“Can I come over for dinner?”
He didn’t know what to say. “My fridge is kinda small, Andrea,” he hedged. “But I could rustle up some scrambled eggs, ranchero style, with salsa and nachos on the side. I have a half dozen cans of Riot Lipslide Lager on hand.”
“Sounds delightful,” she laughed. “But I’d come complete with a crock pot of beef bourguignon and a reasonably priced bottle of Merlot. I like Merlot with just about anything.”
“And for dessert?” he laughed.
“We’ll see,” she played along.
“I just didn’t feel like eating on my own tonight, and tomorrow’s the weekend, so… you know me, I’m kinda forward when it comes to invitations.”
“Sounds great!” He hoped his enthusiasm hadn’t come across as too forced.
I like her, he confessed. But TOO SOON, he thought, and TOO YOUNG, and TOO PUSHY.
“I’ll be right over.”
“Give me a couple of minutes to tidy up,” he pleaded.
“Half an hour?” she countered. “This bourguignon has been simmering all day.”
He laughed. And somehow, it seemed okay.
Tidy Up! he panicked.
“Me first,” he darted into the bathroom to splash some water on his face, drag a comb through his hair, have a look at his teeth, grinning like a death’s head.
Kitchen! He filled the sink with foamy water, washed the stack of dishes on the counter, and sorted them into their cupboards and drawers. Wiped everything down.
Bunk! He paused…
“Really?” He shook his head. “Don’t be stupid!”
But you could see through to his boudoir from just about anywhere in the Looner Module, so he scrambled about, straightening sheets and blankets, tossing books, clothes, towels, everything into the storage bins beside the mattress, then slamming shut their padded lids…
Ready, he thought, giving the place a quick visual before the expected crunch of her boots approached down the gravel drive…
Fly me to the moon Let me play up there with those stars…
The radio under the counter by the kitchen sink came to life, belting out the old Sinatra favourite.
Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars...
“Enough already!” he grumbled, looking for the power button, knowing he wouldn’t be able to switch the damn thing off even if he could find one.
In other words, hold my hand in other words Baby kiss me…
Even as Buddy pleaded for the thing to shut up, he succumbed to its crooning. His mother and father had listened to that tune on their record player when he was a kid. He could almost hear the faint hiss of dust in the disc’s groove, the tick of a scratch that might cause the tone arm to skip…
Fill my heart with song And let me sing forevermore You are all I long for All I worship and adore…
Shut the fuck up, he pleaded. Leave me alone!
The radio was still belting out his parents’ old-time favourite when he heard Andrea clattering up the steps, rapping.
In other words
Please be true
In other words
I’m in love with you…
“Welcome!” he greeted, swinging the Looner Module’s door open and stepping aside.
She maneuvered past him, the pot held in front of her in mittened hands, a backpack slung over her shoulder. “I’ve brought everything we need,” she placed the bourguignon on his dining nook table, then swung the backpack onto the bench. “Are we all set for a sort of indoor picnic?”
Her smile! It triggered sensations that resolved into something like desire. The thought that—even for a moment—he had made her happy amazed him, and he realized he would want to elicit that kind of smile again and again.
In other words, hold my hand,
In other words, baby kiss me
Fill my heart with song
Let me sing forevermore...
Sinatra faded into the background, become part of the camper’s dated ambiance.
Bastard! Buddy called after him into the void.
Andrea frowned, rummaging through her backpack for the table settings, pulling out place mats, cutlery, plates, wine glasses, even a small vase with a silk and wire rose in it.
“Voilà!” she chimed, gesturing at their faux fancy setting, laughing.
He shook his head and grinned. “Amazing!” he said, startled at how heartfelt that banal word had suddenly become, now she’d breathed life into it.
“Shall we?” She inclined her head invitingly, and they sat down to eat.
Next: Lift Off