What's Eating Gilbert Grape

Chapter Four

Giselle had never been on a real date in her life. She was nervous, but she was also excited. What worried her the most though, was sneaking out of the house dressed nicer than normal for work. She knew Gilbert would become suspicious, and Amy possibly would as well. Ellen wouldn't care, and Arnie was always in his little world. Momma would tell her she was beautiful, but she may not comment about where the girl would be going dressed up.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Gilbert asked, since he was use to Giselle wearing pants instead of dresses.

"Mr. Randall was talking about taking new pictures for photo work badages. I don't know if it'll be today, so I dressed a bit nicer. If it's not today, I'm going to ask him when it really is." Giselle replied, thanking all things holy that Mr. Randall had given her the news, but really, the pictures were next week.

After breakfast, Giselle headed to work with a smile on her face. She seemed to have a pep in her step throughout the day, and even Gilbert had seemed to notice during lunch, but he decided not to question it. He wondered if new pictures for her work badge could actually make her that happy. Maybe she liked taking pictures and dressing up every so often.

Gilbert and Arnie headed home about an hour before Giselle got off work. The moment she finished her shift, Mason was waiting outside of the building. Mason greeted her with a smile, as he placed his hand on the small of her back and lead her to his car. Once she was safely inside, he went over and climbed into the driver side. As soon as he turned on his car, the engine roared, and AC/DC's Back in Black began to blast through the speakers.

"You like AC/DC?" Mason asked, causing Giselle to shrug.

"I like a lot of different music. This band is pretty good, but my favorite is probably Mötley Crüe or Guns n Roses." She replied, and he grinned.

"Another thing we have in common, you have a great music taste." He commented, making her smile as well.

Mason soon arrived at a small diner in a town outside of Endora, which was a bit away, but it was worth the drive. He knew that Giselle wouldn't want to be the talk of the town--not yet--so he planned to keep their dates a secret, at least, until he asked her to be his girlfriend.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself, whatever you're comfortable with sharing." Mason commented, and Giselle nodded slightly.

"Well, my full name is Giselle Rose Grape, and Gilbert is my twin brother. He's older by twelve minutes. I have two older siblings, and two younger siblings. My oldest brother moved away from Endora years ago, and we haven't heard from him since. Amy, my older sister, takes care of the house. Gilbert and I work to provide for everyone. Arnie is special, and I love him, even though he sometimes pushes me to my limit. Ellen, my youngest sister, is a bit snobby and is worried about her image. I don't know where she got that from, but it sure wasn't me." Giselle explained, as Mason listened intently.

"What about your mom?" He asked, causing her to shrug.

"She stays at home; hasn't left the house in a few years. Honestly, she's like a bum, but she's my mother, so I've got to love her." Giselle answered, and Mason nodded.

"And your dad?" He questioned, but she shook her head.

"That's a story for another time," She replied quickly,"What about you?" She asked, trying to change the subject from her father.

"I don't have any siblings, unless my dad had a kid I don't know about. My mom and dad split up when I was in high school, which really altered my grades and attendance, since I was always switching between houses. My dad taught me how to be a mechanic like him, and my mom taught me how to cook and fix things around the house. My mom passed a couple of years ago," He said, sighing silently, and Giselle placed her hand on his for support,"and I haven't seen my dad in a few years. I think he's shacking up with some girl, maybe even has another kid or two for all I know." He added, rolling his eyes at the thought of his father.

"My father ended his life in our basement," She blurted out,"Sorry, I just--you shared some deep stuff, so I thought I should share mine with you." She said, blushing lightly.

"Don't worry about it, Giselle, you don't have to tell me anymore unless you feel comfortable." He replied, and she nodded.

The date went quiet for a moment, as the two reminisced moments in their childhoods when their life wasn't so hectic.

"So, what's with your obsession with pie?" Giselle asked, deciding to break the silence.

"You want the truth?" He asked, a grin coming to his face, and she nodded,"So, I was little and my mom took me to a small diner for my birthday. I wanted cake so bad, but they didn't have any. So, to keep me from crying over cake, this waitress brought me an entire apple pie with a candle on top. I tried the pie after everyone in the diner sang happy birthday, and I've been hooked ever since." He replied, causing Giselle to smile.

"That's so cute." She cooed, and he rolled his eyes playfully.

"What about you?" He questioned,"I've seen the secret stash of bottle cap candies you keep behind the counter at the drugstore, as well as in your car." He commented, making her blush once again.

"So, a few years ago, for our birthday, Gilbert brought me into town. I bought him a chocolate bar and an ice cream cone, but he didn't know what to get me, so he bought me bottle caps. The reason I fell in love with them, was because they tasted amazing, and they weren't too hard to chew. The other reason I loved them though, was because that was the last birthday Gilbert and I had before he and I had to start providing for our family." She explained, and Mason smiled.

"I think your story is cute, but with a bit of sadness thrown in," He commented,"I've never actually tried bottle caps before."

"Are you for real?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, and I don't like the idea of lying to you." He replied, making her smile.

"Well, since I think this date went so well, maybe on our next one we can get some bottle caps." She said, causing him to grin cheekily.

"There'll be another date?" He asked, making her shrug.

"I like the idea, but I mean, it's all you." She replied, smiling at him.

The two went to their own homes that night with big smiles on their faces...