Border's

After checking the Art section for books that might interest his daughter, he used the men’s room and then walked back to the front of Border’s to see if he had left his lights on. But the first thing that caught his eye through the window was Lynn and two of his three children walking toward the store entrance.

He enjoyed looking at them, wherever they were. It was interesting that he was at the appointed meeting place before his wife. The lights were off.

His wife smiled and kissed him and said, “Ethan said to tell you ‘hello;’ he took a shift for today.” They chatted a little about the store before separating to browse for fifteen minutes before meeting near the café. Emma borrowed her mother’s watch.

Years of these sorts of simple family get-togethers had not lessened his enjoyment of them. Sharing little activities together, especially that they could still do so even though the kids were at the age when many other families could not abide being together in public, was special.

They ordered sandwiches and drinks and waited while Curt and Emma went to sit at a table near the window. There had been a dirty plate and some smeared chocolate on the table which he had to clear as best as he could. The Border’s café he and Emma had visited on Madison Avenue the prior month had been even messier.

Emma gently pushed away the plate with her chicken roll-up. It tasted too much like spinach and the core was frozen. He offered to trade his smoked turkey and cheese sandwich if she would take the roll up back to the counter and ask for it be heated in the microwave.

“I don’t want to.”

This was the kind of thing that annoyed him, even though he understood and accepted her reluctance to be a focus of attention. Underneath, Emma had self-confidence and he knew this was not permanent. Nonetheless, his annoyance showed slightly; Emma saw it even knowing that it would probably happen as soon as the exchange started.
In the back of his mind he wondered how he could at the same time feel annoyance and yet feel how much she loved him and didn’t want to displease or annoy him, even though she just couldn’t go up to the counter with the frozen sandwich. He felt bad about it but could not retrieve the annoyance even as he felt warmth for her and liked her so.

Lynn gently turned the conversation to Christmas Eve plans. For the first time in years they wanted to go to a service, but that would complicate the evening plans with his mother at the house, who probably wouldn’t go with them. There wouldn’t be time for the traditional building of a large supper antipasto before leaving for the service, which would mean eating later.

“Someone will have to call her to let her know what’s going on, so she’s not surprised,” he suggested. Lynn didn’t really want to have to make another call, but accepted the responsibility without protest. As he said it he sensed that he should offer to call his mother, but still annoyed, didn't.

Curt’s manner at the table was adult; he didn’t evidence the discomfort that sometimes was so apparent in boys his age in public. They brought the dishes to the counter and went separate ways to browse more in the store. Lynn remarked in private that Emma couldn’t help being that way and that she had been the same way until after being married. He understood, but with a characteristic perspective he remarked that that fact made her behavior no less annoying. He saw in her eyes that she felt he was missing the point. He knew the point she thought he was missing but the lingering emotion was still too strongly there.

No biography section, instead they were spread around in other sections. In the military history section there were a couple of biographies that caught his eye. He made a mental note of titles and publishers, so he could look for bargain purchases on-line.

Curt got a paper scrap from his mother to write down the title of a book of illustrated sports rules, which he had previously borrowed from the library for the boy. Like his father, Curt had wide ranging interests, with one interest continually branching him into other related ones. This commonality made the boy all the more enjoyable. He took the paper as a reminder to get the book again.

There was a brief discussion of the different sets of Tolkien’s Trilogy- hardcover and paperback, large and small, one volume and three, illustrated, or not. It was time for them to leave. Curt wanted to look at sweatshirts in the sporting goods store that was across the parking lot. At fourteen, he was starting to show a slight interest in fashion, in addition to Red Sox shirts.

He moved toward the door with Lynn and Curt as Emma approached from the other side of the store.

“I’m sorry I got annoyed with you.”

Emma nodded slightly, looking at him; they all knew he had already been forgiven.

“See you tonight.”

“Bye.”