Days of Darkness

Chapter 54

"I admit,' Dad confessed, "we got a little excited. He has a full-ride to MIT. They don't give those to just anyone." I looked at his eyes, the way they looked all puppy dog desperate for my future. I couldn't help myself, I laughed.

"I'm not marrying him," I said between chuckles.

"We just wanted to make a good impression," Dad said with a smile.

"You're going to scare him away," I said. "He's a nice guy out of his comfort zone. I'm just making sure he has a friend at the concert."

"Okay, okay," Dad capitulated, "we'll tone it down a bit." I hugged him hard before I headed back into the house. I was no less apprehensive about lunch, but at least Dad understood me better. Hopefully, he'd talk with Mom before Caleb ran for the hills. Damn, a full-ride he said.

Warning - Parents going overboard

I texted Caleb in hopes of him not flipping out when he got here. My family is a bit strange, but they are mine, and from what I understood I chose them.

Mine thought I should wear a suit

LOL, Mom was pushing a skirt

There was no response to that so I began to wonder if he thought I should dress up for the concert. I wished Mom never put the idea in my head.

Jeans OK?

Hope so, that's what I'm wearing

The relief was overwhelming. I don't think I would have been comfortable in a skirt. On a date, maybe, but not at a casual concert with a friend. Mom might be disappointed, but she didn't understand that comfort was fashion today. I went upstairs and changed into a brighter shirt. My other one was a little dowdy.

"There's my favorite granddaughter," Grandma said as she saw me walking down the stairs. I moved into her arms and suffered a kiss on my cheek. She is exactly what anyone would envision a grandmother to be. Gray curls and an unending smile. A little shorter than me, but seemed to have more energy. It was like she was trying to cram more life into the end of her years, making up for some lack of it in the beginning.

"Hi, Grandma," I returned.

"MeMaw!" Zane shouted from the top of the stairs. Grandma smiled and waved him into her arms. Though she was getting on in years, she still worked full time at the library. She enjoyed reading to the preschoolers and greeting the town as they passed through. Zane always acted younger around her, and it cost him extra kisses. His cheek had little red marks from her lipstick. I wiped mine, thinking I bore the same scars.

"Hello, Mother," Dad said, coming when he heard Zane's yell. Dad received a kiss as well, though the hug was less mushy.

"Sammy, where's Natalie?" Grandma asked.

"In the kitchen," Dad replied, "getting everything ready." Grandma grabbed my hand and pulled me along toward the kitchen. I always felt ten years old in her presence. She was our main babysitter growing up. Zane and I spent as much time with her as we did with Mom and Dad. Before kindergarten, she even lived with us, giving Dad time to go to school and Mom to work. She made a mean toasted cheese, one of the few things I would eat back then.

"Natalie," Grandma exclaimed when we entered the kitchen.

"Hi, Mary," Mom said warmly as she lifted the casserole out of the oven. "I'm glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," Grandma said turning to me, "Your first real date."

"It's not a date!" I said in unison with Mom. Grandma pursed her lips in surprise. "And it wouldn't be my first if it was," I added a little quieter. I've had a couple of dates and even one second date. It wasn't my fault that they were boring.

"He's just a friend," Mom took up my cause. "Caleb McGuire is playing with a real band in the city. Teegan is going to support him. It will be his first time in front of an audience." There was some awfully suspicious eye contact between Grandma and Mom. It was almost like they didn't believe me.

"Not the first time," I said, defending Caleb. It's not like he was afraid or anything. "He's played at weddings and things. Also with the orchestra at school."

"Has he?" Grandma prompted. "What instrument does he play?"

"Violin," I answered. "This will be the first time that I've heard him play outside of the orchestra. One the guys in the band, the saxophonist, asked him to play on stage. I have no idea how he can just get up in front of all those people."

"He must have a lot of confidence," Grandma continued. "It will be nice to have a friend in the audience."

"Yeah," I agreed, "that's what I thought when he asked."

"So he asked you?" Grandma inquired. Mom stopped pulling plates out of the cupboard and waited for my response.

"It's not a date," I sighed, rolling my eyes, "He's just a friend and we were talking. I mentioned I've never heard him play, and he offered a ticket."

"He's very smart," Mom added. Then she returned to pulling plates when I scowled.

"Is he?" Grandma continued.

"Yes," I said, not wanting to add to the interrogation with a long answer.

"Scholarship to MIT," Mom said when I was silent for too long.

"Oh, you mean REALLY smart," Grandma chuckled. She saw the look on my face and lost her smile. "We're just teasing," she said, then pulled me into another hug. "We'll treat him like a friend, no worries."

"Thank you, Grandma," I said honestly. She figured it out quicker than Mom and Dad. Though my bond with her isn't as strong as the rest of the family, it was still warm and comfortable. I let my appreciation leak and received her love in return.

"Sax and violin," Grandma pointed out, "I don't think I've ever heard those two together." The conversation thankfully drifted away from the date issue and became pleasant. Grandma and I helped Mom set the table as we discussed how music had changed over the years. I was surprised to hear about some of the concerts Grandma had gone to when she was young. I got the sense that she embraced the 60's with gusto. At least, they sounded like fond memories.

Caleb arrived at noon. I watched him straighten his clothes three times and bend down to look in the side view mirror on his car to correct his hair. He was terrified, but he came forward nonetheless. Somehow, his reaction eased my fear. I couldn't bear to watch him struggle to ring the doorbell, so I went outside to greet him on the front walk.

"Hi," I said as brightly as I could. Caleb slowed and smiled. I could see it was the right idea to meet him out front. A little ice breaker before my family crashed down on him.

"Hi," Caleb returned, "it's noon." I smiled at Mr. Obvious. I could almost see him shaking.

"Nervous?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered while shaking his head no. I stopped his approach and let him catch his collective breath.

"About lunch or the concert?" I asked calmly. Why did I enjoy the fact that he was nervous? It was comforting in some way and totally inappropriate to extract pleasure from it.

"Lunch," Caleb replied, and dropped his eyes. I ceased enjoying it. Now he was embarrassed. I wanted the confident Caleb of a few days ago. I did something I didn't expect, I took his hand in mine, blocking his song, therefore, the link before it began.

"You don't need to impress anyone," I told Caleb. "I want to see you play, and my parents want to know who to hunt down if I don't return. Nothing more." Caleb laughed at the last part and held my hand firmly, with more courage.

"I was afraid of an interrogation," Caleb admitted, his smile returning.

"Oh, there will be that," I chuckled. "There's just no way to fail. I'm the only judge who counts." His eyes sharpened, and he seemed taller. I was strangely proud of myself. "Come on in and we'll see if we can't escape early." I tried to retract my hand as I turned. Gently, he kept it in his as we started toward the door. I was slightly uncomfortable with how comfortable it was. It felt better than I expected, almost as if they were molded to be together.

"It can't be worse than a math test," Caleb joked. I laughed and felt better that his confidence was somewhat restored. I swung our joined hands together as we climbed the porch steps. We didn't let go of each other until we walked through the door.

"Caleb, these are my parents and my Grandma," I introduced him.

"Mr. Fuller, " Caleb said strongly, holding out his hand, "Thank you for inviting me for lunch." He had hidden all his apprehension and was standing tall when my Dad shook his hand.