HI Phil Fans. I hope you haven't given up on me and my story. But, it's Spring Break this week and I haven't had a computer to work on… This is chapter 5. I had planned on ending it a different way, but I thought I'd leave you guys with a cliffhanger. Hopefully I can wrap this up in one more chapter…
Chapter 5
Keely had eaten dinner at the Diffys' dozens of times in the past two years. But this time was different. She and Phil had come close to saying something upstairs in his room moments before, but they had been interrupted by spray-can meatloaf. Now, sitting at the table, trying to eat, Keely couldn't stop stealing glances at Phil. Every time she looked up, it seemed like he was looking back at her.
"Well, Keely, did Phil get you straightened out upstairs?" Barb said.
Keely nearly blew water out of her nose. "Oh, sure, Mrs. Diffy, we, uh, talked about what we need to do from here on out," she said.
"Yeah, Mom, I think Keely and I are on the same page… She's got the right idea," Phil said, looking at Keely.
"That's great, kids," Mr. Diffy said. He wasn't really listening. "Chemistry is important."
"Lloyd, they were working on math, not chemistry," Barb said to her husband.
"Yeah, Dad, chemistry's not the problem," said Phil. He blushed. Keely gulped and looked at her plate.
"This is disgusting," Pim said, looking from Keely to Phil. "Whatever's going on between you two, try not to make me puke at the dinner table."
"Pim!" said Barb. "What's gotten into you? I suggest you take a page from your brother's book. Get out there and make friends. Be a tutor to your little classmate, what's her name? Debbie?"
"Mom, don't ever mention that name again in my presence," Pim said, then she glared at Phil and Keely. "Diffy, Blondie, get a room." She stood and walked to the kitchen with her plate. "I will take my meals in here," she called, "from now on."
"I don't know what's gotten into your sister, Phil. I suspect she's entering her 'awkward years' and this is a blatant cry for attention," Barb said after Pim stomped out. "Lloyd, we should spend more time with her." She turned to Phil and Keely. "Well, you two, my advice is always communication. When I was your age, I was afraid to ask questions and I was never a good math student for that reason."
Keely and Phil looked at one another. "You're right about that," said Phil. "I think I need to start speaking my mind more often."
"Yeah," said Keely. "Just say what you feel... about math."
"Well, Keel," Phil said, smiling at her. "I really, really like math."
"So do I," said Keely.
"And I'd like to, you know, have math in my life, like, um, every day," Phil said.
"Me, too," said Keely.
"Yeah. So. Yay math," said Phil.
"I love math," Keely blurted out. "I think I've loved it for a while. But I wasn't sure how to, you know, do anything about it."
"You love it?" said Phil.
"Mmm hmmm. Think so," Keely said, nodding her head.
"I am so impressed with your enthusiasm for school, kids!" Mrs. Diffy said. She and Lloyd picked up some dishes and took them back to the kitchen, leaving Phil and Keely alone.
"So are we still talking about math?" Phil said.
"What were you talking about?" asked Keely.
"Me?" said Phil. "Uh, stuff, you know. Um, people. Yeah. People. You. Me."
"Yeah. People," Keely said.
"You want to go somewhere?" Phil said, motioning toward the door.
"Yes. Let's go somewhere," Keel said.
"Hey, Mom, if you don't need me in the kitchen." Phil called, "I'm, uh, gonna walk Keely home."
"You're off the hook tonight, Phil. Your sister has generously agreed to wash the dishes," Barb called from the kitchen. Pim groaned. "Keely, it was good seeing you."
"You too, Mrs. Diffy," said Keely. "Thanks for dinner."
"You're more than welcome, sweetie," said Barb.
Keely and Phil went out the front door, and sat down on the porch steps.
"So…" Keely said.
"So…" Phil said and he laughed.
"What's so funny?" Keely asked, looking at him.
"Well, Keel, I mean… Us. Everything," he said.
"Tell me about it," she said. "I mean math? Come on. I hate math with a passion."
"Hey, are we talking about math or math?" Phil asked, holding up finger-quotes.
"I'm talking about real math," Keely said. "But I want to talk about something else."
"Like…" Phil said.
"Like you," Keely said.
"Knock yourself out, Keel," Phil said. He turned to her.
"Why me first?" Keel said.
"Ladies first, of course," Phil said.
"Well, okay, Phil, here it goes," Keely began, taking a breath. But before she could open her mouth, Pim appeared on the porch out of nowhere.
"Oh, am I interrupting something, Blondie?" she said to Keely. "Were you just about to tell my brother here how fuzzy-wuzzy he makes you feel? How you kiss your pillow every night and pretend it's him?"
Phil fumed. "Pim, if you don'tdisappear this instant,you'll be sorry," he said to his sister, clutching his Wizard tighly.
"Ooh, I'm so scared!" Pim yelled.
"It's okay, Phil," Keely said.
"Don't worry, Mr. Perfect, I was just on my way to find a drifter. Need to see another rated-R movie. Curtis doesn't cut it anymore…" Pim said, walking down the steps into the yard. "Don't let me stop your declaration of love, there, Blondie."
"You don't know anyone who wants to buy an adorable little sister, do you?" Phil said, after Pim was gone. "Real cheap."
"She's not so bad, Phil," Keely said, laughing. "She's pretty lucky, actually."
"Why's that?" Phil asked.
"'Cause she gets to live here, with you," Keely said.
"She probably doesn't consider herself lucky. More like incarcerated," Phil said."But I digress… You were saying something earlier…"
"Oh, right," Keely said, twisting her hands, and looking at her feet.
"You know, Keel, maybe we don't have to say anything," Phil said. "Maybe we already know what we feel. I mean, before today I wasn't sure… Then while you were in there kissing… my replicate… it kind of occurred to me how I feel—"
"We didn't," Keely said, interrupting Phil.
"Didn't you?" Phil asked.
"I couldn't," Keely said.
"You couldn't?" Phil asked.
"Well, of course he was pretty much perfect, and I could have… but it just wasn't what I wanted after all. I don't think it's the actual kiss that I want. I think it's the boy," Keely said. She looked up at Phil.
"The boy?" Phil asked.
"Yep," Keely said.
"Well," Phil said. "That can be arranged." He smiled at her warmly and reached over and took her hand. Keely leaned her head on his shoulder, and they sat there for a moment, not speaking.
"Hey Phil?" Keely said.
"Yeah?" Phil said.
"When I said it was the boy I wanted, not the kiss, I didn't mean I didn't want the kiss…" Keely said.
"Is that so?" Phil said.
"Yep," Keely said. She lifted her head and turned to face Phil, who suddenly looked nervous.
"Hey Keel?" he said. "Um, I uh, just ate meatloaf."
"So did I," Keely said.
"Why don't we… um…" Phil said.
"It doesn't matter, Phil," Keely said. "It can just be for practice."
"Okay," he said. Phil swallowed hard. He licked his lips.
But just as he leaned toward Keely to finally do what he had wanted to do as long as he had been in the 21st century, Pim was back, singing at the top of her lungs, "Diffy and Blondie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"
"PIM!" Phil roared, standing up and jumping off the porch.
"Phil, wait," Keely said, but Phil didn't hear her. He ran after Pim, down the driveway and across the street.
"First comes love!" Pim sang.
"I'll turn you into a toilet seat!" Phil yelled. Keely saw a ray of green light flash from the Wizard.
"Then comes marriage!" Pim sang, apparently not a toilet seat, after all.
"I'll kick your—" Phil screamed, and then their voices drifted away. Keely could only hear the crickets chipping.
"Then comes Keely with a baby carriage," Keely whispered softly to herself, finishing Pim's song. She smiled, suddenly remembering the wedding band she had seen on the grown-up Keely's finger in the Giggle. So the kiss wasn't tonight, she thought. But I've waited this long… a little longer shouldn't matter.
Then Keely stood and slowly walked down the steps on the Diffys' front porch. She was thrilled inside. Finally, something was happening to her.