My theme for 2021 is a Young Adult short story. A double-date in the 1990s. An established teen couple sets up their best friends with each other, but it doesn't go well.
Today's word count is approximately: 877 words
X is for the Xièxiè, qǐng zàilái Chinese restaurant
We head outside and follow the sidewalk to the far end of the mall, where XQZ is located. The building is attached, but there's no entrance from inside the mall.
Big, golden letters have "Xièxiè, qǐng zàilái" written on the door. But, since no one ever says it right, everyone just calls the place XQZ. It means "thank you, please come again" in some form of Chinese. At least, that's what one of the waiters told me when I asked a few years ago.
We grab a to-go menu and pick out what we want.
"Should we get something for your parents?" Yohann asks Madelyn.
"Yes," Lance points the pen at Madelyn. "We should butter them up. What do they like?"
"Moo goo gai pan," she answers.
Lance circles a large of it under the chicken dishes. I point to the cashew chicken, which he circles for me. He marks the beef and broccoli for himself.
Yohann looks over the menu and picks a stir-fry dish with pork and fava beans. He makes a Hannibal Lector joke from the Silence of the Lambs movie.
"Did you know the book and movie list two different wines? Chianti doesn't actually pair well with liver," Madelyn says as she circles an item.
"Drink a lot of wine?" Yohann asks.
Lance adds appetizers and places our order while Madelyn explains about an article she read in some magazine her parents subscribe to. I've heard the story seven million times. Good to know that someone has figured out what wines go best with human body parts. How does one apply for that job?
*******
We pull up to Madelyn's place five minutes before her curfew. Lance carries the bag of food. Yohann touches Madelyn's back as we head to the door, then crams his hands in his jacket.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"
Her parents reply that they're in the kitchen. We head in there.
"Have a nice time?" Her dad asks.
Madelyn sets her flower and the bag with her book on the counter. "Yes. We didn't think about food until late though. So we got take-out from XQZ. I bought some for you two. And we rented a movie."
Her mom crosses her arms. "A bit late for a movie."
Madelyn frowns.
"Have I seen it?" Madelyn's dad asks before finishing his drink.
"Outbreak. We didn't see it in theaters."
Her mom scoffs. "The one where that nice capuchin, Katie, from Friends is blamed for making a whole town sick? As if that animal hasn't been through enough."
"Mom," Madelyn squeezes the bridge of her nose as she pleads, "can we please just sit in the living room, eat our dinner, and watch the movie?"
"No."
Madelyn stomps her foot. I inch behind Lance. I hate being here when she argues with her parents.
"Why not?"
"We were generous enough to allow you out until eight. This feels like a trick, a way to extend your curfew until ten. Next time you'll call from a restaurant and ask if you can stay out to eat a meal there. You'll argue there's no difference between eating there versus eating here. Assuming we even allow there to be a next time, considering you're already trying to push the limit by bending the rules." Madelyn's mom eyes me. She's secretly blaming me. Deciding that this food and movie were my idea. Probably considering grabbing a knife from the butcher block beside her and having one less bad influence in her daughter's life. There's a magazine around here somewhere to tell her what wine to drink with my internal organs.
Yohann puts his hand on Madelyn's shoulder. "Understandable. I had hoped we could all get to know each other better tonight over a meal and a movie. But perhaps that's best suited to another time. I do hope you'll consider inviting me over sometime. Perhaps allow me to make dinner for the three of you?"
Madelyn's mom steps back, her rump hitting the counter. "You want to cook us dinner?"
"Yes, I should very much like to spend time getting to know all three of you, as well as having you get to know me." Yohann flashes a smile.
I know Lance wants to bang his head off the wall. Yohann is good with adult authority figures. Lance and I, not so much.
The grandfather clock strikes eight. Yohann takes Madelyn's hand and pulls it to his lips. "Good night, Sweet Princess. I hope we will see each other again."
He turns and heads to the door. Madelyn and her parents leave their jaws dropped on the floor.
Lance sets the bag on the table, rummages inside, and grabs two containers. He checks them, decides it's the right ones, and leaves them. He tosses three fortune cookies and wooden chopstick packets down. Then does one of those weird salute waves, grabs the bag, and reaches for my hand as he heads toward the door.
"Bye, I guess," I say, then mouth for Madelyn to call me later as I take Lance's hand and go.
(For a Happily Ever After - stop reading now. For the real ending, come back for the next two shocking posts.)
💰
Get Stash, an app that makes investing easy. If you sign up with my link and add cash, we both get $20 of bonus stock. https://get.stash.com/jamieejv28 💵
I haven't had much time the last week - pressure from the day job, but you have me hooked with the promise of a not so happy ending...
ReplyDeleteI can't wait.
ReplyDeleteAhh, I want to know what happens, but you know I want the Happily Ever After!
ReplyDeleteStopping by from A to Z!
- Jayden Vincente
Erotic fiction author
https://jrvincente.com/a-to-z-2021/
I like the happily ever after...
ReplyDelete