concluded with a loving grin toward his ever so level headed significant other which displayed both his trust and enduring affection for his choice in romantic partnership. Motherly intervention had assisted on more than one occasion between father’s wishes and child’s potential temper tantrum.
“Can you ever settle Henry little, I’m sure our children will without fail become productive consumers of Second City.”
“Is it not a Father’s duty to have the utmost concern for his young children?” Henry answered inquisitively as he hugged Edith close prompting her to giggle most furiously.
“Not so much that you smother them, besides I should think that with your habits you’d worry yourself sick Headmaster Little.” Edith little, not to be confused with Edith Little the elder, for whom Edith was named which could sometimes be quite confusing, responded quite tersely but in jest none the less.
“Yes father, I should think you have enough to concern yourself with other than the affairs of your properly raised children. I’m sure you’ll hear all about the event for days regardless much to the distress of everyone else in the household.” Lorina, imposed testing the limits of her age.
His eldest daughter’s nervous yet confident response resonated with the approval he needed to accord her stature and being the dynamic and ever present father figure he was Henry obliged her comment lovingly with, “Oh and that is what I’m most afraid of my dear!” and the family enjoyed a reassuring chortle at Alice’s expense.
Alice believed she had once spotted her father staring in her direction but with her parents engaged in idle conversation and entertaining her sisters, she plunged into the brush and appeared on the other side feeling quite disheveled and dismayed that she did not immediately see Robert. Stomping her foot in frustrated excitement she carefully peered and wandered about whispering his name. Full of vim and vigor and never wanting to fully admit that he too was nervous as it may affect the appearance of his confidence, Robert enjoyed her stumbling about as he contemplated that this first kiss might lead to many more.
Robert watched Alice frown in frustration with tickled amusement. Her expectant manner demanded he present himself so that she may riddle him with inquiry and a list of conditions for him to meet in the proper manner of consumermanship. Alice walked about searching for Robert momentarily before getting flustered and smoothing the back of her ploam dress, she sat and down. When she became frustrated Alice had a penchant for analyzing statistics to determine her opportunities and assessing her current state.
Recently, Second City had seen an increase of high school romance success. She was sure that her first kiss would be telling. In fact, recent reports had indicated that after her first kiss, she would have an eighty-two percent chance of marriage. She wondered if she was ready for such a major step in her life. She didn’t need to wonder about Robert being trustworthy because she knew there was a chance, thirty four percent according to statistics, that he would remain faithfully committed throughout marriage. That was okay for Alice; however, because twenty three percent of women stayed faithful throughout the length of their commitment.
Truthfully, Alice was curious about the average two point three partners she would encounter while she remained under her vows. The concept of infidelity seemed outrageous to her yet facts were facts and they did not lie. She pondered dreamily about how her romantic liaises would occur. How would they attempt to persuade her to forsake her vows? While statistics were informative, she was intrigued by undertaking the actual experience. She contemplated whether or not she would resist or consent. She pondered whether or not there marriage would end in divorce given the statistics that one hundred percent of divorces were begun by marriage. Finally, she tried to discern whether or not she and Robert would have successful employment as higher income often contributed to more leisure time which could result in infidelity. Facts, equations, and statistics spun in her mind until, “Boo!”
Alice let out a not so quiet yelp that caused her to leap to her feet in her excitement.
“Robert Cole,” Alice yelled as she stood rigidly with her fists jutted out to her sides and her heels pressed together with her toes pointing at a thirty degree angle in an attempt to mimic her mother’s angry posture while glowering at the youth who was rolling on the ground laughing.
“How dare you, I shan’t be kissing you today young man!” She threatened full of pomp and turned her head to the side while sticking her nose in the air and placing her hands upon her hips. The sudden resistance had an immediate effect.
“Alice, don’t be mad, I’m ever so sorry,” he pleaded to no avail.
“Alice, please don’t be cross with me. You seemed so lost in thought day dreaming,” He pleaded which caused Alice to flush with rage, or rather more appropriately, disappointment.
“How dare you, how dare you, how dare you!” She stomped her foot, a telltale sign that she was severely distressed, “You know very well that I detest such trickery and the mere fact that you would mention such a hurtful utterance to someone you intend to give your first kiss is utterly unbearable. I have half a mind to depart these premises and leave you to your infantile whims and fancy while you completely disregard your consumermanship!”
You see, Alice had often been reprimanded for her daydreaming by both her peers and authoritarians. Unbeknownst to her, Robert had frequently stared in her direction smiling softly to himself while admiring her distracted appearance. Her engrossment in her own concerns gave him the freedom to study every feature of her face from her hair, which had deep dark roots and lightened to a translucent light yellow, to her deep warm dark blue eyes that seemed to draw him in until he felt he was swimming in them. Which, coincidently, he happened to be doing despite her immediate anger.
“Robert, have you heard a word I’ve said?” Alice inquired as she noticed his soft smile and a look that he himself was day dreaming.
“Yes, Alice, every word.”
“I said I was leaving, Robert…”
“Oh, don’t do that! I’m sorry Alice.” Robert entreated.
“What were you looking at?” Alice questioned forgetting her rage for a moment.
“Your eyes, I look at them all the time. They’re simply unfathomable.” And to Young Robert his whimsical oration wasn’t something he hadn’t considered previously. Indeed, under her full attention her eyes seemed even more brilliant as the sun frolicked through the leaves and illuminated wisps of Alice’s golden mane, accentuating the contrast between her angelic face and bottomless gaze.
“Stop,” Alice demanded suddenly feeling the discomfort of her changing perspective again.
“I’m sorry,” Robert repeated and turned away flush.
Forgetting her own uneasiness while seeing Robert’s anxiety and confusion, she sat next to him. Alice was nurturing above all and the thought had crossed her mind that even young, confident, boisterous Robert Cole may feel some shame for the feelings and changes occurring internally as well. There was a somber moment between them as they tried to reason what to do.
It was Alice who broke through silence’s thickly filled with buttery butterflies disquiet when a flitting snapping dragon gracefully adorned her finger.
“Robert,” she whispered scarcely breathing, “Turnabout slowly.”
Robert moved by stalled degrees until he saw the green metallic hued creature lighted upon her finger. In their amiable moods, nature had settled about them. Something which Alice noticed and found intrinsically curiouser and curiouser.
“Slowly look to your left,” Robert instructed as Alice heard both a sweet and somber tone reach her ear.
When she looked, she saw two humming birds dancing in the air together not more than a meter away. The two birds seemed to take notice of the other couple present and stopped to inspect them. The snapping dragon lifted in the air once more and flitted away after its repose ending the inquisitive nature of the two birds that departed as they continued to serenade each other with different tones. Alice looked at
Robert who turned away in the interlude and reached for something slightly behind him. When he turned round he presented Alice with a flower and gently slid it under the digital visor adorning her hair.
“You’re very beautiful Alice, I should like very much to kiss you,” He stated as he put his hand on hers. Alice looked fondly into Robert’s eyes but recalled his earlier shenanigans which brought doubt, in her mind, about the sincerity of his intentions.
“Thank you Robert; however, we’ve still not settled the matter of your earlier buffoonery.”
“Whatever shall I do to convince you that my heart is true Alice?” Robert retorted in affirmation that he indeed was ready to commit himself to their twenty five percent chance of remaining lifelong partners.
“Hmm, I know!” Alice was excited about the revelation that he should pay a price similar to hers, “I shall hide and you shall find me! If you do not find me then I may kiss you and if you find me I shall allow you to give me a kiss.”
With the odds in his favor, Robert sprang to his feet without another word, turned his back as he leaned against a tree, and began to count. Alice both astounded and enthused by his immediate reaction sprang to her feet and absconded into the foliage not at all a short distance away. When she happened upon a large dark tunnel like