Last Date (in California)

The week before I left for school, Brock took me out one last time (or so I thought). He told me to dress up, but the rest would be a surprise. I was excited, but nervous-I hadn't brought anything dressy home from BYU. Mom helped me in my panic and set out to find a little black dress. On the morning of the date she came home from Happy Dragon (our favorite thrift shop) with a soft velvety black dress, just my size. It was machine washable and very pretty-if only it fit me...it did! It was cut as though made for my body. Mom threw it in the wash and it came out like new. No one would ever know it cost $4.

Anyway (I had to slip that little story in!), that night Brock picked me up, all dressed up, and gave me a flower. I was very pleased and put it in a vase right away. When we got to the car there was another flower waiting in my seat! I think the first one was a sunflower and this one was a pink popcorn flower-so pretty! He still wouldn't tell me where we were going, but that was half the fun! It was fine, I had secrets of my own (namely the French pastries in a little cooler I had brought).

When we got to San Francisco and had parked the car Brock handed me another flower (a red carnation, I think). At this point I got the idea that random flowers were going to be produced at charming intervals throughout the night. Very happy! He took me to a lovely little French restaurant in the French quarter of San Fran. We ate muscles and fries (a Belgian dish, I think he said) and he ordered everything in French. I loved it!

He mentioned dessert, but I told him dessert was in the car. We headed back to the car and I think I slipped the pastries into a little bag, so we wouldn't have to carry the cooler, but we may have actually brought the cooler with us. I can't remember. Anyway, he still didn't know what they were, and I still didn't know where else we were going.

When we got to the theater, though, it didn't take me long to know what we were doing. He had found a little theater group performing "The Fantasticks!" and he knew it was my favorite musical. While we waited (very excitedly) to be seated, I gave Brock his dessert. He was thrilled to find I had bought him a Napoleon from the French Pastrie in Los Gatos. He had told me it was his favorite. He sat there, in his nicest French suit, and made the biggest mess I'd ever seen out of that little thing. It was the cutest thing! He had just finished when we were called to sit down.

We sat in the front row and had a marvelous time! The actors were wonderful and all of them could really sing! I had always wanted to see "Fantasticks" done professionally and it was just as fun as I'd hoped! I don't think Brock had ever seen that show and we both enjoyed it very much.

When we got back to the car I got another flower and we headed home. We talked happily the whole drive, though I kept thinking about how I probably wouldn't see him again. I was sorry for it, but it couldn't be helped. We had to go back to school. When we got to the house. He gave me one last flower (a rose) and I invited him in to meet my parents.

I had warned him that Dad was a little intimidating, but he wasn't scared at all. He shook Dad's hand (and Mom's of course) and in no time all three of them were chatting away like old friends. I was very tired and it was late, so I tried to signal Mom and Dad. They ignored me completely and gave Brock a tour of the house! Finally, sometime after midnight, Brock and I said goodbye at the door. We hugged (a little bit awkwardly, since he had a box of pastries in his hand) and I told him it had been a nice summer. He left and I thought that was the last time I would see him.
Thank heaven I was wrong!