Cheery yellow light poured through the open door, "Hi kids! Andrew! What a pleasant surprise!"
Andrew nodded at the blue haired woman clad for cooking, "Mrs. Tsukino, always a pleasure."
"Oh Andrew, you make me sick sometimes," Usagi pushed past him and went inside the house to hug her mother.
"Be nice, honey," Usagi's mother gave her daughter a tight squeeze.
"Hey, Usa!" Usagi's brother walked out from the dining room and came to the door, "I see you brought your husband-to-be and ditched the boyfriend."
Mrs.Tsukino's eyes brightened and she clasped her hands together in joy, "Wouldn't that just be lovely. Andrew and Usagi..."
Usa gave her brother a menacing look, "Stop encouraging her."
"Oh well," the lady of the house let out a short sigh, "there's always hope."
Usagi and Andrew politely ignored Mrs.Tsukino and made their way to the dinner table.
"Your father will be here any minute; he was running a couple errands up town," Usagi's mother started to bring out her side dishes.
"Want some help, mom?" Usagi watched her mother go back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room they were sitting in.
"Oh no, honey," she waved off Usa's offer, "this is the only exercise I get these days."
"Well you look great," Andrew gave Mrs.Tsukino a wink.
Usagi rolled her eyes, "If you want, we can go for a run together in the mornings."
Her mother laughed, "You flatter me, but really, I wouldn't last through a quick run around the block."
"How about yoga?" Usagi stole a green bean from one of her mother's dishes, "We can take a class on the weekends."
The older woman considered this for a moment, "Maybe."
Lights flashed through the windows outside and Mrs.Tsukino went to open the front door. In a few moments Mr.Tsukino walked in wearing his usual business attire with matching cardigan vest.
"Good evening everyone," Mr.Tsukino was given a kiss on the cheek from his wife.
Andrew stood up from the dining chair he was sitting on, "Mr.Tsukino."
Usagi's father grew a wide smile and he walked over to shake Andrew's hand, "What a surprise! Andrew, how are you doing, son?"
"Good, good," the two men joined the others at the dining table.
"So, Usagi," her father looked at her with scrutiny, "where is this Ito fellow?"
"Oh, he couldn't make it," Usa answered lightly.
Her father laid his hands down on the table, "Yes, I realize that, but why isn't he here?"
Andrew happily spoke up, "that's a good story..."
"No it's not," Usagi cut in.
The other three Tsukinos were amused.
"What's the big secret, Meatball Head?" Usagi's brother looked at her smugly, knowing he was getting under her skin.
Usa shot him an icy glare.
"Jon ditched Usagi for some client of his this afternoon, and she decided to leave him out of a delicious meal tonight as revenge," Andrew spilled out the gist of his prior conversation with Usagi before she could get a word in edgewise.
Usa sighed, "Thanks, Drew, but you left out some important details. Jon was going to pick me up and take me out to a very nice lunch with him at Kuroi To Shiroi, but he got an urgent call from one of his clients."
"He told Usagi to wait in an alley for him and never showed," Andrew crossed his arms in unison with Mr.Tsukino and stared at Usa.
"You're making it sound worse than it really was," Usagi started heaping mounds of steamed rice on her plate, "let's eat, okay?"
"My daughter has no business standing alone in some alleyway; I don't care who your waiting for!" Mr. Tsukino was getting heated.
"Daddy, it's not like that," Usagi tried to reason with him, "I was behind the Coffee Cup, totally fine."
"She had been waiting there for over an hour before I saw her and had her come inside the shop," Andrew cried in pain as Usagi jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
Her younger brother started helping himself to the platters of food laid out, "Well I'm glad he's not here."
Andrew leaned over and hit fists with him across the table, "Me too."
"You boys," Mrs.Tsukino said smiling with a head shake. She then turned more serious, "Why would he have you meet him in an alleyway, Usagi? What's wrong with waiting inside?"
Usagi almost choked on a water chestnut.
"Andrew's in there," Usa's brother said in a sing-song voice.
Usagi gulped down some water. She couldn't tell them why she would meet Jon behind the coffee shop. Let them think what they wanted.
Clearing her throat, Usagi tried to steer the conversation away from the alleyway topic, "I actually did meet him inside later that day; however, once he told me about having a late lunch with his client-in-need, I suggested that he not bother coming to dinner on such a full stomach."
The youngest Tsukino began clapping, and Usagi gave him another dirty look.
"You can meet him another time," Usagi watched disappointment cloud her mother's face.
"If you insist," Mr.Tsukino took a bite of sweet roll.
Dinner went by quickly, and it wasn't long before Usagi and Andrew said their goodbyes to the family.
"Ready to go home?" Andrew opened his car door for Usagi.
"I guess," the twenty one year old took a seat in Andrew's red 1966 Rambler. As soon as the driver took his seat, Usagi smiled mischievously, "When's the last time you had a girl in here?"
Andrew started the engine and brought it to a low growl, "How do you mean?"
His grin caused Usa's arm to reflex into a slap across his arm, "Yeah right, heartthrob!"
Andrew laughed as the two drove off down the street. Usagi shook her head trying to shake out any thoughts of Andrew and some woman... It was too disturbing.
"Anyways," Andrew began, changing the subject, "I'm having a little get together Friday night and was hoping you could come."
"It's not a Halo party, is it?" Usagi remembered the last two times she attended a little shin-dig at Andrew's apartment, and both occasions were filled with hours of watching the 18-26 year old male demographic playing an X-box game.
"No, Miss I'm-too-good-for-Halo... It's actually a house warming party."
"Wow, Drew," Usa sat back in her seat and gave a quiet laugh, "you're about three years too late for that one, aren't you?"
The driver took one hand off the steering wheel and patted Usagi on the head, "No, little one. It's not for me."
Usagi tried to escape the great hand of hair messing, "Well then who is it for?"
"That's why I want you to come," Andrew stopped his harassment on Usagi's head. "So..."
Usagi tried fixing her hair back into two perfect buns, "So, I'll come."
"Excellent."
Andrew nodded at the blue haired woman clad for cooking, "Mrs. Tsukino, always a pleasure."
"Oh Andrew, you make me sick sometimes," Usagi pushed past him and went inside the house to hug her mother.
"Be nice, honey," Usagi's mother gave her daughter a tight squeeze.
"Hey, Usa!" Usagi's brother walked out from the dining room and came to the door, "I see you brought your husband-to-be and ditched the boyfriend."
Mrs.Tsukino's eyes brightened and she clasped her hands together in joy, "Wouldn't that just be lovely. Andrew and Usagi..."
Usa gave her brother a menacing look, "Stop encouraging her."
"Oh well," the lady of the house let out a short sigh, "there's always hope."
Usagi and Andrew politely ignored Mrs.Tsukino and made their way to the dinner table.
"Your father will be here any minute; he was running a couple errands up town," Usagi's mother started to bring out her side dishes.
"Want some help, mom?" Usagi watched her mother go back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room they were sitting in.
"Oh no, honey," she waved off Usa's offer, "this is the only exercise I get these days."
"Well you look great," Andrew gave Mrs.Tsukino a wink.
Usagi rolled her eyes, "If you want, we can go for a run together in the mornings."
Her mother laughed, "You flatter me, but really, I wouldn't last through a quick run around the block."
"How about yoga?" Usagi stole a green bean from one of her mother's dishes, "We can take a class on the weekends."
The older woman considered this for a moment, "Maybe."
Lights flashed through the windows outside and Mrs.Tsukino went to open the front door. In a few moments Mr.Tsukino walked in wearing his usual business attire with matching cardigan vest.
"Good evening everyone," Mr.Tsukino was given a kiss on the cheek from his wife.
Andrew stood up from the dining chair he was sitting on, "Mr.Tsukino."
Usagi's father grew a wide smile and he walked over to shake Andrew's hand, "What a surprise! Andrew, how are you doing, son?"
"Good, good," the two men joined the others at the dining table.
"So, Usagi," her father looked at her with scrutiny, "where is this Ito fellow?"
"Oh, he couldn't make it," Usa answered lightly.
Her father laid his hands down on the table, "Yes, I realize that, but why isn't he here?"
Andrew happily spoke up, "that's a good story..."
"No it's not," Usagi cut in.
The other three Tsukinos were amused.
"What's the big secret, Meatball Head?" Usagi's brother looked at her smugly, knowing he was getting under her skin.
Usa shot him an icy glare.
"Jon ditched Usagi for some client of his this afternoon, and she decided to leave him out of a delicious meal tonight as revenge," Andrew spilled out the gist of his prior conversation with Usagi before she could get a word in edgewise.
Usa sighed, "Thanks, Drew, but you left out some important details. Jon was going to pick me up and take me out to a very nice lunch with him at Kuroi To Shiroi, but he got an urgent call from one of his clients."
"He told Usagi to wait in an alley for him and never showed," Andrew crossed his arms in unison with Mr.Tsukino and stared at Usa.
"You're making it sound worse than it really was," Usagi started heaping mounds of steamed rice on her plate, "let's eat, okay?"
"My daughter has no business standing alone in some alleyway; I don't care who your waiting for!" Mr. Tsukino was getting heated.
"Daddy, it's not like that," Usagi tried to reason with him, "I was behind the Coffee Cup, totally fine."
"She had been waiting there for over an hour before I saw her and had her come inside the shop," Andrew cried in pain as Usagi jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
Her younger brother started helping himself to the platters of food laid out, "Well I'm glad he's not here."
Andrew leaned over and hit fists with him across the table, "Me too."
"You boys," Mrs.Tsukino said smiling with a head shake. She then turned more serious, "Why would he have you meet him in an alleyway, Usagi? What's wrong with waiting inside?"
Usagi almost choked on a water chestnut.
"Andrew's in there," Usa's brother said in a sing-song voice.
Usagi gulped down some water. She couldn't tell them why she would meet Jon behind the coffee shop. Let them think what they wanted.
Clearing her throat, Usagi tried to steer the conversation away from the alleyway topic, "I actually did meet him inside later that day; however, once he told me about having a late lunch with his client-in-need, I suggested that he not bother coming to dinner on such a full stomach."
The youngest Tsukino began clapping, and Usagi gave him another dirty look.
"You can meet him another time," Usagi watched disappointment cloud her mother's face.
"If you insist," Mr.Tsukino took a bite of sweet roll.
Dinner went by quickly, and it wasn't long before Usagi and Andrew said their goodbyes to the family.
"Ready to go home?" Andrew opened his car door for Usagi.
"I guess," the twenty one year old took a seat in Andrew's red 1966 Rambler. As soon as the driver took his seat, Usagi smiled mischievously, "When's the last time you had a girl in here?"
Andrew started the engine and brought it to a low growl, "How do you mean?"
His grin caused Usa's arm to reflex into a slap across his arm, "Yeah right, heartthrob!"
Andrew laughed as the two drove off down the street. Usagi shook her head trying to shake out any thoughts of Andrew and some woman... It was too disturbing.
"Anyways," Andrew began, changing the subject, "I'm having a little get together Friday night and was hoping you could come."
"It's not a Halo party, is it?" Usagi remembered the last two times she attended a little shin-dig at Andrew's apartment, and both occasions were filled with hours of watching the 18-26 year old male demographic playing an X-box game.
"No, Miss I'm-too-good-for-Halo... It's actually a house warming party."
"Wow, Drew," Usa sat back in her seat and gave a quiet laugh, "you're about three years too late for that one, aren't you?"
The driver took one hand off the steering wheel and patted Usagi on the head, "No, little one. It's not for me."
Usagi tried to escape the great hand of hair messing, "Well then who is it for?"
"That's why I want you to come," Andrew stopped his harassment on Usagi's head. "So..."
Usagi tried fixing her hair back into two perfect buns, "So, I'll come."
"Excellent."
