Handcuffed

Answers??

The sun was already in the middle of the sky on January 30th before it got a glimpse of Shirley. She found Mrs. Barrymore setting lunch on the buffet, which reminded her of the discussion she had with her the day before.

"Thank you for the compliment, Shirley, but when I asked how it was, I did not mean the meal I prepared for you."

Shirley hadn't been in the mood of answering the real question, but she had no other way to get away from it. "Honestly Madam, I was just kidding," she answered stalling for time.

She had only awaken two hours before, and she was so hungry that she came at 5:00 to see if she could get an early start at supper. She hadn't counted on Mrs. Barrymore pouncing on her the second she entered the dining room, pulling her into the kitchen for a private chat. The meatloaf, mashed potatoes in gravy and stir fried vegetables normally didn't tempt her too much, but not having eaten in almost twenty-four hours was enough to make her stomach growl when she got into the kitchen.

Mrs. Barrymore gave her a large helping, and sat down across from her at the small kitchen table waiting for an answer.

"I plan on meeting him again," she said before stuffing her mouth.

"That is what you told me last time," Mrs. Barrymore chided her. "Does he have the same ideals as you? Do you think you can be compatible? Will he be a good husband and father or will he be completely consumed by his work and outside the home social life? Have you thought about those kind of questions?"

Shirley was surprised to hear the depth of her questions, but didn't comment.

"We seem at first glance to have the same ideals and may be compatible. I would not venture to say I am finished, since I wonder if I have an old-fashioned streak to me that may not match with him. I am still trying to get a feel for it. As for a good husband and father, I have seen some unlikable mood shifts, but then again, he and everyone else out there are human. I don't know that most other people would have reacted differently. He does seem to have his heart in the right place."

"That is more like it," Mrs. Barrymore said with a smile that Shirley was sure she had never seen before. "While I finish bringing all the food out, you can finish eating here or you can join everyone else out there."

"Why don't I help you bring it all out?" Shirley filled her mouth again and helped her carry a large pot of vegetables onto a cart. By that time they were done, a few students had wandered in and Shirley joined them at the tables.

She was nearly finished her meal when Ms. Barker dressed in her warm parka beckoned her from the corner of the room.

"I need to be a kid again, and do some clothing shopping," she told a surprised Shirley. "I imagine you could use some new clothing too, now that you are becoming a serious dater. Would you like to join me for a few hours?"

"Sure," Shirley answered without hesitation. "When?"

"There is no time like the present," her teacher replied.

"Please allow me to finish my plate, clean up, and I'll be ready in three minutes."

"I will wait for you here."

"I forgot my cell phone in my room," Shirley exclaimed ten minutes after they left. "I wasn't planning on going anywhere so I didn't bring it to lunch."

"That's okay, I have mine, though I need to recharge it" Ms. Barker calmed her giving her a little wink while putting the car adapter plug into the phone.

"You must have been to the local malls and stores as much as I have, so why don't we try someplace we don't frequent too often."

"Sounds like a good idea," Shirley replied wondering if there was more to this trip then shopping, "especially since we have a lot of time to spare."