Dominoes 103a: Recovering Caleb

We were in the car before it hit me, and I began to shake.

“What’s wrong, Bobbi?” Jenny asked.

“Oh, Jenny… do you know what I’ve done? I had Caleb read my notebook!”

“Yes, I know.”

“But Jenny, when I get home… he will have read it!”

“Probably,” she said.

“But Jenny… that means… Come on, you’ve read my notebook.”

“Never!” She said, blushing.

“Of course you have. I’ve read yours.”

“What?” She said, indignant.

“Come on, you know you have, now, what is Caleb likely to do… Jenny, I told him to do it! I told him to call Dad. Oh, Jenny, I can’t go home! I will have to run away and join the circus.”

“You can’t run away, you promised that Caleb would take us to lunch and shopping. And I want some stuff. So put the car in gear and drive, darling sister.”

I sighed and followed her commands. But when I pulled up into the driveway I said, “Run inside and tell me if he is there.”

She grinned and ran inside, but didn’t come out. Instead Caleb came out himself, and walked slowly over to the passenger side and got in. I was blushing furiously, and couldn’t look at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and my heart missed several beats. What was he sorry for? That he didn’t love me? I burst out in tears, feeling like a fool.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, taking my hand. “I was scared. And I want to thank you for helping me see it. You have already given me your answer, but I would still like to hear it. Would you marry me?”

“Oh, Caleb!!” I said, trying to launch into his arms, but having to get my seatbelt off first, “Oh, Caleb, thank you! I feel like such an idiot!”

By now I had gotten it off and was plunged up against him very awkwardly. Our little car wasn’t really designed for this, and I had him crushed up against the door, poor boy. Not that he minded, I’m sure. “Oh, Caleb,” I said, kissing him… our first kiss since we were little kids, and very awkward.

“You’re welcome,” he said, gasping from the kiss and the fact I was sort of kneeling on him. “Can we, can we continue this inside, perhaps?”

“Oh, yes, sure,” I said, clambering back onto my seat and opening the door. “Come on!” I said, holding out my hand to him. He was sooo slow!

“Mom,” I said, pulling him through the door, “Caleb and I are going  up to my room!”

“Very well, dear,” my mother said, but Caleb stopped me, and whispered,

“Don’t you want to tell her?”

I blushed, and whispered back, “You want me to tell her we are going to have sex?”

Now it was his turn to blush, “Sex? Who said… I meant do you want to tell her that I asked you to marry me, and that you said yes.”

“Oh, sure, Mom!” I said, “Caleb asked me to marry him!”

“Of course dear, I knew that. The poor boy has been sitting here the whole time, and he discussed it with me. Sort of. He was very shy, of course. Boys are.”

“There, you see?” I said, pulling him toward the stairs. But then I stopped, appalled at my presumption, “But, did you mean that you don’t want to come together today?”

“Well, it’s not that,” he said, blushing furiously, “but I did say I was taking you two to lunch and all.”

“Oh, very well,’ I said, a bit put off. I was nervous about the whole thing myself, but I had sort of hoped that he just couldn’t wait. “Come on up anyway, I am going to change clothes.”

He blushed again, but followed me up the stairs. And I put him through the wringer, even changing my bra, while he stood there trying to pretend he wasn’t watching me. “Ready Jenny?” I asked, walking down the hall to her room.

“Sure,” she said, blushing and looking at us.

“Well, come on then,” I said, and we went down the stairs.