He turned back to smile. To me, it looked as if his face actually radiated. I stood there watching him walk off and didn’t even realize that Chastity had come up beside me. She had followed us out of the cafeteria.
“He didn’t ask you out or anything, did he?” she demanded. “We have something to do Friday night.”
“We’ll do it on the weekend,” I said. “I promise.”
“He asked you out?”
I nodded, hoping she would be happy for me, but she turned away in a sulk and walked faster toward the classroom.
I felt sorry for her, but if this was the price I had to pay, then so be it.
I had never been as grateful for my mother having been born in Paris. Vive la France, I thought, and hurried after Chastity.
Some way, somehow, I’d get her to be happy for me, I thought, but when she discovered that Evan was walking me home from school, she was even more put out. It was as if we were still in grade school and she saw my wanting to be with a boy as something of a betrayal.
“Do you want to walk part of the way with us?” I asked her when Evan caught up with us at the end of the day.
“No. I have to do something first,” she said, and quickly walked off.
“She sounded upset,” he said.
“She’ll get over it,” I said.
He smiled. “I wrote out my cell number for you to call later, I hope with a oui, oui.”
I took the card and put it in my jeans pocket.
“I’m sure that with you, I’ll eat and sleep French,” he said.
“Sleep French?”
“I meant dream in French. Do you?”
“No,” I said, laughing.
“Let’s walk. Marchons? I just looked it up. How’s my pronunciation so far?”
I just smiled.
“Well, I won’t mind if it takes me longer than I had thought, as long as you’re my tutor.”
I held my smile, and we started for my home.
It occurred to me as we walked that I hadn’t thought about Roxy all day.
Was that good or bad?
I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before I found out.
5
I wasn’t confident that Papa would approve of my date, but I was hopeful. After all, Evan’s father was an important mayoral assistant. I was sure Papa probably knew who he was. He kept up with politics almost as much as he did with business. I told Mama before I asked Papa, of course. She had become my negotiator. I was glad she said she would present it to him at dinner.
When we had all sat at the table, Papa looked at us suspiciously. “Why do I feel there’s something you two want to tell me?”
“Because there is,” Mama said.
He sat back, folding his arms across his chest. “Go on.”
“Emmie has been asked out on her first real date,” she began.
He unfolded his arms and sat forward quickly. “Date? When?”
“When was she asked out, or when is the date?”
“Both,” he said, the corners of his eyes tightening with impatience. Having been brought up in the military world, Papa had that snap to everything he said most of the time, especially anything he asked, but lately, all Mama had to do was look at him with her soft, loving eyes, and he usually began to soften.
“She was asked today for this Friday night.”
“What sort of date?”
“To go to the movies.”
“And you approve?”
“I wasn’t much older than she is now when I went on my first date,” she said.
“You’re French,” Papa said, as if that explained any behavior he would disapprove of.
“It was all right for me to be French when you asked me out on a date. Do you remember our first date?” she followed quickly, which was a very good question strategically.
“Of course. We went to dinner at a restaurant on the Left Bank in Paris.”
“No,” she said. “That was our second date. The first date was a walk.”
“Oh, I don’t call that a date.”
“To me, it was a very nice date. I wouldn’t have gone out with you again if it wasn’t. That’s how much you know about going on dates.”
“All right, all right.” He looked at me. “Who asked you on a date?”
“Evan Styles.”
“Styles? Why do I know that name?”
“His father is Martin Styles. He works for the mayor.”
“Oh, right.” He thought for a moment and then looked at Mama. “So, all of this happened so suddenly. Was it because of the new clothes she wore to school?”
“No,” I said, even though I thought my new look might have attracted his attention. “He is taking French and wanted me to help him.”
Papa shook his head. “You know that’s just an excuse, right? I’m sure he’s not just interested in French.”
“I know, Papa, but I have to let him think I believe him,” I replied, and Mama laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“She’s right about that. You always have to let a man think you believe him.”
“Very funny, Vivian.”
“You don’t have to worry about this girl. Très bon, Emmie.”
“Yes, well, just don’t get ahead of yourself, young lady,” Papa said. “You don’t know all that much about men yet. I want you back before eleven.”
“Oh, Papa. What if the movie gets out later? We might want to stop for a soda or something. It’s been so nice out. Maybe we’ll walk. There’s no school the next day.”
“She’s old enough to stay out to midnight, Norton, non?”
I waited anxiously for his reply. I could see the memories flashing past him. How had Roxy gotten so out of hand? What mistakes had they made? Could he have done more in the beginning to prevent it? Was he making a mistake with me?
“I would call you if anything would prevent me from coming home on time, Papa. Always.”
He voiced that familiar grunt that was his reluctant approval. “I’ll tell you this,” he said quickly, however. “I don’t care how much importance you women put on your clothes. If he noticed you only because of your new clothes, he’s pretty shallow.”
“Let her make her own opinions and discoveries about the young men she meets, Norton. And besides, who are you to talk about noticing someone’s clothes? Your appearance is very important to you. Who else works so hard on his shoes and his clothes in your office?”
“That’s different.”
“Pourquoi?”
“Because someone in my business position has to appear well put together. Attention to detail gives my clients confidence in me.”
Mama just smiled at him.
“It’s true,” he emphasized.
Mama nodded. “Well, maybe the young man is just shy and finally got around to asking her,” she offered.
“Shy? That’ll be refreshing to see in a teenager these days,” he muttered.
I smiled to myself. I knew that Evan Styles could be called anything but shy. As soon as we finished dinner and I helped Mama clean up, I called Evan to tell him my parents had said okay.
“That’s great. We can make the eight-twenty show if you want to have a bite to eat before we go. I can come by at six-thirty. We’ll catch a taxi. I know a nice little restaurant near the movie theater. Okay?”
“Oui, but leave ten minutes to say hello to my parents.”
“Really? Should I wear a tie?”
His little note of sarcasm took me by surprise, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say.
“I’m kidding,” he said quickly. “But you know what? I will wear a tie. It will impress my parents, too.”
I thought I would wear my new dress. If I put on my light trench coat, Papa would not see how short the hem was. I would need a wrap for later anyway. The days were still unseasonably warm, but the night temperatures dropped quickly.
“Okay,” I said. “Je laverai mon visage.”
“What’s that mean?�
�
“I’ll wash my face.”
He laughed. “I see being with you is going to be fun.”
“Peut-être.”
“No maybes about it. Impressed that I knew the word?”
“No comment.”
“Actually, Mr. Denning is constantly saying that in class whenever anyone asks him a question. He wants us to find our own answers. See you in school tomorrow,” he said.
I expected that Chastity would call me to question me more about Evan, but she didn’t. I couldn’t wait to go to sleep, anyway. It felt as if I were a little girl again, looking forward to Christmas morning or my birthday. As much as I wanted the night to pass quickly, I had trouble falling asleep. All sorts of questions and worries rumbled through my mind. Was Papa right? Was it just my new look that interested Evan? Once he learned more about me, would he lose interest quickly? Would his friends question him about why he wanted to go out with me in the first place? How would other girls, jealous girls, treat me? Would they all be as sullen as Chastity?
Somehow, I finally exhausted my brain and fell asleep, but I was up even before Papa the next morning. He was very surprised to see me in the kitchen when he came down.
“Something’s put a fire under your shoes,” he commented.
Mama just smiled. I thought he did, too, but he kept it hidden under his hand. I don’t think I ever got to school as quickly. I practically ran up the avenue. I wondered when I would see Evan. His classes were on a different side of the building, but to my delight, he was waiting for me near my locker when I arrived. Usually, Chastity was there, but she was either late that day or not coming to school at all. I had little time to think about her. Evan was ready to practice French.
“Bonjour. Comment allez-vous?”
“Bien, et toi?”
“Toi? That’s the informal, right?”
“Absolument, Monsieur Styles.”
I exchanged my books in my locker. He stood by my side and talked, and then, as he walked with me to my homeroom, he told me more about his family and where they lived. He told me about his older sister, Tami, who was in college, the time they went on a family vacation in southern France in Beulieu-sur-Mer and stayed at a very famous expensive hotel, La Réserve. He met many people, including people his age, who could speak not only two languages but three. He said that was when he decided he would learn to speak French. He spoke very quickly, as if he had to get it all said before we parted to go to our morning classes.
Chastity showed up late for homeroom. The first thing she did when she sat across from me was ask me if I was still going on a date.
“Yes, why not?”
“I thought you might have changed your mind,” she said sullenly.
“Hello? Like, why?”
“I thought you might have realized he was toying with you,” she said. I imagined she had spent a good part of her night thinking of reasons to discourage me.
“Why would he be doing that?”
“The boys here are like that,” she said when the bell rang. “I heard they make bets about how much they can tease and take advantage of a girl.”
“When did you hear this?” I asked. She had never said anything like this before, and I certainly hadn’t heard anything of the kind, especially something that made it sound like a male conspiracy.
“I heard,” she said, shrugging. “Some of the girls were talking about it in the girls’ room.”
“When?”
“Oh, I don’t know, exactly. I heard it.”
“Well, why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”
“You weren’t being taken advantage of before,” she said.
“And I’m not now,” I snapped back at her, and hurried to our first class.
She realized how angry she had made me and at the end of class told me she was just trying to be helpful. I grunted like Papa but didn’t go out of my way to be talkative or friendly. At lunch, I was with Evan again anyway. He got my lunch, and we sat alone at the same table.
“I’m sorry I talked so much about myself this morning,” he said.
“That’s all right. I enjoyed hearing it all, especially your experiences in France and your trip to Monte Carlo. My parents always talk about the Café de Paris there, too.”
“I’m sure. Tell me about your family now,” he said.
I told him about Papa and his military family and Mama and her French family, but of course, I didn’t mention my sister, Roxy.
“I’m surprised you don’t have any brothers or sisters,” he said. “If I had a daughter as pretty as you are, I’d want to try for another.”
I smiled but kept my eyes down. Truth is comfortable in your eyes, but falsehood looks for ways to escape and clearly shows itself in the way you look at the person to whom you are lying. Papa taught me that. He said it was something his father, who knew about enemy prisoner interrogations, taught him.
“My mother had a difficult birth,” I said. It was half true anyway.
“Oh. Well,” he said, eager to change the subject, “since your father was brought up on Army bases and your grandfather was a general, maybe I should get a haircut before meeting your father.” He looked serious.
“No,” I said emphatically. He had beautiful hair that had been cut in a layered style. Papa would criticize the way his hair fell over his eyes, but he wouldn’t say anything to him. He’d mumble about it to me, I was sure.
Evan laughed. “I was just joking, but I do want to make a good impression.”
“Just salute,” I said.
“Really?”
“No.” It was my turn to tease him.
He realized it and laughed. “I’m glad you have a sense of humor, too,” he said. “Most of the girls at this school take themselves too seriously.”
“Oh?”
Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see the way the other students were looking our way and talking about us. Chastity was with some of the girls we usually hung with, but she looked as if she was sulking.
“I haven’t dated too many from here,” he continued.
I didn’t want to ask him any more about his love life. I recalled Mama once telling me in French that when a woman is with a man she likes, she shouldn’t talk about other women or ask about old girlfriends.
“Even a flicker of a memory about another girl he liked is static on your radio,” she said. “Keep him tuned in to you.”
She had been reading one of her favorite French romance writers, and when I asked her about the story, she told me that. I wondered if she had ever discussed such things with Roxy. If she had, did Roxy appreciate the advice or resent it? Was Roxy arrogant about men? Was this part of why she didn’t respect Mama enough, because Mama had fallen in love too soon for her liking? It was so hard to understand it all by only being able to read between the lines and guess and assume.
Evan couldn’t walk me home after school. He said he had things to do at home, things he had promised his father he would do. He didn’t go into any detail, but I had the impression that it had to do with the mess his room was in.
“I don’t want to get grounded tonight,” he added, and then, without any warning, he kissed me good-bye and told me in French that he would see me later.
I watched him walk off.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. Moments later, Chastity was at my side. “Don’t think just because he kissed you that he really likes you,” she warned.
“Why are you so down on him? Whenever we talked about him before, you were complimentary. I think you even said he was dreamy or something.”
“I’m not saying he’s not good-looking.”
“And popular,” I reminded her.
“And popular. But how come he’s so interested in you all of a sudden?”
“Maybe he is taking advantage of me,” I said.
“You think so?” Her eyes lit up with hope.
“Yes, to learn French and do better in class.”
“What?” She shook he
r head. She couldn’t see the small smile on my lips. “He’s not interested in your French. I heard some of the girls in his class talking about him today. He has a reputation for dating a girl for only one thing. If he can’t get it, he drops her fast.” I knew she was either lying or exaggerating. Her eyes were moving like pinballs, looking at everything but me.
“Well, you’re the one who’s always telling me we should be as sexually liberated as the boys are.”
For a few moments, her mouth opened and closed without making a sound. “You mean, you would . . . you would do it with him, maybe on the first date?”
“I don’t know. Weren’t you the one who said that you read it’s usually impossible to plan these things? Don’t worry, you’ll be the first to know,” I said.
She was stunned enough to be quiet for the rest of the way until she had to cut off to go home. “I’m really worried about you,” she said.
I patted her hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll call you tomorrow to tell you how it went. I’ll tell you everything in detail,” I promised, actually offered as a peace token. She seemed happy enough about that.
“If it doesn’t go well, or even if it does, you probably won’t see him again Saturday night. You can come over then, and we can go up to your sister’s hotel and—”
“I’ll let you know tomorrow,” I said quickly, and walked on. I was really beginning to regret ever having let Chastity know about Roxy. With no real social life or excitement, it had become her own single most precious thing. As I drew closer to home, I pushed her out of my mind and concentrated on preparing for my date with Evan.
I could see that Mama was sincerely happy for me. She would never say it, but she was very worried that the situation with Roxy would have so heavy and negative an impact on me that I would have a horrible young life. Papa was like a dark cloud hovering above anything I would do that could draw me closer to being the kind of daughter Roxy had been. I was sure Mama felt she had failed terribly with Roxy and was afraid that she would do something to cause a repeated disaster involving me. It took great courage for her to stand up to Papa and insist that I have more fashionable clothing and be more of a teenager now. He didn’t know it, but Evan was very important in my life. He was my first real date, and if he was a disaster, or if anything Chastity said was even slightly true, I could have a very big setback. Actually, both Mama and I could.
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