onward and upward

Of course, Tiffany didn't ask Omaha if he'd do it. She showed up at his place an hour before her date with Irwin.

That look of Omaha's might have been a little distressed, but she knew he'd take Brick off her hands for a little while.

"I can't ask my Mom to do it. Its her Sunday." Tiffany looked at him blankly. "She's a minister of the Eucharist, you know."

"What?" Omaha looked at her as if that was even more foreign to him.

"She gives communion to shut ins and you know, that kind of thing." Tiffany knew ii was a part of her mother's religion that she would never be a part of, and neither would Brick. "Just..just watch him..OK?"

Omaha didn't look thrilled with the idea. She could tell kids frightened him.

"He's not gonna break..and if he BREAKS anything..." She looked at Brick firmly. "He knows there will be hell to pay." She was ever so blunt.

Omaha stood there stumped. Of course, his place looked no more than a useless bunker to sleep in. She did wonder if he was a squatter, in this old empty building. She looked at Brick. Surely, her son had enough sense to keep his wits about him. But Omaha, didn't even have a TV. So she loaded them both up and took them to her little motel room. The walls might have been thin. At least, there was WiFi and cable.

"Watch him." Were her last words.

"OK. What do you feed him?" Omaha shrugged.

It was just her luck, she'd probably pay Omaha more than what her date was worth. Besides, Irwin wasn't coming to pick her up. They were meeting at the cinema.

A part of Tiffany couldn't wait to have an actual date. Although, the more she thought about it, it was lame. Irwin was probably thrifty too. Probably, had loads of money. But he wouldn't spend it on her.

"There's a diner, just down that way." She told him when they got to her place. Omaha nodded as if he knew of it.

Finally, she was on her way, but of course she warned them both, "Don't go anywhere."

Irwin went over it..again and again in his head..how the date would go. He arrived early, purchased the tickets, right in the middle of the theater. Not too close..not to far in the back. He wasn't sure which tickets to get. He certainly didn't want to see a horror film, and he wasn't sure how she'd feel about Star Wars. She might have seen it. So he went for the romantic comedy.

He gritted, hoping it was more comedy than romantic. Actually, he knew he'd never been the romantic type. A part of him felt bad that he never paid Tiffany back, for all that Valentines candy. He couldn't tell her, his mom tried to kill the squirrels with chocolate. Not even he, got to enjoy that candy.

His mother said it would be bad for him, on so many levels.

He reminded himself, never to tell his mother about this occasion. His mother hated that girl with a passion. She would be furious with him, if she knew he was going out with that girl who gave him candy, during his middle school years.

And then he smiled. Maybe he wanted to make her mad. Besides, here was Tiffany, and she was so..so..pretty and retro and well, he felt even Audrey Hepburn would have been proud..this outfit she was in.

He ushered her straight to  concessions, wanting to know if she wanted anything. Then someone who worked there, told him, they could order pizza in the theater.

"That's do that." He couldn't help but smile. It was a grownup world now. They ordered beer and pizza.

It had been a long time since he'd gone to a movie.