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“Well, it seems like the girls are very close! Do you think they would be open to a play date?”
“A…play date? Is that not what…young children do? I’d assume it would be more adequately titled depending on the tasks done on visit.”
The woman stared at Hector with a puzzled look. It’s clear to him that she didn’t understand the reasoning for his detailed wording. Like most don’t.
The two adults were standing outside Kingston Middle School, waiting for their children. It was their daughters’ first day of 6th grade today, and the two were quite close, making Ellody’s mother assume that she must become close with Mary’s parents. But all times she had tried conversation with the either of them, they seemed awkward, more eager to end the conversation than continue it. She’d only learnt a few things about them.
Katie and Hector Bennett, their names were, Hector was a doctor of sorts, while Katie did some other complicated job she couldn’t remember how to pronounce. Mary was their only child, and they weren’t planning on giving her a sibling. That was all the information she managed to squeeze out of them before they stopped talking to her.
It was fine though, no need to know everything about them. But she kept pushing anyway.
“Do you think they would like to meet up some time outside of school then? In the house of course, then maybe I could get to know you and your wife better?”
“I will discuss the matter with her once we are home. Though I am rather opposed to biding my time with you.”
Hector stated. He didn’t try to phrase it politely, that’s just not how he was. He didn’t mean to say it with malicious intent, he just said it how he thought it to be.
“Oh! Okay. Noted. I will…speak to Ellody too.” Mrs Jaiswal whispered.
Another amazingly engaging and successful conversation between the two.
——————————————————————————
“Mary? Would you like to spend time with Ellody outside of school? A…’play date’ if you must.” Hector asked. The family was sat at the table for dinner, prepared by Hector, as dinner always was on Tuesdays.
“A play date? Hector, she’s not 5. She’s 13. Who introduced you to that wording anyway? You couldn’t have come up with that yourself.” Katie snorted, her small tired eyes flicking to her husband at his informal remark.
“Ellody’s mother. She proposed the concept of a get-together between the two girls. And also between us parents, which I declined.”
“I wouldn’t mind meeting up with her. It just depends what date. I’ve already planned when I want to see your model for that man’s leg prosthetic, and also my dentist visit. So it has to be between the 10th and the 18th.” Mary chimed in, swirling her spoon around her bowl as she spoke.
“Well, I doubt it would be tomorrow, but it also depends on when Ellody’s free. Hector? You will discuss this with her mother tomorrow, yes?”
“If I must…”
——————————————————————————
“Ellody? I’ve got good news! Me and Mary’s father were talking a few hours ago, and - if you want - you can have a play date with your best friend!”
“Mom…don’t say it like that. That phrasing makes me sound like baby.” Ellody sighed. She would much rather talk about a ‘play date’ in a more private environment, not over dinner. Mainly because of her brothers.
“Aww! Ellody’s having her first play date with her only friend!” Her eldest brother, Elias, teased.
“That’s totally not fair! I can’t have my friends over so why does she get hers?” Her younger brother, Lennon complained.
“That just proves that she’s mom’s favourite…” her other older brother, Dorian, mumbled.
Ellody sank further into her seat, chewing the same dumpling she had been chewing for six minutes now.
“If she’s free. Did you ask her parents for their phone number so you could maybe message them?”
“Oh sweetheart, I can just talk to him tomorrow, in person. No need to do it over the phone.”
——————————————————————————
“Wow. You’ve got quite a large house. You must be spoilt, being the only child. Are your parents rich?”
“I’m not spoilt. I get what I need. My parents are sort of rich but they don’t need to spoil me so they don’t. I’m guessing you have to share your belongings with your brothers?”
“Mhm. It’s not great. Which one’s your room?”
Mary led Ellody to a room at the end of the corridor, holding her hand as she twisted the knob with the other. Her room was packed full of things she had started to collect. Engineering manuals that used to be her father’s, science posters, sketchbooks filled with manufacturing concepts. Books were stacked high on shelves, higher than Mary could reach herself. Ellody just stood in the doorway, staring in awe.
“This place is…amazing. This is your room? Mary I am so jealous! You even have your own desk?! I have to share mine with my brothers…” Ellody sat on her bed, swinging her legs off the edge as she stared at Mary. “So what should we do? What do you do in your free time? I like to read, draw, uhm..study. I’m good at memorising things. My favourite games are memory games.”
“Like…what memory games? What do you memorise. Periodic compound titles, atomic structures, specific enzyme names…”
“Street names. My brother, Elias, said that he used to do it when he was younger, and it helps him navigate places he doesn’t know well, since he gets out of the house a lot. He’s 20, and he didn’t have a lot of friends when he was my age so it’s all he really did- sorry. Oversharing.”
Mary doesn’t answer. Sometimes the silence between them was comfortable, more comfortable than words.
——————————meanwhile…——————————
“I’m so glad we could get to know each other better while the girls are having their own fun!” Mrs Jaiswal smiled, her hands curled around a cup of tea, courtesy of Hector.
“Beautiful house. What do you work as? Must make a lot of money…”
“Prosthetist.” Hector replied. She had somehow convinced him to let her inside (it took her five minutes).
“Well I might just have to book you in for a new knee, since it’s getting a bit dodgy these days…that’s what old age will do to you!” she laughed dryly. Hector stared at her, expression blank.
“I don’t get it.”
“You’ll get it soon, when you’re older…how old are you and Katie?”
“41 and 42.”
“With a thirteen year old? Wow. When did the two of you meet? When did you get married?”
Hector looked down at the table, his nails digging into his palm. He didn’t like her at all. Too many questions. Too invasive. This was his idea of hell. Being trapped in the kitchen with the worst person he could think of. He wished he had just locked her out. Refused the play date all together. He wished Katie was here-
“Hector? Sorry- Mrs Jaiswal-“
“Oh just call me Dani!”
“Mrs Jaiswal could you leave?” Katie stopped, realising how rude it sounded. She put on a smile and tried to think of a lie to get her out of the house.
“Me and Hector have a…very important online conference. Together. Without you. Bye.”
“Oh! Well…I’ll get Ellody in a few hours then!”
The woman walked out, slightly upset with the lack of hospitality from the couple.
——————————————————————————
“No, Jasper Avenue is down there…look! Oh wait…never mind.”
“I thought you were good at memory games.”
“I am! I’ve just never been to Alberta! We’re in New Brunswick… Hypothetically, I could get a plane there, though it would only be a short flight. Oh Mary have I told you how much I love planes?!”
“…what’s a plane?” (A.N: iykyk😪)
“Okay never mind… can we do places in another country? Like…hmm…France? Specifically the south. Pretty please?”