Page 37 of Heat It Up (Off the Ice)
He gives me a look asking me what planet I’m from. I respond with my own look: the planet that doesn’t require me to roll my freakin’ R’s.
“Okay, let’s try something else.” He flips through my book and starts reading the sentences, without letting me see them. “Mitä minä sanoin?” he adds after a pause.
I let my brain absorb the words. “You said, ‘What time is the movie?’”
“Very good. Do you know your numbers?”
I recite them from one to thirty. I can go higher but that took long enough.
“Haluatsä nää elokuva mun kanssa?”
Blink. I have no idea what he said.
“Varo!” a male voice yells and before we can see what he’s talking about, something solid slams against my arm.
“Ouch!”
The soccer ball rolls a short distance before stopping at a pair of men’s sneakers. The skin on my arm stings from the impact and I can tell it’s going to bruise.
“Anteeksi!” the owner, a guy Joni’s age, says. Scooping up the ball, he yammers away, the words lost on me.
“Sofia,” Joni says, “this is Markus. He’s on my football team.” To Markus, he says, “Sofia’s the first aider joining us. She’ll be taping ankles.”
Markus nods at me then winces. “Sorry about hitting you with the ball.”
I flash him a brief smile. “That’s okay. I’ll survive.”
“Do you guys want to join us?”
Joni and I exchange looks, then scramble up.
“What did you say before I was attacked by the ball?” I ask, taking my position on the sand.
“I wanted to know if you want to see a movie with me.”
I don’t have a chance to respond. Markus kicks the ball and the game is on.
Chapter Nineteen
Sofia
Muumu watches as I slide out the small baking sheet from the toaster oven, revealing the grilled, open-faced sandwiches. The melted cheese oozes over the tomato slices.
“Hyvää.” She grins at my culinary masterpiece.
I place two on each of our plates and set the plates on the table. I’ve already made the salad.
Muumu sits and bites into a sandwich. “Mmmm.Herkullista ruokaa.” This is followed by something I loosely translate as “Are you going to see Joni play soccer?” Or she could have asked if I’m making sandcastles with him. Tough call.
I tell her yes. I don’t bother telling her that I’m checking my emails at the café first. That’s beyond my level of Finnish. Instead, I ask her if she wants to see a movie tomorrow night. Yes, Joni’s language lessons are paying off. And thankfully American movies aren’t dubbed in Finnish. Hello, subtitles.
She pulls out today’s newspaper and checks the listings for the local theater. She points to the romantic comedy that looks good and we make plans to see it.
Once I’m finished with dinner, I clean my dishes and head to the café. There, I order a Diet Coke and sit on an empty seat next to the window. Because I haven’t checked my inbox since yesterday afternoon, there’s a bunch for me to go through. Some are from Claire, who is eager to hear more about my non-existent love life.
Spending the weekend with Kyle at a cottage by a lake, I type. I never told her that Kyle’s wife is dead. I referred to her as his ex-wife. She might not be as excited about me hanging out with him if she knows he’s dealing with that level of loss. A dead ex-boyfriend is nothing like a dead wife.
She responds soon after,I didn’t realize things were getting serious between you two.
