Before she knew it, Friday had come.
“Well, I guess I'd better be heading out.”
“Okay, enjoy your first date.”Chelsea cheered.
“Her first date?” Dr. David asked with a surprised look on his face. Dr. John gave him a funny look.
“Didn’t you hear? Thomas asked her out to have dinner with him tonight.” Dr. David formed a surprised look on his face. Marisa just blushed as she scratched her cheek.
“I kind of prefer to just think of it as going out to dinner. I’m a little embarrassed about calling it a date.” Chelsea just laughed to herself while Dr. John shook his head and smiled.
“Well, I’ll see you guys on Monday.”
“Alright, have fun.” Chelsea grinned.
“Don’t stay out too late.” Dr. John smirked. Marisa gave him a funny look.
“Ha ha, very funny.” With that, she started walking towards the exit.
“Dr. Marisa!” Marisa turned to see Dr David reaching out for her.
“Yes? Is something wrong?” Dr. David pulled his hand away and gripped his fist.
“It’s...it’s just...be careful.” Marisa was a bit confused but smiled.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” With that, she walked out the door. Chelsea and Dr. John looked at each other puzzled.
“Hey, Dr. David, are you okay?”
“Yeah, what was that all about?” Dr. David gripped his fist. Then, he turned and formed a fake smile on his face.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just being paranoid.” Chelsea looked at Dr. John who just shrugged. Without saying a word, Dr. David looked at the door while still clenching his fist. Meanwhile, Marisa got in her car and pulled out into the road.
“I wonder what Dr. David was trying to say? He seemed to have something on his mind...Oh well, probably nothing to worry about.” With that said, she headed for home. When she got home, it was almost 4 o’clock. As soon as she walked up to the door and reached for the handle, someone swung the door open from the inside.
“Where have you been?!” Marisa’s eyes widened to see it was Maggie.
“May May? I was just at work. Nothing to get all excited about.”
“Are you kidding me?! Your date’s in less than three hours! You have to get ready!” Marisa formed a confused look on her face.
“Does it really take that long to get ready for a date?”
“Of course it does! You have to take a bath, do your hair and make-up, paint your nails, and fix your dress! You’ve got a lot of work to do!” Marisa’s face turned bright red as she rose her hands.
“Whoa now! I wasn’t planning on going that far! I figured I would just put my hair in a braid or something and you know I don’t wear make-up. I don’t know how to do all that fancy stuff.” Maggie gave her a smirk.
“Why do you think I’m here?” Marisa’s eyes widened.
“What?! Wait no! Even you wouldn’t do that!” Maggie let out an evil laugh.
“Time to get to work!” She cheered as she dragged Marisa inside.
“Hey! No way! This isn’t funny! Mom! Don’t just stand there! Help!” She cried as her mother just watched them go. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“Poor, Marisa. She tries so hard, but she really can’t say no to Maggie.”
As 6:30 quickly approached, all kinds of racket could be heard behind the door of Marisa’s room.
“May May, I don’t know about this?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You look great. Now all we have to do is put the silver flower in to seal the deal.”
“What?! You can’t be serious! I can’t wear that thing too!”
“Of course you can. It will be the perfect match.”
“No way! No way! I don’t want to look like a flower girl!”
“Oh, quit complaining and hold still!” The sounds of a struggle suddenly got louder. At one point, Kimmiekoe, who had been in the room the whole time, let out a loud cry.
“Hey watch it! You stepped on my cat!”
“That wasn’t me! That was you! Now hold still!” Just outside the door, Donna was walking by carrying a laundry basket full of clothes.
“Girls, is everything alright in there?”
“Mom! Help me! May May’s trying to make me look like a Marionette!”
“Don’t listen to her! She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!” Just then, they heard the doorbell ring.
“Eep! That must be him! Now stop fidgeting and let me finish!”
“Oh, why me?!” Donna just shook her head and smiled. Walking up to the front door, she put the laundry basket down and opened it to see a very nicely dressed young man at the door with two bouquets of roses in his hand. He was wearing a dark gray shirt with a black buttoned up sweater vest over it and a dark blue tie with black pants. Donna smiled.
“Well, don’t you look very nice tonight. Come on in. Marisa should be down any minute.”
“Thank you. By the way, these are for you.” Thomas smiled while handing her one of the bouquets.
“Oh, how lovely. You’re so sweet. Thank you.” While walking to the kitchen to put them in a vase, Donna called out.
“Marisa, there’s a very handsome looking visitor here for you.” Upstairs, Marisa hid behind the corner of the wall.
“I can’t let him see me like this!” She whispered to Maggie with her face bright red.
“Don’t chicken out on me now! You look perfect! Now get out there and stop making him wait!” With that, she gave Marisa a little push. Realizing she didn’t have a choice, Marisa took a deep breath and came out into the open. As soon as Thomas saw her, he was completely blown away. She was wearing her purple dress with the flower shaped pendant with a white jacket over it. She also had her hair pinned up in a pretty bun with a big silver flower in it and she was wearing the bracelet Thomas gave her around her wrist. As she walked down the stairs, Marisa was very careful not to trip in her new silver sandals. As soon as she made it down the stairs, she looked up at Thomas. He just stood there with a stunned look on his face. Marisa snapped her eyes shut.
“Eep! Thomas is staring right at me! Do I really look that weird?! Darn it! Why couldn’t I just raid my closet and tell May May no?!”
“You look beautiful.” Thomas finally said. Marisa opened her eyes and was surprised to see him smiling at her.
“That dress really suits you.” Marisa face turned bright red.
“You really think so? I’m not used to wearing fancy stuff like this. I hardly ever wear dresses at all.” Thomas just smiled as he handed her the bouquet of roses.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You really do look stunning tonight. I especially like the flower in your hair. Did you do that yourself?” Marisa blushed as she smiled and smelled the roses.
“No, Maggie’s a trained beautician so she did it for me. I thought it was a little much but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Thomas smiled.
“I’m glad she didn’t. I think it goes with your dress perfectly.” Marisa just blushed. Just then, a bright flash appeared from beside her. Marisa spun around to see Conner hiding behind the dining room door with a camera in his hands.
“Oh man, you should have seen the look on your face sis! You looked like a tomato!” Conner stated as he laughed.
“Conner?! Why you! How long have you been there?!” Conner smirked.
“Oh, not for long. Just wanted to catch a shot of you and your boyfriend going out on your first date.” He teased while waving the camera.
“Why you! Mom!” Donna gave her son a stern look.
“Conner!”
“What? I was just playing.” He stated as he handed her the camera. With the camera safely in her hands, Donna deleted the picture he just took.
“Now than, why don’t we try this again?” With that, she held up the camera as Marisa and Thomas moved in closer to each other. After taking the shot, Donna looked at the screen.
“Ah yes, much better.” Marisa couldn’t help but blush.
“Well than, shall we get going?” Thomas asked. Marisa smiled and nodded. After handing the roses to her mother, she and Thomas waved good bye and headed to his car.
“Ah, to be young and in love. Those were certainly the days.” Donna stated with a smile. While hiding behind the corner, Maggie formed a big smirk on her face.
“Yes! My plan to make Macy look like a princess for her first date turned out to be a huge success! Now the rest is up to her. Good luck, you air head.”
While they drove down the road, Marisa looked around the car.
“I don’t remember your car being this clean the last time I was in here. Did you clean it recently?” Thomas let out a sigh as he formed an annoyed look on his face.
“Not exactly. I didn’t know it at the time, but after I got off the phone with you the other day, the others suddenly jumped out at me. Apparently, they had been hiding while listening to our conversation the whole time. Seriously, I thought they were going to eat me alive. Anyway, Miki and Minnie said I couldn’t possibly take you somewhere while my car looked and smelled like the bottom of a gym bag or so they claimed.”
“I didn’t think it was that bad. I mean, there wasn’t anything on the floor and it didn’t smell at all.” Thomas rolled his eyes.
“I know. That’s what I said. But they were so persistent it was like I didn’t even have a say in the matter. Anyway, they cleaned the whole thing out for me from top to bottom. Not that I don’t appreciate it or anything, but they made it sound like I’m as messy as Marcus.” Marisa let out a laugh.
“I see. So Marcus isn’t exactly the tidy type?” Thomas slapped his hand over his head.
“Oh, you have no idea. I went to his house one time and couldn’t even go into his room. There were clothes and stuff all over the place and it really did smell like the bottom of a gym bag. Seriously, I don’t even want to know how he manages to sleep on a bed covered with dirty clothes and who knows what else.” Marisa let out a laugh.
“That certainly sounds like him. Did they make you go shopping with them to pick out something to wear too?”
“Oh yeah, they practically dragged me with them. And there is nothing scarier than going on a shopping spree with Yoshi and Marcus together. They act like they want to eat you. Yoshi said I should wear this while Marcus said I should wear that. It was like I was a mannequin and they were having a competition to see who could find something better.” On hearing that, Marisa couldn’t help but laugh.
“I know what you mean. May May acts the same way when we go shopping. I never was a serious shopper like her though. I always feel more comfortable in shorts with fun looking T-shirts. Still, I do feel very fancy in this dress. It’s not something I get to wear everyday.” Thomas smiled.
“It seems that we’re both victims of getting mugged by our friends who are much more anxious than we are.” Marisa laughed.
“So true.” After driving a little ways, Thomas pulled into the parking lot of a very fancy looking restaurant. Marisa stepped out of the car.
“Wow! It’s gorgeous and we haven’t even gone inside yet.” Thomas walked up to her and held out his hand.
“Well then, are you ready my lady?” Marisa couldn’t help but smile as she took his hand and walked inside. As she stepped through the door, Marisa was completely amazed at what she was seeing. The restaurant was a very fancy Italian place with vines and flowers all over. She and Thomas sat at a very fancy table with a beautiful tablecloth and fancy silverware.
“What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful. I didn’t even know this place existed. Has it been here long?”
“Oh, I’d say about a couple years now.” Marisa looked around.
“It’s gorgeous, but it looks a little expensive.” Thomas smiled.
“No, it’s pretty fair. Actually, Yoshi was the one who told me about this place. I’ve only been here a couple times before.” Marisa chuckle.
“This looks like the kind of place where Yoshi would come.”
For a while, the two of them just sat around enjoying each other’s company. Marisa laughed as Thomas just smiled. While they were in the middle of a conversation, they got their food.
“Really? Commander Sampson’s mother is one of your patients?”
“Yes, I’ve been meaning to tell you and the others for a while now but I kept forgetting.”
“I see. I had heard that his mother has been in poor health for a while now. Though I never imagined you of all people would end up being her doctor.”
“Yes, Mrs. Sampson is a very interesting person. She’s very cheerful and loves to talk about all the fun things she’s done in her life. Even though she’s very weak, she can be very energetic at times.” Thomas put his napkin over his lap.
“So what’s she in for?” Marisa formed a sad look on her face.
“Over these past few years, she’s developed a few issues here and there, but her biggest issues are Degenerative Bone Disease and Vascular Disease. I’ve been doing all I can to help her, but I’m afraid the best I can do is help to ease her pain and show her some stretches that will help make it easier for her to move. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m able to do any good at all. It’s so frustrating having someone go through so much pain and suffering right in front of me. Yet, there’s only so much I can do for them. No matter how hard I try, sometimes it’s just not enough.” Thomas looked at her as he saw she was clenching her fists.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. After all, there have been so many times where you really were able to help someone.” Marisa looked up.
“For instance, the man from the accident, if you hadn’t been there to do everything you did he probably would have bled to death. Even if it turns out he won’t be able to walk again, it’s because of you that he’s still alive.” Marisa formed a surprised look on her face.
“Have you received any word about him?” Marisa smiled.
“Yes, apparently he finally regained consciousness yesterday. He mentioned how the only thing that didn’t hurt was his eyebrows. So that means his nervous system is still intact and he’s having no problem recalling what happened which means we shouldn’t have to worry about any brain damage. But, he’s still extremely weak and he’s expected to face a long and difficult rehabilitation. Dr. Tyler has assured me that he will do whatever he can to put his bones back together and help him to be able to move on his own. I have full trust in him. He was actually a colleague of mine when I first started working at the hospital. We were really good friends who had the same desire to help as many people as we could. But then he got a big promotion from a hospital on the far side of town. Even though he’s been gone for a while, we still consider one another to be good friends. If anyone is able to help put him back together, I’m sure it will be him.” Marisa formed a smile on her face. Thomas smiled.
“Even so, you know he never would have gotten this far without your help. After all, you never gave up on him and kept on fighting to save his life despite the fact that even your fellow doctors thought it was hopeless. You kept up the battle and thanks to that he’s where he is today.” Marisa smiled.
“You’re right. I guess I was being too hard on myself. Thanks Thomas, I feel much better now.”
“I’m glad. Now go ahead and enjoy your meal. Don’t want it to get cold.”
“Okay.” Marisa took a bite of her chicken.”
“Mmm, it’s delicious.” Thomas smiled as he took a drink. Marisa looked to realize he was just drinking water.
“Are you okay with just drinking plain water?” Thomas formed a confused look on his face.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just I thought you might want to order a beverage of some kind.” Thomas chuckled.
“No, I made up my mind a long time ago. I have no desire to drink alcohol of any kind.” Marisa formed a surprised look on her face.
“Really? That’s how I feel. Being a doctor, I’ve seen what can happen by overdoing it. I figured it’s best to not get involved.” Thomas smiled.
“I know what you mean. I’ll never forget what happened when Marcus got carried away. The day after he turned 21, he drank so many bottles of beer he became totally delirious.” Marisa gasped.
“He didn’t hurt himself did he?” Thomas chuckled.
“No, he didn’t hurt himself. However, he ended up getting a little goofy with Yoshi. In fact, he was so out of it he almost tried to kiss her. Before anyone knew what was happening, he ended up knocked out on the floor with a big bump on his head while Yoshi found herself huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf.” On hearing that, Marisa couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Oh dear, that’s something I really would have enjoyed seeing. Considering how well those two get along, that would have really been something interesting to see.”
“Actually, I think Miki recorded it. She keeps it hidden in her house. If you want, I could ask her to make you a copy.” Marisa couldn’t help but grin.
“Oh dear, if Yoshi finds out she has something like that, she’d tear her apart.”
“That’s what I said. But you know Miki, all she said was ‘she’ll just have to deal with it.’ Marisa couldn’t help but laugh.
“That sounds like something she would say.” With that said, they finished enjoying their delicious dinner. As they stepped outside, Marisa stretched her arms.
“Mmm, that was delicious. Best meal I’ve had in a long time.” Thomas smiled.
“I’m glad you liked it. By the way, are you in a hurry to get home?” Marisa looked at him surprised.
“No, not really. Why?” Thomas opened the door to his car.
“Get in. There’s a place I really want you to see.” Not sure what to expect, Marisa got into the car.
After they had been driving for some time, Marisa looked around to see there wasn’t a building for miles. There was nothing but wide open fields.
“Thomas, where exactly are we going?” Thomas smiled.
“Don’t worry. We’re almost there. In the mean time, put this over your eyes.” Marisa looked to see he was handing her a black blindfold. She gave him a confused look.
“What’s this for?”
“Just trust me.” By now, she was very puzzled. Still, she did as he said and tied the blindfold over her eyes. After a little more driving, Thomas pulled into a beaten down dirt path. Marisa couldn’t see him, but she could hear him turn the car off and get out of the car. A moment later, he opened her car door and helped her up. Leading her by the hand, it felt like they were going down a hill. In the distance, Marisa thought she could hear something. It sounded like a loud roaring noise of some kind. Finally, Thomas stopped and walked behind her. She could feel him untying the blindfold.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.” With that said, Thomas took the blindfold off and Marisa opened her eyes. She couldn’t believe where they were. She opened her eyes to see they were in the middle of a beach. The roaring noise she was hearing was coming from the waves as they rolled along the shore.
“It’s the beach!” Marisa quickly threw off her sandals and ran down to the water. Thomas just smiled as he took off his shoes and watched her go. Marisa was going to carefully dip her feet into the water when a big wave came up and washed over her ankles.
“Brr! It’s cold!” She shivered while smiling. For a while, she just ran along the shore line as the waves rolled in and out. Thomas smiled as he watched her laugh while the waves chased her. Finally, she came back to catch her breath.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Yes I am. I can’t remember the last time I came to the beach. Do you come here often?” Thomas smiled as he stared out at the water.
“No, I hardly ever come here anymore. Even though this is my favorite spot in the world.”
“It is? Do you like beaches best?”
“For the most part, yes. But this beach holds special memories for me.” Marisa formed a surprised look on her face.
“Why is that?” Thomas took a couple steps towards the water.
“I used to come here with my parents when I was a little kid. Whenever we had a few hours to ourselves, we would just get in the car and come here. Not very many people come here so most of the time it was just us. My father would teach me how to swim while my mother would show me how to make things out of sand. Of course, I never could make anything as good as she could. Still, I was proud of the things I made. While I would show them to her, she would just smile and tell me I did a wonderful job. Even if it turned out totally wrong, she would still tell me that with the same warm smile she always wore.” Marisa walked up next to him.
“You must really be fond of your mother.” Thomas looked up at the sky and smiled.
“Yes, I was. Her warm smile always made me feel at ease. Her kind face really brightened up my world. I wanted nothing more than for her to stay by my side smiling like that forever.” Thomas just stared at the sky. Marisa formed a bit of a worried look on her face.
“What happened?” At first, Thomas didn’t answer.
“She...passed away. A long time ago.” Marisa threw her hands over her mouth while Thomas just kept smiling.
“The truth is, she was an agent like I am now. She was one of the best agents W.O.O.H.P. ever had. Everyone knew about her and her amazing talents. There were times where she was able to bring even the most difficult cases to a successful end all by herself. Of course, she would always say that she couldn’t do half as well without all the help she received from her team. Still, she was someone everyone looked up to. Everyone wanted to be like her, especially me. I longed for the day when we would be able to work side by side as mother and son. We would be able to bring down thugs together.”
“What about your father? Is he...?”
“No, he’s still alive. He’s a successful scientist in Australia. He never had any desire to be an agent, but he never objected to my desires to be one. After my mother died, he decided to return to his home country and pick up on some work that he had left behind.”
“What kind of work?” Thomas let out a laugh.
“Even though he explained it to me, I’ve never been able to understand it.” Marisa couldn’t help but laugh.
For a while, they just stared at the stars.
“Do you ever talk to your father?”
Yeah, we call each other at the beginning of each month. So we’re pretty much up to date about what’s going on with each others life.” Marisa looked at him.
“Do you ever feel lonely?” Thomas lowered his head but kept on smiling.
“I did at first, but then I just didn’t think about it anymore. Whenever I come here, I just play the memories I have of the happy times I spent with my family in my head. That’s enough to keep me happy.” Marisa formed a surprised look on her face.
“Your saying those memories are the only things in life you need to keep you happy?” Thomas didn’t respond, he just stared at the stars. Marisa formed a sad look on her face.
“That’s so sad.” Thomas looked at her surprised.
“Sad?”
Yeah, it means you can’t allow yourself to move on with your life. It’s true that the memories you have are a precious thing, but...” Marisa looked at him almost with tears in her eyes.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t make any new wonderful memories in the future.” Thomas’s face brightened. Marisa tried really hard to fight the tears.
“I understand that you really treasure the memories you have of the time you spent here with your family. But saying that those memories are the only things you need and nothing more to make you happy is a really empty thing. Is it that you’re afraid? Are you afraid that if you do move on with your life, that those memories will slowly begin to disappear?” At that moment, Thomas’s face brightened. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. Marisa just stood there.
“You know, it’s okay to be afraid.” Thomas gasped.
“It was the same way with me when my grandfather passed away. The memories I have of the precious times with him are important to me. I was afraid that if I did move on with my life, that he would slowly begin to disappear. But then, I realized that’s not what he would want me do to. He wouldn’t want me to keep wailing over his death like I was. He would want me to keep moving forward and live my life to the fullest. So I did just that. I slowly put one foot in front of the other and continued to make lots of new wonderful memories. While I did that, I still kept the memories I have of the time I spent with him close to me. In fact, I still do. Even so, I continue to move forward keeping my head held high. Because, if he was still here, I’m sure he would tell me to do just that. And I’m sure your mother would want you to do the same thing Thomas.” Thomas gasped.
“I’m sure she wouldn’t want her only son whom she loved so deeply to keep agonizing over her death. I’m sure she would want you to keep moving forward with your life. Even if it’s just one step at a time, I’m sure she would want you to do many wonderful things with your life. And you can still keep the memory of her warm smiling face close to your heart while you do. If your mother were still here, I’m sure she would want you to do just that.” Thomas just stared at her for a minute. Just then, he realized Marisa’s smile was just like his mother’s. It was warm and kind. It seemed to brighten up everything around her. He let out a sigh.
“You make it sound so simple.” To his surprise, Marisa took hold of his hand.
“It can be. I’ll even help you. And it won’t be just me. You have Marcus, Yoshi, Miki, Minnie, even Commander Sampson. We’ll all help you make lots of wonderful new memories. That way your future will be something you can truly smile about.” At first, Thomas didn’t say anything. Finally, he broke out a smile and gripped her hand tightly.
“Thank you.”