Chapter 29

When the snow melts in the Midwest, spring is not far away, and spring brings with it, to most high schools, a rite of passage known as the Spring Formal. It is a very complex event for which mothers and daughters, friends and relatives descend on dress shops, department stores and bridal shops to select the perfect dress for their daughter to wear. It is also an event at which the father's wallet shrinks in thickness.

Marcie and her mother along with Jill and Emma all travelled to Chicago to shop for the big event. It was a three day (skip school on Friday) shopping trip to allow both girls plenty of time to select just the right dress. Of course a three day shopping event means two nights in a downtown hotel, dinners at pricey restaurants and invariably, appointments at the day spa in the Hotel.

Kyle, with his three bed partners all traveling together, found his friend Jason at home, also with nothing to do or people to talk to. They spent the morning being fitted for their formal wear.

"Not sure why we have to wear such an outfit." Jason complained.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Seems like a helluva waste of date money just for one night."

"And then we need to buy them flowers and take them to dinner and maybe find a limo..."

"Have you decided who you are going to ask? Last I knew you blew away your hot flame."

"No, I have not. Are you going to invite our pistol packing pizza waitress?" Jason teased, knowing full well that the question would elicit a wild answer.

"Are you crazy? What if she drops her gun on the dance floor, or gets upset if I hold her too tight?"

Jason laughed, "Yeah, a real Annie Oakley, that one! Why the hell do you think she carries a gun?"

"I don't know, but just seeing that in her purse and how she mis-handled it was scary enough."

"Do you think Jill would allow Emma to go with me?"

"Well, that would make my life a lot simpler, because then I could ask Marcie and make everyone happy."

In the afternoon they called around and found enough classmates to get up a scrub game of touch football in the park. Slowly, the number of players increased as did a crowd of onlookers, mostly girls from school.

During a break, Jason pulled Kyle aside. "Did you see who is sitting in the stands watching the game?"

"No, I really wasn't paying attention."

"It's your gun-toting girlfriend sitting with some older dude who does not look very friendly."

Kyle scanned the crowd and found the pair sitting near the top. "Yeah, he doesn't look very happy, does he? Well, I'm not going to worry about them or her. She scares me, really."

Later, Jason and Kyle ended up at Jason's house where is father had just started the bar-b-queue grill and was preparing to grill of steaks. He already had a large salad prepared, and was debating about how long it would take for the charcoal to get hot. When he saw the boys pull into the drive, he went into the house and returned with three bottle of his favorite beer.

After a while, Rick Danfoss decided to tell Kyle that he had contacted his Congressman and was attempting to find out more details about Kyle's father and the circumstances surrounding his death. He had tossed around in his mind the idea of telling Kyle about this and decided, this very afternoon, to do so.

"Kyle," Rick Danfoss began, "after our trip to Michigan, I was puzzled and upset that a young man would know so little about his father's career in government service, and it just seems wrong, so I decided to do a little investigating. I called our Congressman and put him through his paces. Of course he didn't know anything right then, because I didn't give him any advance warning, but he did finally promise to let me know after he investigates."

"Mr. Danfoss, you didn't have to do that for me. I know it seems strange, but he died almost six years ago, and I was pretty young when it happened. My mother, now that I think about it, almost seemed resigned that she would get that kind of news one day. I have no idea why, and she never told me anything more about him, or the cause of his death. And since there is no one else to ask, I just don't allow myself to fret about it."

"Well, Kyle, believe me, I will find out something, I promise you. Jason, the steaks are almost done. Why don't you run in the house and get three more beers."

That was the last of the discussion about Kyle's dad. Eventually the subject got around to the upcoming prom.

"Who you going to take to the prom, Jason?" his father asked him.

"I don't know yet. I'm working on my buddy here to let me take his cousin."

"Hey, it's not my rule. Ask her mother. I just live there."

"Okay, let's pretend that you both figure out who you're going to be dancing with, because the whole thing is off if you just take each other. Have you figured out where you are going to dinner?"