Second Date

Chapter 27: You Must Remember This...

Chapter 27: You Must Remember This...

"A lovely night! A lovely night! A finer night you know you'll never see! You meet your prince! Oooo! A charming prince! Ahhh! As charming as a prince will ever be!"

Yes. Rapunzel was singing in the shower.

And Flynn was under strict surveillance from her parents.

Flynn was also flanked by Rapunzel's psycho sidekicks Pascal and Maximus. Currently the chameleon and horse were attempting the animal version of good-cop-bad-cop, and it was the most unintimidating performance Flynn had ever seen.

Now, Flynn would never accuse Rapunzel's parents of being overbearing. They were no Mother Gothel (thank goodness)! But, they were protective. True, they were also kind, supportive, welcoming, and crazy competitive board-game enthusiasts but ultra-protective.

So when Rapunzel was singing away in the shower, Flynn's butt was parked four ways between Maximus, Pascal, and Mr. and Mrs. Gleam and Glow. It was definitely crowded, but not unpleasant. After all, Mr. Gleam and Glow had kindled a fire, and Mrs. Gleam and Glow had baked cookies.

"Gingersnaps!" Flynn toasted the cookie at Rapunzel's mother. "My favorite! Yum! Tre tre debonair!"

Rapunzel's mother smiled appreciatively. Sweetly, she offered the plate to her husband, Maximus, and Pascal. Flynn reached for the last cookie, but Maximus slurped it whole.

The shower switched off. Tub water drained as Rapunzel continued to sing.

"The stars in a hazy heaven! Trrrrrrremble above you! While he is whispering - " she deepened her voice. "-Darling, I love you!"

Flynn jabbed his thumb at the bathroom.

"She's got a great set of pipes huh?"

Maximus whinnied. Pascal scuttled angrily for Flynn's boot.

"Her voice!" Flynn scooched up his chair. Maximus was a bully, but Pascal just creeped Flynn out. "Her voice, I meant her voice! Down frog! Down frog! Get your mind out of the gutter! Rapunzel has a great voice!"

"Thank youuuuuuu!" Rapunzel sang from the bathroom.

"You're welcome!" Flynn sung nervously back. "Tell the frog to leave me alone!"

"He's a chameleon!"

"Nuance! Please just send him back to the bog from whence he cammmme!"

Rapunzel laughed. There was a huge flop as she dropped her hair on the floor.

"Pascale! Stop picking on Flynn! Mother? Mother could you help dry my hair?"

Apologetically, Rapunzel's mother excused herself to Flynn.

"S'all good Mom!" Flynn waved. "Without your help Rapunzel will be in there forever, and we've got plans for movie night! I'll just stay here with Mr. Gleam and Glow! He was gonna teach me to play chess!"

Flynn was not overly excited to learn chess. However, it turned out to be the perfect pastime. The seven blow-driers used to dry Rapunzel's hair made conversation impossible. It was much too loud, even for shouting. But Rapunzel's father was a quiet sort anyway, and small talk would have been awkward.

So, rather than force a one-sided conversation, the men played chess. Flynn pretended that he understood the rules, and Rapunzel's father pretended not to notice. The game turned into checkers, and Rapunzel's father won with a quadruple-double-diagonal jump sequence.