Ben’s name pops up on my caller ID
at almost ten

“Thanks for dinner.” he says.

“Oh yeah, like I had anything to do with that.
You were ambushed.”

“That’s okay. It was fun. Your
little sister is cute.”

“I think the feeling was reciprocal.”

He laughs. “It was fun, and dinner
definitely beat a drive-thru.”
He pauses, then says,
“So it will be a few weeks before Fall Break.”

I am quiet, unsure where he is going with this.

“Can I stop by again?”

How to respond? Sure? Yes? You better?
I don’t want to be too eager or too nonchalant.

I go with. “If you’d like.” Throwing the ball
into his court.

“I’d like. And I thought maybe I could take you
home with me.” he says.

“When did I become a puppy?” I ask.

He laughs. “I’m serious. I want to get a chance to
show you around my town.”

He doesn’t say anything about his parents, but I
assume they may be part of the deal. I’m so
not ready for parents. That’s boyfriend stuff
and we’re just friends.

Right?

“Are you saying your town is better than my town?” I ask.

“So much better you wouldn’t believe it. You’ll
have to see it for yourself.”

We talk for a few more minutes
but it never seems like the right
time to ask him
about the spiritual state of his soul

especially since I can’t even answer that for myself.