Eden (5 page)

“Did you mean it when you invited me over tonight for dinner?” I asked her while I still had the nerve.

“Of course,” she replied, “I have to do a little food shopping after school. What would you like?”

“Anything would be great,” I offered.

“How about Chinese food?” she asked, “I can make us beef and broccoli.”

“That sounds great,” I said with a smile.

“Well, then its settled,” her answer was like music to my ears, “Dinner should be ready around six tonight.”

“I can’t wait,” I told her. Truthfully, I really couldn’t.

After lunch, Eden left to stop at her locker and my friends immediately descended upon me.

“Who was that?” Drake asked.

“That was Eden,” I informed him, a proud smile playing across my face.

“Why was she sitting with you?” Matt probed.

“She’s my friend, genius,” I told him.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Drake shot at me.

“Yes, she is,” I informed him, confidently.

I wish that I was as confident about the relationship between Eden and me as I sounded, but I certainly didn’t want Drake to think that he could put any moves on her.

“I’m impressed,” Kyle said, patting me on the back, “she is really beautiful.”

Drake looked at me suspiciously. “Did you blackmail her?” he asked, “Level with me, you got some nudie pics of her, don’t you?”

“No,” I laughed.

“How did you two meet?” Matt inquired.

I proceeded to tell them all about my new next door neighbor and our budding romance, of course, adding my own embellishments to make our relationship seem much more concrete than I actually felt it was.

6

The afternoon seemed to fly by; attending classes with the girl of your dreams certainly had its privileges and before I knew it, I was boarding the school bus and on my way home. Howie greeted us in much the same way as he did in the morning and he still sported his horrid neck-beard. Ever since learning about my beautiful ‘girlfriend’, my friends have been treating me like some sort of a celebrity.

I couldn’t wait to get home. I was expected at Eden’s by six. I had thought about waiting for her and taking the taxi home with her instead of the bus and helping her shop, but I didn’t want to come on too strong. I didn’t have a lot of experience with girls and I wasn’t sure what might turn her off.

As soon as I got home, I jumped into the shower. I had never followed such a strict regimen of cleanliness before, but I wanted to look my best for when I went to Eden’s tonight. Spraying on some more Polo Sport, I thought maybe I should buy a new bottle. This one had been a Christmas present from an aunt given to me at least four years ago. I wasn’t sure if the scent would go bad over time.

Searching through my closet, I hoped that I had at least two sets of nice clothes. I was relieved when I came across a light grey sweater and a pair of khaki pants. As I finished dressing I heard the front door open and close, signaling the arrival of my mother.

“What do you want for dinner?” I could hear her shout from the floor below.

I had forgotten all about telling her about my date with Eden tonight. I was sure she wouldn’t be upset, but I felt bad that I didn’t inform her. I went downstairs to let her know.

“I was planning on going to Eden’s tonight,” I told her, stopping at the mirror in the hallway to run a comb through my hair. “She’s cooking dinner for me.”

“She’s what?” my mother gasped. I couldn’t tell if it was out of surprise or anger.

“She asked me if I would go to her house for dinner tonight,” I explained, “and I accepted.”

“She’s cooking dinner for you?” she gasped again. “Wow, this is getting serious.”

“I hope so,” I admitted.

“Do you need that ten for the drug store now?” my mother asked with actual concern in her voice.

“No,” I replied, feeling my face flush.

It was just almost six o’clock when I left my house and headed next door. I had planned on being a few minutes late, so that I didn’t seem too eager to see Eden, but I couldn’t wait any longer. Knocking on her front door, I could detect the savory scent of Eden’s cooking coming from inside.

“You’re early,” she said playfully as she opened the door.

“I couldn’t wait to see you again,” I confessed before the warning signals from my brain could reach my mouth.

“Aw, you’re so sweet,” she cooed, “Come in.”

I entered Eden’s house and was amazed at the furniture. I had been expecting something along the lines of rice paper screens, tatami mats and other Asian style décor; but the living room was practically empty. There was a large screen TV and a comfortable looking couch with a coffee table in between and that was about it. I had to admit, it was very Zen.

“This way, sir,” Eden curtsied, tugging on the ends of an imaginary skirt and then led me to the kitchen.

I had never seen anyone curtsy before in real life, it seemed so old-fashioned.

Stepping into the kitchen, I could see that it too was very bare. There wasn’t even a kitchen table, just some high stools against an island in the center of the room. On the stove I could see the huge metal wok pot where the succulent odor wafted from. It smelled really good, I thought.

“It smells really good,” I let her know. I often say what is on my mind, if you couldn’t already deduce that by yourselves.

“Thank you,” she said, blushing slightly. “I’ve never cooked for a boyfriend before.”

I could have sworn I heard my jaw hit the floor. Did she just say boyfriend? She said that I’m her boyfriend? I couldn’t believe it. This was too good to be true.

“Am I really your boyfriend?” I know that inquiry had just won me the Moron of the Year Award, but I had to be sure.

“Don’t you want to be?” she asked me back with actual hurt in her eyes.

“O-of course,” I replied quickly, stumbling over the words in their rush to reach her ears. “I want nothing more than to be your boyfriend.”

“I’m glad,” she said, leaning over to lightly kiss me, “because I really like you, Thomas.”

“I-I really like you too, Eden,” I stammered, hating myself for being so nervous at a crucial time like this.

“Are you ready for dinner?” she asked, nervously jumping from the stool, changing the subject.

It was comforting to see that she, too, had little experience. It made me feel a little better.

“I sure am,” I said eagerly.

As she dished out some white rice onto a plate, she asked, “After we eat, would you like to watch a movie?”

“Sure, that sounds great,” I agreed. To me, it sounded like the perfect evening.

Pouring the beef and broccoli over the rice, Eden handed me a plate. It looked just as good as it smelled. I waited until she was seated beside me before I began to eat. The food was delicious. It was the best beef and broccoli I had ever had and I’m not just saying that because I was in love. Well, maybe I was, but the food was still pretty damn good.

“This is awesome,” I exclaimed, forgetting my vow not to talk to Eden with my mouth full.

She giggled at my slip in table manners,” I’m glad you like it.”

At least she had the courtesy to cover her mouth with her hand when she talked with her mouth full.  After we finished with dinner, she washed the dishes in the sink and I dried them and put them in the cupboard. I was secretly pleased that we were cleaning up together; I didn’t like the thought of her spending the night cleaning on her own.

When we finished, Eden grabbed a foil package of Jiffy Pop. I hadn’t seen one of them since I was little. I was surprised that they were still made.

“Do you know how to make that?” I asked her.

She laughed, “You just hold it above the stove top, silly.”

“Why didn’t you just get microwave popcorn?” I asked, “Isn’t that easier to make?”

“I suppose so,” she answered, “but I don’t like using the microwave unless I really have to.”

That sounded like something my grand mother would say. She never trusted any of the ‘short cuts’ that my mother took in the kitchen, either.

“It’s not natural to cook things in radiation,” my grandmother would say, “someday you’re going to grow a third eye and then you’ll see.”

I laughed silently to myself, but Eden caught it.

“What’s so funny?” she asked, punching me playfully in the arm.

“Nothing,” I said, “I was just thinking about what a wonderful time I am having with you.”

“I am, too,” she admitted. “I really like being with you.”

The look of vulnerability in her eyes was too much, I couldn’t help myself and I reached out for her, cradling her in my arms and kissing her firmly on the lips. I had never done anything like this before. Our first two kisses had both been initiated by Eden. We were kissing so intensely that we both almost ignored the harsh popping sound in our ears. I had heard stories of truly passionate kisses igniting fireworks in the brains of its participants, but in my case it was just the Jiffy Pop.

Realizing that we had both been thinking the same thing, we broke down in fits of laughter. When we settled down, Eden retrieved a large plastic bowl from a cabinet and, breaking the tin foil mountain, we poured the popcorn into the bowl.

Bringing the popcorn into the living room, I set the bowl on the coffee table. Eden walked over to a small bookcase next to the TV. I noticed a few DVD cases lining the shelves.

“What type of movie do you want to watch?” she asked.

I wanted to watch a comedy or action movie, as they were my favorite genres, but something told me that romance would be the perfect category for tonight. I informed Eden of my decision and she looked at me suspiciously, as if I was up to something; I gave her my best look of innocence.

Grabbing the remote and starting the movie, Eden sat down beside me on the leather couch. The couch was big and could have easily sat four adults, but Eden’s body was pressed close to mine as she reached into the bowl on my lap and grabbed a handful of popcorn. I found it more and more difficult to concentrate on the movie.

All the lamps in the room were off and I could only see Eden by the light of the TV. Her face and form bathed in the harsh light and shadow cast by the screen, were even more seductive than usual and I found myself even more drawn to her; I leaned over and began kissing her again. She responded and her mouth surrendered to the probing of my tongue. My hand reached up to cup her small, firm breast beneath her thin sweater, maybe I should have taken my mother’s advice and stopped at the drug store before coming to Eden’s house, but I couldn’t stop myself now.

Unfortunately, Eden had more self-control than I did and pushed me off of her with strength that surprised me, causing the bowl and popcorn to tumble to the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “Please stop.” She whispered, not looking me in the eye.

I felt myself flush in embarrassment, or maybe it was just the blood returning to my face from elsewhere. I was afraid that I had just ruined everything.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” I said feebly.

“It’s ok,” Eden assured me, “I’m not mad at you. I’m just not ready to go that far yet.”

I was relieved to learn that she didn’t hate me. I would have been crushed if she had. Instead she put her arm around me and resting her head on my chest, continued to watch the movie.

I tried to concentrate on the movie, but my thoughts kept returning to what had just happened. Why would I try something like that? As if reading my mind, Eden looked up at me with concern in her eyes like she was worried that she had hurt my feelings.

“Is everything alright?” she finally asked.

“I’m really sorry about what happened,” I confessed, unable to look her in the eyes.

“Don’t worry, Thomas,” she said with a smile, “from what I’ve read, your reaction was perfectly normal.”

“You’ve read about it?” I asked.

“My parents go away on business very often, so books were all I had to keep me company growing up,” she admitted.

“What about TV?” I questioned.

“This was before TV,” she stopped as if she said something that she didn’t mean to, “before we got a TV, I mean.”

I had heard about some parents being so strict that they didn’t allow their children to watch TV at all, forcing them to read books for entertainment. It seemed that Eden’s parents were like that, or so I had thought at the time.

We lost interest in the movie; the events of the evening made it hard to focus on the television screen, so we gave it up and decided to clean up the popcorn that was littering the floor.

Eden went into the kitchen and quickly reappeared with a small vacuum cleaner. Turning it on, she quickly cleaned all the popcorn from the floor. Looking under the couch, I could see that plenty of kernels had taken up residence there. Standing up I reached out to move the couch. It didn’t budge. I gave it my all, grunting as I pushed with all of my strength; still it didn’t move an inch.

“Wow,” I exclaimed in wonder, “How heavy is this thing? I can’t move it at all.”

“My family likes their furniture built to last,” Eden explained, “This couch is from the 18th century. Of course my parents had it reupholstered in leather, but that frame has got to weigh well over a hundred pounds.”

“How will you clean the popcorn under it?” I asked.

“I’ll get a broom and push the popcorn out the other side,” she informed me, “but it’s getting late, I’ll clean it up tomorrow.”

“Alright,” I agreed, “then I’ll see you in school in the morning.”

“You bet,” she agreed with a smile.

“And you are sure that you aren’t upset?” I asked one last time.

“No, I’m not,” she smiled. As if to drive the point home, Eden leaned over and kissed me on the lips.  After the kiss, I stumbled back a few steps onto the doorstep.

“Have a good night, Thomas,” she said, standing in the doorway.

“You too, Eden,” I returned.

Smiling back at me, she slowly closed the door.

I stepped off the doorstep and headed towards my house. I felt bad that we hadn’t been able to clean up all of the popcorn. It was my fault that it fell on the floor in the first place and I couldn’t believe that I was so weak that I couldn’t even budge that couch. I was just about to make up my mind to go back and give it another try when I heard the silent roar of the vacuum start up again from inside Eden’s house.

I walked back towards her house,  hoping that Eden wasn’t trying to move that couch alone; she could hurt herself. Just before I knocked, something strange caught my eye. Peeking through the thin window that ran alongside the door, I witnessed the unbelievable – the couch that I had not even been able to move an inch was now suspended over Eden’s head!