"I can't believe you let the kids talk ya into goin' on a date with a stranger on the internet." Alice said to her son, shaking her head. "You know how many weirdos are out there? They'll probably set you up with some foreign gal from like, Brooklyn!"
Bill sighed as he continued to chop the tomatoes in the kitchen, listening to his mom ramble on from the living room. He was starting to regret even telling her what had happened. He knew she wasn't a fan of dating sites. Or any websites. Or the internet in general. She was extremely old fashioned, and she strongly believed in dating only when you really knew the person.
"Look Ma, I'm not into the idea either, but.." He paused as he shrugged, "I don't know, maybe it could be good for me? I put all my energy into work and family, it might be fun to mix things up a little."
"Mix it up?" Alice scoffed, "Now you're just talkin' crazy."
Bill slid the sliced vegetables into the pot, then stirred them around inside as the water boiled. "Well, the kids seemed pretty stoked for it. They haven't come out of my room in hours." He chuckled, then stared off. "Actually, that might not be a good thing, now that I think about it..."
Bill was suddenly startled when he heard the pitter patter of feet rushing down the hall and the excited chants of his kids. "Dad!" "Papa!" He flinched and dropped the knife, thankful that he didn't lose another finger. He turned around and saw the two run into the kitchen, grinning widely.
"I'm guessin' y'all found someone for me?" He asked with a raised brow.
They nodded vigorously. "Yep. Her name's Carrie Baker." Tilly informed.
"She's a baker!" Cricket chimed in, seemingly more excited about that bit of information. If things went well, he'd be getting treats all the time!
Bill blinked, "That's..coincidental."
"Anyway, she says she can't wait to meet ya." Tilly nodded.
Bill was now intrigued. Even though he still had no interest in the idea of dating, it was flattering that there was anyone out there who was willing to go on a date with him, and in the same city as him no less. "Well, alright. When's the date?" He asked as he continued with the vegetables.
"This Friday at 6:00. You're goin' for coffee." Tilly answered.
"We figured we should keep it simple." Cricket shrugged.
Alice suddenly spoke up from the other room, having eavesdropped the whole time. "Good, it's in public. Now the bitch won't be successful in kidnappin' my boy"
"Ma, language." Bill scolded, "And relax, I'm a grown man, I can handle myself."
"Like anyone would wanna kidnap him anyway." Cricket snickered.
Bill gave him a look before he returning to his cooking. Carrie Baker he thought to himself, curious to know what she was like. Part of him wanted the date to go well, mainly for the fact that he didn't want to make a fool of himself by being awkward. But the other part definitely didn't want it to work out, so the kids would get off his back. But there was another reason why, he just wasn't sure what exactly it was.
