This past Saturday, I talked on the phone with Dave as usual after work. I reminded him that my dad's girlfriend, Robin, had given me $20 in gift certificates to Johnny Rockets for Dave and I to spend on a date night. Ruefully, he said that he had loaned his car to a friend of his so he could take a girl out on a date, but wished he could do that with me. And hanging up the phone a few minutes later, I had this brainwave:
I'll just bring Johnny Rockets to Dave. Who cares if I can't drive, I can find a way.
Looking up the Lennox store online, I copied down the number and called to ask if they did take-out.
"Yeah, we do take-out orders."
"You do? Excellent, um, yeah, lemme call you back in a little bit when I know what I want!"
Perusing the online menu, I guessed as shrewdly as possible about what Dave might want - I refused to call him, because I was determined for it to be a surprise.
Sitting down on the edge of the couch where my dad was, I started out humbly. "Look, I know this is going to cost me, but I have a scheme I wanna play out for Dave..." Now my Dad is a senior prankster and schemer, and with his blue eyes sparkling at my exuberance, he said he'd be more than happy to drive me.
So I called the restaurant back, placed my order, and then ushered Dad out to the car, bouncing up and down on my heels. Dashing inside as Dad circled the parking lot, I paid for and grabbed the food before diving back into the car. I didn't know when Dave's friend might be home from his date, and if we got there after Oliver returned the car, it wouldn't be nearly as cool.
I was stumped on how to get Dave outside without him knowing I was there, so I asked the senior schemer for some tips and he suggested utilizing one of Dave's roommates. "There's always a way you can suggest or bribe someone to help you." I got a hold of Joe on the way there and said "OK, here's the deal." I laid out the plan and said, "Now I need you to find a way to get him to the back door WITHOUT telling him about me."
Joe and I get along well, and laughing, he promised he'd think of something. I told him I'd call when I got to the house.
So I get to the house (Oliver isn't there yet, good), call Joe, and wait on the back stoop. From what I understand, Joe went upstairs and had a dialogue something like this:
"Hey Dave, you need to come outside, I just saw this huge rat thing in the backyard!"
"It was probably a possum."
"No, no way man, it had all this gross stuff all over its face. C'mon man, you gotta see it."
And before Dave asks "should I get my gun?" Joe leads him to the back door and opens it up to expose me standing there with a big smile, a Johnny Rockets bag, and a chocolate milkshake. The emotions playing across his face were amusing to watch, to say the least. From excitement to possibly blowing a gross critter to smithereens, to confusion about what exactly was going on, then excitement again when he realized that I was here with Johnny Rockets and Joe was just in on the scheme.
I waved goodbye to the senior schemer, and went inside with my artery-clogging goods. I hadn't been inside 5 minutes when Oliver shows up. If I had been any later, it would have all been ruined. It worked out perfectly.
I stayed until 11 in the attic with Joe and Dave, doing homework, listening to music, and bantering playfully with Dave as he oiled some of his guns for a shooting date with a friend the next day. Needless to say, with both my delivery and the prospect of shooting his new 98k in the near future, he was a pretty happy kid and a very amiable chauffeur during the ride home.
It's good to be the daughter of a senior schemer. Does that make me a junior schemer by default??
I'll just bring Johnny Rockets to Dave. Who cares if I can't drive, I can find a way.
Looking up the Lennox store online, I copied down the number and called to ask if they did take-out.
"Yeah, we do take-out orders."
"You do? Excellent, um, yeah, lemme call you back in a little bit when I know what I want!"
Perusing the online menu, I guessed as shrewdly as possible about what Dave might want - I refused to call him, because I was determined for it to be a surprise.
Sitting down on the edge of the couch where my dad was, I started out humbly. "Look, I know this is going to cost me, but I have a scheme I wanna play out for Dave..." Now my Dad is a senior prankster and schemer, and with his blue eyes sparkling at my exuberance, he said he'd be more than happy to drive me.
So I called the restaurant back, placed my order, and then ushered Dad out to the car, bouncing up and down on my heels. Dashing inside as Dad circled the parking lot, I paid for and grabbed the food before diving back into the car. I didn't know when Dave's friend might be home from his date, and if we got there after Oliver returned the car, it wouldn't be nearly as cool.
I was stumped on how to get Dave outside without him knowing I was there, so I asked the senior schemer for some tips and he suggested utilizing one of Dave's roommates. "There's always a way you can suggest or bribe someone to help you." I got a hold of Joe on the way there and said "OK, here's the deal." I laid out the plan and said, "Now I need you to find a way to get him to the back door WITHOUT telling him about me."
Joe and I get along well, and laughing, he promised he'd think of something. I told him I'd call when I got to the house.
So I get to the house (Oliver isn't there yet, good), call Joe, and wait on the back stoop. From what I understand, Joe went upstairs and had a dialogue something like this:
"Hey Dave, you need to come outside, I just saw this huge rat thing in the backyard!"
"It was probably a possum."
"No, no way man, it had all this gross stuff all over its face. C'mon man, you gotta see it."
And before Dave asks "should I get my gun?" Joe leads him to the back door and opens it up to expose me standing there with a big smile, a Johnny Rockets bag, and a chocolate milkshake. The emotions playing across his face were amusing to watch, to say the least. From excitement to possibly blowing a gross critter to smithereens, to confusion about what exactly was going on, then excitement again when he realized that I was here with Johnny Rockets and Joe was just in on the scheme.
I waved goodbye to the senior schemer, and went inside with my artery-clogging goods. I hadn't been inside 5 minutes when Oliver shows up. If I had been any later, it would have all been ruined. It worked out perfectly.
I stayed until 11 in the attic with Joe and Dave, doing homework, listening to music, and bantering playfully with Dave as he oiled some of his guns for a shooting date with a friend the next day. Needless to say, with both my delivery and the prospect of shooting his new 98k in the near future, he was a pretty happy kid and a very amiable chauffeur during the ride home.
It's good to be the daughter of a senior schemer. Does that make me a junior schemer by default??
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