Chapter 4
DINNER
"Jeez, Mom, he’s sure ugly! Scared me half to death when I walked into him in the hall."
"Sure he did. Ha. Do you think he’s ugly? I hadn’t thought that. Rugged looking, yes. But he has his own charm."
John looked at her with speculation, suddenly alert. There was more here than he would have thought. Sarah usually liked her men big, fast, and good looking. At least she used to; she hadn’t shown any interest in the opposite sex for several years. This guy certainly didn’t fit the stereotype for looks, but Sarah had always been unpredictable. John resolved to watch this situation; he’d know more when he saw them together.
Sarah changed the subject abruptly. "It’s certainly nice to see you, but what about hitting the books?"
"I’ve got two extra days this week, some kind of staff get-together in the department; so I thought I’d see how you’re doing. And it appears you’re doing OK. How’s the new housemate working out? Did he turn out to be a lazy no-good bum?"
"Just the opposite. He cooks straight from Heaven. You’ll see, he’s out buying groceries right now. He won’t let me shop; he says I don’t have the least idea what to buy. I guess he’s right, I just mostly go for the frozen food locker. TV dinners are what you were raised on, and look at you. You turned out all right." She grinned at him.
"I’m healthy, but you destroyed my palate for fine food forever."
"Wait ‘til you taste what Johner’s got going tonight before you say that. You’ll appreciate it, trust me."
"Mom, when you decided to take in a roomer, did you have to get one with the same name as me? Three people in the house, and two of them with the same name. What are the chances of that happening?"
"Sorry about that, I didn’t pick him for his name. As a matter of fact I didn’t pick him at all." She smiled a little. "He picked me, sort of. He took me in and sewed me up after I got into a little difference of opinion with a couple of guys."
"Sewed you up? Ma, what happened that you needed to be sewed up? I can’t believe you got hurt in a fight with only two guys!"
"Actually, there were three, and I was careless. It was just a little cut, he sewed it up in a couple of minutes. Did a great job, too. If you go into surgery, you could get some instruction in stitching; the scar is hardly noticeable. And don’t call me Ma!"
*******
John put his fork down on his plate and pushed his chair back from the table. "You certainly cook as advertised, Johner. Thanks for a great meal. Sure beats the cafeteria food at school!"
"My pleasure." Johner grinned at him; a little shyly, Sarah thought. "It’s a kick cooking for your mother. She seems to like it so much." He glanced at her, then dropped his eyes quickly. "Well, should we go out and take a look at the car before it gets dark? Sounds to me like a pretty small problem. Connor, don’t touch the dishes. We’ll do them when I get back."
When they had left, she began to pick up the dishes, contemplating meanwhile the way Johner seemed to fit in with the two of them. Conversation at dinner had been easy; John and Johner found themselves interested in each other’s opinions on a number of topics. She had wondered at first if they were doing it in an effort to please her, but as the talk continued it was evident that they liked each other. Good, she thought; and then wondered why it was of any importance. ‘Nothing lasts; this time next year he’ll be long gone, and it won’t matter at all.’ The thought didn’t make her happy. She shook her head impatiently, and began to run water in the sink.
By the time they got back, she was almost finished. "Hey, Connor, what’s the deal? I asked you to wait!" He seemed genuinely upset.
"You cook, I clean up. That’s the way we do it, isn’t it?" She wrung out the sponge and laid it on the counter.
"But I---""Isn’t that the way we do it?"
"Yes." A grin.
"OK." The grin was returned.
John watched the interplay with great interest. More than the words, the inflections and expressions on faces spoke volumes. He thought to himself; That ties it up! He’s in love with her, so much so that it’s practically killing him. Poor son of a gun! And she---I’m not sure about her. I think maybe she is too, only she just doesn’t know it yet. This should be very interesting.
He looked from one to the other, grinning broadly. "Well, what should we do now? Television, anyone?" Two loud groans told him that some other alternative would be preferable. "OK, I get the picture. What, then? What do you two do in the evening?"
They looked at each other, smiling. "We work a lot of nights, and we work out twice a week," Sarah said. "But when we’re home---we read."
"You---read?"
"To each other, mostly. We’ve been going through my bedroom bookshelf, book by book." She looked a little defensive. "It’s fun. Johner hasn’t had a chance to read most of this stuff, and---well, it’s fun."
"Yeah, it sounds like a barrel of laughs. Well, if you two don’t mind, I think I’ll just go out and look for something to do that’s a little more physically active, and less---I don’t like to say boring, but---well, boring. Something like dancing."
She smiled and waved him off. "Have a good time. We’re up to the last chapter of "Great Expectations".
"Ugh! Dickens, yet! Well, goodnight, and thanks again, Johner, for the dinner. It was great. And thanks a lot for fixing my car! Love you, Ma." He kissed her quickly, and disappeared through the door.
"Nice kid. You did good." Johner smiled at her.
They went into the living room and sat down in what were becoming their accustomed places. Johner picked up the book, then put it down again. "I won’t say anything about getting old, I’ve been criticized for that." His eyes laughed at her. "But did what John said give you the feeling that we’re getting duller and duller just while we sit here?"
An amused chuckle answered him. "I know what you mean. But the truth is, I don’t want to go dancing. If that means I’m getting old, so be it. I want to sit right here and read the last chapter of "Great Expectations".
"So do I. Shall we?" and he picked up the book.
