Soul Mates?
Part 10
"Jack, did you get your homework finished?" Stephen asked as he carried the just delivered pizza and breadsticks into the kitchen.
"I did it last night at Mom's," Jack called from the living room where he was playing the video game Speed Demons 2 .
"I'll take your word for it. Hurry up with that game because we've got company tonight?' Stephen answered as he stepped out of the kitchen.
"Who is it?" Jack asked, not looking up from the game.
"Natalie Durant. She's bringing a DVD for us to watch," His father said moving over to the window.
"Hope it's a good one," Jack commented.
"I don't think she's bringing the latest Space Zombies. But I said no chick flicks so I'm sure she'll have something good."
"Good," was Jack's reply, his attention mostly on the game.
"The doorbell rang and Stephen hurried to answer it. "Come on in, Natalie, he said, taking the bag of crunchy cheese sticks and DVDs from her.
"Hello, Stephen, Jack," Natalie greeted both as she slipped of her light jacket.
"Hello, Dr. Durant," Jack replied.
"I know it's an oldie but goodie but I have Raiders of the Lost Ark as well as A Wrinkle In Time.," the doctor continued.
"I saw Raiders a long time ago but not the other film," Stephen told her.
"I recall reading A wrinkle In Time when I was Jack's age and liked it a lot. When I saw the DVD for rent I couldn't resist," Natalie replied.
"You hungry? I got us a pizza and breadsticks and I can whip up a salad if you want," Stephen said. He left the snacks in the living room and led the way to the kitchen.
"Sounds good to me," Natalie answered. "Need any help?"
"Nope I got it all. There's some cans of soda in the fridge if you want one," Stephen answered. "or you can always grab a beer."
Natalie went over and opened it up pulling out a cold bottle of beer. "Thanks," she said and opened it. "Here's hoping for a quiet weekend."
"Same here,' Stephen replied as he removed a bag of salad mix and Italian dressing from the refrigerator. "Jack, go wash up. Time to eat."
"All right," the boy said and reluctantly put his game on hold before heading for the bathroom to wash his hands.
It took only a few minutes to get the salad made and everything on the small dining table. Then everybody sat down to enjoy the meal. Natalie piled two slices of the cheeza-meatza on her plate as well as helping of salad. "How was your day?" she casually asked Stephen.
"Okay. Jack and I ran errands and spent part of the time at the video arcade," Stephen answered.
"Sounds better than mine. I ended up cleaning out my too long neglected refrigerator. I swear some of the take out containers looked like lab looked like I was cultivating penicillin," Natalie replied and laughed.
"Gross," Jack commented and faked a gagging sound,
Stephen shot him a look and said, "You can sit through a double feature of Bloodsuckers From Mars and you find talking about mold disgusting?" he shook his head and went back to his own meal.
Once he finished eating Jack excused himself saying, "I promised Mom I'd call." He pushed his chair back and went o get the cordless phone to take to his room.
"Need any help with the dishes, Stephen?" Natalie asked as he too got to his feet.
"Nope. They'll wait until later. Just let me put the salad away and I'll go switch off the game station player. Jack can pick up his game tomorrow," Stephen replied as he picked up the salad bowl.
Natalie nodded and went to sit on the couch. Resisting the urge to yawn, she briefly wondered if she'd be awake enough to drive home after the movies were over. Deciding to risk it, she pulled the Raiders DVD out of the bag.
"What did you decide on?" Stephen asked as he sat down beside her and reached for the remote.
"This one," Natalie replied, handing over the DVD.
He took it and got it ready saying "I'll turn it on as soon as Jack gets off the phone.'
"All right.' She set the bag of cheese sticks on the coffee table and leaned back taking a sip of beer. "You know, I'm kind of glad you invited me over tonight."
"I'm kind of glad I did too," he replied.
A few minutes later Jack finished his call and entered the room asking, "What are we watching?"
"Raiders of the Lost Ark, Buddy," Stephen answered as he started the movie. "Lots of great action scenes."
"Great," the boy said as he settled back in the recliner and grabbed the cheese sticks off the coffee table.
An hour later Stephen looked over to Natalie and saw that she'd fallen asleep her head resting on the arm of the couch. Turning down the volume he looked over at Jack and spoke quietly, "I'm going to put her to bed. It's been an exhausting week."
"Okay,' the boy replied.
"Do me a favor and go open my door," Stephen instructed. He carefully picked Natalie up and started toward his bedroom with her in his arms. Once inside he laid her down, removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket.
Jack was already back watching the DVD. Looking up the boy casually asked, "Where are you going to sleep tonight?"
"Out here. Now what did I miss?" Stephen replied as he sat down to watch the rest of the movie.