Page 66 of Intermission

I look over my notes and start in with some questions.

“This is boring,” Jenna moans after about fifteen minutes of studying. “And you never did say why you haven’t told your parents about Noah yet. Didn’t Ryan make you promise to tell them as soon as you got back from Des Moines?”

“Yeah.” At Jenna’s look, my defenses rise. “I’ll tell them. I will. Soon. But it’s different with my parents. You know how they are. I have to wait for just the right moment. Ryan gets that.” Although, in truth, he probably assumes I’ve found that moment by now.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, hush. Mr. Perfect is on his way over here with my baby back ribs, and I intend to give them my full attention.”

Now that Noah knows he’s going to London in August, he’s working more, saving as much money as he can. We’re able to meet up and hang out now and then, but it’s most often a last-minute, spontaneous event.

Noah:

Teacher in-service today, right?

Faith:

Yep. 1pm dismissal.

Noah:

My 1:15 class got canceled! Coffee at Grady’s Grind?

Faith:

Sweet! I can be there by 1:30, no prob.

Noah:

Look for the nerd drinking the out-of-season cinnamon latte.

Faith:

I like that cute nerd.

Noah:

He kinda likes you, too.

Noah:

Except minus the “kinda”

It’s tax season, so my mother is working long hours, including most Saturdays. I know I promised my brother I would tell Mom and Dad about Noah, but during tax season? Mom’s highest stress season of the year? Umm... no thank you.

I still haven’t told them when Ryan and Danielle drive down for lunch on Easter Sunday.

After lunch, while Dad lightly snores in his recliner, supposedly watching a tennis match on TV, Ryan and I play chess in a corner of the living room. Danielle and Mom share the couch and are flipping through bridal magazines. Gretchen is spending the long weekend with her new boyfriend’s family in Chicago.

“Checkmate.” Ryan says and then lowers his voice. “Have you told them yet?”

“Um, no. Not yet. It hasn’t come up.”

“It hasn’t comeup?” His tone holds a warning. “I thought better of you than that. Of Noah. He knows he has to meet them.”

“I know, Ry. But I’ve barely seen Noah lately, and we agreed it would be super weird for him to come down to meet them when I’m not home.”

“He can’t be that busy.”

“He’s had to work extra shifts every weekend to make up for all the people who covered for him duringThe Sound of Musicand the trip to Des Moines.We talk every day. But it’s not like I’ve been sneaking around or hiding anything from Mom and Dad. We haven’t even gone out on a real date yet, so it hasn’t been an issue.”