{"id":904,"date":"2010-05-13T01:00:16","date_gmt":"2010-05-13T05:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/?p=904"},"modified":"2010-11-09T20:25:54","modified_gmt":"2010-11-10T01:25:54","slug":"99-lost-and-found","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/?p=904","title":{"rendered":"99 Lost and Found"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we pulled up to the restaurant, I started getting self-conscious. I had no idea how I looked, now. Surely I owed it Jeremy to put at least some<\/em> makeup on, didn\u2019t I? It would have been so much easier if I had just done it from the start, where Mom and Tina could have commented. This whole makeup thing was such a pain! I was starting to appreciate how much better I looked with it, but I wished there was an easier way. As soon as we got to the restaurant, I excused myself to run to the ladies\u2019 room to see what a mess I had made of myself, and what I could to fix it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first person I noticed in the bathroom was Maddy, who was at the mirror, fixing her own makeup. She automatically turned to see when I opened the door and did a double take when she saw me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarsh! Are you here with Dirk?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, no,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m\u2026 here with another boy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarsh is here?\u201d I heard from one of the stalls. Then the toilet flushed, and Cherise came out. \u201cHey, Marsh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother boy?\u201d Maddy echoed, ignoring the other girl. \u201cYou said you weren\u2019t dating anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what happened to your makeup?\u201d Cherise asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing at a time, Cherise,\u201d Maddy snapped. \u201cWhat about it, Marsh? Why did you lie to me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t! Go ask Jeremy; this is our first date, and he asked me after<\/em> I spoke to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s some coincidence; Dirk said when he called, you already had a date. So he just happened<\/em> to call you in between you talking to me and Dirk calling?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd why aren\u2019t you wearing makeup?\u201d Cherise repeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cCherise!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is important, Maddy. Have you ever seen Marsh without makeup? On a date?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two of them turned to me. \u201cThat is<\/em> a good point,\u201d Maddy conceded. \u201cWhat about it, Marsh?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh boy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026 I was upset at Tina and I didn\u2019t think it was a real date and I was really starting to feel sorry for myself, and\u2026\u201d and I had had that fight with Chad, but after Mom\u2019s reaction, that didn\u2019t seem sensible to mention.<\/em><\/p>\n

They shared glances and then Maddy pressed me again, \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to explain that one.\u201d<\/p>\n

So I explained how Tina had set it up, and how I\u2019d been feeling bad about it and how it turned out that Jeremy and I had really liked each other and didn\u2019t know it. By the time I was done, they were laughing. Laughing!<\/p>\n

\u201cMarsh, you are incredible,\u201d snickered Cherise. \u201cHow do you get yourself into these situations? All you had to do was ask your sister to ask her friend who Janine was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how do you go from a boy who is too aggressive for you, even after two years, to one who\u2019s afraid to ask you out?\u201d Maddy asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t say he was afraid\u2026\u201d I protested, feeling I needed to defend him from my friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarsh, you said his sister had to hit him to make him ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was\u2026 shy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs opposed to you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you guys even talk to each other when you\u2019re alone? Or is it all, \u2018er,\u2019 \u2018um\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

I felt my face growing hot, and I didn\u2019t even have the protection of foundation to conceal the redness of my cheeks. That reminded me why I had come into the ladies\u2019 room in the first place. Besides it served to change the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look kind of pale, don\u2019t I?\u201d I said, staring in the mirror.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously,\u201d Cherise said. \u201cWhat do you have with you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026\u201d I opened my purse. \u201cLipstick, pencil, eyeliner, blush, and powder,\u201d I said, taking them out. That\u2019s just going to have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the two of them offering advice, I managed to do something I thought sensible; remembering how Lee Ann had put powder on my face without foundation, I did the same now, since it was all I had. I added lipstick, blush, and liner, and thought the effect reasonable, under the circumstances.<\/p>\n

And Jeremy didn\u2019t even notice! Not that I\u2019m saying it was my main focus, but given how foreign all of this was to me, and how much of an effort I was putting in to be a girl on a date with him, it would have been nice if he\u2019d found a way to compliment me.<\/p>\n

Cherise and Maddy had insisted on meeting him, so I pulled him away from the table he had found for the two of us, and dragged him over to meet the girls and their dates. And then of course, we had to sit with them.<\/p>\n

Jeremy was really a good sport, considering that he had obviously expected to be alone with me. He didn\u2019t say a lot at the table, but he made up for it on the dance floor. In the first place, he had been modest about his abilities \u2013 he was a wonderful dancer, and I actually felt comfortable with his arms around me. Well, not just comfortable; I was definitely a little bit turned on by dancing with him; if I had had music, I might well have started singing \u2013 if I\u2019d known what to sing. But I definitely felt like a heroine in a romantic musical.<\/p>\n

And\u2026 I got my good night kiss. Jeremy walked me to my door, as I tried to remember all the strategies I\u2019d known about walking a girl home \u2013 and then tried to reverse them. So I took my keys out of my purse, and said, \u201cThank you for a wonderful evening, Jeremy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, you, too,\u201d he said, and he gave me one of his incredible smiles, but he didn’t kiss me. I was about to give up, when he said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry we didn\u2019t get to see Avatar<\/em>. Would you like to go see it tomorrow?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I was so surprised, that it took me a moment to respond. \u201cTomorrow?\u201d I said or, I guess, squealed \u2013 another first for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I did promise you a movie,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I made you take me to a restaurant, and you had to pay a cover charge, and you wound up spending more already than you had planned. I\u2019m really sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed. \u201cI\u2019m not. I figure we\u2019ve got about two months to catch up on. Um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like you\u2019re so easy to talk to. Most girls make me nervous, but you don\u2019t talk like most girls. You\u2026 I\u2019m saying this badly and I don\u2019t want to insult you, but sometimes when I talk with you, it feels like I\u2019m talking to a friend, only,\u201d he added hurriedly, \u201ca friend I really like a lot more than\u2026 well\u2026 I\u2019m saying this all wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re doing great,\u201d I told him, my heart pounding.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, and\u2026\u201d I saw him take a deep breath. This is it,<\/em> I thought, <\/span>he\u2019s going to kiss me now.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cUm,\u201d he said again. \u201cYou know, when we get back to school\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I stared at him, starting to get a bit annoyed. When you consider yourself to be really good at something, it can be painful to watch somebody do it ineptly. I think I\u2019d been on nearly two dozen first dates, and had never failed to kiss the girl good night. Jeremy was on the verge on failing badly, and with a girl who had tried to make it obvious that she wanted to be kissed. I jingled my keys a little, hoping that he might have seen Hitch<\/em>, in which the title character explains how to tell when a girl is expecting a good night kiss. It at least drew his attention, and from the slight look of panic in his eyes, I could tell that he really did want to kiss me, but wasn\u2019t sure how to go about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I watched closely as he pressed his lips together in determination. Then he gently placed his right hand on my shoulder and leaned in. In The Princess Bride<\/em>, the narrator talks about great kisses and how the one between Westley and Buttercup surpassed them all. Now, <\/span>this<\/em> kiss\u2026 well, it wasn\u2019t even close. At least he hit my lips, I\u2019ll give him that. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not that it really mattered. I didn\u2019t need to judge his technique; besides, it looked as though we were going to have more than a few dates to work on things, and I had never minded practicing kissing somebody I liked. Plus, I was flying, just being with him. I did reach up to put my hands on his shoulders for a second attempt, and that was somewhat better.<\/p>\n

At least it affected him, as well, and his, \u201cgood night\u201d was a bit shaky. I reached behind me and let myself in, and then closed the door and hissed a triumphant, \u201cyes!\u201d at the ceiling.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood date?\u201d<\/p>\n

I jumped. \u201cDaddy!\u201d I exclaimed, turning to see him sitting on a chair in the hallway, \u201cI\u2026 didn\u2019t expect you to be there!\u201d<\/p>\n

He got up and put down his book. \u201cWell, I just wanted to be sure you were OK.\u201d He kissed me on the forehead and added, \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure your sister is still up, too, so why don\u2019t you go check on her? You can tell your mother all about it in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The light was on under Tina\u2019s door, so I knocked lightly and heard a whispered, \u201cMarsh? Come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m here, Teen,\u201d I whispered back, coming and sitting on the edge of her bed.<\/p>\n

She looked as if she had fallen asleep sitting up, but she struggled awake and asked, \u201cHow did it go?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery, very well,\u201d I answered, only just starting to come down from my high.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnough to make you forget about what\u2019s-his-name at school?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Tina,\u201d I laughed, hugging her. \u201cJeremy is<\/em> the boy I had a crush on at school.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat? I\u2019m pretty sure he doesn\u2019t have a girlfriend,\u201d she said, sounding confused, but no longer sleepy.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t,\u201d I told her, shaking my head. \u201cIt was just a total misunderstanding on my part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026 good, then. So everything\u2019s all right now?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell,\u201d I said, \u201cIt\u2019s really good; but it\u2019s almost as though I have this little voice in the back of my head from the part of me that\u2019s still Marshall, telling me that I really shouldn\u2019t be dating boys at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

She sat all the way up, indignant. \u201cWell you tell Marshall to shut up! This is your life and you\u2019re a girl, now! He has no right to tell you how to live your life!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, he\u2019s\u2026\u201d I waved off my own objection. \u201cIt\u2019s not like I hear it all the time, Teen, and certainly not when I\u2019m with\u2026 Jeremy. It just seems as though it\u2019s too good to be true. I was alone for so long, and now… I\u2019m not. We\u2019re going out again tomorrow!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo nights in a row? Wow. I guess Phyllis and I were right, weren\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou certainly were. Anyway, we both need our sleep, and I\u2019ll talk to you in the morning. Good night, Teen, and thank you very much!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood night\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The next morning, after Dad left to take Tina to rehearsal, Mom pulled me aside. \u201cNow that we\u2019re alone, you can tell me about last night. Your father said only that you returned later than expected and in a very good mood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI sure did,\u201d I grinned. \u201cThe girlfriend turned out to be just a friend, the boy turned out to have wanted to ask me out for a while, we went dancing, and we\u2019re going out again tonight!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you two got along well?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well. He\u2019s a wonderful dancer, and very easy to talk to, and\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd good-looking?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm\u2026 yeah,\u201d I said unable to keep myself from blushing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat did you talk about?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell\u2026\u201d What<\/em> had <\/span>we talked about?<\/em> I don\u2019t think I remember too many specifics. I think we talked about school, and\u2026 \u201d I shrugged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mom smiled. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got that<\/em> much of a crush on him, I take it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd all that hysteria was unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I guess so,\u201d I admitted. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t know that, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still a little foggy on what happened before the date, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, before the date?\u201d I echoed, my heart leaping into my throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you said that you\u2019d had a fight with Chad, and then you decided not to wear makeup on a date. Neither one of these is like you, Marsh.\u201d<\/p>\n

I tensed as she continued, \u201cHoney, you\u2019ve been in a strange mood for some time; I\u2019m just trying to understand why. You stopped really talking to me for while, and then even when you started again, I\u2019ve had the sense that you\u2019re not telling me as much as you used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2026 Mom, I just\u2026\u201d I started. Fortunately, my cell phone rang just then. It had the standard ring, so it wasn\u2019t one of my friends, but it was a good excuse to interrupt the conversation. \u201cJust a second, Mom,\u201d I said. \u201cThis could be important.\u201d<\/p>\n

I stood up, pulled the phone out of my purse and flipped it open, gesturing to Mom that I was going to take it in the next room. \u201cHello?\u201d I said as I turned to leave.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarsh, this is Eric. I think we\u2019ve found the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we pulled up to the restaurant, I started getting self-conscious. I had no idea how I looked, now. Surely I owed it Jeremy to put at least some makeup on, didn\u2019t I? It would have been so much easier if I had just done it from the start, where Mom and Tina could have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-section-7-winter-break"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=904"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":906,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904\/revisions\/906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.takealemon.com\/story\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}