Scrabbled

They walked back to the car, Robert’s arms full of purchases. It seemed unfair to him that, having paid for them, he should have to carry them, but everyone else’s hands were filled with bags.. Their free hands, that is. Caleb was still stolidly holding Jenny’s hand.

“Grace, grab my keys, will you, and open the door?” Robert said, “Thanks. Is everyone ready to go back to the house?”

‘I think we had better,” Grace said.”Your car is about to break down with all we have bought.”

Robert laughed and they drove off in silence. “Did you get everything you needed?” Caleb asked Jenny as they sat awkwardly together in the back.

“Oh, I did great. Did you two get some good books at the bookstore?”

“No. Their was a good story, but I didn’t buy it.” Robert looked at him in the mirror, and he was grinning. He looked over at Grace, who was busy fingering her ring.

“It looks good on you,” Robert said.

“I think so too. I need to call my mother.”

“Probably a good idea. But you might want to wait until we get home.”

“OK.”

They pulled up in front of the house, and Caleb and Grace helped Jenny and carry her stuff up to her room. Then Grace went to Robert’s room to make her call. Robert went into the kitchen where his mother was cooking.

“Did you have a nice shopping trip, dear?” His mother asked him.

“Very nice, mother. I bought Grace a ring.”

His mother was facing away from him, and froze in the act of cutting up a tomato. “A ring, dear?”

“Two rings, actually.”

“Nice rings, dear?”

“Very nice. The one has a diamond on it…”

“Oh, oh, Robert!!” Mother said, screaming and leaping into his arms (having put the knife down). “Oh, I’m so excited. Jenny, Caleb, Robert just told me….” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the two of them, as they stood there holding hands. Jenny, suddenly realizing what she had done, blushed. “Jenny? Caleb?”

“I’m going upstairs,” Robert said, leaving the two to their awkward explanations. His heart beat almost out of his chest. He heard Grace on the phone,

“Yes, of course I was surprised. It just came out of the blue. I had wanted him to… well, I had been pressuring him to sleep with me. Well, yes, that wasn’t very nice of me. But I couldn’t believe he kept saying no. I thought he didn’t want to. I guess he really…”

Robert came in, and closed and locked the door. “Ummm, Mom, I think I need to go now. Yes, I’ll talk to you later. Thanks Mom.” She flipped her phone closed and looked at him. “Where is everyone else?”

He moved over toward her, reaching out to touch her face. “Downstairs.”

“Did you tell them?”

Robert started playing with the buttons on her blouse. “I told mother that I had given you your rings. But then Jenny and Caleb came downstairs, holding hands, and she got distracted.”

“Oh, Bobby,” Grace said.

Hey, we’re done here,” Robert said on his cell phone, “Where are you? Great, we’ll be there in a second.”

“Come on, Caleb,” he said, “They are down getting panties for Jenny.”

“You so have a sister,” he said, “I can’t even say that word.”

“Panties?” Robert said, “Get used to it. Husbands have to say the word. And ‘pads’ and ‘period’, etc. etc. Now, are you ready?”

“Ready?”

“To hold her hand.”

“You mean, now?” Caleb said, and Robert hit him across the back of the head,

“Of course now!”

“Which hand should I hold?”

Robert stood for a moment in thought. “She’s shopping, so she will need to use her right hand, so take her left hand… with your right hand.”

He looked at his hands for a second, “Oh, Ok, I get it.”

“There they are,” Robert said, “go for it.”

And he did. Grace had looked up when the two of them came in, and seeing Robert’s eyes so focused on Caleb, watched him. Jenny hadn’t seen them come in and was standing in front of a rack of panties… cute little panties with all sorts of girlish designs on them, butterflies and things. It didn’t seem Grace had told her the boys were even coming.

So, anyway, Caleb walked right up to her, hesitating only a second as she moved right before he got there to reach for a pair. Once she had them in her (right) hand he walked up to her left side, and reached down, and took her hand. It took him a second to re-arrange it to so he could hold it appropriately, and then he just stood there, looking at the package in her hand.

Robert had never seem his sister so startled. Well, except for the time he put the toy snake in her drawer, but that doesn’t really count. She absolutely jerked, and would have pulled away, if he hand’t been far too strong. As it was she leapt out to the end of her ‘tether’ and was jerked back in… not by Caleb but just by the force of her own leap. She then stared at him incredulously. But he just stood there, stolidly staring at the package.

“Those are nice,” he said, eventually, as Grace walked over and took Roberts hand (and no, he didn’t leap away).

“What is going on?” She whispered.

“He asked me for some advice,” Robert said, chuckling.

“Good advice,” she said. “If a bit strong.”

“He is a strong guy, but rather dense when it comes to girls. I thought this would be clear.” He answered.

Jenny didn’t seem to know what to make of it. She stared at Caleb, then at the package. She reached over to put the package in her left hand, but that hand wasn’t moving. So she said, “Could you hold this for me, please?” And held it out to him.

“Sure,” he said, and took it with his left hand.

She looked toward Grace, but she just pretended to be talking to Robert, and Robert followed suit, so Jenny was forced back to shopping. For panties. With Caleb holding her hand. They watched her, Grace almost collapsing with giggles, as she reached out toward one package after another, only to jerk her hand back.

“What size are you?” Caleb asked.

“None of your business,” she said.

“OK,” he said, “I just thought it would make it easier. I like these,” he said, pointing with his right hand… and her left hand. “For you,” I mean,” he said, “I shop in a different department.”

“Well, those aren’t my size!” She said.

“What is your size?” He asked, calmly.

“I… well… you are holding a package of…”

“Oh, true,” he said, “silly me.” He held the package up, read it, and then looked at the rack, “These then. These are in your size.”

She took them, looked at them, and gave them back to him. “How many more do you need?” He asked her, holding the two packages up.

“That is plenty,” she said.

“Do you need anything else here?” He asked, “Bras?”

“No, thank you,” she said.

“OK,” he said, “I’ll…”

“No,” Robert said, coming up and taking them from him, “My treat.”

Jenny glowered at Robert, but everyone followed him to the checkout counter, where he paid for Jenny’s panties.

“My turn,” he said, “Come.” And everyone followed him down the hall, Grace holding his hand, and Caleb and Jenny following: Jenny glowering and Caleb placidly.

They soon came to the shoe store and Robert asked Grace, “What’s your size?”

“Six,” she said, looking at Robert curiously. They didn’t have a large stock of cowboy boots, and still fewer for women, but they did have a pair he liked, in her size, “Here,” Robert said, “try these on.”

“Cowboy boots?” she asked.

“Try them on,” Robert said.

Jenny was awkwardly walking around the store, Caleb in tow. Almost pulling him from place to place, but not quite. Trying to ignore him, but failing awkwardly. She came up to a rack of high heels, reaching out to one shoe. “I don’t like those,” Caleb said, and her hand jerked away like it was burnt. “I don’t like high heels at all, actually,” he said, as if talking to himself. “They make you look really funny, all mincing and everything.”

He moved over to the ‘pumps’ section… Jenny forced to follow like a can tied to a bicycle. “These are better,” he said. “What do you like here?”

“I…” She said.

“I suppose I could pick something,” he said, “but I really don’t know…”

Just then Grace came out. “Wow,” Robert said, “I like that! Not with that skirt, of course. You need a longer skirt, and some nice socks. Do they have those socks around here… Excuse me, Miss,” he said to the sales lady, “do you have socks to go with those?”

Grace bemusedly followed Robert and the lady, and Caleb resumed his speech, “I don’t really know what is in your closet. Although I suppose I should, I see you often enough. Does any of this,” he waved with his right hand and her left again, “Go with what you have?”

“Well, grey is neutral,” she said, pointing to a pair of grey pumps, “As is white and black. I kind of like neutral, because then I don’t have to worry so much.”

“That makes sense,” he said. “What is your shoe size?”

“Six and a half,” Jenny said, and he reached out to pair of grey pumps, “Try these on,” he said, handing them to her and letting go of her hand.

She took them and sat down. “They, they fit fine,” she said.

He knelt down in front of her. “Good,” he said, taking the shoes off and putting them in the box. Then he stood up and, in the most natural way imaginable, took her hand again. The look on her face was utterly unreadable.

Robert and Grace had watched the entire scene while she put on the socks and then the boots.

“Definitely need a new skirt,” Robert said, “but I think I know where we can get one. Give me those, Caleb, he said, then, with both boxes, the one holding Grace’s old shoes, and the other Jenny’s new ones, he went to the checkout stand.

“Jenny?” Grace said, bemused, “What do you think?”

Jenny looked at her, “I think he likes them,” she said, and Caleb in tow, walked past Robert and out of the store, Grace following.

“I have to use the ladies room,” Jenny said, when they were in the hallway, “do you want to come, Grace?”

“Sure,” Grace said, and the two went off.

“How is it going?” Robert asked Caleb.

“Well, I think.”

The boys stood in silence and waited. Eventually the girls came back, Grace going up to Robert and taking his hand, and Jenny moving past her and grabbing Caleb’s left hand with her right. “Where should we get the skirt?” Jenny asked.

Well, did you two have a nice meal?” Robert asked, as he and Grace walked up to Caleb and Jenny, who were sitting at their table talking quietly. Jenny jumped, “Bobby! You scared me!”

“Sorry,” Robert said, laughing. “Are you ready to go?”

“Sure,” Caleb said, “I paid ages ago. I think the waitress was getting read to ask me if we were going to order dinner, too.”

We got to the car, and Grace, naturally, sat by Robert, while Jenny and Caleb awkwardly got in the back. “On to the mall,” Robert said. “Caleb, you are going to have to help Jenny shop for a few minutes, Grace and I have something we need to get.”

“Ok,” Caleb said, and the silence was palpable. Robert knew he should’ve told Grace what he was trying to do with Jenny and Caleb but, how could he? And after what had happened with Grace…

“And then I think I will let Grace help Jenny. I want to show Caleb something at the bookstore.”

Caleb brightened up some at this. He knew that Robert had friends at college that, like him, were really into sci-fi, and he often came home spouting some exciting new author or title. “OK,” he said, “when shall we meet?”

“I’ll call you,” Robert said.

“Great,” he said. Then, as they pulled into the parking lot Caleb said, “So, Jenny, what do you need?”

“I don’t really need…” she started to say, but Robert turned around and handed her two hundred dollars. “Oh, my. Come on Caleb,” she said, piling out of the car, “I have some shopping to do!”

Grace looked at Robert and grinned, but he said, “So do we,” and got out himself.

She took his hand, and in a worried voice, said, “Are you OK with this? Did I pressure you into this?”

Robert pulled her over to a wall, and said, “No, not at all. I should have done this a while ago. There is just something else I am worried about. Don’t worry, I am thrilled,” he finished, kissing her.

“Well,” she said, breathing again, “OK. If you say so,” she added with a grin. “So, rings…”

She took forever at the jewelers, and then eventually picked out a white gold ring with three colors of stones on it. It looked very nice on her, altho not at all what Robert would have picked. “Great,” he said, kissing her, “It looks wonderful. I’ll call Caleb now, and you can show Jenny. She will be ecstatic.”

“Yo, Caleb. We are at…” Robert looked across the way, “We are at Jon’s Toys. Yes, whatever, you know where it is? Oh, OK,” I looked down the hallway, “Well, come this way, the bookstore is on this side.”

Girls must have telescopic eyes or something, because Jenny spotted the ring about a mile away down the hallway, and came running up with a scream, “Grace!! Oh, Grace!!” She said, coming up and grabbing her hand and dancing up and down. Every single girl and most of the guys were looking at them, and Robert was glad when Caleb finally arrived.

“See you, girls,” he said, and walked away toward the bookstore. “Look, Caleb, I really need to talk to you.”

“You proposed to Grace?” He said.

“Yes, you twit, now shut up and listen. I really, really need to talk to you.”

“It seems a bit too late for that,” he said, “you already proposed.”

“Not about that, you moron,” Robert said, slapping him upside the head, “about something else.”

“Like why you are suddenly pushing Jenny on me?” He asked.

“No, not that either. Although I suppose they are related,” Robert said, thinking about it. “But stop complaining. She thinks you are her match made in heaven, and you think she’s hot, so what’s your beef?”

“A guy likes to do the choosing himself,” he whined.

“Not a guy like you,” Robert said. “If your dad told you that he had betrothed you to Jenny, and that she was moving in tonight, you would be so excited you would, you’ld wet yourself.” he finished, with one of their favorite crudities. Caleb had gotten it from some book years ago and the two of them used it whenever he could. Out of earshot of their mothers, of course.

“Well, I’d…”

“Listen!” Robert said, “This is important. Aliens have landed, the earth is under attack, a giant sea squid is about to eat your mother! Shut up and listen!!”

“Whoa, dude, sorry.” He said. “Chill. Ice Cream,” he said, “and I’m all ears.”

So they got their ice creams and went outside to sit on a bench.

“Listen, I had this really mind blowing dream last night…” Robert said, and related, in brief form, his imaginary last year.

“Wow,” he said, “so you had a baby as a girl. And you, like, did it? With me?!!”

“I had the baby, yes. But I didn’t ‘do it’. I mean we must have, but the dream skipped over those bits. And it wasn’t ‘me’! I was a girl, or the girl had my memories, or something. But it wasn’t me. I was just sort of there, trapped. I could do some stuff… like the whole topless bit. You really enjoyed that, dude.”

“I’ve seen you topless,” he said, “Bottomless, for that matter. And there is nothing at all interesting…”

“It wasn’t me. It was this chick that was me. I mean, I don’t know what I mean, but she was hot and you enjoyed it. But that isn’t the point.”

“Well, I’m glad that you didn’t drag me out here to make me eat ice cream and listen to some perverted wet dream. What is the point, then?”

“The point is, that it is coming true!’

Caleb stared at Robert, who blushed, “NO! You moron. Not that bit. The other bits. I met this Jeremy fellow today, the one who haunted me in my dream. And… well I really can’t tell you the other thing but… well, Grace told me something just today that she had told me in the dream. The exact same thing. And she hadn’t ever told anyone about it!”

“So, you think…?”

“I don’t know what I think! I am going nuts here.”

“Is that why you proposed?”

“No! I mean, the dream had a lot to do with it. I really enjoyed being married, even tho I was a girl and it was with you and all. Having the baby was sooo cool, even tho there was all this girlish bit I still kind of, well, I felt like a father, sitting in the background, watching. And Grace was in the dream, and I had had a chat with her, as a girl. Or as a boy in a girl, or whatever. And I learned some things about her. We even, sort of, committed to each other… if we ever got back, you know.”

“Well, it is all very confusing,” Caleb said. “But unless you are playing some joke on me…?”

“I swear, I absolutely swear.”

“Well, then, as your best friend I am obligate to believed you. Let us get back inside and back to the girls. I will think about this.”

They walked back in and then Caleb stopped. “Say, while we are being serious, and while you are still sworn to tell the truth, we’re you kidding me about Jenny? Does she really worship the ground I walk on?”

“You are a stupid, science fiction reading, moron. And she doesn’t exactly worship the ground you walk on. And she thinks you think of her as a sister, and her best friends sister, not as a girl. And she scares you to death with some of the ‘girly’ things she does, and she knows it but doesn’t know what it is exactly you are scared of. But she wants you.”

“So what should I do?”

“Well, I’ll help. But you…” Robert thought for a moment. He thought, ironically, back to the dream where he had gotten to know Jenny so much better. “I tell you what, two things. First, hold her hand. Don’t say anything, just hold her hand. She can’t mistake that. Then, start throwing your weight around. Tell her you don’t like that dress, or those shoes, or that makeup. Especially the makeup. Tell her that a swimsuit of hers shows too much skin for anyone else to see, but that she can wear it for you. Like that.”

“Just, hold her hand?” He said, rather stuck on that first point.

“It isn’t hard,” Robert said, reaching out, “do you need to practice?”

“No!” He said, jerking his away as Robert laughed, “But you think she won’t mind?”

“She’ll wet herself,” Robert assured him.

Robert drove across to the steakhouse and went in. Grace wasn’t there yet, so he got a table and ordered a cherry coke. It was so hot outside, he really needed something. Finally she showed up, looking very nervous. This wasn’t exactly Robert’s normal way of operating… suddenly calling her up for a date. And the last time they had talked… well, it hadn’t gone so well.

“Hey,” Robert said, getting up as the waiter brought her over, and then sitting down again, “A Sprite?” He asked, “Or some wine?”

“No wine, I need to drive back,” she said, “Sprite please.”

They looked at each other for a minute, and then Robert cleared his throat and said, “I’ve been thinking about what you said last time, about how you really want to… for us to sleep together. And I’ve made a decision.” He cleared his throat again. “I want to. I mean, of course I do, but… I want to say yes. But I need you to, to wear something first.”

She looked at him, very confused and he rushed on, “A ring. I want you to put on a ring first.”

She suddenly blushed and  her eyes widened. “What?” She asked.

“Grace,” he said… “Oh, thank you,” he said to the waiter, appearing with Grace’s sprite. “No, we haven’t even looked at it yet, I’ll call you.”

He waited, embarrassed, while the waiter walked away, then turned back to Grace, red-faced. “I, will you marry me? I only want to sleep with my wife, and you want to sleep with me, so the only way I can see to reconcile that, and not lose  you, is to ask you to marry me.”

“I… I think we had better order,” she said, and picked up her menu.

Robert’s mind raced. He knew what he wanted, but he picked up the menu for something to do. What was she thinking?

“She looked at him, “Do you know what you want?”

“Of course, I just… oh, on the menu, yes.”

“I’m ready then,” she said, and after a confusing pause, he waved the waiter over.

“Yes, miss?” The waiter said to Grace.

“I would like the grilled chicken breast, with lemon-herb sauce, on the side please. And the cracked pepper salad.”

“Very well, Miss, Sir?”

“Sirloin tip steak, medium rare, baked potato.”

“Very well, Sir.” The waiter said, and moved off. Robert looked at Grace, his hear pounding.

“I… you know you have asked me, if I have slept with anyone. I have, obviously, or I would have just answered. I wanted to tell you about it, before you… before you asked me.”

“It won’t change my question,” Robert said. “I figured  you had, or, as you say, you would have said something. So you can answer me before you tell me.”

She looked at him, tears coming down her eyes, “It was all so stupid, too. I didn’t even mean it to happen, and now look what it has done. I have dreamed of having you ask me to marry you, and here I am spending time crying over … Yes. Yes I will marry you. Now, let me tell you.”

She took a deep breath, dried her eyes, and began, “It was three years ago, at summer camp. There was this boy and, and he was OK, but nothing special. But he and I were the only two counselors that didn’t live nearby, so we stayed at camp over the break between camps… just the one day, you see what I mean.”

Robert nodded, his heart pounding out of his chest. How could this be happening?

“And so we would swim around in the lake, and talk, and go for walks. I mean, there was no one else there except for the manager and a couple of girls that worked in the kitchen. So then, one night, We were sitting on his bunk, talking, and, well, one thing led to another, and then I had my clothes off, and…” she burst out crying. Robert took her hand automatically, but his mind was racing. This absolutely could not be happening!

“And then you felt guilty,” Robert said, and Grace nodded. “But he had had fun, and wanted to keep going.”

Grace looked up at him, startled. “Do, do you know him?” She asked, but Robert shook his head,

“It’s a guy thing,” he said. “But you didn’t want to,” he continued, and Grace nodded, crying freely. “And he said… he said if you didn’t, he would tell everyone that you had done.”

Grace stopped crying, whispering, “How do you know? It was horrible! I mean, it was… it wasn’t horrible physically, I enjoyed that part. But I was always afraid we would get caught, and…”

“And you thought he cared about you?” Robert asked.

Grace nodded, eyes wide. “But he didn’t. “When I got home I waited and waited for him to call or write, but he never did, not even when I wrote. And I never did dare to call him. Oh, Bobby…” She said, crying.

Just then, brilliantly, the waiter brought the meal. “Anything else, Sir? Miss?” The waiter asked, having put down his load.

“That would be ‘Ma’am’,” Robert said, “no thank you.”

“Very well, sir,” the waiter said, and when he was gone Grace said,

“Bobby?”

“You said ‘yes’. I heard you. Now eat up, we eventually have to get back and pick up Caleb and Jenny at Chez Emmanuel.”

“Caleb and Jenny?” She said, her voice curious.

“Yes, at least, I hope so,” he said, answering her implied question. “She is dying for him, but won’t admit it. And he, well, he’s a boy.”

“What does that mean?” She said, her fork halfway to her mouth.

“It means that there is nothing so irresistible to a boy as a girl that wants him.” Robert said, and applied himself to his steak. They made a great steak here, and he was hungry.