Save your gasps, Kyle and Katherine don't do it--today. I just really wanted to plug that song in my title.
I also just kind of want to get on with this installment without a lot of chit-chat, because I stayed up until two o'clock in the morning working on my first wedding anniversary present for Luke, and now the baby hates me. Honestly, kids are so demanding.
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CHAPTER SIX - KATHERINE
"So he actually asked you today?" Shannon cried.
"Yup. I thought he'd never get up the nerve. Figures he'd ask me the day of," I said, but I didn't mind.
It took a while, but Kyle finally asked me to go to the school's video dance that night.
[Please tell me my high school wasn't the only one to sponsor these. I still remember hopping around the gym to that masturbation song from Green Day in my oversized flannel and generously hairsprayed bangs.]
"You really like this one, don't you?" Shannon asked.
"Yeah, I really do. Kyle's like a kid and a player rolled into one." [And you know what they say about players. Don't hate, participate!]
"Well, I hope it works out."
"Are you going tonight?" I asked. She shook her head, and there was a sad look in her eyes. I felt guilty, knowing I'd neglected our friendship since I met Kyle. Impulsively I gave her a hug.
"I'm gonna get you someone to loosen you up," I promised.
"Are you saying I'm too uptight?" she said, her voice challenging.
"No...but you do kind of walk like you have a pine cone stuck in your butt," I teased. [It's OK, Shannon. Just blame it on rheumatism, like Julie Andrews did in The Sound of Music.] She laughed and waved as her bus pulled up. "Call me. I want to know everything," she called, sticking her head out the window.
"Shannie, it'll be 11:00 p.m., and it's a Monday night. Your parents'll freak."
"So don't ring so loud. [?] And I hate it when you call me Shannie!"
On my way home, I began to get excited. If things went well tonight, I had a feeling that, by tomorrow, Kyle and I would be going out. He'd be my first real boyfriend. I'm not the greatest in the guy department.
[I hear you, girl. I didn't get my mack on until I was 15, but hey, the guy was a senior in high school, so that scored me some extra coolness points, right? So what if he weighed eight pounds and had a cold sore?]
[Oh, man, that is so not an image you want to recall when you're trying to keep down the waffle you had for breakfast.]
When I got home, I was surprised to see my mother there. She'd been putting in long hours at work for some presentation she was making on Friday.
"Hi, Mom?"
"Huh? Oh, hi Kath. How was school?" she asked, rummaging through her briefcase.
"Fine. You're home early."
"Just for a minute. My boss wanted to see my progress on the presentation, and so I came to pick it up."
[Because people always store important work projects outside of the office.]
"Mom, Kyle asked me to the school dance. It's tonight. Can I go and be home by 11?"
"Kyle?...Oh, the boy you're tutoring. How are you getting there?"
"His aunt. Dad met her," I added before she could ask.
[I seriously doubt Cassie would serve as a co-conspirator in this incestual charade. Lil' Frema, what were you thinking? Also, what is Kayla thinking, permitting her son to escort HIS SISTER to an after-hours social function with limited adult supervision?]
"On a school night?"
"Please?"
Mom sighed. "Fine. You can go." She checked her watch. "Now I have to go or my boss'll be spitting nails. Tell the twins there's money for pizza on my dresser, and that your father's going out and won't be home 'til late. Have fun tonight." She hurried out the door.
[Oh, Jenna and Michael, please produce more children who you can ignore and leave alone to fend for themselves, with only a pizza to console them!]
I was on my way to my room when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Katherine? It's Kyle."
"Hi. What's up?"
"I forgot to tell you what time I'm gonna pick you up."
I laughed, and the two of us worked out the details. We talked for about a half an hour, until finally I said, "If you want me to look pretty tonight, mister, you gotta let me go."
"Missy, you couldn't look anything but pretty. I'm glad you're coming with me tonight," he added suddenly.
"Me, too. Bye," I whispered.
"Bye."
"Hang up now!"
"You first."
I laughed. "No."
"Yes!"
"Bye, Kyle," I said and hung up. As soon as I did, Lucas and Leigh came through the door.
"Mom and Dad wont be home til late. There's money for pizza on Mom's dresser. I'm going out," I told them and finally made it to my closet. After a few minutes, I decided on a white knit short sleeved sweater with black suspenders and black and white striped dress pants.
[Shut up. She looks cute, dammit!]
At four-thirty I started getting ready, and an hour later I was done. Kyle wasn't coming until six-thirty, so I had time.
I tried reading a book, but I gave up after 20 minutes of being on the same page. I filed my nails and flossed. I practiced smiling in the bathroom mirror.
[God, I love this girl. She's just so damn NORMAL.]
Ten minutes before Kyle was due, I remembered that I needed perfume. I smelled too...innocent. Maybe a new scent would make Kyle think I was more sexy than sweet. [Honey, you're wearing slacks to a dance. I'd start there first.] My mother had the perfect kind - SENSUALITY, hidden from me because she knew I loved it so much. She'll forgive me this once, I thought as I entered her room. I found it in a shoebox in the corner of her bottom dresser drawer. I dabbed some on my wrists and on my neck. I was about to put it back when some papers and a photograph caught my eye. I scanned the paper on top quickly. The word 'adoption' came up frequently, and I saw my parents' names. Were they thinking of adoption? I kinda figured out that they were having trouble conceiving, but I didn't know they were planning on adopting. I personally didn't feel comfortable with adoption. Could a parent REALLY love a child that wasn't flesh and blood? I didn't think so. Not the same, anyway.
[Katherine, you truly are Kayla's daughter, because only one of her offspring would neglect to find her own name on a set of adoption papers. Also, Jenna? Mad props for stashing a perfume you know your kid lusts after in the same place you keep confidential papers.]
I put the paper back in place, not bothering to finish reading it. Mom and Dad would tell us when they were ready. I laid my eyes on the picture. It consisted of a girl and a baby. The girl had blond hair, so bright it was almost blinding. I couldn't really see her eyes, though. They were half-closed and looking downward at the baby in her arms. It was a pretty little girl, who looked very much like the older girl. She gave the camera a toothy grin. I was going to examine it closer when I heard a knock at the door. Kyle.
[Surely Jenna and Michael took tons of pictures of Katherine the moment she became theirs. How could she not recognized her OWN DAMN SELF?]
I threw the picture in the box and slammed the drawer. I gazed at myself in the mirror and gave my reflection the thumbs-up sign.
[cough DORK cough]
I felt breathless with excitement as I went to answer the door. When I opened it, I melted.
Kyle looked wonderful. He had on crisp black jeans and a white silk short sleeved shirt. His hair shone, and fell over one eye. He handed me a single rose that had a violet ribbon tied around it. He grinned as I stared at the rose in my hand.
"I just happened to pass a flower shop on the way here, and I thought I'd look around. It looked so lonely, and I know you love violet, so..."
"It's lovely," I cried. "Leigh!"
"Yeah?" she asked, coming into the kitchen.
"Put this in a vase for me, please?" I handed her the rose, but I took the ribbon and tied it around my wrist.
Gazing at Kyle, she nodded.
"Shall we go, madam?" he asked, offering his hand. I took it willingly and nodded.
I was sure the night would be magical.
END OF PART ONE
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Who among us can't remember what it feels like to be a teenager and go on a date with a person who makes you tingle all over? That's how I felt about senior prom. And it was magical.
Too bad it won't be for Katherine.
I was all about the video screen dances back in the day. My high school used to do one after every home football game, in the gym. I was a dork, and didn't dance, but I had fun all the same.
And yeah, I know, from personal experience, your name appears at the top of the adoption papers, very very hard to miss.
And Cassie is playing chauffeur for her niece and her half brother?!? I thought we established her as the "normal" one this time around. Sooooo gonna end up back in the nut house.
Posted by: David McNelis | May 11, 2007 at 12:10 PM
Happy Anniversary tomorrow :) When we first got married, we went to a church full of all newlyweds. I thought it was so weird that some of them had been married for THREE YEARS - They were SO OLD. I'm a bit younger than you and I'm on 6.5 years already. Now I'm starting to feel old!
Yes, Katherine is absolutely Kayla's daughter. I would have read every word on those papers, especially if I knew my mom wasn't going to walk in on me. Though, given the clueless gene, even if she had read the names, she probably would've thought "oh, it must be a different Katherine and a different Kayla" and then drifted back into daydreams of Kyle.
And I agree that her outfit does look cute! I would've worn something like that in the 90's!
Posted by: Katie | May 11, 2007 at 12:18 PM
I have no idea what you are talking about with this video screen dance. When I read it I was all Whaaa? Where did Frema get THAT from?
I love Lil' Frema's details. A rose with a violet ribbon, red and black pants, suspenders (really!?), a thumbs up to herself? All classics. Is Jenna not questioning where the hell Michael is going to be that night? Why are they all blind to the big neon signs that are flashing before their eyes? I guess because it's fun to yell at them.
Posted by: Silly Hily | May 11, 2007 at 12:20 PM
We did have video screen dances. Just lame ones in the gym with most of the lights off and bad music.
Kathryn's outfit reminds me of the ones described in the Baby Sitters Club books! But it was totally all about matchy-matchy back then. I bet she looked rad.
And you can't seriously tell me that was the end!?! I can't wait until next week to read about this dance and Michael's going "out". Oh the suspense!
p.s.-happy anniversary!
Posted by: Elizabeth | May 11, 2007 at 12:49 PM
OMG, the thumbs up in the mirror could have come right out of Saved by the Bell (one of my favorite guilty pleasures, BTW).
We had something similar to the "video dances" - they were "dances" (that's a very loose use of that term) where they only played grunge music and there was much moshing.
And a dance on a Monday night? Really? :)
Posted by: Jessi | May 11, 2007 at 12:53 PM
They match! Crisp black jeans? Yikes.
Love it. Each week it just gets better.
Posted by: Carrisa | May 11, 2007 at 01:04 PM
Suspenders?
Black jeans and a silk shirt?
It hurts me to read these words, because that is pretty much what my favorite school dance outfit consisted of. My silk shirt had ruffles and a hat that matched it.
Cringe.
Posted by: Pink Herring | May 11, 2007 at 01:19 PM
I'm left wondering what Leigh's impression of Kyle is....does she think he looks like Katherine in some way? Hmmmm.
Posted by: VirginiaGal | May 11, 2007 at 01:28 PM
Happy Anniversary! (duh)
Posted by: VirginiaGal | May 11, 2007 at 02:16 PM
Dammit, she DOES look cute. Another awesome installation of TLF.
And I can't believe you've been married a year already! It's seems like yesterday I was reading the post about your wedding. [*sniff*] Happy Anniversary!
Posted by: Fraulein N | May 11, 2007 at 02:20 PM
Well, first of all, Happy First Anniversary!!! And now onto the juicy stuff... how much do I love reading about the fashion choices in this here sequel! I'm going to die waiting for next Friday's edition though, maybe then I'll gain some insight into what exactly a video dance is?
Posted by: Angela | May 11, 2007 at 02:58 PM
Yes, sweetie, you ALWAYS wear a skirt on a first date, even if it's to play basketball. That's the rule. And the boy has to wear enough hair gel that his hair is crunchy.
I love that Katherine and Kyle are matchies tonight! Black and white! Suspenders and silk shirts! Good call, Pink Herring, on the hat. A hat would have been a nice touch. Perhaps a big brooch on the suspenders.
Kyle sounds like a pretty smoove character. A kid and a player, rolled into one? If I didn't know he was my daughter's brother (phew!), I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.
Interesting that Katherine has no qualms about rummaging through her mom's stuff. The perfume was in a cardboard box in her bottom drawer?? How many places did she look first? You already covered the confidential papers bit.
It takes things like "Green Day" to remind me of my age. My high school dances were more about A-Ha and tracks from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack (Hungry Eyes!).
Happy Anniversary! What's your present?
Posted by: TasterSpoon | May 11, 2007 at 03:34 PM
Happy Anniversary to you, Luke and the bebe. It seems like just yesterday I was waiting to see Molly's pics of the wedding.
I'm with Hilly. I read "video dance" and had to write it down on my notes (you all still think I'm kidding about the notes). What in the crap is a video dance? Is it like a room full of kids who are watching videos, but they call it a "dance"? Odd.
And on a Monday night?
Very odd!
Shannon is uptight. She just walks like she has a pine cone up her butt? Dude, if that ain't uptight, I don't know what is. Carry on.
What's wrong with Jenna giving the kids money for a pizza? Lil Isabel would have killed for her Mom to order pizza. Dude, I would still kill for that.
Katherine was ready an hour before Kyle was going to pick her up?! Talk about being excited. I like to be ready the second the boy arrives (I say this like boys are still "arriving"). I can't waste any of the "good hair and make up" just sitting on the couch reading a book.
Okay, note to Kyle: don't bring a single rose on a date. Once a guy (who drove a big truck, had a mullet and wore a black leather vest) picked me up for our first (and last) date and brought me a single white rose. I was all; "what in the crap do you want me to do with this? Do I carry it with me during dinner, or leave it at home in a vase? WHAT?!" I was confused. I didn't know I needed to tie the ribbon around my wrist. Huh?
(Do you want to know what happened with me and "black vest guy"? Yeah, I married his cousin. And then divorced him. TAKE THAT, single white rose!)
Can't wait to see what happens next. I'll tune in just to learn more about the video dance and to get more ideas for places to hide my confidential papers.
Posted by: Isabel | May 11, 2007 at 04:43 PM
I can't believe so many of you never experienced the joys of a video dance! Poor, deprived things.
For my school, video dances included posting a screen next to the DJ station. So you could basically watch MTV while dancing to music. Very mid-nineties, and only a little bit lame.
Posted by: Frema | May 11, 2007 at 04:52 PM
I have no idea what a video dance is. Do they just show music videos?
Anyway. Black jeans and a short sleeved silk shirt? OMG, Kyle is a huge dork!
Don't ring loud!
Posted by: Rachel | May 11, 2007 at 04:59 PM
I love the fashion choices in this installment. As I spent my teenage years in a remote corner of upstate NY, girls were STILL wearing pinstriped pants with black suspenders to dances as late as 1998. Horrifying I know. Even more horrifying, I thought to my little 17-year-old self, "She looks so cool." As for Kyle's white silk shirt...all I can say is EEEK!!!
Everyone around me always said "Don't playa-hate, appreciate." Is it actually participate? Or both? Does this phrase display regional differences?
Katherine is SO Kayla's daughter. Secret docs hidden in my mom's drawer? And my mom is not going to be home any time soon? Hel-lo! I would be reading every word.
Posted by: Anth | May 11, 2007 at 10:15 PM
Dude, it is all about the outfits. I can go back & read my mortified little diary and get detailed descriptions of my ensemble: "Tonight I wore my sister's black leggings with the little color lint-dots on them and the matching oversize sweater in teal. I did my hair half up, half down with a scrunchie & wore my black loafers WITHOUT socks." Forget what I did the rest of the night, it was all about the outfit... And you're so right Frema, Katherine is awesome. Too bad her life is going to be ruined soon.
Posted by: May | May 11, 2007 at 11:02 PM
I'm kind of not loving Google Reader recently. This post didn't show up in Reader until 9:30 *PM*!!!
Posted by: Katie | May 12, 2007 at 12:26 AM
This is one of my favorite TLF posts! I love it because, I agree with you, I remember prom truly being magical. The logistics of the adoption papers and the perfume, along with your commentary here and throughout the whole post, completely had me ROFL. Nicely done.
Posted by: Lindsey | May 12, 2007 at 06:36 PM
Although you have probably received a gazillion awards, I nominated you for the Thinking Blogger Award. Check my recent entry for May 12... Happy Anniversary
Posted by: mjd | May 13, 2007 at 12:07 AM
I love coming back and reading the comments. "Don't ring loud!" LOVE IT.
May's comment was especially awesome. I hadn't heard of her clothing diary. But now, I want to see it so bad.
Also, for my birthday May made me a bullet list of reasons that she thinks I'm awesome. Guess what was on it? The fact that I introduced her to TLF. Yep-I get credit for YOUR awesomeness. Thanks.
Posted by: Isabel | May 14, 2007 at 12:51 PM
I love the silk shirt too!! LOL the special-occasion attire of choice!
Posted by: Erika | May 14, 2007 at 01:05 PM
Suspenders! Silk shirts! Gah, NOOOO, lil' Frema! Ah, how I've been missing my TLF.
Posted by: Stacey | May 15, 2007 at 10:18 PM
what did you make luke?
Posted by: auntie betty | May 16, 2007 at 12:52 AM
I think we need a Sunday or Monday category. Friday to Wednesday is just too long!
Posted by: Katie | May 16, 2007 at 02:25 PM
Wow, I can't believe it took me this long to get my butt over here to read TLF! But I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to read all the hilarious comments, too! I can't wait for this week's -- and I only have to wait until tomorrow!
Hope you, Luke, and Freke (I definitely meant to make you a photoshop image of a Team Freke T-shirt, too. But the time! It is just vanishing into thin air lately!) had a wonderful anniversary!
Posted by: Audrey | May 17, 2007 at 05:44 PM
Ohhhhhh, I came back here to check for this week's installment of TLF, and since it wasn't posted yet, I thought I would come back in my Friday routine and see what everyone else's comments were throughout the week, when it occured to me that I had never commented!! I read it that day, believe me I did! But I now recall that I was running like a mad woman to make it to work (also my usual Friday routine since I am drooling over TLF while eating a quick lunch, but I digress) Sooooo... being that today's (today being 5/18) TLF has not been posted yet, I hope you can forgive me and take my comment for what it's worth:
I invisioned Denise Huxtable crafting the young couple's dance attire-- I love it! Also, if Cassie is the driver, please, let's just say that she had too much electro-shock therapy while in prison, otherwise, I cannot excuse yet another adult for allowing half siblings to date... but it makes for a hell of a story line. And the fact that this came from Lil Frema's 14 year old mind still amazes me. Quite the depth. A+.
That's all for now-- see you on the flip side (the flip side being some time through out the day to come leave a second TLF comment in one day- via two postings-- how's that for skill?... or laziness?:)
Posted by: Sant | May 18, 2007 at 02:12 PM
Mad props to you for sending them to a video dance. Better that than a Dancing for Funz, no?
I decided to get caught up on all three TLF's at once. This is fun, knowing the answers to my questions about K & K are right around the corner.
Also, why is Katherine so dumb as to not see her own name on those papers?
Posted by: Molly | May 26, 2007 at 06:17 PM
Suspenders? Silk shirts? Black jeans?
I'm waiting for Blossom to pop up at any second...
Posted by: Whitney | June 07, 2007 at 04:04 PM