How many more times did he want to hear the same thing? “Positive.”
“Would you like me to rub your forehead when we get back to your place?” Arnold asked. “It helps my mother feel better when she gets a headache.”
“No, thank you. I just want to go to sleep.”
“Did you hit your head or anything–I mean do you have a concussion? I’d be glad to stay around and make sure you’re okay. When one of the moving men dropped a portable TV on my brother’s head, he got a whopper of a concussion, so I know what to do.”
“That’s okay, thanks. I wasn’t hit in the head. It’s just a headache that I don’t want to become a migraine. The best remedy for that is sleep.”
Abby couldn’t wait to get out of his car. If she never saw him again it would be too soon. All the way to her apartment he chatted away. He was giving her a real headache.
“Did your mother tell you that I moved back into my mother’s house for the time being?”
“No. She didn’t mention it.”
“That way I will be able to stop by the store and say hi.”
“Don’t bother. I can’t talk while I’m working. I’d hate for you to make the trip for nothing.”
“Just saying hello would make my day.”
Abby cringed when she heard that. She was going to have to make a clean break with this guy. “Arnold, you’re a nice guy, but I don’t think this is going to work out between us.”
“How can you say that? I think we’re just perfect for each other.”
“You can’t possibly think that. We hardly know one another.”
“I know all I need to know about you.”
Oh boy. “No. It’s probably best if we don’t see one another again. Thank you, for dinner and the show,” she said, opening the car door.
“Wait!” he said, trying to stop her.
Abby scrambled out of the car and was halfway to the apartment before he caught up to her.
“I’m serious, Arnold. I don’t want to go out with you ever again,” she said, opening her door. Blocking him with an outstretched arm, she squeezed into her apartment and slammed the door, locking it.
Abby hated to make him feel bad, but he was getting on her nerves, aside from the fact he was definitely hard of hearing. She watched through the peephole as Arnold walked slowly back to his car and got inside. Abby didn’t start breathing normally again until she heard him restart the car and drive away.
That was definitely her very last blind date. Even though it was late, she decided to call her mother to prevent her from calling at some ungodly hour in the morning to hear all about the date with Arnold. She also wanted to get it over with.
Her mother picked up on the first ring. Had she been sitting and staring at the phone, willing it to ring?
“Hi, Mom. I know it’s late, but I thought you might want to know what happened with Arnold tonight.”
“Isn’t it early for you to be home already? You do know that you no longer have a curfew, don’t you?”
“I wanted to end the date early.”
“Are you sick?”
“No–not unless you consider being sick of Arnold.”
“I don’t understand, Abby.”
“There’s nothing to understand. I just didn’t like Arnold.”
“But why? He’s such a handsome man.”
“Mom, you know you can’t judge a book by its cover–”
“Sure you can. I do it all the time. I always read the back cover of the book and if I don’t like what I read, I don’t buy it.”
Abby sighed. “That’s not what I meant, Mom.”
“Abby, you’re not–I mean–you do like men, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I just don’t like one man–Arnold.”
“What will I tell Mrs. Blackman?”
“Nothing. Arnold will tell her for you. He’s living at home now.”
“I just don’t know…”
“Well, I do. No more blind dates. They don’t work. Now, goodnight, Mother.”
Chapter 4
The following day, the phone rang around ten o’clock in the morning. Abby glanced at the caller ID. The name Blackman glared at her. She groaned. Her brain told her hand to pick up the receiver and speak to Arnold. Unfortunately, her hand mutinied and went on strike. Her other hand, not being a scab, wouldn’t get involved and cross the picket line.
After the third ring, the answering machine picked up the call. She listened to the message.
“Abby, this is Arnold. I’m calling to see how you feel. Hopefully, you are still sleeping and not dead. I’ll try back later. Oh, yeah, in case you don’t know, this is Arnold.”
Abby buried her head under her pillow. Unbelievable. What a terrific start to the day. What else could go wrong?
The telephone began to ring again. The caller ID said Minton. Reluctantly, Abby reached over and picked up the phone. She had to learn not to ask what else could go wrong.
“Hello, Mom.”
“I just got off the phone with Mrs. Blackman. She’s very upset.”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t want to go on the blind date in the first place.”
“She said that Arnold liked you very much.”
“Tell her to set him up with another friend’s daughter and he’ll be just fine. Look, Mom, I don’t want to talk anymore about Arnold. Is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Your grandfather is putting on a magic show this afternoon at three. I think you should be there.”
Her mother had mentioned a while back that her grandfather had wanted to become a magician, but she had figured he might forget about it before the idea took root. Papa, as she affectionately called him, was always coming up with some new harebrained scheme. He was such a child at heart. A Dennis the Menace with liver spots instead of freckles, he was forever playing practical jokes on everyone. Grandma had given up on him a long time ago, which was no big surprise, for they had always seemed so different. She was quiet and reserved, hardly ever having to raise her voice. All she had to do was give Abby one of her special looks and Abby knew she was in hot water. Abby figured
