Page 31 of The Surprise
“You were talking up there for a long time,” she says. “You told him you weren’t interested and then he wouldn’t leave?” She doesn’t look suspicious, just confused, but I wish she’d just drop it.
“Mom, did you really want to pay someone to wash our perfectly fine windows?”
My mom tilts her head. “Have youlookedout the window lately?”
And that’s how I wind up spending my formerly free Saturday washing windows. For fifty dollars. When she kept pressing, why did I name that amount? I should have saidfive hundreddollars. Then maybe she’d have dropped it.
Since my phone’s charging, I have an excuse for not noticing if Ethan calls again, and that’s something.
But when I go back inside, no one has called, and no one has texted. I live in Manila, Utah, so it’s hardly surprising that no one called me.
It still bums me out.
It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, to wait until after I eat, after I shower, and after I talk to my mom again about the windows to open the present.
I hide in my closet to open it, just in case.
Although, it occurs to me to wonder why I’m so nervous that my mom or dad might see me opening a gift. What exactly do I think it would be? It’s not like Ethan would give me something risqué, right? After a few agonizing minutes of dithering, I finally upend the bag, dumping the contents on the carpeted floor of my closet.
Pink tissue paper.
White tissue paper.
And a pink fabric. . .something.
I unfold it and realize that Ethan gave me a hot pink baby doll t-shirt with a huge heart on the front of it. The entire heart’s made of bright, sparkly silver sequins.
What on earth?
I had every intention of ignoring him. After all, I can’t encourage this kind of thing. Dropping by and giving me gifts, albeit weird ones, can’t be encouraged. But I’m so confused that I can’t help myself.
WHAT ON EARTH DID YOU BUY ME A PINK SHIRT FOR?
I don’t know what Ethan usually does on a Saturday, but this Saturday he’s waiting by his phone to text me, apparently, because he replies within ten seconds. IT’SSHINY.
WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?
IF YOU WEAR IT, YOU’LL BE SHINY, TOO.
HUH? Is he crazy? What’s he talking about?
YOU SAID YOU’RE A STAIN, BUT IF YOU PUT THAT ON, YOU’LL BE SHINY LIKE US.
Oh, no. What exactly did I say?
WEAR THAT ON OUR ICE CREAM DATE.
I CAN’T GO ON A DATE WITH YOU, ETHAN.
I KNOW ABOUT THE RANCH. I DON’T CARE.
The bottom drops out of my stomach. He knows? How could he not care aboutthat? My dad’s trying to send his family packing so he can take the land they should inherit andhe doesn’t care?
YOU AREN’T YOUR DAD.
OBVIOUSLY.
WHY CAN’T YOU GO GET ICE CREAM?
