"That was really great!" Lucy said about the play, as she sat down at a table. "Thanks for bringing us all Ricky!"
"Yeah, but remember what it's for - remember your promise!" he said, warning her.
"Aw," Lucy gasped and pretended to pout, "And I thought it was because you loved me…"
Ricky glared at her playfully, he knew she was teasing. He smiled, "That, too."
She chuckled, and Ricky started to say something, but the waiter came and asked for their orders.
While Lucy waited for her turn, she looked around. Finding what she was looking for, she nudged Ethel, and nodded in the direction of two men. Ethel looked at them - one had dark brown hair, the other's was light brown; they both had attractive faces; both were dressed up in black suits; and neither of them seemed to have a date. She was impressed with Lucy's choice; she turned and gave Lucy a look that said 'Not bad.'
When the waiter had finished taking Ricky's order, he was ready for Lucy's. But she didn't tell him what she wanted, she let her gaze fall on the man with the darker hair.
After several attempts, the waiter moved on to Ethel, but she didn't talk to him either. So he took Fred's order, then went back to the kitchen.
"Lucy why didn't you tell him what you wanted?" Ricky asked. She didn't answer him.
"Ethel?" Fred asked. "What's the matter, you usually eat everything you can!" She didn't answer him.
Ricky carefully followed her gaze, past a few other tables, and past some dancers, and finally saw what they were staring at. Feeling a bit jealous, he started to wonder how to get her attention. I could try talking about something she likes… Or I could try asking her to dance… Or… Or… Wait a minute! Didn't I do the same thing to her ealier this evening? That's it, she must be mad at me.
Fred had seen the other men also, but he didn't show any sign of jealousy. Ricky leaned over to him, "Remember those two girls we saw earlier tonight?" he asked quietly.
"Boy, do I!" Fred grew excited, "Why? Are they here?"
Ricky drew back, surprised, he thought Fred would be at least a little concerned. "No," he whispered.
"Oh, well what about them?" Fred asked.
"Because of them, I think the girls are mad at us," he shook his head, "they don't really like those guys."
Fred's face fell, "Maybe not now, but we could encourage them."
Ricky shook his head, "No, I'm serious."
"You really don't think so, eh?" Fred asked, glancing at Lucy and Ethel. "Well, okay…"
The waiter brought their food, and they started eating, ignoring the girls' behavior.
~~~~~
"Hey Bob," said Steve, the darker-haired man. "Look there, those two girls are starin' and smilin' at us."
Bob looked over at them, "Yeah. Hey, they're pretty cute."
"Nevermind how cute they are," Steve grumped. "Isn't that Ricky Ricardo they're with?"
"The fat guy?" Bob asked.
Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head, "No, not that one. The other guy they're with."
"Oh! Oh yeah, Steve, that's him!" he looked back at Steve curiously, "Steve?"
"What?" he sighed.
"Who's Ricky Ricardo?" Bob asked.
"He was in a movie," Steve told him, as if it was something everybody knew.
"Oh…" Bob said, amazed. "What about him?"
"He probably has a lot of money!" Steve said impatiently. He stood up, "Come on, let's go ask those girls to dance."
Bob smiled, "O-Okay… uh, Steve?"
"What now?"
"Can I have the red-head?"
"You can have whichever one you want," Steve offered.
"Oh boy!" Bob said, excited.
Steve sighed heavily and started over to the other table.
~~~~~
Ethel quickly turned away from the other men, while Lucy slowly turned away.
"They're coming over here!" Ethel exclaimed quietly to Lucy.
Lucy nodded nervously, "Yeah well, forget it, they'll probably just walk by. Let's see how the plan worked." She turned to Ricky, "Oh Ricky," she said, trying to sound dissappointed. "How come the waiter didn't bring me any food?"
Ricky looked up from his plate, and shrugged. "I guess you didn't want any. He asked you what you wanted, and you didn't answer him."
"He-He asked me?" Lucy tried to sound surprised. "Oh, I guess I didn't hear him…" she lied.
"I guess you didn't either," Fred said to Ethel. "I sure was surprised when you ignored him, too." He shrugged, "At least you saved a little money."
"What does it matter?" Ethel asked. "Ricky's treating us to dinner. That means he's buying."
Fred chuckled, "Well, it's still somebody's money!"
"Excuse me," said Steve. "Aren't you Ricky Ricardo?"
Ricky looked up at him, his jealousy returning. "Yes," he said.
"I thought so," said Steve thinking quickly. "My mother is a fan of yours."
"Oh?" asked Ricky, the jealousy fading away again. He's not here for Lucy. He smiled to himself, He probably just wants an autograph. "Tell her I'll be on a television show tomorrow night."
Steve nodded, trying to speed up the conversation, "Yeah, alright, I'll tell her." Finally, he got to the point, "But actually, I came over here, because my buddy likes this beautiful lady," he said, motioning to Lucy.
"Yeah," Bob agreed. "I--"
Steve nudged his friend to stop him from talking. "And I thought this one was cute," he said, motioning to Ethel. "And we were wondering if we could dance with these two."
Lucy and Ethel just sat there. Neither of them knew what to say. "Well… I-I don't think that… You see, we were… You don't… I-I-I…" Lucy tried to tell them no, but was so flustered, she didn't know how to put it. She didn't want to be rude, but she couldn't think of anything polite - at least not without telling Ricky and Fred their plan. "Ricky?"
Ricky tried hard to keep from laughing. Yes, he was jealous, but he thought Lucy's 'situation' was funny. He shot Fred a look that said 'Play along.' He turned to Lucy and stood up. "Don't ask me," he said angrily. "You can dance with him if you want. Come on Fred, they can stay with these two if that's what they really want." He started walking toward the door, with Fred following.
"No, no, Ricky!" she called after him. Now she didn't care about being polite; she pushed Bob away, "No, we don't want to dance with you two." She and Ethel hurried out the door after their husbands.
They caught up with them in the parking lot, and found them laughing.
"What? B-But… Ricky!" she cried, realizing it had only been a joke. First, she was relieved that Ricky wasn't mad at her. Then, she got mad, because of the trick. "That wasn't very nice!"
Chuckling, he pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry - It was a perfect chance, I couldn't pass it up."
Lucy pulled away, "Well…"
"Besides," Ricky said. "I should be leaving pretty soon."
"Aw, Ricky, are you sure I--"
"Ah, ah… your promise… yes, I'm sure."
She gave him a small smile, "Oh, okay." She chuckled, "Ya' know. If it was the other way around, I probably would've pulled that trick on you…"
~~~~~
"No, Bob," Steve said, as they left the restaurant. "We'll follow them home tonight. Tomorrow we'll do the planning…"
