"Edward? Is this the boy you've been telling me about, Alexis?" Mr. Schmidt asked joyfully.
"Yes Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Eddie. Sorry for making this such a surprise visit, but I guess Eddie wanted to come meet you urgently," Alexis replied in a hug as she passed through the doorway of the large house.
"Pleased to meet you sir," Eddie smiled as he watched Alexis walk through the hall and around the corner. "I hear you're a colonel?"
"Retired, yes."
"Oh, that's so intriguing," Eddie lied just a little. Once Alexis was out of sight, Eddie whispered, "Sir, this is kinda weird but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go catch a beer with me later."
"Yes, sure, we could chat over a beer. Eddie, do you drink a lot?" Mr. Schmidt asked.
Eddie laughed a little, "Not a lot, sir. Not nearly enough to be considered a drunkard. But I do drink a little at parties and on occasion, yes."
"I like you, Eddie," Mr. Schmidt said, "You're honest. Every other boyfriend Alexis has brought home is a thieving, no-good liar."
Eddie chuckled, "Thanks sir, I guess I like you too."
"Hey Stanley, hurry up!" one of the guys yelled as the team ran drills. Stanley was lagging in the running area, and the team was frustrated.
"What's up with you man?" somebody asked.
"Oh nothing," Stanley lied, "I just have a little cold. In fact, I think I'm gonna take off, I'm not feeling well. Holla at ya lata!"
As soon as he was out of sight, Stanley snuck under the bleachers and took out one of his cigarettes. He sat there on the red dirt, puffing small wisps of smoke, hoping nobody would see. "I'm addicted," he whispered to himself. "God, help me."
"His name is Danny," Chelsea said loudly into her cell phone, "Danny of troop 157?"
"Miss," the voice on the other side of the phone said, "There is no Danny in troop 157."
Chelsea dropped her phone. Why hadn't she been notified of his death? He- he meant the world to her. She had to go see his mother.
"Excuse me, Danny's mom?!" Chelsea called above the noise of construction nearby into the door of an open trailer in San Francisco Trailers and Homes.
"What do you want?" an obnoxious voice called from within. "I'm enjoying my CHICKEN!"
"Miss, my name is Chelsea Daniels. Are you Danny's mother?"
Her eyes shone, and finally Chelsea could see past the grime on her skin, the thinning mess of hair, and the gravy-stained nightgown. The pride of a mother shone in her eyes.
"I sure am, little missy. Now, who are you?"
"I'm Chelsea," she replied, once again seeing the negative image of Danny's mother. "Is Danny dead?"
"Danny? No child. Well, here he is now."
Chelsea turned on her heels to see Danny, tall and more muscular, gazing back at her. "Chelsea?" he asked surprised.
"Danny!" He dropped the lumber he carried in his hands and hugged her. "Oh my gosh, I missed you so much. I called the military and they were like, there's no Danny in troop 157."
"Chelsea, I was in troop 167. I dropped out about a month ago when I sprained my thumb. It still isn't the same, so I figured I wouldn't go back. I'm currently looking for a job in the city so I can support my mother, and find a place to live. How have you been?"
"Terrible. I've worried about you every day. I can't believe you've been here for so long and I haven't even thought about looking you up," Chelsea sighed. "I still love you."
"I love you too," Danny said as he leaned in for a kiss.
Chelsea pulled away quickly, "Did you meet anybody while you were in the army?"
"Child, you better not have!" Danny's mother interrupted.
"Mother!" he exclaimed. She quickly stomped back into the trailer. "Chelsea there was someone, but it was only one."
"You met someone in the army and you expect to come back and say you still love me?"
"Chelsea she was in the army with me. She was a medic actually and she was a pretty good flirter."
"I can't believe this! Why don't you go and marry her?"
"She died, Chelsea. In an unexpected bomb accident. And I didn't love her like I loved you. I never even kissed her."
"I still love you," Chelsea repeated.
"I love you too," Danny said as he leaned into kiss her again, this time succeeding.
"So, Eddie, why did you ask me here?" Mr. Schmidt asked suspiciously.
"Sir, I want to ask you something. I love your daughter very much and I can't think of any other way of spending my life than marrying her. So I thought of asking your permission first before proposing," Eddie explained.
Mr. Schmidt raised one eyebrow, "Before I say yes, honest Eddie, why did you want my permission?"
Eddie looked around, trying to find an excuse, "Well, sir, I, uh, wanted to make sure it was okay with you before I changed your daughter's life."
"Did you really? Because I frankly remember mentioning to Alexis that I would like her boyfriend to come to me first before having him propose. Does that have anything to do with this situation?"
Eddie nodded solemnly, "Listen, Mr. Schmidt, I love your daughter. But we had a shaky relationship not too long ago. I told her I loved her and she said she wanted me to propose, if she meant anything to me. So naturally, I proposed, but of course, I didn't have a ring. I gave her a napkin telling her that I owed her a really expensive ring, and she said yes. Just this morning, she told me she wanted me to ask you first, and then propose again. I really do love your daughter sir, and because it was a spur of the moment thing, I really didn't think about asking you. I'm sorry."
Mr. Schmidt sipped his beer, considering Eddie's story. "You know, Eddie, you really are honest and that's why I like you. I really didn't care about the proposal thing, it was Alexis's mom that wanted that. So go ahead and fake the proposal to Alexis and I'll play along. I approve of you as a boyfriend, fiancé and a husband to my only precious daughter."
Eddie smiled, "Thank you sir."
Surprisingly, Candace had blended in just perfectly with Cory's friends. They enjoyed going to football games or playing pools or spending nights at the bar just talking to her. Cory enjoyed it the most. He even thought that maybe, just maybe, he might have a middle school crush on her again. Oh boy how childhood friends bring back childhood feelings.
"Pass the chips," Candace commanded Cory as the two of them sat on the couch of Cory's apartment watching a late night rerun of a football game.
Cory threw the unopened bag across the room to her. He watched as she shoved a handful in her mouth, her tennis shoes on the wooden coffee table, her wild, unruly hair pulled into a stretched ponytail, stains all over her USF t-shirt. She was nothing like Hannah, and yet, he thought he liked her more.
"Candace," he said, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure Cory," she answered as she tossed the chips back onto the coffee table.
"How come you're not all Candy Smiles anymore?"
"Cory," she said as she looked at him sternly, "Look at me. I have a few things to smile about but I've learned that the world isn't always yellow daisies and cotton candy. I'm still Candy Smiles, but I prefer to go by Candace Smiles, a girl who just likes to kick back and have fun."
Cory smiled.