Cara walked into the house at about five o' clock. She could hear her aunt humming in the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and stood in the doorway.
"Aunt Maggie?" Cara said. Maggie jumped about a foot into the air, sending Cara into a fit of giggles. Maggie turned around.
"Oh, Cara, it's just you. You just about scared me half to death. Dinner's almost ready," Maggie said.
"Is it alright if I have a guest to dinner?" Cara asked. "My manager, Zac."
"Sure, that's fine. There's more than enough food. What's Zac's last name?" Maggie asked.
"Hanson . . . as in the band Hanson," Cara replied.
"Oh, yes . . . I remember them. You still like their music, right?" Maggie said. "Well, I will enjoy getting to meet him." The doorbell rang.
"That must be him!" Cara said. She ran to the front door. She smoothed down her hair and opened it. Zac stood there wearing a blue button down shirt and jeans. He held in his hand a bouquet of flowers. "Hi!"
"Hi! These are for your aunt. A thank you for dinner," he said, handing them to Cara.
"She'll love them! Daisies are her favorite," Cara said. "Come in, Zac." She held the door open, as he walked into the house. "Hold on a second." She walked back to the kitchen and gave Maggie the flowers. Then she came back into the hallway. "Aunt Maggie will be out in a few minutes. She's still working on supper." She led Zac into the den, where they sat down on the couch. "So . . . tell me about yourself. I mean . . . stuff that I don't know already."
"Well . . . um . . . I'm an architectural major, and this is my freshman year. I haven't joined any frats because I think they're stupid. My brother is about to marry his long time girlfriend, Andromeda," Zac said.
"What's she like?" Cara asked. "I mean . . . is she really nice, and do you get along with her? Stuff like that."
"She's pregnant," he said bluntly. "That's why they're getting married. But otherwise, yeah, she's nice. I'm glad she'll finally be a part of the family. She and Ike have been dating for years."
"Oh . . . I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Cara mumbled. "Obviously it's not something that you would want to talk about."
"It's okay. Really, it is. We're going to be working and going to school together, so it's good to know stuff about each other. Why don't you tell me about Damon?" Zac responded.
"He's got blue eyes and brown hair. He plays football at Georgia Tech, varsity team. He's a psych major. I met him in English Literature 101. Our eyes locked from across the room . . . ," she trailed off.
"Magic," Zac said softly. "Yeah, I know all about it."
"It's the most incredible feeling," Cara said breathlessly.
"Yeah, it is," Zac said, looking into Cara's eyes. She shifted a little bit and looked down at her hands uncomfortably. "So, what are we having for dinner?"
"Barbeque chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, and apple pie for dessert," Cara replied.
"Sounds good," Zac said. Cara nodded in response. Maggie came into the room, and they stood up.
"Aunt Maggie, this is Zac Hanson," Cara said. "Zac, this is my Aunt Maggie."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Maggie said, shaking hands with Zac.
"Thank you for having me over for dinner on such short notice. I really appreciate it. It's been a long time since I've had a real home-cooked meal," Zac said.
"Well, we're happy to have you. And there's more than enough food, so you just eat as much as you like," Maggie responded. "Well, dinner's ready, so will you show him to the table, Cara, dear?"
"Sure," Cara said. "Come on, it's this way." Zac followed Cara into the dining room, from which heavenly smells were seeping out. Zac pulled Cara's chair out for her, helping her to sit down, then he sat down. Aunt Maggie began to bring out the food, making Zac's mouth water.
"Thank you, Mrs. Ellis, for dinner," Zac said. "I really enjoyed it." Aunt Maggie just waved at him, as Cara and he walked out the front door. Cara shut the door behind her.
"So . . . I guess I will see you at work tomorrow?" Cara said. "One p.m. to five, right?" Zac nodded. He seemed slightly distracted about something. His hands were shoved into his pockets and his hair was tucked behind his ears, as he stared up into the sky. "Are you alright? You seemed to be worried about something."
"I'm fine," Zac said. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"Like?" Cara said.
"For starters . . . my brother and his fiancee. The wedding is on Friday, and it's going to be kind of weird. I mean, she's almost seven months along. It's going to make for a pretty strange wedding. Instead of normal wedding gifts, they need baby stuff," Zac said. "Plus, the whole school thing. I'm running the book store, on top of taking classes. Atleast I have you to help me with that."
"I'm sure it will all turn out fine," Cara said, reaching up and squeezing his shoulder. He looked at her with his deep brown eyes, as though he could see into her soul.
"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Zac said, smiling slightly. The look on his face was serious, but calm. "I guess I have a tendency to worry a little too much sometimes. I'll be okay." He wrapped Cara up in his arms, giving her a bear hug. "You sleep tight, girl. I'll see you tomorrow."
"G'night, Zac," Cara said, waving at him as he walked to his car and drove away. Cara walked back into the house. Treading upstairs to her room, she removed her shoes and her jewelry, placing them on her dresser. She picked up the phone and dialed Damon's number.
"Alpha Beta Frat House. Marcus Needsaman speaking," a drunken voice said.
"May I please speak to Damon Smith?" Cara asked. She chuckled a little. Some of the guys must be having a get together. Or as they called it, an all-night belch-a-thon.
"Hold on just a minute. I think he's upstairs," the guy said. She heard him put the phone down, and she could hear music in the background. She heard a click, as though someone had picked up on the other line.
"Hold on a minute, baby. I got a phone call." She heard Damon's voice. Her stomach hit the floor.
"Aw . . . hurry back, Damon," a female voice said. Cara's eyes filled with tears. She had barely been gone two days, and he was already cheating on her.
"Hello?" Damon's voice came across the line. Cara couldn't speak, only letting out a loud sob. "Hello? Cara? Is that you?" Cara placed the phone down on the receiver. She picked it back up, checking for a dial tone. She punched in a phone number and waited for an answer.
"Hello?" Zac's voice filled her ears.
"Hey, Zac. It's Cara," she said, sniffling.
"Hey! What's up?" Zac asked. Cara began to cry again. "What's wrong?" Zac became worried.
"It's just Damon . . . he . . ." Cara couldn't even bring herself to say it.
"It's okay. I'll be over there in five minutes," Zac said. He hung up the phone and grabbed his car keys.
