The perfect date

Chapter 11

The next day, as promised, Squidward decides to go to his mother's house and knocks on her door, with Spongebob standing right beside him in support.

No longer than a minute or so later, Squidward's mother opened the door to see who it was and stood there, shocked beyond belief.

"Hi mom. Heh. It's been a while huh?" Squidward said, rubbing his neck, embarrassed as his mom immediately opens her arms and hugs her son completely around his neck.

"Oh, my baby! I have been so worried about you. Why haven't you come to visit your old mother huh? You know women, my age are more vulnerable to loneliness. I haven't had anyone to keep me company in years." Squidward's mom asked Squidward in a tone that told others, she missed her only son very much.

"I'm sorry. I should have at least tried to call you when I wasn't so busy, but then everything else started to happen so fast and I had a lot on my mind." Squidward said while his mom eventually lets go of their hug to glance over at SpongeBob before looking back at her son and puts two-two together.

"Haha. It would seem that you have. Oh well, I'm just glad that you were able to stop by. Because then that way, I get know your boyfriend a bit better." Squidwards mom said, her face curling up into a smile.

"Huh?! I uh..h...how did you..." Squidward was going to ask, his face flustered by his mother's reaction until he was immediately cut off by her answer. 

"Ha! Do you think that this old coot is so old that I can't even notice when my baby is in love? You must not be paying much attention to your own mother so often." Squidward's mom said with a chuckle.

"I guess..." Squidward said, looking down awkwardly while SpongeBob simply held onto his hand and finished out what he had planned to say, the moment they were able to meet her.

"Mrs. Tentacles. I know your son hasn't been able to tell you this for a long while. But he is really good with the clarinet and works so hard to improve its tuning every step of the way. Which is why I think that it would be a great honor if you could come see him tonight for his clarinet recital." SpongeBob warmly invited while Squidward begins to panic over the sudden offer.

"O...h SpongeBob. I don't think that she'll be able to..." Squidward was going say since the invitation was so soon in the day and she could be too busy to come anyways, until he was suddenly interrupted by her answer.

"Of course I'll be there. It's been too long since I've last seen my baby play anything. Did you know that when he was little, I used to teach him how to play the piano as well. He was really good at it too until he got his hands on a clarinet in the 11th grade and changed his mind right afterwards." Squidward's mother noted.

"Wow! Really? He never told me that." SpongeBob said excitedly with his eyes sparkling in wonder.

"Oh, he well maybe that was because he was only being modest dear. He actually used to play a lot more instruments all throughout his high school days. I can show you all of his old instrument sets if you want? Come on inside and we can talk for a few minutes with some nice fresh tea and my baby's favorite batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies." Squidward's mom offered.

"Oh! Oh! Can I also see some of your son's pictures when he was younger too?" SpongeBob asked curiously. 

"Haha, you sure can." Squidward's mom said, laughing at his enthusiasm. 

"Oh boy." Squidward mumbled, pinching his nose with a small chuckle under his breath.

Good grief did he really love him.

The guy was a like a sweet Angel with no filter on how honestly kind he has been to the people closest to him.

As the three of them then walked inside the house and spent a nice couple of lovely hours getting to talk about the good things in life.

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Then, later on that night, Squidward, who was dressed up in a nice blue shiny outfit for the concert, looks into the crowd of people from behind the backstage curtain and gulped nervously.

"SpongeBob I don't know about this. Are you sure that I'm ready? M...maybe we can tell them to just hold off on the whole thing another day." Squidward said with his tone in a jitter of nerves as SpongeBob took both his hands softly and tries to calm him down a little from his frequent cases of stage fright.

"You'll be fine. Just remember to believe in yourself. It may not be your first time but I know for sure that it certainly won't be the last. You're way too talented for the others not to see it and your mother is even proud of you for all the effort that you have put into this recital. I know you can do this." SpongeBob encouraged as Squidward looks directly at him, eye to eye.

"But..." Squidward was going to say until Spongebob suddenly leans up, onto his tippy toes, close to Squidward's height, and kisses him on the cheek.

Squidward's face grew red and his heart begin to beat pretty fast.

"Now go out there and do the best that I know you can do. If you ever need me, I'll be in the front row watching. Love you Squiddy, good luck." SpongeBob said with a gleaming bright smile on his face.

"Okay." Squidward said with a nod as he watches SpongeBob let go of his hand and walks away to go take his own seat upfront.

Leaving Squidward alone to take a moment to let out a couple of deeps breaths.

Alright Squidward.

You can do this.

If not for yourself.

Then do it for mother.....

For SpongeBob....

Make them both proud of what you became of yourself.

This is for the best two people in the whole wide world who would love you no matter what.

"Okay. I'm ready." Squidward declared determinedly as he walks past the stage curtain and gets himself in position with the clarinet at hand.

While the crowd waits in applauds, after an  introduction was made for him, to play. 

Afterwards, when the audience grew quiet to listen, Squidward then begins to play over out a beautiful string of tunes and starts the recital with a song that not even SpongeBob has ever heard him play before.

With every note was high and soft in its beat full melody while the lows were graceful and swiftly atoned well to its pitches.

*Author's note: play song at this time.

And when the song was over, the crowd then stands up in honor and cheered wildly for him as SpongeBob then hurriedly runs towards backstage right as Squidward bows down for his last word of the recital.

"Thank you." Squidward announced in gratitude before waving at his mother, who was smiling back at him and mouthed out the words to him within the noises of the crowd: "I'm proud of you, baby".

He knew then that his song was definitely worth, every second.

As he turns around and walks into the backstage area, where SpongeBob was waiting for him there.

"That was amazing! I told you that you can do it." SpongeBob said before pulling him into a hug around his waist.

"Heh, yeah. And I didn't even think I would have been able to pull through with either if it wasn't for you. So thanks....for never seeing me as a failure....I love you." Squiward said as he leans the two of them close with his hands cupped to his cheeks and kisses him softly on the lips.

With their hearts beating slowly into one rhythm.