"Supper's ready," Sheri announced, walking into the den where Coach
was helping Sheryl with her homework. "Come eat it before it gets cold."
She walked back to the kitchen.
"Daddy," Sheryl declared. "Sissy sure is bossy."
Coach snikered. "Yeah, sometimes," he agreed. "But she's a better cook than I am, so let's go eat." He playfully swung her up in his arms. "We'll finish this work after dinner."
"Awww. man."
They had just sat down to supper when the phone rang.
Coach got up and answered it. "Hello."
"Um, Hi, Coach, it's Ray, can I.. I mean, may I speak to Sheri?"
Coach sighed. This was the third time this week that Ray had called Sheridan and he wasn't sure if he was too happy about that. Not that he didn't want her dating, he just wasn't to sure about Ray. He had heard somethings that would make any Daddy wary of letting thier little girl go out with him. But, then again, it could all be just gossip.
"One moment." He sat the phone down. "Sheri, honey, telephone."
She walked to the counter and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, beautiful." She heard Ray smile.
"Hey," she replied, in a sweet flirtatious voice. "How are you?"
Coach had to hide his amusement at Sheryl, who was pretending to sick her finger down her throat and make gagging sounds.
"Fine," Ray replied. "I just wanted to hear your voice." He was smooth, she had to give him that.
"That's sweet," she smiled.
Coach pointed at her dinner plate. Yes, she knew they ate supper as a family. He didn't need to remind her.
"What are you doing?" Ray asked.
"About to eat supper, actually. Listen ,you'll have to call me back later, okay? Coach wants me to eat supper now," she said.
"Man, he keeps you on a tight leash," Ray cracked.
"What?!"
"Sorry, it was a joke. Did you ask him about Saturday night?"
"Not yet."
"Tell you what. Ask him now, then you can tell me when I call back," he suggested.
"Okay, I will."
"Be sweet, Babe. Talk to you later."
"Yeah, later."
"Bye, Sugar." Ray replied.
"Bye." Sheri returned to her seat.
"Now, can we eat?" Sheryl asked as though they were starving her.
"Amen," Sheryl said, after Coach had said Grace. "Let's eat."
"Why is Ray Budds calling everynight?" Coach asked.
"He likes me," she shrugged. "There's a party Saturday night, out at Brian Dempsey's parent's place on the lake. Ray asked me to go with him. Would it be okay if I did?"
"Is Brian's parents going to be there?" Coach asked.
"Yes, sir."
He considered it it for a long few minutes. There really no reason to say no, except a few rumors and what was he supposed to say, "No, you can't go out with Ray because I heard he sleeps around." ? She would think he didn't trust her.
"Please, Coach?" She pleaded.
"Be home by 11."
"Thank you, Daddy." She bounced from her seat to hug him. "Thank you. I really want to go."
"Okay, okay, eat your supper now." He laughed.
After supper, Sheri was washing the dishes when the phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Sheri?"
"Yes?" She replied, uncertianly.
"Sheri, it's Gerry."
"I know." She did know, she just didn't know why he was calling her.
"Umm, how are you?" He asked.
"Fine."
"So..., what are you doing?" He stalled, trying not to ask what he wanted to know.
"Washing dishes." She paused, then, "Gerry, what do you want? I've known you long enough to know that you didn't just call me to make small talk."
"Are you seeing Ray?" He blurted out.
"Why do you care who I am seeing?" She had to ask.
"I.., just do, that's all," he answered.
"Well, not that its any of your business, but, yes, I am. We're going to Brian's party together this weekend."
"Sheri, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you know Ray, and you know what he wants."
"What he wants? Gerry Micheal Bertier, you had better not be impling what I think you are impling," she snapped.
Gerry cursed himself, this wasn't going like he wanted. Not that he himself even knew how he wanted this to go, but anytime she used his full name, things were not good. "That's not how I meant it," he said, weakly.
"So, what did you mean?" She demanded. "Because it sounded like to me, that you think Ray could only be interested in sleeping with me. I supposed that's all you think about me, huh?"
"Sheridan, that's not fair, that's not what I said, and you know it," he retorted.
"Well, you had to get the idea from somewhere," she replied, trying hard to keep her voice level. How dare he call her and say something like that. Why did they have to fight all the time?
"Look, Ray's measure of girls is three letters high, and we both know what those three letters are."
"Yeah, well, at least he don't lie," she snapped.
He winced. He deserved that. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You deserve someone who's going to love you for who you are, not just because you're are cute and popular."
"You don't want me to get hurt?" She replied, incredulously. "It's a little late for that, ain't it, Gerry?"
When he didn't answer, she continued. "You just worry about that Barbie doll of yours. I'll handle Ray, don't worry yourself about him, or me."
"I'm sorry if I upset you," Gerry said. "That wasn't my intention. Bye, Sheridan."
"Bye." She hung up the phone.
"I love you, Baby," Gerry said quietly, before he hung up, though he knew she had already. If she hadn't have, he wouldn't have had the guts to say it aloud.
Sheridan hung up the phone, determined not to cry. She turned on the radio before sticking her hands in the sink again.
Patsy Cline's voice filled the room. She had to laugh, despite the pain in her chest. Alan and his country music. He had gotten her addicted to it.
"How can I be just your friend?"
That verse was too huantingly similar to what she was feeling, so she snapped the radio back off.
When the phone rang again, she had to wipe her eyes and clear her throat before she answered it.
"Hey, baby."
"Hello, Ray." Suddenly she was less than enthuastic to hear from him.
"So, can you go?" No one got to the point like Ray.
"Yeah, I can go. I have to be home by 11 though."
"Eleven? Really? Why?"
"Yes, eleven, yes, really and because that is when my curfew is," she answered.
"Wow, Coach has really got that overprotective thing going on, doesn't he?" Ray laughed.
"I'd rather he be overprotective, than not protective at all." She wasn't in the mood for his jokes tonight.
"Well, baby, I got to run. I'll see you at school tomarrow, okay?" He said.
"Yeah. Talk to you then," she answered. "Bye."
"Bye, Sugar." They hung up.
Sheri finished the dishes and went to bed, not wanting to talk to anyone else tonight.
Part 7 coming soon
Julia
"Daddy," Sheryl declared. "Sissy sure is bossy."
Coach snikered. "Yeah, sometimes," he agreed. "But she's a better cook than I am, so let's go eat." He playfully swung her up in his arms. "We'll finish this work after dinner."
"Awww. man."
They had just sat down to supper when the phone rang.
Coach got up and answered it. "Hello."
"Um, Hi, Coach, it's Ray, can I.. I mean, may I speak to Sheri?"
Coach sighed. This was the third time this week that Ray had called Sheridan and he wasn't sure if he was too happy about that. Not that he didn't want her dating, he just wasn't to sure about Ray. He had heard somethings that would make any Daddy wary of letting thier little girl go out with him. But, then again, it could all be just gossip.
"One moment." He sat the phone down. "Sheri, honey, telephone."
She walked to the counter and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, beautiful." She heard Ray smile.
"Hey," she replied, in a sweet flirtatious voice. "How are you?"
Coach had to hide his amusement at Sheryl, who was pretending to sick her finger down her throat and make gagging sounds.
"Fine," Ray replied. "I just wanted to hear your voice." He was smooth, she had to give him that.
"That's sweet," she smiled.
Coach pointed at her dinner plate. Yes, she knew they ate supper as a family. He didn't need to remind her.
"What are you doing?" Ray asked.
"About to eat supper, actually. Listen ,you'll have to call me back later, okay? Coach wants me to eat supper now," she said.
"Man, he keeps you on a tight leash," Ray cracked.
"What?!"
"Sorry, it was a joke. Did you ask him about Saturday night?"
"Not yet."
"Tell you what. Ask him now, then you can tell me when I call back," he suggested.
"Okay, I will."
"Be sweet, Babe. Talk to you later."
"Yeah, later."
"Bye, Sugar." Ray replied.
"Bye." Sheri returned to her seat.
"Now, can we eat?" Sheryl asked as though they were starving her.
"Amen," Sheryl said, after Coach had said Grace. "Let's eat."
"Why is Ray Budds calling everynight?" Coach asked.
"He likes me," she shrugged. "There's a party Saturday night, out at Brian Dempsey's parent's place on the lake. Ray asked me to go with him. Would it be okay if I did?"
"Is Brian's parents going to be there?" Coach asked.
"Yes, sir."
He considered it it for a long few minutes. There really no reason to say no, except a few rumors and what was he supposed to say, "No, you can't go out with Ray because I heard he sleeps around." ? She would think he didn't trust her.
"Please, Coach?" She pleaded.
"Be home by 11."
"Thank you, Daddy." She bounced from her seat to hug him. "Thank you. I really want to go."
"Okay, okay, eat your supper now." He laughed.
After supper, Sheri was washing the dishes when the phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Sheri?"
"Yes?" She replied, uncertianly.
"Sheri, it's Gerry."
"I know." She did know, she just didn't know why he was calling her.
"Umm, how are you?" He asked.
"Fine."
"So..., what are you doing?" He stalled, trying not to ask what he wanted to know.
"Washing dishes." She paused, then, "Gerry, what do you want? I've known you long enough to know that you didn't just call me to make small talk."
"Are you seeing Ray?" He blurted out.
"Why do you care who I am seeing?" She had to ask.
"I.., just do, that's all," he answered.
"Well, not that its any of your business, but, yes, I am. We're going to Brian's party together this weekend."
"Sheri, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you know Ray, and you know what he wants."
"What he wants? Gerry Micheal Bertier, you had better not be impling what I think you are impling," she snapped.
Gerry cursed himself, this wasn't going like he wanted. Not that he himself even knew how he wanted this to go, but anytime she used his full name, things were not good. "That's not how I meant it," he said, weakly.
"So, what did you mean?" She demanded. "Because it sounded like to me, that you think Ray could only be interested in sleeping with me. I supposed that's all you think about me, huh?"
"Sheridan, that's not fair, that's not what I said, and you know it," he retorted.
"Well, you had to get the idea from somewhere," she replied, trying hard to keep her voice level. How dare he call her and say something like that. Why did they have to fight all the time?
"Look, Ray's measure of girls is three letters high, and we both know what those three letters are."
"Yeah, well, at least he don't lie," she snapped.
He winced. He deserved that. "I just don't want you to get hurt. You deserve someone who's going to love you for who you are, not just because you're are cute and popular."
"You don't want me to get hurt?" She replied, incredulously. "It's a little late for that, ain't it, Gerry?"
When he didn't answer, she continued. "You just worry about that Barbie doll of yours. I'll handle Ray, don't worry yourself about him, or me."
"I'm sorry if I upset you," Gerry said. "That wasn't my intention. Bye, Sheridan."
"Bye." She hung up the phone.
"I love you, Baby," Gerry said quietly, before he hung up, though he knew she had already. If she hadn't have, he wouldn't have had the guts to say it aloud.
Sheridan hung up the phone, determined not to cry. She turned on the radio before sticking her hands in the sink again.
Patsy Cline's voice filled the room. She had to laugh, despite the pain in her chest. Alan and his country music. He had gotten her addicted to it.
"How can I be just your friend?"
That verse was too huantingly similar to what she was feeling, so she snapped the radio back off.
When the phone rang again, she had to wipe her eyes and clear her throat before she answered it.
"Hey, baby."
"Hello, Ray." Suddenly she was less than enthuastic to hear from him.
"So, can you go?" No one got to the point like Ray.
"Yeah, I can go. I have to be home by 11 though."
"Eleven? Really? Why?"
"Yes, eleven, yes, really and because that is when my curfew is," she answered.
"Wow, Coach has really got that overprotective thing going on, doesn't he?" Ray laughed.
"I'd rather he be overprotective, than not protective at all." She wasn't in the mood for his jokes tonight.
"Well, baby, I got to run. I'll see you at school tomarrow, okay?" He said.
"Yeah. Talk to you then," she answered. "Bye."
"Bye, Sugar." They hung up.
Sheri finished the dishes and went to bed, not wanting to talk to anyone else tonight.
Part 7 coming soon
Julia