Thursday, October 17, 2013

what's my ego telling me

Something about Essie




Funny, how Leo was eager for the 'Starwars ball' as he was calling it, to his folks, anyway. It would be nice to be there with Henry and Vada too. Yet he dreaded the idea of taking out the preacher's daughter.

He might be graded on this. He didn't know her. He didn't even want to know her. She went by Essie even if she was actually Esther. She despised the name, although, she didn't say it, but he saw the look she'd respond when anyone at the youth group would call her Esther.

Of course, he hadn't arranged any of this going out stuff. It was his Dad who said he'd do it. Leo about had a fit in the church parking lot, but did his best to steady a neat behavior that was required of him.

"Its like I'm his puppet, you know." He confided in Henry after his shift at the library.

"Its just a date." Henry shrugged as if that wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah, and you've been on loads of them." Leo rolled his eyes, acting as if he envied every moment, but really he didn't want to do this. It was way out of his comfort zone. His room was all he wanted. The necessities were there. He wouldn't have to make conversation.

"A few." Henry shrugged about the dating part. "But not lately."

"Maybe, she'll hate me. Maybe she's already got someone, under the radar, you know." The more Leo thought about it, the more he liked the idea of her meeting someone in secret, and telling her Dad what a great time she'd had with Leo, when in fact, they'd never know each other.

"Would you stop it." Henry looked up at him. "Its something you're Dad is expecting, so be proper. Take her to some nice place and be a gentleman."

They set in the back of Leo's pickup truck on the tailgate. It was getting nippy, but Leo was so stressed in a sweat that he didn't notice.

"Suppose." Leo blew a breath and winced hard. "Would I have to kiss her?"

"Not necessarily." Henry shrugged. It was quiet. "Would you even know what to do? Have you kissed a girl?"

Leo said nothing for the longest time.

"Yeah." His words were ever so quiet.

Henry looked over at him as if he expected details.

"It might make you, sick." Leo didn't want to think about it. "You'll, think I'm sick in the head." He looked up at the stars as if, somewhere was an answer to all this. But where? He sighed. "My Mom French kissed me." He let a smile slip as if it might be very intriguing. "I was like 8. I mean, she didn't mean to do it. Really." He sighed. "We'd just moved. We'd finished up our Romen Top noodles and she was so tired because it was so late and we only had so little since the movers hadn't arrived. She thought I was Dad, evidently. But then later, I tried to kiss my sister that way. That did not go well."

"That's a good thing." Henry grinned. "You, really don't have to French her, you know."


you are to me


5 comments:

  1. Henry is a superhero in his own right - he knows how to lift people up. :)

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  2. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I love them <3 <3

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  3. Henry really is a good friend. I know it'll hurt if Leo chooses Essie.

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  4. Oh how awkward! I hope the date goes well!

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