Not my first choice for a date, but I’d had worse experiences. We walked in silence. I reached over and took Lea’s hand in mine.
“Now that you have me here, what did you want to do with me?” I asked.
Again, playing that back in my head … The poor girl blushed. I decided to have some fun with her.
“You know that people get a certain impression about me, especially about my skills in bed,” I said, and her eyes got bigger. “I’m even better than the rumors.”
We both heard Fritz try not to laugh. Lea closed her eyes and shook her head as I laughed.
“My two best friends are so jealous I’m with you right now,” she said to change the subject.
“Were they the two who jumped the fence with you?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about yourself,” I urged.
Boy, was it a mistake to tell a teenage girl to talk about herself. I found that Lea was a good person, but there was no spark there. I decided to make the best of it, and we had a good time.
When we walked back, I told her I had to get home and into bed; tomorrow was a game day. She understood. I gave her a kiss so she could brag to her friends. I didn’t regret going on our date. Tracy was right that I needed to expand my horizons and decide what was right for me.
◊◊◊ Saturday April 30
I hadn’t planned to run this morning because we had our game against St. Joe today. That meant I could sleep in, or so I thought. I heard the door open, and Duke bolted to go outside. Peggy told him to hurry up, and for some reason, he minded her.
“What are you still doing in bed? Aren’t you running today?”
“I have a game today and don’t want to tire out my legs.”
“You should probably get some cardio,” she suggested.
I really am a ‘stupid boy’ sometimes. I had no clue what she meant until she began to take her clothes off. Thank God for older women to show us the way.
I suddenly had a question pop into my head.
“Hey, how long before I can sleep with Pam?” I asked.
“You’re seriously asking me about having sex with another woman when I just took my clothes off?”
“When you put it that way … I just thought … never mind,” I stammered.
She lay down next to me, spread her legs, and pointed.
“Make mama happy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
After we we’d had our fun, Peggy smacked my butt.
“That’s what I call cardio,” she said with a big smile.
I got up to take my shower. When I came back, Peggy and Duke were gone. Some activities put a smile on your face, and this was one. Then I realized something: she never told me when Pam would be ready for sex. I think she got distracted.
◊◊◊
When I ran downstairs to breakfast, Megan gave me a smirk. I guess Mom caught it.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked.
I opened the refrigerator to decide what to make and left Megan to explain herself.
“What did you do, David?” Mom asked my back as I rummaged through the fridge to find what I wanted.
“I have no idea. Megan was the one giving me the look. Ask her.”
I peeked under my arm and saw Megan lean over to my mom and whisper something to her.
“They do that all the time,” Mom said.
“Who does what all the time?” Dad asked as he came into the kitchen.
“David and Peggy had sex this morning,” Mom announced.
“Oh. What are you making for breakfast?” Dad asked.
“I thought I’d make a frittata,” I answered.
Megan sat in stunned silence. I guess the announcement that one of her brothers had just had sex would have been news in her house. She wasn’t used to how open my family was.
“Don’t forget to get the egg-to-dairy ratio correct,” Dad warned.
“I’ve got this,” I said to let my dad know not to be so bossy.
He was the king of frittatas. He made them for dinner when he was tired. A frittata was a great catch-all for leftovers. One of the tricks was to make sure all the ingredients you added were fully cooked before you combined them with the egg mixture.
We had a cast-iron skillet that was perfect for making them in. Dad told me the pan had been his grandmother’s and had been passed down to him. I’d decided on ham, potatoes, onions, and mushrooms, with cheddar cheese. The egg-to-dairy ratio was twelve eggs to half a cup of dairy, which could be whole milk, sour cream, yogurt, or crème fraîche. All were great options. I found a container of sour cream, so that was my pick.
I cooked the ham, potatoes, and onions until they were almost done, then added the mushrooms. To the eggs, I added the sour cream, cracked black pepper, and dill weed. I mixed it all up and then added the cheddar cheese. I poured the egg and cheese mixture over what was in the skillet. To top it off, I sprinkled Parmesan to add a sharp hit of salty, nutty flavor.
I put my frittata into a 350-degree oven and set the timer for twenty minutes. Dad watched me like a hawk.
“Remember, a good frittata should have the texture of custard: trembling and barely set,” Dad reminded me.
“Maybe you should watch it,” I shot back.
“You really should. We all remember the last time David made one. It turned out like an old kitchen sponge,” Mom said.
I just threw up my hands and made myself some tea. By the time it was ready, Peggy had joined us.
