Chapter 89

It took us about 20 minutes to get the chicken and come back. I'm afraid my girlfriend found Wanda's cooking disaster to be quite amusing. She wouldn't stop talking about it until I looked her in the face and told her what I thought.

"Come on, Jill. You once told me that Wanda was your best friend. I remember when you chewed me out because I judged her because of her reputation. She's doing her best to make a good impression and you treat her like this behind her back. I don't think it's right."

We pulled up in front of the house. I had the two buckets of chicken and Jill took the bag with the potatoes, gravy and cole slaw. Got to get cole slaw when you go to the Colonel's.

Everyone was still sitting at the dining room table. It didn't look very lively. In fact, it looked downright dead. Wanda saw us with the chicken, let out a wail and took off again, heading upstairs.

Jill put the bag on the table and walked over to her father, putting her arm on his shoulder.

"Daddy..."

"Please, Jill. Please. Not now."

He got up and went up the stairs after Wanda.

Jill looked as if she'd lost her best friend. She pulled out her chair and sat down, looking at her hands clasped together on the table, but I'm sure she didn't see them. I reached over and took her hand and held it. She looked up and gave me a halfhearted smile, then looked back at the table.

Charlie finally said, "Well, we might as well eat this. Come on everyone, take some chicken." I noticed he didn't have the fake parrot on his shoulder anymore.

Everybody took a piece of chicken, but nobody was eating with any enthusiasm. The bag stayed where it was, untouched. The quiet was almost oppressive.

Chris said, "I don't get it. What's the big deal?"

Sara looked at him as if he'd grown a tail.

"God, what a doofus. She's trying to show John what a good girlfriend she is. How she can take care of him. This is her first dinner party, the first time she's cooking for people. As far as she's concerned, she failed. And she probably feels she's not good enough for him."

"Heck, he isn't going out with her because of her cooking."

"What a pig! I can't believe you said that."

He shrugged his shoulders and went back to his chicken.

Jill's father came back downstairs and took her into the TV room. They were gone for a few minutes. Jill came back to the table and John went upstairs to Wanda.

"Daddy wants me to show her some things about cooking."

"That makes sense to me."

"I just don't know how we're going to get together."

"Jill, you're looking at this the wrong way. This is perfect."

"What do you mean?"

"It's real simple. We've been trying to figure out a way to get you home from school and over to the college without you getting bothered. Make a deal with Wanda. She gives you rides and you come over here and teach her to cook. Then she can either take you to school or over to our place. Or I can come over here when I get out of school and take you home or to college. You'll get to see your father, too. Everybody will win."

"I guess I could show her some stuff."

"Good. Why don't you go upstairs and tell her."

"Uhm, I think I'll wait till they come down before I talk to her. Who knows what they're doing up there."

"You really think they'd do something with all of us down here?"

She didn't answer, just looked at me. Chris snorted, then looked down at his plate when Sara gave him "the look."

The mood got lighter. Charlie opened the bag and started passing things around.

John came downstairs a while later, holding Wanda's hand. Not quite dragging her, but it was evident she wasn't thrilled to be coming back. She was cleaned up a bit but it was pretty obvious she'd been crying.

Jill got up from the table and met them at the bottom of the stairs. She hugged Wanda and said, "Daddy, go sit down and eat some chicken."

"Jill, I..."

"Please, Daddy. Wanda, let's go in the TV room and talk for a bit."