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come alive. She kissed him on the cheek.  Now I m going to fix
some lunch. Would you both mind picking up the remaining fabric
and returning it to my work room?
 We would be happy to, Mom. Just some sandwiches will be fine.
Remember, we are going out tonight with the gang.
 Of course. It will just be a few minutes.
Drawing on Life 71
 Did you two have fun? Eric started picking up the fabric and
making a pile on the chair.
 Yes, we did. Your mom is so talented. I can t wait to see this one
when she s finished. It is hard to believe that she will hand sew that
together, but I think it will be incredible.
They returned the fabric to the work room and joined his mom for
lunch. When they were finished, he decided to take a nap before they
went out for the evening.
When Andy woke up from his nap, he took a shower and got
dressed. He was nervous about meeting Eric s friends. They would
have so much history that he would not know. He was about to walk
out when Eric came in.
 Wow. You look delicious. Eric walked up and kissed him.
 Thanks. Will this be okay for tonight, or should I dress up
more? He wrapped his arms around Eric.
 You look fine, babe. We are just meeting them at a restaurant.
We will just eat, drink, and gab the night away. I m going to take a
quick shower. I ll meet you on the porch.
Andy watched Eric remove his shirt and start on his jeans. He
sighed and headed out of the room. If he stayed, he would not be able
to keep his hands to himself. He found Helen on the porch sitting on
her rocking chair.
 You look really nice, Helen.
 Why thank you, Andy. I am going to a friend s house for dinner.
Once a week we get together and discuss what is happening with the
world. She laughed.  It s the only chance we get to gossip without
the men complaining. So we each take a turn playing hostess to the
others. We have been doing this for years. I really look forward to it.
Of course with the holidays we will take the next month off to be with
family.
 That sounds wonderful to have such a great group of friends. I m
so happy you have them. He smiled. He was happy to know she had
72 Holly McMahan
a special group. He was afraid she might get lonely out here
sometimes.
 Yes, they are great. I always have the first gathering here. We
can start earlier in the day without bothering anyone else. She
laughed again.  We need the extra time to catch up, being apart for a
month.
A car came up the driveway. Helen stood up and retrieved her
coat. Andy stood and helped her put it on.  You boys have a great
time tonight. I will see you in the morning. She gave him a kiss on
the cheek and headed out.  Enjoy yourselves.
Andy walked back in once she had left. Eric came down the hall,
looking great.
 Your mom just left for her dinner with the girls. She seemed
excited about it.
 Yes, she looks forward to this every week. Even when I was
young she would go, and I would have a sitter for a few hours. Eric
walked over and pulled him into his arms.  Are you ready to meet my
group?
 Yes, let s go. I m sure things will be fine. They kissed and
headed out for the night.
It only took them about twenty minutes to get to the restaurant.
Andy felt his nerves fluttering again. He kept telling himself it would
be okay. Eric wouldn t hang out with horrible people.
When they got inside, Eric looked around and headed toward a
large table near the back. Andy followed close behind. There were a
couple of girls there already. They each hugged Eric and started
talking a mile a minute.
 Wow. Slow down a moment. I would like to introduce you to my
boyfriend, Andy. We met at college.
Both girls stopped and looked over at him. Each plastered a smile
on her face.  Andy, this is Emily, and this crazy one is Jennie.
They each said hello and took their seats. Andy took the seat in
the corner. He didn t want to be front and center on this night. Eric
Drawing on Life 73
took the seat next to him. The girls were sitting in the middle section
on the other side.
Jennie started talking to Eric again, picking up where she left off
before. Andy gathered she was going to school out west. She was
apparently trying to get acclimated to the change in lifestyles. She
also seemed to be complaining about a professor when a couple came
in and joined them.
The girl hugged Eric, and the guy smacked him on the back.
 Hey, man! What s up? The guy must have been a football
player. He was huge. The girl was petite and appeared to be pregnant.
 Not much, Harry. I would like to introduce you both to Andy.
Andy, this is Harry and his wife Beth. They got married right after we
graduated high school. He said his hellos as expected.
Eric turned back toward Harry.  How are the two of you getting
along?
 Well, as you can see we are expecting our first kid. I can hardly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]