I remained in the library for several hours and as time passed and I became more engrossed in my research, the sting of the unnamed man's parting words began to fade. Still, as I left to return home I couldn't help but ponder what he said. It consumed my thoughts throughout the entire walk home.
I didn't need friends. I had never had any and seemed to be doing all right so far, right?
As I entered our quaint little mouse-infested house, I heard my father call to me from the other room. "Lana, is that you?"
I didn't answer because I didn't feel that such an obvious question warranted a response. Hey, at least I didn't say something snarky or sarcastic. I do have some respect for authority. I sat down ungracefully on the worn old couch that dominated most of the room.
A moment later, my father entered the front room and after giving me a scathing look for sitting in what was most definitely a manner 'unbecoming to a lady' in his opinion, asked yet another obvious question.
"What, were you at the library all this time?" He smiled warmly at me, ever tolerant of my peculiar inclination to spend inordinate amounts of time pouring through books. Well, peculiar compared to the other mindless women in the…oh never mind. I'm not going to start with that again.
Still, I was in a perverse mood, mostly from my earlier encounter with a mystery man, not to mention the whole rock incident, and I was in no condition for polite conversation. "No, father, I was having tea with the princess. We were discussing how I might wear my hair for the spring festival." I said some respect, not heaps of it.
He sighed and I felt instant remorse for my words. I loved my father, and did respect him, quite a bit, but he usually bore the brunt of my bitterness and sarcasm when I was in a mood. He did so patiently and good-naturedly, which only served to make my self-reproach worse after the fact. I smiled meekly up at him in a silent apology and started again.
"Yes, father, I was at the library." I thought about telling him of what happened earlier, with the rock and all, but decided against it. He had plenty of his own problems to worry about and I wasn't about to burden him with my own. Instead, I abruptly changed the conversation. "Have you any preferences for dinner tonight?"
"No, Lana, whatever you like." I stood and started towards the kitchen when I heard him call. "Oh and Lana," I turned back to face him and noticed that his eyes were crinkled and his mouth was pursed in a mischievous smile. "I made sure there were no rocks in there." He raised his eyebrows at me. "It wouldn't do to have you go throwing them around breaking what little plates and glasses as we have." My mouth dropped in shock at the fact that he knew of the incident already and was joking about it.
"I didn't throw…" I began.
"It's ok," he interrupted. "I'm sure you were provoked. And besides," his smile broadened, "I'm sure Kieran's and Delano's daughters deserved whatever they got." He winked then and sat down, opening up a book that had been lying on the table next to the couch. I took the indication that our conversation was over, and he was not angry, and went into our small kitchen in the back of the house to start dinner.
I hadn't been in the kitchen long when my father came back to join me, an unusual look on his face. I stopped my supper preparations and gave him my full attention, partly because I was still sorry for my earlier temper, partly because whatever he had to say was sure to be interesting, judging by his expression. In this I was not mistaken.
"Lana, there appears to be a gentleman at our door." My first thought was that I hadn't even heard a knock. My second was why is he telling me this? My third was that the gentleman must have asked for me. My fourth was panic! My fifth was…
"Lana?" My father's questioning tone effectively stopped any an all of my thoughts and I returned focus back to him.
"Father?" I parroted back in much the same tone that he had just used.
He ignored this and gave me a puzzled look. "I know you heard what I said, and yet you stand there and stare at me as if you did not."
I rolled my eyes and sighed, relenting to play the guessing game he was apparently angling for. "Fine…why is there a gentleman at our door?"
He raised an eyebrow at me. "You tell me." I frowned at him, not understanding. "Apparently, he was in your company earlier, for he claims to be returning a handkerchief that you had dropped."
I punched my fists against my hips and regarded my father with a none-too-patient look. "Father, you know as well as I do that I don't own any handkerchiefs."
He smiled cunningly at me. "That I do. Which is what makes this so interesting. I asked to make sure he had the right house, which he insists that he does, so I had hoped that you could shed some light on this situation."
I sighed again, removing my hands from my hips and folding my arms across my chest. "I suppose, then, you want me to go talk to him." His only response was to smile deviously at me. "Oh all right," I relented and started towards the door. "Keep an eye on dinner." I said in parting.
I entered the front room and saw this gentleman standing close to the front door, his back turned towards me. I crossed my arms across my chest and addressed him. "Can I help you?"
As he turned around a gasp escaped my lips and I quickly schooled the look of shock I could feel on my face. "You!" I exclaimed. Yes, it wasn't my most brilliant oration, but give me a break. I was stunned into stupidity.
He smiled meekly at me. "Me." I stood there and narrowed my eyes at him, his earlier parting words and manner itching at my patience. "I came to return your handkerchief." He extended a hand to me and I noticed it was grasping a dainty lady's handkerchief. I didn't move to take it from him. Apparently, this was amusing to him because I saw a ghost of a smile cross his lips.
It wasn't amusing to me. "I don't own any handkerchiefs."
"Oh," he said plainly, but his manner and voice indicated that he knew this and my irritation grew. He placed the handkerchief on the arm of the couch. "My mistake." He grinned annoyingly at me. "Well, while I'm here…"
I didn't let him finish. I had no desire to find out what he intended to do 'while he was here'. "We were just sitting down to dinner."
He smiled again at me. "How kind of you to invite me to stay for dinner, after all we just met."
I tried to interrupt again. He knew damn well that I hadn't just invited him to dinner. "I didn't mean to…"
"I would be delighted to have dinner with you and your father." The guy would just not be stopped. And the most infuriating part was that he was thoroughly enjoying himself, the bastard.
"You aren't welcome to…"
"It would be an honor and a privilege to eat with such esteemed…"
"STOP!" I couldn't take it anymore. He came to my house on a false premise, and then proceeded to…to…I don't even know what he was doing, but I was certainly not enjoying it. If this is what having friends was like then I was right, I was better off without. I took a deep breath after my outburst and glared right at him, a move that usually caused people to look away, but he returned my gaze, completely unfazed. "I think you need to leave." I said as coldly as I could manage.
Only then did he hang his head. He looked back up at me and smiled apologetically. "Look, Lana, I was just teasing. I came here to apologize for storming out before." He shrugged. "You're just so easy to get going, I couldn't resist."
I continued to glare at him, but against my own will I felt a smile start to creep across my face for I knew the truth in his words. I bit it back, lest it get around that I was turning soft.
"But," he continued, "If you want me to leave…" he shrugged again and turned to walk out. Against my better judgment I called out to him.
"Wait." He turned back around with a triumphant smile on his face. I guess I could let that go just this once. "If you want, you can stay for dinner," I nearly muttered. He stood there and beamed at me, and the fact that eating my cooking could make anyone so happy just blew my mind. "But…" He stopped smiling like a fool at last. "Only if you promise, no more teasing."
He turned his face into mock defeat. "I guess I won't be staying for dinner then. That's a promise I can't give."
I shook my head at him and let out an exasperated sigh, completely baffled as to what to do with him. I turned to go back to the kitchen and called back over my shoulder, "Dinner's in five minutes."
