Chapter 6

Things are going well at work. I am taking my break at noon and decide to go for a walk around town. I have the answering machine on. I walk out the door and lock it. I look up and see Brad with a big grin.
"Hi." I say
"Hi. Wanna see this fine piece of metal?" he says in a southern accent.
"What is that?"
"My new vehicle. No rips in the interior at all. I can use it for Construction and I only paid a couple hundred for it. " he is very pleased with himself.
"I was going to walk the railroad tracks. Do you want to join me?"
"Yeah. I actually wanted to talk to you. I need a piece of land for my business and to keep things at."
"Oh, ok." we go through his particulars for about 30 min. time for me to go back to work. He comes into the office and we pick out a day to go look at places. I prepare 3 places and he approves them all. He goes back to his van. So he can go to work.
He shows up on the appointed day in his work clothes. We run around for several hours as he measures and comments and talks to some really interesting people that own the properties. We get ready to go back to the office and he asks if I am hungry. He states if he doesn't eat now he won't have a chance again until 11pm. I agreed. We stopped at a little diner and I was introduced to his insatiable appetite
for pepper. I had never seen anyone take off the lid and pour out half of the shaker. My face must have registered shock, because he looked at me sheepishly and said, "I like pepper."
We chatted about different properties and if he thought he would be willing to write an offer anytime soon.
We went to get back in the van and he smiled and said, "We look like Lady and the Tramp." He straightened his chevy hat.

Later that week he stopped by my house. The kids were putting on a "SHOW" on the front porch. It was a screened in porch that we played out on. They were singing, dancing and going crazy. He knocked at the front door this time. We talked for a few minutes and he said, "Wish I knew someone who would go to Nauvoo with me. I really want to go, but I don't want to go alone. I have never been around there before."
Without any forethought I blurted out, "Me either. I have gone and done Temple Work, but I have never done anything else."
"Would you like to join me?" he asked staring right into my eyes.
"When would you go?" wondering if I should back out. What am I doing????
"When is your next day off?" he smiled.
Somehow I saw a strange resemblance between him and the Cheshire Cat.
"November 1st."
"Perfect. I'll pick you up the night before, we will make a full day of it." he grinned confidently.
"Ok, that will be great."
He sauntered off. Wait a second, was this a date? What was this? How do I find out?
Questions FLOODED my mind.
We waved as he drove away.



Susanne called again. "Are you coming to the Halloween Party this year at my house?"
"Most likely."
"You can bring anyone you want with." she hinted.
"Even my ex?" I question.
"Why?" she didn't sound amused.
"Well, I wanted to ask him so we could take the kids around and neither one of us have to miss out."
"Oh." she still wasn't happy. She is not good at hiding emotions. Her voice was flat.
"I have another question though." I pushed.
"Yeah?" I was wearing on her nerves.
"Would it be possible for the kids to stay overnight? Brad wanted to go to Nauvoo with me and he wanted to leave really early in the morning so we could see the sun come up over the Temple."
She is over her dismay. "So it's a date?"
"I, I guess. I am not really sure."
"How can you not be sure?" she is thinking I am utterly ridiculous.
"I don't know. Our conversation segued seamlessly and I just don't know." I admitted.
"That's weird." she dead panned.
"I know." I said.
Gathering all the details, we made plans.

I get all the kids to bed and it is 11pm. My phone rings.
"Hello?" I whisper not wanting to wake the kids up and walk downstairs to the living room.
"Hi. Is this ok to call?" Brads warm voice asks.
"Yeah, it's fine." I am able to talk regularly now. I sit on the couch. I pull my legs to the side of me and cover up with a blanket.
He asks me how my day was. We drifted from topic to topic. Never stopping.

4 am.

He says he has to go to bed. "Oh my, I didn't realize the time! I have to be up in 2 hours." I exclaim.
He apologizes and I say "It's ok, my fault."
We say good bye and hang up.

I guess it's a date.