Marco - 3. Chapter 3

Sunday after church, Mom rushed us home. I helped to do some tidying up. Dad decided to stay away after he selected the wine. Lunch was sandwiches and salad. Mom said to eat light since we would be having a big dinner. Now light for my mom wasn’t really light, soup, followed by sandwiches and salad. It doesn’t sound heavy until you see the size of the sandwiches.

After lunch, I decided to go for a run. I noted the address where the Nissons lived, and I ran in that direction. Running past their home, I saw one of the girls outside with a dog. I waved and kept running.

Returning home, I told Mom where I ran and seeing one of the girls. Showered, dressed casually, I went to see if Mom needed any help. She told me to get lost, well, not in those terms, but I knew she didn’t need help. I asked Dad if he needed help, he told me the same thing.

Usually, on Sunday, we would eat a big lunch, and dinner was leftovers. But today, dinner was going to be anything but leftovers. I could smell the odors coming from the kitchen, and my mouth began to moisten. “Mom, you sure you don’t need any help?” She laughed.

Four O’clock our guests arrived. I watched from the living room window as their car pulled into our driveway. I saw the girls and Mrs. Nissons get out of the back doors, which meant Karl and his dad were in the front. I saw Mr. Nissons get out. Karl must have driven. Then I saw this Nordic god get out. Tall, blond hair, not muscular like a weight lifter but slim with what appeared to be a well-developed body. As much as I could tell from looking at him fully clothed.

Mom and Dad went to the door to welcome them to our home. It was like old friends meeting again. Mom and Mrs. Nissons headed to the kitchen. Mr. Nissons and Dad went to watch the games on TV. That left me with Karl and the girls. Looking at Karl, he smiled and came to hug me. That hug confirmed he was physically fit. The girls came for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then the noise level rose.

For the next two hours, we reminisced about the time when they first lived here, then about what happened when they were gone. The girls kept interrupting, wanting to know more details. I suspect they liked teasing Karl a lot.

Over dinner, I found out that Karl will be going to my University in the fall. That led to a discussion of what I was majoring in and my plans. This led to Karl telling us what his plans were. He wanted to teach at a high school level. We discussed the pros and cons of getting his master’s degree and what it would require. I told them about what my master’s degree would entail and how many courses I would need. I also told him that there was a possibility of monitoring some classes when he would be in graduate school.

After a great dinner, Karl and joked about our language, that’s what he called it. We told his sisters how Karl tried to teach me Swedish, and I tried to teach him Italian. “Do you remember the words we made from both languages ?”

“No, not really. After you moved away, there was no one to talk with. Maybe we could learn some new words.”