Are you tired of stories about interviews and plane flights and having faith? Sigh. Me too. Believe me, it is even more tiresome to be living them. (This morning David said, "How do you feel about Waco, Texas?" Um, yeah, not exactly top on my list.) This morning then, how about a story of romance? Don't worry. There is little or no necking involved.
On Saturday night, Caleb went to Teen Elect. He dressed in his new suit and his dad's hand-me-down tie, put gel in his hair and let me comb the back down. I could smell cologne and toothpaste.
Teen Elect is where you learn about manners and dancing and how to make conversation with someone of the opposite sex. Olivia has been looking forward to it for two years now.
When I dropped Caleb off, he said, "Aren't you going to come in with me?" I wasn't. But I parked and led him inside. He got his nametag, he found out where to go, he gave me a side-shuffling hug, and disappeared into the unknown.
I picked him up three hours later.
"Did you have fun? How was it?"
"It was interesting."
"How was the dance?"
"Interesting."
"How were the classes?"
"Interesting. Kind of boring."
"What did they talk about?"
"Wearing deodorant and always having a mint."
"Did you have fun?"
"I'm not sure. It was interesting. And awkward. Very awkward."
Olivia and Savannah were waiting on the couch for us when we got home. Waiting with bated breath. They have been waiting for weeks, truth be told. They were ready for a story of romance, a story of love and lust, of fancy ballrooms and meaningful looks.
"Soooooo, how was it?"
"Interesting."
"Tell us everything! Did you dance?"
"Of course. They made us."
"Who did you dance with?"
"Lots of people. We had to."
"Were the girls cute?"
"I don't know."
"What were they wearing?"
"I don't know."
"What color were their eyes?"
"Oh, come on, Olivia."
And then Olivia sighed hugely, "Oh, it sounds sooo romantic."
I looked at her. Romantic? The way Caleb tells it, it was just this side of painful.
And then she said, "I can't wait for teen elect. My favorite part is the hip part."
I asked, "What's the hip part?"
"You know, the part when the boy puts his hand on your hip."
Heaven help us.
The next day we pried a few more details from him. I asked him if he talked to the girls while he was dancing.
"Of course," he said. "They taught us that."
"What did you talk about?"
"I asked them their favorite color."
"O...kay. Anything else?"
"One girl asked me what school I go to and I said 'Stapley'."
"But you don't go to Stapley."
"I know, but it seemed easier. But then she said, 'I go to Stapley. Why haven't I ever seen you?' and I was like 'Umm, yeah, I lied about that.'"
Olivia gasped, "And then did she slap you? Oh that sounds soooo romantic."