Saturday Morning

Tom shifted around and then opened his eyes. The couch he had bought at the thrift store was actually pretty comfortable. He reached over, grabbed his phone and checked the time. It was 7:30 am. He threw off his blanket and decided to get up, shave, and run through the shower. On his way he put his ear to the bedroom door. He could hear Daria's steady breathing. She was clearly sound asleep. Tom knew that it could easily be two hours before she awakened. However, he had his clothes with him.

After showering Tom decided not to use the blow drier. So, he toweled his sandy hair as dry as he could and combed it out. Looking at himself in the mirror he was pleased. He may not be 'ripped' but he was fit. After shaving his angled face was smooth. He put on his jeans and sweatshirt and headed into the kitchen.

Tom wanted to do something special for Daria when she awoke. He wanted to make her something much better than a pair of toaster tarts for breakfast. Two things that he had learned about himself in college were that first, he hated bad food. Second, he had no desire to live on restaurant or institutional food. That meant that he needed to learn to shop and to cook. Thursday he had gone shopping for the weekend. While they would eat out more than once, at the very least he wanted Daria to sample his cooking. He started prepping breakfast by juicing the oranges from a bag he had bought. He would also prep cheese, red peppers, and eggs for omelets. He had bacon and prepped potatoes for hashbrowns. He pulled out the coffee maker and cups, but since he had whole bean coffee he didn't want to grind it before Daria was up. The game started at one o'clock and he planned that for lunch they would get a snack at the stadium and then find dinner later on downtown. After getting everything ready he sat down on the couch and started surfing the internet on his laptop.

It was just after nine when the bedroom door opened and Daria staggered out wearing a long t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of socks. She didn't have her glasses on and was clutching a small toiletries bag. Tom looked up and said, "Good morning gorgeous!"

Daria turned around and looked at him. "Your eyes must be as bad as mine," she deadpanned. "Now let me at least go make myself look semi-human and then we can talk." With that she turned and disappeared into the bathroom. A little while later she reemerged and made a beeline to the bedroom. Her hair was brushed and she had at least straightened her clothing. It only took her a few minutes to throw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She came out wearing her glasses.

Tom got up and went over to Daria. He hugged her and said, "Can I kiss you now?"

Hugging him back Daria looked up at Tom and gave him a big kiss. She smiled and said, "There. Isn't it better after I brushed my teeth? Of course that's not to mention that I no longer feel like a zombie as well. By the way, thanks for letting me sleep in the bed."

Letting go of Daria Tom commented, "I want you to be comfortable when you visit me. Besides, I don't mind that couch. It is actually pretty comfortable."

"Liar," Daria replied.

"Seriously, Daria, it is comfortable. Would I want to only sleep on the couch? No I would not. But for a few nights it is fine. I don't have a backache and I feel well rested. How did you sleep?"

Daria answered, "I slept like a log. I am amazed how quiet this apartment is and so close to campus as well! I don't think my campus apartment at Raft is ever this quiet. Now, what are you planning for breakfast? I see you've got some things out. I know I could sure use some coffee!"

Tom first served Daria the fresh orange juice. Then he ground the coffee and started it brewing with the feeling that the day was starting off well. He just hoped that by the end it would have been a great day.

…..

Daria thought that the football game had been fairly exciting – if you actually liked football. She had maybe only been to one or two football games since high school. Her recollection was that both times were when Jane was dating some guy who wanted them all to go to a game. Professional football tickets were way too expensive for students, so a Raft game it was! BFAC had no sports.

Both the Raft and Bromwell teams were terrible. That was half the fun today. Both teams fumbled and looked for the big breaks to get them to the goal line. The big breaks came more by accident than through skill. But, that is what you get when you go to a small college that can't afford the big athletic budgets of a large state university. All in all it was a fun time. Now with just a few seconds left and Bromwell trailing by two points they were going to try for a field goal. That would decide the game.

Bromwell's center hiked the ball to the holder. He nearly fumbled it but managed to get it in place. As the rushers came forward the kicker made contact with the ball and it flew into the air. One of the Raft players got a couple of fingers on the ball, but it sailed on past. The Raft player's tipping of the ball was just enough to change its course to fly through the upright goal posts. Without the help of the Raft player it clearly would have gone wide and missed goal. The gun ended the game and Bromwell had won by one point.

Tom gave Daria a hug and led her by the hand out of Bromwell's small stadium. "Thank you for coming to the game," He said. "I know that football isn't your cup of tea. But I really enjoyed being with you here."

Daria deadpanned, "If this is the greatest sacrifice I ever make for our relationship, then I will count myself lucky. Besides, who could resist watching 22 men padded beyond recognition as being human chase after each other while they hold the sewn up and blown up skin of a dead pig? Judging from the way they handled the ball today the pig must have been greased!"

Tom laughed so hard he had to stop and catch his breath. He turned and pulled Daria into his arms and kissed her. Then he commented, "Have you considered being a sports broadcaster as a career? I absolutely love your sense of humor."

"Thanks Tom. At least you didn't force me to go to the parade. Going to the game is the least I could do."

"Let's walk through campus and see the floats from the parade. They park them near 'Old Main.' This way we can walk around and see them without having to endure a parade. Besides, there is a tradition of giving out hot spiced apple cider and donuts there after the game. It is something the alumni association does."

"Far be it for me to turn down free cider and donuts. After that maybe we can go hunting for some real food – free or otherwise?"

"You're on. After eating we can find this party Terry is having. There will undoubtedly be free beer there."

Daria chuckled, "I would be a poor excuse for a college student if I turned down free beer. Besides, since this is homecoming at Bromwell I assume people will buy decent beer and not just a keg of Mountain Boulder Light or some other such form of flavored water."

Tom cringed and remarked, "Mountain Stone Light. Eeew."

Daria made the comment, "Try a party at Boston College of Fine Arts sometime. That is all they can afford. If you are lucky the keg has only been open for a week."