Cliff's Good Deed

29 - Date Number Four

Hannah parted the window blinds looking for Cliff. He would arrive any minute to pick her up for their breakfast date.

"Relax," her mother scolded. She was sitting at the dinette while paging through a catalog. "Looking won't make him get here any faster."

"I'm anxious for you to meet him."

"I remember when you said that the first time James came calling."

Cliff was nothing like James. She had told her parents a heavily redacted version of her confrontation with her ex, summarizing by saying it was completely over. They should never take his phone calls or allow him into their home again.

She hadn't yet told Cliff about the meeting. If he asked, she'd let him know James would no longer be a problem. She hoped her ex took her threat seriously about pressing charges. She worried what Cliff might do to him if he found out how badly their meeting had turned out.

When Hannah saw Cliff's Corvette pull into the driveway, she walked onto the porch to meet him. "Any problem finding my house?"

He smiled when he saw her. "No."

"As you can see, our place is a shack compared to yours."

"I didn't come here to see your place. I came to see you."

James used to compliment her all the time when they first started dating. After a while, not so much. She supposed it was inevitable couples would eventually take each other for granted. She wondered how long that would be with Cliff. "Come on in."

Her mother looked up from her catalog after they entered and greeted him.

Cliff extended his hand. "I'm happy to meet you Mrs. Blessing. Now I can see where your daughter gets her looks."

Hannah couldn't help rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me for not standing," her mother said while shaking his hand. "My arthritis is especially bothersome this morning. I'm waiting for my pain pills to kick in."

Cliff wore a look of concern. "In that case, may I get you something? Can I pour you another cup of coffee?"

"Oh, my," she said to Hannah. "He's so polite and considerate."

"He is, but I also think he's trying way too hard to impress you."

Cliff wore an expression of mock disapproval. "Don't listen to her, Mrs. Blessing. I'm always sincere in my actions."

"I believe you."

Cliff glanced around. "Is Mr. Blessing here?"

Hannah answered, "Dad works first shift and is already at work."

"I'll be sure to put in a good word for you," her mother said.

"Thank you, Mrs. Blessing. I appreciate that." He winked at her.

Hannah laid a hand on her stomach. "We should go. I'm hungry."

Her mother spoke to Cliff. "Better hurry. She'll get grouchy if you don't keep her fed."

"Thanks for the advice. I'll remember that."

When they arrived at the diner, Hannah decided not to order her usual king's breakfast. She opted instead for a double-sized fruit cup.

Cliff drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "That's not very much. Your mother warned me you might get grouchy if you don't eat."

"I tried on my dress. It still fits but is noticeably tighter around my hips. I want to look nice for you at the social, so I need to lose a couple pounds."

It startled her when Cliff reached across the table to take her hand. Then she relaxed after feeling his touch.

He asked, "What are your plans for today before you have to go in to work?"

"Peruse LinkedIn and other job search sites. I need to focus more on networking. I can't wait to be rid of my night shift job."

"I take it your interview didn't go as expected."

"A waste of my time and gas money." She detailed for him what went down. He listened without interrupting, another character attribute she admired. It felt good to unload knowing when a person really listened.

"What about you?" she asked after finishing. "What do you have on tap for today? Are you going to work with one of your crews?"

"No, but I will on Friday. I don't like skipping a week without working on a truck."

Their food arrived. While they ate, she asked, "How is Izzy?"

Cliff's face lit up at the mention of her name. "My little sis. She and Aaron are secretly engaged."

"Really!"

"They'll make it official at the social. He bought her a nice ring."

"I can't wait to see it."

He went quiet for a long time. She asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking how this is our date number four. I'm hoping you'll agree to date number five on Sunday, seeing as how Sundays seem to be the only time we can spend more than an hour together."

"What do you have in mind?"

He grinned. "I'll take that as a yes. You'll agree to see me Sunday?"

She tried acting indifferent but couldn't suppress a smile. "More rollercoasters, maybe?"

"Uh, no. Candymonium was enough of an adrenaline rush to last me for a long time. How about if we jump in the Corvette and take a Sunday drive. No plans, no destination in mind, just winging it."

She loved his suggestion of being spontaneous, a welcome departure from fixed daily schedules. "That sounds like fun." Another idea crossed her mind. "Before we go on our journey, maybe it's time I reciprocate and meet your parents."

He thought about it for what seemed too long. She wondered what was wrong.

Before she could ask, he spoke. "You've experienced how unfiltered Izzy can be."

"Yeah, her suggestive watermelon monolog. That was hilarious."

"My parents are also unfiltered, especially my mother, and you might not find her to be so hilarious."

She set down her fork. "I think you better explain."

"Mom and Dad will speak their mind."

"I have no problem with that. I'd rather have them speak their minds than hide their feelings about me."

"Be careful what you wish for. My mother can be acerbic."

She giggled. "Acerbic? Where did you dig up that word?"

"I'm just saying."

"Can I be acerbic right back at her?"

"If you feel like it, but she won't like it. She can dish it out but doesn't like being dished to. Don't worry, I'll be right there to defend you if things get out of hand."

Cliff continued. "And God help Mom if Izzy is there. She really likes you and will go off on her at the first inkling of disrespect."

It sounds like Cliff is setting up Hannah for an unpleasant parent meeting. We'll see!

Photo Credit: iStock/D-Keine