| General Fiction posted August 12, 2024 | Chapters: |
...24 25 -26- 27... 
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The date from hell
A chapter in the book DUEL with the DEVIL
DUEL with the DEVIL - Chapter 26
by Jim Wile
| Background A brilliant young chemist creates a new painkilling drug with unknown benefits and pitfalls. |
Recap of Chapter 25: Brian has become a studious college student. He especially enjoys his organic chemistry lab teacher, Dr. Rieke.
Over dinner with Daniel one day, he notices Daniel looking at girls and asks him why he’s never dated any. Daniel reveals that he has never asked a girl out because he is too shy and gets nervous. Brian offers to fix him up on a blind double date with a Japanese girl named Kimiko when Julia visits. She is Brian’s chemistry lab partner.
Brian preps Daniel for the date with tips, but when Julia visits and the big moment comes, Daniel greets Kimiko by calling her a foxy-looking chicken.
Chapter 26
Both the restaurant and the movie theater were within walking distance, so we set out together—Julia and I in front, Kimiko and Daniel in back.
Daniel said, “I understand you to be a nerdy student of stems, Kimiko.”
I looked back, and Kimiko appeared puzzled, trying to make sense of this. I decided to intervene before things got worse. “I think he meant a STEM student. Do you know what STEM refers to, Kimiko?” I glanced at Julia, who was trying to stifle a laugh.
Kimiko said, “I believe it stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Yes, I guess I am a STEM student. I plan to go into medicine one day.”
Daniel said, “I see. And what do you like to do in your spare time?”
After a beat, she said, “I like to write poetry.”
“That is a very good thing.”
After that, nothing more from either of them, and we walked along in silence. Daniel had exhausted all of my conversational suggestions within the first two minutes, and I wasn’t sure if he had any of his own. This was going swimmingly.
Julia asked her, “Where is your home, Kimiko? Do you live in Japan or the US?”
“I live in Japan with my parents.”
That was it. About as good a conversationalist as Daniel. She must have been nervous because in the lab, she usually shared more than that.
“Tell them what your parents do for a living,” I said. “This is interesting.”
“My mother is a school teacher, and my father is the manager of a baseball team.”
We waited for Daniel to jump in, but nothing from him.
Julia then said, “That’s pretty cool. My dad likes baseball and took me to a game once in Winston-Salem. They have a minor league team called the Dash, which he said came from the dash between Winston and Salem.”
No response from either of them, so Julia continued, “Do you ever go to your dad’s games?” Normally not very talkative with strangers, Julia was doing well. I was proud of her.
Kimiko said, “No, not very many. I don’t really like baseball.”
“It can be kind of slow-moving sometimes,” I added. “Not like, say, basketball,” but the conversation died after that, and we walked in silence the rest of the way to the restaurant.
The girls sat next to each other, and Daniel and I sat across from them as if we were on individual dates. Julia wasn’t very hungry because she’d had another big lunch, and Kimiko was not a big eater, so they decided to split a plate of eggplant parmesan. Daniel and I both ordered veal scallopini.
After ordering, Kimiko excused herself to go to the ladies room, and Julia decided to go with her. When they left the table, I said to Daniel, “Um, probably not such a good idea to call her a foxy chicken. It’s foxy chick, by the way, but that’s something guys say to other guys about girls, not usually to their faces. I guess I should have made that clear.”
“This is not going very well, Brian. She seems very displeased with me. I told you I do not know how to talk to girls.”
“Hey, don’t give up. You can still pull this off. When you ask her something and she answers, follow it up with another question or a statement of your own. Try to keep the conversation going. If you can’t think of anything else to say, humor is always good. Try telling her a joke. Do you know any?”
“I could tell her the one you told me about the conductor of the orchestra. That is a very funny joke.”
“Uh, I don’t know about that one. I’m not sure how appropriate that would be since you don’t know her well. Besides, have you ever tried telling it before?”
“I have not.”
“That’s something you may want to practice once or twice. But again, I’d hesitate to tell that one.”
“But I cannot think of any others right now. Don’t worry. I can do it. It will be very funny.”
He had perked up at the idea, but I inwardly groaned again. The girls returned at that moment and slid into the booth.
Daniel announced, “I have a very funny joke to tell you, Kimiko,” and he began sniffing and waving his arms like a conductor. Without turning his head to the left to inquire of the first violin and looking straight at Kimiko, he mouthed, “Did you fart?”
Uncertain of what was going on, her eyes widened in alarm. Then, forgetting to change into the first violin, he began sniffing again and mouthed, “Did you fart?”
Kimiko looked horrified. Julia and I tried to stifle our laughter.
Daniel then remembered to become one of the strings—not sure which one at this point—and began sawing away. Forgetting to change back again to the conductor, he sniffed and mouthed, “Did you shit?”
Kimiko stood up, grabbed her coat, and fled from the restaurant.
We couldn’t help ourselves. Despite Kimiko’s apparent humiliation, Julia and I lost it then. We were laughing so hard at how he’d botched the joke that we were starting to attract the attention of other patrons. We finally settled down. Daniel was absolutely crushed and hung his head.
He said, “I guess she did not like that one, although both of you seemed to,” and Julia and I lost it again.
When we finally got control of ourselves, I said to him, “Yeah, I was pretty sure you should have avoided that one.”
Julia started to get up. “I’d better go find her.”
“I’ll do it,” I said, and got up to leave.
Daniel was sitting on the outside seat of the booth and stood to the side to let me out. Once outside the restaurant, I looked up and down the street, but she was nowhere in sight. I jogged to the end of the block and looked up and down the side street, but she wasn’t there either, so I returned to the restaurant and sat back down.
“I couldn’t find her.”
“I told you this would happen, Brian. I always do or say something silly. I am no good with girls.”
Julia said, “Daniel, I’m sure any girl would be lucky to know you once they really get to know you.
“But I always seem to put my foot into the horse’s mouth.”
I chuckled. “You mean your mouth.”
“I put my mouth into the horse’s mouth?”
“Forget it. Look, it’s hard at first, but it can be hard for girls too, especially the shy ones. Right, Jules?”
“That’s right, Daniel. I said some pretty foolish things the first time I talked to Brian, but he gave me another chance. You just have to keep trying. You’ve probably heard the old expression, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.’ You won’t always get it right the first time or even the second time, but eventually you will. Don’t give up.”
When Daniel failed to respond, Julia continued, “Here’s something you can do: If you ask her about herself, but she seems reluctant to talk, then tell her about yourself so she gets to know you better. Don’t be boastful; better to be modest. If she does share something with you, get her to elaborate, then mention your experience with what she says. By that time, you’re having an actual conversation. Get the idea?”
“You make it sound so easy, Julia.”
“It’s not, but it gets easier the more you try it.”
“Thank you for this very good advice.”
“You’re welcome.”
The waitress brought the food, and we chowed down. Julia ended up eating most of the dish she would have shared with Kimiko. Daniel and I finished what she didn’t.
When the meal was over, we decided to skip the movie and just head back to the dorm. When we got into the elevator, I pushed buttons for the second and third floors. “Why don’t you two go back to the room? I’m going to see if Kimiko is in hers.”
I got off at the second floor and headed to Kimiko’s room. I knocked on her door and said, “Kimiko, it’s Brian. Are you in there?”
I heard a soft voice say, “It’s open.”
I entered the room and saw her sitting on her bed. I walked over and sat down beside her. I looked at her and said, “I’m sorry that didn’t go so well. It’s mostly my fault. English isn’t his first language, and he doesn’t know a lot of idioms and expressions very well. I’ve tried to teach him some, but he hasn’t really mastered them yet. And I haven’t always told him the appropriate context to say them either. Plus, he’s very shy with girls and has no experience with them. He just doesn’t know how to talk to girls yet, but he is a terrific guy. Very smart, but naïve. And as for that joke he told, he really botched it.”
“Did he think I was passing gas?”
“No. Those questions weren’t directed at you. Do you want to see how that joke was supposed to go?”
“Alright, I guess.”
I then did the joke properly, and she laughed. “You see? A pretty good joke, right? I told him he needs to practice it before telling it again.”
“That’s good advice,” she agreed.
“He was really looking forward to tonight, and he feels badly about how it went. I just wanted to tell you that.”
“Thank you, Brian. I do feel better now. Perhaps he and I will laugh about this one day.”
“So, you may give him another chance if he tries to talk to you again?”
“I will consider it.”
“That’s great. Well, I’d better get back now.”
“Tell Julia I enjoyed meeting her.”
“I will. Good night, Kimiko.”
I left then and headed up to my room. As I approached it, I could hear the sound of a violin playing.
 Recognized |
Note: For those of you who may have forgotten the sniffing conductor joke, it is told in its entirety in Chapter 15.
CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Helen Landry: A friend of Julia's mother. Julia stays with her during her audition at Juilliard in NY.
Mike Pekarsky: Fran's boyfriend who she met on her Caribbean cruise.
Daniel Molebatsi: Brian's undergrad college roommate. He is from Botswana and is a business major.
Dr. Paul Rieke: Brian's organic chemistry professor.
Kimiko Yamada: Brian's organic chemistry lab partner. She is from Japan and also resides in his and Daniel's dorm.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. CHARACTERS
Brian Kendrick: The narrator of the story. At the beginning of the story, he is 12 years old and in 6th grade in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Francine (Fran) Kendrick: Brian's older sister. She is 18 at the beginning of the story and goes to junior college, where she studies law enforcement.
Chloe: Brian and Fran's cat.
Sandi MacReady: She is a pretty blond and Brian's crush in high school.
Derek Shafer: Brian's best friend and lawn mowing partner.
Josh Bennett: Sandi's boyfriend. He's the center on the high school basketball team.
Don Robbins: A high school acquaintance of Brian's. He is a rich kid who throws a summer rave party when his parents are away.
Rafael Ortiz (Raffi): Youth therapy group leader at the rehab facility.
Julia Entwistle: One of the six members of the youth therapy group at rehab. She is 16 when we first meet her, plays the violin, and is addicted to barbiturates.
Alphonse: One of the boys in the youth therapy group. He is a cutup.
Henry: Another boy in the youth therapy group. He is also a cutup.
Alex: One of the girls in the youth therapy group.
Robert Entwistle: Julia's father.
Dr. Marie Schmidt: Julia's mother.
Helen Landry: A friend of Julia's mother. Julia stays with her during her audition at Juilliard in NY.
Mike Pekarsky: Fran's boyfriend who she met on her Caribbean cruise.
Daniel Molebatsi: Brian's undergrad college roommate. He is from Botswana and is a business major.
Dr. Paul Rieke: Brian's organic chemistry professor.
Kimiko Yamada: Brian's organic chemistry lab partner. She is from Japan and also resides in his and Daniel's dorm.
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