* * *
Madeline brushed her long hair and then inspected her face in the
mirror again. Though still slightly puffy, artful make-up application had
concealed the worst of the damage from the evening's earlier discord. She
smoothed some gloss over her lips as a finishing touch on her rosy
lipstick, adjusted the wide waistband of her black, knit slacks and tucked
in the folds of her purple, silk blouse. With its scoop neck, puffy sleeves
and gathered bustline, it created an attractive illusion. On her feet she
wore a pair of high-heeled black pumps.
To her great relief, she'd overheard good natured laughter and
uplifting conversation coming from downstairs while she quickly
reassembled herself. And when she finally walked into the kitchen, Ken
was happily interacting with Louis, who'd just arrived home from work, as
well as her parents. Before she could even utter a sound, however he
looked up, as if psychically sensing her presence.
"Hello beautiful," he said, almost imperceptibly. As always, she felt
faint when his sparkling eyes met hers. Their mesmerizing color was set
off nicely by a patterned pullover sweater in varying shades of blue that
coordinated perfectly with his neatly pressed navy pants. Maddy
recognized the outfit as one of their purchases at the Hamilton Mall the
previous weekend, where she and Ken had passed several joyful hours
securing his new fall wardrobe.
He met her halfway between the table and the folding door that
separated the foyer and the kitchen, planting a kiss on her cheek and
enfolding his arms around her.
"Kenny!" she exclaimed. "It's so good to see you-you look so great
in that!"
"You have good taste," he laughed, releasing her. He was well aware
that her family was still in the room.
"Well, welcome to Pennsylvania! How was the drive? Were my
directions ok?"
"Perfect," he smiled.
"Uh Maddy, guess what? Ken brought us two big boxes of tomato pie
for the game on Sunday!" Mom announced.
"From that bakery in Ventnor, same place I got it for our beach
picnic," he added.
"Ooh, that's good stuff, thanks!"
"Hey Mads," Louis piped up, "Ken bought me a book!"
"Really? Let me see!" She walked over to the table and sat down next
to her brother, who promptly showed her his new copy of A Time to Kill,
by his favorite author, John Grisham.
"I took a chance, hoping he didn't already have it," Ken explained.
"No, I have Pelican Brief, but I didn't have this one," Louis clarified.
"Aw Ken, that was really nice." Maddy's earlier inner turmoil had
now been replaced by a warm, comforting sense of calm.
"Nah, it was the least I could do. Besides, Louis is my buddy, right?"
Ken and Louis exchanged a high-five.
"Oh yes!" Louis agreed.
Maddy exchanged a knowing glance with her father, seated at his
usual place at the head, still dressed in his tennis clothes. In front of him,
a red-stained plate provided telltale evidence of his spaghetti-and-meatball
dinner. Mom busied herself at the stove, preparing a dish for Louis.
Setting it in front of him, she remarked, "Don't mind us Ken, it's a typical
Friday night around here, with everyone eating in shifts. There's plenty of
food, though, if you want some."
"It's looks delicious Mrs. Rose, thank you. But I want to take
Madeline out for a nice dinner tonight." He picked up her hand and
kissed it.
"Madeline, I hope you don't mind, but I did a little research and
someone recommended The Ship Inn in Exton. So I took the liberty of
making us a reservation at eight-thirty. It's not too far from here, is it?"
Pleasantly taken aback, she replied, "Uh, no Ken. Not at all; in fact,
it's one of my favorite restaurants." She conveniently omitted the fact that
Jake had originally introduced her to the establishment, contemplating
silently how nice it was to have the opportunity to create new memories.
Ken sure was full of welcome surprises.
"Well Maddy, you two should get going. It's still a good 30 minutes
from here and it's almost eight now." Her father spoke in a congenial
tone, delighted by what this young man had demonstrated so far.
"You're right," she agreed, rising to her feet. She gave each of her
parents a parting kiss before taking Ken's hand and heading for the front
door.