don’t believe I got your name earlier” She sat down in the chair in front of me. Her face was stunned.

“My name is Chelsea. I like my top! I think its beautiful and colorful and that is how I dress. Everyday. It’s not going to change.” Chelsea said all these with a smile. I could tell she was bothered yet serious about her statement.

“Daniel didn’t mean any harm, Chelsea. He was simply observing the colorful top and noticing how we, most of us in the office have for some reason left colors like that out of our work wardrobe. I hope this didn’t offend you” Chelsea cocked her head sideways took a deep breath and started to speak.

“No, I’m fine. Let’s just get on with the day. It’s my first day after all. So, you are Danielle Glimpse? What an unusual last name.”

“Oh, I know, you can thank my grandfathers for that. Middle school and High school was horrible with that name. Anyway, Chelsea, I assume HR sent you to me to show you around?”

“No, they already gave me everything I need. I was just passing by your office, and I thought I would introduce myself. When I was meeting everyone, my eyes kept locking on to yours and I thought that was odd, maybe we met before somewhere?” Chelsea was looking straight in my eyes now.

“I don’t know, its possible. After so many years and meeting so many people maybe we crossed paths somewhere? I got to say when I was looking at you, I also felt a sort of déjà vu. Your name is Chelsea?”

“Chelsea Cooper, but everyone calls me Coop” Chelsea smiled. Coop? Why does this sound familiar? I didn’t say this to Chelsea and instead let her back to work. The rest of the day was a normal workday. At the end of the day, we all packed up and started to walk out together. I noticed that Chelsea was grabbing her bags and heading to the elevator. Suddenly, Chelsea yelled out.

“Oh no, I forgot my lunchbox in the fridge, go on without me!” When the elevators door closed, I saw Chelsea’s face with the elevators doors cutting of her hair from her face. As I stared at her face without her blond locks around her face, I finally got my déjà vu back. Coop! Of course, Coop was a girl that I had been talking to online back in the 90s when internet video chats were just getting started. Coop was a girl crush I had that I never told anyone about. I never really knew if she knew what our talks meant to me. After Coop and I stopped talking I tried to live a normal life. I dated men and never came out to my family. But each relationship was harder than the last. Eventually, I became completely celibate and told my family and friends that I was simply a commitaphobe who would simply waste others time. Coop, or Chelsea and I had some confusing conversations back then. While neither of us would say exactly what we were thinking our talks would at time get steamy and we would fantasize with each other. I convinced myself that for Coop she was basically practicing with her sexuality with me as I guess I was with her. But now, she is here at my job, and she somewhat remembers me. I wonder if she will remember me. Should I tell her? I stood next to my car when suddenly the elevator door opened and Coop came out. She waved at me, and I waved back.

“Thank goodness I remembered!” she said out of breath.

“Remembered? Remembered what?” I asked nervously.

“My lunchbox. Are you okay? You look kind of pale?” What if this isn’t who I think it is? I should make sure.

“So, Coop, um where did you go to High School”

“I went to Mar Day, which if you translate Mar, it means Sea Day” when she said Sea Day I said it at the same time. Yup, it was her, it was Coop. Two decades later and she still was saying the same things. “How did you know that?”

“Because I used to talk to you and you to me when we were in high school. I went to Palade High school remember, we met on an online chat back in the 90s and we were online friends for like two years. That is why you remember me, sort of, and this afternoon I remembered you, Coop.” I decided then and there to tell here everything, what was the point of nervously wondering when she would remember. I am a grown woman now and should not be afraid everyday when I go to work.

“What, no, but the girl I spoke to was named Gaby and she had purple hair? So, you lied about your name?”

“And that hair was a wig that I bought for a costume. I’m sorry I lied Coop but back then I was always very careful with my friends, and I did not want to you know exactly who I was.”

“I always wondered what happened to my friend. I always hoped we would bump into each other somehow, someway. Now, here we are.” Coop walked to the passenger side of my car. “Open the door! We have a lot to talk about” I unlocked the door and let her in. I sat in my car and realized my whole car smelled like her now. I was both thrilled and scared to have Coop next to me.