Ladies Choice
PART 3
Dan and Nat were working
together in the barn cleaning up the stalls after school. “Nan sure was off in another land today,”
Dan said to Nat, who was in the next stall.
“So I noticed.”
“Wonder what’s wrong with
her. Suppose it has to do with the
dance.” Dan peeked into the next stall
to look at Nat.
Nat leaned on his rake and
sighed. “I don’t know. I hope she’s Ok.”
“She was probably just
trying to figure out a way to ask you to the dance.”
Nat blushed. “So has Bess asked you yet?” he turned the
subject toward Dan.
“Nope, but it won’t be much
longer,” he said confidently.
“What makes you so
sure? She might not even ask you,” Nat
teased.
“She will.” Just then Dan
got a brilliant idea. “Wanna make a
bet?”
Nat looked at his best
friend. “What kind of bet?” he looked
suspicious.
“I bet you that Bess asks me
to the dance before Nan asks you.”
“What are we betting for?”
Nat asked cautiously, knowing how Dan’s mind worked.
Dan shrugged, “The loser has
to do the winner’s chores for a week.”
“I don’t know, Dan.”
“Ok, Ok. Just for a day.”
Nat sighed and smiled at
Dan, “Alright. It’s a bet.” They shook
hands. “Nan’s gonna ask me first and you know it.”
“We’ll see.”
Nan finished up her Monday’s
chores and saw that Nat was done with his as well. “Well, it’s now or never,” she told herself quietly. “I hope what Bess told me to do works.” Nan walked over toward Nat wondering why she
was even planning on listening to Bess.
“Nat,” she called out to Nat
who was sitting on the porch steps.
Nat smiled up at her. “Nan.”
His smiled turned into a frown.
“Did you get in trouble?”
“Trouble? Oh, no. Mrs. Jo just wanted to talk to me is all.”
“Oh, good. You seemed a little bit distracted today,”
he commented with a worried expression on his face.
“It’s nothing. Ummm, are you done with your chores?”
“Yes, I am,” he said a bit
too excitedly. “Would you like to take
a walk?” he asked her.
This is easier than I
thought, Nan was thinking. Nan was about ready to ask him the same
question. “I’d love to,” she answered.
“Great!” The two headed down
toward the creek. When they got there,
they sat down on the bridge and looked down at the water.
Nan got nervous and began to
say the first things that came to her head.
“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it, Nat?”
“Yes, it is,” he agreed.
“You know, I’ve never really
taken the time to look at the creek,” she said. “It’s so tranquil and serene.
Absolutely resplendent.”
Nat blinked in utter
surprise, “Nan, are you sure you’re Ok?”
“Yes, why?”
“Tranquil? Serene?
RESPLENDANT? Sorry, but those words just aren’t you.”
“Oh, sorry. They were on last week’s vocabulary quiz,”
she explained.
“Since when do you actually
remember vocabulary words?”
“Never mind,” since Nan was
feeling nervous, the words had just popped out.
Nan was quiet, so Nat
figured he’d better help her along a little bit. “Nan, you remember what we were talking about at supper last
night?” he began hinting. “You know,
what Dan and I found out yesterday?”
“Yeah, uh, about that. I, uh.
Well…” she wasn’t looking at Nat.
“You what?” Nat prodded.
She looked up at him. “I, uh…”
“YEE-HAW!!!!!” Emil shouted
as he ran toward the two and jumped off the bridge in a big splash. Almost all the other boys followed him. Soon the noise was too loud to continue
their talk.
“Come on, Nan, Nat. Join us.”
Nan shrugged and jumped into
the creek. Nat just sighed.
