April, 2018

 

 

Dean tells me he’s considering going to the Junior Prom on the Wednesday before it’s scheduled. Having no girlfriend or female friend in mind to invite, he concocts a plan to have Tom Windsor, a senior and good friend of our family, ask the most beautiful girl in the senior class how she would feel about Dean inviting her. I get wind of this in the car while I’m driving Dean and Sammy to club soccer practice.

 

“Dean, how would you pick her up? Uber?” He does not yet have his drivers license.

 

He looks at me. “Mom, could you drive us?”

 

I look quickly over my shoulder at Sammy in the back seat, who is shaking his head and laughing.

 

“I don’t know, Dean. I don’t think the senior class beauty, who is heading off to college in a couple months, is going to love being picked up by her date’s mother.”

 

“Well maybe I’ll ask her to drive.”

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“No.”

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“What? Beautiful women expect all these things, so I’m turning the tables a little and doing the unexpected.”

 

“What will you wear? Your blazer is too small and it’s probably too late to rent a tux.”

 

“Goodwill? A cool jacket and a hat?”

 

Sammy speaks up, finally: “Actually, Dean, that’s not a bad idea.”

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But the beautiful girl shoots him down, unfortunately. Probably not that unfortunate.