The mysterious guy!

After a successful shopping spree, Fran desperately needed a break and some refreshment, so she turned into the snack bar. She was just about to leave when she spotted Eve and a boy getting a burger and taking their seats. Fran immediately recognized Eve apparently was on a date right now. Fran didn't know the guy Eve was sitting with and she was quite sure Eve had never mentioned him before. She felt a slight pang, because normally and until recently she and Eve had a very open and trusting relationship. Up until now, Eve had always spoken with her when she had set her eye on a boy. But apparently this time that wasn't the case.

Fran scrutinized the guy with curiosity. He made a good first impression, he was pretty attractive and, from what she could see, he seemed to have an open and cheerful personality. And he was obviously very smitten with Eve, the way he hung on every word and the way he glanced at her. Fran caught herself thinking that if she would be in Eve's place, she would probably have fallen for this guy as well.

Fran was dying to get more information about this unknown guy. But she resisted the urge to approach and talk to them. She remembers very well how her own mother had embarrassed her endless times in similar situations. Fran couldn't even count the ice cream packages she had stuffed into herself out of sheer frustration about her mother. And she doesn't want her own daughter to suffer the same trauma. So Fran just watched the two of them from her place and hid her face behind a People magazine.

She watched with amusement as Eve and her date laughed together and had a lively conversation. Fran was happy for her daughter and now Eve's strange behavior suddenly made all sense. It certainly has everything to do with this boy and slowly the individual pieces of the puzzle come together in Fran's brain. Eve had certainly chosen her new wardrobe because of this boy, to impress him. And suddenly Eve's behavior doesn't seem so bad to her anymore. Basically Eve was a completely normal girl who obviously had a crush. Fran watched Eve and the boy as they left the snack bar and walked towards the escalators.

Fran feels an enormous urge to secretly follow them, but at the same time she scolds herself.

"Fran, stop it! You should stay out of it. Eve has a right to her privacy!"

So Fran puts her tray away, grabs her shopping bags and heads for the exit. As she does so, she keeps glancing at the escalators and wondering which store the two of them have disappeared into. She finds it quite strange that Eve and this guy went to a shopping mall for their first date. Or is this perhaps not their first date at all?

Fran is almost out of the shopping mall and at the elevator that leads to the parking garages when she suddenly receives a message on her cell phone. It is Eve's violin teacher, who is also a close friend of the Sheffields. He asks her if everything is ok with Eve, since she did not show up for her violin lesson. Fran's astonishment grows as she reads the message. This unknown boy and this date with him seem to be enormously important for Eve, if she is even willing to skip her beloved violin lesson for it. Up to now, Eve had never voluntarily missed a lesson in her entire life. She even once tried to continue practicing with a sprained hand just because there was a big concert coming up.

Now Fran can no longer contain her curiosity. She definitely needs to take a closer look at this boy. But first, Fran writes back to Eve's teacher and tells him Eve has to attend an important meeting at school today and probably just forgot to tell him. Fran smiles to herself as she types the message. She knows it's not correct to support Eve in skipping her duties. But she has her own opinion on this matter. She just has to make sure that Maxwell doesn't find out about it, because he shows far less understanding for this kind of behavior.

After Fran sent the message, she also heads to the escalators and disappears into the next women's restroom.

She stands in front of the large mirror and puts on her new sunglasses with tinted lenses. She can wear them in a mall without worrying about looking ridiculous. Finally, she takes out a scarf and ties it around her hair. Fran nods at herself in the mirror with satisfaction. She is sure Eve will not recognize her. Because under no circumstances her daughter is allowed to find out that she, her mother, is spying on her. Fran knows her girl well enough to know that Eve would explode, and not without reason.

In her disguise, Fran sets out her search and visits every single shop to find the both of them. At first, however, she has no luck. She tries hard to figure out where Eve and her date could be. She is just about to head for a perfumery when she hears a bright, melodic laugh. Fran stops and looks around. This was definitely her daughter laughing. It came from a music and electronics store. Fran wonders irritated what Eve and this guy were doing there of all places. She steps inside without hesitation. She inconspicuously makes her way through the rows, always on the lookout. Finally, she spots Eve and the boy talking to a salesperson. Fran acts as if she is incredibly interested in a new television, but keeps squinting in the direction of her daughter.