He laughs. “I see.” He tilts his head to look into the rearview mirror and says, “So how was the track meet?”
“It was fun. I really like my new friend.”
“The girl you were waving to when you got in the car?”
“Yeah, Melissa. She’s really nice.”
“I’m glad to see you are making friends,” he says as he pulls out of the parking lot.
I spot Jake getting into a car.Yeah, Dad, me too, I think to myself. “We’re going to the movies tomorrow afternoon.”
“That sounds nice. I assume you’ve checked with your mother?”
“Not yet, we just decided today. I’ll ask her when we get home.” I turn toward him and wink. “After I help with dinner and clean up the kitchen of course.”
My father doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head and laughs.
We pull into the driveway, and Dad stops for me to get out of the car. He pulls the car into the garage, and I follow him in.
Walking in the house I say, “Hey, Mom, we’re home.” I head upstairs to put my backpack away, but before my parents get out of my view, I see my mom walk to my dad and give him a kiss.
“How was your day, dear?” she asks with a smile.
I shake my head. My parents are sweet, but they are so cliché. Sometimes I feel like they walked out of aBrady Bunchepisode. Mike and Carol Brady. I can’t help but laugh because, yep, those are my parents.
I drop my backpack on the floor in my room and rush back downstairs to help Mom with dinner. She’s making steaks, baked potatoes, and peas. Yum, one of my absolute favorite meals. I start cleaning some of the utensils Mom has used. I swear she uses every utensil she owns to make every meal, and it always helps so much if I start clearing them out and getting them clean before we sit for dinner.
It’s just Mom, Dad, and me. I don’t have any siblings, and while it can be cool being the only child, sometimes it sucks and I wish I had a sister or a brother. I laugh to myself. I bet if I did have a sibling, we would probably fight all the time.
The three of us sit down to dinner. Mom asks how my first week at school was, and Dad quickly informs her that I have made a friend. It’s the perfect lead-in for me to ask if I can go to the movies tomorrow afternoon.
Dad winks at me as I say, “Which reminds me, Mom, would it be okay if I went to an afternoon movie tomorrow with my new friend?”
“You know I need you to help clean the house tomorrow. Just because you haven’t lived with us for a couple of months doesn’t mean your regular chores no longer exist. Frankly, I’m looking forward to having some help for a change.”
I try to ignore that comment ’cause I know if I react, I will say something I’ll regret and I won’t get to go tomorrow. “I promise I will get up early and do everything you need. The movie isn’t until two.” I turn toward my dad. “If Mom says yes, can you drive me?”
Mom looks at Dad, then back at me with a grin. “I don’t know. You’ve only known this friend for a week.”
Okay, really? Now she is playing with me.
“Come on, Mom.”
Dad keeps quiet, as he always does. He knows this is Mom’s decision. She is the one who needs me on Saturdays, so even if he wants me to go, he stays out of it.
She smiles. “Yes, if you get everything done I need you to do, you can go.”
The next day, after helping Mom all morning, I shower and get dressed. I’m really nervous because Jake is gonna be there too. It takes me forever to decide what to wear, evidenced by the pile of rejected outfits on the floor next to my closet. But, I finally settle on a pair of jeans, a white blouse, and my pink cardigan. It’s early spring and still can get chilly outside. I decide to wear my hair down instead of my standard ponytail, so my honey-blonde curls are light and flowy. I look in the mirror and shrug. It’ll have to do.
I rush downstairs. “Dad, I’m ready.”
“Don’t you look pretty,” Dad says.
“Aww, Dad, you’re making me blush.”
He gets up from his La-Z-Boy chair and grabs his keys. “We wouldn’t want that, now would we? Then your cheeks will match your sweater.”
I roll my eyes as he chuckles at my expense.
