Chapter 4: Chapter 4 – Date

"Have you finished your work?" Ray calls me at exactly 19:00.

"Yes. Listen, you..." I start.

"Then I'll pick you up in 10 minutes," and he hangs up.

Anger is added to my confusion. Is this dolt going to listen to me or not?!

When we were kids, we had a couple of rough quarrels. We even fought, but even then, I did not feel as far from him as I do now.

Fuck it! He will pick me up, my ass! He can go and pick up some brains or screw himself! I'm going home!

I zip up my jacket fiercely and leave the shop.

The weather is getting worse, and it looks like it's going to rain. I pull the hood over my head and fiddle with the keys, locking the shop. And as soon as I, even somewhat inspired by my anger, turn to leave, my gaze stumbles on Ray. I mean... I'm not sure if it's him. I haven't seen him like this. With his hair brushed and in a suit, he looks much older.

"Jesus... somebody died?" I ask disheartened, pulling the hood off my head.

"No, what makes you think that?!" Ray answers a little offended.

And then it dawns on me that he dressed up like that for the date.

"Get in the car. It starts raining," he says and opens the door of the Honda he is standing next to. I think it's rented, or he borrowed it from someone. Ray doesn't have a car...

The rain is pouring down. I walk up to the car and take the passenger seat. Ray gets behind the wheel.

"How are your rusty driver skills?" I ask, hoping for the umpteenth time that Ray will return to his normal state.

"Yes," he replies, out of place. "You are probably hungry?"

"Yes, I don't mind having dinner. And today it's your turn to cook if I'm not mistaken."

Ray nods and says nothing more. We drive through the rain-drenched streets. It's warm in the car. Raindrops turn the windshield into a kaleidoscope, where streetlights are reflected. The wipers brush the picture away every time, and the rain creates it from scratch.

Ray parks the car and gets out. I look out the window - I don't think I've been here before. Ray opens the door from my side, and from his look, I can conclude that he is trying to decide if he should give me his hand... Damn psycho.

Irritation, lulled by the ride and the rain, wakes up again. I get out of the car and follow Ray. He makes his way to the restaurant, and when we get to the manager, I feel misplaced.

We are escorted to the table by the window. Some people look askance at us. I'm wearing my work jeans and a hoodie. Unlike Ray, I had neither the time nor the reason nor the desire to tart myself up.

I sit in a chair, and Ray is across from me.

"When you asked me if I was hungry, I thought we'd go to the pizza parlor, not here," I say. Ray is twirling a menu.

"If you want to go to the pizza parlor, we can go there," Ray says, avoiding looking me straight in the eyes.

"And look at the prices!" I continue, throwing a glance at the menu. "And why the hell did you dress up like that and bring me here? You haven't answered my calls and messages the whole day..."

Ray finally fixes his gaze on me, and I fall silent, waiting for his answer.

"You said you'd go on a date with me. So..."

"So what?"

"It's a date."

"Are you ready to order?" a waiter, who suddenly appeared next to our table, asks, but I feel as if I have already dined... on my own tongue. Ray orders something for me.

So many thoughts flash through my head... I look at Ray. And although I am angry with him, although I am confused, I understand that the only way out of this is to play along.

As long as I've known him, once he is captured by an idea, he can't let it go. So it's better to help him carry it out. I believe he has good intentions (I have no idea what his intentions are!). But the hell with it. It's a date then.

I see how tense he is. It is hard for him. I don't know why he does this to himself, but this idiot is my best friend. I won't die from this date. And I still cherish the hope of getting everything back on track. So I need to help this foolishness to leave his head as soon as possible.

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

I collect my will. Funny. He thinks that date is when people dress up and act like strangers, trying to present themselves in the most favorable light.

Come to think of it, has he ever been on a date before?

Ok, let's put aside this question for later.

What do I usually do on a date? I've never been on a date in such a fancy place. I prefer something more casual. But, perhaps, this is nice for a change.

On a date, I'd talk about something simple to keep the atmosphere light. Well, and I'd not forget about compliments.

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Inhale - exhale.

I'm not even sure I can pull this off with Ray. If I can play this game at all. But between the two of us, I have always been calmer and more reasonable. I already tried to talk to him and clarify everything, but this fool just stuck! So...

"You look rather good in a suit, actually," I say softly and add a courteous smile at the end. It's not mocking, I'm sure of that. I deliberately don't mention the fact that I've never seen him in a suit before. I pretend that we really just met and went on a date, so how would I know that most of the time he wears faded black jeans and a worn-out AC/DC t-shirt?

His reaction was unexpected. Ray glared at me and blushed rapidly.

"I wish you had warned me that we were going to a place like this. I would have worn something appropriate," I add.

Ray picks up a glass of water and takes a few quick sips.

"You look good too," he mutters, looking into the glass. I try to hold back a grin.

"Thank you," I say. "How did you know about this place? Do you often come here, or did someone recommend it?"

It's not difficult for me to have small talk. I just need to dismiss the fact that it is Ray sitting opposite me. But he, on the contrary, struggles with every word. Numbnuts... cornered himself. What the hell got into his head?..

"I don't..." Ray begins, but the waiter walks up with the ordered bottle of wine, and Ray stops abruptly. As soon as the waiter fills the glasses, Ray immediately drains his and refills it.

"Easy, easy," I say softly. "You're driving, remember?"

Ray looks at me for a few seconds and sets his glass aside. There is silence again.

Ray didn't answer my question, and he doesn't ask me anything. I exhale tiredly. I won't try to get him to talk anymore. He made this mess - let him figure a way out.

I take out my phone, lean back in a comfortable chair with armrests, propping my chin on my hand, and start scrolling the feed. When I'm nervous or uncomfortable or bored, I do this a lot. Flickering pictures calm me down and allow me to detach from reality for a while.

I'm sure I can spend the whole evening in silence like this, and it won't even bother me. I still cling to the hope that it's my friend Ray, who has known me for years, and we can talk or be silent together. I will stick to that.

"How... how was your day?" suddenly Ray says. His voice sounds stifled.

Out of respect, I look up from the phone and see his flushed face (probably from a gulp of wine).

"It was ok. There were almost no buyers. But I'm looking for a new dog food supplier. Moyes doesn't live up to our expectations. I don't know, maybe their business is on a verge of collapse, or Moyes's son, who now is the boss, doesn't understand a damn thing, but they constantly miss delivery dates, and the quality is bad... Usually, it was my brother's responsibility, but Joyce is about to give birth, so he's been on edge lately. Can you believe I'm going to be an uncle soon? Get this - Uncle Sam!" I chuckle. "And today mom called. I'm going home for Christmas. Are you?"

Come on, Ray. My chatter always cheers you up...

"I don't even know," he replies thoughtfully.

"Why? I thought you missed your mom."

"She calls almost every day, you know."

Well, finally, we still know each other, and he remembers who I am. The main thing is not to let him slip back.

"You know, phone calls are insufficient. She needs to see how thin you are and feed you to her heart's content."

"My father and I had a fight last time. And we haven't spoken ever since. So I don't want to go."

I remember about it...

"Listen, can you be a smart one and take the first step? Your old man is not bad, you know. He just wants you to have a better life than..."

"Please, don't start," Ray begs. He finally looks at me with a familiar expression on his face.

"Okay, okay," I raise my hands. "What do you say if we get out of here? Let's grab a pizza and watch a game. Huh?"

"No," he suddenly becomes serious again. "You agreed, and this is a date."

"What date, damn it!? Look at me! Then look at yourself! You barely can put two words together, let alone keep up the conversation! Let's assume that the date was unsuccessful. Now, you either come with me for pizza or stay here. But I've had enough of this farce!" I say seriously.

"You said any girl would be lucky to go on a date with me," Ray parries, looking me straight in the eye.

"Yes, but..."

"Why don't I please you?!"

"On a date with a girl, would you be numb and dumb too?"

"If I really liked her - yes!" exclaims Ray.

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