Copyright © 2020 James Russell Stoakes
All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
“That came out really good!” Alice exclaimed as she watched the video on Sarah’s laptop.
“Yes, it did,” Sarah agreed. “It kind of worked in our favor that it was dark outside by the time we got in there.”
The pair had tromped down to the cabin as soon as Sarah had arrived from school and began shoveling. Three storms worth of snow was sitting in front of the door, and the winter sun set fast while they worked.
Using her mom’s old camcorder, Sarah had roamed from room to room while articulating the amenities that were available. “It’s low resolution compared to today’s equipment, but we would have had to cut the resolution to post it anyway, so it all works out!” Sarah said to Alice.
Alice watched Sarah work as Sarah logged into Fakebook. She had no idea what Sarah was doing but was confident that Sarah did. Alice tried to follow along as Sarah added the video and a description. “So fast!” Alice said softly.
“I can slow down if you want,” Sarah offered. “Do you want me to teach you how to do this?”
“No, no,” Alice responded, surprised that Sarah would offer to teach her.
“It’s only been a week, and we have over 250 fans already,” Sarah pointed out to Alice while the video uploaded. “There are tools available to figure out the demographic of our fans, but I’ve never used them.”
“Demographic?” Alice asked.
“It’s a way of finding out, and categorizing the people that follow you,” Sarah explained. “We could find out the age groups, how many men, women, etc.”
The phone rang in the kitchen, so Alice went to answer it. As Alice walked away, Sarah noticed that someone had liked the video already.
“Hello?” Alice said into the receiver before Sarah could tell her. “Yes, we are taking reservations for the summer.”
All of Sarah’s attention was on Alice now, and she strained to hear the other side of the conversation.
“A cabin by the pond? Something quiet? I think we can work that out,” Alice said into the phone. “That’s correct. You can mail the check to the address on our page.” Pause, “The cabins can accommodate two adults and up to three children without any special considerations.” Pause. “Do you want them side by side?” Short pause. “We can make that happen.” Pause. “Okay, thanks. See you in the spring!”
Alice hung up the phone and grinned ear to ear. “Two,” she said. “He wants to rent two units, one for him and his wife and one for his daughter and her family.”
“That’s great!” Sarah exclaimed. “I wonder if he was the one who liked the video.” She looked down at the page again and noticed 15 likes. “If he did like it, he was one of 15 now.” Sarah smiled up at Alice. “We need to do more of these!”
“Invite the young man in and introduce us,” Sarah’s father said with a grin.
She recognized the tone of his voice. He was obviously amused by her discomfort. Looking out, Sarah could see Robbie walking up to the front door through the picture window. He waved as she crossed the living room, and she rushed to meet him at the door.
“Come on in, Robbie. I’d like to introduce you to my parents before we leave,” Sarah said with more confidence than she felt.
Upon seeing Mr. Mitchel step into the room, Robbie stepped forward with his hand out. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mitchel,” Robbie said clearly and confidently. “My name is Robert Kelley, but everyone calls me Robbie for now.”
Mr. Mitchel took the proffered hand into his own. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Robbie,” he said as they shook hands. Stepping aside so Karen could enter the room, Mr. Mitchel said, “This is my wife, Sarah’s mother.”
Letting Mr. Mitchel’s hand go, Robbie stepped closer to Mrs. Mitchel and took her hand to gently shake it. He looked directly into her eyes. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “You have the same beautiful eyes as Sarah.” Instantly he blushed, and his confidence crumbled a bit, but Mrs. Mitchel threw him a lifeline and took over.
“Aren’t you just too cute,” she said with a wide grin on her face. “I can see why Sarah is taken by you.”
“Sorry, it just slipped out,” Robbie tried to explain. He tried to release Mrs. Mitchel’s hand, but she persisted and held tight. His eyes returned to hers when he realized she wasn’t letting go. “What is she doing!” he thought to himself.
“That’s right; I’m not done with you,” she said. “What are you two doing tonight?” she asked and continued to hold his hand.
“I see how it is,” Robbie thought, remembering what his father had taught him. “Sometimes, your customer or vendor will try to throw you off balance, calm yourself, and embrace the situation.” He took a calming breath before responding.
“I have planned an evening meal with the Kelly family,” he answered calmly and stepped slightly closer. “My mother has volunteered to cook a special meal for us. After the meal, we will retire to the family room. My parents have challenged us to play cribbage. The best two out of three games wins. Losers get to do the dishes.”
“That sounds like fun,” Mrs. Mitchel said. She released his hand and took a small step back.
“You will have her back by 9?” Mr. Mitchel said, barely able to contain his amusement.
“Absolutely, sir,” Robbie responded quickly. “Even if I have to do the dishes alone, sir.”
Sarah was sliding her jacket on, “I don’t plan on losing, Robbie,” she said.
“Me either,” Robbie said, turning towards Sarah, “but they are really good, and my dad plays to win too.”
“Say hello to your dad for me, Robbie,” Mr. Mitchel said. “Tell him Bill Mitchel says hi,” he might remember me from high school.”
“I’ll do that,” Robbie said. Sarah opened the door, and Robbie moved to follow her. It looked like she was going to leave without him. “Bye!” he said as he closed the door behind him. Sarah was halfway to the car, and he had to hustle to get the car door for her.
“I’m sorry about that,” Sarah said as she seated herself in Robbie’s car.
Robbie gently closed her door and walked around to the other side of the car. He waved to Sarah’s parents, who were still watching through their picture window before opening his own door.
As he got in, he sighed. “That was fun,” he said, firing up his car. “I’m not sure what I expected, but it wasn’t that.” He laughed and threw the car in gear.
“I’m so sorry!” Sarah said again.
“Don’t worry about it,” Robbie laughed. “I think I did okay.”
“Well, yeah. You held your own with them,” Sarah agreed. “I just don’t think it was necessary,” she griped.
“It was fine,” Robbie assured her and reached over to take her hand. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the evening. Hopefully, my parents won’t be as rough on you.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Sarah now worried and squeezed his hand.
“This is it,” Robbie said, pulling into the driveway of a mid-size ranch style home with an attached garage. “I’ll park here,” he said, maneuvering in front of the left side door. “Just in case my dad isn’t home yet. That’s his side of the garage.” Robbie exited his car and quickly looked through the garage window from where he stood. “Nope, he’s not home yet. Let’s go in.”
Sarah waited while Robbie walked around the car and opened the door for her. She was sure he would as it was well within his character to do so. Sarah jokingly said, “Thank you, kind sir,” as she exited the vehicle, and he closed the door.
Robbie smiled broadly and offered his arm. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“I am,” she confirmed and took his arm. Together, they walked into Robbie’s home.
“Is that you, Robbie?” Robbie’s mom called from the kitchen excitedly. “Bring Sarah in.”
“Just a moment, mom!” Robbie called. He took his jacket off and hung it on a hook near the door with several other cloaks and sweaters. Sarah took her coat off too and handed it to Robbie. He put it on top of his. Motioning with his hand to follow, Robbie led Sarah through the dimly lit living room to the back where the kitchen was. She could not help but notice that one of the two chairs in the room had some knitting on it, and stacks of books surrounded it. The other had a single magazine nearby with a small animal bed beside it. The smell of home cooking grew strong as the pair approached the kitchen.
“Something smells wonderful!” Sarah said as they stepped into the light.
“Aren’t you sweet!” Robbie’s mom exclaimed.
“It smells sweet and earthy. Shepard’s pie?” Sarah asked smirking.
Robbie’s mom stood tall and put her hands on her hips. “She’s good!” she exclaimed. “Do you cook?” she asked.
“I’ve been learning for a few months now,” Sarah answered. “A friend of mine is an excellent cook, and she has been teaching me.”
“Good. I won’t have to worry about Robbie then,” she said as she turned to pick up a stack of plates from the counter. She continued, “Your father will be a few minutes late. Today’s scheduled installation is taking more time than he thought it would. It just figures.” She began laying the plates out on the table.
“Would you like a hand?” Sarah asked.
“No,” she laughed. “I’ve got it.” She continued setting four place settings. The timer on the stove beeped twice as she finished. “Would you like to pull that out to let it cool?”
“I can do that,” Sarah said excitedly. As she removed the dish from the oven, there was a commotion from a hallway. The animated click of little nails on hard flooring approached. Sarah set the hot container down on the stove and looked towards the source.
“Pugsley?” she asked, surprised as the puppy rushed over to her, unable to hide his happiness. She squatted to pet him.
“How do you know Pugsley?” Robbie asked, surprised.
Sarah looked up to see Joe in the doorway. “Sarah and Pugsley met a while back when I was installing some heat at Oak Grove Retreat,” he said.
“Joe!” Sarah shrieked and began laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Joe asked, standing there.
Recovering and realizing that Robbie and his mom were staring at her, Sarah responded, “Sorry, it’s something someone said to me.” She stood. “Anyone else hungry?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“I am,” Joe said, moving to his chair.
Handing the last plate to Robbie, Sarah commented, “I had no idea your parents were so competitive. I’ve never played cut-throat before. We need to practice our counting before we play with them again.”
“I warned you,” Robbie laughed and dipped the dish in the rinse water before adding it to the drying rack.
“Your mother said I was a better player than the last…, and she stopped herself. What was she talking about?” Sarah asked.
Robbie sighed. “I thought you might be concerned about that. Truth is, you are not the first girl I have brought home,” he answered. “I dated Mary Jordan a few times, and one of those dates was here at the house.”
“Mary?!” Sarah quietly shrieked.
Robbie held his hands up to defend himself. “It was only three dates, nothing serious. I quit seeing her when I realized what she was.”
Surprised and confused by his statement, Sarah asked, “What is she?”
“She’s a mean girl,” Robbie answered softly. “I could never have a lasting relationship with someone who has to drag down anyone around them to make themselves feel good. She did it quite a few times while in my presence. It was annoying.”
“So, what is your assessment of me?” Sarah asked.
“Well,” Robbie said, considering what he knew. “It’s a little early to be sure, but you are definitely not a mean girl.” Robbie grinned at Sarah. “I never asked her to be my girlfriend, so officially, you are my first.”
“I guess I cannot hold your poor taste in previous dating partners against you,” Sarah said, continuing to wash glasses and silverware. A few moments passed in silence before she laughed. “I guess that explains why she was so upset when you asked me to the Winter Festival. How did you two keep your dating from being gossip at school?”
“It wasn’t easy. Mary insisted, though,” Robbie said. “She wasn’t comfortable with the idea of anyone knowing she was dating for some reason.”
“She always did have a problem showing emotions,” Sarah said. “Even towards her friends.”
“You were friends with her once?” Robbie asked.
“When we were younger. We grew apart as we aged,” Sarah replied. “By the time we started high school, we barely knew each other anymore.” Sarah pulled the plug on her side of the sink as she finished the last item and placed it on the rinse side.
Robbie rushed to get caught up rinsing. “It’s almost time. I have to get you home if I’m going to keep my word,” he said.