Barbara was getting as close as she ever had to committing child abuse.
She was modeling dresses for her son Bobby and his friend Sammy (as in Samantha). She had a date with Samantha's father Raul in an hour, and she was still assembling and discarding outfits at a dizzying pace. The amused teenagers were eager to help her, but they also couldn't help teasing her as she tried to find the "perfect" combination.
The kids had a pretty good idea of why Barbara was wound up so tight. Raul had dropped off Sammy a couple hours ago with an overnight bag. It didn't take a genius to see that her sleepover with Bobby made it possible for Barbara to have a sleepover with Raul.
It was also clear from Barbara's adrenaline level that it wasn't a sure thing either. Barbara was excited, apprehensive, horny, afraid, eager, and unsure several times a minute.
The latest outfit was a lavender backless dress with a slit up the side of her thigh.
"I think this makes me look too eager," she fretted.
Sammy giggled. "Aren't you?" she asked.
"Shut up young lady. A woman is not supposed to reveal everything to a man all at once. We're supposed to prolong the mystery, and make them work for it."
"Work for what, Mom?" asked Bobby innocently.
"Shut up, Bobby. You've gotten straight A's for too many years to play stupid with me now."
"I think that dress looks great, Mom. You look hot."
"Hot? Hot! I don't know if I want to look hot. I mean this is just our third date."
Sammy chimed in. "Ms. Taylor..."
"Call me Barbara, honey. After all, I'm dating your father."
"Okay. Barbara, this may be your third official 'date,' but you've known each other for years. All that time you've mostly seen each other in jeans and sweatshirts. It's time for something hot." She grinned at her. "You need to let Daddy see what he's chasing."
"You just get your mind out of the gutter, Samantha Elizabeth Ramirez. Your Father is a respectful man that I care for a great deal, and I will not have you implying he is planning anything improper tonight. Are we clear on that?"
Bobby and Sammy almost ruptured their stomachs trying to keep from laughing.
"I'm sorry, Barbara," Sammy said eventually with a gasp. "I didn't mean anything by it. What are you all planning this evening?"
"We're, uh, going out to dinner."
"Gee I guess those steaks that Dad has in the 'fridge at our house must be for him and me for tomorrow then."
Barbara blushed crimson. Raul had said he would try to prevent the kids from knowing they were having a private dinner at his home tonight. Well, so much for that idea.
Attempting to recover, she said "If you must know we're actually going out dancing later. I thought mentioning dinner would keep your imaginations from running wild about your parents going crazy and hitting the bars or something."
"Sure Mom."
"Of course."
"That makes sense."
"Absolutely."
Barbara glared back at them. She wanted to grab their smirking heads and smack them together.
She glanced at the clock for perhaps the hundredth time in the last half hour. It seemed to both crawl and race by at the same time, as the hour that Raul was supposed to pick her up approached.
"Maybe I should change back into the little black dress," she fretted. "You can't go wrong with a little black dress. They're kind of a classic that way, you know? Everybody knows a little black dress is always a safe choice."
Sammy and Bobby listened in growing alarm as Barbara began to vent an almost incoherent stream of consciousness.
"But I don't know if a little black dress sends the right message either. I mean, a little black dress almost implies you're expecting something to happen, but really, I don't know if anything is going to happen. I don't even know if I want something to happen. I mean, is it too soon? And I don't even know if he's over his wife either, I've never felt comfortable asking, he's just always so worried about my feelings, which is very sweet, but how he feels is important too, and I'm not sure what he's thinking. I respect what he must have gone through, and maybe he's not ready either. Or maybe we're both ready but we're just scared about whether the other is ready, you know? Oh god what am I doing? I just don't..."
"Mom!" exclaimed Bobby.
She stopped talking and looked at him with wide eyes. "Stop it Mom." Both he and Sammy got up and wrapped her up in a team hug. "Just stop it. Whatever happens tonight, you and me and Sammy and Raul are all going to be okay with it. All right? Just relax and see what happens." He paused and grinned at her. "And the dress you have on is fine. Don't change a thing."
"You think so?" she asked in almost a little girl voice.
Sammy replied, "It looks great, Barbara. I know my dad, and I'm sure that he is going to really like it."
Just then the doorbell rang. "Well I guess it's too late to change again anyway," said Barbara. "It's show time!"
Sammy said, "You stay upstairs and check your makeup Barbara. We'll let my dad in, then we'll call you, and you can come down the stairs to him and blow his mind, okay? Go on!"
* * * * *
Raul stood nervously on the front porch, a single red rose in his hand. He was wearing his best suit and tie, his shoes polished to a Marine Corp standard of reflective brilliance.
He was thinking that he was probably crazy. How could he ever hope to land a woman as wonderful as Barbara Taylor? Sure they'd shared a few kisses, but he still suspected that deep down her responses to him were simply out of gratitude for the help he'd given her and her son during the last year. It was a long way from that to having a real romantic relationship.
He was afraid that tonight Barbara would finally tell him the limits of their friendship. She was such a beautiful accomplished woman! How could she ever find an auto mechanic with dirt under his nails worthy of her love?
He sighed and squared his shoulders. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Dare to be great, like one of his officers had once told him.