The Boy in the Basement

Chapter 7

* I thought I would put this chapter up a bit early because Christmas! So merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy whatever it is you celebrate!!! Have a great day!*
"Does this look alright?" I asked.

"It looks wonderful." Mama said. "We raised a beautiful daughter."

"We sure did." Papa said. "What are you two planning on doing tonight?"

"I'm note sure. I think Peter was choosing something." I said. "I'm sure it'll be lovely, though."

"Well, just be safe." Papa said.

"We will be." There was a knock on the door, and I went and opened it. Peter was standing there, in a suit.

"Hello." He said. "Are you ready?"

"Ya, I'm ready." I replied, and we went on our way. "So, what did you have in mind for our date?"

"We're going out to dinner."

"I don't have any money, though."

"Don't worry. I've got it." He took my hand "How have you been since our last date?"

"I've been alright? I heard from my real father." Ever since I had heard from my real father, I was on edge. It was still weird to think he was alive. I had grown up with Hans and Rosa being my parents, but it was always on the back of my mind that he could still be out there. when I was young I always used to think that one day he would just show up. But it never happened.

"Real father?" Peter looked at me in confusion. "Is Hans Hubermann not your real father?"

"No." I guess I forgot to mention it to him before. "I was adopted when I was 4. I guess I forgot to bring it up."

"I never knew that." Peter said. "Are ... are you happy that you heard from your father?"

"I honestly am feeling a lot of different things." I admitted. "It's just a bit strange, that's all." I said, and Peter nodded. We made our way through town to a restaurant called Alter Haferkasten. I had walked by here a few times; it was a nice place, but also expensive. "Are you sure you don't mind paying?" I asked. "It's so expensive here..."

"Of course I don't mind." He said. "I want us to have a nice date." We went inside. The place had dim lighting, and there were a lot of people. But we were seated almost immediately.

"So how about you? How have you been?" I asked.

"I've been well. We put up a Christmas tree yesterday."

"Already? It's only December 1st."

"Ya. My parents love Christmas, so they wanted to put it up early." He said. "Do you know what you're going to order yet?" I looked at the menu - there was so many options, I didn't know where to start looking.

"I don't know... I've never been to a restaurant, you know." I admitted.

"Really?"

"Really. I never had the money." I said.

"What do you think so far?"

I looked around at the room; there were lights giving a soft illumination, and music was playing. It gave a calming feeling. "It's nice, I love it." I went back to looking at the menu. There were salads, pasta dishes, meat - anything I could think of. Eventually the waiter came by and took our orders. I ended up getting a dish with both chicken and pasta. When it came, both Peter and I began to eat. It was better than anything I had ever eaten in my life, and I ate slowly to savor the taste. The only downside was that I got full quickly; I wasn't used to eating so much. My mind wandered back to my father again. That had been happening a lot the past few days.

"Adeline, are you alright?" Peter asked. "Is the food not good? I'm sorry if the date hasn't been too good..."

"No, it's not that." I said quickly. "It's just, I'm not used to eating so much. If i eat too much, I'll feel sick, and I don't want to ruin anything." I took his hand in mine. "This date has been lovely, really."

"Alright." He smiled. "So your dinner is good?"

"It's one of the best dinners I've had." I replied. I ended up making it through about 1/2 of my dish before I got too full. I decided to take the rest of it home. I was sure Liesel or Max would love it.

"I had a great night." Peter said as we were on our way back to my home.

"So did I." I said. "Thank you for introducing me to the wonderful world of fine dining." Peter laughed.

"You're certainly welcome." We made it back to my home. "I'll see you again soon, I hope?"

"Of course." I replied. WE stood in awkward silence for a moment, and then Peter suddenly leaned forward and kissed me. It was soft, and my mind was racing the whole time. It wasn't my 1st kiss, but the first kiss you shared with someone was always exciting.

As soon as he pulled away, Peter smiled. "I'll see you soon."

"Ya, I'll see you soon." I said softly, and then I went in. My face was red, I could tell. Liesel was sitting at the kitchen table reading, and she noticed, too.

"You're all red." She commented. "What happened? Did he kiss you?" I nodded. "I knew it!"

"Ya, that happened." I said. "So, I brought some of my dinner. I couldn't eat it all, so I figured out you would want some."

"I'm not very hungry." She said. "I bet Max would love it, though."

"Ya, he probably would." I brought it down to the basement. Once again, Max was reading. "Hello."

"Hi." He replied. "How was going out to dinner? Was it nice?"

"It was great. The place we went too was really fancy, I felt like I didn't really belong. But it was lovely. I actually brought back some food, if you want to try some."

"I don't want to take your food, though..." Max said.

"Really, try it. You would like it." I handed it to him. He took a bite and slowly chewed it, and then swallowed it.

"That's one of the best things I've tasted." He said with a smile.

"Have the rest then, it's yours." I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'm full, so I probably won't have anymore."

"Thank you." He said.

"I'll see you in the morning, alright?" He nodded, and I went back up. Tonight had been a good night, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I was just hoping that the happiness would last.