“Chels, honey, you better get up . . . It’s one thirty in the afternoon.” Dad rustles my hair, and I hear him walk out.
I stretch and remember the shit creek I’m in before I even open my eyes. Why me?
The only thing I’m thankful for is that it’s still the weekend. I can’t bring myself to get out of bed. My mind wonders about ways to earn fast cash. Plasma donation. Clean someone’s house. Street corner with cardboard sign of desperation. I can maybe sell some stuff. My new boots on Ebay? But it would take at least a week for that transaction.
I muster the energy to sit upright when my phone rings. The first ring sends a signal to my brain that I can’t afford this phone, and I need to sell it. The second ring signals a message to actually pick it up and answer it. The number looks familiar, but I don’t know who’s calling.
I let out a perky “Hello,” trying to fool whoever is calling into believing that I’ve been awake for hours.
“Hey, it’s Nate.”
I’m wide awake now. I stand up to prove it.
“Oh, hey . . .” I say in a way that shows no excitement. In a way that tells him that, you know, this is an everyday occurrence . . . guys calling me all the time and such.
“Are you busy?” he asks.
“Oh, no. Just getting some laundry done. You know, those Saturday afternoon chores.” I move to shut my door.
“Gotta love those chores. Hey, I was wondering if you’d want to meet for dinner tonight. Something low-key . . . maybe pizza or something like that.”
“Can you hold on for just a sec?” I sit down on my bed and scoot the phone under the covers to process this. Dinner? CRAP. Dinner? What happened to his girlfriend? I stand up and look in the mirror on my wall and quickly fix my hair. As if he can see me through the phone.
“Okay. I’m back.” No response.
“You there? Nate?”
“Yeah, I’m here. What do you think?”
“About?”
“About meeting me for dinner tonight?”
I ask him point blank.
“Um, don’t you have a girlfriend?”
He laughs.
“Have a girlfriend? Why would I be asking you out if I had a girlfriend? Nope. No girlfriend here.”
“Hmm. Are you sure about that?”
He laughs again. “I’m sure, I’m sure . . . I know it’s shocking that a charming guy like myself is single, but it’s true. No girlfriend.”
I muster up the courage.
“Well I thought I saw you with a girl one day.”
“A girl?” He pauses a few seconds. “I have a twin sister, and we run around quite a bit, maybe that’s who you saw.” He appeases me. “Where at?”
“Uhh, I can’t remember, I’m guessing it would have to be the casino.” I stammer.
IT WAS JUST HIS TWIN SISTER AND HE IS SINGLE!
“Well, you’re not avoiding my question, are you?” Nate gets back to business. “Dinner tonight?
“Oh yeah, sure. Sounds fun.”
“Cool. Would you rather me pick you up or do you want to meet?”
“Meeting sounds good. I’ve seen what can happen on pick-up dates. I watch 48 Hours, you know.”
He laughs. A really cute laugh, I must say, then replies, “I wouldn’t sink you to the bottom of the lake on the first date, silly. That’s like, third date stuff.”
“Ha. Ha. Very funny.”
We decide to meet at an old Italian restaurant downtown, one I’ve never been to, one he goes to all the time. For five minutes I’m completely unaware of my financial “situation.” Until I hang up and remember my car has no gas.
I open my door and walk into the living room. My dad is flipping the channels about to go down for his before-work nap when he looks up to acknowledge me.
“Heeeey, Sleeping Beauty. All that sleep just makes you more and more gorgeous, kiddo. I better clean my gun so I can get ready to fight off all the boys that are going to be knockin’ down my door.”
“That’s hilarious, Dad.”
Wait a minute.
Gun.
Dad’s gun.
Gun is valuable.
Gun can be pawned.
No, that’s ridiculous.
I could never do that.
That’s what desperate drug users do.
I could never do that.