Categories > Cartoons > Daria > Silent Cynic
The Snow Ball
0 reviewsThe consequences of the Amazon visit, and Daria & Jane attend a formal dance.
0Unrated
The Silent Cynic
By Dr. T
Chapter 6 – The Snow Ball
The Nurse had quickly confirmed Cloud’s suspicions: Quinn had partially dislocated her right shoulder, sprained her right wrist, and would have a nasty bump on her head (although no concussion). She would need x-rays to determine if there were any hairline fractures, but if there were any, at least none was serious.
Ms Li had been more than angry after she had surveyed the situations – two of the girls, Cloud, and everyone in the audience denied all Sandi’s disclaimers. Sandi was escorted to the school office by the school ‘resource officer’ – head of school security as well as a reserve city police officer. Despite her continued denials and her mother’s attempts at intimidation, Sandi was suspended until the New Year. Linda Griffin and her lawyer found out over the first two days of the next week that an angry Helen was much more intimidating than either of them. Then, on their third meeting the following Wednesday, Jim Vitale joined Helen. As he had the well-deserved reputation of being the most cutthroat lawyer within the Washington, Annapolis, and Baltimore triangle (not counting Washington itself), the Griffin team decided to capitulate before the stakes grew worse. Sandi would stay suspended, and any further major infraction that school year would earn her expulsion. The incident was on Sandi’s permanent record, and the police report would stay on file until Sandi was 18. The Griffins paid for any medical expenses Quinn had which were not covered by Helen’s family insurance. In return, no charges were pressed. In the end, all the Griffin children would be sent to private schools the next academic year.
Helen never fully realized it, but this had a remarkable effect on her career. Vitale had learned of the incident, as Helen had needed to leave work early to deal with Quinn’s hospitalization. He had joined her in dealing with the Griffins in part because he wanted to see her in action and in part because he rather disliked the Griffins’ lawyer.
He had been impressed by Helen, and so had moved her away from Eric, who tended to run through associates and placed her under Abe Horowitz. A few months later, she was switched to Jim Vitale himself, and she was made a partner about a year after she stopped working for Eric.
As for the fallout for Quinn in the long term, while she did not win the solo photo shoot, Cloud arranged for her to participate in one anyway. The January shoot would have Quinn and some other teen models from the metro area doing Easter fashions. To her disappointment, this would not lead to a real modeling career for Quinn. However, she would do some modeling for local ads throughout high school. This made Quinn relatively happy, supplied her with a little extra cash (and some discounts at some of the stores she modeled for), and counted towards Helen’s demands for extracurricular activities.
In the short term, Quinn was fortunate not to have broken anything. Her shoulder was strapped tightly for the next four days, and it would ache on and off for weeks. Her wrist was in a light brace until the day after Christmas, which slightly spoiled the Snow Ball a bit for her. Unsurprisingly, this attack also led to flashbacks/nightmares to the attack in Highland. Fortunately, both Quinn and Daria were slim and had full-sized beds. Daria simply slept with Quinn after she spent that Friday night in the hospital for observation, and did so until just before Christmas. This at least kept the nightmares short, and at most one per night.
The attack on Quinn meant that Troy and Daria’s date of pizza and a movie that evening had been cancelled. While Daria would have been willing to reschedule for the next night, Troy was playing in a local two-day chess tournament. There was enough talent in the wider DC area to make even these small tournaments interesting to an up-and-coming player like Troy. On the other hand, he was almost assured of winning enough to keep him in spending money, especially with Christmas and the Snow Ball coming up. Daria therefore fully understood his reasons. It also meant that their first actual date would be the Snow Ball itself.
*
Quinn’s date for the Snow Ball was a popular junior basketball player whose grandfather, father, and uncles ran the local law firm that competed most with Helen’s. However, the partnership Helen worked for was much more of a regional law firm than a local one. Still, her date had no trouble taking her to Chez Pierre. They had just left when Troy, with Paul, pulled into the driveway to pick up Daria and Jane.
Jake blinked when he saw the car. “Nice to meet you boys,” he said at the door. “I have to say, I haven’t seen one of those in a while.”
“It’s my mother’s,” Troy answered. “She’s attached to it, and my father and brothers love the challenge of keeping it in great shape.” ‘It’ was a 1969 baby blue Ford LTD. “It seemed appropriate for tonight, but it there were any chance or snow or ice, it would be locked up in the garage!”
Helen forced her way ahead of Daria and Jane as Jake invited the boys into the house. “So pleased to meet you boys,” she said. “Come in; I hope your reservations aren’t for a while.”
“In about twenty-five minutes, but it will take at least ten-to-fifteen to get there and park,” Troy answered, stretching the time just a tad. He wanted to keep any inquisition as short as possible.
Helen pressed on. “The girls haven’t said much about your family. You have brothers?”
Troy’s eyes glanced around the Morgendorffer home, much larger than his house and in one of the more upper-middle class areas of town. “My oldest brother is a loan officer at Lawndale National, my sister teaches second grade here in town, and my older brother is the manager at the Firestone place off Main.” Troy certainly had intellectual and even cultural pretensions, but he was not one to deny his working-class roots.
He then caught Daria’s signing, ‘Shall we get the photos done with?’ He turned back to Jake. “I hope we can get copies of any photos for our moms?”
“No problem! How about over between the tree and the fireplace?” The five moved into the living room, leaving Helen standing alone for a moment and realizing that she had been channeling her mother and Rita for a moment. She took a moment to really look at the two boys. They looked…ok. Paul was a little gangly, Troy a little short in the leg for his height; both otherwise were in many ways average – not handsome, not unattractive; Paul not quite too lean; Troy not quite actually heavy. Granted, Paul looked a bit uncomfortable in his obviously rented tuxedo, while Troy looked comfortable in what was certainly a used tux his parents had bought him a while before – he would no doubt outgrow it before the next Christmas.
As Jake set the couples up for photos, Helen reflected on her class-consciousness. She was not from a super-rich family, but she was from both very old and wealthy to very wealthy families. When her mother died, she and her sisters would finally inherit their share of the wealth their father and grandfathers held (until then their mother lived off the income). Granted, Rita and/or her daughter would likely inherit the house and most of the wealth their mother directly controlled from her parents, but that other money would more than insure a much more than comfortable retirement for her and Jake by itself, and a comfortable life for her children.
Jake’s grandparents were likely from the same class as Troy and Paul’s families. Whatever his many faults and failings, Jake’s father had quickly worked himself up in the trucking company he had worked for to be a district manager and then regional manager, easily making an income equivalent to her and Jake’s combined income before his premature death. Still, Helen knew that she should not look down on other families of lesser wealth or shorter linages.
While Daria had not had friends or even many acquaintances before coming to Lawndale, Quinn’s many friends and acquaintances had all been from solid middle-class families or wealthier, and that was still true. Even Daria’s friend Jane’s family, who sometimes seemed to suffer from a serious cash flow problem when her parents were away, were actually well-off, if not quite as much so as the Morgendorffers.
Helen shamed herself again for momentarily looking down on the boys. She very much wanted to ask where they were going to dinner, but held herself back. She lucked out when Jake asked.
“Do you know De la Warre’s?” Troy answered. “It’s on the way to the county civic center where the dance is held.” Helen was impressed a bit, as this at least looked like a nice enough place when she had driven past it a few times. She had half wondered if they would be having pizza or stopping off for burgers.
“I’ve seen it,” Jake agreed. “What kind of food do they serve?”
“Pretty standard; steaks, seafood, prime rib. They do specials for the Snow Ball, opening up their banquet room. We really should be going.”
“Have fun, and drive safe,” Jake told them. Wrapped in a pair of pretty shawls Jane had found in the Lane attic, they joined with their dates and made their way out to the car on a chilly but clear evening.
*
Seated at their table, Daria signed, ‘Sorry about that back at the house.’
“They weren’t too bad,” Paul put in. He had heard horror stories about some girls’ parents, and he knew his own mother, not to mention Troy’s.
“Never mind that,” Jane said. “Let’s order so we can open presents.” The four had agreed to keep the presents under $10, but Jane did not get many presents. Troy had helped Paul choose Jane some inexpensive acrylic colors, which he had not seen Jane use. Ever happy to expand her repertoire, Jane was satisfied. Similarly, Troy and Daria had given Jane some ideas, and she had purchased four used cd’s of avant-garde jazz artists. Paul was happier with the combined quality of the artists and quantity than he would have been with just one new cd.
Troy was also very happy with his presents. The first was a chess scorebook. While playing, players kept a record of the plays on a score pad, which they turned in after the game. This was a softcover version (as opposed to the usual cardboard), designed for the player to keep a permanent record for himself. Troy had many, but he noted this book’s cover was nearly the same green color as Daria’s favorite jacket and featured in her new scarves, cravats, etc. The second rather touched him. It was a rather battered, and decades-old copy of the major games of Paul Morphy, the famous 19th century New Orleans chess prodigy. Troy wondered where she had found an inexpensive copy. As for Daria, she was pleased with a winter scarf in a plaid of various dark greens. Her other new scarves were decorative; this would be useful as well.
The quartet happily settled down to their salads.
*
The ballroom opened for the Snow Ball at 7:15, and the first dance was scheduled for 8:00. To encourage on-time arrivals, there was the Snow Queen to vote for. Each school (other than Fielding, which was an all-boys school) nominated three candidates (juniors or seniors). Photos of the nominated candidates and their escorts were posted near the entrance, and voting ceased at 8:20. Since the candidates were drawn from the entire county, this was more prestigious than becoming a prom queen. Daria was very happy to vote for Gail. The other three did not really have a preferred choice, and so went along with Daria.
After voting, visiting the restrooms, and picking up their programs, the quartet entered the large room, where the band had just finished their final sound checks. Troy gestured towards one area. “Why there?” Jane asked. Paul rolled his eyes, having obviously endured this sort of thing before, while Daria considered all the seating options, and nodded her agreement.
Meanwhile, Paul explained to Jane. “We’ll be able to hear the band no matter where we sit, but it should be quietest, or the least loud, over there, so we can talk if we want without shouting. There aren’t as many tables over there, so they’ll be easier to access. It’s a tad further away than about a third of the tables, but looks further from here, so again, we shouldn’t be as crowded.”
The room (several ballrooms which opened into one huge venue) was large enough that the expected 2000+ or so couples could dance without stepping on each other and sit without their seats jammed up against each other. The two sizes of round tables were set up for six or eight people. Daria picked out a table for eight, and signed, ‘Jodie and Mack want to join us. That means Brittany, and unfortunately Kevin, as well.’
“We’ll forgive you Brittany. We’ll see about Kevin,” Paul teased. He glanced around and then waived his hand high. “Mack saw me,” he told the group.
Mack and Jodie appeared first, both looking rather elegant, with Jodie wearing a purple gown, cut a bit like Disney’s Cinderella’s. Mack’s bowtie and ruffle edges on his shirt matched her dress. Kevin was dressed more basically, and of the four boys looked least elegant. As for Brittany, the material in her red gown’s half-sleeves and high collar almost made up for the material missing from below the collar down two-thirds of her prominent cleavage and thigh-high slits on both legs.
They only had a few minutes to wait before the opening song, which to Daria’s surprise was in a moderate ¾ tempo. ‘Do you waltz?’ she asked Troy.
“Amazing enough, I do.” Troy stood and extended his arm. “My lady, would you care to waltz?”
Daria stood and took his arm. No one was dancing yet, although a few couples were making tentative moves towards the dance floor. Daria did not ‘free-style’ dance, but she had endured five years of dance class. Here was something she could dance to, and if it made her look silly, she did not care.
Nearly all the boys from Fielding had had to endure dance class, and even more of their dates had. Again, what they saw the single couple on the dance floor doing was something they knew. The same was true for a number of other girls and a fair percentage of the boys, especially from Lawndale (the most upper-crust of the county’s suburbs in many ways), including Quinn and Tori. Seeing Daria and Troy as the first couple actually dancing surprised them both; they both quickly decided they were not letting her go alone and pulled their partners to the dance floor. Mack and Jodie were close behind. Over a dozen of the Fielding couples were already starting to waltz.
Halfway through the song, just over 120 couples were waltzing. Easily catching on, the band put just a bit of waltz flare into the beat, replacing the pure rock. When that song was over, the lead singer called out, “Stay on the floor; we’ll have four more in three four!” Since the band also did weddings, they had a larger repertoire to draw from than many local rock bands. By the time the final ¾ dance finished, there were just over four hundred couples waltzing, or at least trying to.
“We’ll do another group before the break,” the lead singer told the crowd, “plus another to start the second set. That one will start off with your Snow Queen and her escort leading the dancers. But for now, let’s put the edge back on!” The drummer pounded out a strong 2/4 beat, and Daria and Troy left the floor, while Brittany was finally able to force Kevin out onto it.
As they sat alone at their table, Troy finally asked, “May I ask where you found the Morphy book?”
‘Used book sale at the local library back in Texas.’
“Do you play?”
‘A little, mostly against the computer when I do not feel like blowing things up. My Aunt and I also play correspondence chess.’
“Would you like to come over to my place Monday afternoon and play?”
Daria gave him a slight smirk. ‘Is that a euphemism?’
“Not at all; my mom will even be home at some point between two and three.” Seeing Daria’s inquisitive look, Troy explained, “She works for an uncle of mine in the mornings, and she’s the neighborhood Avon lady most afternoons.”
Daria thought a moment, and answered, ‘I will let you know by the end of intermission.’
*
‘What do I do?’ Daria thought. ‘Nothing, which likely means mooning after Trent despite my best intentions? Or try actual dating, which might even turn into a relationship of some kind?’ Daria knew that her crush on Trent could lead nowhere, at least for three or four years. On the other hand, Trent was the only person who really stirred her hormones. In fact, she had wondered before meeting Trent if she was not perhaps asexual to some degree.
Troy did not get her hormones rushing, make her sweat (or blush, or have other worrying physical reactions on a large scale). On the other hand, he seemed…comfortable and even a bit comforting. If Trent made her hormones scream and jump and at times even cause major physiological changes beyond blushing (okay, causing a full sexual flush more than once), Troy seemed to make them purr. She suddenly smiled ever so slightly, realizing that she rather liked that purr.
While Daria never fully realized it, she was very lucky that her first real crush on an older man was on Trent. Like her mother, who had fallen for a stunt car driver, and then ended up only having a very unsatisfactory one-night stand, Daria could have fallen hard, and been hurt badly.
Daria pondered though the time the second set of waltzes was announced, becoming more comfortable with her decision. She stood and took the slightly worried Troy’s hand. This time there were only three dances in ¾ time, and the lead singer then announced a slow dance to close out the first half of the dance.
When Troy started to move off the dance floor after the third waltz, Daria stopped him. She took off her glasses and slipped them into Troy’s inner jacket pocket, and then held her arms open. It took Troy a second to react, but he carefully gathered Daria into his arms. He was just under five foot ten, tall enough for Daria to rest her head on the front of his shoulder, her arms around his back, her eyes closed.
Troy carefully kept one hand on the small of Daria’s back, the other above. Like most of the other couples, they basically just slowly swayed to the music. When the song ended, most of the couples clapped. Daria however tugged on Troy’s lapels. As he leaned forward, Daria gave him a firm but soft kiss for more than a few seconds, confident that few would notice. She then led him back towards their table, as she signed after putting her glasses back on, ‘I would enjoy coming to your house to play chess on Monday. Email me tomorrow after two.’
*
Returning to their table, Daria saw Jane was not looking happy. She touched Jane’s shoulder to get her attention and asked, ‘Are you okay?’
“Not really,” Jane admitted. “First, these shoes of Summer’s aren’t as good of a fit as I had thought. My feet are killing me. Second….”
“Second, some jackass knocked us into another couple,” complained Paul. “I think I hurt my knee and Jane nearly twisted her ankle.”
“I’m still glad we came,” Jane stated.
“Me, too, but I hadn’t realized dating was this painful,” Paul half-joked.
“Maybe we just need more practice,” Jane suggested.
“I’d like that, but if you mean going to hear your brother’s band, won’t that be painful, even if in a different way?” They could tell that this time he was fully teasing.
“Exactly; new experiences. Take me to the Zon Monday night, and I’ll buy you dinner at Cluster Burger.”
“Deal.”
Jane turned to Daria and Troy. “I know you want to see if Gail is made Snow Queen, and the two of you seem to like waltzing. How about we leave after the opening waltz, or I suppose waltzes?”
Daria shrugged and gestured to their driver, who replied, “Fine with me.” While he would have liked to have another slow dance (and kiss), Troy decided not to push.
*
A Junior from Oakwood won Snow Queen, although Gail came in second (Snow Princess). After waltzing the first three dances after intermission, the quartet left. While he would have liked to have dropped Daria off last, Troy knew the best he could do would be to drop Jane off first.
Paul’s knee really was not bothering him much by the time they arrived at the Lanes’. He therefore walked Jane to her door. (Granted Jane’s ankle and feet hurt, but not as much as she pretended so that Paul held her tight as he led her to her door.) As they made their way, Troy unbuckled his seatbelt and slid slightly across the bench seat. “Thank you for everything tonight,” Troy told Daria sincerely. Daria also unbelted and turned to give him a light kiss while holding his hands. After she leaned back, Troy gently kissed the back of both her hands.
This made Daria blush slightly, and she was glad Troy could not see it. It did confirm her decision on a possible relationship, however.
They were both buckled back up by the time Paul made it back to the car.
*
“You’re home early,” Helen remarked, her tone both inquiring and somehow slightly hostile.
Daria ignored the tone. ‘Jane’s shoes were hurting her feet. I had a very lovely time. Some of the songs were in three/four time, and so we waltzed. Quite a few other couples joined in.’
“That’s great, Kiddo!” Jake enthused.
“So….” Helen was not sure what she wanted ask, or at least not how to ask it.
‘Yes, I hope to see Troy again before we leave with Aunt Amy. We can talk about that tomorrow if you think it is necessary, but my feet also hurt, and I want to shower before Quinn gets home. Good night.’
Helen was frowning as Daria disappeared up the stairs. Then she turned to her husband. Jake got in first, “Helen, she might be mute, but she’s sixteen. You can’t keep pushing her to socialize and then question every attempt.”
Helen sighed, frustrated with herself as much as with Daria. “I suppose not.”
*
“You’re home early,” Mrs. Loomis remarked.
Troy managed not to sigh. The garage was in the back, off a side street, and he had come in quietly. It was a small enough house; the back half of the first floor was a kitchen and dining room, with a ‘parlor’ in front of the dining room. In front of the kitchen was a hallway, with a staircase leading to the second floor with another underneath leading to the cellar. The front half of the cellar was fixed over as the ‘den’ or ‘tv room,’ the back the laundry room and where Mr. Loomis kept many of his tools.
Troy knew his father would be downstairs, watching tv. He had hoped his mother was either with him, or in bed, reading. On a normal evening, the odds were 4 out of 5 that she would be in bed, although not likely asleep.
Instead, she was waiting for him in the parlor.
“Jane’s shoes were hurting, and we were kind of danced out.”
“Really?”
“The band played a few songs in three/four time, so we waltzed to them,” Troy explained.
“So you had a good time?”
“We all did.” Seeing his mother eyeing the bag in his hand, Troy sighed and showed her his presents.
Mrs. Loomis refrained from rolling her eyes, but just said, “Somehow, I think you’re pleased.”
“I am,” Troy admitted. “Hopefully Daria will be over Monday afternoon.”
“Really? Early afternoon?”
“Sometime after two, maybe after three.”
“Make it any time after two-thirty…and ask her to dinner.”
By Dr. T
Chapter 6 – The Snow Ball
The Nurse had quickly confirmed Cloud’s suspicions: Quinn had partially dislocated her right shoulder, sprained her right wrist, and would have a nasty bump on her head (although no concussion). She would need x-rays to determine if there were any hairline fractures, but if there were any, at least none was serious.
Ms Li had been more than angry after she had surveyed the situations – two of the girls, Cloud, and everyone in the audience denied all Sandi’s disclaimers. Sandi was escorted to the school office by the school ‘resource officer’ – head of school security as well as a reserve city police officer. Despite her continued denials and her mother’s attempts at intimidation, Sandi was suspended until the New Year. Linda Griffin and her lawyer found out over the first two days of the next week that an angry Helen was much more intimidating than either of them. Then, on their third meeting the following Wednesday, Jim Vitale joined Helen. As he had the well-deserved reputation of being the most cutthroat lawyer within the Washington, Annapolis, and Baltimore triangle (not counting Washington itself), the Griffin team decided to capitulate before the stakes grew worse. Sandi would stay suspended, and any further major infraction that school year would earn her expulsion. The incident was on Sandi’s permanent record, and the police report would stay on file until Sandi was 18. The Griffins paid for any medical expenses Quinn had which were not covered by Helen’s family insurance. In return, no charges were pressed. In the end, all the Griffin children would be sent to private schools the next academic year.
Helen never fully realized it, but this had a remarkable effect on her career. Vitale had learned of the incident, as Helen had needed to leave work early to deal with Quinn’s hospitalization. He had joined her in dealing with the Griffins in part because he wanted to see her in action and in part because he rather disliked the Griffins’ lawyer.
He had been impressed by Helen, and so had moved her away from Eric, who tended to run through associates and placed her under Abe Horowitz. A few months later, she was switched to Jim Vitale himself, and she was made a partner about a year after she stopped working for Eric.
As for the fallout for Quinn in the long term, while she did not win the solo photo shoot, Cloud arranged for her to participate in one anyway. The January shoot would have Quinn and some other teen models from the metro area doing Easter fashions. To her disappointment, this would not lead to a real modeling career for Quinn. However, she would do some modeling for local ads throughout high school. This made Quinn relatively happy, supplied her with a little extra cash (and some discounts at some of the stores she modeled for), and counted towards Helen’s demands for extracurricular activities.
In the short term, Quinn was fortunate not to have broken anything. Her shoulder was strapped tightly for the next four days, and it would ache on and off for weeks. Her wrist was in a light brace until the day after Christmas, which slightly spoiled the Snow Ball a bit for her. Unsurprisingly, this attack also led to flashbacks/nightmares to the attack in Highland. Fortunately, both Quinn and Daria were slim and had full-sized beds. Daria simply slept with Quinn after she spent that Friday night in the hospital for observation, and did so until just before Christmas. This at least kept the nightmares short, and at most one per night.
The attack on Quinn meant that Troy and Daria’s date of pizza and a movie that evening had been cancelled. While Daria would have been willing to reschedule for the next night, Troy was playing in a local two-day chess tournament. There was enough talent in the wider DC area to make even these small tournaments interesting to an up-and-coming player like Troy. On the other hand, he was almost assured of winning enough to keep him in spending money, especially with Christmas and the Snow Ball coming up. Daria therefore fully understood his reasons. It also meant that their first actual date would be the Snow Ball itself.
*
Quinn’s date for the Snow Ball was a popular junior basketball player whose grandfather, father, and uncles ran the local law firm that competed most with Helen’s. However, the partnership Helen worked for was much more of a regional law firm than a local one. Still, her date had no trouble taking her to Chez Pierre. They had just left when Troy, with Paul, pulled into the driveway to pick up Daria and Jane.
Jake blinked when he saw the car. “Nice to meet you boys,” he said at the door. “I have to say, I haven’t seen one of those in a while.”
“It’s my mother’s,” Troy answered. “She’s attached to it, and my father and brothers love the challenge of keeping it in great shape.” ‘It’ was a 1969 baby blue Ford LTD. “It seemed appropriate for tonight, but it there were any chance or snow or ice, it would be locked up in the garage!”
Helen forced her way ahead of Daria and Jane as Jake invited the boys into the house. “So pleased to meet you boys,” she said. “Come in; I hope your reservations aren’t for a while.”
“In about twenty-five minutes, but it will take at least ten-to-fifteen to get there and park,” Troy answered, stretching the time just a tad. He wanted to keep any inquisition as short as possible.
Helen pressed on. “The girls haven’t said much about your family. You have brothers?”
Troy’s eyes glanced around the Morgendorffer home, much larger than his house and in one of the more upper-middle class areas of town. “My oldest brother is a loan officer at Lawndale National, my sister teaches second grade here in town, and my older brother is the manager at the Firestone place off Main.” Troy certainly had intellectual and even cultural pretensions, but he was not one to deny his working-class roots.
He then caught Daria’s signing, ‘Shall we get the photos done with?’ He turned back to Jake. “I hope we can get copies of any photos for our moms?”
“No problem! How about over between the tree and the fireplace?” The five moved into the living room, leaving Helen standing alone for a moment and realizing that she had been channeling her mother and Rita for a moment. She took a moment to really look at the two boys. They looked…ok. Paul was a little gangly, Troy a little short in the leg for his height; both otherwise were in many ways average – not handsome, not unattractive; Paul not quite too lean; Troy not quite actually heavy. Granted, Paul looked a bit uncomfortable in his obviously rented tuxedo, while Troy looked comfortable in what was certainly a used tux his parents had bought him a while before – he would no doubt outgrow it before the next Christmas.
As Jake set the couples up for photos, Helen reflected on her class-consciousness. She was not from a super-rich family, but she was from both very old and wealthy to very wealthy families. When her mother died, she and her sisters would finally inherit their share of the wealth their father and grandfathers held (until then their mother lived off the income). Granted, Rita and/or her daughter would likely inherit the house and most of the wealth their mother directly controlled from her parents, but that other money would more than insure a much more than comfortable retirement for her and Jake by itself, and a comfortable life for her children.
Jake’s grandparents were likely from the same class as Troy and Paul’s families. Whatever his many faults and failings, Jake’s father had quickly worked himself up in the trucking company he had worked for to be a district manager and then regional manager, easily making an income equivalent to her and Jake’s combined income before his premature death. Still, Helen knew that she should not look down on other families of lesser wealth or shorter linages.
While Daria had not had friends or even many acquaintances before coming to Lawndale, Quinn’s many friends and acquaintances had all been from solid middle-class families or wealthier, and that was still true. Even Daria’s friend Jane’s family, who sometimes seemed to suffer from a serious cash flow problem when her parents were away, were actually well-off, if not quite as much so as the Morgendorffers.
Helen shamed herself again for momentarily looking down on the boys. She very much wanted to ask where they were going to dinner, but held herself back. She lucked out when Jake asked.
“Do you know De la Warre’s?” Troy answered. “It’s on the way to the county civic center where the dance is held.” Helen was impressed a bit, as this at least looked like a nice enough place when she had driven past it a few times. She had half wondered if they would be having pizza or stopping off for burgers.
“I’ve seen it,” Jake agreed. “What kind of food do they serve?”
“Pretty standard; steaks, seafood, prime rib. They do specials for the Snow Ball, opening up their banquet room. We really should be going.”
“Have fun, and drive safe,” Jake told them. Wrapped in a pair of pretty shawls Jane had found in the Lane attic, they joined with their dates and made their way out to the car on a chilly but clear evening.
*
Seated at their table, Daria signed, ‘Sorry about that back at the house.’
“They weren’t too bad,” Paul put in. He had heard horror stories about some girls’ parents, and he knew his own mother, not to mention Troy’s.
“Never mind that,” Jane said. “Let’s order so we can open presents.” The four had agreed to keep the presents under $10, but Jane did not get many presents. Troy had helped Paul choose Jane some inexpensive acrylic colors, which he had not seen Jane use. Ever happy to expand her repertoire, Jane was satisfied. Similarly, Troy and Daria had given Jane some ideas, and she had purchased four used cd’s of avant-garde jazz artists. Paul was happier with the combined quality of the artists and quantity than he would have been with just one new cd.
Troy was also very happy with his presents. The first was a chess scorebook. While playing, players kept a record of the plays on a score pad, which they turned in after the game. This was a softcover version (as opposed to the usual cardboard), designed for the player to keep a permanent record for himself. Troy had many, but he noted this book’s cover was nearly the same green color as Daria’s favorite jacket and featured in her new scarves, cravats, etc. The second rather touched him. It was a rather battered, and decades-old copy of the major games of Paul Morphy, the famous 19th century New Orleans chess prodigy. Troy wondered where she had found an inexpensive copy. As for Daria, she was pleased with a winter scarf in a plaid of various dark greens. Her other new scarves were decorative; this would be useful as well.
The quartet happily settled down to their salads.
*
The ballroom opened for the Snow Ball at 7:15, and the first dance was scheduled for 8:00. To encourage on-time arrivals, there was the Snow Queen to vote for. Each school (other than Fielding, which was an all-boys school) nominated three candidates (juniors or seniors). Photos of the nominated candidates and their escorts were posted near the entrance, and voting ceased at 8:20. Since the candidates were drawn from the entire county, this was more prestigious than becoming a prom queen. Daria was very happy to vote for Gail. The other three did not really have a preferred choice, and so went along with Daria.
After voting, visiting the restrooms, and picking up their programs, the quartet entered the large room, where the band had just finished their final sound checks. Troy gestured towards one area. “Why there?” Jane asked. Paul rolled his eyes, having obviously endured this sort of thing before, while Daria considered all the seating options, and nodded her agreement.
Meanwhile, Paul explained to Jane. “We’ll be able to hear the band no matter where we sit, but it should be quietest, or the least loud, over there, so we can talk if we want without shouting. There aren’t as many tables over there, so they’ll be easier to access. It’s a tad further away than about a third of the tables, but looks further from here, so again, we shouldn’t be as crowded.”
The room (several ballrooms which opened into one huge venue) was large enough that the expected 2000+ or so couples could dance without stepping on each other and sit without their seats jammed up against each other. The two sizes of round tables were set up for six or eight people. Daria picked out a table for eight, and signed, ‘Jodie and Mack want to join us. That means Brittany, and unfortunately Kevin, as well.’
“We’ll forgive you Brittany. We’ll see about Kevin,” Paul teased. He glanced around and then waived his hand high. “Mack saw me,” he told the group.
Mack and Jodie appeared first, both looking rather elegant, with Jodie wearing a purple gown, cut a bit like Disney’s Cinderella’s. Mack’s bowtie and ruffle edges on his shirt matched her dress. Kevin was dressed more basically, and of the four boys looked least elegant. As for Brittany, the material in her red gown’s half-sleeves and high collar almost made up for the material missing from below the collar down two-thirds of her prominent cleavage and thigh-high slits on both legs.
They only had a few minutes to wait before the opening song, which to Daria’s surprise was in a moderate ¾ tempo. ‘Do you waltz?’ she asked Troy.
“Amazing enough, I do.” Troy stood and extended his arm. “My lady, would you care to waltz?”
Daria stood and took his arm. No one was dancing yet, although a few couples were making tentative moves towards the dance floor. Daria did not ‘free-style’ dance, but she had endured five years of dance class. Here was something she could dance to, and if it made her look silly, she did not care.
Nearly all the boys from Fielding had had to endure dance class, and even more of their dates had. Again, what they saw the single couple on the dance floor doing was something they knew. The same was true for a number of other girls and a fair percentage of the boys, especially from Lawndale (the most upper-crust of the county’s suburbs in many ways), including Quinn and Tori. Seeing Daria and Troy as the first couple actually dancing surprised them both; they both quickly decided they were not letting her go alone and pulled their partners to the dance floor. Mack and Jodie were close behind. Over a dozen of the Fielding couples were already starting to waltz.
Halfway through the song, just over 120 couples were waltzing. Easily catching on, the band put just a bit of waltz flare into the beat, replacing the pure rock. When that song was over, the lead singer called out, “Stay on the floor; we’ll have four more in three four!” Since the band also did weddings, they had a larger repertoire to draw from than many local rock bands. By the time the final ¾ dance finished, there were just over four hundred couples waltzing, or at least trying to.
“We’ll do another group before the break,” the lead singer told the crowd, “plus another to start the second set. That one will start off with your Snow Queen and her escort leading the dancers. But for now, let’s put the edge back on!” The drummer pounded out a strong 2/4 beat, and Daria and Troy left the floor, while Brittany was finally able to force Kevin out onto it.
As they sat alone at their table, Troy finally asked, “May I ask where you found the Morphy book?”
‘Used book sale at the local library back in Texas.’
“Do you play?”
‘A little, mostly against the computer when I do not feel like blowing things up. My Aunt and I also play correspondence chess.’
“Would you like to come over to my place Monday afternoon and play?”
Daria gave him a slight smirk. ‘Is that a euphemism?’
“Not at all; my mom will even be home at some point between two and three.” Seeing Daria’s inquisitive look, Troy explained, “She works for an uncle of mine in the mornings, and she’s the neighborhood Avon lady most afternoons.”
Daria thought a moment, and answered, ‘I will let you know by the end of intermission.’
*
‘What do I do?’ Daria thought. ‘Nothing, which likely means mooning after Trent despite my best intentions? Or try actual dating, which might even turn into a relationship of some kind?’ Daria knew that her crush on Trent could lead nowhere, at least for three or four years. On the other hand, Trent was the only person who really stirred her hormones. In fact, she had wondered before meeting Trent if she was not perhaps asexual to some degree.
Troy did not get her hormones rushing, make her sweat (or blush, or have other worrying physical reactions on a large scale). On the other hand, he seemed…comfortable and even a bit comforting. If Trent made her hormones scream and jump and at times even cause major physiological changes beyond blushing (okay, causing a full sexual flush more than once), Troy seemed to make them purr. She suddenly smiled ever so slightly, realizing that she rather liked that purr.
While Daria never fully realized it, she was very lucky that her first real crush on an older man was on Trent. Like her mother, who had fallen for a stunt car driver, and then ended up only having a very unsatisfactory one-night stand, Daria could have fallen hard, and been hurt badly.
Daria pondered though the time the second set of waltzes was announced, becoming more comfortable with her decision. She stood and took the slightly worried Troy’s hand. This time there were only three dances in ¾ time, and the lead singer then announced a slow dance to close out the first half of the dance.
When Troy started to move off the dance floor after the third waltz, Daria stopped him. She took off her glasses and slipped them into Troy’s inner jacket pocket, and then held her arms open. It took Troy a second to react, but he carefully gathered Daria into his arms. He was just under five foot ten, tall enough for Daria to rest her head on the front of his shoulder, her arms around his back, her eyes closed.
Troy carefully kept one hand on the small of Daria’s back, the other above. Like most of the other couples, they basically just slowly swayed to the music. When the song ended, most of the couples clapped. Daria however tugged on Troy’s lapels. As he leaned forward, Daria gave him a firm but soft kiss for more than a few seconds, confident that few would notice. She then led him back towards their table, as she signed after putting her glasses back on, ‘I would enjoy coming to your house to play chess on Monday. Email me tomorrow after two.’
*
Returning to their table, Daria saw Jane was not looking happy. She touched Jane’s shoulder to get her attention and asked, ‘Are you okay?’
“Not really,” Jane admitted. “First, these shoes of Summer’s aren’t as good of a fit as I had thought. My feet are killing me. Second….”
“Second, some jackass knocked us into another couple,” complained Paul. “I think I hurt my knee and Jane nearly twisted her ankle.”
“I’m still glad we came,” Jane stated.
“Me, too, but I hadn’t realized dating was this painful,” Paul half-joked.
“Maybe we just need more practice,” Jane suggested.
“I’d like that, but if you mean going to hear your brother’s band, won’t that be painful, even if in a different way?” They could tell that this time he was fully teasing.
“Exactly; new experiences. Take me to the Zon Monday night, and I’ll buy you dinner at Cluster Burger.”
“Deal.”
Jane turned to Daria and Troy. “I know you want to see if Gail is made Snow Queen, and the two of you seem to like waltzing. How about we leave after the opening waltz, or I suppose waltzes?”
Daria shrugged and gestured to their driver, who replied, “Fine with me.” While he would have liked to have another slow dance (and kiss), Troy decided not to push.
*
A Junior from Oakwood won Snow Queen, although Gail came in second (Snow Princess). After waltzing the first three dances after intermission, the quartet left. While he would have liked to have dropped Daria off last, Troy knew the best he could do would be to drop Jane off first.
Paul’s knee really was not bothering him much by the time they arrived at the Lanes’. He therefore walked Jane to her door. (Granted Jane’s ankle and feet hurt, but not as much as she pretended so that Paul held her tight as he led her to her door.) As they made their way, Troy unbuckled his seatbelt and slid slightly across the bench seat. “Thank you for everything tonight,” Troy told Daria sincerely. Daria also unbelted and turned to give him a light kiss while holding his hands. After she leaned back, Troy gently kissed the back of both her hands.
This made Daria blush slightly, and she was glad Troy could not see it. It did confirm her decision on a possible relationship, however.
They were both buckled back up by the time Paul made it back to the car.
*
“You’re home early,” Helen remarked, her tone both inquiring and somehow slightly hostile.
Daria ignored the tone. ‘Jane’s shoes were hurting her feet. I had a very lovely time. Some of the songs were in three/four time, and so we waltzed. Quite a few other couples joined in.’
“That’s great, Kiddo!” Jake enthused.
“So….” Helen was not sure what she wanted ask, or at least not how to ask it.
‘Yes, I hope to see Troy again before we leave with Aunt Amy. We can talk about that tomorrow if you think it is necessary, but my feet also hurt, and I want to shower before Quinn gets home. Good night.’
Helen was frowning as Daria disappeared up the stairs. Then she turned to her husband. Jake got in first, “Helen, she might be mute, but she’s sixteen. You can’t keep pushing her to socialize and then question every attempt.”
Helen sighed, frustrated with herself as much as with Daria. “I suppose not.”
*
“You’re home early,” Mrs. Loomis remarked.
Troy managed not to sigh. The garage was in the back, off a side street, and he had come in quietly. It was a small enough house; the back half of the first floor was a kitchen and dining room, with a ‘parlor’ in front of the dining room. In front of the kitchen was a hallway, with a staircase leading to the second floor with another underneath leading to the cellar. The front half of the cellar was fixed over as the ‘den’ or ‘tv room,’ the back the laundry room and where Mr. Loomis kept many of his tools.
Troy knew his father would be downstairs, watching tv. He had hoped his mother was either with him, or in bed, reading. On a normal evening, the odds were 4 out of 5 that she would be in bed, although not likely asleep.
Instead, she was waiting for him in the parlor.
“Jane’s shoes were hurting, and we were kind of danced out.”
“Really?”
“The band played a few songs in three/four time, so we waltzed to them,” Troy explained.
“So you had a good time?”
“We all did.” Seeing his mother eyeing the bag in his hand, Troy sighed and showed her his presents.
Mrs. Loomis refrained from rolling her eyes, but just said, “Somehow, I think you’re pleased.”
“I am,” Troy admitted. “Hopefully Daria will be over Monday afternoon.”
“Really? Early afternoon?”
“Sometime after two, maybe after three.”
“Make it any time after two-thirty…and ask her to dinner.”
Sign up to rate and review this story