The cooking lesson went over very well with Daniel. I could tell he enjoyed every minute of it, not because he learned how to boil eggs, but because he was close to me and no one was there to judge him for liking me.
My parents had given the excuse of going into town to buy necessary supplies for the week ahead when Daniel arrived, so that meant that they would be gone at least an hour and they would barely get back before Daniel's dad arrived for supper. The entire hour before Daniel's dad arrived was full of flirting and joking, mainly on Daniel's part. Okay, I admit I flirted a little, but girls naturally flirt with anyone of the opposite sex regardless of their outward appearance. I could tell that the little bit of flirting that I included in our conversation brightened Daniel's day and quite possibly his life.
My mom and dad got home before Daniel's dad arrived and my mom set the table in a such a way that we each had assigned seats. She placed my seat on the left of Daniel's and she positioned her seat on my left. I guess she did this to make sure I made friendly conversation with Daniel.
Daniel's dad came right at six and we immediately sat down to dinner. My dad suggested that we pray before we eat and my mom insisted that we all hold hands. My mom held out her hand to me and I stretched my hand out to Daniel's. Daniel hesitantly took my hand and my dad launched into the Common Table Prayer. My parents and Daniel's dad, Rob, started into a pretty deep conversation right away after the prayer that I felt uncomfortable entering. That left me and Daniel to sit silently next to each other eating our food.
Every time I sit next to a boy, my table manners instinctively kick in and my elbows never appear above the top of the table. I use my fork and knife properly when cutting meat, dab my mouth with a napkin several times a minute, and concentrate on chewing quietly with as little motion of my mouth as possible.
Dinner eventually ended and Daniel and his dad left. I was helping my mom clean up after supper when she asked how I thought the dinner date went.
"Mom, please don't refer to it as a dinner date." I implored, "If Daniel heard you say that, he would get all excited and think that I was his girlfriend or something."
"Fine. I won't refer to it as a dinner date, but how did it go when we went into town?"
"It was fine. He learned how to boil an egg. I think he was pretty interested in that. He flirted a lot with me and I had to talk around it."
"Ohh, he flirted with you did he?" Mom was starting to get carried away and I could tell where she was going.
"Yes. He flirted with me, but it is no secret that he likes me, so why is it such a big deal? I didn't flirt back if that's what you want to know." I could feel my nose grow slightly longer with my last comment. "I'm going to go to my room now if that's okay."
"I can finish up. You can go to your room, but make sure you have your homework done for school tomorrow."
"Already done. I'll just go to bed early tonight. Good night."
"Good night Hon'. I love you and don't forget to keep your mind open."
I walked into my room just as my phone started buzzing. I looked at the number, but I didn't recognize it. So I answered it anyway.
"Hello?"
"Hey. How's it going?" An unfamiliar voice answered.
"Um, okay. Who is this?" I asked cautiously.
"This is Ryan... from school. Remember? We are partners for that English project that we are supposed to work on."
Ohhh that Ryan. The one taller than me with tan skin and beautiful facial features. The Ryan that I had dreamed about and envisioned my future with several times. The one that I had always tried to get the attention of.
"Hello? Are you there Jess?
"Oh, uh, yes I'm here Ryan. What did you want to talk about?" I started to freak out so I quickly added, "We have a study hall together during fifth hour, right? Why don't we talk then? I have to go. See you tomorrow!" I quickly hung up and set the phone on my bed beside me and stared at it for a few minutes. I couldn't believe it! He actually called me. Wait! How did he get my number? It doesn't matter. He called me!
I got ready for bed and pulled the covers around me tightly. I smiled slightly and couldn't hold in the little giggle that escaped from my lips. We were going to work together tomorrow. He was going to talk to me and I was going to have to talk to him also. I closed my eyes dreaming again about the future that I was slowly planning out in my head. Maybe that future could begin tomorrow and start a new chapter in my life.
