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And then, like a rocket, she takes off back down the hall to her bedroom.
I got a laugh too—sure, it wasn’t the jolly wail that Alice produced, but I got one. “What does she know?” I ask Lulabelle—and sure, I might be trying to mimic Alice’s baby-talk tone. I am rewarded with a sweet, toothless smile. Apparently, the shrieking glee is reserved for her big sister.
“She isn’t wrong,” Coco says. “Lula sees Alice and it’s like herown personal entourage of entertainment has walked into the room.”
Meredith’s head is down, peering at the letter on my laptop. “Look again,” she says to Coco. “I think it’s ready.”
Coco turns back to the computer and reads aloud.
Dear Ask Annie,
I want to take out this girl. We’ve been out before. But I want to do something different, something special. Any ideas for going the extra mile?
Waiting and Willing
“I know you haven’t dated each other before,” Coco says. “But I added that line—we’ve been out before—because the two of you do everything together. If you want this date to feel different than your normal friendship day-to-day stuff, you have to do something different.”
“I agree,” I say, though I don’t want to lose our normal day-to-day things. Those are the best parts of my day.
I don’t know if Annie will have any idea that this email is mine—and Coco and Meredith’s. I don’t know what other letters she’s answering. If they’re all about teenage sons or husbands who forget to put the toilet seat down, then it will be easy to weed me out.
I’m rewarded with an answer just two days later. I know Annie. I know her system with her assistant and how quickly she answers letters. And I’m attempting to make certain I don’t have to wait long.
I’m sitting in fourth-period science when my phone winks with a response. My students are testing, and while I should be grading, I can see the Ask Annie logo in my banner. How can I resist peeking at her answer?
Dear Waiting and Willing,
I’m not really an event planner. I give researched advice, not party ideas. With that said, my advice to you is to try something new. Something neither of you has done before. There’s scientific proof that new experiences increase endorphins and help people experience joy. Give her a night she won’t forget. That doesn’t mean you have to take her skydiving. That means you try something new for the first time together.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
Ask Annie
I spend the rest of my grading time, as well as most of my prep, researching. Then I send Annie a text.
Me: Can I take you out Saturday night?
Annie: Through a text? Owen, you’re asking me out through a text? Come on, man.
Me: I can’t call, I’m in class.
Annie: I can’t answer, I’m in a meeting.
I laugh, unperturbed by her non-answer.
Me: Okay. I will ask you later. In person. But for reservation purposes… are you free Saturday night?
Annie: For reservation purposes—I am.
That’s a resounding yes—isn’t it?
Resounding or not, I’ll take it. I set my phone to the side andreturn to my laptop where I book two tickets on the Kootenai cruise ship. A two-hour dinner cruise on the lake and Snake River. And we won’t even have to leave town.
Annie hasn’t done this. I haven’t done this. We would have told the other about it. Maybe it’s a little touristy. But then, maybe we’ll be tourists in our own city for the night.
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