Mack the Esteemer (XI)
As soon as the door to the Morgendorffer residence opened, Mack breathed, "Daria... You're beautiful."
The figure wearing a gorgeous silk white ballroom gown, with fancy long white gloves to compensate for the lack of sleeves, smiled bashfully from behind her new oval glasses and her flawless makeup.
"Thanks." She stammered while walking gingerly in a pair of high heels hidden behind the floor length material.
In his smart suit, Mack put a gentlemen's arm around Daria to steady her and found that part of the dress was backless as well and his blood boiled at the feeling her smooth skin on his own.
Jake Morgendorffer came up to them from behind, but it wasn't surprising at all, but what surprised Mack was that he wasn't trying the old 'protective father' routine but instead just reminded Daria of the 11:30 curfew and told them both to have fun.
Once they were in Mack's borrowed car, Daria caught her reflection in the side mirror, her hair was done up and held by a beautiful comb borrowed from Quinn, along with her chandelier earrings, but the choker necklace had come from her mother.
As much as it pained her to mention it, she didn't want there to be an elephant in the room that night, so she sighed and said, "Did you hear about Jodie?"
Mack sighed, "Yeah."
Daria managed a small joke of, "Figures that we would be the last to know."
"Yup," Mack replied flatly, "But it's kind of out of our hands."
Daria nodded while he drove through Lawndale, "Yes it is."
She said it even more flatly than he had spoken a moment before, and with that the topic was closed.
For the moment.
Once they pulled up in front of the beautiful, ivy choked building, Daria smiled as a valet opened the door for her and stepped out and thanked God that she didn't trip nor suffer a heel break.
Mack swept to her side and tossed his keys to the valet with a practiced air after slipping him a healthy tip, and quietly thanked his Dad for the fat chunk of cash for the date.
"It'll be great once we get the settlement from the school," Mack commented as they swept into the restaurant and waited in line to get their table, "We can come here in a swanky car."
"Mine or yours?" Daria teased as the line moved a bit faster than she had expected.
"Either one is fine," Mack replied and when they reached the host, they were clearly enjoying each other's company.
After confirming the reservation, the host moved quickly to seat them and gave them their menus and with a wink at Mack the wine list and departed as
swiftly as he had arrived.
To forestall her obvious fears, Mack grinned, "Relax Daria, I've got more than enough friends here for us to indulge, as long as we don't overdo it."
Daria gave Mack a small smile at that, and even while thinking about how she normally didn't drink, found herself asking him what was the sweetest vintage available.
When Mack told her what it was and after checking the price she began to protest but he waved it off.
"Don't worry about it Daria," he said kindly, "At this point it's chicken feed."
Her fears assuaged, she then looked at the menu and after some thought selected a chicken ceasar salad, while Mack ordered a huge steak and a baked potato with all the trimmings.
The server took their order in short order, giving them the chance to talk.
Mack asked Daria about her extended family and Daria seemed a bit dismissive about the topic.
"Well on my Dad's side there's Grandma Ruth and his sister, Aunt Judith," Daria explained, "His father, Mad Dog died before I was born, we don't see Grandma Ruth much and I haven't even met Aunt Judith."
Mack was tempted to ask why but chose not to pry, and Daria didn't elaborate on that subject.
Instead she then said, "On my mother's side is her mother, Grandma Joan Barksdale," she put a faux posh accent into the name, which jogged Mack's memory from half-remembered things he had heard during his brief journeys with his parents into fancy diners and parties with the well-to-do set in the area.
"As in, the Barksdales?" He asked and when Daria nodded he whistled, "Impressive."
"Not really," Daria replied flatly, "She showers all her favors on her favorite daughter, Rita, which my mother's hates, and then her other sister, Amy hasn't been in touch in years."
"Ouch." Mack winced in sympathy pain.
"Pretty much," Daria replied, "What about your family?"
Mack shrugged, "Not much to tell, I have a couple uncles on my Dad's side and a few cousins that I get to see every now and then, my Mom had a sister but she died young and her parents died a few years ago."
"Ah," Daria said and would have asked him something else if their drinks hadn't arrived, she took a hesitant sip of her wine and found it to be very good, it almost masked the taste of the alcohol completely.
They enjoyed their imported spirits and talked about looking at cars together after school at some point in the next week, Mack had a couple different ones in mind for himself but Daria herself was drawing a blank.
"I don't know much about the subject," she admitted as their food arrived, "It's not really my thing."
"That's alright," Mack replied smoothly while noting that his steak was juicy enough that it didn't need any A1 sauce, "I'll help."
Daria smiled at that just before they both began to dig into their food.
While indulging in the best meal she had consumed in ages, Daria asked, "I heard Tori mention that even when you fell off the popularity charts to 'medium-popular, whatever that means, that you and Kevin were still friends, how did that work?"
Mack laughed, "Oh, that's because Kevin's dad is one of our best customers. Doug Thompson runs a big contracting and construction company in town, a good chunk of the new buildings in Lawndale County have his stamp on them, and he was one of our earliest major buyers for any emergency supplies he needed."
"Now?" Mack said rhetorically, "He pretty much buys everything from us, and he's been loyal enough that Dad gives him a special discount, so Kevin had good reason to stay nice to me."
He then sighed, "Even if he never could stop calling me, 'Mack Daddy'."
Daria actually giggled at that, "Think he'll ever figure out that you hate that nickname?"
There was a pause before Mack admitted, "Nope, but it does give me an excuse to punch him in the arm though, that's a plus."
Daria gave a hearty chuckle, "You need an excuse?"
There was another pause before they both said in unison, "No!"
As they finished their meal, Daria felt brave enough to ask Mack, "I know you say you hate football, but you still do plays for Jamie and I heard you and Kevin chatting about the recent Cowboy's game, so... What gives?"
Mack smiled a little at that, "Maybe I should be more specific, I don't hate football itself, but it's easier to say that to people than to explain my real reasons for it."
"Which are?" Daria asked nicely but in a tone that would brook no evasions.
Mack nodded in acknowledgement and thought that the lawyer gene was strong in Helen Morgendorffer's daughter, "I hated playing it when I didn't have a real choice, so when I had the choice I chose not to play, plus with Li at the helm at Lawndale there's no way I'm willing to hit the gridiron."
"But if let's say Ms. Li screws up and is removed from the equation then you might consider it?" Daria asked.
Mack nodded, "I'd do more than that, I'd probably ask Gisbon to join the instant Ms. Li was out the door, I did have moments of joy when I was playing in Junior High and if I could just do it for fun without any pressure to land a scholarship or for the so called, 'glooorrrieeee of laaaaawndaaaleee hiiiighhhh' then... yeah I would."
Daria teased, "That was the scariest impression of Li I've heard to date."
Mack laughed, "Sorry, won't happen again."
More seriously Daria said, "As for getting out there on the field, if that's what you want to do then I can't really judge. I mean you are more than just a stereotypical meathead, but I wouldn't worry about never not doing it again."
Mack began to ask why before it clicked and he said, "Nevermind, Li's so screwed up that she's bound to get herself fired soon."
Daria smiled darkly at that truth, "Yes, it's just a matter of time, but if you want to speed it up I suggest hinting to Gibson that you'd join the team if Li wasn't in charge anymore."
She then added, "I'm sure there are enough skelleton's in her closet that the football coach could use to get rid of her for you."
Mack smiled and replied, "I'll think about it, though it might be more fun to watch Li destroy herself... There's no real rush."
Daria then rose what was left of her wine up for a toast and said, "No there is not."
Then they clanged glasses together and drank what was left to that.
Ever practical Daria convinced Mack to park his car in his parent's driveway and walked the short distance to her house rather than make him do a pointless few foot trip back to his place by car.
To spare herself a possible trip, she was carrying her heels in her hands, hoping that the flats she had for tomorrow wouldn't be at the same level of foot torture as those cursed white stilettos.
"I had a great time tonight Mack," Daria said softly as they moved down the sidewalk, hand in hand.
"I did too Daria," Mack replied and kissed her cheek gently and relished her blush, and was glad that her makeup didn't smudge, unknowingly owing Quinn quite a bit for her selection of cosmetics.
They arrived at the walkway to Daria's home with ten minutes to spare and spent a few moments enjoying the quiet of the dead of night.
"Daria," Mack said with some hesitation, "If you don't want to go with us tomorrow, especially due to the latest Landon drama, I... I'll understand."
"No Mack," she replied firmly, "Delaying it will only make it worse in the long haul, so let's just get it all out there in one go."
She then laughed, "As long as Murphy's Law doesn't strike then we'll be fine in the end."
Mack tried not to wince at the cast that was on Daria's nose and wouldn't come off for another couple days, "If anyone tries anything then they deal with me."
Said Mack, very firmly and with a flex of his defined and chisled muscles.
Daria laughed, "Ok Atlas Man, cool your horses, we're going to be in a house of God."
Mack laughed as a reply, "Alright.. DeeDee."
Daria frowned at that and Mack replied, "What, No pet names?"
She thought for a moment while they walked to the door before saying, "...Only if I can call you Mack Daddy."
Mack froze like a deer in the headlights before he busted up laughing, "Hahaha, that's was good... Well my special lady can call me Mack Daddy if I can call her DeeDee... And punch Kevin in the stomach instead of the arm."
Daria smiled, "Deal."
They stood in the doorway for a brief moment before their bodies followed primordial instincts and they kissed fiercely for a long time before parting and Daria with great reluctance said, "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow."
"Yes I will." Mack replied softly as she opened the door and slipped into the house.
They whispered goodbyes to each other before she shut the door, Mack stood there for a minute before walking home with a soft smile and a spring in his step.
Daria slipped into her room, thankful that her father had passed out on the couch waiting for her, and her mother was no doubt out cold in their bedroom, not even her normally overbearing momma bear instincts could keep her awake after yet another fourteen hour shift.
But as soon as she flicked on the light, there was a note tapped to the small mirror on her dresser drawer.
Daria read it and sighed, "Well I guess I can tell Quinn about most of it."
The date was innocent enough, even if it still felt like an intrusion on her younger sister's part.
While getting out of her clothes and slipping into her drab night clothes, Daria then had the idle thought that her boy-crazy materialistic sister was curious about a relationship that wasn't based on the arcane rules of popularity and getting everything right.
"I'll find out when we talk." was Daria's last thought on the matter while wiping the makeup off her face, she needed sleep since she was having to wake up way earlier than normal on a Sunday to go to, of all places, a church.
"As long as the Landon's themselves don't show up, how bad could it be?" Daria asked herself as she let herself drift into dreamland.
She just hoped that the evil unicorn from her dream last night couldn't come back, that thing secretly freaked her out.