"Sorry. But..oh shit that was fun," she said, breathing returning to
normal.
"Yeah. Ooh look, Eat Or Die. Come on, let's get something to eat," Nny said.
"Are you sure you-"
"Sure," Nny said.
Inside the restaurant , they found a table and sat down.
"So, wadaya want?" Nny asked.
"I don't care. I pretty much like all Chinese food."
"Come on, the sky's the limit. OK, well, anything under $20.00. That's all I've got."
"You know, I can get it."
"No, I got it. Seriously Devi, I've got money you know."
"I know. I just-"
"Feel uncomfortable around me?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Well, I think I'm getting some noodles. I don't eat much normally."
"Right. Well, I'll just have the same thing then."
"OK."
(insert awkward coughing and sound of ordering)
"You know Devi," Nny said while they were waiting for the food. "You weren't acting too paranoid in the movie theater."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you were acting.almost normal around me."
"Are you saying I'm not normal usually?" Devi asked, standing up a little.
"Whoa, calm down. That's not what I meant at all. It's just that..you were acting like I was just a normal guy, that's all. I mean, considering the circumstances."
"Oh."
(insert sound of food showing up)
There was a long silence as the eating began. Suddenly Nny laughed.
"What's so funny?" Devi asked.
"Oh nothing. It's just that..these noodles remind me of something me and one of my cousins used to do when I was very young."
"What?"
"Nothing. Nothing," Nny said, going a bit red in the face.
"Oh come on."
"Fine. But you'll get extremely disgusted."
"Trust me, I've seen way worse I bet."
"Fine. You take the longest noodle you can find. Then you and the other person make sure that the two noodles are exactly the same length. And then you hold onto one end and stick the other end in your mouth. Then still holding onto it, you swallow as much of the noodle you can, and then measure how much is still sticking out of your mouth. The person with the least sticking out wins," Nny said sheepishly. Devi laughed at him.
"See, told you I'd seen worse. Oh come on, let's try it."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
Devi won.
"Well, that was fun."
"So, you weren't revolted?"
"Really Nny, I've seen much more revolting than that. I remember, when I was four, my sister used to do that sort of thing with worms," Devi said.
"Disgusting. Well, you seem to be feeling a lot less nervous now."
"Maybe I am."
"Well, I'm finished. What about you?"
"Yes. Now what?"
"You'll see."
"Does it involve sharp objects in any way?"
"No. Of course not."
(they left)
"OK, we just need to find a fire escape," Nny said.
"A fire escape," Devi said, crossing her arms and staring at him in a very bemused way.
"Yes, a fire escape," Nny said, as if a fire escape was a perfectly natural thing to look for. He scouted around a bit, and then he spotted one. "Here we go," Nny said, walking toward it. Devi followed, confused. Nny grabbed the ladder and climbed up. "Come on, follow me," Nny said. Devi wondered what the hell a fire escape had to do with anything.
Upon reaching the top, Nny held out his hand to help Devi up, but then remembered what she'd said about touching her, and recoiled his hand.
"OK, what are we going to do up here?" Devi asked. Nny pulled off his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out several water balloons.
"I know it's immature. But I was thinking of throwing them at cars," Nny said, blushing.
"That's against the law," Devi said, amused at Nny's gullibility.
"I know but.it's still fun."
"I suppose so," Devi said awkwardly. She grabbed one of the water balloons and dropped it carelessly off of the edge of the fire escape. There was a sploosh, and a scream. Devi looked over the edge.
"oh fuck, I hit a guy! I didn't actually mean to hit anyone," Devi said, laughing. Nny chuckled nervously.
"Hey look, it's my ex-boyfriend. Do you have any really big balloons?" Devi asked. Nny dug around in his backpack and produced a huge water balloon. "Holy shit, that thing's as big as a watermelon!" Devi said, taking it. She aimed and threw it. It burst on the head of a sleazy looking man on a motorcycle. He veered and slammed into a parked car. Devi doubled over laughing.
"Take that, Dave!" she screamed. The man looked up at them, bewildered, and Devi flipped him off.
"Devi? You bitch!" Dave screeched.
"I may be a bitch, but you can't keep a woman longer than two nights!" Devi yelled at him, enjoying herself. Nny watched the whole thing, surprised. Dave finally pulled away from the car and puttered away on his motorcycle. Devi started to laugh again.
*/*/* An hour later, they reached the outside of Devi apartment building.
"You want me to walk you to your door, or can you take it from here?" Nny asked.
"I'll be fine. I can take it from here," Devi said. She didn't want to run into Tenna inside and get the twenty questions about the date while Nny was still with her.
"OK," Nny said ineptly. Devi smiled at him.
'He was really nice. He didn't try anything at all. I never would have thought he could do it for one whole date. Maybe he'll crack tomorrow night and I can get on with my life. But still, I should say I'm sorry for being so judgmental at first,' Devi thought.
"Nny, I owe you an apology," Devi said.
"Why?" Nny asked.
"I didn't give you a chance at first. And you really surprised me. I never thought you could do it," Devi said.
"Yeah, well-" Nny said, blushing and shuffling his feet.
"Thanks for dinner and..everything else," Devi said.
"No problem."
"Well, see you tomorrow night, right?"
"Right."
"Thanks for tonight, Johnny. I really..actually had a good time," Devi said.
'Should I? Oh, what could it hurt?' she thought as she leaned in and kissed Nny's cheek before heading inside. He watched her go and waited 'till she was inside to start celebrating. He leaped into the air before walking down the street with a big cheesy grin on his face.
Some circus clown passed him, and Nny grabbed it and shook it by the shoulders.
"She kissed me, Mr. Clown! She KISSED me!" Nny sang before he took off, singing a joyous little song.
"Yeah. Ooh look, Eat Or Die. Come on, let's get something to eat," Nny said.
"Are you sure you-"
"Sure," Nny said.
Inside the restaurant , they found a table and sat down.
"So, wadaya want?" Nny asked.
"I don't care. I pretty much like all Chinese food."
"Come on, the sky's the limit. OK, well, anything under $20.00. That's all I've got."
"You know, I can get it."
"No, I got it. Seriously Devi, I've got money you know."
"I know. I just-"
"Feel uncomfortable around me?"
"Yeah."
"Oh. Well, I think I'm getting some noodles. I don't eat much normally."
"Right. Well, I'll just have the same thing then."
"OK."
(insert awkward coughing and sound of ordering)
"You know Devi," Nny said while they were waiting for the food. "You weren't acting too paranoid in the movie theater."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you were acting.almost normal around me."
"Are you saying I'm not normal usually?" Devi asked, standing up a little.
"Whoa, calm down. That's not what I meant at all. It's just that..you were acting like I was just a normal guy, that's all. I mean, considering the circumstances."
"Oh."
(insert sound of food showing up)
There was a long silence as the eating began. Suddenly Nny laughed.
"What's so funny?" Devi asked.
"Oh nothing. It's just that..these noodles remind me of something me and one of my cousins used to do when I was very young."
"What?"
"Nothing. Nothing," Nny said, going a bit red in the face.
"Oh come on."
"Fine. But you'll get extremely disgusted."
"Trust me, I've seen way worse I bet."
"Fine. You take the longest noodle you can find. Then you and the other person make sure that the two noodles are exactly the same length. And then you hold onto one end and stick the other end in your mouth. Then still holding onto it, you swallow as much of the noodle you can, and then measure how much is still sticking out of your mouth. The person with the least sticking out wins," Nny said sheepishly. Devi laughed at him.
"See, told you I'd seen worse. Oh come on, let's try it."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure."
Devi won.
"Well, that was fun."
"So, you weren't revolted?"
"Really Nny, I've seen much more revolting than that. I remember, when I was four, my sister used to do that sort of thing with worms," Devi said.
"Disgusting. Well, you seem to be feeling a lot less nervous now."
"Maybe I am."
"Well, I'm finished. What about you?"
"Yes. Now what?"
"You'll see."
"Does it involve sharp objects in any way?"
"No. Of course not."
(they left)
"OK, we just need to find a fire escape," Nny said.
"A fire escape," Devi said, crossing her arms and staring at him in a very bemused way.
"Yes, a fire escape," Nny said, as if a fire escape was a perfectly natural thing to look for. He scouted around a bit, and then he spotted one. "Here we go," Nny said, walking toward it. Devi followed, confused. Nny grabbed the ladder and climbed up. "Come on, follow me," Nny said. Devi wondered what the hell a fire escape had to do with anything.
Upon reaching the top, Nny held out his hand to help Devi up, but then remembered what she'd said about touching her, and recoiled his hand.
"OK, what are we going to do up here?" Devi asked. Nny pulled off his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out several water balloons.
"I know it's immature. But I was thinking of throwing them at cars," Nny said, blushing.
"That's against the law," Devi said, amused at Nny's gullibility.
"I know but.it's still fun."
"I suppose so," Devi said awkwardly. She grabbed one of the water balloons and dropped it carelessly off of the edge of the fire escape. There was a sploosh, and a scream. Devi looked over the edge.
"oh fuck, I hit a guy! I didn't actually mean to hit anyone," Devi said, laughing. Nny chuckled nervously.
"Hey look, it's my ex-boyfriend. Do you have any really big balloons?" Devi asked. Nny dug around in his backpack and produced a huge water balloon. "Holy shit, that thing's as big as a watermelon!" Devi said, taking it. She aimed and threw it. It burst on the head of a sleazy looking man on a motorcycle. He veered and slammed into a parked car. Devi doubled over laughing.
"Take that, Dave!" she screamed. The man looked up at them, bewildered, and Devi flipped him off.
"Devi? You bitch!" Dave screeched.
"I may be a bitch, but you can't keep a woman longer than two nights!" Devi yelled at him, enjoying herself. Nny watched the whole thing, surprised. Dave finally pulled away from the car and puttered away on his motorcycle. Devi started to laugh again.
*/*/* An hour later, they reached the outside of Devi apartment building.
"You want me to walk you to your door, or can you take it from here?" Nny asked.
"I'll be fine. I can take it from here," Devi said. She didn't want to run into Tenna inside and get the twenty questions about the date while Nny was still with her.
"OK," Nny said ineptly. Devi smiled at him.
'He was really nice. He didn't try anything at all. I never would have thought he could do it for one whole date. Maybe he'll crack tomorrow night and I can get on with my life. But still, I should say I'm sorry for being so judgmental at first,' Devi thought.
"Nny, I owe you an apology," Devi said.
"Why?" Nny asked.
"I didn't give you a chance at first. And you really surprised me. I never thought you could do it," Devi said.
"Yeah, well-" Nny said, blushing and shuffling his feet.
"Thanks for dinner and..everything else," Devi said.
"No problem."
"Well, see you tomorrow night, right?"
"Right."
"Thanks for tonight, Johnny. I really..actually had a good time," Devi said.
'Should I? Oh, what could it hurt?' she thought as she leaned in and kissed Nny's cheek before heading inside. He watched her go and waited 'till she was inside to start celebrating. He leaped into the air before walking down the street with a big cheesy grin on his face.
Some circus clown passed him, and Nny grabbed it and shook it by the shoulders.
"She kissed me, Mr. Clown! She KISSED me!" Nny sang before he took off, singing a joyous little song.
