"A little boy," I replied, and he laughed. He kept his eyes closed.
"Put out the light, please," he said.
I gathered up my books, snapped off his lights, looked back at him, and said goad night. He barely whispered a reply. I hurried out to the front door, feeling as if I was walking on a bed of marshmallows. Then I slipped out quietly and hurried to the waiting taxi. As we pulled away, I gazed back at the house. wishing I could have done just what he dreamed of me doing: slipping in beside him and lying with him all night,
.
Mommy and Daddy were sitting in the kitchen having tea when I arrived. They both looked up expectantly, neither looking upset but both looking curious, even a bit amused.
"A boy sent a taxi for you to help him study?" Daddy asked without saying hello.
"You read my note, didn't you. Mommy?"
"Yes, honey."
"Sprained his ankle," Daddy said. 'I have heard of many different ways to get a young woman to your house. Men used to say. 'Come up and look at my paintings.'"
They both laughed.
"He really did sprain his ankle! He's a baseball player, and he slid into third trying to turn a double into a triple," I fired back at them.
"Oh." Daddy said. "That's different. So you got in some real studying, then?" he asked, still with a coy, impish smile around his lips.
"Yes, we did."
"No paintings?" Daddy asked. teasing.
The fury left my face and I smiled at him. "No, not paintings, but lots of old baseball cards."
"Baseball cards? Now that is really a new one. I can see bubble gum, but the cards?"
"They are very valuable cards. Daddy. He has a wonderful collection worth a lot of money, not that he would ever sell it. He even has cards of famous women baseball players."
"Is that right? I didn't know there was such a thing."
"And cards that were first put on cigarette packs, not bubble gum," I added,
"Very educational evening," Daddy said. nodding. Out of the corner of my eye. I could see that Mommy was baffling to keep from laughing.
For your information, it was." I said. "Make all the fun of me you want." I added, and shot off to my room. Mommy couldn't stop her laugh from following, but I slammed my door closed behind me and dropped myself to my bed facedown. About a minute later there was a soft knock on my door,
"What?" I cried,
The door opened slightly, and Daddy poked his head in.
"Has the minefield been cleared in here? I don't want to step on anything."
"Very funny." I turned and folded my arms under my breasts, my face in a pout.
Daddy stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry I teased you," he said. "You were just an easy target of opportunity I couldn't resist."
"I was not."
He tilted his head to see if I was serious. I turned away so he couldn't see me starting to smile.
"You have to admit that spraining his ankle and sending a taxi for you was a bit unusual. I bet you thought so yourself," he said, inching closer to the bed. "Come on. Sailor Girl, be honest."
I kept my face turned away, but my lips were crumbling like the walls of Jericho. I looked at him and laughed.