Out of the Loop

Chapter Eight

Maz waved to her mother as she backed her sedan back down the wooded driveway.  She had been expecting a mansion after the long drive through the woods, and the Beauville’s cabin was pretty close.  Warm light spilled out of a bay window on the right side of the house, and a stone path meandered through a small garden, leading to the front door.  As Maz tiptoed up the walk, a young woman swung open the door, craning her neck.  She waved a slender hand in a vain attempt to get the attention of Maz’s mother, who had just turned a corner in the driveway.  

“Oh, I was hoping to meet her,” Mrs. Beauville pouted.  She turned to the girl in front of her and beamed.  “You must be Maz! I’m Jenny Beauville!”  She was a short and skinny blond, more petite than Maz had originally guessed because of a pair of white high heels.  Her wide blue eyes shone out from underneath she bangs of her cropped hair.  She had on a turquoise, long-sleeve v-neck on top of a pair of skinny jeans.  Silver hoop earrings and a multi-strand silver necklace complemented her outfit.  

Maz smiled, half in greeting and half in laughter at Mrs. Beauville’s bounciness.  She had no doubt that her mother and Jenny would get along well.  Both were happy and child-like, eager to please.  

Derek came skidding around a corner behind his mother wearing socks on his feet.  He slid on the polished wood floor and fell flat on his rear end.  Sitting up, he grinned sheepishly as Maz snickered behind her hand.  Jenny threw back her head and laughed hysterically, the musical sound echoing through the woods.  

“He’s always been so... graceful,” Mrs. Beauville said, still grinning ear-to-ear.

“I can tell,” Maz giggled.

Derek rolled his eyes and stiffly pulled himself into a standing position.  “Dad says to invite the poor kid in, Mom, and to tell you that dinner’s ready.”

Jenny’s eyes went wide.  “Oh my gosh, Maz, I’m so sorry!  You must be freezing, standing out there in the cold.... Come on!” She grabbed Maz’s wrist.  

Maz was practically dragged into the dining room as Derek shot her an apologetic glance her way.  Momentarily, she was standing in the dining room next to a beautiful mahogany table.  It was piled with chicken and roasted red peppers on colorful serving plates, and two jars of salsa and sour cream.  A man who looked like an older, scruffier version of Derek padded in sock-feet over to the table holding a foil-wrapped object.  He had on a thick grey sweater and a well-worn pair of jeans.  Black rectangular glasses framed the warm brown eyes that Derek had inherited.  

“I heated up the tortillas! Oh, hello.  I’m Mark,” he said in a deep voice.  “Nice to meet you!” He held out the hand not holding the tortillas to Maz.  She smiled and shook it.  

Now that she wasn’t being dragged down the hallway, Maz got a better look at the house.  It seemed like the only rooms with uncovered floors were the front hallway and the linoleum tiles of the kitchen.  There were carpets lining the dining room and the adjacent family room.  The cabin’s walls were rough, unfinished wood, punctuated with curtained windows and framed photos of the Beauville family.  

Derek’s family and Maz sat down at the table, ready to dig into the delicious- smelling food.  Maz turned to Derek to take the roll of foil-wrapped tortillas, placed one on her plate, and passed the roll off to Mr. Beauville.  She gradually added lime-marinated, grilled chicken, black-bean salsa, and roasted red peppers to the tortilla, then looked to the others on what to do next.  Jenny Beauville had piled fillings onto her tortilla and tightly rolled up the fajita until it looked close to bursting.  Her husband had commandeered several tortillas and filled each with a small amount of meat, salsa, and vegetables.  Derek had completely bypassed attempting to pick up the massive pile of food in front of him, and was shoveling food into his mouth with a fork.  Maz went for Mark’s approach, eating two medium-sized fajitas carefully and with barely any mess.  

“So Maz,” Derek said around a mouthful of chicken.  Seeing the reproachful look from his father, he swallowed and continued.  “What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?”

Maz smiled.  “Return of the Jedi, all the way! Although I always felt bad that Anakin never got to live after he defied the Emperor.”

“What about the prequel series?” Mark interjected before Derek could respond.

“They were pretty awesome, and the effects were great.  Mark Hamill was just awesome in the original trilogy.”

“What about Harrison Ford?” Derek asked, clearly miffed.

“He was much better in Raiders of the Lost Ark.  I always found Han a bit obnoxious.”

“You know who’s obnoxious?” Jenny began.

“Jar-Jar Binks!” chorused Mark and Derek.

Maz giggled along with the Beauvilles.  “Reason number two why I don’t like the new trilogy!”

The four laughed about the awkward Gungan for a few more minutes as they finished their dinners.  “I feel like it’s time for dessert,” Derek said, rubbing his stomach.  

Jenny jumped up jubilantly. “I know what we can have!” She started to run into the kitchen, then turned and stopped, her hands up like a traffic cop’s.  “Don’t. Move.” She disappeared for a moment.  Rustling and banging could be heard from the kitchen.  “I just remembered that we had these!” Jenny yelled as she emerged holding a large bag of jumbo marshmallows, multiple chocolate bars, graham crackers, and four skewers.  Seeing the last items, Mr. Beauville leapt up.  

“Let me take those skewers,” Mark said. “Oh, and the chocolate,” he added as an afterthought.  

Jenny pouted for a moment before handing over the sharp objects.  She skipped to the back door without relinquishing the chocolate, Mr. Beauville hot on her heels.  

Derek pushed his seat out from the table.  “C’mon, Maz, let’s get to the grill.  I don’t want my mom to eat all the marshmallows,” he smiled.  

“Quick, to the sugar, Robin!” Maz exclaimed, and waltzed to the door.  Derek smiled and ran ahead, holding the door open as they walked out into the cool night.