He had been trying to get my mom out on a date for over a year.
Setting the cup down, I clasp my hands together and lean forward. "Jordan, I am starting to feel bad for you, so I am willing to help you out. Follow my lead, okay?"
His eyes brightened as a broad smile crossed his lips. I start walking; he follows me. "Mom?"
"Yes, pumpkin?"
"I think our heater is broken again."
"Again? But we don't have the money to fix it," she mumbles the second part.
I glance at Jordan and elbow him in the gut.
He rubs his stomach. "Ow, Angelica, why did you-"
I send him a glare.
"Ohhh ahem, I can help you both with the heater," he said with a smile as he continued not so subtly glance at me.
Mom raised a brow, "You know how to fix a heater?"
"Oh, uh, yes!" He scratched the back of his neck.
I look at Mom, who narrows her eyes. We both know that when Jordan lies, he always scratches the back of his neck.
Before my mom can say anything, "Can you come over tonight to fix it?" I cut my mom off.
"Yes!" Jordan replies.
"Oh no, Jordan may be bus-"
"Fantastic! We will see you tonight," I said, cutting Mom off again.
"Wait, I haven-"
"Great! I'll see both of you tonight!" He shot us both a smile and dashed out of the cafe before Mom could say anything. I take out a piece of paper and start writing while Mom glares at me. The cafe bell rings, and Jordan walks back inside. "I don't know your addre-" I hand him a note with our address and Mom's phone number.
He ruffles my hair. "You are the best!" He said and ran out before Mom could say anything. I looked at Mom, and she shot me another death stare.
I shrugged it off and skipped back to the table.
Later that night, I sat on the couch, watching the TV until I heard the bell ringing. "I got it!"
When I opened the door, Jordan stood in front of me with fancy clothes and flowers. "You are here to fix the heater," I said slowly.
He takes a few blinks. "Oh yeah," he said and threw the flowers in the bushes. While he unbuttons his shirt, I ruffle his hair to make it look messy. After several minutes, I nod in approval of his grubby looks and gesture to him to come inside.
"Who is there?" Mom asks.
"Jordan is here to fix the heater."
Mom walks over. "Hey Jordan, don't you need tools?" She said, looking down at his empty hands.
"Oooooh yeah tools, that would've been a good idea," he said, glancing at me with pleading eyes.
"Sorry, my fault. I told Jordan I would ask Lily's parents for the tool."
He mouths: "Thank you."
I swayed my body towards Lily's place and knocked on the door. "Oh, what do you want?"
"Tools of any kind. Jordan is fixing my heater," I said with quotations.
"Okay."
Lily likes Jordan since he always takes us out for movies, ice cream, baseball games, and gives us gifts.
"Here. Don't wait tomorrow morning for me," she said, hanging me the tools.
"Pretending to be sick to binge-watch Delirium?"
Placing a hand on her chest, she releases a breath. "You know me so well." We did our secret handshake, and I went back to my place.
I met Lily when I moved to this town. Mom wasn't doing well, adjusting to the new environment, so her parents helped her. Lily and I didn't get along well. We bicker about nearly everything. We started getting along when a few neighborhood kids started picking on me because I didn't have a Dad.
The first time she caught them picking on me, she beat them all up. I yelled at her, saying I didn't need her help. She started beating me up. After our fighting session, we lay on the ground and started talking about random things. Somehow, we just became close friends.
"Here," I hand the tool to Jordan, who nods slowly and goes to the heater. He crouches down and pretends to analyze the heater.
I crouch down with him. "It's not broken but pretend to fix it. By the way, don't break it," I whisper.
Roughly two hours later, Jordan came out with black stuff all over his face and a new shirt, "Okay, done," he smiled.
"Thank you, Jordan," Mom gave her usual professional smile.
"No problem at all. You can call me back anytime," Jordan said with a broad goofy smile.
"Mom, why don't we invite Jordan for dinner? As a thank you?" Jordan turned towards me and gave me a thumbs up.
"Oh, yes. Jordan, would you like -"
"Yes," he replies before she can finish.
We sat there eating dinner, listening to Jordan's endless amount of cringy jokes. "What's the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?"
Mom rests her chin in her hands, "What?"
"You can tuna a piano, but you can't piano a tuna."
The beef dropped onto my plate while Mom burst out laughing.
"What about the glue?" She replies while twisting her hair.
Ugh.
"I knew you get stuck there."
They start laughing together, while I try to hold back the gag lingering in my throat.
Old people should not be allowed to flirt.
Ugh.
Afterward, Jordan secretly bribes me with new shoes if I can help him spend a longer time with my mom.
Of course, I would say: "Throw in a new backpack, and you got yourself a deal."
We shake hands, and I somehow magically twist the situation and get Jordan to stay with us to watch a movie. He did that old move and yawn while throwing his arms around my mom. My left eye twitched when I saw Mom cuddle inward. "I need to use the bathroom to throw up." I didn't mention the throw-up part.
After I finished using the bathroom, Mom appeared out of nowhere and pulled me aside into the bedroom.
"I know what you and Jordan are doing, and there is no way we are-"
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