CHAPTER 16
Potroast and baked potatoes. Chocolate cake for dessert. I think my mother had exhausted her catalogue of meals.
Jason Runson was the dinner guest this evening, he sold women's shoes for a living. That's all I knew, and already he was the best we'd had. That is until he burst into tears when we ran out of potatoes. My mothers baked potatoes are pretty good, but I really didn't think they were worth crying over.
My mother the hostess offered him seconds of beans. I nearly choked on my potroast when she sent me into the kitchen for more bread rolls and I misheard her;
'Now Jason dear can I offer you some more beans? No, how about some bread? Stephanie?'
I wasn't the only one judging by the way that my father's eyes were bulging.
What she had really said was: "Now Jason dear can I offer you some more beans? No, how about some bread? Stephanie. deep breath Stephanie go into the kitchen for more carrots.'
Sometimes my mother paused to breathe in the most inopportune moments.
The whole event had been rather uneventful. And afterwards Valerie had had to run off to a parent teacher night at Angie's School.
I washed up and then watched a bit of TV with Dad and Grandma, until their bickering gave me a headache. By that time it I was late to meet the guys at Pino's anyway.
Pino's carpark was full. But that was fairly normal for this time of night. I walked through the door to a round of applause. My friends on the force had obviously started without me, as everyone seemed in good spirits, that's a euphemism for well on the way to drunk.
After a while the crowd started to thin out, it being a weeknight and all.
I limited myself to only one beer, because I had to drive and because I still vaguely remembered my vow never to drink alcohol ever again.
I was sitting with Carl sharing a pino's special pizza with the lot when Joe walked in with a date.
I had expected to react differently. Hell! I expected to react at all. I sensed that Carl had gone very still, as if he was waiting for me to do something. I told him to relax.
My only thought was that I was happy that he wasn't with Terri Gilman.
I asked Carl to pass me another slice.
Joe spotted us, ducked his head and ushered his date to a back booth.
Chicken.
What did he expect me to do damn it! I was being the mature one here! I wanted him to date, I wanted him to meet someone nice who made him happy.
I didn't make Joe happy, I gave him ulcers.
I really truly wanted him to meet someone who was good for him . As long as it wasn't that skank Terri
I gave them a smile and a little finger wave on my way out.
