YOU'RE ALL MINE - ch 15

YOU’RE ALL MINE - ch 15

(the magic of Midnight)

^ ^

On the morning of Mia’s sixteenth birthday, her father, Brian asked, “Mia, are you ready?”

While she tried her best to hide her excitement, Midnight, on the other hand, did not. She jumped up and down, screeched, meowed loudly, and Mia heard her say, “It’s about time, girlfriend! Woohoo!! You’re going to be a licensed driver! The world is ours. Things to do! Places to go! People to see! Oh, mo chailin daor (my dear girl), I can hardly wait.”

Mia laughed and replied, “Settle down, mo bhinneas (my sweetness). Although I’m hoping I pass the driving test, there are no guarantees. Even if I do, it doesn’t mean that I’ll just grab the car keys and go joyriding.” She looked at her father, then continued a bit quietly, “Midnight, you ought to know better. My dad taught me what it means to be responsible, not crazy.”

The feline started to sulk but finally admitted, “You’re right, Mia. I’d rather be bored than dead!”

At that statement, Mia laughed heartily. “Are you saying that I’ll be a horrible driver?”

The cat smiled and replied, “Mia, mo chailin daor (my dear girl), I’m your familiar and if you were half of what I am, we’d really be in trouble.”

Mia smiled. “Oh, don’t I know it!”

Mia descended the stairs with her ball of black fur right behind her and met Mia’s father in the kitchen as he quickly rinsed his coffee cup and placed it in the drainboard.

^ ^

Two hours later, Mia, with her new license in her pocket, Brian handed her the keys to his car and said, “My lovely girl! How is it you’ve grown up so fast! Now that you’re a legal licensed driver, let’s see if you can navigate the roads to home.”

Mia, although she lunged at her father, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and tried to keep her excited scream down to a minimum, still felt the furiously jumping nerves in her belly. While she giggled and said, “Yippee, thanks, Dad”, she couldn’t help but feel as though her nerves were going to cause her to vomit.

She was careful to maintain the speed limit and slowed anytime she saw anyone or any animal approaching the road. Unfortunately, she thought she’d about have a heart attack when Francis O’Malley seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, speeding down the road on his bicycle. Mia stomped on the brake pedal and had her father almost flying into the windshield.

Mia screamed, “Damn fool! Francis, you’ll either kill yourself or be the death of someone else and right now, at this point, I would opt for the first choice!”

Brian, once he caught his breath, looked at Mia and said, “Damn? Damn fool? Mia, when did you start using language like that?”

Mia, still with a scowl on her face, said, “When that damn fool sped across the road and didn’t bother to look to see if there were cars approaching the intersection. Damn, honestly! That kid needs a hard smack in the head!”

Brian, more relaxed, started to laugh. “Mia, he’s using his bike so he can save his pay and buy his own car. His parents offered to help him but he’s too proud. He wants to do this on his own. Oh, and, I realized you didn’t know this, but your former teacher, Ms. McHenry is his mother’s sister.”

“Wait, sweet, calm Ms. McHenry is that lunatic’s aunt?”

Brian laughed a bit harder now, “Yep!”

“Dad, pardon me for saying this but DAMN! DOUBLE DAMN!”

He was totally bemused at Mia’s attitude. “How about if we have a small talk with him. Maybe we can convince him to go a bit slower.”

“I guess we can try, can’t we?”

“Mia, when was the last time you saw Francis?”

“Dad, you mean the blur as he’s speeding down our road or one of main streets in town? I’m not sure but probably a number of months ago. Why?”

“Just wondering. Have you ever actually met him? I know his father because he asked me to design a new landscaping for his wife’s birthday. Francis was there putting in his two cents – which his father seemed to like. Said Francis has some great ideas.”

Mia chuckled. “No, dad. The only time we’ve exchanged words were when he’s making his deliveries, rings the bell he has on his bike, and then yells, ‘Step aside, please. Comin’ through!’ And I always answer with, ‘Slow down, you numbskull!”

“Well, Mia, my love, you’re in for a surprise. Francis is actually a very polite young man who works very hard both at his delivery job and at home helping his mom when his dad is working. Then, of course, he’s planning on attending college next. He wants to be a pharmacist, like his dad. But you’re right; he needs to slow down a bit, not just in riding his bike but in everything. The boy needs to have some fun.”