In September I drove Dan, his mother, and his little brother out to the Medieval Fair that he'd been talking about for weeks. While he and Freddie had tried to dress as much in period costume as they could it was obvious that they just didn't have the money for full costumes. They looked great, however, and I told them as much. It was worth it to see the huge smiles on their faces. Angie just wore jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt, as did I. Dan had wanted me to dress up but being unfamiliar with the whole thing I'd decided to stay casual. He'd seemed disappointed at first but was thrilled to be going at all and didn't press the matter.
It was fascinating to see how many people were there, and how many were wearing period costumes. Some were very intricate, others, like Dan and Freddie, made do with what they had on hand. Maybe I was biased, but I thought that Dan and his brother had done a better job of it.
Freddie ran off with his mother in tow while Dan and I proceeded at a somewhat more sedate pace. He wanted to make sure that I saw everything.
We stopped at a stall and ordered some homemade, real mead, ate mutton for lunch, and watched a jousting competition which was more of the combatants trying to catch a small metal ring on their lances rather than actually running at each other. We watched a play and acrobats, and I took a picture of Dan surrounded by knights.
Dan had apparently been saving up his money and bought gifts for everyone he knew, including a really beautiful incense burner in the shape of a dragon for his mother. All in all, it was a fun and full day. I nearly laughed when Freddie, holding a very well made wooden sword, and shield, fell asleep on the drive back home. I could only imagine what he'd put his mother through that day. Angie looked tired but happy, and that made me happy as well.
That night she insisted that I stay over for dinner, roasted chicken, and mashed potatoes to which she'd added shredded cheddar cheese and which tasted amazing.
As I was getting ready to leave, she thanked me once again for taking them to the fair and gave me a kiss on the cheek before going into her bedroom.
Dan stopped me at the door and nervously gave me a little blue felt bag. When I began to open it he made me stop.
"Open it in the car, ok?" he requested shyly. Once again, I could tell that he was worried that I wouldn't like whatever it was he'd gotten me and was afraid of my reaction, so I agreed even though I knew I'd love whatever it was because it had come from him.
He saw me to the door, took my hand to shake as usual but then pulled me forward slightly so that he could give me a kiss on my cheek, as his mother had. He was blushing furiously and I could see that he was worried about how I'd react.
Once I got over my surprise, I smiled and then asked if I could kiss him back. "Only on the cheek, if that's what you want, I promise," I reassured him.
He tentatively presented his cheek, which I kissed gently, allowing it to linger just a moment. When I drew back, I could see that he was blushing again, this time with pleasure. With another shy smile, he opened the door for me. As usual, he waited to make sure I got into my car and that it started before he closed the door.
Eagerly I turned on the interior light of my car and opened the little bag. Inside was a chain and a wrought iron pendant in the shape of a sword. It was a beautifully made piece and I admired it for quite some time before I finally put it around my neck. I drove home with my heart so full that I was sure it would burst from happiness.
(end chapter 13)
No comments:
Post a Comment