ordered food and everybody talked except Pierce. He looked like he wished he were somewhere else. Lily and Noelle tried talking to him, but he seemed very disinterested in anything they had to say. Maybe he didn’t want to bother with high school girls.
“How do you two know each other?” Noelle asked. Her nosiness was usually annoying, but today I didn’t mind.
Pierce looked over at Daniel to answer.
Daniel said, "Pierce lives near my aunt. We met years ago."
“Where does she live?” Noelle asked.
“ Near the Wampus Lake Reservoir."
"Is that nearby?" I wondered out loud.
"No," Noelle said. "It's on the opposite side of town."
Daniel excused himself and went inside and Pierce seemed nervous being left alone with us. Noelle asked him questions but Pierce only gave curt responses. We learned that he was in his last year at NYU and lived in the Village. He was home this weekend for his mom’s birthday.
Daniel returned and said, “Paige, we have to get going. I paid the bill so take your time.”
“Okay,” I said, flabbergasted by their quick exit. “Nice meeting you, Pierce.” He looked at me and nodded uncomfortably. What a strange guy!
Daniel turned around and jovially added, “Be careful in the pool, ladies. Make sure to put on sun block.”
“Okay, D ad,” answered Noelle. They got in the car and drove off. I hoped that he wasn’t spending a long time in Chappaqua. The city would seem so empty without him.
5. BLOCK PARTY
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Einstein
We got up early Monday morning and caught the train back to the city. As Uncle Ian and Lily walked to work, I spotted a cab dropping someone off at Grand Central and I jumped inside. Feeling hot and tired, I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
Exiting the cab, I saw Mom across the street taking Amber for a walk. I waved to her. When I entered the lobby, Carl handed me a package for Dad. I put it on the table in the entry foyer and admired the hydrangea arrangement.
Mom loved flowers and most of the paintings and photographs hanging in the house were of flowers. She weekly bought various bouquets and made beautiful arrangements. There was always a vase filled with flowers in the kitchen, dining room and foyer. Once when I suggested dried flowers, Mom said that in feng shui teachings, it wasn’t good to have dead flowers, something about bad energy. Whatever that meant.
After I got out of the shower, Mom came in to my room and said she was working from home. She needed to pick things up for a photo shoot and asked if I wanted to come. I said sure. She reminded me that Dad was leaving for Paris after work and to call him.
As I brushed my hair, I heard my cell beeping. It was a text from Daniel. “Can you have lunch today? Am going out of town tonight.” That put me in panic mode. Where was he going?
Instead of texting back, I called him and said, “Hi, lunch is great.”
“ Want to meet at Rosa’s near Lincoln Center at noon? Do you know where that is?”
I told him I did. We even liked the same types of food. Before I could ask him anything, he said he had to run and would meet me there. I’d have to wait to find out.
Mom appeared in my doorway and I had to fill her in on Daniel because if I didn’t, Aunt Cecile would. How could I tell her I met him in Central Park and that he was a complete stranger? She wouldn’t care that he was nice; she’d be thinking “serial killer.” I knew her.
I started by saying that I had just made a lunch date and was going to pass on going with her.
After she asked who I was having lunch with, I filled her in on the whole story. Her demeanor quickly changed. When she heard his age, Mom began pacing around my room straightening up, a sure sign that she was upset. She folded some clothes that were on a chair, and stated, “If you go out with him, I must meet him.”
“Mom, please, it’s just lunch,” I pleaded.
She
“How do you two know each other?” Noelle asked. Her nosiness was usually annoying, but today I didn’t mind.
Pierce looked over at Daniel to answer.
Daniel said, "Pierce lives near my aunt. We met years ago."
“Where does she live?” Noelle asked.
“ Near the Wampus Lake Reservoir."
"Is that nearby?" I wondered out loud.
"No," Noelle said. "It's on the opposite side of town."
Daniel excused himself and went inside and Pierce seemed nervous being left alone with us. Noelle asked him questions but Pierce only gave curt responses. We learned that he was in his last year at NYU and lived in the Village. He was home this weekend for his mom’s birthday.
Daniel returned and said, “Paige, we have to get going. I paid the bill so take your time.”
“Okay,” I said, flabbergasted by their quick exit. “Nice meeting you, Pierce.” He looked at me and nodded uncomfortably. What a strange guy!
Daniel turned around and jovially added, “Be careful in the pool, ladies. Make sure to put on sun block.”
“Okay, D ad,” answered Noelle. They got in the car and drove off. I hoped that he wasn’t spending a long time in Chappaqua. The city would seem so empty without him.
5. BLOCK PARTY
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Einstein
We got up early Monday morning and caught the train back to the city. As Uncle Ian and Lily walked to work, I spotted a cab dropping someone off at Grand Central and I jumped inside. Feeling hot and tired, I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
Exiting the cab, I saw Mom across the street taking Amber for a walk. I waved to her. When I entered the lobby, Carl handed me a package for Dad. I put it on the table in the entry foyer and admired the hydrangea arrangement.
Mom loved flowers and most of the paintings and photographs hanging in the house were of flowers. She weekly bought various bouquets and made beautiful arrangements. There was always a vase filled with flowers in the kitchen, dining room and foyer. Once when I suggested dried flowers, Mom said that in feng shui teachings, it wasn’t good to have dead flowers, something about bad energy. Whatever that meant.
After I got out of the shower, Mom came in to my room and said she was working from home. She needed to pick things up for a photo shoot and asked if I wanted to come. I said sure. She reminded me that Dad was leaving for Paris after work and to call him.
As I brushed my hair, I heard my cell beeping. It was a text from Daniel. “Can you have lunch today? Am going out of town tonight.” That put me in panic mode. Where was he going?
Instead of texting back, I called him and said, “Hi, lunch is great.”
“ Want to meet at Rosa’s near Lincoln Center at noon? Do you know where that is?”
I told him I did. We even liked the same types of food. Before I could ask him anything, he said he had to run and would meet me there. I’d have to wait to find out.
Mom appeared in my doorway and I had to fill her in on Daniel because if I didn’t, Aunt Cecile would. How could I tell her I met him in Central Park and that he was a complete stranger? She wouldn’t care that he was nice; she’d be thinking “serial killer.” I knew her.
I started by saying that I had just made a lunch date and was going to pass on going with her.
After she asked who I was having lunch with, I filled her in on the whole story. Her demeanor quickly changed. When she heard his age, Mom began pacing around my room straightening up, a sure sign that she was upset. She folded some clothes that were on a chair, and stated, “If you go out with him, I must meet him.”
“Mom, please, it’s just lunch,” I pleaded.
She
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