Chapter 32: Men are so easy

“I’m not really up for a movie tonight, Janet, but thanks. You and Wes go and maybe you can take Cindy with you. I’m sure she won’t be too much trouble,” Donny said, smiling at his daughter who suddenly looked crestfallen.

Janet stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed, before deciding how to proceed. Yes, she would go for the big guns.

In a split second her chest started heaving, her lips trembled and her eyes filled with tears. “I make dinner for all of you and you refuse to take me to the movies?” she said as the first tear fell. “It’s cuz you don’t like me.”

Alarmed, Wes stood up and practically ran to her throwing his arms protectively around her. “He didn’t mean it like that, Janet!” he said anxiously.

“I…I wanted him to like me,” Janet said wiping her face with the back of her hand.

“Of course he likes you. Dad, tell her you like her!” he said through clenched teeth, glaring at his father who sat in stunned surprise.

“No…I mean yes! Yes, I do like you, Janet, very much,” Donny quickly said. “Janet, please don’t cry! We’ll go to the movies. I’ll go see what’s playing…just…just don’t cry, please!”  He then jumped up from his seat and went in search of the newspaper.

Janet pulled away from Wes and to his astonishment, she was smiling with no trace of tears. “Men are so easy,” she said, winking at Cindy. “Better clean up. We’re going to the movies with your dad!”

Cindy’s mouth fell open. She turned to an equally stunned Wes and said, “Oh, she’s good!”

“Tell me about it,” Wes muttered.

                                                                ******

“That wasn’t so bad…well, it was a bit too violent. Can’t believe they call that PG-13. You’re not going to have nightmares are you, Honey?” Donny asked, as they all piled into the car after the movie.

“Oh, Daddy, you worry too much,” Cindy said, strapping herself in, a huge smile on her face. The movie, in her opinion, had been pretty awful and a bit boring, but watching it while sharing popcorn with her dad was priceless.

“Drug dealers don’t scare me nearly as much as middle school,” Janet said.

“What are you talking about?” Wes said, laughing at her. “What is scary about middle school?”

“You’ve never had Mrs. Steiner for Home Ec,” Janet said her eyes wide in mock fear.

They all laughed.

“Thanks for taking me to see it, Mr. Sebastian. It was a very educational movie,” Janet added.

“How do you figure that?” Wes asked, now wondering about the odd twists her mind took.

“Now we know never to sell drugs,” she replied.

“I kinda knew that before,” he said grinning.

“It’s double clear now. Did you see how many guys got killed over a little white powder? I lost count!” she said.

“Then it was good we saw it if it keeps you from a life of crime,” Donny said happily, starting the engine and following the stream of cars leaving the mall parking lot.

“It looks just like the flour you use for baking. I wonder if you could make cookies with cocaine?” Janet said.

“They’d be pretty expensive cookies then,” Wes answered, shaking with mirth.

"And I wouldn't want to eat them. One would put you in a coma!" Cindy said.

Janet  suddenly  gasped and grabbed Wes’ arm. “I just remembered my mom planted some poppies in her garden! Do you think drug dealers will come to our house looking for them?”

Cindy burst out laughing. “I’ll keep you safe if they do,” Wes said.

“My hero!” Janet said, giggling.

“You’re so cute,” Wes said, kissing her. Then he whispered in her ear so the others couldn’t hear.
“Thank you so much for this. You’ve given us the best family night we’ve had in a very long time.”

“It’s not over yet,” she whispered back.  She kissed him, then shouted for all to hear, “I want dessert!”

“She sounds just like Lilo! Daddy, we gotta get her some dessert or something horrible will happen,” Cindy said.

“Uh, like what?” Donny said, curiously.

“She might start crying again,” Cindy said, laughing herself silly.

“Uh-oh, I think your sister’s got the giggles. Must have been the popcorn,” Janet said, shrugging innocently.

“Yeah, the popcorn, I'm sure that's it,” Wes said sarcastically.

“How about Rosie’s Ice Palace? Ice cream okay, Janet?” Donny asked.

“Love Rosie’s!” Janet shouted.

It seemed going for ice cream was a very popular thing to do on a Saturday night. Rosie’s Ice Palace was very crowded when they arrived.

“Grab a table for us, Dad, and I’ll get the ice cream. Banana split for you?” Wes said.

“Sounds great,” Donny said.

“You too, Cindy?” Wes asked.

“Um…what’s got the least calories? Lemon ice?” Cindy asked.

Janet frowned. “Calories? Give it a break! It’s Saturday night, time for fun and there’s no way to have fun if you’re thinking of calories. You’re getting a Rosie deluxe.”

Cindy gasped. “I can’t eat all that,” she shrieked.

“Maybe you’re right. The deluxe is too much for one person. That’s the kind of thing you have to share. Hot fudge sundae then. We’ll be right back,” Janet said, grabbing Wes by the arm and getting in line behind several teenagers their own age.

“You’re part bulldozer, part scheming babe, aren’t you?” Wes said, grinning at her.

“You know me so well,” she replied, looking around. “I guess they don’t go to our school. Don’t know any of them. Do you?”

“No, they probably go to Port Orianco,” Wes said. He stared at her as she continued looking around them until she realized he was doing it.

“What?” she asked.

In reply he took her face in his hands and kissed her, then pressed his forehead against hers. He tried to find words to express how he felt but nothing original came to him. “Thank you, Janet,” he said at last.

Although she was touched, she giggled to cover it up. “You already said that, silly.”

“I’ll never be able to thank you enough. My dad’s…”

“Wes!”

Startled, Wes turned and grinned. “Luke…dude!”

“Dude!” Luke repeated laughing and they grasped hands in arm-wrestle fashion and half hugged, half pounded each other on the back with enough force to cause bruises.

“Don’t ya just love the bro-dude-greeting?” Janet said laughing at them.

“It is funny,” said a girl who stood next to Luke.

Janet looked at her then to the very good-looking Luke who had his arm possessively around the girl  and then back to her. “If that’s the famous Luke Tramaine then that makes you the nearly famous Alana. I’ve been hoping to meet you,” Janet said.

“Me?” Alana said, her cheeks turning bright pink.

Janet smiled. This was not at all what she expected the famous almost-rock star Luke Tramaine’s girlfriend to look like. This girl was barely taller than Janet, with brilliant green eyes and chestnut-colored hair. She seemed almost painfully shy, too. She was cute, maybe even pretty, but not the beautiful, tall blonde cheerleader type Janet expected a guy like Luke to have or want. Janet instantly took a liking to her.

“Sure! You’re the envy of all the girls in my school. Well, just the ones paying me to hook them up with your boyfriend. I told them he’s taken, but you should watch your back. You can never tell what some girls will do for a guy. Pathetic!” Janet said rolling her eyes.

“People pay you to…” Alana said, confused.

“I’m a yenta. Here,” Janet said taking one of her lurid pink business cards out of her tiny purse and handing it to her.

Alana blinked several times as she read it then her eyes widened. “You mean like the match-maker in the Fiddler on the Roof?”

“Exactly! I knew people would get it,” Janet said excitedly.

“Get what?” Luke said, finally noticing the two girls talking.

Janet handed him a card too. “Hello, Luke. I'm Janet. Wes has told me so much about you.”

“He has, huh? None of it’s true,” he said smiling until he read the card. “Yenta? Like Fiddler on the Roof? The match-maker?”

Janet burst out laughing. “That's exactly what Alana said. You guys are like twins!”

“Hi, Alana, how are you?” Wes said.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Alana said, her cheeks turning rosy again.

“Isn't she cute? I like her!" Janet said. She giggled when Luke and Alana exchanged looks. "So, Luke, I hear you’re the next coming of Elvis.”

“Uh, no,” Luke said, somewhat sheepishly.

“Yes, he is,” Wes smirked.

“Do you sing too, Alana?” Janet asked.

Alana shook her head and blushed crimson.

“Stop lying. You know you sing beautifully. You just won’t let anyone hear you,” Luke said, smiling at his girlfriend.

Janet’s heart melted. She could tell Luke really liked her and that unaccountably made her simultaneously happy for them and sad for herself.

Then she felt Wes slip his arm around her and he smiled. Janet looked from him to Luke and back again. Funny, but she could have sworn it was the same exact loving expression on both faces.