Part 40 (1/2)
”I am not like Laura Ingalls.”
Ben walks up to me and takes my hair in two hands. ”I don't know. Put this in a couple braids, put on one of those long granny dresses...I can see it.”
I smack him in his stomach with the back of my hand, since my hands are full.
”I hear she's feisty too.” He takes my bag, then pair by pair, puts my shoes in it.
”Thank you.”
”Let's go get dinner, Ms. Duncan.”
”Why thank you, Mr. Falco.”
He puts my bag over his shoulder and holds my hand. ”Not that it's even dinner time yet, but...”
”But you're starving.”
”That's an understatement.”
We're at the restaurant and seated in under an hour.
”Wow. Another cozy place, Ben. How do you find these places?”
”I type in 'cozy places.'”
”Really?”
He nods. ”Cozy restaurants.”
”It's nice here. I love the gingham tablecloths. My mom loves gingham.”
”Is gingham a color?”
I start cracking up. ”No. It's the little checkered squares.”
”Ah. Very Ingalls-like.”
”Yes. Very. You snot.”
”So, Rose, what made you go back to school this semester? We never did talk about that.”
”A couple reasons.”
”Like?”
”Like...I was getting bored at home.”
”Understandable. What is the other reason?”
”Well...my parents didn't really want me to take off another semester, and Holly begged me to live with her and Griffin. And Knox, when he's around.”
”Knox?”
”He barely stays at the house anymore. Pretty much just when there's a party going on. He only lives in Teaneck, so I think he commutes most days. I've only seen him once since I've been living there.”
”Ok. So...you're back at school 'cause you're bored and you want to please your parents and Holly.”
”Pretty much.” Do I tell him the real reason I forced myself to come back to school?
”Hmmm. Sounds legit. So why are you blus.h.i.+ng?”
”I'm not blus.h.i.+ng.”
”You're blus.h.i.+ng.”
I bring my hand up to my face. ”I am not.”
”You are too.”
I cover my mouth and say, ”I was hoping to run into you.”
”What was that? I couldn't hear you.”
”You heard me.”
He reaches over and lowers my hand from my mouth. ”I'm glad you did.”
”Well, I also need to continue my education.” I backpedal. I don't want to seem too desperate.
He laughs. ”You still going for education?”
”I really don't know. My intention was to dance for a living and then teach it when I was older and exhausted from dance. I really didn't know about teaching in a real cla.s.sroom.” I shrug. ”I guess I'll have to think about it.”
”Me too.”
”You're rethinking the psychology thing?”
”I don't know. I guess I want to get through this next phase in my life before deciding about the future again.”
”One step at a time.”
”You're learning, half-pint.”
The rest of the night is fun and easy. We've gotten the dark subjects out of our system and are able to laugh the rest of the time. In the car ride back, Ben cranks up the country station and starts singing along to the chorus of some of the songs.