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Brushing Up

This was it. D-day. Dinner-at-Plum's Day. I was close to hyperventilating that I was taking Carlos to dinner with my family. Carlos kept telling me that it would be fine, but I was the one that had had dinners with my family before. I doubted it would be as 'fine' as he thought. I just hoped my mom didn't say anything too awful, or my grandma do anything too outrageous. Yeah, I know; good luck with that, right? At least my dad probably wouldn't say anything wrong, or anything at all really, if history was any guide.

I took a deep breath and tried to steady my nerves and my hands to finish my makeup. I was wearing a pencil skirt and a turquoise, sleeveless, ribbed top with a high neck. I had added a necklace with a butterfly pendant that nestled into my cleavage… well, what cleavage I could muster in my VS push up bra. Low-heeled sandals and minimal makeup. I had managed to tame my hair into soft curls that I pulled back with a turquoise headband. I gave myself one last, desperate look over as I heard Carlos knock on my door. Nothing I could see for my mother to criticise. I did not want to start tonight off on the wrong foot.

I opened the door to Carlos wearing tan slacks and a deep blue button-up shirt. I had begged him not to wear black tonight, just for me. He was freshly shaven and had his hair pulled back with a leather tie, and he looked edible, delicious. My eyes roamed over him hungrily, and I looked up to see the expression mirrored on his face. We smiled at each other, and I melted into his embrace, taking comfort from his strong arms and Bulgari scent. He bent to kiss me softly, careful not to ruin my makeup.

I had to resist the strong urge to pull him into my bedroom and forget about the family dinner, and I stepped back reluctantly. I picked up my purse and we moved down to Carlos' car. I decided it was fortunate that Carlos was driving an American car, even if it was only rented. My dad would be pleased; only American cars counted to dad. It was a source of great distress to him that I was driving a Mazda. The trip to my parents' house was all too quick and, before I was ready, we pulled up in front of their house.

My parents' home was very typical of the Burg. It was semi-detached, in a street filled with row houses and semi-detached houses. The yards were well-maintained and mature trees dotted the yards. My parents' was on the right-hand side, with a twin house on the left-hand side. My parents' side was painted kind of a yellow brown. To be honest, it reminded me of baby shit, but I never told them that. The other half belonged to a widow, Mrs Markowitz, and she was on a very tight budget. Her side was painted in a close-out colour, kind of a putrid green. Overall, the effect together was pretty hideous. My mom's Buick was parked behind dad's cab in the drive.

I took a deep breath and looked over at the door, where I could see mom and grandma standing behind the screen, probably in an effort to be discreet since they would normally be on the front porch, watching and waiting as we got out of the car. Carlos came around to open my door. It was very gentlemanly, and I loved his considerate manners. He took my hand, and we walked together to the front door. My mom opened the door as we came up the walk and stepped out onto the porch, grandam close behind her. Mom looked a little taken aback to see Carlos up close, I don't think she had really understood how good looking he is. Grandma looked thrilled, and I could see her rolling her dentures around and eyeing Carlos well-defined muscles. I shook my head slightly; I was going to have to guard Carlos' back or my grandma was going to get grabby.

We came up onto the porch, and my manners kicked in as I introduced Carlos, "Hi mom, hi grandma. This is my boyfriend, Carlos Manoso. Carlos, this is my mother, Helen Plum, and my grandma, Edna Mazur." Carlos held out his hand with a smile and greeted them, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Plum, Mrs Mazur. Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

Mom looked even more dazed at Carlos dazzling smile, but she took his hand and shook it, murmuring a greeting. Grandma took his hand and tried to jerk him forward, maybe to embrace him, but more likely to put him off-balance so she could grope him. The problem was Carlos was more than twice grandma's weight, so he didn't really move as she pulled. He deflected the move and lifted grandma's hand to graze his lips over the back of her hand. I was shocked to see grandma blush and giggle at that.

Mom shot grandma a warning look and turned to lead us into the house. Grandma continued to stand beside the door, obviously waiting for us to pass, but I moved in closer to Carlos' back as we moved past and thwarted her attempts to grab his backside. I added my own warning look to grandma, but she grinned at me unrepentantly and followed us into the house. Mom led us to the living room, where she said, "Frank, turn off the tv. Stephanie and her friend Carlos are here for dinner."

Dad obediently turned off the tv and stood from his recliner. He moved toward Carlos, who stepped forward offering his hand. Dad looked at him for a moment, before taking the hand. "Mr Plum," Carlos spoke confidently, "I'm Carlos Manoso. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Frank Plum," my dad replied. He considered Carlos for a minute or so more. Finally, he went on, "Army?" he asked.

Carlos raised an eyebrow. "Yes sir. Major in the Rangers. I've retired from active service, but I still contract with Special Ops from time to time."

"Good man," dad grunted. "I was in the Army myself, Sargent, before I went to work with the post office."

Carlos smiled, "Hooah, sir."

Dad returned the smile, "Call me Frank," he said. It seemed Carlos had won dad over. Grandma was always going to be won over. Two down, one to go. Mom was going to be harder to win over though.

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Mom had cooked a roast chicken with gravy, roast potatoes, green beans, and broccoli. Carlos sportingly took some of everything, although I noted he only took one piece of potato, and a small spoonful of gravy. I enjoyed the food, and we were sitting opposite grandma, so I didn't have to fend off her groping. Dad wasn't exactly chatty, my dad never is really, but he did seem to listen to the conversation more than usual, and he shared a couple of short comments with Carlos about their Army days. Mom was a little reserved, but perfectly pleasant to Carlos. She didn't say anything to criticize me, so I called that a win.

Mom brought out dessert, which was a pineapple upside down cake, my absolute favourite, and I licked my lips in anticipation. As we took our plates with wedges of cake, mom spoke to me, "Stephanie, have you found a job yet?" Her tone wasn't unpleasant, but I tensed anyway, anticipating her opening to be critical.

"Yes mom, I have. I'm working for Carlos' company, Rangeman Security, as an Office Manager and Research Assistant."

Carlos spoke up, "She's doing an amazing job, Mrs Plum. I'm planning to open a branch of my company here in Trenton, based on the research report Stephanie prepared. And she is developing and writing the business plan for the branch. It's exceptional work." I blushed at his effusive praise. Grandma beamed at me, and dad looked proud.

Grandma spoke up, "Stephie is a clever girl, I always knew she would be fantastic. What is your company about, Carlos? And where are your other branches?"

Carlos smiled at grandma, "Rangeman provides commercial and personal security services, as well as fugitive apprehension and bond recovery, Mrs Mazur. We are currently based out of Miami, Florida. I had originally intended to open my next branch in Newark, where my family lives, but I was struggling to get any traction there. Meeting Steph, although it was traumatic at the time, turned out to be the best thing that could happen to me. She convinced me that I could work out of Trenton. And she has helped to make it a reality. She has introduced me to key people in local law enforcement, including Chief Juniack, and she helped me get a contract with Plum Bail Bonds for high-bond recoveries."

Dad looked up, "You met with Joe Juniack?" he asked. "And you're working with Vinnie?"

Carlos nodded, "Yes. Steph introduced me to her Uncle Joe. He called her Stephie too." He smiled at grandma. "I've done three FTA recoveries for Plum's so far. Vinnie let me know today he has another file for me. Steph is helping with the research for the fugitives as well as planning for the new office here."

"So, are you a bounty hunter too, Stephie?" grandma asked excitedly. Mom looked horrified at that.

I shook my head, "No grandma, not really. Like Carlos said, I help with research, trying to track down the fugitives, and use my local contacts to get information. Carlos handles the takedowns and apprehensions." Grandma looked a little disappointed. "I work mostly out of the temporary office we have here in Trenton, until we can buy a building and renovate it to set up for the security services.

Mom had looked relieved when I said I wasn't a bounty hunter, but a crease now formed between her brows, indicating another concern, "So you're working for the man you are also dating? Won't that get… complicated?" she asked carefully.

"It hasn't so far, mom. At the moment, it's just Carlos and me here in Trenton, until the business gets established and starts growing. We work well together. And we have our dates on the evenings and weekends. It's fine." I don't know if mom was convinced, but she said nothing more about it.

I turned back to grandma, "Speaking of dates, Carlos and I were wondering if you wanted to come to eat with us at the Japanese restaurant in Newark, grandma? You said you were curious to try the food, and Carlos and I are happy to go back."

Grandma's eyes lit up and she beamed out a happy smile. "I'd love to," she replied.

Carlos turned to my mother and added, "You are welcome to come along as well, Mrs Plum, you and Frank, if you'd like to try the food. It's quite delicious, and they have a few different styles of food at the restaurant. I'm sure there would be something you would like to try?"

Mom looked like she did not know what to say. Her face was frozen, and she looked at dad mutely. Dad looked up to see mom's expression. He said calmly, "Why don't you treat your grandmother this time, Steph. But thank you for the invitation, Carlos. Perhaps another time; or we could try a restaurant here in Trenton sometime." I saw the relief flicker across my mom's eyes and had to repress a roll of my own eyes. Sometimes my mom could be so insular. Still, I wasn't sorry that she wouldn't be bringing her disapproving attitude toward the food, and spoil grandma's excitement.

Monday morning, I drove to Mercer County Community College to complete my enrolment. My classes were going to be on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings from six-thirty to eight-thirty. I was feeling a bit apprehensive about studying again; it hadn't been my forte even when younger. Still, the course details sounded really interesting, and I could use examples from my current job for writing assessments. I bought the textbook, called Practical business computing, and a recommended handbook that contained exercises and activities to practice skills. The assistant at the office gave me a registration pack with a map of the campus and some basic information about office hours, financial aid, the library, and contact numbers for the Faculty teachers and Academic Advisors. I was set.

With trepidation, I sat in a classroom on Tuesday evening, ready for my first class. I had a notebook and pencils ready, and my textbook on the swing-up table attached to the seats. I tried to breathe deeply to keep myself from getting too anxious. I was surprised when someone sat down beside me and greeted me. I looked up to see the librarian from the Trenton Public library, Tricia. She looked equally surprised to see me but delighted to see a familiar face; I was as well.

"What are you doing here?" we asked each other simultaneously. We both grinned, and she spoke again, "We are getting more and more computers in the library. We expect that we will get computer catalogues in the next few years and start using email instead of faxes and letters. I am just trying to stay ahead, and it will help my career. University libraries are already using online searches for research articles. I think it's only going to get bigger. How about you?"

"Well, I am working with the company I was researching for, Rangeman Securities. At the moment, there's not a lot of public information available on computers, but I expect that will change in the next few years. So, security will become important, both for finding information and protecting it. Also, I have a computer on my desk at my office. Carlos, my boss, has a modem to connect to the internet in his office. I just want to get better at using it!"

She chuckled softly. We continued to chat about our backgrounds and jobs for the next few minutes, while the classroom filled with about twenty other people. A portly, balding man wearing tidy slacks and a button-down shirt came in to stand at the front of the classroom. He put his briefcase down on the table at the front and moved to stand in front of the lectern. At six-thirty-five, he cleared his throat loudly, and called out, "Good evening, everyone."

The room quieted and we all turned to pay attention. For the next hour, Mr Logan explained how the course would progress and what would be expected from us in course work and assessment. Tuesday nights we would be in this classroom for a lecture, and then Wednesday and Friday nights, we would be in the computer laboratory next door for practical work. We would have two computer-based exercises to complete during the classes each week, as well as a worksheet to hand in each Tuesday. On the last Friday night of the course, we would have a one-hour written test in this classroom, and a one-hour online test in the lab. It sounded daunting, but I thought it also sounded practical and well-structured. Mr Logan explained his office hours and said that the computer lab was also available on Thursday evenings at the same time, and Saturday afternoons, if people wanted to practice or catch up on anything they had missed.

The second hour he started with a short lecture on the history of business computing and explaining the types of business uses of computing. He handed around some handouts about electronic mail and word processors and indicated that the computer-based exercise for tomorrow would be on using the basic functions of a word processor; and then on Friday would be on the basic functions of email. The worksheet for next week would require us to read three chapters of our textbook, and to complete some questions about the topics. We would be marked on our accuracy and completeness; as well as extra credit for any real-world examples we used to demonstrate the concepts and programs.

There was ten minutes at the end for questions, and someone asked about handing in the worksheets late or getting an extension if they could not come on the Tuesday night. Mr Logan sternly reminded the young girl that this was a six-week course, and she would need to keep up with the work to get through it successfully. He said our registration pack contained information about what to do if there was a personal emergency that might affect our participation. Another student asked if they could do the Friday night exercises on the Thursday night, since they usually went out on Fridays. I could see Mr Logan sigh at this and felt sorry for him. Even adult education could obviously be challenging. He reiterated that everyone was here by choice to learn. If you cannot attend the classes, you would need to catch up in your own time and keep up with the work. He would not make allowances for Friday night socialising. Finally, I raised my hand to ask about the exercises in the handbook that had been recommended, and if we would be told which of them would be helpful to complete each week. Mr Logan looked delighted to get a question about actually doing some work and told me he would be happy to indicate which exercises would be helpful.

After the class, Tricia asked me if I would like to go and get coffee. I was delighted to accept, and we found a café near the college to have coffee and ordered a piece of cake each. We talked about the class, and Tricia said she had not yet bought the extra book for the class. I offered that we could get together on the Saturday afternoons to work through the extra exercises and work on the worksheets together. Tricia looked thrilled.

"I haven't studied for years," she said sheepishly. "I was worried that I would struggle to keep up and understand everything. It'll be great to have someone to work through things with and talk about the coursework."

I nodded, "I was a bit concerned too. I am really happy to know somebody in the class and I'd love to have a study-buddy. If we can't get to the computer lab at the college on Saturdays, we can use the computer at my office too, Carlos won't mind."

We agreed to meet up at five-thirty tomorrow at a Chinese restaurant nearby to grab an early dinner before our first computer lab class. I drove home elated that I had a new friend and a study-buddy and feeling much more confident about the course.

I hope you are enjoying the story. Unlike the prequel, I don't really have a master plan for this story - I'm just following my muse. :)