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It was after the Christmas holiday when Linda first ate dinner with the Reagans. She had let it slip that she'd be alone until Sunday night, and Danny wasn't having any of that. She rolled her eyes- she had been left alone for the weekend plenty of times. It was a big reason she learned how to cook when she was fourteen.
Danny had called his Mom and she had insisted Linda eat with them. So now it looked like she'd be having her first meal with the Reagan family.
*********
Linda had been in Danny's house before many times, but something about it today was daunting. She couldn't figure out why.
"You can put your stuff anywhere," Danny instructed, even though she knew Mary Reagan didn't want things that weren't rugs and furniture on the floor. She hung her jacket up on the coatrack by the door, and put her backpack in a corner where it wouldn't be tripped over.
Danny led her into the kitchen where two of his siblings and his mother were.
Joe smiled Linda, "hi, Linda."
"Hi," she returned the smile.
Erin smiled too but didn't acknowledge her very much, going back to chopping onions.
"Hi, Mrs. Reagan," Linda greeted, trying not to peer into the green pot. She could tell the pot was old and well used, and it made her think of all the pots and pans at her grandmother's.
"Hi, sweetie. Linda, do you want to change clothes?" Mary was a firm believer of "school clothes" and "at home clothes".
She looked down to her light grey skirt and white stockings. She really didn't mind wearing it— although her stockings were past itchy. They were irritating her skin and she couldn't wait to tear them off. If it wasn't twenty degrees, she would have. "I don't have anything to change into."
"You can borrow some of Erin's clothes—"
"Mom. Erin's as thin as a twig. Linda actually has hips," Danny pointed out.
Linda blushed profusely as Mary gave him a look.
"I have some old sweatpants you can wear if you want to change."
"Okay," she heard herself saying.
"Follow me."
Linda followed Danny from the kitchen, through the hall, and up the stairs. His house was much bigger than hers.
"I don't know how you can wear those things," he commented as the climbed the stairs.
"What?" She asked, embarrassed she hadn't been paying attention. Well she had been paying attention to him walking the stairs, but not to what he was saying.
He looked back at her and smiled at the flush on her cheeks. "Those tights. They look itchy."
"Oh they're not tights. Tights and I have been in a war since fourth grade. No, they're stockings."
Like that made any sense to Danny. "Whatever. They'd still drive me up the wall."
"Tights are itchy, but stockings aren't so much. Some days they are." She tried not to scratch her thigh. The fabric was incredibly itchy by now, and the tops were starting to hurt her thighs.
Danny walked into his room and went straight for the fourth drawer of his dresser. It took him no time at all to find the sweatpants, "here."
Linda took them from his hand. "Thanks."
"Sure," he shrugged and left, closing the door behind him.
She protested them at first, but the sweatpants felt phenomenally better than her skirt and stockings. It sounded weird, but she felt as though her legs could breathe again.
Linda almost collided with the youngest Reagan, Jamie, and she didn't think she'd ever get used to a house this full. How could anyone willingly want four children? Her parents had three, and that was bad enough. Two was the perfect number; one was too lonely and three was a crowd. Two was perfect.
"Sorry, Jamie," Linda apologized and he just shrugged.
"I'm used to being trampled."
She frowned.
He grabbed her hand, "come on. Dinner's almost ready."
"Does your Mom need help?"
"Erin's helping. And it's my turn to set the table. Joe and Danny are on dish duty."
Somehow she felt better knowing there was a system in place.
"Can I help you set the table, Jamie?" Linda was used to being in the kitchen and setting the table. And since she had finished all her homework in study hall and during Danny's basketball practice, she was desperate to do something useful.
"Okay," he shrugged. "You can get the plates; you're taller than me."
Jamie grabbed all the forks and knives and headed to the table while Linda got down the plates. She got three at a time and put them on the counter. She'd feel so awful breaking a plate- which she had done before with terrible consequences- that she was being extra careful. She picked them up and turned around, wanting to ask Mary something.
"Is Mr—" but before Linda could finish, the subject of the question walked into the kitchen. She watched as Frank kissed Mary sweetly and quickly, a hand on her lower back.
"Smells good, honey."
"Thank you. Erin helped."
Frank turned his head to try and see his daughter, but was met with a familiar blonde instead holding a stack of seven plates. "Oh hello, Linda. Are you joining us tonight?"
She smiled, "Mrs. Reagan insisted. Danny says there's no arguing with her when she's insistent."
"That is true," he smiled and kissed Mary's head. And oh my word, had they always been this cute? Linda hadn't witnessed them together very often, because of Frank's job, but she felt herself yearning for parents who cared about each other like that. Parents who cared, period.
"Why don't you freshen up quickly? Dinner will be ready once you come down," Mary suggested and Frank left with a smile.
Linda stood still for a moment, looking stupid she was sure, when Danny's voice surprised her and she almost dropped the plates.
"Linda! We can't eat off placemats! Mom would kill us!"
"Sorry!" She called and walked to the table. She walked around the table and placed each plate on the placemats. "I like these," she said once she had put Frank's plate down.
Danny looked to what she was talking about- the placemats. Having seen them all his life, he didn't think they were impressive. "I think those were wedding gifts."
Before Linda could say more, Mary announced that dinner was ready and the three oldest Reagans went into the kitchen. She was inclined to follow them but Jamie spoke up.
"Don't bother. Mom never lets guests help with dinner. It's the law."
She smiled at the way Jamie stressed the last sentence and reluctantly sat down. She watched as the food was brought out; salad, rolls, and the main dish which she didn't recognize yet. It was a pasta dish.
Everyone sat down and blessed the meal, and Linda watched with curiosity how much everyone took. Mary was prim and proper, sitting up straight and taking an appropriate portion. She served Jamie, despite his complaints, and he had a similar portion. Joe had a little more than them, and Erin had less than her mother, but loaded up on the salad. Frank had a big portion, which she expected because he was a big man, and Danny had the same portion as Frank. She wasn't surprised by that either; on days when she couldn't eat her lunch, he ate hers and his and still wanted a snack after school.
Linda wasn't sure why she was a little embarrassed to give herself more than Mary but less than Frank and Danny. She was half expecting someone to say something- that's a lot of food for someone like you. She hated it when people said that to her. She was a healthy thin and ate a lot, so what? She exercised enough to balance things out— she had to. If she didn't, she'd be as big as a barn. And since she didn't have Danny's lighting fast metabolism (so unfair), she had to run and swim and do yoga.
"This is really good, Mrs. Reagan," Linda complimented after three healthy bites. "What is it?"
"I call it cordón blue pasta. The sauce is the sauce I used for cordon blue."
"Oh that's clever! I should remember that. Is there fresh oregano in here?"
Mary smiled, surprised, "there is. I didn't know you knew about cooking, Linda."
"She's been doing it since she was fourteen," Danny bragged for her.
"Erin only started to help a few months ago," Mary stated.
"Begrudgingly," Danny added pointedly, causing Erin to look up.
"Shut up. At least I help. What do you do? Wait around for someone to serve you?"
"Children," Frank scolded and they looked at him like they wanted him to spontaneously combust. "We have a guest. Keep it civil."
Linda didn't know that was a phrase she'd be hearing for the rest of her life.
"What do you cook?" Joe wondered.
"Oh all sorts of things. I can do pork chops, just about any pasta, various beef dishes, steak, burgers, chicken, potatoes, uh... Thanksgiving dinner—"
"You know how to do that?" Danny wondered, impressed.
"Uh yeah. But I can't do it alone yet."
"That's quite a resume, Linda," Frank observed and she nodded.
"My grandmother loves to cook, and since I'm with her most weekends, I've learned a lot from her. I’ve had to learn some things on my own like you can’t rush chicken, and cleaning up the kitchen while frying dumplings is not a good idea.”
That earned her a few smiles and a chuckle from Mary. Conversation flowed freely between her and the family, and it was a welcomed thing. Whenever she ate with her parents and Jimmy, conversation was stilted. She smiled at the siblings’ teasings, nicer and friendlier than before. They had chocolate cake for desert, and that just about made the lonely weekend ahead worth it.
Linda insisted on helping clean up, not taking No for an answer. She gathered all the dessert plates, and Danny didn’t miss her pressing her finger to the top plate to collect some crumbs. He smirked when she sucked them off her finger, but he had to look away and focus on dishes when she moaned slightly. He didn’t need that image in his brain right now.
“Thank you for inviting me over,” Linda carefully placed the dishes in the sink. “It was fun.”
“You can come over whenever. Just give us a heads up,” he looked at her and noticed she had a small crumb of chocolate on her upper lip. He leaned down and kissed her, impulsively sucking it.
Linda gasped but then melded into the kiss, grabbing onto his elbow and the counter next to her. She wasn’t expecting a kiss like that. It made her heart beat rapidly and her head spin. She didn’t want it to stop.
They were interrupted by a disgusted gagging sound, “get a room.”
“Seriously, Joe?”
“Seriously, Danny?” He raised his eyebrows, a smug smile on his face. “Linda, Mom says you gotta go sit.”
“But I’m helping,” she argued.
“She says to sit. You’re the guest and it’s my turn to be on dish duty.”
Reluctantly she left, but not before giving Danny a smile.
*********
Danny looked at the house in front of them. He had driven Linda home. “You sure you’ll be okay on your own?”
She nodded, “I’ve stayed alone a lot of weekends. I’m used to it.”
“What about your grandma’s house?”
“She’s out of town this week. I’ll be fine, really.” She put her hand on his bicep in an attempt to soothe his worries.
“Okay…”
Linda stood on her toes to peck his cheek, “thank you for being concerned. And thanks for driving me back.”
He nodded, “just… be careful, okay?”
She rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you showed up on my doorstep first thing tomorrow morning.” She shook her head with a smile and gave him a kiss, “goodnight, Danny. Thanks again.”
“Night.” He waited until she was in the house to walk to his car. And he waited until her bedroom light was on before driving away.
********
Saturday morning, at 8:00 AM, there was a knock on the door. Luckily she had just changed out of her pajamas. Linda looked through the peep hole, a smile spreading on her face. She opened the door, “Danny Reagan.”
He smiled holding a cup of coffee and a bag in the other hand. “You shouldn’t give me ideas like that. Can I come in?”
“Absolutely,” she smiled.
As it turned out, her weekend wasn’t as drab and boring and lonely as she first thought it would have been.