You'll Just Know

Chapter 19

            One of the most memorable “firsts” in a man’s life is his first tuxedo. It’s stunning what it does to you. How it changes you. I felt different in it. Taller. Better looking. More self-assured. All very good things. I spent about fifteen minutes just admiring myself in the mirror from various angles and repeating coolly “The name’s McKenna…Casey McKenna.” in just the suave tone that James Bond would say it.

I anticipated that Emily would be very impressed.

I’ll admit that before I had actually put the thing on that I had been very worried. Tuxedos were for weddings, lounge singers, and waiters at fine restaurants, but had no place at school dances in poorly decorated gymnasiums. They were stuffy, itchy, and expensive. Emily had insisted I get one for Homecoming, though, despite my protests, and now I was very glad that I had given in.

            At 6 p.m., well after the early November sunset, I drove my parent’s Chevy up Emily’s small driveway. The blue flicker of a television flashed behind the darkened living room window, and the light in Emily’s upstairs bedroom was on. I let myself into the front door of her house. Stepping into the small, dark entrance foyer, I called up the stairs to let Emily know that I was there. Her father sat in the dark living room, to the right of the foyer, absorbed in a football game. He put down his beer long enough to give me a quick, absent wave before turning back to the game. I smiled and nodded back. I had been dating Emily for three months now and I had never once seen her father out of that living room chair. I had caught him once or twice during commercials and we’d talked briefly. He seemed like a nice enough guy. He worked in a factory that made office furniture. Her mother lived in Georgia, remarried after the divorce when Emily was ten. She would call on holidays and send Emily a card on her birthday.

            I thought about going in and sitting with Mr. Moore for awhile. Emily often took a long time getting ready. Before I could move, though, I heard a sound at the top of the stairs and I looked up.

I drew a long breath when I first saw her.

            She wore a full-length velvet evening gown that glistened when she moved with a splash of scattered rhinestones. Long, Victorian-style black gloves gave her an air of sophistication and brilliant emerald green earrings made her eyes seem to sparkle. Her black hair was pulled up, with a few loose, kinky curls framing her face. It was a long moment before I remembered to breathe again. Wow. That was my only thought. Wow.

            She noted my reaction with approval, then cocked her eyebrow playfully and looked me up and down slowly. “You dress up well, McKenna.” she said at last.

            “Not so bad yourself.” I replied with practiced nonchalance. “You look very…queenly.”

            She shook her finger. “Let’s not jump to any conclusions yet.” she warned.

            I gave her another quick once-over. “I don’t see how anyone else could hope to compete.”

            She smiled impishly and gave me a quick wink, then she turned around to get something off a nearby table. When she faced me again, she produced a small red rose with a pin in it and reached toward the lapel of my jacket to put it on me. When I saw it, something clicked inside of meand I gasped in horror-stricken panic.

            Emily set the flower in place and stepped back to examine it critically. My heart was racing as she stood and smiled…waiting for me to pin her.

            I cleared my throat shakily. “I…um…”

            “Hurry up, Casey. Pin me and let’s go. I want to get there before the first dance.”