Amanda woke up quite late the next morning. The events of the previous night seemed fuzzy in her head, as if they had happened in a dream instead of reality.
After she had a shower and got dressed, she ate a large breakfast of porridge and muffins. As she ate she went over every detail of her conversation with Mark. He was so handsome. She still couldn't believe that he'd asked her for her phone number.
After cleaning her floors and the bathroom, she decided to go buy groceries. Her shopping took her longer than expected. A couple of her favourite clothing stores were having sales. She couldn't resist a sale! She returned home a few hours later, loaded down with bags. She was pleased with herself. She'd managed to find two interchangeable outfits at marked down prices.
After she put her groceries away, she searched her recipe books for a chicken recipe her mother had told her about a few days earlier. Once she found it, she started to prepare the chicken.
After she finished eating and washed the dishes, she worked on her lesson plans for the upcoming week. She was halfway through her work when her phone rang. Still preoccupied with her work, she picked up the phone and mumbled a greeting.
"Hi, Amanda. It's Mark. How are you?" The sound of his voice jolted her awake immediately.
"I'm fine, how are you?" she replied, hoping her voice didn't sound too shaky.
"I'm great. I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"
"No. I was just doing some plans for my class."
"I'm impressed," he said.
"Why?" she asked, surprised.
"No one I know would work on a Saturday night." Mark replied, making her laugh.
They talked for a while about their work. Amanda found out that Mark worked for the Ministry of Environment as well as a private firm. He only worked at the second job when there was a contract for him to contribute to.
Amanda was surprised when Mark asked her if she was afraid of heights.
"No, I don't think so," she answered, curious about his question.
"That's good," Mark said, sounding pleased. "Would you like to come flying with me tomorrow?"
For a moment, she didn't understand what he meant.
"Oh, you have your pilot's license?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah." She could hear the laughter in his voice. "You were expecting me to say I have wings, weren't you?"
"No," she replied, laughing. "I was just surprised, that's all."
"I have my own plane so you don't have to worry about getting any feathers in your mouth."
Amanda laughed. He was so funny.
"I'd love to go," she said, feeling completely at ease.
"That's perfect!" Mark replied. "Why don't I pack us a picnic basket?"
"That's a good idea. What do you want me to bring?"
"I don't know....how about something for dessert?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, her mind already churning with ideas about what to make.
"When would you like me to pick you up tomorrow?" Mark asked.
She suggested 11:00 and he agreed. After she gave him directions to her house, they said their goodbyes and hung up.
Amanda felt as though she was floating when she went to sit back down at her kitchen table. She was excited at the prospect of seeing Mark again. But she was also nervous.
Amanda couldn't concentrate on her work anymore so she leafed through her recipe books instead. She couldn't find anything to make for the picnic. A cake was a safe thing to make, but it was boring. She didn't have the ingredients to make cheesecake or strawberry shortcake. She did have apples, however. She'd make an apple pie.
Having made a decision, she spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the bathtub with lots of bubbles. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of Mark's face rose to her mind. What if he didn't like the way she looked when he saw her in the bright light of day? She was being silly, of course. What did it matter what she looked like? What was inside a person was what counted the most.
The warm water helped her feel drowsy and she had no difficulty drifting off to sleep when she later crawled into her bed.
********************************************
Amanda got up early the next morning so she could make her pie. The crust was the hardest part. She hoped it wouldn't be too crumbly. It took her a while to roll it out the way she wanted. But her patience was rewarded.
After she babysat the pie while it was in the oven, she had a quick shower and did her hair. She fussed over which clothes to wear. She finally chose her favourite pair of jeans and a sweater. She hoped she didn't look too much like a slob. After all, it was Sunday.
She was just putting the finishing touches on her French braid when the doorbell rang. Amanda looked at her watch. It was five minutes before 11. Her heart started to thump again.
She pasted a smile on her face as she opened the front door.
Mark looked even more handsome in the daylight. His eyes were blue and he was solidly muscular.
"Hi," he said, giving her some flowers.
"Oh," she exclaimed, in surprise. "Thank you, Mark! They're lovely." She smelled them. They were violets.
"Come in," she said, smiling. "I'll go find a vase to put these in." Mark came into the house and shut the door.
Amanda was reaching way up high in one of her kitchen cupboards when she heard his voice right behind her.
"Here, let me," he said, reaching up and handing her the vase. As she took it, their eyes met and she felt as though the floor was moving.
"Thanks," she replied, taking the vase from his outstretched hand and turning toward the kitchen sink.
"You have a nice place," Mark said appreciatively.
She shrugged and replied, "It's not my dream house, but I've tried to make it comfortable."
As she arranged the flowers in the vase, Mark asked her about the Grand Piano Fund. She turned and saw him examining her fund raising chart on her frig door.
"Oh, I try to put away some money every paycheck so I can buy a grand piano someday."
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "I didn't know you played the piano."
"Of course not," she said teasingly. "You just met me."
Mark looked at her and laughed. She liked the sound of his laugh. It was deep and rich.
"I played the trumpet in high school," Mark said, "but I hated to practise so I quit."
Amanda nodded and put the vase of flowers on the kitchen table.
Mark noticed the pie sitting on the kitchen counter. He leaned over and smelled it.
"Mmm," he said, "this smells delicious."
She smiled back at him.
"I hope you like it," she said. "I haven't made pie for a long time."
"I'm sure it will be delicious." The way Mark said "delicious" sent shivers down Amanda's spine. She'd never felt attraction before, but she was sure she was attracted to Mark.
After she locked her front door, Amanda followed Mark to his car and they drove to the airport. It was a long drive and they talked the whole time. Amanda found Mark an easy person to talk to, even though she had always been so shy around men.
Once they arrived at the airport and parked the car, they had to walk for a while to get to Mark's plane. Mark carried the picnic basket and Amanda carried the blanket.
"Do you fly very often?" she asked.
"I fly to Vancouver every other weekend to visit my parents." Mark answered. "I'm quite busy during the week, so the weekends are my only time to relax."
"I know exactly what you mean," she replied. She was glad to hear that he spent a lot of time with his parents.
"How long have you been a pilot?"
"My father was in the air force for twenty years," Mark answered. "He took me out from the time I was a little boy. I got my pilot's license when I was 20."
"Wow." she gushed. "That's great!"
Mark's plane was a four-seater Cessna. It was in good shape. Mark obviously took good care of it.
Mark showed Amanda where to sit and he spent fifteen minutes doing his pre-flight check. Amanda felt excited as she fastened her seat belt.
When Mark was satisfied that everything was okay, he sat down beside her and went over all his instruments. Amanda wanted to ask him what each one was for, but she didn't want to distract him.
"How come you're so quiet? Mark asked. "You aren't nervous, are you?"
"No, of course not," she replied. "I'm fascinated, that's all."
"Oh." She thought she saw Mark smile a bit. A few minutes later, they were ready for take-off. Mark spoke to the tower while heading the plane towards the proper runway.
Mark turned to her and asked if she was ready. Her heart in her throat, she nodded.
Mark gradually sped the plane up until the grass by the runway was just a blur. Amanda gasped in exhilaration when the plane lifted up off the pavement.
"Oh wow! This is fun!" Amanda exclaimed.
Mark smiled at her and chuckled. "I'm glad you like it." His voice sounded deeper within the small space of the plane.
"It's so neat to see everything from above," Amanda noted. "And it's so free, so light."
Mark nodded and smiled.
Amanda looked over at his almost perfect profile and wondered why he chose to share such a wonderful experience with her, a "plain Jane".
"Hey, why aren't you gushing any more?" Mark teased. "I was starting to feel like a movie star."
Amanda smiled and glanced down at her hands, feeling inexplicably shy again. She wanted to say that he looked like a movie star, but she thought it would sound silly.
"This must be what it's like when a bird flies," she commented, looking out the window at the spectacular view. There were white puffy clouds in the sky below them, but everything else was a deep blue colour.
"Yes," Mark replied. "But birds don't need jet fuel."
Amanda laughed, feeling more comfortable.
Ten minutes later, they flew over a large green field.
"We'll have our picnic down there," Mark said, pointing to the field.
Amanda could only nod, hoping they would land all right.
She needn't have worried. Mark was a superb pilot and there were hardly any jolts when they landed on the ground.
"Perfect landing," Mark said, as he shut off all the instruments. "You must bring me good luck."
Amanda smiled as she unfastened her seat belt.
Once they were standing outside the plane, Amanda took a deep breath.
"The air is so fresh up here," she said, noting the blue sky and the splendour of the view.
"It sure is," Mark agreed.
They spread the blanket out a little way from the plane. They sat down and Mark took the food out of the basket.
"I hope you like chicken," Mark said. "This is my best recipe."
"You mean, you cooked it yourself?"
"I resent that," Mark replied, pretending to be angry. "Just because I'm a bachelor doesn't mean I don't know how to cook."
Amanda couldn't help laughing at his tone of voice.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to stereotype you."
"That's okay," he replied, sniffing loudly. His performance made her laugh even harder.
When Amanda actually tasted the chicken, however, she was surprised to find that it was better than her own recipe.
"Hey, this is good!" she exclaimed.
"Why do you sound so surprised?" Mark asked in mock anger, making her laugh again.
"Because it's better than mine," she replied.
"Jealous, are we?" Mark teased. "Well, if you think I'm going to give you the recipe, you can forget it."
Amanda pretended to pout as she finished eating her piece of chicken.
"Here, try this," Mark said, holding out a spoonful of something for her to taste.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Just try it," Mark said, pushing the spoon toward her mouth.
She leaned close to the spoon and gingerly took a taste.
"Mmm," she said, after a moment. "It's delicious. What is it?"
"Spinach salad," Mark replied, grinning.
Amanda grimaced.
"Surprising, isn't it?" he asked.
"I've never tasted salad like that before, but it tastes good, whatever you did to it," she said, reaching over to take some more out of the bowl.
"I'm glad you like it," Mark said. He told her a funny story about how his mother made it for years and he never knew it was actually spinach.
"Just think, I was eating my vegetables and I didn't even know it."
Amanda laughed. She couldn't believe how comfortable she felt with him. It was so nice just to sit and listen to the birds without having to say something all the time.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Mark said, making Amanda jump in surprise.
"What?" she asked, trying not to sound jittery.
"White wine," he replied, smiling at her.
"How nice," she murmured, hoping that he didn't expect her to drink too much of it. She didn't like how alcohol affected her.
As Mark filled two glasses with wine, Amanda said, "You are unbelievably romantic, do you know that?"
He looked up and their eyes met for a long moment. The air suddenly became still and her gaze was lost in the ocean of his eyes.
"I aim to please," Mark said softly, handing her a glass. Her hand shook as she took it. She hoped he didn't notice.
"What shall we toast to?" she asked, after he put the cork back in the bottle.
"How about....new beginnings?" Mark said, raising his glass.
"New beginnings," she replied, clinking his glass. She looked down as she drank, wanting to avoid his eyes for a moment.
Time seemed to stop as they drank wine and talked. Amanda couldn't remember when she'd laughed so much. Mark seemed sincere; so genuinely sincere that she had a hard time figuring out why he wasn't already married.
She thought he would explode after he ate three pieces of her pie. She was glad he liked it.
"Why don't you just eat it right out of the pie plate?" she said, giggling.
"Are you calling me a pig?" Mark demanded, little pieces of crust at the corners of his mouth.
Amanda could only nod because she was laughing so hard.
"Oh," she sighed, clutching her sides, "my stomach hurts from laughing so much."
"Good," Mark said lightly. "It serves you right for teasing me so much." He had teased her a lot also, but she didn't mention that.
Mark put the pie plate down and leaned back on his elbow.
"I'm glad you're having fun," he said. "You look like you need to laugh a lot more."
She looked down and thought, Well, here we go...he's figured out what a stick-in-the-mud I am.
"How do you know?" she asked, half playfully and half defensively.
"When I saw you the other night, I said to myself, 'Mark, there's someone who could use a good laugh.'"
"And you decided to do your good deed for the month by taking out a spinster teacher and showing her a good time?"
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Amanda," Mark retorted coldly. "I don't like it when people put themselves down for no good reason. I am not a boy scout looking for approval. I am a man and I expect you to treat me like one."
So, he gave as good as he got. She'd certainly met her match in the sarcasm department. She didn't know what to say. She suddenly felt a lump in her throat.
Flustered, she stumbled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean...."
Mark interrupted her.
"Don't apologize to me," he said firmly. "Apologize to yourself."
Puzzled, she moved her glasses up on her nose.
"Go on, say 'I'm sorry for calling myself a spinster.'"
Now she felt stupid. He was treating her like a child.
"I...I'm sorry for calling myself...a spinster," she mumbled, feeling a tear well up in her eye. She couldn't look at Mark because she felt so embarrassed.
Mark didn't say anything for a moment. She knew he was looking at her. She was afraid to say anything for fear of his disapproval. She was trying hard not to cry.
"I'm sorry if I was a little harsh, Amanda," Mark said gently. "I believe in being honest. I think you are a beautiful person. I've spent the last 2 hours with you and not once have you displayed any qualities that make me think of you as a spinster."
Amanda looked up at him in surprise.
"You think I'm...beautiful?" she whispered.
"Why are you surprised?" Mark asked.
"No one has ever called me that before," she answered, her heart pounding.
"Well, you haven't been hanging around with the right people, then," Mark replied.
She could almost believe him, the way he said things.
"I guess not," she answered, playing with the end of her braid.
"Your intelligent, you're funny, you're kind....do you want me to go on?"
Amanda blushed.
"Hey! You're a blusher!" Mark said, reaching out to touch her cheek.
"I'm so embarrassed," she murmured, finally looking into his eyes. His gaze was intense, almost too much for her to handle.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about," Mark said softly, caressing her cheek. "I think it's adorable."
Amanda was too stunned to say anything. Here she was being wooed by a man who was more gorgeous than any Hollywood movie star.
"I know this is only our first date, but will you let me kiss you?"
Amanda's heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure Mark could hear it.
"I don't know how to kiss," she admitted softly, looking down in shame.
Mark hid his surprise well. She waited for him to ask her questions about her inexperience, but they never came.
Instead, Mark said, "It's not hard. I'll show you. Close your eyes."
She obeyed meekly. He touched his lips softly to hers. They were warm and gentle, no heavier than a light velvet against her own. She could taste the apple pie, feel his hand holding her chin up to his. His lips gradually pressed a bit harder and she felt like she was floating in the air. He gently tilted his head so he could kiss her more deeply and she was filled with an inexplicable warmth.
Just as Amanda was really starting to enjoy the kiss, Mark moved away from her.
She opened her eyes. He was staring at her with an expression she couldn't interpret. She was breathing rather heavily and she hoped that Mark wasn't disappointed in her.
Finally, Mark said, "Well, what do you think?"
"I think this is the best date I've ever been on," she replied, moving toward him again.
Mark needed no encouragement. This time his lips met hers more firmly, a bit open. She tentatively opened hers, wanting to get closer to him. They kissed that way for what seemed a long time, although it could only have been a few minutes. Amanda's mind was in a turmoil; she lost track of time as all she felt was the sensation of touch magnified by their lips joining intimately. Her past humiliation was forgotten. All she wanted was for Mark to kiss her forever.
When they finally broke apart, Mark murmured, "You learn fast."
"You're a good teacher," she replied softly.
Mark smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek. It was gentle and sweet.
"I think we should pack everything up now," Mark said, moving away from her. "It's getting a little breezy."
"Is it?" she answered, looking around. "I hadn't noticed."
Mark chuckled to himself. Amanda helped him put the things away in the picnic basket. She felt as though she had discovered a whole new dimension of his personality and she didn't want to ruin the feeling by talking too much.
Mark seemed to understand. They walked back to the plane holding hands. Amanda felt more comfortable about touching him, especially since he seemed to care about her.
A while later, after they were both in Mark's plane and had taken off again, Amanda tried to find out more about him.
"Mark, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?" she asked, afraid she was sounding too nosy.
After a moment, Mark replied, "As long as you let me ask you one, then."
That was fair. She agreed.
"I just wanted to know why you have never married," she began.
Mark grinned at her.
"So does my mother," he answered.
Amanda smiled. That did sound like something a mother would nag her son about.
"Actually, I came close to getting married a few times, but it never worked out. There always seemed to be a major issue we couldn't agree on like money or children. I want the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with to be my soul mate, my perfect partner. But I haven't met her yet. Simple as that."
Amanda nodded. He sounded brusque, almost as if he'd said it many times.
"Now it's your turn," Mark said, grinning at her mischievously.
Amanda braced herself. She had always hated personal questions.
"My question is similar to yours, although I gather from your admitted lack of experience that you have never had a serious relationship. Is that correct?"
Amanda nodded, feeling inadequate. He probably thought she was a loser.
Mark looked puzzled.
"I'll try to explain it to you," she began. "But I have trouble understanding it myself. When I was in high school, grades were more important to me that my social life. I spent most of my time studying and practicing the piano. I often felt lonely, but I didn't have the courage to do anything about it. I think the boys were somewhat intimidated by my intelligence and my serious nature. By the time I reached my twenties, all my friends were paired off and I was left to pursue my own interests."
Mark said nothing for a while after she finished speaking.
"I don't buy that," he said finally, shaking his head.
"Why not?" she asked curiously. She thought she'd given him a plausible explanation.
"Someone must have tried to get to know you," Mark said. "You couldn't possibly have scared everyone away."
"Oh, sure, I have male friends," Amanda replied. "But nothing more than that."
"Hmm," Mark mumbled, but he said nothing more.
Amanda felt as though she had let him down somehow. She hoped he wasn't conducting some sort of test and that she had somehow failed it.
It didn't take very long for them to fly back to the airport. Amanda felt increasingly unnerved, unable to figure out why the air had become so tense all of a sudden.
After they landed and Mark shut off the engines, he turned to her as she was unfastening her seat belt.
"So, did you enjoy our short little flight?" he asked.
Amanda got the feeling that it was a loaded question, not just about the flight, but also about the picnic.
"I enjoyed it immensely," she replied, hoping her smile would reassure him.
Mark smiled back at her and said, "Good."
After they gathered their things and Mark locked up the plane, they walked back to his car.
Amanda had tried so hard to make a good impression on Mark; now she was afraid that she had somehow disappointed him. Mark brought her out of her thoughts by asking her if she'd ever been to the annual airshow.
"No," she replied. "My parents have a pretty good view from their house, so I watch what I can from their balcony."
"It's a lot better to see it from here," Mark answered.
"I guess you're right," she replied.
They were silent until after they got into Mark's car and drove away from the airport.
Amanda couldn't think of anything to say to Mark. She wanted to be alone, to consider why she was so abnormal, so strange around every man she went out with.
Finally, Mark broke the silence by asking her what she was thinking about.
"I'm afraid you'll laugh at me if I tell you," she replied, looking out the car window.
"I won't laugh," Mark said, crossing his heart. "I promise."
"I was just thinking that I've never been out on more than one date with the same person."
"That's not funny. To be honest, I think it's sad."
Amanda looked down at her hands. This had been the best and worst date she'd ever been on.
"But," Mark continued, "anybody can go out with a nerd once. It takes a strong woman to go out with a great guy like me twice."
She realized he was trying to make her feel better.
"You've obviously had a string of bad luck," Mark said. "It can happen to anybody."
"It's not just luck," Amanda argued. "It's my personality."
"There's nothing wrong with your personality," Mark said firmly. "I think you take yourself too seriously, that's all. You need to laugh a lot more, to smile and have fun."
She nodded. Many people had told her the same thing. But they never told her how to actually accomplish such a change.
"A lot of people have told me that," she stated. "But it's easier said than done."
"Nonsense," Mark replied. "If you can learn how to kiss in one afternoon, then you can learn to have fun also."
Amanda blushed at the mention of kissing. She couldn't prevent herself from smiling. She felt better at the thought of it.
Mark must have noticed her blush because he chuckled.
"It's too bad I'm driving," he said, "or I would review our lesson."
Amanda felt awkward as they drove on. She didn't say anything until they stopped in front of her house. She didn't know what to do or say next.
"I had a great time," she finally said, smiling as Mark put the car into park. "I wish it didn't have to end."
"So do I," Mark agreed. He reached over and took her hand. She felt warmth spread throughout her body. She wondered if Mark realized the effect he had on her.
"I hope I didn't offend you earlier," he said, looking into her eyes.
"Of course not," she replied, looking down from his gaze.
"I would like to get to know you better," Mark said, squeezing her hand for emphasis.
"There isn't much to know," she replied. "I haven't done very many exciting things in my past."
Mark chuckled.
"There you go again," he said, shaking his head. "You probably have no idea how exciting you are to me."
She looked up abruptly, feeling her breath catch in her throat. He was right. She had no idea whatsoever. She had no knowledge or experience of men, so how could she possibly know how she affected them? She was obviously more naive than she thought.
Before she had time to think of anything intelligent to say, Mark kissed her. It was a pleasant, warm kiss which surprised her with his gentleness.
"I guess I'd better let you go in," Mark said softly, letting go of her hand.
She replied, "Yes, I suppose you're right. We both have to work tomorrow."
Unlocking her seat belt, she thanked Mark for the wonderful picnic.
"You're quite welcome," Mark replied, smiling. "See you later."
"Yeah. Bye." she replied, getting out of the car. She stood and watched Mark drive away, waving to him as he turned the corner.
She went into her house, feeling slightly dazed. Her mind was full of conflicting emotions and jumbled thoughts. Mark had made such a strong impression on her that she didn't want to ruin their fledgling relationship. She couldn't believe she'd let him kiss her on their first date. How many women in their late twenties didn't know how to kiss? She hoped Mark wouldn't judge her for it.
Of course, her next concern was whether or not Mark would even call her again. There was no sense worrying about someone who might not want to see her again. She was wrong. As she was about to discover, she was wrong about a great many things concerning Mark.