Liora's stomach was in knots as she drove to Jason and Christina's house. It was almost 5:30. She followed the GPS's instructions. Christina had texted her the address yesterday evening and made a point of letting her know that everyone was looking forward to her coming. As Liora had expected, her mom happily agreed to let her go to dinner with her friends. Christina had sounded overjoyed when Liora texted her that she could go. She wasted no time planning out Liora's entire visit. Liora had no idea how they would do even half the activities on Christina's list unless Liora spent the weekend, which of course Liora would not be doing.
The GPS interrupted her thoughts. 'Make a right at the next light.' Liora pulled onto a quiet, tree-lined street. The houses were spaced far apart with large lawns and lots of trees. She pulled in front of an older-looking, large white house that was tucked in amongst trees and the most beautiful garden that Liora had even seen. Liora was solidly middle-class but it was apparent that Jason and Christina's family came from some money. Not wealthy perhaps but definitely upper-middle class. It was a warm afternoon and Liora was wearing nice shorts and a tank top. Christina had made a point of telling her that she and Jason would be teaching her to play tennis so Liora hadn't wanted to dress up too much. She wore sandals but had tennis shoes in the car as well as a sweater if the evening became cool.
Liora parked on the street and slowly got out of the car. She was heading up the walkway when a giant, very furry black dog barreled towards her. Christina was just steps behind, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Moose! Moose, no!" she shouted. Moose crashed into Liora, sending her flying. Hearing the commotion, Jason ran around from the backyard and sprinted towards the walkway. Moose chose that moment to plant himself directly in Jason's path. Jason tripped and tumbled onto the walkway, landing directly on Liora.
"Liora, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?" Dimly, Liora heard Christina apologizing. She hadn't hit her head but she felt a bit disoriented. Then she realized that Jason was lying on top of her. Heat filled her cheeks. Jason pushed himself off of Liora, his face bright red. "Oh, Liora. I'm sorry. That wasn't really the welcome you were expecting. Are you hurt?" Jason then turned to his sister. "I thought you put Moose in the garage."
Christina looked crestfallen. There were tears in her eyes. "I was trying and then Moose heard the car and raced away from me." There was no trace of her bubbly smile. "I'm so sorry, Liora. Are you okay?" She looked more upset than Liora had ever seen her and Liora rushed to reassure her.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just got the wind knocked out of me." Liora looked at Jason. "I think you might be in worse shape. Are you okay? You're bleeding." Jason's palms and elbows were bloody.
Jason looked down at his hands and grimaced. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit scraped up. I probably won't be able to play tennis tonight though. I know Christina was looking forward to teaching you. Well, she could still do it. I just won't be able to play. But you really took a tumble so you might not be feeling up to it. Are you sure you're okay?" Jason wiped his hands on his shorts and helped Liora up. As had happened the day before, he didn't let go of Liora's hand right away and they stood there awkwardly holding hands for a few seconds. Jason suddenly seemed to remember he was still holding Liora's hand. Instead of simply letting go, he looped his arm through hers. "I'd better keep a hold of you," he grinned sheepishly. He gestured to Christina pulling Moose towards the garage. "No telling when that beast will break away and try to topple you again. He's actually loveable. He was just so happy to see you. I mean, we're all happy to see you but we won't try and knock you over." Then he blushed again. "I mean, I probably did knock you over landing on you like that but I didn't try to." The heat crept up his face. Even his ears were red. Liora started blushing as well. She didn't know how to respond.
Just then, Jason's mom opened the door. She had a warm smile on her face which quickly changed to a look of concern. "What happened? I heard shouting. You look all scraped up, Jason." Jason smiled sheepishly and kept his arm looped through Liora's. "Moose decided to give our guest an over-enthusiastic welcome and knocked Liora over. And then I tripped over Moose and knocked Liora over again. I hope the rest of the evening turns out okay because after that welcome, Liora might not want to come here again."
Liora smiled shyly. "I'm fine. Jason actually got hurt worse than I did." "Well, come in and let's get you to the dinner table before we have any other disasters," Liora's mom smiled warmly. "I'm Mrs. Carowski but you can call me Mrs. C. All of Jason and Christina's friends call me that." She turned to Jason. "You'd better get cleaned up. We'll make sure Moose stays away from Liora." Jason reluctantly relinquished Liora to his mom and headed up the stairs. They walked to the dining room. Jason's Dad smiled warmly at them. "Sorry about the welcome, Liora. We promise it isn't usually like that."
Christina appeared in the dining room, seemingly out of breath. "I corralled the beast in the garage. So, hopefully, he won't be knocking over our guest any longer. I'm sorry about what happened Liora. Are you sure you're okay?"
Liora smiled. "I'm fine. It's completely okay. Moose seems like a nice dog." Christina let out an audible sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. "He is nice. He just gets over-excited and forgets his manners. But he's in the garage now. Are we ready to eat? You can sit next to me." Christina sat down and indicated for Liora to sit in the chair next to her. Just then, Jason came down the stairs and took the other seat next to Liora. Liora glanced at him. "How are your hands?"
Jason smiled at her. "They are fine. Almost good as new but I still won't be able to play tennis tonight." His parents came over to the table. "Let's pray and then we can eat," his mom said. Jason immediately took one of Liora's hands in his. Christina took the other. They all bowed their heads. Liora felt the warmth of Jason's palm and was glad that everyone's eyes were closed. She didn't want to start blushing again. She closed her eyes and focused on the prayer that Mr. C was saying. After the final 'Amen', they all began to eat.
"This food is delicious," Liora told Mrs. C. "Thank you. Actually, Jason is the one who grilled the chicken. Mr. C used to do all the grilling and then Jason decided he would take over. He was so good at it, we just let him grill everything now." Mrs. C smiled at Liora. "And Christina made the salad," she added, seeing that her daughter was about to interject and add her contribution.
Mrs. C asked Liora how Ranga was doing. Liora loved talking about Ranga and gave her a full update. Jason and Christina both shared stories from the first time they had met Ranga. The family laughed and talked around the dinner table. Liora noticed that they all seemed to take care to look at her when they were speaking so she could read their lips. Her shyness melted away and she began to feel more comfortable. They were all easy to talk to, so warm and friendly.
After dinner was over, they went into the backyard. Moose was let out of the garage and Christina brought him over to Liora. "I figured you needed a proper introduction to Moose," laughed Christina. Moose was excited at first but sat obediently at Christina's command and let Liora pet him. After that, he seemed to accept Liora as part of the family and made no attempt to jump on her. Despite his initial wild welcome, he was very sweet and gentle. "A wimp", said Christina but with laughter in her voice. Liora liked him. His big brown eyes gazed lovingly at her and he would frequently come over to be petted.
Christina got out the volleyball net. "Girls against guys!" she cried. Mrs. C laughed. "C'mon, we can take 'em!" Liora wasn't very good at volleyball but Mrs. C and Christina were so good that it didn't really matter. Jason and Mr. C played hard but the girls won easily. Liora was starting to see that they were a very athletic family. Almost everything they did seemed to be centered around sports or some sort of athletic activity. Normally, Liora would be intimidated but they were all so friendly and welcoming that she felt extremely comfortable. No one had even seemed to notice that she wasn't very good at volleyball. After they finished the game, they collapsed on the chairs on the brick patio. Mrs. C brought out lemonade and cookies. As the sun sank lower in the sky, they ate and chatted.
As evening set in and the air grew cooler, Mr. C and Jason started a fire in the firepit in the backyard. They dragged their chairs to sit around the bonfire, Jason and Christina both sitting on either side of Liora. Mr. C started telling a story of how they had gone to the beach on vacation and Jason had tried ocean kayaking for the first time. A rogue wave had sent him tumbling. Jason lost his paddle and discovered two fish had taken up residence in his boat. Then he had to try to swim his boat in.
"He kept trying to pull his boat to shore but the waves would send him tumbling again," Mr. C went on. "Then Jason decided he would lie on top of the kayak and paddle it in like a surfboard but that didn't really work either. Finally two surfers took pity on him and helped pull the boat in. I thought you were never going to get to shore. That's the last time you'll try ocean kayaking, huh Jason?" Mr. C teased.
Jason laughed, taking the teasing in stride. "Well, you never know. I kind of miss my fish friends. Maybe if I took up kayaking again, they would come back." He then turned to Christina, who had been the one laughing the loudest at the story. "Seems to me that you probably won't try surfing again. You had several wipeouts on that trip." "Yes but I did manage to stand up once!" protested Christina. "And I was able to partially ride a wave in." "A small wave," interjected her brother. "Well, you know what they say, practice makes perfect," retorted Christina. "Yeah, A lot of practice," teased her brother. "I don't think you'll be turning pro anytime soon. Maybe if you decided to move to the beach and devoted every waking moment to it." "I could do that," mused Christina. "That sounds like a great life."
Liora sat quietly, listening and enjoying the conversation. She sensed the deep love that ran through this family. She couldn't remember the last time she had sat with her family, just chatting and teasing each other. Liora loved her family and she knew they loved her. But she was usually tired and overwhelmed after a long day at school and opted to spend time alone in her room in the peace and quiet. And her siblings were usually doing other activities. Even on the weekend, they were usually out doing things with their friends while Liora stayed home. Liora felt a bit guilty for not making an effort to spend more time with them. But they all seemed to live separate lives. Liora usually preferred being by herself but she resolved to make a change and spend more time with her family. She wanted to experience the closeness she saw in Jason's family. They obviously loved each other a lot and enjoyed each other's company. Liora wanted that for her own family.
Liora then glanced at her watch. It was after eight and already dark. She stood up. "I'd better get going. I have to be home soon." Jason stood up as well. "I'll walk you to your car." Christina jumped up and wrapped Liora in a big hug. "Bye, Liora! We will see you on Monday! You are coming with us to the beach, right?" she asked. Liora felt like she had to say yes. In truth, she really did want to go. She liked spending time with Jason and Christina. However, she was more anxious about spending time with their friends, especially in a big group. She decided to put her fears aside and smiled at Christina. "Of course I'll come." "Yay!" Christina wrapped Liora in another bear hug. "I'm so happy you are coming."
Mrs. C stood up and gave Liora a brief hug. "Bye, Liora. It was so nice meeting you. You are welcome anytime. Drive safe." Mr. C echoed his wife's words, giving her a big smile. "Come anytime. I promise we will make sure Moose doesn't knock you over again," he laughed. Liora smiled and said goodbye. Jason walked with her around the backyard to the front of the house and then down to her car. He waited as she unlocked it and then opened the door for her. "I'm really glad you came tonight. My parents like you a lot. And of course, Christina does as well. She looks at you almost as an older sister. She's really happy you are going to the beach with us." He hesitated and then continued, "And of course, I am as well. Anyway, I'd better not hold you up too long. Drive safe. Send me a text when you get home so we know you made it home safe." He hesitated again and then reached out and hugged her. It was the first time they had hugged and Liora felt herself blushing again. She was glad the darkness hid her red face.
"Bye, Jason," she managed to reply once he had let go of her. "I'll text you when I get home." She opened the door and slipped into her seat quickly. She waved goodbye and pulled out onto the street. She turned on the music to distract herself from her thoughts and confusing feelings. She had to sort out her emotions if she was going to keep hanging out with Jason. And stop blushing! She was tired of her face going red all the time and she felt like she was too much of an open book. She was sure Jason could read all her emotions on her face. Christina probably could too, for that matter. Liora knew she definitely liked Jason but she still wasn't convinced that he liked her. He was friendly and he was very kind but he was that way to everyone. Even the fact that he had made a point of sitting next to her the past few days didn't convince her. He was probably just trying to be nice. And it was really Christina who had initiated all the invitations, wasn't it? Christina had invited her to sit with her at lunch, had invited her to dinner and to go to the beach. Jason was friendly when he saw her but he didn't seem to be trying to hang out with her.
Liora was so deep in thought that she almost drove past her house. She quickly pulled in the driveway and headed inside. She went to say goodnight to her mom. "How was the dinner?" her mom asked, giving her a hug. "It was good. They are all really nice. I had a good time," replied Liora. "That's good, honey. I'm glad you had fun and are making some friends," said her mom. "Me too," replied Liora. "I'm going to head to bed now. Are Josh and Katelynne home?" "No," returned her mother. "They went to the movies with some friends. Dad is heading out now to go pick them up." "Okay. I'll say goodnight to them when they get home. Goodnight Mom." Liora hugged her mother again and headed up the stairs to her bedroom.
Liora flopped on the bed. She sent a quick text to Jason letting him know that she was home and told him to let his parents know that she had a wonderful time and thanked them for their hospitality. Then she texted Christina and thanked her for the invitation and let her know that she enjoyed her time with her and her family. Her phone buzzed immediately after she sent the second text. It was Jason. He said he was glad that she had a good time and that she had come over. He ended with 'See you at the beach on Monday!' Liora smiled and then sighed when she saw his text. She was still a bit nervous about going to the beach on Monday. But there was no way to get out of it now. Christina then texted her with a message so full of emojis Liora could barely read it. It made her laugh. The message was so like Christina, so full of life and fun. Christina seemed to run at the world with her heart completely open, just trying to take it all in. Liora sometimes wished she could be like that. She was opening up, slowly, but she couldn't imagine being that enthusiastic or bubbly. Liora thought it must be exhausting.
Just then she heard the downstairs door open. Josh and Katelynne were home, laughing and talking as usual. Liora waited until she heard them come up the stairs and then came out to say goodnight. They seemed a bit surprised to see her. Liora didn't usually come out of her room to greet them when they came home late. It gave Liora a little pang to see the surprise on their faces. She reminded herself of her decision to spend more time with them. Liora asked them about the movie and they both gave glowing reviews. Liora didn't usually go to the movies. She couldn't hear what was being said, especially when there was background music or noise from people behind her. She was usually lost as to what was going on. But based on Josh and Katelynne's review, she thought she might make a point of watching it when it came out on video and she could watch it with captions. Even with captions, watching movies could be frustrating because her eyes were busy reading the captions and not watching what was happening on the screen. Liora preferred action movies or cartoons because there usually wasn't a lot of dialogue. But she thought she would check out this movie. Hopefully her brother and sister would be willing to re-watch it with her.
Liora went to her room and got ready for bed. It had been a busy day for her and she was tired. Jason's face drifted into her mind but she pushed it aside. She didn't want to go down the hole of confusing thoughts. She began to get nervous about the upcoming trip to the beach but pushed that aside too. She had already promised that she would go. No use in worrying about it now. Whatever happens happens. She couldn't predict the future and her imagination would likely come up with far worse scenarios than what would happen in reality. She said a prayer and then closed her eyes and fell asleep.