Chapter 41

The sense of anticipation that I had when I awoke was completely different than the one I did when I had planned the date. I realized that with our roles being reversed today, I must be feeling what Paige normally did, and she must be feeling the joy I usually had. I hopped in the shower and dressed for the outdoors as Paige had recommended, before running downstairs to get some breakfast. I didn’t need to remind anyone to wake Evie as she was in the kitchen already, crisping up bacon while her daughter finished flipping pancakes.

“Sit!” I was commanded. A plate full of my favorites was placed in front of me. “Eat!”

Paige made sure that I had napkin, fork, knife, butter, jams, syrup and honey available as I began to take apart the breakfast offering she provided. She, in turn, got her yogurt, fruit and granola and joined me. When we finished, she cleared the table, then brought back the Bible and devotional booklet. I led us through that, and she replaced those items, reverently, in their spot.

Paige sat back down beside me, and the date officially began. “Did you get your fishing license this year, Tim?”

From devotions to fishing was a bit of a jump. “No, I haven’t had time.”

She passed a newly purchased slip of laminated paper on a lanyard across the table to me. It proclaimed that Tim McKenzie was legally permitted to fish in the State of Georgia. I was beginning to suspect that our day had something to do with water.

There was a quick kiss and then I was commanded to clean up, get a jacket, a hat, boots or waders, and meet her at her truck which was parked outside. My smile started as I was brushing my teeth. By the time I left the house, it matched my anticipation. It got larger when she stood at the passenger side and opened the door for me, allowing me to get seated and then closed it again. In the back of the truck was all my fishing gear, and some that I didn’t recognize. Obviously it was hers, the lanyard she wore that matched mine, proclaiming that she, too, would be trolling for denizens of the deep today.

Paige engaged me in conversation as we drove out of town, onto the highway and eventually stopped at the gate to one of the State Parks nearby. She paid our entrance then started down the gravel road that led off to one side of the lake I could see in the distance.

“We’re on a day camping trip today. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Dad what you liked to do outdoors and he told me you guys did a lot of fishing on your trip. I reserved a campsite just for the day so we could enjoy the sun, grill, play, fish, read, whatever we want. I hope you’re okay with that.”

Who wouldn’t be? But she never told me she liked fishing. “So you’re good with sitting by the lake and hoping that we catch something?”

Her head bobbed. “Some of my favorite memories are when I was a kid and Mr. Foster would take Jake, Gloria and Trent fishing with him. They always invited me along so that Gloria had someone to talk to, and somehow we always ended up catching more than the guys. I haven’t been in a long time, so you may need to help refresh my technique, but I think being here with you is probably going to rank right up there with those other occasions.”

The truck stopped at a marker that read thirty-one, which I presumed was our campsite for the day. Paige backed in so we could easily unload, and then later, reload the pickup. There was a small fire ring with a grate over it, a picnic table and a flat spot where tents had obviously been pitched in the past. A hand on my arm stopped me from getting out of the cab.

“Let me, please.”

I nodded which was her cue to hop out, run around the side and open my door for me.

“Could you grab the tackle boxes, net and stringer line? I’ll get the rods and reels.”

When we had locked up and loaded down, I was told to follow her.

Gladly.

There was a trail that had signs pointing to the lake, so I chased her bouncy butt down to the water and a nice shady spot that had comfortable-looking rocks on which we could sit. All of our gear got distributed around, and my rod was handed to me, fully restrung. All I needed to do was put on the lure.

“Thank you. And thank you for doing this today, Paige. You keep surprising me, but they’re all good.”

“You’re welcome, and I can see why you like planning our dates. It’s so rewarding to see you happy and enjoying something I arranged for us to do. Now, get that line in the water. First one to catch something doesn’t have to clean it.”

With that as incentive, I cast into a promising spot, then settled down to wait. Until the fish started biting, we just sat, talking quietly, spending the time together that bonded us to each other. Paige shared with me that she had asked Dad what we had done on our trip and that’s where this idea had come from. That got us on the topic of vacations – which ones we liked the most, what we could never see ourselves doing again. Paige admitted that the vacations that were the best for her were those she took after her Dad had died and before her Mom got heavily involved in the Goddard companies. It didn’t matter what they had done then, mother and daughter were happy together and loved spending time with each other.

For me, my best vacations were filled with family. We didn’t go camping often, but when we did, Grandma and Grandpa Edwards would come up from California, Frank and June would join us and we’d find some secluded spot somewhere, set up tents and travel trailers and roast marshmallows in the evenings. Other times it would be Mom and Dad with me at the beach, on day trips, going to Vancouver Island on the ferry, adventures that sometimes included staying overnight somewhere because we had driven too far during the day to get back before it was far too late.

We ended up on the same rock, leaning against each other and just relaxing. Relaxing until she got the first strike that is. There was a giddy excitement to her that I hadn’t yet encountered as she played the first fish of the day. This must have been what the Paige of so long ago was like when on a day-outing with the Foster kids. It made me love her even more. I wasn’t quite as enamored when she landed a bass, swinging her rod and slapping me in the face with her catch.

When the pole quit jerking spasmodically as a result of her uncontrolled laughter, I managed to haul on her line, extract the fish from the hook and place it on the stringer back in the water. It wasn’t until I had it all taken care of that she finally calmed down.

“I’m sorry, Tim, but that was just about the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I rolled my eyes. “First time I’ve ever been fish slapped.”

That started her up. “I’ve heard of bitch slapped, I even did it to a girl once, but now I’ve invented something new. I fish slapped my boyfriend. Forgive me?”

“As long as you don’t make it a habit, yes.”

We fished for a while more and caught another two before lunch.

“Tim, I caught the first one, you have to clean them.” Paige turned away from the fire to see me doing just that already. “Oh, that’s gross.”

My chuckles escaped me. “What was your plan if I caught the first one? Haven’t you ever cleaned a fish before?”

“No, I’m a girl. Mr. Foster always used to clean them while Gloria and I were washing up. My plan was to beg and plead with you to do the job if I didn’t get lucky.”

The fish were cleaned and I was washed so I came over and gave her a kiss. “You did get lucky though, and I would have been happy to clean them for you.” I looked around and saw the big cast-iron fry pan from home. “Did you bring anything to coat them in?”

Paige pointed to my lunch cooler. “Cajun dredge, butter, garlic, lemon, dill, onions, tartar sauce – just about everything we had for fish. You take care of those and I’ll take care of the rest of the meal.”

That sounded like a good deal to me. The fry pan was placed on the grate above the fire and I let it burn off whatever had last been cooked in it. While I waited, a Coke found my hand and the table was set with a single plate. Curious, but my work was about to start. Fish prepared three different ways went into the monster pan, no two fillets touching. A few minutes later, smells of Louisiana spices, fragrant herbs and butter enhanced our campsite. The fish were transferred to another plate that Paige provided.

“Come, sit down, and eat.”

I sat. She did the same. Now I saw the reason for the single plate. It was a very enticing meal, Paige alternating the fork and spoon between us, raising morsels of both my cooking and her side dishes to our lips. Lunch took twice as long as it might have otherwise, but the experience was intimate, and the food was really good. When we finished, we teamed up to clear away the vestiges and return the campsite to its original condition.

“So, what now?”

Paige surprised me again, hauling out a deflated air mattress that normally resided in the garage.

“Now you fill this up and put it in the bed of the truck.” She watched as I shrugged and started to look for the valve. “Just kidding. I have a portable air compressor behind the seat, the kind that runs off the cigarette lighter. Hook that up.”

That was a whole lot easier. When the mattress had been inflated and positioned between the wheel wells, Paige beckoned me to join her on it. She had produced pillows from somewhere and she propped them up against the cab so we could lean back. I noticed my Bluetooth speaker on the bed rails, paired to her phone which was charging in the truck.

“Now, I feed you dessert and we listen to music and enjoy the journey.”

It got a little chilly in the late afternoon. Paige declared that whatever had happened at the house today was likely over so we could be heading home. She asked if I’d be willing to drive back, so we switched roles for the return trip. I had no idea I could be so relaxed and content and it made her happy to hear that.

“So how did today measure up for you?” she wanted to know.

“Today was amazing. It’s the best date you’ve ever taken me on.”

Her smile told me she was good with it too, at least until she ran my statement back through her mind. “Hey, wait a sec. It’s the only date I’ve ever taken you on.” There was a fake pout on her lips now. “How did it rate?”

“It was definitely better than last night.” I couldn’t leave her hanging. “It goes into memory as one of the really good ones, Paige.”

Her expression was bliss.

There was a sign on the door from the garage into the kitchen telling us to use the in-law suite to clean up, entering from the exterior door, and that we were expected at Grandma and Grandpa’s for supper. We both laughed at that but did as requested. There were clean clothes for us laid out on the bed in our temporary set of rooms. Once we had showered and dressed, we went to our other McKenzie house for the evening. Grandma was very happy to see us – Grandpa, as usual, basked.

At ten we made our way home to find another note telling us we were staying in the in-law suite for the night and we should go to church in the morning without the parents. Always one to do as I was told, I turned the bed down for the two of us and got ready. We were both tired, so after some pillow talk, we fell asleep together, Paige’s head resting on my shoulder as I lay on my back. I wasn’t aware of anything until morning.

I found as I woke up that I had not stayed supine. I was entwined with Paige and my hands had wandered. She realized I was awake when I started to remove my fingers from their resting places.

“Don’t you want to at least have the experience while you’re able to remember it?”

Not being a complete idiot, I followed her suggestion. I would have liked to stay that way all morning, but Paige looked at her phone and the fun ended, for now.

“Get up and take your shower, Babe,” she told me. “We have to be at church in an hour.” I got a kiss and a pat on the ass as I left the bed.

“Oh, and Tim?” I turned back around. “This time, you weren’t watching the clock. Thank you, I enjoyed that.”

I left all the hot water for Paige.

We had been out of touch with all of our friends the previous day, so Gloria hadn’t been able to talk with her girlfriend. I suppose that long an absence was almost estrangement in female time. She made up for it as we sat down in the pew with Grandma and Grandpa, talking almost nonstop until the service started. After church she picked up again where she left off. It only paused when she finally noticed the smile Paige wore.

“You didn’t,” Gloria intoned, disappointed.

The smile grew wider and there were whispers.

“I hate you! You say it’s because you got kicked out of your house?”

More whispers. Now I was the one to receive the disappointed look from our friend. “You’re a dog.”

Grandma’s ferret-like ability kicked in and suddenly her grandchildren and their friend were invited over for lunch. She sniffed out a juicy story and was planning on getting to the bottom of it. It wasn’t until after we had gorged on a succulent country ham that she really started the interrogation. I was surprised at how easily Paige broke.

“Spill!”

“Mom gave Dad a spa day yesterday that lasted into this morning. They made us use the in-law suite.”

Grandpa spoke up about then. “But there’s only one bed in those rooms.”

My girlfriend’s smile about blinded him. On top of that, just in case he hadn’t put two and two together, his wife helped.

“Lionel, you need to think before you speak.”

She turned back to her granddaughter. “Did you two...”

“No. We were good.”

“Oh. Then why the satisfied expression?” Grandma looked at both girls. “Christmas?”

Paige nodded and held up two fingers. Grandma wasn’t done though; she noticed the blush on Gloria’s face. “You too?”

“No!” That was almost shouted. “Not last night I mean. You already know about the end of summer when he got back from Minnesota.”

Candace looked at me with such a grandmotherly expression of disappointment that I didn’t know whether to apologize or just slink away. Apparently she made up her mind about something. “Lionel, you and your boy’s child are cleaning up. The ladies and I will be in my sewing room.”

Grandpa responded with a “Yes, Dear.”

When they left, and he watched the door close after them, he turned back to me. “What was that all about?”

Well, Grandma was going to get the story so it wasn’t fair for Grandpa to have to miss out. I made him promise not to share with anyone other than his wife. Once that promise was extracted I told him about our parents and their nefarious scheme in Minnesota. I finished up just as he was drying the last pot from Grandma’s lunch preparation.

“So they let you sleep in the same bed together and they were on the other side of the wall?”

“Yeah.”

He cackled. “That’s brilliant! And they did it to you again last night. But why would your black-haired friend blush?”

I then had to explain about my sleepwalking hands and the end of summer – that got him cackling even harder. “I have to give it to you, boy, you must have some of the biggest cojones around. That Gloria is stacked.”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember any of it. I remember this morning though.”

“Oh, to be young again.”

The three of us stayed at Grandma and Grandpa’s through the early NFL game. When it ended, I was instructed to drop Gloria off at her house and then get home for the rest of the day. Our errand was quickly finished and we went home, finally welcomed back into the main house. Dad looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. Evie grabbed Paige and took her upstairs immediately.

“Good day yesterday, Dad?”

“Good day,” he confirmed. “You?”

“Not quite the same for obvious reasons, but yeah.” I wondered, so I checked. Yup, clean hands, cuticles pushed back, no callouses. “The nails look good on you.”

Dad took a moment to figure out what I meant, but when he did, I got the expected response. “Shut up.”

He watched me smirk for a while. Eventually we just sat and talked like we had learned to do one summer.

It took the ladies two hours to convey the same information that Dad and I managed in less than twenty seconds.

Gloria was still gushing on Monday at school. Lunch was filled with girls tittering at our table and my guy friends almost gagging. Paige and I sat there quietly amidst them all, eating and simply knowing things. Finally it was our turn.

“So what did you do on Saturday, Paige?” Gloria asked. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask yesterday.”

“We went fishing.”

“That was it?”

“Pretty much.”

“Well, if you want more excitement, I guess you could double with me and Matt again on Friday.” Gloria seemed reluctant to offer that.

Paige’s eyes flashed warmly at me. “No, I think fishing provided enough excitement for me.” And that was that.

She changed the subject, “So, Halloween is this week. Anyone doing anything?”

That got the group talking and re-engaged the guys. There were some parties but as the spooky night fell on a Wednesday, we were planning to spend it at home in discussion with our parents and grandparents. Thursday would be Paige’s volleyball match, Friday would be our date night and Saturday was the football game where we showed the ‘rents what kind of fun we could have with a jar full of Mercers and McKenzies, M&Ms if you will. So really, if you count Wednesday through Saturday, I was going on four dates with Paige this week.

When lunch ended we all scurried off to our next class, and then the next class, and finally the last class. When phones were allowed to be used after school, mine came out and I called Trent at UGA. “Hey, Trent, how’s it going?”

“Tim! I only have a few minutes before practice but I’m glad you called. How was the date on Friday?”

He needed information more than I needed tickets at the moment. “Good. Matt was a gentleman and your parents seemed to like him. Gloria was gushing at lunch today about the great time she had so it appears to have been a success.”

I heard the sigh of relief from the other end of the phone. “Great. I was worried.”

“Yeah, no need for that, Buddy. Say, I’ll let you go but before I do I just wondered how hard it would be to get tickets to Saturday’s game. Mom, Dad, Paige and I all want to come and see you play.”

“Not too hard. Send me an email and I’ll make sure I get four for you. Sorry, gotta go! Markus is telling me we’re going to be late if we don’t leave right now. See ya.”

“Bye.” Good, that was one task that I could mark completed. Before I forgot, I composed an email on my phone and sent it to Trent asking him to confirm back when he had the tickets. That done, it was simply a matter of waiting for Paige to finish up her practice and we could go home. A half hour later and two chapters of English homework read, Paige showed up, hot, sweaty and exhilarated. We walked to the truck.

“Take me home, Stud. There’s a Jacuzzi tub calling my name. I might even let you give me a rubdown after that.”

“Your wish is my command. Hop in.”

“Oh,” she said, acting wounded, “the bloom is off the rose. You’re not going to open my door for me?”

“Not if you’re not going to shower first. Get in, Stinky.”

She snickered but proved she still remembered how to enter a vehicle on her own.

“I called Trent and hopefully he’ll be able to get tickets for us. That takes care of half the day, but for once I’m drawing a blank on the rest of the double date. What do you think Mom and Dad would enjoy?”

She considered my question as I drove. “Well, she likes music, art, good meals, shopping.”

“Okay, let’s try this another way. While you’re in your bath, I’m going to check the internet for things to do after the game. I’ll let you know what I find when I give you a nice massage later. How’s that strike you?”

I pulled into the garage as I asked her that last part, and an excited Paige jumped out of the truck almost as soon as it came to a stop. She yelled back over her shoulder as she dashed into the house.

“That’s a great idea. Now I can’t wait. See you in twenty or so.”

I chuckled to myself. Yeah, thoughts of a long massage tended to get her motivated. She had left the door open for me as well as leaving all her homework behind in the truck. I performed my boyfriendly duties, carrying everything in and putting things away, going so far as dropping off her items in her room. She was singing softly to herself in the bathroom; it was barely audible over the sound of the jets in the tub.

Once I found my desk, the Surface came out and internet research was performed. Within fifteen minutes I had what I needed, the date was planned although I’d share my idea with Paige, using her as my sounding board. I ended up doing homework for a while until I got hungry; time to start dinner.

There were boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the fridge, defrosting. It was a concession we McKenzies had made to the Mercer women to start eating more healthy. The problem was that you really needed to add flavor to the protein to make it turn out delectably. I sorted through the rest of the fridge for ingredients. Hmm, garlic, scallions, a little cilantro, soy sauce and I had the beginnings of a stir-fry. I knew there were still some late carrots in the garden outside and we had even planted some bok choy this year. My boots were in the mud room as was the little set of pruning shears that we had been using to harvest fresh food for supper. In fifteen minutes I had collected a surprising bounty of items in addition to those I had gone out to get. There were still some string beans hanging on stalks, and the sugar-snap peas were going through a renaissance with the cooler weather.

Back inside, I washed and trimmed the garden’s gleanings, setting them out near the cutting board. All I needed now was a recipe or simply some guidance on how to go about preparing everything. The recipes I found all needed some ingredients I didn’t have on hand, necessitating a quick trip to the nearest Asian grocery store. Paige was still in the tub when I went upstairs to let her know I was heading out, but that I’d be back in a half hour. Mom and Dad weren’t home yet when I left.

Both the Audi and the Tahoe were in the garage when I got back with the Hoisin and Oyster sauces I had needed. I entered the kitchen to find the parents looking at the pile of fresh produce with puzzled expressions.

“Oh, there you are. We couldn’t figure out what the plan was here; you have us mighty curious,” Evie confessed as I dumped additional ingredients on the counter. “Care to share?”

I smiled as I pointed them toward the living room. “No. Out! And if Paige is done with her bath, could you let her know I need her help please?”

She was, and she joined me less than five minutes later. “Mom says you’re cooking a mystery meal here. What do you want me to do?”

This started much like our scampi dinner had a long time ago. “Get out our big pot and fill it with water. We need to boil these noodles before I can use them in the stir fry.”

While she did that, I got to work slicing and dicing; carrots, celery, bok choy, mushrooms, peas, beans all went into a large bowl, ready for the wok. When the water was boiling, I showed Paige the noodles. She read the instructions on the back of the packaging and went to work.