His cell phone buzzed, and Jervis pulled it out of his pocket, confused. Who could be calling him? He saw the name on the front, “Jennifer Marshall” and a screen picture of roses. How on Earth? Who? He answered the call, “Hello?” he asked, tentatively.
“Hey, boy. Bet you didn’t expect to hear from me so soon?” Jennifer’s voice crooned out of the phone. He surely hadn’t! He had never expected to hear from her again!
“Ummm, no. I’m glad you called.” How did you get your number on my phone? And where did you get my number?!
“You busy today? I was going to go to a girlfriends but after last night I’d rather come over and see you.”
Jervis thought, frantically. Suzy had said that she was going over to Jenny’s today, and Mom was going to some function or other this afternoon. And Dad was never home, of course. “I… if you wanted you could come over this afternoon, say, about one.”
“Will we get to close the door this time?”
“Yeah. Everyone will be gone.”
“Sounds perfect. See you then…”
—
He looked at his phone again. Noon. He raced upstairs, startling Mom in the kitchen.
“Hello Dear,” Mom said, and Jervis checked himself, nervously. It wouldn’t do to let Mom get suspicious.
“Hi Mom.”
“Are you hungry, Dear?”
Jervis thought of saying that he wasn’t, that he had eaten a whole box of Pop Tarts and drunk a whole jug of orange juice, but then he thought he wouldn’t say that. And besides, he had an hour. “Yeah, sure, what are you fixing?”
“I have some nice leftovers from last night,” Mom said. “I could warm those up.”
“That’d be great, Mom,” Jervis said, and sat down.
“Did you enjoy yourself last night, Dear?”
“Yeah, it was OK,” Jervis said.
“I think Jennifer liked you, Dear,” Mom said, and Jervis squirmed, nervously. How to answer that? Luckily he didn’t need to. “It would be good for you to have a girlfriend, Dear. An older girl, like Jennifer, might be good.
“I, ummm, do you think she liked me, Mom?”
“Well, she certainly seemed to be looking at you at dinner, Dear.”
“Maybe I’ll call her,” Jervis tried.
“That would be nice. I have her number in my Rolodex.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Jervis said, and meant it for real. Now if she would only leave!
“There, Dear,” Mom said, popping the barbecued rib and potatoes out of the microwave and setting it in front of him. “I thought those ribs were delicious, last night. McAllens is certainly a good caterer.”
“They were great, Mom,” Jervis said, his mouth full of rib.
“Well, I’m afraid I have to dress and go, Dear,” Mom said. “Have fun.”
He planned to!