Rexburg Revisited

The drive to Rexburg had never seemed longer, as I was anxiously waiting to see Brandon again. It felt as if the day had dragged on immeasurably, and that I was going to be stuck forever in the mid-afternoon of that Friday. When we reached Idaho Falls I felt even more anxious knowing that I was only a half-hour away from seeing Brandon again. But the words from Brandon's most recent phone call drifted back into my mind "If things go well this weekend I think I would like to date you." Was I really going to be in a relationship with the most amazing boy I had ever met within a matter of a few hours? I couldn't decide if those words were comforting, or just causing additional anxiety; for I felt a sense of pressure to live up to whoever he had decided he liked that Saturday almost two weeks previous.
The string of thoughts was broken as my mom announced that she and Keith would be going food shopping at WinCo instead of trying to brave the crowds at any of the Rexburg grocery stores. I knew it was a good idea that made sense for my mom and for Keith, but I groaned inwardly, knowing that this would surely add at least an hour to the expected arrival time. As the minutes passed I felt myself growing more and more anxious. After two long hours I could hardly take the waiting much longer. I gave in and called my mom, asking how much longer they might be. She said that they had just reached the checkout line and that they should be home soon. Almost thirty minutes later my mom and Keith walked in the door. I jumped up off of Angie's couch (my sister Angie this time) and asked if it was time to go to Rexburg. My mom acknowledged that we could now make our way to Rexburg. I texted Brandon to let him know that we were just now leaving Idaho Falls. It was just past 7:30pm and he mentioned that the New Student Talent show was starting at 8:00pm so we would have to meet up afterwards. I was nearly heartbroken.
"How long is the show going to last?" I asked him.
"Probably an hour. Hour and a half maybe."
"What?!" I thought. "This can't be. I can't stand waiting another 2 hours to see Brandon!"
"Okay" I replied to him, "see you after the show."
When I got off the phone I told my mom that the show was starting and that I would now have to wait even longer to see Brandon. I did't want to get upset, but I could feel my frustration rising to the surface of my emotions. I finally admitted to my mom that I was not too happy to have had to wait so long to see Brandon, and had not expected the extra delays. She was sympathetic to my frustrations and said that she would drop me off by the Hart Building so I could attend the talent show with Brandon. I was grateful of her understanding and agreed that would be a pleasant alternative. I called Brandon once again and he liked the idea as well and sent me a text of the seats he was sitting in. When my mom dropped my off near the curb of the Hart Building I felt a little off balance and self-conscious. It had been almost two weeks since I had seen him and we had mostly texted and only when neither of us were working, so I felt a little anxious, not knowing what to expect or if he would feel differently about me after spending more time with me. When I finally pulled open the door to the Hart Building my own heart was pounding once again. I felt that perhaps anyone walking by would even be able to hear it with how loud it seemed to my own ears. When I finally reached Brandon I thought my heart would pound right through my ribcage. As I approached him he embraced me, and I felt myself relax and a certain calm spread over me. I soon felt I was myself again and could enjoy the talent show, as well as enjoying the fact that I was once again seated by Brandon Carney. The talent show was actually quite impressive and Brandon and I talked a bit about some of our favorite numbers as we exited the gym. I then got a text that my mom was going to return to Idaho Falls soon with Angie and Ben, to stay the night at their house. I told Brandon I wanted to say goodbye and asked if he wanted to come. He said that he did. As we approached my sister and brother-in-laws car I heard Brandon call out "Hi mom!" as he greeted my mom with a hug. I was surprised and admittedly hopeful for our future when he called my own mother his mom. I felt that maybe he knew what was to come, and perhaps, eventually he could really call my mom his mom as well.