Clementine tried to push her encounter with Joan out of her mind. She could deal with all of that stuff tomorrow, today she had a date. The first date she had gone on in a long time. The first thing she had done for herself since Lee had died, even longer than that if she was being honest. Lee had been sick for a while. Clementine had taken on all the household chores and taking care of AJ long before he had passed. But she pushed that out of her mind too, today was going to be a happy day.
AJ helped her clean up the inside of the house as soon as they ate a large chunk of the cake. As big of a jerk as Joan was, she was in no position to turn down free food. Clementine helped AJ do his homework while the young boy ate leftover pizza for dinner. One of the perks of working at a pizzeria, Duck would always let Clementine take home any pizzas that never got picked up or were made incorrectly, he knew she was struggling since Lee had died and tried to help the two out as much as he could.
Around 6:30pm the front door opened as Duck let himself in. He walked into the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge grabbing some left over pizza, eating it cold. AJ waved at he him, "Hey Duck!" he yelled from the couch, not bothering to get up.
Clementine walked out of the hallway wearing a bath robe and drying her hair with a towel, she saw her old friend leaning on the island, "Oh, hey Duck, thanks for coming over!"
"I let myself in, hope ya don't mind." Duck smiled as he continued to eat.
"Of course not, that's why I gave you a key. Have you thought about what we talked about?" Clementine asked as she continued to dry her hair.
"I have." Duck sat down at a stool. "I'm here all the time anyway, I might as well live here. My lease is up at my apartment in a month. I'll move into Lee's room then. So I can help pay bills and stuff."
"Oh thank you Duck!" Clementine threw her arms around her oldest friend. "That'll help us out so much, you have no idea."
"It'll help me out too. Trying to start a new business is expensive." Duck patted her on the back before pushing her away, "Aren't you supposed to be going on a date in like, 20 minutes?"
Clementine glanced at the clock on the wall, gasping as she noticed how late it was, she ran into her bedroom to get dressed. She put on a skirt and blouse with her jean jacket over top. Walking out of her room she stood in front of the tv in the living room where Duck and AJ were watching cartoons.
"Hey!" AJ whined, trying to see around his guardian.
"Hair up," Clementine pulled her hair up into a bun without tying it and moved her head around in different angles to show the boys, "or down?" She let go of her hair and shook it out around her head in thick waves.
"Up" "Down" AJ and Duck said at the same time. Clementine growled in frustration just as a knock came at the front door.
"Be good for Duck, AJ." Clementine said to the boy, getting a 'hmmm' in response, as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair, deciding to leave it down. She walked to the front door, taking a deep breath as she reached for the doorknob, heart racing as she turned it beneath her fingers. Slowly she pulled the door open, her face splitting into a grin when she saw the blonde haired woman standing, looking anxious on the welcome mat with her hands in the pockets of her black pants.
"Hi Violet, it's nice to have you knocking on my door this time." Clementine joked, trying to ease the tension.
"As much as I wish I lived in that mansion, no," Violet chuckled, scratching the back of her neck. "That was my friend Louis's house. You look really nice." Violet eyed the brunette quickly, her eye lingering on her thick ringlets, resisting the urge to reach out and brush them with her finger tips.
"Thank you," Clementine blushed, "you look really nice too." Clementine noticed that Violet wasn't wearing her glasses. She enjoyed the unobstructed view of the blonde's eyes but she would be lying if she said she didn't think they looked adorable on her.
Clementine bent over to slip on her boots, standing back up straight and grabbing her bag from the hook by the door. "Ready." she nodded. "Bye boys!" She called as she stepped out of the door, locking it as she closed it behind her, Violet stepping back to give her room.
"It's not much," Violet shrugged as she opened the passenger door to her old Honda civic for Clementine, "but I own it."
"Thank you" Clementine said as Violet gently closed the door. Clementine looked around the interior of the car, it smelled like the ocean and the vacuum lines on the floor mats were still visible. She was certain that Violet had cleaned her car before picking her up and grinned at the effort she had put in.
Violet opened the driver's door and climbed in, "I love your car, it's perfect." Clementine said as soon as the girl was completely inside.
"Thanks, it gets the job done. Are you hungry?" Violet asked, green eyes shining as they made eye contact.
"Starving." Clementine said, Violet had no idea how truthful her statement was.
"How do you feel about seafood?" Violet asked as she cranked up her car and carefully backed out of the driveway.
"It's expensive." Clementine said honestly, money was always at the forefront of her mind lately and she couldn't stop the thought from spilling out of her mouth.
"I asked you out, I'm paying. I just wanted to make sure you liked it." Violet explained.
"I do, but-" Clementine started.
"Listen, it's fine..." Violet waved her off, "Who was that guy at your house with AJ?" She asked trying to sound interested without letting on to the twinge of jealousy she felt.
"Duck has been my best friend since we were in Elementary school. He's always been like a brother to me. He owns the pizza shop that I help him work." Clementine explained.
"Kenny's Pizzeria?" Violet asked.
"Yeah, he named it after his dad. He died in a boating accident a couple years ago, it was really hard on Duck. Him and his dad were really close."
"I'm sorry..." Violet said softly.
"Don't be, it's fine. He looks out for me and I try to look out for him." Clementine said as they pulled into a parking lot. She looked out the window curiously, trying to not press her face against the freshly cleaned window of Violet's car. "Where are we?"
"It's a small place but it's good. It's just called the Seafood Market." Violet pulled into a space. She got out and walked around the car, opening the door for Clementine to exit.
"Thank you." Clementine smiled at the blonde as she slung her bag over her shoulder, clinging onto it. Glancing down at Violet's hand as it hung loosely at her side. Wondering how soft her hands probably were, how comforting it would feel to take it inside of her own. She shook her head and entered the restaurant as Violet held open the door, coming in behind her.
"How many in your party?" the hostess asked, standing at a podium not far from the front door.
"Two," Violet answered for them, her hand brushing against Clementine's as she stepped close, as if she could read her thoughts and was teasing her.
"Inside or outside?" the hostess pulled out two menus.
"Outside?" Clementine looked at Violet questioningly, "It's so nice out today."
Violet nodded, "Yeah, outside is good."
The hostess smiled and led them up a small flight of stairs and out onto a balcony. She set the menus down on a small round table with an umbrella coming out of the center. They were immediately happy with their decision, noticing they were the only ones up there as they took their seats. Clementine and Violet sat across from each other at the table, looking over the small menus.
"Everything looks so good." Clementine said, looking up at Violet, only for the umbrella bar to obstruct her view. She angled her head to the left and the right, trying to look around it before swearing and picking up her chair, moving it around so that she was sitting to Violet's right, their chairs now touching. "I couldn't see you," Clementine grinned, "and if I can't see you, what's the point?"
Violet blushed, holding her menu up to hide her cheeks. Soon a waiter came to take their orders. Clementine ordered the fish poboy and fries, not wanting to take advantage of Violet's generosity, trying to order something on the cheaper side of the menu. Violet ordered popcorn shrimp and fries. The waiter left, taking their menus, leaving Violet's hands empty on the table as she noticed Clementine's eyes boring into her.
"Poporn shrimp are the chicken nuggets of the sea." Violet said, smiling as she earned a chuckle from the brunette.
"So I take that mean you like chicken nuggets?" Clementine raised an eyebrow in question.
"Uh... yeah... I guess that's a dumb thing for an adult to say..." Violet turned red and looked down at the table, following the scratches and imperfections on it with her eyes. Brought out of her embarrassment by a warm hand placed over one of her own.
"It's not dumb at all, chicken nuggets are amazing and if anyone says different than they're either lying or a snob." Clementine smiled reassuringly at Violet as she slowly met Clementine's eyes once more. "So Ms. Adlon..." Violet rolled her eyes at the use of her last name, "What made you want to become a teacher?"
"Oh, well..." Violet was trying to focus on her response instead of the soft hand still resting on top of her own. "When I was young I was the 'bad kid' in class. Didn't turn in assignments, talked back to teachers... other stuff I won't go into on a first date." Violet was encouraged by Clementine's laughter, "but in middle school I had a teacher that didn't just write me off as a trouble maker. She talked to me, took the time to get to know me and figure out that I was just a kid with a bad home life, taking my aggression out on the wrong people. She turned my life around, I realized at that moment how big a difference a good teacher can make and I wanted to be that for someone, or multiple someones if possible."
"That's beautiful." Clementine looked at Violet amazed.
"I never intended to go to college or get a degree but she helped me, even after I left her class. She helped me fill out scholarship forms and apply to colleges. I owe everything to her. I just hope I can pay it forward, even just a little bit, with my own students."
Clementine squeezed Violet's hand, "You will and you have. AJ loves you by the way. He absolutely raves about how nice you are and what a good singer you are."
"Thank you, that means a lot." Violet said, contemplating rotating her hand so that she could clasp Clementine's within her own but was interrupted as the food was sat down in front of them and Clementine's hand was moved back to her lap.
A grin spread across Clementine's face as she looked hungrily over the plate. Even with the cake earlier she was starving, unable to wait any longer she grabbed a fry and stuck in her mouth, chewing it thoroughly and savoring it's saltiness.
"This is amazing." Clementine said before she even took a bite of her sandwich. Violet chuckled at the brunette, watching her as she cut her sandwich in half before finally taking a bite. "So amazing." She mumbled after taking her time chewing. Violet smiled, too caught up in watching the brunette's enjoyment of her food to even start on her own.
As Clementine focused on her sandwich, she felt Violet's gaze. Turning to meet her eyes, Violet's head quickly turned to her plate. Violet fumbled with her fork to look occupied. She stabbed a shrimp and held it out to Clementine, "Try one?"
"Yes please!" Violet had intended for Clementine to pull the shrimp off with her hands, but the brunette leaned forward, taking the shrimp off with her teeth. 'Mmming' her appreciation. "Wow, that is really good. Here." She held up her sandwich, facing the end she hadn't taken a bite out of yet in Violet's direction. Violet flushed as she reached up to steady the sandwich by placing her hand on Clementine's, taking a small bite.
"I-it's good." Violet nodded, searching for something to say to distract Clementine from the stuttering awkwardness that was herself.
"How about you? Are you in school?" Violet asked as she poured a generous amount of ketchup on her plate.
"I was... but after Lee died I was so caught up in funeral arrangements and handling all of his unfinished business that I ended up just having to drop out for the semester." Clementine said, continuing to savor each french fry sans ketchup. "It was my last semester too, so close to graduating, it all just really sucked..."
"I'm sorry." Violet frowned.
"It's okay... I mean... it ended up being for the best. If I'm going to have any shot at adopting AJ, I have to have a job. I couldn't of made enough money if I was in school still. It ended up being for the best." Clementine tried to smile through her frustrations but Violet could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Do you work somewhere besides the pizza place?" Violet asked hesitantly, not sure if asking would bring out more sad feelings.
"I stock shelves at grocery store across the street from my neighborhood. The pay is good because it's graveyard shift. It's not ideal, but once I get custody of AJ I can look for something better." Clementine said, Violet saw a spark of hope in the girl's eyes as she spoke, she sounded confident despite the tragic situation she had been placed in at such a young age.
"What are you majoring in?" Violet asked, curiously and not wanting to focus on the sad situation.
"Graphic Arts," Clementine sipped at her water, "I really enjoyed designing websites and marketing but I can do other stuff too. I was minoring in Photography as well."
"That's really cool." Violet was almost finished with her food but noticed that even though Clementine was excitedly enjoying every bite, she was eating at a slow pace.
"This might be a stupid question, but it's been driving me crazy." Clementine asked, wiping at her face with the cloth napkin. "What is Texas Two?" She looked earnestly at Violet who laughed, not expecting that question.
"Louis is such an idiot." Violet shook her head, "When we were kids we made a fort at his house, he asked me what we should name it." Violet chuckled as she recounted the story, seeing it clearly in her mind. "We had to of been around nine or ten years old. We were learning our states and everyone was assigned a state to do a project on. Learn the state bird, flower, all that stuff. Well, I was assigned Texas. So I told him, let's name the fort Texas. He laughed at me mercilessly saying that we couldn't just name it Texas, so I told him, 'how about Texas Two' and he laughed even harder. It's been fifteen years and he still hasn't let me live it down."
"I love that." Clementine gave Violet a genuine smile, "Thank you for telling me. Louis must be a really great friend, even if he laughed at you..."
"He is." Violet nodded as the waiter returned to fill up drinks and leave the check, Clementine asked for a to go box as Violet finished off the last of her fries, "He drives me nuts sometimes but he's always been there for me when I needed him."
"That's what Duck is for me. It's nice to have someone to rely on, now that Lee's gone, Duck is the only person I have." Clementine kept her eyes down, focusing on putting her food, of which she saved half, into the box the waiter just handed her. Violet handed her credit card and the check back to the waiter and off he went to ring it up.
"I'm glad you have Duck, but I'm here if you need anything too." Violet inhaled deeply as she reached for Clementine's hand, feeling it's warmth between both of her own. "Maybe that's an inappropriate thing to say on a first date... I'm sorry, I'm not any good at this..."
The sun had set as they enjoyed their meal. Lamps on the balcony flickered on, as darkness set in around them. Fireflies danced in the distance as Clementine stared unblinkingly at the green-eyed girl.
She squeezed one of her hands back lightly, "No, I appreciate it, thank you." She felt warm inside at Violet's kind words. This was by far the best first date she had ever been on. She felt comfortable and like she could already trust Violet, and Clementine was slow to trust anyone. Both girls were lost in the others eyes, snapped back to reality as the waiter left the receipt on the table. Blushing, Violet pulled her hands away.
Clementine smiled at the blushing girl, "So, do you just wear the glasses for your teacher persona, because I haven't seen you wear them since the conference."
Violet chuckled as they stood from the table, heading back down the staircase and out into the parking lot. "I'd like to say I'm Superman or something but I really just need them for reading. So I usually only wear them at school."
"Too bad, they're adorable on you." Clementine said, grinning as Violet looked away, fumbling with her keys.
"Um... thanks... how does dessert sound?" Violet asked holding the door open for Clementine once more.
"Almost as good as an excuse to spend more time with you." Clementine said before Violet carefully closed the door, walking around, trying to stop the huge grin from taking over her face as she got in the car.
Violet drove them to a gelato shop not far away. The smell hit them first as they opened the door to go inside. Both unconsciously taking a deep breath in through their noses as the ventured in to look over the flavors. Clementine clapped excitedly and pointed at a flavor in the case, ordering a scoop of honey clementine in a cone, unable to resist. Violet got a cone of wasabi pea flavor, Clementine grimacing as her playfully as she ordered. Violet stepped forward and paid as Clementine pulled her wallet from her bag, frowning slightly as the blonde insisted.
They took their cones outside, leisurely walking around the small town square the shop was located in as they ate. Glancing in windows that they passed. Clementine offered Violet a taste of her cone which she accepted, taking a small taste and offering Clementine a taste of hers which the brunette declined with a shake of the head so vehement that it made Violet laugh. When they finished their treat and headed back to Violet's car, Clementine sank into her seat, realizing that she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. So calm and at peace, all her worries driven from her mind if only temporarily.
"Thank you for this Violet. For asking me out and for paying... it's been so nice." Clementine said as the car pulled into the driveway. Violet parked and turned off her car, turning to face Clementine as she spoke.
"I had a great time too... I hope we can do it again, sometime?" Violet said with hope in her voice.
"I'd be disappointed if we didn't." Clementine smiled, Violet returned it before getting out and opening the brunette's car door. She walked with her to the front door as Clementine clutched her box of left overs while she rifled through her purse for her house key. Once found she unlocked the door and turned back to Violet.
They stood facing each other somewhat awkwardly. The date had been so comfortable and amazing but Clementine was silly to think the front door goodbye would be the same. The first date goodbye was always awkward, no matter how well the date went there was no avoiding that.
"Thanks again," Clementine reached up, wrapping her arms around Violet's neck, hugging her tight and pecking her on the cheek. "I'll talk to you soon." She promised, stepping inside the house, leaving Violet waving with a goofy smile on her face.
Clementine leaned against the door as she closed it, feeling excitement, having something to look forward to for the first time in a long time.
"Good date?" Duck asked from the couch.
"The best!" Clementine squealed, she stuck the leftovers in the fridge for AJ to have later and sat down next to Duck, telling him all about it.