Amazing Grace (Jonathan Toews)

One Date

Gracie

I sit up in my room in a penthouse in the middle of Chicago. I have my reading glasses on as I skim through the part of a book I've already read a hundred times. Many more books were spread across my bed, but this is the one I was looking for.

I hear a knock on my door and I see my mother appear. She lets herself in and moves some books over so she could sit next to me.

"Why have you been confided to your room so much lately" she wonders.

"I'm just reading" I shrug.

"You've read all of the these books at least five times" she insists.

"Can't I just be isolated" I question.

"Yeah. But I know that's not it" she insists.

I let out a long sigh as I push my book to the side. I turn to her as she waits for me to answer her question.

"Do you remember Jonathan" I ask her and she smiles.

"Yes. Isn't that the hockey player you met over the weekend" she asks.

"Yeah, him" I smile. "He wants to take me on a date but I don't think daddy will be happy about that" I explain and she nods.

"You're right, he won't" she admits.

"But that's not fair. He doesn't even know him" I defend.

"I know but sweetie, neither do you" she defends.

"And how will I get to know him if I can't date?

I don't like the guys daddy picks out. I don't want something I know, something so predictable. I want someone who isn't friends with my dad, who isn't trying to impress anyone and has a mind of his own. And I know Jonathan has that" I insist.

"You really like him, huh" she asks as she wraps her arm around me. She starts to rub my arm and I let out a sigh.

"I do. And not just because I love hockey or the Blackhawks. But because he understood me, he wants to understand me better. And I want to understand him too.

How can daddy say no to him just because he plays hockey" I ask.

"Because he loves you and he doesn't want you to get hurt" she claims.

"What hurts is that he thinks I would ever want to be with any of his friends kids. They are actually terrible" I insist and my mom laughs.

"I know sweetie. But those boys will always be around and would do a lot of things to make you happy" she insists.

"I'm not like that momma. I don't want to wait for a guy to make me happy. I don't want my husband to have a office job forcing me to wait around all day for him to get home. I don't want to sit around and make dinner and talk to people about stocks and the economy" I defend.

"Well what do you want" she asks.

"I want to walk around town and eat something I can buy off the side of the street. I want to be spontaneous and not have everything planned out to the t for once. I don't want things handed to me, I want to earn it and feel good that I did. And I want to go on a date with a guy who might not be good for me" I say.

"Your dad has got his hands full I see" she teases.

"I'm 21 mom, this was going to come sooner rather than later" I assure her.

"Well I think you need to talk to him instead of hiding in your room" she insists.

"Can't I just date him without him knowing" I ask.