Rachel's Date

Cynthia tapped her fingers listening to the endless ringing. Debbie should have been home from her hair appointment half an hour ago, where was she? 

“Hello?” 

“Debbie, what’s Bobbie doing tonight?”

“Well, hello to you, too.” 

“No time for that, this is serious. What’s Bobbie doing tonight?”

Cynthia rattled her nails on the phone, twisting the cord around and around her finger.

“I. Don’t. Know.” Debbie said at last. 

“Well, ask him, will you?”

“He’s at basketball practice, you know that.”

“Blast it.”

“Is something wrong? You’re starting to worry me.”

“Rachel’s got plans tonight and she won’t tell me with who. I thought maybe it was a date with Bobbie,” Cynthia said, trying to keep her words from tripping over themselves.

“What? Really? Rachel?”

“Yes, can you believe it?”

“I could call the school?” asked Cynthia.

“No, no, that would be too conspicuous. I want to find out without Rachel knowing I’ve been snooping on her. She doesn’t tell me anything as it is, and that would really seal the death of our communication. No, I gotta find out without anyone knowing I’m trying to find out. You see?”

“Well, yes, of course. But now I gotta know, too. I thought Bobbie was dating Ashley. But you know, he’s been extra mopey the last week. Maybe they broke up.” Debbie’s joy translated even over the phone.

The women had been planning for their children to date one another for the last 16 years. This was a dream come true. If it was actually coming true, that is. 

“I know, just have Jessica call Rachel. Rachel is bound to tell Jessica and then Jessica will tell you then you can call and tell me,” Cynthia said.

“Yes! Brilliant! If the phone rings in a minute, it’s Jessica.”

They hung up.

“Rachel, can you come here a minute?” Cynthia called down the hall.

“What is it?” came the annoyed response.

What a dear, she was probably getting ready for her date. 

“I need to talk to you about something.” Just lure her close to the phone, thought Cynthia. 

Rachel plodded down the hall in baggy pink pants and a T with bold zig-zag print. 

“Is that what you’re wearing?” Cynthia asked before she could stop herself. 

“Is that what you wanted to ask me?” Rachel turned to go back to her room.

The phone rang. 

“Wait, no, that might be for you. I’ll let you get it.” Cynthia stepped aside to make room.

Rachel gave her mom a side-eye as she shuffled over and scooped up the phone.

“Hello? Oh, hi, Mrs. Cagney. Yeah, mom’s here, hang on.”

This is all wrong, Cynthia thought, taking the phone. It’s supposed to be Jessica calling, not Susan. Hand covering the receiver she shooed Rachel away. “Hadn’t you better get ready for your date?”

Rachel made a face but padded back down the hall. Cynthia waited to hear the thump of her door closing before saying into the phone, “Susan. I can’t talk now, I’m expecting another call.” 

She went to hang up, but Susan burst in, “Wait, wait, this is important, just give me a second.”

“Just one.”

“Candy’s been acting really weird; she’s been busy in the basement all afternoon and when she was on the phone earlier, I thought I heard her mention Rachel. Do you know what’s going on?”

“Rachel? She’s going on a date tonight.”

“Reeeally?”

“Come on, Susan, you don’t have to sound so surprised.”

“Sorry, sorry. Who with?”

“That’s why I need to get off the phone. I’m waiting for a call any second that will help me find out.”

And with that reminder of the urgency of the situation, Cynthia hung up.

She paced up and down the carpet, churning her hands, waiting for the call to come. Minutes ticked by. Maybe she’d missed Jessica’s call.

Cynthia decided it would be best to call Debbie back.

“What happened to Jessica?” she asked as soon as Debbie answered.

“Oh, sorry, she’s in the shower. I tried to call, but your line was busy. Any more ideas?”

“Drat. Susan just called and said Candy’s been acting strangely. Cooped herself down in the basement or something. Said she mentioned Rachel.”

“Your Rachel?”

“I can only presume.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Bobbie’s home.”

“Quick, ask him what he’s doing tonight!”

The phone went silent. Cynthia could hardly bear the anticipation. Tonight could be the night when they’re two offspring finally got together. Her mind was soon adrift with images of them all gathered around a giant Thanksgiving table surrounded by grandbabies. She would be called Nana. Maybe Grammy. No, Gigi.

“No dice,” Debbie whispered into the phone. “He won’t tell me what he’s doing. And what’s more he says he needs the computer and I have to get off the phone. Of all the nerve. I’ll call you back if I find out anything.”

“Thanks, Deb.” Cynthia’s heart sank. How was she expected to get any answers around here? She flipped through the Rolodex, thinking who she could call next. Sharron! Her son was friends with Bobbie. 

After a few agonizing minutes of small talk –Cynthia wasn’t as good of friends with Sharron, her political views being in direct and loud opposition to her own– they finally got down to business.

“So Sharron, how’s Jeremy doing? Up to anything interesting these days?”

And, of course, Sharron jumped into a minutes long tale of how Jeremy tried out for the school play, and he’s very creative, and he spends his free time writing books, and he’s recently become Dungeon Master in a campaign —can you imagine that— yes, and it was horrifying. 

When it was at least somewhat appropriate, Cynthia interjected, “Does he still spend much time with Bobbie Crane?”

“Why yes, I think so, why?” Sharron had the audacity to ask.

Cynthia couldn’t stoop to tell her the truth and admit her own daughter wouldn’t open up about her love-life, or much of anything else, really, so she said instead, “I hear Bobbie broke up with his girlfriend, what’s her name?”

“Ashley? Really? I thought they were quite serious.”

“Rumor is, he’s dating someone new.” Take the bate, take the bate, Cynthia silently pleaded.

“Jeremy hasn’t mentioned it to me. And I really don’t ask, I think that’s why he’s so open with me. Kids always know when a parent’s trying to pry and they clam right up, but act uninterested and they’re an open book. That’s my policy and it’s worked like a charm.”

“I’ll keep that in mind if ever I have that problem.”

Sharron continued unprompted, "I find that I can't be so consumed with my children. It's not healthy. I have to have a hobby. That's why last month I started doing macrame. Best decision I've ever made. You ought to give it a try."

Cynthia felt like washing her hands after that conversation. What an intolerable woman. It served her right to have a son who’d write for fun and play Dungeons and Dragons. Rachel may have her own quirks, but at least she wasn’t a total dork.

The phone was silent all through dinner. Rachel still wore her frumpy clothes from before with no sign of rushing off to improve her appearance. 

Then, just before 6:30, a call came and Rachel went to answer. Cynthia quietly slipped to the master bedroom and lifted another phone from the cradle. A male voice was on the other line. Cynthia bit her lip, holding her breath. Was it Bobbie?

“Can you bring that cassette of the Dracula soundtrack? That’s probably our best bet to set the mood.”

“Yeah, I’ll grab it. I was just about to head over,” Rachel said. 

“Cool. See you soon.”

And just like that, the conversation was over, leaving Cynthia’s head spinning. Dracula CD? Set the mood? And who was that? If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn it was Sharron’s son, Jeremy. But Rachel knew better than to go on a date with him. 

No more games. She had to know.

Cynthia met Rachel in the hall on her way out. 

“Okay, young lady.” Sharron’s words jumped into her mind about kids clamming up against prying parents. But who was she to take advice from Sharron, she wouldn’t sink so low. “Tell me right now, what shenanigans you’re up to. Are you going on a date with Bobbie Crane or not?”

“Bobbie—?” Rachel’s face turned pink and she laughed. “No, Bobbie’s going out with Ashley.”

“I heard they broke up.” 

Rachel tried to squeeze by, but Cynthia stepped in her way. 

“I’m going to be late, can I go, please?”

“Not until you tell me who you’re going out with tonight.”

“It’s nothing, mom, really. Just some friends. Now, can I go?”

“Just some friends, huh? I just heard you talking to some boy on the phone. You’re bringing music to set the mood. Now, tell me, whose mood are you setting?”

Rachel flushed even further and Cynthia wondered if she’d gone too far. But wasn’t it a mom’s right, duty even, to root these things out to keep her daughter safe?

Rachel’s mouth opened and closed, and closed tight.

The phone rang. 

Mom and daughter stared at each other. All the while, the phone droned on and on. 

At last Cynthia couldn’t stand it. She jogged down the hall and plucked the phone up, holding out her hand to Rachel who slipped out the front door. 

This had better be good.

“Hello?”

“It’s not Bobbie,” said Debbie on the other line. 

“Oh gee, thanks,” said Cynthia, slumping against the wall, her one chance at finding out having just disappeared out the front door. 

“He just went to pick up Ashley. I guess they still are together. But here's hoping they’ll break up soon.” 

“Here’s to hoping.” Cynthia said, all the zest drained out of her.

Ten minutes later the phone rang again.

Cynthia pulled herself off the couch and away from her mystery to answer it.

“What is it?”

“Cynthia, this is Susan. I know what’s going on. I know why Candy’s been acting weird and I know all about Rachel’s date.”

“Well? Spit it out.” Cynthia was at the end of her emotional tether.

“D&D. They’re all here. In my house. Right now. Playing Dungeons and Dragons. Now what do you make of that?”

A long silence passed. 

Cynthia opened her mouth.

Another long silence passed. 

Cynthia found her voice.

“How nice to hear Rachel’s found a nice young man,” she said. 

“Cynthia?”

“Yes, Susan,” Cynthia said as pointedly as she could. “Rachel is not at your house. Don’t you remember? She’s out on a date with a nice young man.”

A pause, followed by Susan’s hesitant, “No, she’s at—“

“On a date. Thanks for telling me. We’ll not talk of it again. Good night, Susan.”

She hung up. Looking at the darn thing, she popped it off the cradle, “That’ll show you,” she said. With that she hopped on eBay to shop candle-making kits until Rachel came home from her date.