Chapter 11: Look Who's Coming To Dinner (JB)

I quickly but thoroughly washed up in the bathroom and put on my best shirt. It was a red-and-white striped one, one which Jimmy said made me look like a raggedy American flag. My mom always said it looked nice on me though, and I figured the opinion of a girl, even one as old and uncool as my mom, was probably more valid than Jimmy’s. And I wanted this other girl to like it too.

I rushed downstairs, equally worried that either my parents were telling embarrassing stories about me, or that I took too long in the bathroom and she’d think that I was doing something weird in there. I was relieved when I neared the dining room and heard lighthearted laughter from everyone.

Lizzy was still a bit shy and reserved but my parents did a great job of coaxing out answers about her life. We learned that she used to play volleyball for her old school. And although she was the shortest one on the team, she was one of the best setters they had ever had. She talked about going on long bike rides with her friends, going to the small local zoo and trying to sneak marshmallows to the giraffes and bananas to the monkeys.

The more I learned about her, the deeper my crush became. She even played video games! Golden Eye, Mario Kart, even Oregon Trail. I couldn’t believe how much we had in common.

As best I could while still looking casual, I would insert things into the conversation that I hoped would impress her. I mentioned my karate and all my cool drawings. I may have exaggerated my skills in Golden Eye too, hoping to cajole her into staying for a bit after dinner and maybe playing a few rounds with me. I barely touched my dinner, I was just happy to be in her company. 

Soon enough, Lizzy didn’t take much coaxing, she was freely speaking about herself and where she was from. She had moved to Villa Park for her dad’s work. He was an engineer and inventor who was starting an entry level position at the Fermilab in Batavia. A little later, we learned that her dad was actually her adopted dad, as she was originally from Korea. Once I heard that the family who took her in were from Germany, I made a mental note of this. I was already trying to think of ways to deter Jimmy from thinking that they were possibly Nazis.

Dessert came out next and it was our special occasion dessert: moose-tracks! This night, in my opinion, couldn’t get any better. I quickly polished off my first bowl of ice cream and then I headed to the kitchen to dish out a second one when the doorbell rang. I paused mid-step, glancing curiously at the door. We weren’t expecting any other company tonight.

I looked at my dad, who seemed frozen in time as well. A generous spoonful of ice cream hung still in the air, just below the bushy bristles of his mustache. My mom and dad exchanged a look, one that confirmed neither of them were expecting anyone else either.

Since I was already on my feet, I was the one who went to answer the door. I stood on my tip-toes and glanced through the peephole. What I saw in it made me swallow nervously.

At the door was a burly police officer, his fist raised to start knocking in case our bell wasn’t working. I turned to my dad for advice. “It’s the police,” I said. Dad nodded, set down his spoon without first eating its contents, and pushed back his chair. He smiled reassuringly at me and put a comforting hand on my shoulder as he walked past me and answered the door just as it was being knocked on.

The door swung wide open and the full picture came into view. I had only seen the policeman in the peephole; I didn't realize that Jimmy was standing next to him, red-faced and peering down at his shoes. My stomach dropped.

“Good evening sir,” the officer began, “I’m sorry to interrupt your meal.” Jimmy tried to rush past the officer, shouting 'sanctuary' as he attempted to retreat into our home. The officer stopped this with a heavy hand on Jimmy's shoulder, just as my dad had done to me only a moment ago. This time, however, the gesture had a very different meaning. “This young man was caught causing chaos down at the animal shelter. I tried to bring him to his home but his mother wasn’t there and he won’t tell me the truth about his dad.” 

“I told you the truth!”

A stern look from my dad silenced Jimmy’s protest. Jimmy went back to looking at his shoes but his foot was now tapping constantly. I could tell that he was fuming. “Anyway,” continued the officer, “he said that he stays here sometimes so I brought him by. Is any of this ringing true?”

My dad nodded, the right side of his mustache arching up into a sage half-smile. He thanked the officer for bringing Jimmy over safely and assured him that Jimmy’s parents would be contacted about the issue. Once the officer was satisfied that everything was under control, he said his goodbyes and turned to leave. Before leaving the stoop, he fixed Jimmy with one more stern stare. The officer warned him that he should stay away from the shelter until the issue was resolved or charges may be pressed. With that warning hanging heavily in the evening air, the officer returned to his squad car and Jimmy was allowed into the house.

“Mr. B, you don’t understand,” Jimmy began but my dad waved his words away until Jimmy quieted down. My dad absently pulled at his mustache while he pondered the situation. He was always quiet when he was choosing his words carefully.

“We can talk about this later,” my dad finally said. “We have a dinner guest and we don’t want to be rude.”

Jimmy looked up in surprise, noticing for the first time that Lizzy was sitting at the table. More precisely, I could tell by the way that his body stiffened up that he saw Lizzy was sitting in his usual chair. He visibly blanched but he said nothing.

Mom offered to get Jimmy a plate of food but he declined by shaking his head ferociously. His face was red and tears were beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes. His nodding sent a few of them spilling out and they cut two wet paths down his sullen face. “Mrs. B, if you’ll just let me explain. I swear I’m not doing anything wrong and - ” Once again, one of my parents shushed his explanation and tried to just be kind instead. They were out of luck though, as Jimmy wasn’t having it.

After wiping his eyes and straightening up, Jimmy politely said thank you to my parents for letting him come over. He then turned and disappeared up the stairs, presumably on his way to my room. Shortly after, I excused myself from the table and I ran to my room. I opened the door and saw just what I had expected to see. My window was wide open and my blankets were missing from the bed.

I ran to the window and looked down. There was no sign of Jimmy. There was, however, a pile of sheets on the ground that had been sloppily tied into a rope. That rope must not have worked very well based on its position on the ground surrounded by a bunch of broken tree branches. I could almost see the indentation in the grass from Jimmy’s butt hitting it hard.

I sighed.

I turned to leave, ready to go outside to retrieve and wash my bedsheets. Lizzy was standing in the doorway with a concerned look on her face. After describing the scene outside my window, I decided this was as good a time as any to explain to her exactly who Jimmy was.