The Claddagh Ring: And So It Begins

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

We ran as fast as we could to the restaurant with our hockey bags slung over our shoulders. I am sure Luke could have left me in the dust, but instead he kept a good pace with me because I am faster on skates then on my own two feet. When we got to ‘The Spaghetti Factory’, Luke lied and said we were a party of four and the other two would catch up later. When our waiter brought us to our table, we put our hockey bags on one side of the table and then I slid in on the other side and Luke sat next to me.

“So, what are you thinking of getting,” Luke asked when we got our menus, “I’m looking at the penne pasta with rosé sauce.”

“I think I’ll get the spaghetti and meatballs. You can’t beat the classics,” I said eyeing the picture of the bowl of tomato sauce covered pasta and balls of meat.

“Ow! That is good. You have tempted me, Em. I think I’ll get that too.” When the waiter came to take our order, Luke said, “Two orders of the spaghetti and meatballs and two cokes please.” As the waiter walked away, Luke turned to me and asked, “You wanted a coke right?”

“Of course. I was saying as we were running here I would order a coke straight off the bat because I am so darn thirsty,” I replied glad that he had listened and remembered and also do to the fact that I was almost unable to talk because of how dry my throat was.

“So, Em, what do you want to talk about,” Luke asked after a few moments of silence.

“Do you like horses,” I asked curiously.

Luke look a little tense when he answered, “Not really, sorry.”

“Good, I’m not a huge fan myself,” as I said this I saw Luke relax.

“What was the point of that?”

“I don’t know. I just want to learn more about you. Just to make that you are a true friend. One that I can count on being there when I need you,” I explained.

Luke smiled, “Did you know that you’re my best friend?”

“No. But I should have because we wouldn’t be here if you weren’t,” I said gesturing at the busy restaurant around us.

 “Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” I pause, “Luke, can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Will you be my best friend?”

Luke grinned, “Of course.”

Right then, the waiter appeared with our food and coke. He placed them down and then after asking if there was anything else, he left as quickly as he came.

As soon as I saw the coke, I said, “Hallelujah,” and drank half of it in one huge gulp.

“So you really weren’t joking about the whole coke thing,” Luke asked eyeing me.

“I don’t joke when it comes to me and being thirsty. And especially when there is coke involved,” I explained.

“Ha,” he laughed at how true I was really being.

As my eyes wondered around the room, I noticed that there was a T.V. just above the booth in front of us showing the hockey game. “Luke, look. They are showing the Ducks and Red Wings game.”

Dahl looked up at the T.V., with his mouth full of spaghetti, and said, “Sweet. I was afraid I was going to miss it,” then he added quickly, “Not that I didn’t want to spend time with you, I just really like the Ducks. They are like my favorite hockey team. Not that they are better then you, I jus-”

I but my hand over his mouth to stop him before he lost it, “I get it. I was nervous too that I would miss the game because the Ducks are my favorite team too. But I like spending time with you more. So how about next time, we just order in pizza and watch the game at one of our houses.”

“Sounds great. Oh sorry,” he said looking at the hand I had used to cover his mouth. It was almost all covered in tomato sauce. Luke took his napkin, and started to whip my hand clean. He guided the napkin very gently across my sauce-covered hand. It was as if I was a very fragile piece of work and even the tiniest bit of pressure would break me. But, come on, I play hockey, the time I walk off the ice with no bruises from being body checked, is the time when I start to like wearing skirts just for the heck of, which is never going to happen. Luke had leaned so far over my hand to try and get all the sauce off, that it looked as though he were a scientist studying it to find the cure for something.   

When he was finally done (two minutes later. I know the top of Luke’s head better then the back of my own hand), I said, “Thanks. Oh here,” Luke’s lips were covered and surrounded with tomato sauce, just like my hand. It looked like a lipstick job by a three-year-old. I grabbed my own napkin and started to whip his face off for him, but it didn’t work out to while. I got most of it off, but there was still some on his lips, so now it just looked like he was wearing lipstick.

I laughed. “What,” Luke asked, smiling a little.

“Here,” still laughing, I took out my phone to take a picture of him. When I showed Luke the picture, he started to laugh too.

“You are going to erase that. Aren’t you?” Luke said.

“No. This is a keeper,” I said trying to put my phone away with one hand and fighting of Luke with the other. In the end, Luke had won and deleted the photo, but I got a new one and we swapped e-mail addresses and cell-phone numbers. 

We enjoyed the rest of our meal in peace, except for heavy metal band in the booth behind us yelling out something that I think was the beginning of a song.

~

“Thanks so much for everything, Luke,” we were now in front of my house saying good-bye.

Luke flashed me another heartbreaking smile, “It was my pleasure.”

“So I guess I will see you Monday,” I said opening the door.

“I’m sure you will see me Monday, unless I come down with the flu, or I’m kidnapped or get eaten by a bear or die or . . .” Luke answered. I laughed as Luke grinned at his joke.

“See you then,” I said as I started to walk in the door.

Revealing another beautiful smile, Luke said, “Bye,” in a new way that almost made me turn around and ask ‘What was that?’

When I was on the other side of the door and it was shut tight, I ran to my room and shut the door. Flying to my bed and fell asleep. I was so tired from the hockey and walking everywhere, I didn’t even noticed I was still fully dressed, shoes and all.