A "PG" Santa Story

THE FLU BEFORE HE FLEW

A "PG" Santa  Story

Joyce Peterson

When Santa came in from the Workshop, he was his usual Jolly Old Self.  The toys were all packed and almost ready to go and it was only the day before Christmas Eve.  However, when he tried to tell Merry, his wife, the good news, her only response was "Hummph," as she turned away and tended to the food on the stove.

This was so unusual for Merry that Santa had to ask, " Something wrong, sweetheart?" as he reached out a finger to get a taste of the food she was stirring.                    

Mary slapped his hand with the spoon.  "You know what's wrong.  I had to go to the Doctor today."

Santa laughed.  "Do we have another elf on the way?  The others will be glad to hear that.  We can always use more help."

Mary turned around to face him.  Poking at her gray hair and with her chin out, she exclaimed, "Do you think that would be possible at this point in my life?"  She asked.

He tried to kiss her on the cheek but she ducked away.  He laughed.  "I can only hope," he told her. 

"I guess you hope that you won't get the flu, too," she taunted him.

Santa's face turned even redder than it was naturally.  "Oh, you went to that doctor,"  he said.

"Yes," Mary answered, "That doctor.  The one whose receptionist told me that you didn't come in for the flu shot I scheduled for you."

Santa looked at her with an unspoken apology written on his face.  He had forgotten.

Santa brightened as he remembered.  "I forgot to get one last year, but I was fine.  You know I didn't even have a sneeze.  I'll be Ok.  I think the flu bug knows I can't be sick this time of year," he pronounced, as he held his crossed fingers up for her to see.

Mary repeated the "Hummph," then added, "That was last year.  This is this year.  You could still go in and get that shot today, "she suggested, knowing what his answer would be.

"There's still too much to do before tomorrow night, besides, I feel fine." he told her as he tried to swallow a sneeze.  The action wasn't wasted on her.

"You're afraid of getting that shot, aren't you?

"I have to eat a million cookies and drink a million glasses of milk every year , why should I be afraid of  a little flu shot?" He asked her.

She patted his stomach.  "And every cookie shows.  But what would you do if you did get the flu?  Maybe you should train some of the elves."

Santa stroked his chin in thought before he answered, laughing, "Well, I could ask the Rabbi.  He's a good friend who is always willing to do me a favor."

Mary laughed with him, saying, "You know what he would do, he'd tell them he didn't believe   in Christmas.  They'd have to wait until next year.  So, it has to be you."  She felt his head as he held back another sneeze.  Running to the cabinet, she came back with a thermometer,  stuck it in his mouth and slapped his hand when he tried to pull it out.  When she finally extracted it, she sighed.  "Just as I thought, 99.5."  She went back to the cabinet,   came back with a handful of white cloths with strings and handed them to him.

"What am I supposed to do with that?" He asked.

Mary pulled one out and tied it around his nose and mouth.  "When I found out you didn't get your flu shot, I came home prepared.  These are surgical masks.  We can't have you infecting all those sweet little children or having any of them to get the flu to spoil their Christmas.  We both know that."

"I'll wear the mask all the way, but I don't think that a temperature of 99.5 is a flu temperature.   Probably  just a cold." When she frowned at him, he promised,  as he started out, " I'll practice with the mask as I'm helping the elves finish packing the toys."

"Good idea, "Mary called after him.                                                                                                                        I

When Santa  entered the  workshop, the elves all gathered in the corner.  One of the bravest said, "Why are you going to rob us, Santa?  Don't you like us or the children anymore?"

Santa sighed.  He usually looked forward to delivering presents.  Tonight he wasn't so sure.
****************

When he went to check on the reindeer, the first thing he saw was Rudolph's red nose.  He thought he'd better try to hide it before Merry  saw it. She might think Rudolph was coming down with reindeer flu.  Santa knew that Merry had seen the red nose before, but with the mood she was in today, he'd better not take a chance.  Finding  some string, he tied it to the other strings and fitted the surgical mask to  Rudolph's nose when he heard the  familiar "Hmmph" behind him.

Merry untied the mask.  "I know Rudolph has a red nose.  Don't make him suffer because you didn't get your flu shot.  Now, try to get all the reindeer ready for that long trip tomorrow night."Yes, Ma'am," he saluted her as she adjusted his mask and left the barn.  "I always have a red nose, too," he told Rudolph.  "Just because I didn't get that darn shot.  But we have to keep Merry, merry,  don't we?"

 All the reindeer snorted their approval

When he went back to the toy shop, he checked to be sure all the new things had been included.  He sighed thinking of the days when all they had to be concerned with were little red wagons, toy trains, dolls , just real toys not all the new technical things like computers, I phones, I pads, things they had to ask the manufacturers  to send someone to teach the elves how to do.  They were too busy to send

anyone but sent as much merchandise as they could.  They figured that most of the children would break the things they got and the parents would have to buy another one.  It would help the after Christmas sales.  Santa  had been grateful that the manufacturers cooperated.  He wasn't sure that he and the elves could manage without their help.

When he started to go to bed, Merry had put a note on the door.  It read, "You better sleep in the guest bedroom.  I was so mad, I forgot to get my flu shot, too."

Santa whispered through the door, "Good night, Merry.  See you in the morning."  Her only answer was a soft snore

When they got up on Christmas Eve, Merry smiled at Santa when he sneezed.   Feeling his head she stated, flatly, "Flu!"

Santa had to agree with her.  He felt terrible but there was nothing to do but to pack up the sleigh and get ready for the trip.

Merry patted him gently on the back.  "I know, dear.  You have to go.  Please be careful.  Let the elves do most of the packing and they can get the reindeer ready to go."

Santa agreed as he adjusted the mask he had slept in all night.  "I think I'll take Eboneezer with me.  It's time I trained someone and he's the smartest."

"Good idea," she exclaimed.  "You rest as much as you can today,"

Most of the day went fairly well.  The elves had done their job for so many years that they didn't need much direction.  Some of the reindeer still complained about Rudolph being the lead when it didn't look like there would be any fog, but Santa was not in the best mood so he said that Rudolph would always be the lead and that was that.  There was still some grumbling but it didn't last long.

Eboneezer was put in the middle of the all the bags and told which ones to hand to Santa for the first five stops.  He memorized them and did well with his assignment except that after the first stop, Santa had to sneeze into his mask.  As he did, he pulled slightly on the reins and the reindeer turned left and Santa had to have the elf memorize new bag numbers.

When they got to Billy What'shisname's house, Santa took the elf down the chimney with him and didn't tell him how to avoid all the soot, so Ebenezer got dirty.

Santa warned him about Billy's bad habit, but Ebenezeer looked at the plate anyway.  "Santa, this isn't a cookie?" He picked it up and took a bite.  "It's a brownie and there's a note.  It says that Billie's Mother is sorry for Billie's cookies dipped in vi.negar and from now on, there would be Brownies and Hot Chocolate."  The elf had devoured both as he talked.

Santa sighed.  "You could have saved me a bite and a swallow."

"Sorry, Santa," the elf apologized as he wiped his mouth on a dirty sleeve.

 Santa tried to brush him off but when they got back to the sleigh, the elf got a lot of dirt on the bags and toys that he lifted out, so they had to be sure that every toy was clean before it went into a stocking.

The whole night could have gone better, but Santa and Ebenezeer had delivered all the gifts, some with a little soot on them.  He had not quite exhausted his supply of  surgical masks when the reindeer landed at the North Pole just as dawn broke.

Merry came from the house to greet him.  "How are you, dear?  How did everything go?"  She asked as she felt his head.

 "Not too bad," he answered.  "but Ebenezeer will need a lot more training.  At least, the gifts are in the right place, I hope.  We had to go back an exchange a few, but all in all….. Merry Christmas," he told her as he kissed her on the forehead.  "It's good to be home."

She smiled at him.  "I went to the Doctor today," she told him.

"Did you go back to tell him I didn't get my flu shot?" He queried.?'

"Not that doctor," she giggled.

"Oh…OH…" he stammered.

"Right," she said, "We will be adding another elf to the group, at least until he gets big enough to take over for you and, if it's a girl, maybe it t will be time for a woman to take over your job."












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53 Year Old Mom Looks 33
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magic music

MUSIC MAGIC
Joyce Peterson
When the sound of the flushing toilet died out, Mabel called up the stairs, “Ted do you want to go for a walk? There’s still plenty of daylight.” She heard footsteps coming down the stairs before she got an answer.
“Honey, why don’t you go on ahead? I had a hard day at the office. I just want to sit down and read the paper.”
She knew that would be his answer. She had heard it often enough in the past 40 years. In the beginning, when they first bought this house, she understood. The house had been a fixer-upper and Ted had always been the fixer-uppee. But the house became marketable after a few years and Ted kept it that way, but he balked at taking on the debt of a better house.
His job had been much like the house, it paid a living wage but Ted had not moved up in the company. He was still doing the same job he did when they married.
She wondered, if the fact that their few walks together had been, for the most part, silent ones, was the reason they rarely happened. There was not much to talk about. They hadn’t had children and they had just a few close friends. Ted wasn’t the social type so, they and their friends knew as much about each other as they wanted. He also wasn’t a gossip. Every time she tried to tell him something she had heard about friends or neighbors, he would ask, “Are you sure that isn’t just gossip?”. When she had to say “No,” she didn’t finish telling him anything. Since she had never liked being thought of as a “gossip”, she refrained from telling anything even to her friends.
Mabel knew they had a comfortable life, she knew Ted loved her. She always remembered those two things whenever she started to wonder how they could have stayed married for so long. The College News they received, occasionally, let them know that some of their graduating class had been married three or four times. Many of them hadn’t even bothered to get married but were living together. That was another thing she liked about Ted. He was a firm believer in marriage.
As she started her walk, she felt in her pocket and pulled out the little hand held radio that had kept her company for so many years. She had shopped for a new one a few years ago. Then something magical happened, the little radio started to play all the old songs, even some of the newer ones, she liked. Some were songs her Father sang, some were ones that reminded her of her Grandfather. They were always musical songs with good lyrics, not those that screamed at you or talked at you, nor did they have ugly words. However, some of the new songs were OK and the station seemed to know which were which. When she had thought she should get a new radio to take on her walks, she couldn’t find her station on any of the ones she saw. She decided to keep her old friend.
She didn’t turn the radio on until she passed their neighbor’s house. She had caught herself singing along with some of the songs when she knew all the words. She had a feeling that the new neighbors already thought that she and Ted were a little “different”. She didn’t want to encourage that thought.
When she crossed into the next block, she turned it on and put it back into her pocket. She listened for a while, then heard a delightful tune that brought pleasant memories. She thought it must have been from an old Fred Astaire musical, one that she had seen only in a re-run on TV. The title, “Change Partners and Dance with me,” reminded her that was how she had met Ted.
In her freshman year at Daysworth College, a small school in Ohio, she had joined the Chorus. She sang a reasonable alto. The Choral Director thought they would all sing better if they got to know each other. He arranged a dance for them in the gym and encouraged them to dance with each other though they were still strangers. Mabel hoped it would be a dance where they could all do their own kind of dance. She danced with the first boy that asked her even though he was only tall enough to look into her mouth, after all, she was 5’8” tall. Luck would have it that the first dance was a waltz and her partner put his arms around her. However, when he started pressing himself too close to her, she pushed him away.
That’s how she met Ted. She saw him heading in her direction. He was about her height with brown hair. He wore thick rimmed glasses so she couldn’t tell the color of his eyes until he got close enough. His eyes were so blue she could see the sky blue color through his glasses. A silly thought had passed through her head, “If we ever had children, they would have to have brown hair and blue eyes since that’s what we both have.” She felt herself blushing as she saw the newcomer reach out to tap her partner on the shoulder.
Her partner looked around when he felt the tap. He pulled her closer. “Find your own girl,” he told Ted.
“I just did,” Ted told him in his deep baritone voice.
Her partner immediately loosened his grip on her, “Sorry, she didn’t tell me she was here with anyone,” he apologized.
Ted took her hand and gently pulled her toward him. “Now you know,” he said.
When the other boy left, Ted took her in his arms. Her first thought was how comfortable his embrace was. “Thank you, “ she told him.
“My pleasure,” he answered. “You looked like you needed rescuing.”
That was the start of their romance, although there were many other dates, with other people, for both of them.
While listening to a succession of songs coming from her pocket, Mabel felt the warmth of that first meeting. Then she heard a song to which she knew a few words. It was one she had heard her Grandfather sing. He had a beautiful singing voice. She remembered that, if her Grandmother was in the room when he started singing, “I wonder why you keep me waiting, Charmaine,” Grandma would leave. Grandpa called after her, “Sorry, Molly” and then he would sing softly, ending with, “I wonder if you ever think of me, too. I’m waiting, my Charmaine, for you.” One time Grandpa stopped singing to explain, “I keep forgetting your Grandma doesn’t like that song.” Since it happened more than once, Mabel always wondered whether he was teasing Grandma or reminding her of something from the past. Mabel had never found out.
The songs coming from her pocket had gone through many that were ones she liked but had no idea as to the accompanying words. She thought of them as dance music. Then, she heard one to which she wished she remembered all the lyrics. However, when she thought of the day that the song brought to mind, was only the rain coming down as Ted rode beside her on his bike. He had sung out, “Raindrops keep falling on my Head,” then he called out, “Let’s stop at that bus shelter up ahead.”
Mabel nodded and turned into the shelter. After they parked their bikes outside, they sat down on the bench that had been provided for bus passengers. They both laughed when Ted had to wave on a bus that stopped, expecting passengers.
“I’ll never forget this day,” Mabel told him.
“Neither will I,” Ted as he took something from his pocket. It was a jeweler’s box from which he took a ring, holding it between his two fingers. He took her hand. His speech was mumbled as though he had rehearsed what he was going to say but still wasn’t sure of himself. “We’ve been going steady since we started our Junior year last August. We’ll be graduating next . I want to…to.. You have to know I love you even if I don’t say it often enough…”
Mabel interrupted him, “No girl can hear it enough, Ted, but I’m comfortable with your saying it as often as you do.” “Darn,” she reminded herself, “there I go with that word again. Love should be more than comfortable. It should be…” She looked at Ted who was still holding the ring.
Ted continued in a hurry as though, if he didn’t finish now, he never would, “if you say you’ll marry me, I’ll tell you ‘I love you’ every day for the rest of my life.”
“I’ll marry you,” she told him. “I’ll expect you to live up to that promise.” He had lived up to his promise every day of their marriage. He said “I love you” every morning as he kissed her and left for work.
Mabel was still reminiscing over the proposal when she heard the song “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” coming from her pocket. She tried not to cry but couldn’t hold back the tears as she thought of a very sad period, a few months later, when a girl from one Ted’s classes asked him to help her drive back to her home in Pennsylvania on Spring Break. Ted had an Aunt who lived in the same town. His Aunt was quite elderly and in poor health, so he had agreed without discussing it with Mabel. When she found out, she gave him back his ring without letting him explain.
She had spent a miserable month of trying to keep a firm hold on her anger but hoping that Ted would call, until someone knocked on her dorm room door. When Mabel opened the door, she recognized the girl who said, “Mabel, I just found out that you aren’t seeing Ted anymore.”
Mabel didn’t open the door any wider. She had no intention of asking the girl in, but looking as stern as she could, she asked, “So?”
The girl pleaded, “Please, may I come in. I don’t think we want to discuss this in the hall.”
Mabel opened the door wider and waved the girl in without a word.

My name is Shira Narbonne. I’m sure you know I’m the one who asked Ted to help me drive back home on Spring Break. You’re lucky to have such a great guy in love with you I just wanted to tell you he may fail more than our Psych class if you two don’t get back together.” Shira stopped talkling when she saw the look on Mabel’s face.
“How can I talk to someone who isn’t here? He never apologized, he…he…” Mabel stuttered.
Shira reached out and took Mabel’s hand. “Do you know why I needed someone to help me drive back home?” She asked as they both sat down on the bed.
Mabel shook her head. “I guess I never gave him a chance because he didn’t ask me before he told you he would go.”
Shira took a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed her eyes. “I had just got word that my Father was very ill. I was so upset that I was afraid to go alone. I knew Ted had an Aunt who lived in my home town,” she explained.
Mabel began to feel remorse setting in. “I’m so sorry. Is he…”
Shira sniffed. “I’m so glad I went home. I was there for Mother when he passed.” Mabel put her arms around the other girl who had started to cry.
“I heard you hadn’t come back with Ted. Now I know why you were so late.” Mabel had begun to understand.
Shira wiped away her tears as she pleaded, “Please make it up with Ted. He just isn’t interested in anyone or anything but you.”
Mabel hugged the other girl. “I’ll do that,” she said, “Believe me, I’ll do that.”
The little radio started playing an old song she recognized. She sang along, “Who’s sorry now, who’s sorry now…”
--------------
The music had changed to something that made Mabel take a few dance steps until she thought she was losing her purse strap from over her arm. Instead, someone had sneaked up behind her and was trying to steal her purse. Her radio was playing “I’ll Never Smile Again” when, suddenly, the young perpetrator knocked her to the ground. She was only there a second when the thief landed beside her. He got up in a hurry and ran.
Mabel looked up to see Ted leaning over her. “Are you all right?” He asked as he helped her to her feet.
“I’m think I’m OK,” she murmured as her mind checked her physical condition. When Ted put his arm around her, she snuggled up close to him and that old comfortable feeling took over. “I’m really comfortable…I mean fine, now.” When the little radio started playing “Try a Little Tenderness”, she put her arms around him and hugged him.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“You’re my hero. You rescued me from the bad guy,” she told him. “By the way, what are you doing here?”
“After you left, I sat down to read the paper. The weather section said there might be rain later. I figured you would be walking the way we did when I went with you a couple of times. I brought an umbrella.” He picked it up from the ground so she could see. “I just gave the bad guy a few smacks with it.” A few raindrops fell as he was speaking.
“Does this remind you of anything?” Mabel asked him.
Ted grinned as he raised the umbrella over the two of them. “I don’t have a ring with me but if I did, I’d ask you to marry me all over again.” He put his arm around her and started them on the way back home.
Mabel pulled him closer. “And I would say ‘Yes” all over again.”
When the music from her pocket began repeating the tunes that had caused the memories on her way out, she started to recount all of them for Ted. When she got to the one where Shira came to beg her to make up with him, they were in front of the next door neighbor’s house.
Ted asked, “Do you remember what I told you when you came to tell me that you were sorry?”
The little radio must have recognized its cue because it started playing as they sang, harmonizing, from the front of the house next door until they entered their own front door, on, “It Had To Be You”.

Good Guys

GOOD GUYS

Joyce Peterson

Tim and Damon had been friends since their freshman year at North High School. They had both tried out for the baseball team. Neither had made it but they decided they would attend every game to root for the team. Today's game was the crucial last game of their senior year. This year North would be playing South for the league championship and the chance to play for the state's title.

The boys hadn't even noticed the two men sitting in front of them until their school's team scored a run on a home run. Tim and Damon jumped up. The leftover ice from Damon's coke decorated the head of one of the men.

Both men turned around, but it was the dark haired one who said, "You do that one more time, kid, and I'll ram that cup down your throat." Before he turned around, they saw that he had a scar that ran the length of his face. His eyes were a steely blue and his body would have done a wrestler proud.

"You and what army." Damon shouted at him.

The man with the scar started to turn around but the man with him put his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Let it go, Bottleneck, don't start anything with a kid. You can't win. We'll both get thrown out. We don't want that now, do we?"

Bottleneck settled back into his seat, grumbling, "Ok, Brainy, but he better watch his mouth."

Tim sat down and pulled Damon into his seat. "Take it easy, Damon. We're ahead of South by four runs. It's a great game. Enjoy it."

Bottleneck looked like he was going to turn around but Brainy, grabbed him by the shoulder. "My friend went to South," he explained. "We have some business to take care of near here, so, he wanted to see the game."

The men, who started to read a paper they had brought with them, left before the game was over.

"Sore loser," Damon stood up and called after them. Tim stood up and put his hand over his friend's mouth. The boys watched as Brainy made sure that he and Bottleneck departed with no further disturbance.

When Damon looked down at the two empty seats, he punched Tim on the arm. "Look," he said, "They left their paper."

Tim leaned over and picked it up, starting to read it as he sat down. "Hey look, here's an article about my Mom's Uncle. It's about the $100,000 he won in the lottery. Somebody put a big circle around it."

Damon grabbed the paper from Tim and started to read. Looking at Tim, he asked, "You don't think those two guys…"

Tim suddenly took the paper back, saying, "I don't know but maybe we better check. Maybe they're going to his house. They said they had business in this area. That big one might hurt Uncle John and make him give them the money. I'll call Mom and tell her that we are going to visit him on the way home. I won't tell her why, I don't want her to worry. I'll ask her if you could come for dinner so you can call your Mom."

Damon already had his cellphone in his hand. Tim hurriedly got permission for the visit and to have Damon come for dinner. The boys pushed past the people in their row and made it out of the park as fast as they could.

Tim, who was in the lead, called back, "Are you afraid, Damon? Maybe we should call the cops."

"And tell them what?" Damon answered. "All we know is we didn't like that big guy, Bottleneck, who had black hair and a big scar on his face. Oh, yes he had a little blonde partner called Brainy."

As they ran through the streets, Damon ran closer to Tim. The houses all looked like they needed painting, yards were unkempt. Some kids, playing stick ball, glowered at the two boys running on "their" street. "You better run. You don't belong here," one of the bigger ones called out and threw a rock at them.

Tim seized Damon's hand and pulled him closer still. "Uncle John has lived here a long time. I used to play over here. Mom has tried to get him to move but he says he's too old." He jerked Damon's hand, adding, "C'mon. It's only a couple more blocks."

Tim had stopped and leaned over to pick up a big rock and fill his pockets with some small roadside pebbles. "We'll need some kind of weapon, if what we think is true."

Damon had found a branch that had lay near a tree in the yard of closest house. "This will have to do. We should have borrowed a bat from our team."

"They don't have enough bats now. We'll just have to play it by ear." After a short run, Tim had stopped near an old, gray house that looked like it had lived a couple lifetimes.

Damon pointed to a big car parked in front of the house. "It must belong to Bottleneck and Brainy"

"This is the house. They must already be in there," he explained. "Looks like they have Uncle John cornered in the kitchen," he said, indicating a lighted window at the back of the house.

"What do we do now, ring the doorbell?" Damon had tried to keep his voice from shaking.

"Let's go around to the back. We can get into the basement and there's stairs that lead up to the kitchen." Tim's voice wasn't exactly steady but he felt like he should be the leader, since it was HIS Uncle they were planning to protect.

At the back of the house, they found the doors to the basement were already open.

Tim pointed to the open door and whispered, "They must have got in this way."

Damon shivered. "Maybe we should call the cops," he said in a soprano voice.

"We're here now. Let's see if we can find out what's going on." Tim's voice was only a little lower.

Both boys went down the stairs, through a lot of cobwebs and to the kitchen stairs, holding tightly to each other.

Creeping up the stairs, the voices in the kitchen became louder. They heard Bottlenecks voice saying "I think you should do the $75,000 amount."

Damon seemed to get his courage back, "He's threatening him," he said.

Tim reached into his pocket and pulled out the big rock. "Sure sounds like it. Let's go."

Damon took a firm grip on his branch as Tim pushed open the door and jumped into the kitchen , ready to throw the rock in his hand.

Uncle John rose from his chair. "Timmy, your Mother called and said you were going to stop by. She didn't tell me you were coming in through the basement."

"But, but," Tim sputtered.

Damon tried to explain, "We saw these two were reading about you and the $100,000…"

Tim had recovered enough to add. "We thought they might try to make you give it to them."

The three men started to laugh.

Uncle John came around the table and put his arm around the two boys. "Maybe I better introduce you to my broker, Mr. Jordan Martens. He was recommended to me by my friend, Sidney, when he heard that I had won from the Lottery. When Sidney inherited some money, Mr. Martens really did a good job for him."

The small man bowed as he told them, "You can call me Brainy. And this other man is my friend who goes with me when he thinks I might need some protection where…"

Uncle John interrupted, "This neighborhood doesn't have a very good reputation lately."

The big man held out his hand to the boys, "Bottleneck, pleased to meet you. How did the game turn out? Sorry about yelling at you but I've always followed South High's baseball team. I didn't go to college so they're the only team I root for on a personal level."

Tim said, "Now don't get mad. We left before the game was over but….

Damon took over, "North was still ahead by 4 RUNS ."

Bottleneck looked at Damon and laughed. "Just don't spill any more ice on my head."

Damon suggested, "The game wasn't over. Who knows? South might have got lucky after we left." He ducked as Bottleneck threw a fake punch at him.

____________________________________________________________
57-Year-Old Mom Looks 25
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Should Age Make a difference?

SHOULD AGE MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Joyce Peterson

Angie had asked Dee to meet her for lunch but now, as she parked the car in the restaurant's lot, she was having second thoughts. Dee wasn't one to ask questions before she gave you her opinion, and Angie was afraid the whole restaurant might know the news she was going to tell her best friend. She needed to ask her advice for a decision she had already made. Maybe she just wanted to brag…a little. No, that wasn't entirely true because, she really wanted for Dee to say she had done the right thing. They had shared secrets for all the years they had been friends. Angie had seldom made decisions fast while Dee was the one who would always say, "Why not? Go ahead. You only live once."

When she entered the restaurant, Dee stood up at the table where she had been seated and called out, loudly, "WooHoo, Angie, here we are". Angie wished she wouldn't do that. Everyone in the whole place looked around to see who she was "Woohooing."

As she sat down, Angie scolded her friend. "I wish you wouldn't do things like that. You had everyone looking at me," she told her.

Dee's laugh was not one to be ignored. "Why shouldn't they look at you? You look darn good for a forty-year old woman."

Angie had found a menu and held it up in front of her face. Dee pulled the menu away from Angie's face. "Besides," she said, "I already ordered for us, a salad, tea and some Jello, the usual, for you, and Sushi for me."

Angie wanted to ask, "What if I decided to try the Sushi today?" But, she was afraid Dee would belt out another of her laughs and Angie wanted her friend to be somewhat quiet for the news she was going to tell her. So, she said, "Thanks, I appreciate that."

Dee collected the menus and put them on the edge of the table. Looking steadily at her friend until Angie looked up, she asked, "Now, what is this big question you want to ask me?"

Angie was surprised. "I didn't tell you I was going to ask you anything. I just asked if you would go to lunch with me today."

Dee laughed. "I know but when you ask me to lunch, you usually have a question or a problem that can't wait until you can call me after work."

Angie smiled, "I didn't think you knew me that well."

"We've been friends since we were ten. I'm sure you know a lot about me, too. Thirty years of friendship can turn over a lot of dirt," Dee was smiling broadly.

Angie couldn't keep herself from giggling. "I do have something to ask you but please don't give out one of those big donkey laughs of yours."

Dee tried to promise but one of "those laughs" betrayed her.

"See, that's what I mean," Angie told her.

However, the waitress had arrived with their lunch. When she left, Dee said, "I can't eat until I know what you have on your mind."

Angie put the tea bag in the pot of hot water, and tossed her salad around a bit, before looking at her friend. "What would you say if I told you that Dan Clark asked me out?"

At first, Dee said nothing, then she laughed. Angie flinched as though she had been hit. Dee saw the reaction and tried to lower her voice, but even the lower level could be heard several tables away. "You're not kidding are you?"

Angie sat up straighter in her chair. "No," she said as she gathered her nerve. "And what's more, I accepted."

Dee tried to smooth her friends feelings, "I'm sorry Angie, but isn't he the one who was just hired by your company to handle the Advertising Department? The one you said couldn't be more than twenty five? A boy, really."

"I know." Angie found herself talking to the table, she couldn't look her friend in the eye. "And I'm forty."

Dee found an opening. "But you don't look it. You have a good body although the breastwork could stand some enhancement, but, being the buyer for the ladies' clothing department in your store, you know how to dress to cover that."

"You mean you have hopes for me?" Angie asked sarcastically. "I'm 5'8, too tall, you think?"

Dee held her hand up. "Now, wait a minute, you know I have never thought that," she laughed, "even if I've always had to look up to you."

Angie realized that Dee was saying all the things she had thought about herself this morning, as she stood in front of her mirror after her shower.

Dee told her, "You have to know that that face of yours with those green eyes and perfect skin…and that beautiful brown hair must have caught the eye of many other men.."

Angie joined in with her own positive thought, "An Dan is at least 6'2. It's nothing serious, only to a party he's been invited to. Besides, look at you. You married Marvin and he's a lot older than you."

"I know, sweetie, but a lot of older men marry women younger than they are. Besides with my short dumpy looks, I didn't have the pick of the pride." Dee told her.

Angie tried to laugh one of Dee's donkey laughs, without success. "I was always envious of you," she said. "I thought you were cute."

Dee showed her how to do "the laugh", "That did it. You have my approval to go out with Dan Clark. Why not? Go ahead. You only live once."

****

Driving back to work, Angie felt a little pang of guilt set in. She had practically lied to her friend. True, she had been asked but had told Dan she'd let him know. Now, she wondered if it would be proper to call him or wait for him to check. She'd decide when she got back to the store. She wasn't the best driver in the world so she better concentrate on that.

At the store, when she entered her office, the phone was ringing. "Hello,"she answered.

"Angie, this is Dan. Hope you've decided to go with me Saturday. I told them I'm bringing the prettiest woman in town and I wouldn't want to disappoint the whole gang." He had a nice voice and he sounded sincere.

"Yes, Dan. I'd love to go. Thanks for asking me. What kind…" She was going to ask him the kind of party so she could plan an outfit, but he cut in.

"Great! I'll pick you up about seven. I've got to get out of here. I'm supposed to be at a meeting right now," he explained. "I'll call you tonight if you give me your home phone." Angie had heard stories of the good job he was doing in the Ad department. That always meant the head of the department was busy. As Angie gave him her cell phone number, she started looking forward to receiving his call tonight.

The afternoon seemed to drag. On the way home, she left her car at the local garage to have them check the brakes that felt mushy. One of the servicemen drove her home.

She finally found herself opening the door to her condo. At the same time, she heard the muffled sound of the haunting melody from "Avatar" emanating from her purse. Grabbing the phone from her purse, she answered, "Hello."

"Hi, beautiful." It was Dan.

Angie wasn't sure she wanted to be on such intimate terms so soon in the relationship. Her answer was guarded, "This is Angie Mullaney."

Dan realized his mistake. "Sorry, Angie. This is Dan Clark, from the store. I just called to make sure you're still going Saturday, even after I ask you a big favor. You do drive, don't you."

When she told him "Yes, but…"

"Great! Could we use your car Saturday? I had a little fender bender this afternoon and my car is in for repairs."

This time it was Angie who interrupted, "Maybe the Gods are against us, Dan. My car is in the garage, too."

"No, no, no," he objected. "I've been trying to ask you out for too long to be turned down now. How do you feel about riding behind me on my motorcycle? It's a short trip. You could wear a pants suit…"

Angie was terrified of motorcycles but didn't want to say so, "What kind of a party is it?

"A birthday party for my father. One of his friends is throwing it to celebrate his 60^th birthday. His birthday is in March but he was out of town last month so he's celebrating in April. It should be fun. A party with "old farts", as Dad said. I wanted to bring the prettiest woman in town so I'm glad you're going."

A party for old people. Maybe she wouldn't be so out of place, after all. "You only live once," she thought, "And my life seems to be diminishing fast, since I became 40. It would be a date with Dan. I do have something I could wear." The thought of holding on to Dan, for even a short distance, was almost exhilarating.

Dan chimed in, "Better bring your good shoes and wear old ones on the cycle."

"Good idea," she said, then added, tentatively, "This sounds like…fun."

"Then I'll pick you up at 7 on Saturday. They are planning a big dinner so don't eat too much Saturday," he warned.

"How about a gift…" sh began to ask.

"No presents, Dad has everything he needs for the rest of…" He hesitated when the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Angie felt sorry for him. To him, being 60, was old. She must remember that.

"OK. I'll see you Saturday, in my green pants suit," she teased to clear the air.

"See you then…beautiful," he answered softly.

At 7 oclock on Saturday, she was ready, with her shoes in a bag with a handle that would slip over her arm. Dan was right on time. He handed her a helmet. As she put it on, she hoped the expensive hair do, she got earlier in the day, wouldn't suffer too much. She got on behind Dan. As she put her arms around him, she could feel the strength of his 25 year old body. She tried to deny, to herself, that she enjoyed it. She wasn't sure how Dan was enjoying it, since the bag with her shoes that she had draped around her arm, seemed to bounce and hit him with every little bump.

Dan helped her with the shoe change. He hung the bag over the handle of the motorcycle, saying, "Hope they aren't your best ones. Kids in all neighborhoods seem to feel it's their duty to take anything that's free to take."

Angie laughed. She looked at all the elegant houses around them. "They'd probably bring these back," she joked.

When they went in the door, Angie looked at those who were already there. Many of the women were her age or younger. "Old farts," she thought, "They must all be trying to outdo each other."

Dan saw an older man looking at Angie. "Bob," he said as he took the other man's arm, "this is Angie, MY DATE," he emphasized, "keep her entertained while I get us something to drink," he added as he moved toward a bar that had been set up closeby.

The other man gave a soft whistle. "Yes, it will certainly be my pleasure," he answered as he took Angie's hand and squeezed it too tightly. Since Angie hadn't offered her hand to begin with, she withdrew it as soon as she could.

"I don't want to take you away from…." Angie looked around to see if Bob could be persuaded to join someone else.

"Nobody to take me away from," Bob told her. "The old lady's in the Ladies room, I think."

Angie tried to move away and backed into Dan, who juggled the glasses he was carrying

Dan surmised what was happening. As Bob left, Dan apologized, "Should have turned you over to someone a little more reliable. I do see an editor I want to talk to, these parties are always about half business," he told her, as he was looking over her shoulder and motioned to someone. "You can trust the man who will take over now. I'll be right back," he told her as he left.

She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and turned to see the face of an old friend. He had been a salesman for a large New York dress manufacturer before he bought into the company for whom he had worked. He had visited her many times as a salesman when she became Royal Department Stores Apparel buyer when she was 25. He had taught her just about all she knew about buying the best styles for the regular customers of Royal, a department store that had been built about 20 years before in a middle-upper class neighborhood on the fringes of Cincinnati. Three years ago, after he had bought into the company for whom he worked, he didn't come as often. A lot of the selection could now be done electronically. When he did come, Angie had a feeling that he came, particularly, to see her. He was a tall man who looked ever inch like an owner of a big company. She couldn't keep herself from putting her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek.

"Benjamin, what a nice surprise! Are you a friend of the guest of honor?" She asked.

"No," he answered, "I AM the guest of honor.".

Angie tried to keep her mouth from dropping open as she looked at this tall handsome man staring down at her. She remembered that he had lost his wife about the time her association with him began, that he had a young son. However, over a period of years, only first names became familiar and last names were lost. She would never have connected him with Dan.

Benjamin laughed as he put his arm around her. "When Dan got the job at Royal, I asked him not to tell you he was my son, I wanted to do that myself but I've had to spend so much time in New York that I didn't get around to it. I knew about this party and hoped I could ask you to accompany me but Dan beat me to it. I think I talked about you so much, when he was growing up, he felt he knew you. I can see this might be a little embarrassing to all three of us." He looked past her and nodded as Dan joined them.

"She is the most beautiful woman here Dad. I know why you told me that so many times. I can see you two have a lot to catch up on. I think I've just made a deal with the editor of one of Cincinnati's newspapers. Hope you'll excuse me while I make sure he doesn't change his mind." Dan excused himself and left them.

Angie had finally got back some of her composure. "I don't know why I couldn't see the resemblance before. You have a very handsome son, Benjamin," she told him.

"Just the son, eh? What about the old man? He teased.

"He must have taken after his mother," Angie joined in the teasing.

"Did Dan bring you in that old rattle-trap he drives? I could have done better." He smiled.

Angie laughed what sounded like one of Dee's donkey laughs. "No, actually," she answered, "both of our cars were in for repairs. We came on his motorcycle," she confessed.

They both laughed as he continued, "On no!! Not the motorcycle! I'll check with him. I can take you both home in my car. I can bring him back tomorrow to pick up his motorcycle."

"What about your wife?" When he shook his head, the look on his face told her he wasn't married. Angie felt a rush of gladness, then asked, "or your date?"

When he said, "Also, non-existent," she knew she was glad that there was no other woman in his life. Then she wondered how long these feelings had lain dormant in her heart.

"I think we'd better check with Dan. I told him I was OK with the bike…" she confessed again.

Benjamin smiled, "And you don't want to embarrass him." Angie shook her head . "Don't worry, I'll make it all right with him. I'll need your address and I'd better have your phone number so I can check on you later to see if everything is OK." Angie could hear his embarrassment in asking for her phone number, something he had never done in all the years she knew him.

Angie looked in her small purse, pulled out a card and handed it to him. "Why don't we exchange cards, now that our have crossed again." She could feel the blush taking over her face.

He pulled a card from the inside pocket of his jacket. "I thought you'd never ask," he told her.

The three of them spent the rest of the evening together, with both men introducing Angie as "my good friend". When Benjamin had to make an after dinner speech, he made a special salute to "a friend our family". Angie had never blushed so much in her life.

Benjamin persuaded Dan that a motorcycle was no way to take a date home from a party. He took them both home. Dan's apartment was the first stop on the way. Dan kissed Angie on the cheek and thanked her for the great evening they had spent together. "See you tomorrow," he said as he left.

When they got to Angie's address, Benjamin stopped and turned off the motor. Looking at her he spoke softly, telling her, "I've thought of a night like this for many years but I didn't imagine having to share it with my son."

"He's a fine young man, Benjamin, but the only time I was comfortable was the time you and I spent together. She kissed him on the cheek.

"That makes two of us. We should get together, just the two of us," he suggested. When he saw her nod her head, he told her, "I'll call you." He got out of the car and walked her to her apartment door.

Angie didn't know why her heart was beating so fast but was glad when he kissed her cheek.

Stroking her hair lightly, he told her "Goodnight," and kissed her forehead.

Angie watched him until the car pulled away.

"I have to have Dee meet me for lunch on Monday," she thought. "This is all too much for me."

When she woke on Sunday morning and recalled the evening before, she wanted to call to be sure that Dee would meet her for lunch on Monday. But, Angie had made it a rule never to call on Sunday, which she considered a family day.

About one o'clock, she heard the familiar "Avatar" sound coming from the purse she had dropped on the living room couch. When she answered, her heart skipped a beat when she heard a familiar voice say, "Angie, this is Benjamin."

She tried to keep her voice from betraying her. "What a nice surprise, Benjamin." She had told him that last night, surely her vocabulary was broader than that.

She could hear an apology in his voice as he said, "I had a call from New York last night. I have to fly back tomorrow night, on business."

Angie couldn't help herself. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. She suddenly realized that she didn't want to lose, so soon, the closeness that had come to them the night before.

"It may take a couple of weeks to clear up," he continued, "so I thought, if you don't have anything planned, we could spend the day together." Angie's heart beat so loud, she was afraid he would hear it over the phone, until he added, "We could ask Dan to come along, if you'd like."

She hardly knew what to say. She had sorted her feelings out the night before and they didn't include Dan, but he was Benjamin's son. They, too, would be separated for those two weeks.

"Why not?" She asked. "Three's not a crowd with us. We're more like a family"

"You're sure?" He sounded like he wasn't sure, himself.

"Of course," she told him with her fingers crossed.

"OK. I'll call him. Pick you up about eleven. We'll stop for lunch and decide what to do with the rest of the day. It will be fun." He hung up, leaving Angie trying to figure out Benjamin's feelings for her, or Dan's, for that matter.

"I see you're all ready. Dan picked up a luncheon basket at his favorite market. He thought we might like to drive over to Kentucky and eat in a park he discovered over there. Sound OK to you?" He asked.

He was handsome in a dark jacket, gray slacks and a white sport shirt. The gray hair, peeking through his brown hair, seemed to accent the gray slacks. Angie thought of Dan. His hair was brown. Father and son were a handsome pair.

Angie knew her blue pant suit could handle a picnic, she wasn't sure she could. "Sure," she lied. She was glad when she saw Dan in the back seat with the basket. Benjamin opened the front door for her.

Benjamin helped her in and then went around to get in the front seat. "Dan has always been a lover of food. Me? I prefer girls," he explained as he sat down. They all laughed.

They crossed the bridge into Kentucky. Angie seldom went there but, as they left the city, she admired the greenness of the countryside. She wasn't sure but they must have driven about 40 miles or more before they reached the park. She couldn't help but comment on its beauty. Dan had talked a lot on the way but Benjamin was strangely quiet. Occasionally, he slipped his hand across and put it over the one she had put down beside her on the seat.

When Dan told his father to pull into a spot and park, Angie saw some empty picnic tables. "Thank God," she thought, "we won't have to sit on the ground."

Dan presided over the lunch. It was a typical market lunch with sandwiches, potato salad, carrot and celery sticks and cookies for dessert. They were all hungry so they commented on Dan's good taste.

As they were cleaning up, Dan told them, "I'm glad we decided to do this today. If it's OK with everyone, I'd like to show you something after lunch."

"Does it bite?" Angie teased.

"No," Dan answered. "It's a place, about ten miles from here."

"Then I guess it's fine." Benjamin looked at Angie and raised his eyebrows. She nodded.

The short trip took them further into the wooded area before they stopped before a small cabin.

Dan got out first, rushed up to the door and opened it. He motioned for the others to come. When they did, they found Dan standing in what was probably the living room of a completely empty cabin. Dan saw their questioning expressions. "I bought it a couple of months ago. I know it doesn't look like much now but, with furniture and some repairs, it will be a great place to spend vacations."

Angie couldn't comment. If she hadn't chosen Benjamin before, it would certainly be a sure thing now.

Benjamin looked around before saying, "It does need some repairs. You've already bought it?" When Dan nodded, he continued, "We have the furniture from the old house stored where you can get it, if you would like to. Some of it is still in pretty good condition."

Dan put his arms around his father. "Thanks, Dad. I was going to ask you. I'll get right to it. This place should be livable by the time you get back from New York."

Benjamin smiled at Angie as he said, "We all have to make our own choices, don't we?"

Dan was admiring his purchase as he answered, "I really like mine. I'll have an open house when it's all finished."

Angie didn't say it out loud but thought, "Who will you invite, the local squirrels, porcupines and rabbits?"

The rest of the afternoon was spent at a bowling alley near Dan's apartment. Angie hadn't bowled since her father had died but she still bowled a respectable game. Since there were pool tables available, she showed some of the skills her father had taught her. Both men complimented her. She was glad. Since she had been so silent during the cabin adventure, she was afraid she had made a bad impression. Cabins were fine for anyone who liked them. Bowling and pool she could take, not often, but occasionally.

After they finished a second round of pool, Benjamin patted his stomach. "I think we should get some dinner. It's been a long time since lunch."

Dan shook his head. "I'll have to see if I have something to put in the microwave. I've got to work up an ad for a newspaper. I told the editor I'd have it for him tomorrow morning. You two go ahead."

Angie could have kissed him. Now she and Benjamin could be alone. They said their goodbyes to Dan, who made his Dad promise to call from New York. Kissing Angie on the cheek, he said he would see her tomorrow and left.

"No wonder he's doing such a good job for Royal." Angie remarked. "He works all the time."

"You have to, if you want to get ahead in the business world," Benjamin noted, then asked, "Where shall we go?"

"Someplace I can go looking like this," Angie held her arms out.

"You always look beautiful. There's a hotel near here that has a good menu," he told her.

"Let's go," she told him, then reminded herself to stop saying things that sounded like she was asking for a compliment.

Ten minutes later they were seated in a corner booth of the fancy hotel restaurant. The waiter had left menus.

"Great choice," she told him. "The menu looks like they have anything we'd want," Angie smiled at him as she said, "It has been a nice day. I'm glad we could all spend it together."

"Thanks for letting me bring Dan along. I didn't know he was going to take us to his new vacation home. Sorry about that. I guess at this point, I wanted you to get the whole picture of the two of us."

"Dan's young…" Angie wanted to find an excuse for Dan's excitement about the cabin.

"He's 29, he'll be 30, 3months from now," he told her. "I know he looks younger. He's got a good head on his shoulders."

Angie heard the pride in his voice and couldn't figure out whether he was trying to tell her that, dating Dan would be all right with him, or not.

"He's a wonderful young man, Benjamin, but that's what he will always be to me, a young man." She reached across the table and patted his hand. "I prefer a more mature man. One who doesn't have to have a cabin in the woods."

Benjamin took her hand and kissed it. "We'll have to get this all straightened out when I get back from New York."

When he took her home, Angie could hardly remember anything that happened after the "get it straightened out" speech. Her mind had started designing ways to help the situation.

At her door, Benjamin kissed her, a real kiss this time. "We'll have to get this straightened out when I get back," he repeated. "I don't want to go but my flight leaves shortly after midnight. I'll call you when I get to New York."

'I wish you could stay, but I understand." She returned his kiss, then watched until she saw his car pull away.

She thought she wouldn't sleep but, when her alarm went off in the morning, she wanted to go on dreaming. The dreams had all been about Benjamin.

She grabbed the phone beside her bed and dialed Dee's number.

Angie left early for lunch, hoping she could be seated before Dee arrived, but the minute she stepped in the door, she heard Dee's "WooHoo" coming from a table on the other side of the room. She walked as quickly as she could and sat down.

Dee grabbed her hand. "I can't wait to hear about Saturday night." She thought she was whispering but her voice sounded more like the echo of a trumpeter swan.

Angie wondered why she noticed Dee's voice. Was it because this might have been the first time she had news like this to tell? "Why don't we order first?" She asked. Angie hoped Dee would order her usual big meal and she could get in a lot of the story while her friend was eating.

"I already ordered for us so eat in a hurry and tell me what happened." Dee told her as the waitress arrived with the food.

Angie hadn't really been hungry all morning so she picked at her food and began to tell her friend about the adventurous weekend. When she got to the motorcycle part, Dee swallowed so she could emit one of her big laughs. Angie looked at her friend. "If you're going to get attention of the whole restaurant, I'll wait and tell you the rest some other time."

Dee apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm so excited for you. My husband always tells me he loves me but he wishes I could talk more like a lady. You know I've never been a lady."

Angie knew that was one thing she loved about her friend, she was …. always herself, love her or leave her. Angie loved her so she told her, "OK, honey, but try to keep it down. There's lots more and I have to get back on time since I left early."

Dee told her, "Please go on. I'll do my best."

And she, did until Angie got to the part where Benjamin revealed he was Dan's father.

"His father?" She roared. When Angie put her finger to her lips, Dee continued semi-softly, "Benjamin? The Benjamin who used to visit you as a salesman but now he doesn't come as much for some reason. I always thought you rather liked him."

"He's a nice man. I didn't know I ever gave you the impression he was more than a salesman friend. He practically taught me about buying for my department. I just considered him a good friend. "

Dee patted her friend's hand. "OK. I understand. He's a good friend. But what does he look like?"

" Oh, like Dan, only older." Angie told her.

Dee gave a soft whistle. "Tell me about the rest of the night."

Angie smiled at her and asked, "How about Sunday?"

Dee threw herself back against her chair, in a pretend faint, but managed to gasp, "A Sunday, too?"

Angie pushed her food away as she grabbed the bill, "Let's pay for our lunch and sit in my car before I tell you the rest. And lunch is on me."

Dee grabbed a couple of rolls she had already buttered. "This must be some story. Let's go," she answered.

When they were in the car, Angie told Dee the rest of her adventure. She even loved the frequent outbursts from her friend. When she finished, she asked Dee, "What do I do now?"

For the first time all day, Dee was quiet for so long, Angie had to ask, "Well?"

Dee looked at her and asked, "After all these years, you've fallen for Benjamin, haven't you." Angie nodded her head. "But you don't want to hurt Dan." When Angie nodded again, Dee continued, "I wish I had an answer for you. But we've got a couple of weeks before Benjamin gets home. Maybe one of us will come up with something."

"You think?" Angie asked.

"I hope," Dee answered.

After she got back from lunch, Dan called her. "How about having dinner with me?"

Angie didn't know if she could face Dan so soon. She apologized, "I'm going to have to work late tonight. I've got to decide on some of next seasons purchases."

"I have to work late , too," he told her, "but I know a little Mama and Papa's restaurant I can call and they'll keep things warm for us. I'll call when we leave and they'll have it ready for us when we get there. I think I can be ready to leave about 8 o'clock, how about you?"

Angie had to think about how she would spend the time. She hadn't actually planned to work but she could start looking at some of the new designs on her monitor. "I'll do my best," she told him.

"Great ! Meet you in the parking garage. We can both drive so we'll have our cars for tomorrow. You can follow me to the restaurant. OK?" he asked.

"Sure," she murmured, and hung up

As she followed him, she recognized a familiar route that she and Benjamin had taken many times when he had been just a salesman. He had usually taken her for lunch to a small restaurant called, Peterman's. The food was family style and always excellent. She wasn't sure how she could handle being there with Dan.

They parked their cars and Dan took her arm as they entered.

No sooner had they entered when a large, grandmotherly, gray haired woman greeted them and flung her arms around Angie. "Angie! Good to see you again." Looking at Dan, she added, "Now you come with the son. Sort of like a family."

Angie was embarrassed but Dan covered for her. "It is, Mama Peterman, a business family. She buys merchandise from Dad's company and Angie and I work for the same company."

"Business family, eh?" Mama sighed as she looked them over, "Too bad. I'd better bring out the food while it's still warm."

"I ordered for us. Hope you don't mind." When Angie shook her head, Mama moved toward the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Dad had brought you here."

"I loved coming here, Dan," she told him. "It always felt like being at home. 'Now, tell me about Benjamin. I sort of lost track of how he was doing after he bought into his company. " Angie did have an overall picture of Benjamin's new life as owner of a company but she just wanted to hear more about him. Also, she wanted to hear how his son felt about his father.

"You probably know most of this. We've always lived in this area but, when Dad became a part owner of the company, the business load he had to carry made him think he'd better move to New York because of all the time he had to spend on business matters. He wanted me to go with him but I was just getting a start in the Advertising Field, besides I'm not much for that fancy New York living. We sold the old house and he got an apartment there and I got one here. Then, when I got the job at Royal, he decided he could commute. He moved back and got a house in the neighborhood where the party was held last night. Not much more than that. He's a great guy. After Mom died, he was always there for me." Dan was so sincere that Angie knew she'd have a lot of thinking to do.

"Thanks, Dan. I didn't know some of that, but I always knew how proud he was of you."

Mama arrived with the food. "I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about but I won't have my good food get cold while you chatter away. Eat now, talk later," she commanded as she patted them both on the shoulder and left.

They looked at each other and said, together, "You heard Mama. Eat!"

When they got to the parking lot, Angie turned her face so Dan had to kiss her on the forehead. "See you tomorrow," she told him.

He took in a deep breath. "You bet," he answered.

Angie spent a sleepless night. She decided not to call Dee this time because this was something she'd have to work out on her own.

For the rest of the two weeks that Benjamin would be gone, Angie and Dan had their lunches at the Peterman's. Mama saw that they ate healthy meals, counseled them to always be good to each other and remember to give her regards to Benjamin. She always looked them over as though she were trying to decide.

Angie had already made her decision but, she hadn't decided when or if she would carry it out.

Benjamin was supposed to arrive on Sunday. Angie had planned her whole outfit for Sunday. She decided to wash her hair on Saturday and had to wrap a towel around it when the doorbell rang. She threw a robe around her and opened the door. Dan stood there laughing at her.

"I'm glad you didn't expect us," he said.

"US?," she asked.

"Me, too," Benjamin laughed as he stepped into view.

"But…but..," she sputtered.

"May we come in?" Benjamin asked.

She flung the door open as she tried to dry her hair and, at least remove the towel. She didn't dare do anything about the robe. Her damp hair fell into soft brown curls.

"Lovely," they both said.

"What are you doing here on Saturday?" She asked to cover her embarrassment.

It was Dan who answered. "He couldn't wait. He got an earlier plane." Angie and Benjamin stood, silently looking at each other. Dan continued. "After these last two weeks of having lunch at Peterman's and watching Mama trying to decide about us, I knew you had suddenly realized what a great guy my Dad is. I talked to him to make sure he realized that you were the right one for him. He had been deciding how to tell me. So here we are. I'll try not to be a sore loser if you promise to always call me Dan, never Son. I promise never to call you Mom."

Angie murmured, "Promise," as she thought, "I've got to have Dee meet me for lunch on Monday. "I'll let her talk as loud as she wants to."

Finale