Page 29 of Long Live the King

“What is a date?”

Zach said, “You take her to dinner and dancing or a movie or something.” He slammed the door of the oven closed.

Lochie’s eyes went wide. “How would I… how do I… I daena ken what tae…”

Zach leaned on the counter. “Lochie, this is what you’re gonna do. Wait for her after work. Talk to her, ask how her day was, then tell her you want to see her again. Ask her if you can take her to get dinner.”

“Ask how her day was… want to see her… all right, I can do it.”

“If she says yes, ask her if she has a favorite restaurant. Come back here, we will discuss and make a plan for you.”

Lochie nodded.

“You got me, right? You know how to do it.”

Lochie said, “Aye, I think so.”

He sat down at the counter, beside the boys, asking for an afternoon snack.

And there Lochie waited all day. It grew to be evening. He checked his watch way too often.

Zach said, “She’s probably not even at work yet, you don’t want to get there before she does.”

“I hae tae be cool.”

“Yep, gotta be cool.”

We ate dinner and Lochie kept checking his watch, having done really nothing all day but wait.

Fraoch said, “Och nae, I ought tae hae given ye something tae do!”

Lochie glanced at his watch again. “Like what?”

“Like a chore. Ye ought tae hae cleaned the trucks — idle hands cause ye tae bedevil yer family.”

Lochie scowled. “I am bedevilin’ ye just by checkin’ the time?”

“Aye, daena do it again or I will send you from the room. We will tell ye when tis time tae go.”

Lochie asked for another beer, then started to look at his watch, but stopped himself. A moment later he twisted in his seat to look at the clock on the oven.

Fraoch groaned.

Magnus shook his head, “Let the man check the time, Fraoch. He is goin’ tae be on time tae visit the maiden and he canna drive so he is concerned he winna be there on time.”

Fraoch said, “I ken, I ken.”

James rushed into the room. “I think she started labor!”

Emma stuck her head from her room. “Sophie…?”

James was on the edge of panic, “Of course Sophie, who the hell do you think?”

Emma said, “First, my apologies, my head was somewhere else. I’m cleaning out closets and wasn’t thinking — also, no talking smack to me, don’t be a jerk. How far apart are her contractions?”

He said, “I don’t know!”

Emma and I followed him into the room, Beaty was already there. I said, “Hey Sophie, how ya doing?”

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