to the later movie, but I just had dinner, didn’t you? Or we don’t have to go to a movie. We could go to that teen dance club downtown. Do you think Kimberly would like that? But if we do that, we really won’t be able to talk. Of course, we won’t be able to talk at a movie either, but we could go out for food afterward; what do you think?”
There were a whole bunch of questions in there, but I didn’t answer any of them, because Gunnar never really stopped talking long enough, not even when we got almost to Kimberly’s house. Obviously, Gunnar was even more nervous about this date than I was.
When we pulled up at Kimberly’s house, Gunnar finally took a breath, so I turned to him in the front seat and said, “Gunnar? Calm down.”
“What?” he said.
“Try to relax. You’re making me nervous.” Actually, this was a lie. The truth was, Gunnar’s anxiety attack had somehow calmed me down. Go figure.
Gunnar took a couple of deep breaths, then nodded, and we headed for the flickering light of the front porch.
We’d barely pressed the doorbell when the front door flew open. It was Kimberly and Trish, filling the whole doorway. They both looked flustered, and there was a panicky look in Kimberly’s eyes. Gunnar and I both took a couple involuntary steps backward on the porch.
Kimberly was already shouting back into the house. “I’m leaving! ” she called. “’Bye, Mom; ’bye, Dad!” Then she glared at Gunnar and me, and said almost as loudly, “Go, go, go! ”
Gunnar and I were both kind of speechless. But Kimberly had already slammed the front door behind her and was now forcibly pushing us toward the car. “Come on, come on!” she said. “Let’s go! ”
Only now did I understand what was going on. Kimberly didn’t want to have to introduce us to her parents. I didn’t particularly want to be introduced to her parents, so this turn of events was fine with me.
Gunnar was clueing in at exactly the same time I was, so together, we all turned and bolted for the car like characters outrunning an explosion in an action-adventure movie.
Just as we reached the car, I saw a rectangle of light burst open on the front porch behind us. “Kimberly!” said the silhouette in the doorway. “Kimberly, wait a minute!” Kimberly’s mom.
“Ignore her!” Kimberly whispered, throwing open two car doors at a time. “Let’s just go!” She turned back toward the house and waved. “’Bye, Mom! We’ll be home by one!”
“But Kimberly—!” the voice said, but it was too late. We were all inside the car now, and Kimberly’s mom could only glower at us helplessly from within the wan light of the front porch.
“Drive!” Kimberly said, and Gunnar did. He didn’t actually peel rubber, but he came close.
When we reached the end of the block, Kimberly finally relaxed, and the rest of us did too. Sitting in the front seat next to Gunnar, she lit up a cigarette. “Oh, man,” she said. “There was, like, no way I was doing the whole parent thing.”
“It’s okay,” Gunnar said. He hesitated a second, then added, “You need to change the bulb in your front porch light.”
I thought, We’ve been on this date for ten seconds, and Gunnar has already said the wrong thing. This had to be some kind of new record.
Trish was sitting next to me in the backseat, so I turned to her and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Trish said. Up in the front seat, Kimberly was pretty heavily made up and was busting out all over in front. Trish, meanwhile, had a little less on her face and a little more on her body, but her clothes were pretty tight and didn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination either. She didn’t look horrible, though.
“You look great,” I said, and she blushed.
“Thanks,” she said in the mousy, whispery voice I remembered. “You do too.”
“Where we headed?” Kimberly said, somehow managing to blow smoke in all our faces at exactly the same time.
“A movie?” Gunnar said. It was
There were a whole bunch of questions in there, but I didn’t answer any of them, because Gunnar never really stopped talking long enough, not even when we got almost to Kimberly’s house. Obviously, Gunnar was even more nervous about this date than I was.
When we pulled up at Kimberly’s house, Gunnar finally took a breath, so I turned to him in the front seat and said, “Gunnar? Calm down.”
“What?” he said.
“Try to relax. You’re making me nervous.” Actually, this was a lie. The truth was, Gunnar’s anxiety attack had somehow calmed me down. Go figure.
Gunnar took a couple of deep breaths, then nodded, and we headed for the flickering light of the front porch.
We’d barely pressed the doorbell when the front door flew open. It was Kimberly and Trish, filling the whole doorway. They both looked flustered, and there was a panicky look in Kimberly’s eyes. Gunnar and I both took a couple involuntary steps backward on the porch.
Kimberly was already shouting back into the house. “I’m leaving! ” she called. “’Bye, Mom; ’bye, Dad!” Then she glared at Gunnar and me, and said almost as loudly, “Go, go, go! ”
Gunnar and I were both kind of speechless. But Kimberly had already slammed the front door behind her and was now forcibly pushing us toward the car. “Come on, come on!” she said. “Let’s go! ”
Only now did I understand what was going on. Kimberly didn’t want to have to introduce us to her parents. I didn’t particularly want to be introduced to her parents, so this turn of events was fine with me.
Gunnar was clueing in at exactly the same time I was, so together, we all turned and bolted for the car like characters outrunning an explosion in an action-adventure movie.
Just as we reached the car, I saw a rectangle of light burst open on the front porch behind us. “Kimberly!” said the silhouette in the doorway. “Kimberly, wait a minute!” Kimberly’s mom.
“Ignore her!” Kimberly whispered, throwing open two car doors at a time. “Let’s just go!” She turned back toward the house and waved. “’Bye, Mom! We’ll be home by one!”
“But Kimberly—!” the voice said, but it was too late. We were all inside the car now, and Kimberly’s mom could only glower at us helplessly from within the wan light of the front porch.
“Drive!” Kimberly said, and Gunnar did. He didn’t actually peel rubber, but he came close.
When we reached the end of the block, Kimberly finally relaxed, and the rest of us did too. Sitting in the front seat next to Gunnar, she lit up a cigarette. “Oh, man,” she said. “There was, like, no way I was doing the whole parent thing.”
“It’s okay,” Gunnar said. He hesitated a second, then added, “You need to change the bulb in your front porch light.”
I thought, We’ve been on this date for ten seconds, and Gunnar has already said the wrong thing. This had to be some kind of new record.
Trish was sitting next to me in the backseat, so I turned to her and said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Trish said. Up in the front seat, Kimberly was pretty heavily made up and was busting out all over in front. Trish, meanwhile, had a little less on her face and a little more on her body, but her clothes were pretty tight and didn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination either. She didn’t look horrible, though.
“You look great,” I said, and she blushed.
“Thanks,” she said in the mousy, whispery voice I remembered. “You do too.”
“Where we headed?” Kimberly said, somehow managing to blow smoke in all our faces at exactly the same time.
“A movie?” Gunnar said. It was
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