Ray's Karate Kid Journey Part III

Chapter 1: The Date

Ray was in his bedroom getting ready for another date with Diona. He looked at himself in the mirror to see if he's prepared for his special date. He had his red-and-black striped shirt with Khaki brown jeans prepared. He also had his brown leather shoes ready as well. Now, all he had to do was to comb his hair.

Ray walked to his Superman desk and grabbed the black comb that was ontop of it. His desk contained a small mirror with a few cabinets on each side. Right below the desk were two drawers. One being wider than the other. The wide one was on the left while the small one was on the right.

Anyways, after Ray grabbed his comb, he went back to the big mirror. His comb reached for his hair staring with the ones at the front. Then, it went backwards and it began to stroke his scalp. A little bit faster, but carefully. Because if not, his scalp will end up having big scratches of wounds all over it. Even if it's not really a single wound, he would still feel like it's scratched. Ray continued combing his hair until all elements in his hair were ready.

As for the hair strands in his comb, he walked to the small trash can, which is on the right side of his desk. His hands moved to open the lid before his fingers greased the hair strands away from his comb. His hands did not dare to touch the trash inside, for they would be full of germs that was made in the trash can itself. Once the hair strands made it to the trash can, he moved his hands and the comb away from it. And so, the trash can lid closed.

You might think he was now ready for a date. But not quite yet. He just needed one thing first. Alcohol. No, not the alcoholic drink, but rather an alcohol that can be poured or sprayed on your hands. After you apply to it, you rub your hands together.

Ray opened the small drawer below his desk and his hand took out a small bottle of isopropyl alcohol. His thumb and index finger opened the transparent cap that was covering the spraying part. Then, his thumb reached the top of the alcohol bottle and pushed it three times. Three sprays applied to his other hand before putting the bottle down. On his desk. Then, he rubbed his hands together. After that, he took the cap and covered the alcohol bottle. Then, he put it back in the drawer. His hand moved to close it.

The reason why he applied alcohol on his hands was because before that, the first thing that crossed his mind was to wash his hands in the kitchen sink. But as the suggestion crossed his mind, he realized that the mental note he kept to himself was to wash his hands before putting on his outside shirt to not make things worse. Especially when some of you are perfectionists. So he decided to apply alcohol instead.

After he packed necessary things for him to bring in his backpack, it's time for him to go.

First, Ray went into the same van he always ride every time he and his family travel. He sat on his usual spot with Rodd on his driver's seat. This time, only Rodd was present other than Ray. What about the rest of his family? Well, how can Brandy and Ron be looked after by just one person? That's why Teresa chose to look after the two boys and help Gloria understand what they need and want. Plus, she also helped deal with difficult times like temper tantrums.

Once Ray was in his seat, he heard Rodd asking him, "Are you all prepared?"

"Yes, dad. I have everything ready," answered Ray.

Rodd chuckled hearing his answer, "I'll give you time if you forget something you need."

That's when he double-checked his things that are necessary for his date with Diona. His isopropyl alcohol, cellphone, a few snacks he could bring, water bottle, a black ballpen, journal, wallet and a few miscellaneous stuff. After he double-checked, he told Rodd. "Okay, dad. I have everything I need."

"Okay. Let's go to the House of Pancakes," Rodd said as they took off from their house, but not before Gloria opened the gate.

The van took off to Atlantic Bay. And somewhere in Atlantic Bay is the House of Pancakes. That restaurant is where Ray and Diona usually go in morning dates. During nighttime dates, they went to different restaurants where dinner is on the menu. It was dawn when Ray started preparing for a date.

When they arrived, it was 7:00am. The door slid open and there came Diona. Ray turned to her and was awestruck by the sight of her in her casual outfit. She was wearing her black shirt with light blue jeans and white sneakers.

He was snapped out of it when Rodd told him,"Have fun, Super son."

"I will, dad," replied Ray as he got off the van to meet up with Diona.

"You... Y-You look..." Ray trailed off still in awestruck.

Diona giggled at his processing response. "I think I know what you're gonna say. Thanks, Ray."

"No problem. Let's go inside?" Ray asked her.

"Yeah. Let's go," she replied as the two went inside the House of Pancakes.

Ray and Diona found the table for two. Well, not only they found it on their own, but a saleswoman accompanied them to the table in the middle of the dining part of the restaurant. They opened their menus to see what they're gonna order.

As usual, they ordered a dish called "Perfect Match." It contained a hashbrown, two toasted breads, two sunny-side-up eggs and a few bacons. They also ordered brewed coffee for each of them. After the waiter took their order, they waited until food was served. While doing so, they were discussing about plans on what's gonna happen in their future lives.

Later on, two Perfect Match dishes were served, but there's just one problem.

"We prepared two orders of Perfect Match, but the coffee beans disappeared out of nowhere," the female waiter said.

"Wait, someone stole them?!" Diona asked in shock.

"Yes, but we don't know for sure who's behind all this," answered the female waiter.

"Can't you check the CCTV cameras?" Ray asked her in shock.

"We already did when we found out that coffee beans were stolen. Turns out, we can't clear a name on who that person really is," answered the waiter.

"Have you got any details on what he or she looks like?" he asked.

"I only got a few. This person was about..." Her hand raised a bit higher than her head. "...this tall. I'm sorry. That's all I know."

"That's okay, miss," said Ray as he rose from his chair,"Because it's time for us to solve the mystery. I mean, if you want to."

"Are you sure about this, Ray?" he heard Diona asking him. "This could be dangerous."

He turned to her, "Don't worry, Diona. We'll solve it together. And if you're still not sure, we can always call the police."

"Yeah. And you two can come with us. Well, that's if our manager agrees with it," said the waiter.

"Alright, then. Let's call the police," said Ray as he took out his cellphone and dialed the mobile number of Atlantic Bay Police Station.