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“Will she believe that you’re on your own?”
“Probably not.”
After a moment, she tapped out a reply.I’ve gone into CDA to do some stuff.
Charli:Didn’t want company? Or did someone go with you?
You know I like to do stuff on my own sometimes. I’ll be home around supper time.
Charli:Okay. Be safe. See ya!
When they got to the restaurant, they were quickly shown to a booth. Since it was after one-thirty, it seemed like the lunch rush was over.
Their waitress greeted them with a smile, then told them about that day’s specials before leaving them to peruse their menus. It was hard to know what she was in the mood for when there were so many options she would enjoy.
“I suppose you’ve already figured out what you’re having,” Janessa said, even though Will hadn’t put his menu down.
“Sort of. I’m trying to decide if I wantjustpancakes, or if I want more.”
“Get more,” Janessa told him. “You can always take it home for later.”
“I like how you think.”
By the time the server returned with their drinks, Janessa had decided on a chicken burger with fries. She probably should have gone for a salad, but she liked fries better. Jay could lecture her all he wanted, but she’d probably always choose fries over a salad.
As they waited for their food, they talked about what they’d do after they’d eaten. Neither of them felt in the mood for bowling or the challenge of an escape room. In the end, they decided on a movie. They’d found one that looked interesting and that had a rating they were both comfortable with.
“Here you go,” the server said as she set their food on the table. “Enjoy!”
They prayed for the food, then dug in. As they ate, they talked about how their week had gone.
“Are you as relieved as I am that the dinner is over?” Will asked.
“I am,” Janessa said. “I didn’t mind helping, but between those meetings on Monday and attending the Bible study on Thursday, I felt like I didn’t have much time to unwind in the evenings. With working full time, I enjoy having quiet evenings.”
“So why did you volunteer for the dinner?”
Janessa thought back to what had prompted her to go to that first meeting. At the time, it had felt like a good idea to help alleviate a bit of boredom. But after how stressful it had ended up being, she was going to stick with boredom next time.
“At the time, I thought I needed something to fill my time. I think I’ll just take up a hobby if I start feeling a bit bored again.”
“Given how well this event turned out, I’m afraid my mom is going to try to talk me into joining every dinner committee from here until the end of time.”
“Well, you were an integral part of its success, so I’m sure she will.”
Will gave a huff of laughter as he lifted a hand to scratch at his beard. “Integral? I know I’m a math teacher, and not an English one, but I’m pretty sure that my role didn’t meet the definition of integral.”
Janessa grinned as she dragged a fry through the puddle of ketchup on her plate. “You know that your mom will see it that way, though.”
“And Evelyn will probably back up that idea in hopes that my mom will volunteer me for the next dinner.”
“If everyone had a mom like yours, the committees would never be understaffed.”
“Isn’t that the truth?”
“My mom would probably volunteer us for more, but since she’s been gone a lot, she doesn’t often know in time to do that.”
“They’re off on that medical ship, right?”
