By JD Rockel
Chapter Thirteen
They completed the day with lunch at the burger and pizza place down the road. John held Rosa’s hand as they walked there. The discussion was soothing to Rosa, and John stayed engaged by often turning his head to look at her. Each time their eyes met, Rosa felt a tingle.
The discussion over lunch was comical as Ella and Rosa told stories of their childhood antics. “Mom thought it was cute to dress us alike,” Ella related. “When we were six, we loved to play ‘Who Am I’ with our dad. We would run in circles and Dad would try to catch one of us. Liam would run around too, never trying hard to keep from getting caught. We all laughed and laughed.”
Rosa continued the story. “When Dad caught one of us girls, he would spin us around and we would ask, “Who am I, Daddy?” I don’t think Dad was ever sure and would have to guess. For us girls, the best part of the game was to say, ‘No, Daddy. I’m…’ and say the other sister’s name, even when Dad had guessed right.”
Everyone laughed and enjoyed themselves. As good as the food and fun were, Rosa enjoyed her new friend much more.
The ride home was more comfortable emotionally for Rosa. She purposely kept her hand on John’s thigh this time and enjoyed the close quarters. John even snuck a kiss on Rosa’s cheek as they pulled into their subdivision.
Rosa got out of the car much more slowly this time. John also got out, as did Jerry. The two couples said their goodbyes, hands held, and gazes locked.
“I really enjoyed myself, Rosa,” John said in his calm, beautiful voice.
“I did too, John,” Rosa replied. “I would really like to see you again soon.”
“Sounds good to me. Can I put my phone number in your phone?”
“Of course. Let’s swap phones and quickly exchange numbers.”
A minute later, Renata came out of the front door and up to the car door. Mr. Weston rolled down the window. Rosa was close enough to catch the gist of the conversation.
“How did it go, Harold?”
“I have no idea. We will have to interrogate our kids later. The conversation on the way home seemed to indicate they had a great time, though.”
“Well, thank you for taking the lead on this trip. I’m sure I will get details from Rosa eventually. Ella is much more evasive.”
“The boys are both quite open, but John is more forthcoming. Don’t worry about Jerry, though. I have every confidence in his integrity too. Then again, he is a teenager. Better keep your eyes open.”
“I certainly did when he was over to watch videos. He was so polite with both Ella and me. I was quite impressed.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Renata, but as I say, we both need to keep our eyes open with them.”
“I agree and wouldn’t be surprised if Ella throws a curve ball. Thanks again for your attention to all of them.”
“You too.” Harold ended the conversation with Renata and raised his voice. “OK, guys. Get back in the car. Let’s go.”
The boys said their final goodbyes and got in the back seat. John rolled down his window and looked up at Rosa. This was a pleasant change of roles for Rosa. She had been looking up all day, even when sitting down at lunch.
John waved by wiggling his fingers at Rosa while wearing a great big smile. Rosa waved back. This has been such a wonderful day, Lord. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me next.
“So, girls, how was the day? Was John nice, Rosa?”
“He was very nice, Mom. I would say as polite as Ella has described Jerry to be.”
Ella added details to the conversation. “Rosa got her first kiss today, Mom. I would say she has a boyfriend now.”
“Is that true, Rosa?”
“It is true I kissed John. But that was because Ella made up rules for couples’ mini golf.”
“Admit it, Rosa. You enjoyed the kiss.”
“I won’t lie. I did enjoy it a lot. But I enjoyed talking with John a lot more.”
“Yeah, right.”
“OK, Ella, let Rosa enjoy her first encounter with John like you enjoyed your dance with Jerry. Maybe you two should go to your room and just chill for a while.”
Renata had a way of knowing when the girls needed quiet time. When she said “chill” it was understood that confrontational conversation was forbidden.
Rosa and Ella went to their room and crashed on their beds. Rosa picked up a book to read and Ella popped in earbuds to listen to music.
This isn’t the time to confront Ella about Thursday night. But I should do it yet today. Maybe after supper.
The “chill” time was much needed. Rosa’s head was much clearer for the needed confrontation with Ella. Supper helped even more as the conversation was lighthearted. Liam had to ask about the day and Ella had to tell him about Rosa’s new love. But this was normal for mealtime conversation. Rosa would pick on Ella as much as Ella would pick on Rosa. Liam and the younger twins just laughed.
As bedtime approached, Ella and Rosa went back to their room to get ready for church in the morning. Ella seemed relaxed and happy. There wouldn’t be a better time to talk with her about Jerry.
“Ella, I want to thank you for setting up the date with John. I had a lot of fun and I like him a lot.”
“I’m working on our next double date. We need to switch places so I can see what John’s like.”
“NO! Absolutely not. I am done with switching identities. And that brings up another issue we need to talk about.”
“What’s that?”
“What I heard in the field house storage closet. How far are you going with Jerry, Ella?”
“None of your business, Rosa.”
“It’s totally my business. You’re my sister. You are the most important person in my life. That makes it my business to rejoice with your successes, encourage you when you are struggling, and confront you if I think you may be heading down a dangerous road.”
“Well, we weren’t having sex if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“I’m guessing he was touching you in a very personal way. Am I right?”
“Yes, he was. So what?”
“So, that can lead to sex. Right?”
“Rosa, kissing can lead to sex. Are you having sex with John?”
Rosa paused. I must stop and de-escalate. I mustn’t distance her.
“Sis, I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you; I just want to talk. Can we talk like sisters and close friends?”
“I’m sorry too. We can talk.”
“It seems to me you have gone from meeting Jerry to intimate touching in just a few weeks. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m concerned for you. This could lead to full-blown sex very quickly.”
“Jerry and I started the whole adventure on Thursday nights by talking the entire time we were together after school. It was wonderful, sis. When it was time to leave, we hugged and kissed for a minute. Jerry asked if I would like to spend more time hugging and kissing. He had an idea, and it became our cave.”
“Ella, what you just said is beautiful. I don’t see anything wrong with what you have done with one exception.”
“And what’s that?”
“Boundaries. We talked about boundaries a few weeks ago.”
“I remember and I did set boundaries. My boundary is probably further down the road than yours would be, but Jerry agreed on my boundary.”
“Then I applaud you, sis. It sounds like you have approached this relationship with forethought. I have just one other thing to say.”
“And what’s that?”
“Rethink your boundary. Pray about it. If you are comfortable talking to God about where you set your boundary, I would damage our relationship to press you further. I love you, sis, and I always will.”
“Aww, you are sweet Rosa. I love you too and I promise to do what you suggest. I know you are only trying to prevent a painful detour in my life.”
“We all hit potholes, speed bumps, and roadblocks. I believe God allows them in our life to slow us down and turn back to his Word. Gridlock forces us to check our road map. But if we can check our map along the way, we have a good chance of avoiding an accident or gridlock altogether.”
“I have never heard that many road metaphors in one place. I can’t argue with that, sis. And I promise I will think AND pray about my boundary.”
“Thanks. That’s all I ask, sis.”
“So… where should we go on our next double date?”
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