Inspiration 29

http://goo.gl/1eLv66

Song of Solomon 2:16-17a

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved...

Courtship? Oh, I had some horrible experiences after my divorce. But just how does one woo the person of s/he desires?

Will Scott's pursuit of Cherie be the death of him?

9

Chocolate versus Vanilla

As he cleaned out his locker on the last day of school, Scott felt a presence behind him. "Cherie?" he asked without turning around.

"Are you happy? I'm single and available, and it's before my birthday."

"What are you talking about?"

"As if you don't know!" She slammed his locker shut.

"Please, enlighten me." Scott leaned against the row of lockers and crossed his ankles with nonchalance.

"Your little skin-head friends burned down Justin's house and Mr. Thibodeaux's business. Were you involved?"

"When did this happen?"

"Yesterday morning."

"I believe I was taking my algebra II final first thing yesterday morning. Made a one hundred, too. How does this make you available?"

"They left town and won't be coming back."

"I'm sorry your boring boyfriend left."

"That was just evil, Scott. The Thibodeauxes are good people."

Yeah, I realize just how evil it seems. He gave her an exaggerated eye roll. Hopefully it'll serve a bigger purpose.

Cherie's words cut through his thoughts. "Plus, Justin broke up with me. That doesn't cut it."

Scott laughed so hard he coughed. "You are a little firecracker, aren't you? You're mad because you didn't get to break up with him! You wanted to do the heartbreaking."

"I'm not heartbroken."

"No, you're actually relieved."

"Well, this means we have to have ice cream together. I don't drive yet. School's out. I'm just waiting for Momma, and that will take hours."

"Do you wanna go right now?"

She nodded...

After a mound of Amile's crawfish étouffée, Scott and Cherie hit I Scream for Ice Cream, the locally owned ice cream shop.

"Chocolate cone," ordered Cherie.

"Soft-serve vanilla," said Scott.

"Boring," teased Cherie.

"Not so. I love soft-serve vanilla."

"But chocolate's chemical makeup releases endorphins, which make you happy."

They took their cones and sat at a bistro table for two. "Like you need extra endorphins." Scott chuckled.

"Maybe I do sometimes. Don't you?"

"Yeah, sometimes. Then, I have a Hershey bar or a whole platter of brownies. My mom makes the best brownies."

"I thought your mom was dead."

"I was just remembering her brownies. It's strange the memories you have of loved ones." Shit! Watch your step, Scott! This girl is sharp. He swiped his tongue all the way around the piled-high swirl, and then swatted at a bee buzzing near the sweet treats...

"The day after your birthday. When will you be back from Olympic Development camp?"

"August first. I'll be gone most of the summer, so don't go asking me out."

Scott laughed. "All right. Just friends."

"Yeah, but I am having a sweet-sixteen birthday party. I guess you're invited."

"Thanks. I'm honored."

"But he's not," muttered Cherie as Darren pulled a chair from another table and sat down, uninvited, holding a waffle cone filled with rocky road ice cream drizzled with caramel. The sugary scent carried on the warm, humid air.

"Ice cream bistro tables are made for two." Cherie ground her teeth.

Scott gave Darren a look that asked, "What do you want?"

"On a date with the firecracker, huh?" asked Darren.

"We're having ice cream. It's hardly a date," Scott replied.

Darren looked Cherie up and down. "Mmmm. Just like a wild mustang, right?"

"Darren." Scott did the shoo sign with his hand.

"Yeah, horses need only one rider unless you'd like to share."

"What?" shouted Cherie. "I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole!"

Darren sighed. "Maybe not ten feet, but ten inches, sure."

Cherie stood, her eyes flashing fire. "In your dreams! You're lucky if it's ten millimeters!"

Scott roared with laughter...

"He is sort of a prick," agreed Scott.

"Why do you hang out with him?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you about it sometime, but not now. You now have a milkshake all over the table."

"Oh, I don't care. He made me lose my appetite."

"Tell me about the rest of his family." Scott leaned back and continued to enjoy his vanilla dessert.

"Gross topic." She stuck a finger in her open mouth and made gagging sounds. "His brother, Derrick, is about the same age as my brother, Parker. He runs the sugar factory, but he's not sweet." She mopped up her melted ice cream with a pile of napkins. "He tried to rape Parker's wife when they were in high school. Sheena broke his nose. His brother, Darrell, is in Angola. He strangled his wife because she had lunch with a black male co-worker—AND!" Her voice rose higher. "My aunt Neely identified him as one of the guys who raped her and left her for dead before she married Uncle Raif."

Scott shook his head. "Do what?"

Cherie fanned her face with her hands. "Oh, I don't want to talk about that. Now, their mom is pathetic. She's scared to death of any of them, especially their dad, Danté. He will be burning in Danté's Inferno in the end. The poor woman was a mail-order bride from Russia."

Scott listened intently and stretched his eyes wide open. "Do you think they would really hurt anybody, I mean, other than Darrell?"

"Yeah. The crazy thing is, I heard Derrick really has a thing for black women. He supposedly has a kid with a black woman he hooked up with at Texas A & M. He wouldn't want his 'friends' to know though." She used her fingers to make quote marks.

"You know, so maybe it's just bullshit."

She shrugged.

"What else?"

"Why so curious all of a sudden?" Cherie dumped her melted ice cream in the trash can at the corner of the patio and came back to the table.

Scott licked his fingers, balled his napkin, and shot it basketball-style toward the trash can, making it go in. "I don't like my dates interrupted."

"My dad thinks they traffic drugs through the factory, but he hasn't been able to prove it. He'd like to get somebody undercover, but everybody knows everybody around here."

"Yeah. I hear Dupree Parks is your cousin by marriage. Aren't you afraid of the McAlpins?"

"No. My dad would blow their brains out if they did anything to me."

"I believe it. I've heard he's a real badass."

"I guess, but he's really sweet."

"He's your dad. Of course, he's sweet to you."

"He believes in justice and honor. He's gone to great lengths to catch criminals. That's how he met my mom."

"Really?" Scott put his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand...

 "He doesn't like the company you keep."

"Even if it's you?"

She giggled. "Well, I guess he kind of likes me."

"You want another ice cream?"

"No."

"We could both get chocolate-vanilla swirl."

"The best of both worlds?" The girl grinned at her date.

"Something like that. We could get just one and share."

"Germs?"

"Would it be any more germs than if I kissed you?"

"Are you gonna kiss me?"

"You're only fifteen."

"And you're ancient?"

A long sigh preceded, "Sometimes."

Cherie's face became serious. "Scott, what kind of secret are you keeping that makes you look so sad at times?"

"It's a secret."

"Yeah. Well, I should get home. Will you come for my birthday?"

"I'd love to. What would you like as a gift?"

"Germs." Cherie licked her lips.

Cover by Christopher Chambers.

The potential lovebirds, Scott & Cherie