Young Love in Old Chicago

by April Marcom

  * * *

  Someone was shaking my arm. “Alexandra,” a faint voice said. “Come on. Wake up, dear. Dinner’s ready.” I sat up and rubbed my eyes as I was pulled out of a deep sleep. My mother was sitting beside me on my bed.

  Pushing my blanket away, I stood up. My mother let out a little gasp. “You’re wearing Mason’s coat. I used to wear your father’s coat around the house when we were younger. Does that mean it’s getting serious?” She got that gleam in her eye.

  “No, Mother. I honestly doubt things are going to get serious.” My own words stung.

  I hung the coat up and then walked downstairs. The delicious smell of pot roast and buttered potatoes made me realize how hungry I was.

  “Those worthless mobsters have struck again,” my father said, smacking the newspaper in front of him with one hand as I walked into the dining room. For some reason his statement startled me. “Another bank’s been robbed. Men like me are out, working for their money every day, and those mobsters pick up a gun and steal it from the bank. Lazy, vile—”

  “That Henry Fago is handsome, though,” Katy said.

  “What? Catherine Rose—do not talk like that about one of those men!”

  “Okay, okay.”

  My mother picked up the bowl of potatoes and began passing them around. “Your parents called today. They’ll be coming Christmas afternoon to stay for a few days,” she said to my father.

  “That means we’ve got to figure out Christmas presents for them,” Katy complained.

  “That’s right, dear.”

  Christmas presents? I hadn’t even thought about them. Maybe Emmaline and I can go Christmas shopping Monday after school.

  Suddenly there was a loud rapping at the door. “I wonder who that could be,” my mother said as she stood up to answer it. I pulled the roast closer to me and started cutting a piece off as I waited.

  The door opened and my body went stiff when I heard Mason’s voice. “Good evening, Mrs. Roomer.”

  “Mason, won’t you come in? We’re just having dinner,” my mother said.

  “Thank you, but I’m a terrible mess. I just wondered if I could see Alexandra for a minute.”

  “Of course, I’ll go get her.”

  “Alexandra, you look like you’re going to be ill,” Katy whispered to me. I was still frozen in place. She began laughing as I stood up.

  My mother entered the dining room with a broad grin on her face. “Someone’s here to see you, Alexandra,” she said. I wondered, as I walked past her, if she really had no idea that we could all hear every word they said.

  I took my coat off the rack and closed the door behind me. Mason had his arms around me before I even had my coat on. They felt so secure, taking all my uncertainty away. “I forgot to give you a note. Hayden distracted me,” he said.

  “It’s all right.” But it wasn’t. He couldn’t have known how much his notes meant to me.

  Mason leaned back and took both of my hands in his. The sun was setting behind him in the purple sky, causing his dark hair to reflect it. I thought again of how impossibly good-looking he was, how lucky I was to have him there with me, holding my hands, and how badly it would hurt when his day of recognition came. “Benny had a headache, so I got off early. We’ll probably be paying for it tomorrow…I know it’s getting late, but I wanted to see you before I went home. Sorry I caught you during dinner,” Mason said.

  “I’m glad you came by.” I looked down at my feet. “I did wonder why you didn’t write me a note…I was worried.”

  He let go of one of my hands and put his on my cheek, gently lifting my head so I would meet his gaze. “You should never worry. Hayden just gets under my skin. It feels like he wants to wedge himself between us until I’m gone. I don’t want that to happen.” His silvery eyes seemed to flash as his lids became heavy with anger.

  “That will never happen.” I put my hand over his and slid it down to my mouth so I could kiss his palm. Even though I could tell he had washed his hands, I could taste a hint of oil. “You should never worry either. I told you, Hayden just feels like my brother. His feelings are one-sided.”

  Mason smiled and held onto my hand as he let them both fall. He moved closer to me and leaned down. My heart fluttered as his lips moved toward mine. I wanted to taste his perfect lips more than anything. But the door opened behind me and Mason jumped back.

  “Alexandra, you should come back in for dinner,” my father said.

  “All right,” I answered, trying to hide my frustration.

  “Good night, Alexandra,” Mason said as he gave me a quick hug. “Good night, Mr. Roomer. Sorry to interrupt your dinner.”

  “That’s all right. Can I give you a ride home?”

  “No thanks. I can’t ask you to do that when you’ve just sat down for dinner.”

  My father and I walked back inside. “I’ll come eat in just a minute, Father. I need to use the restroom first,” I said, wanting to see what Mason had written to me. Resting my hand inside my pocket, I could already feel the little piece of paper.

  “Don’t be long. Your mother’s having us all wait for you.”

  I hurried to the bathroom and shut the door before I took the note out. I held it up and read I’m yours. Smiling, I held it against my heart. For the first time, a note made perfect sense, and more importantly, he was mine.