THEN YOU LOOK AT ME
Chapter Four
The loud ringing of the doorbell made Rose
jump nervously from her position on the couch. She wondered if it was Jack. He
was supposed to be here any minute. Giving herself the once over and deciding
that she looked all right, Rose ran to the door and opened it. Jack stood
there, smiling brightly at her.
"Hey," he said excitedly.
Rose laughed. "Hi." They just
looked at each other for a few moments before Jack broke the silence.
"You look nice," he said, looking
at her.
Rose had on a simple black skirt and baby
doll white tee shirt. Her hair was out and loose and she had sunglasses on top
of her head. On her feet were some tall, yet comfortable looking, black shoes
and hanging from one of her shoulders was a small black leather purse from Nine
West.
Rose blushed and smiled shyly at Jack.
"Thank you," she said.
Jack smiled, and then asked,
"Ready?"
Rose nodded and started out the door with
Jack. "Mother is at a meeting downtown so she isn't around to make you go
through the third degree," she said as they walked down the driveway.
Jack laughed. "Too bad, I was looking
forward to meeting your mom. I've seen her walking a few times. She looks
nice."
Rose smiled. "Oh, she's all right. As
long as you get on her good side."
Jack smiled at her. "Then I will just
have to get on her good side, huh?" he asked.
Rose laughed, nodded, and then looked toward
the driveway. "Awesome car!" she exclaimed, running toward it. Jack
drove a white 2000 Ford Explorer.
"Thanks," Jack said, opening Rose's
door and helping her in. He walked around to his side and climbed in.
"Aunt Maddy and Uncle Robert got it for me for graduation," he
explained, as he started the car.
Rose laughed. "That is so cool. I had to
half-buy mine. Mom paid for the rest, but still. She said she wanted me to
'learn what it is like to pay for my own things.' Like I don't already. She
just thinks she pays for it all."
Jack laughed as he left the neighborhood.
"Your mom sounds cool," he said.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Like I said, just
get on her good side."
There were a few moments of silence before
Jack said, "Ah...the movie starts at eight, so we have a little bit of
time. Do you mind if I stop by the store real quick?"
Rose shook her head. "That's fine, Jack.
I want to get something anyway."
"Okay, then, it's off to the
store," Jack said playfully.
Rose laughed and rolled her window down. Jack
switched on the radio and watched as Rose started tapping her fingers against
the windowsill, according to the beat of the song. He beamed inside. Maybe he
had finally found someone who shared the same interests as him. Maybe he and
Rose would have more then a 'first date' relationship. Jack smiled to himself.
Maybe he and Rose would have something special.
*****
Rose sat on a park bench in Riverfront Park.
She sighed happily as she looked out at the water. The Spokane River was calm
and spellbinding in the dusk. Jack had gone to go get two ice cream cones from
a riverside booth a few yards away.
The evening had been wonderful so far. After
stopping at the store to pick up some more art supplies for Jack, which he said
he needed, and some gum for Rose, they had went to the movie theater. Jack had
insisted on paying for everything at the movies, even the Dippin' Dots he said
Rose had to have. Rose had agreed, as she had never tried the Dippin' Dots, and
found that she enjoyed them. They were these little frozen balls of ice cream
that you ate with a spoon. Between Rose and Jack, they had about three packets.
All through the movie, Rose had held Jack's
hand and had rested her head on his shoulder. The whole experience had been so
electrifying that Rose had barely been able to concentrate on the movie. And
then after the film was over, Jack had suggested they take a walk along the
river. They had walked for a while, then sat down.
"Here," Jack said suddenly.
Rose turned her head and took the ice cream
from Jack. "Thanks," she said.
Jack sat down next to her and started eating
his own chocolate ice cream. There was a moment of silence before Jack asked,
"So, who do you hang out with besides the twins? I mean, I am sure you
have other friends."
Rose took a bite of ice cream, swallowed, and
then answered Jack. "I only have a few other close friends. Sara is one.
She is in Vancouver right now, visiting her Aunt Mary. I am pretty close to my
cousin Katie, but she lives in Lake Chilan, so I don't see her much."
Jack looked at Rose. "That's too
bad," he said.
Rose nodded. "Katie and I are
practically sisters, even though she is two years younger than I am. She's
really nice. You would love her." There was another silence before Rose
started talking again. "What about you? Who are you friends with besides
Tommy?"
Jack took another bite of his cone and then
shrugged. "My closest friends besides Tommy would probably be John and
Fabrizio. They are both gone now; Fabri is in Seattle visiting his mom and John
is in England."
"In England?" Rose asked,
excitedly. She had always wanted to visit England, and the rest of Europe for
that matter.
"Yeah," Jack said, nodding his
head. "He lived in England until he was about fifteen. Then, he and his
family moved over here. They go back every summer for a few months to see his
relatives. They all live over there."
"Wow! That's awesome," Rose said,
smiling brightly. Jack nodded and then, for no reason, started staring at Rose.
Rose began to notice this, and asked, "What? What is it? Did I do
something?"
Jack took a deep breath and then sat up a
little more. "Can I kiss you?" he asked hurriedly.
Rose's mouth dropped open and she gasped for
breath. Jack wanted to kiss her! This was a dream come true! 'Oh my God!' she
thought excitedly.
"Uh-huh," she mumbled, nodding her
head as if she was in a dream world.
Jack gently put her arm around Rose and then
lowered his mouth to hers. Rose closed her eyes and gently joined her mouth
with Jack's. Before she knew it, they were kissing passionately. Rose moaned
softly as their mouths parted for a moment and she moved her arms to Jack's
neck.
"Kiss me again," she whispered
softly.
Jack smiled and then closed his eyes again.
They continued to kiss for some time, forgetting about everything, including
their ice cream, which they involuntarily dropped onto the ground.
*****
Ruth was sitting in her living room, watching
a late night movie that was on Lifetime. She vaguely wondered where Rose was.
It was after midnight. A movie couldn't go that long. But she trusted Rose and
decided not to constantly worry about her. Ruth smiled as she watched the
movie. Rose had seemed so excited about going out with Jack the whole day. She
had even gotten up before seven, something she didn't do unless it was
necessary. Suddenly, Ruth noticed headlights pull up outside. She heard two
doors slam and then it was quiet. Ruth couldn't resist taking a quick look outside,
so she got up off the couch and peeked out the window--just enough to see the
front steps. Her daughter's arms were around Jack's waist and his arms were
wrapped around her. They were kissing passionately.
Ruth quickly moved away from the window and
moved back to the couch. She covered herself with a blanket and made it look
like she was sitting there all along. Finally, about five minutes later, Ruth
heard the front door open. She glanced over and saw Rose walk in.
Her daughter carelessly dropped her purse on
the floor and her body seemed to go limp as she started to walk toward the
stairs. Rose had a soft, loving smile on her face and her eyes were shining.
"Hello, Rose," Ruth called softly.
"Hmm," came Rose's soft reply as
she started up the stairs.
Ruth stifled a laugh. "Have a good
time?" she asked.
"Uh-huh," came another distant
reply as Rose reached the top of the stairs.
Ruth laughed out loud this time. "Good
night, Rose!" she called.
"Yeah," came another reply.
Ruth smiled and shook her head. "Rose,
Rose, Rose," she whispered. She had never seen her daughter act this way
over a boy. Ruth sighed, happy for Rose.