by Amber Heart
“I’ve got to go and get my plate,” Silas said, walking back toward the kitchen. “Anybody need anything other than drinks?” he asked.
“No, we’re good,” Ava said, speaking on behalf of the group.
As Silas walked back into the kitchen, he could hear the girls continuously interacting. “Here, I’ll cut your food up for you!” he heard Chance say, once again, making his heart skip a beat.
After bringing his own plate in, going back to get everyone’s drink, and then having a seat at the table himself, Silas asked Ava to say the grace and she eagerly obliged. As dinner got underway, Silas – once again – felt a warm, fluttering sensation in his chest. He couldn’t help it; he was in the midst of a lovely dinner with two of his favorite girls and couldn’t figure out a better place to be. Not only was the food good but the conversation interesting and, when possible, inclusive of Ava. Most importantly, Silas loved the vibe they all had together. It had a been a while that he saw a clear future with a love interest and he couldn’t wait to see where their relationship would go.
As dinner wrapped up, and Ava began to fall asleep in her chair, Silas sighed. “…and then there were two!” he said, sarcastically.
“Go ahead and put her to bed,” Chance said, beginning to clear the table, “I’ll start cleaning up.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” he insisted, “just relax.”
“I know, I want to,” she said, convincingly.
“OK,” he agreed, rising from his seat and going over to retrieve Ava. “Come on, little girl,” he said as he unstrapped her from her chair.
By the time he emerged from the room where Ava was sleeping, Chance had rolled up her sleeves and was standing at warm, suds-filled sink, cleaning the dishes they had just made.
“I told you that you didn’t have to do that, now,” he said, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around hers.
“Oh, I know,” she said, leaning into his embrace, “but I really don’t mind.”
“Well, I can think of a something that’s a little more fun to do. Come with me,” he said, leading Chance over to the couch.
“Hold on a second,” she said, wiping her hands on a towel and making sure that they were dry.
After they got to the couch, Silas flopped down in exhaustion. “Man,” he said, sitting down heavily, “what a long day! I don’t think it really hit me until just now.”
“I hear you!” Chance said. “Looks you need a massage.”
Silas’ eyes perked up. “Uh, I could definitely use one of those!” he said with a sly grin.
“Turn around,” she said, coaxing Silas as he surrendered his back to her.
“Wow,” he said, preparing himself for a treat.
“Wow, what?” Chance asked, “I haven’t even started yet.” Hoisting herself up behind him on the couch by standing on her knees.
“I know, I’m just – just thinking about everything.”
“Everything?” she asked, rubbing her hands together to warm them up, “What do you mean?”
“Well, there’s a lot about you that’s…. mmmm,” he said, as her hands began to pull and knead the muscles around his neck. “There’s a lot about you that’s just right.”
“Wow, just right?” she repeated, “I’m flattered but I’m still not quite sure what you mean.”
“Well, my first group project, since starting back at Stronghold was with you and, it worked out so well.”
“Uh huh,” Chance said.
“I mean, re-really well!” Silas shared, as Chance started kneading his back. “Then, I just enjoy hanging out with you,” he said, feeling the tension ease from his body.
“Yeah? I like hanging out with you too!” she concurred.
“But, the icing for me – you’re great with Ava!” he said, almost surprised. “That’s a little hard to find.”
“She’s a great kid!” Chance laughed, “A real sweetheart!”
“And now that I know your massages are A-1, I’m going to have to add that to the list!”
Chance chuckled and then tapped Silas on his back, signaling that she was done. As he turned around to face her, she slowly sat down – her legs tucked beneath her, her torso turned toward him. Chance rested her elbow on the edge of the couch, closest to the wall, and she rested her head against her balled fist.
At first, they just stared at each other, looking to each other’s eyes and grinning from time to time. Slowly, intermittently, their heads moved closer and closer and their eye lids drifted down, doing their part to contribute to the moment. All of a sudden, their noses touched and then their lips in a slow, intoxicating lip lock. As they stopped briefly, Silas inched his body closer to hers, priming himself to go in for a deeper kiss.
After getting into place, Silas began leaning in again and Chance followed suit, closing her eyes in the process and, ultimately, relishing the sensation of his lips against hers. As their passions began to ignite, they soon heard a whimper coming from Silas’ room; breaking the kiss, they listened as the cries of a groggy 1-year-old grew into a full-on wail.
Silas smiled and lowered his head, knowing that the moment was quickly slipping away. “Sometimes she gets a little whiny after she gets to sleep. I’ll go and check on her,” he said, springing to his feet. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”
With that, Silas disappeared into his room. Chance drew her feet from under her and placed both of them on the floor. Slowly but surely, she herself, started to feel more and more sleepy.
“Sorry about that,” he said, emerging from the room. “Now, where were we?”
Chance smiled at him and gave him a look.
“The mood is gone, isn’t it?” he said, lowering his head once again, sure that he already knew the answer.
“Yeah, kinda. I think it’s time for me to leave – it’s getting a little too late, anyway.”
“OK, well, at least let me walk you downstairs,” he asserted.
“Sure,” she chimed, “I’d like that actually.”
From the time they left his apartment to the moment that she reached the last step, they barely spoke a word – clearly, trying to reach for something interesting or funny but too tried to come up with either.
“Good evening, Mr. Reams,” she said just as they were about to part ways, “and thanks for everything. I had a really amazing time.”
“Thanks for joining us for dinner, Ms. Parker,” he replied as they fell into a hug and then a soft kiss. “Anytime you want to come back again, just let us know. We’d love to have you!”
“Absolutely!” she said, “let’s make it happen!”
Chapter 8
“I can’t believe I’m meeting your parents – already!” Silas said, chatting on the phone with Chance in between classes. Although they had only been dating for three months, he could hardly deny how easy and how right everything felt between them.
“Listen, when you know, you know! Isn’t that what you tell me all the time?” Chance delighted, serving Silas a dose of his own medicine.
“It is indeed!” he said, amused to hear his own words of wisdom being hurled back at him.
“Oh, about dinner…” Chance began.
“Yeah?” Silas asked, already nervous and little on edge.
“Uh – just make sure – just make sure you get there on time,” she said.
“Are you sure that’s what you wanted to say?” he asked, sensing that she had originally planned to go a different route.
“Uh – yeah,” she confirmed hastily, ready to change the subject. “You nervous?”
“A little bit,” he revealed. “I just don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of your folks. Especially since I don’t know much about them.”
“Well, I’ve told you all that you need to know for the moment,” Chance said, sounding a little somber. “My family can be a lot to process,” she began, “I need you to promise me that you will continue to hang in there…even after you’ve met them.”
&nbs
p; “But, of course,” Silas said, unsure about why Chance was being so vague and sounding a little pessimistic. “My family is crazy too. And let’s not even mention the drama I go through with Kalyn. You don’t have to worry about my feelings changing about you because of your family,” he assured.
“Cool!” she sighed, still not sounding convinced. “See you tonight at 7:30 PM, then?”
“Oh, I’ll be there by 7:28 PM!” Silas insisted, heeding the advice she’d given him earlier and paying an homage to her unwavering punctuality.
Silas promptly hung up the phone and, as he went about his day, the hours began to speed by. In a sense, the time between his parting words with Chance and the moment he arrived at her front door was a Gaussian blur.
As he stood on her parents’ porch, this time remembering to bring Chance’s flowers, Silas took note of the tony neighborhood and its very well-appointed homes – each, neatly lined along the freshly-paved road with well-manicured, stunningly green yards. Surroundings like these took picturesque to a whole new level and Silas was beyond impressed.
Although she didn’t act like it, Chance was clearly of money and – quite possibly – rather well-connected as a result. He remembered the anxiety she had expressed earlier and wondered if she’d thought that he would expect more of her, financially, as a result of this revelation. He decided, at the earliest opportunity, that he would assuage her fears. Silas wasn’t sure how he would express it but he wanted to be very clear: he only wanted her for her – nothing more and nothing less.
Silas watched nervously as the door opened up before him and revealed a familiar, green-eyed face.
“Patience?” he asked, quietly confident that he was on the right track.
“That’s me!” she said, pushing the screen door open. “Come right on in.”
“Thanks,” he said, as he entered their home and stood in the foyer.
“I believe we’ve met!” she laughed.
“Yeah,” he chuckled, “it seems we’ve crossed paths before – on the running trial.”
“Chance told me about the mix-up. I couldn’t stop laughing – hilarious,” she said, clearly taking it all in stride.
“Hi Silas,” Chance interjected as she descended down the stairs.
“Wow, you look great!” he bellowed, looking up in her direction and extending the bouquet of flowers he had brought her out in front of him. “These are for you!”
“How sweet!” she said, hitting the landing and graciously accepting his vibrantly colored, aromatic gift. “Put these in water, please,” she said to Patience who stole a whiff before dutifully carting the gift off to the kitchen.
“How you doing? You nervous?” Chance asked as soon as they got a moment alone to themselves, searching his eyes for answers.
“I think I’m doing O-“
“Silas!” Chance’s mother, Ingrid, said as she emerged from the kitchen. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” she submitted, with an inviting smile.
“It’s nice to meet you too, Mrs. Parker,” he said, looking a little caught off guard.
“Why don’t you join us in the dining room,” Ingrid lured, grabbing Silas by the arm and leading him along the way.
“That would be great!” Silas agreed, as if he had a choice.
“I’m going to have to apologize for Chance’s dad,” Ingrid said, contritely. “He got held up at work and won’t be able to make it. It’ll only be the four of us this evening.”
“Oh, Dad’s not going to be able to make it? I didn’t know that!” Chance said giddily, trailing behind on the path to the dinner table.
Silas turned around momentarily to get a good look at Chance. From what he could tell, her mood had shifted rather significantly – as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As he continued along the path, Silas reconsidered his earlier thought. Perhaps it wasn’t her family’s wealth that made Chance nervous about sharing this aspect of her world. Based on her reaction, Silas reasoned that whatever issues Chance had about him meeting her family, more than likely, rested squarely with her dad. He was intrigued, and clearly interested in exploring that more, but decided to table it for the time being.
As they entered the dining room and approached the table, Silas was surprised to see the sheer volume of food spread out before him. Baked chicken, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and warm rolls, sat invitingly on the table. Silas’ mouth watered; his eyes and his nose delighted in the sights and smells of the delectable array.
“Sit anywhere you’d like,” Ingrid said, motioning toward the table. “Patience, come on dear. We’re ready!” she shouted as Chance and Silas took their seats beside each other.
“We almost forget the garden salad,” Patience cautioned as she brought it in from the kitchen and sat it on the table.
“You’re a life-saver,” Ingrid sang as she motioned for Patience to hurry up and get seated.
“Whew! So who’s going to say the prayer?” Patience asked looking around the table.
“I’ll do it!” Silas volunteered, eager to score points.
“Oh! How wonderful!” Ingrid mused.
“Let’s bow our heads,” he confidently instructed, just as the back door open noisily.
“Hey guys, I’m home early!” a voice rang out.
“Hun, we’re in the dining room,” Ingrid shouted, lifting her head from its bowed position.
Silas looked over at Chance who wore a look of terror on her face. Realizing that her dad was home, her cheery disposition had all but vanished and left a quiet, anxious soul in its wake.
Silas heard footsteps approaching and couldn’t wait to see what – or who – had Chance so nervous. All of a sudden, it all made sense. As soon as Silas saw his face, he inadvertently sprang to his feet.
“Chancellor Parker?” he gasped, totally taken by surprise. He knew they shared last names, but they’re related?
“Oh that’s right, you do go to Stronghold!” Ingrid said, piecing together how Silas knew who he was.
Silas looked at Chance again who avoided his glare and stared off to the side.
“We were supposed to have an Executive Board meeting but they canceled it at the very last minute,” the Chancellor said, walking over toward Silas, extending his hand. “Silas, is it? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, before addressing the entire table. “Sorry I’m late! Shall we get started?”
“We certainly shall!” Ingrid agreed. “Grab a seat, dear.”
“Dad, can you say the grace,” Chance asked, strategically getting Silas off the hook.
“Sure,” the Chancellor agreed right before whole-heartedly embracing his duty, “let’s all join hands and bow our heads.
As the family prayed, Silas and Chance exchanged terse glances. Throughout dinner, he tried to be engaged in the conversation but really felt like he had been socked in the stomach. How could Chance keep this kind of information under wraps? Something about it felt off. He had a million questions and was almost certain that none would be answered that night.
At the end of the evening, Silas received warm regards from Chance’s family and was invited to come back whenever he wanted to. He graciously accepted their invitation and quietly asked Chance to see him out.
As they walked to the door, a pin-drop would’ve registered loud and clear. Shortly after they reached the foyer, Chance opened the door and stood by quietly. She said her first words to him as soon as he landed on the porch.
“I can explain,” she murmured, in what sounded like near-defeat.
“Save it,” Silas countered, making a bee-line for his car, unsure about when he would talk to Chance again.
Epilogue
It had been a week since Silas had spoken to Chance. Although she had valiantly tried to reach out to him, he just couldn’t bring himself to talk to her – not just yet. While he didn’t respond to any of her text messages or e-mails, he had actually read each one of them.
“Please don’t shut me out,” her
last text message to him read as he sat studying for his Programming Course. “You promised that you wouldn’t, remember? Please let me explain.”
Silas sighed. She was right. Chance had asked him to hang in there after meeting her family and he had clearly told her that he would. From that perspective, he had gone back on his word. On the flip-side, she hadn’t been straight-forward with him about who she was. From her family’s status to her dad’s identity, she had held some important information back from him and – in a real way – it made him wonder what else might be up her sleeve.
“Meet me at Johnny Quicks in 30 minutes?” he suggested, signaling – for the first time – that he was ready to talk.
“Sure,” she replied immediately, curtly.
Silas closed his books and hastily shoved them into his book bag. He wasn’t looking forward to this meeting at all but realized that it was time to have a frank conversation. Instead of driving, he decided to take the 25-minute walk and, along the way, work through his thoughts. Silas reasoned that the fresh air and quiet time would help to clear his mind and lay the foundation for a thoughtful discussion.
The only problem: none of that was true. The closer he got to his destination, the more he wanted to turn around and go back to his study session. At least there, he had the majority of the answers. Here, in this case, all bets were off! When it came to Chance, things were much more undefined and in flux. Despite his reservations, he powered forward and, before he knew it, he’d arrived at Johnny Quicks.
“Table for two,” he said, as he reached the hostess’ stand.
“Would you like a booth or a high-top,” the petite, cheerful hostess asked, grabbing two menus.
“Wait,” Silas said, as a familiar face caught his eye, “it looks like the person I’m meeting is already here.
“Oh, OK,” the hostess replied, putting the menus back in their holder, “you’re welcomed to just go in.”
“Thanks,” he said, reluctantly starting down the well-worn path.
As he walked toward her, Chance slowly realized that Silas had arrived.