The Past Recedes

Chapter 30

"Why are you doing all this weird stuff? She should like you the way you are", said Nika.

Josh just laughed as he shook the can of shaving cream and sprayed some on his chin. "I'm getting ready for a date, girls don't like guys with scruffy chins. And I can't grow a real beard yet, John can grow a beard really good. Maybe in a few years I can grow a proper beard instead of some scruff", he laughed.

Nika wondered if this was some sort of man thing as she went back to her book. Josh was in the bathroom with a towel around his skinny waist shaving, getting ready for his date. "Who is your favorite of Henry's wives?", she asked.

"That's a weird question, but a good one. I'd say it was either Anne Boleyn or Catherine Parr, both were really smart and capable women. And Catherine Parr had to nurse his ugly old self, she must have been a strong woman. Henry was fat and had those ulcers on his legs, I wouldn't want to nurse someone like that", he replied.

"This is a great book, I need to read more about the Tudors", she said.

"Eh, the Tudors are overrated. The Plantagenets are more interesting, they're the longest-ruling English dynasty. The House of Lancaster and the House of York were just different branches of the Plantagenets, you should check out Alison Weir's books on the monarchy. I have some in my collection", said Josh.

"Great-Uncle Ian is a Ricardian", said Nika.

"Cool, he's from Yorkshire, right? I'm not huge a Medieval history geek, that must a be British thing. I don't have the time to join, I'm only getting two weeks off since I don't have any sessions lined up. Big Sur is awesome, it's the perfect beach to visit if you don't swim like me. The scenery is gorgeous and it's near Monterey and only an hour away from San Francisco, it's a great city to visit", said Josh.

"What is there to see?", she asked.

"All sorts of museums, parks, art galleries. Chinatown and Japantown have great restaurants, and if you like arty stuff you can go north to Marin County. Plus the Haight has the hippies and the music scene is amazing. But you're too young for that, they card. It would've been cool to see a show at the Fillmore or the Winterland back in the day, but the hippie bands turned into lame corporate rock", he replied.

Josh excused himself before closing the bathroom door. Several minutes later he opened the door, dressed in black jeans with a white t-shirt under a black blazer and his brown hair slicked down with gel. "Do I look good enough for a date?", he teased.

"Yeah, you look good. I wonder if Dad has any suits or if he wears jeans all the time?", she mused aloud.

"He does, but he only wears them for special occasions. I haven't worn any since my cousin's wedding two years ago, I outgrew the suit and donated it to Goodwill. I'm going to pick up Ashley and introduce her to my parents, they're glad I'm dating", he said.

"I don't know if I want to date anyone, people are annoying", said Nika.

"Am I annoying, or John or your grandparents?", he teased.

"No, you're really smart and I like my grandparents. But I don't like kids except for Clara, they're dumb", she said dismissively.

"I felt the same way at your age, but I've mellowed out. I suppose if you're smart, you don't like kids your age. I was the same way your age, kids were annoying. I was born old, I like older people and older stuff", he mused aloud.

Nika watched as Josh took a final look in the mirror and grabbed the keys for the Volvo. "I hope his girlfriend isn't going to treat me like a baby", she told Steven and Kathleen.

"Well, people tend to be more careful with children, especially girls", said Kathleen.

"But that's for dumb girls, I don't need to be protected. I've read Homer and Virgil and they have a lot of scary stuff", she said.

"Isn't that advanced for your age? I read the Hardy Boys at your age", said Steven.

"No, I've read Homer in Greek and Virgil in Latin. That's not advanced at all", she replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh dear, maybe you should read regular kids' stuff. After Josh brings Ashley over, we can go to the movies. And we can go out for dinner, I don't want to eat leftovers", said Kathleen.

"Let's go see the Phantom Menace, the original Star Wars was great", suggested Steven.

"What's Star Wars?", she asked.

"Okay, Star Wars it is", said Kathleen.

Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Josh entered holding hands with a tall young woman with long straight dark brown hair. "Mom, Dad, Nika this is Ashley Murphy. Ashley, this is my Mom and Dad, Kathleen and Steven Klinghoffer. And this is Nika Lacroix, we're taking care of her until John comes back from touring", said Josh.

Nika dropped into a curtsy and looked at Ashley. She thought Ashley was pretty with long straight dark brown hair and soft brown eyes, only an inch shorter than Josh. "How cute! I haven't seen that since ballet class", Ashley exclaimed.

"Mom said it was the polite thing to do when meeting someone, Miss Murphy", she replied.

"It's adorable, and you look like Sara from The Little Princess, the Shirley Temple film. My grandma likes those films", said Ashley.

"Thank you, Miss Murphy", she replied.

"You're welcome, and you have great manners, almost English. My grandma is from England", said Ashley.

"My mother's family is English as well", said Nika.

"Awesome, you have very English manners. Josh, she's adorable", said Ashley.

"Thanks, Ash", he replied.

"We're going out for dinner and to see a movie, let us know if you're going to be late", said Kathleen.

"Sure, Mom. See you guys later", he said, leading Ashley out the door.