“I don’t know. She’s used to being the one in charge. It’s driving her nuts that Brook is the head cheerleader,” he explained.
This reminded me of Tracy during her freshman year. Maybe I could get her to talk to Destiny. Life did not revolve around high school. I didn’t understand why she was making a big deal out of it. Then again, I was a guy.
“Hey,” I said to change the subject, “I have a feeling tonight is going to be pricey.”
I saw Don struggle for a moment.
“I only have sixty dollars on me,” he said.
If we got the Alaskan crab legs, it would be that or more per person. I hadn’t even thought about how much it would be until just now. Brook and I tended to do whatever we wanted without worrying about how much it cost. Cassidy and Don were typical high school kids. I was impressed he had sixty dollars. When I was a freshman, I was lucky to have five on me, so I understood where he was coming from.
“Tell you what: I’ll get tonight. If you and Cassidy hit it off, then you pick the restaurant next time, and you pay. There are several places we could all eat for under thirty,” I suggested.
“We can go back, and I can ask my dad if he can loan me some money.”
“I appreciate you saying that. Normally, I don’t go to expensive places, but it sounded good, and I didn’t think. This is my mistake, and I’ll make it right. Just consider this as routine that we trade off.”
“I’ve never had Alaskan crab legs,” he admitted.
When we got to Brook’s place, I was a gentleman and walked to the door. Ian answered.
“She’s almost ready,” he said and let me in. “I want a full report about the new place you’re going to. One of the professors in my department ate there, and she loved it. I thought we might invite your parents to go with us.”
“I think they’d love it, but Dad and I will be on recruiting trips for the next several weeks. Why don’t you plan for some time after Thanksgiving when football’s over?” I suggested.
“That makes sense. I’ll talk to Rob and firm things up.”
I always called my dad, ‘Dad.’ Hearing someone call him ‘Rob’ felt weird.
“You ready?” Brook asked as she came downstairs.
“Your dad seems to be done laying down the law,” I said as I winked at Ian.
Brook just ignored me and kissed her dad’s cheek. When we got to the car, I saw Don had moved to the back. We made it to Cassidy’s, and Don braved going to the door by himself. While he was gone, I explained about dinner and how I felt terrible about putting Don and Cassidy in an awkward position.
“I sometimes forget, too. I’ll pull Cassidy aside and explain it to her so she doesn’t feel uncomfortable ordering tonight. Maybe Don can spring for Monical’s next time.”
That was perfect. I hadn’t been there since I’d been back.
Cassidy was wearing a summer dress. She must like Don, to go girly like that. She even had a hint of makeup. My mom had been spending time with Cassidy, helping her with things like that.
We arrived at the restaurant, which was in the middle of the old downtown. It wasn’t very big, but it looked like it was packed. I dropped everyone off and began looking for a parking place. As I walked back, I was recognized and stopped to talk to a couple of people. I found Don outside, waiting for me.
“They said it’d be about ten minutes.”
“I see they abandoned you.”
“I take it they’re good friends.”
“Best friends. When our families traveled on spring break, Brook invited Cassidy,” I said.
“I thought she was your security or something.”
“I think if anything ever went down, Cassidy would protect Brook and leave me high and dry,” I admitted.
“Where did you go on spring break?” Don asked.
“We rented a boat and explored the Caribbean. I’m glad we did it. It was exactly the break I needed.”
“I went to my grandparents’ and had to help my granddad clean out the garage and paint their house.”
“I bet that was fun,” I said, smiling.
“It wasn’t as bad as it sounds. My granddad’s cool, and my grandma can cook up a storm. For me, the best part was my sister stayed home, so I didn’t have her to boss me around all week.”
“I have a big brother. Once he figured out I could take him, he hasn’t bossed me around much.”
“I don’t think that works with a sister.”
He might have a point. We were called in.
The restaurant was a two-story building where they’d taken the second floor out, so there were lofty ceilings. Where you came in, there was a hostess station with a big aquarium holding lobsters. I saw a couple talking to their waiter, picking out which ones they wanted to eat. The walls were exposed brick and lined with booths on both sides with a row of tables down the center. We ended up with a table close to the front, and our server came right over.
“Good evening, I’m Mark, and I’ll be your waiter tonight. I’m assuming you’re here for our special, Alaskan red king crab legs. We have them flown in just for Saturday nights. They’re sold by the pound. Most people start with a pound, and if they want more, we bring out a platter to the table so you can share.”
We all agreed that that sounded like a good plan. After Mark took our order, I walked around and talked to everyone. I found a few football players who’d come to our camp, and I remembered several people I’d met at our fundraiser/baseball game in the spring.
When I came back, I found they’d brought us cheesy garlic rolls. Not the best breath-factor item for a date, but they were great. Our food finally came, and they arranged it for a photo. They had Don and me sit next to each other, and I was startled when Cassidy hopped into my lap.
“If you think you’re stealing my boyfriend, I’ll just steal yours,” Brook teased as she sat on Don’s knee.
The picture turned out great. I had them send it to Lily so she would post it on my social media accounts.
I’d never had Alaskan red king crab before. It was almost sweet, with a little salt taste, and you would dunk the meat in clarified butter. I was hooked. We ended up ordering five more pounds. Mark seemed impressed that we could eat nine pounds of crab legs between the four of us.
We drove back to my place and watched a movie. It seemed like Cassidy and Don liked each other. I simply enjoyed Brook’s company, so I didn’t pay close attention. I would have preferred to have just spent time with Brook alone, but for Cassidy, I was willing to help out.
◊◊◊
Chapter 3 – Frenemy Sunday August 28
When I came down for church, Mom told me we were going to Uncle John’s instead. Chuck drew the short straw and was our driver. Dad claimed shotgun, and that left me in the back, talking to my mom. Somehow, we got onto the topic of religion.
“The way I see it, the Old Testament is about loyalty and keeping your word. Period. The New Testament is about love and sacrifice. And when I say love, I don’t mean sex; I mean compassion, understanding, tolerance, forgiveness, sacrifice, and patience,” I explained.
“Okay. So how do you fit that into your everyday life?” Mom asked.
I thought about it for a moment.
“From my perspective, religion gives you a moral compass. It helps you make better decisions.”
“What about faith?”
“Faith alone can’t accomplish anything. But faith in combination with inspired and thoughtful action can move mountains. You can help people if that’s what you genuinely want to do, but you need to provide inspiration and motivation to make that happen.
“My pet peeve is when people throw up their hands and say ‘God will provide’ or ‘He will decide.’ God gave us free will. If he were going to run our lives, he wouldn’t have let us decide for ourselves,” I said.