Sometimes, Mom and Dad really do know best.

It was barely after ten pm when Everett pulled up to the MacDallan home. Chrissy knew her parents would still be awake, so they went outside. "Mom? Dad? I'm here for my car." she called out as she walked through the front door.

"We're in the living room, Chrissy!" Her mom called out from across the house.

Everett looked around, taking in all the photographs and pictures and everything else as they passed the front sitting room and office, through the narrow hallway past some stairs and a bathroom to the back of the house that folded out into the kitchen and living room. "Your house is nice," he said. "I like it. Nice and cozy." He smiled, a warm, comfortable smile.

They made their way towards the kitchen before they met her mother, "Oh, Everett!, What a nice surprise. We were just going to have some ice cream. Care to join us?" She asked from inside the freezer.

"Hello, Mrs. MacDallan."

"Oh, can the formalities. Call me Kathryn."

"Okay, Kathryn." He said, as she pulled some dishes from the cupboard. "We just ate way too much at the Riverwoods, and I don't think I could eat any more."

"Oh, did you have a good time?"

"Yes, Mom," Chrissy answered. Chrissy leaned on the counter with the palms of her hands, locking her elbows and jumping to sit on the counter. She noticed the flowers Everett had given her mother on the round dining table. "Those flowers look nice there, Mom," She said, nodding at the table.

"Well, thank you. Some nice young man gave them to me earlier this evening. Now, get off the counter, " she said, as she winked in their direction. "Are you sure you don't want some ice cream?" She asked, as Ian came over to the counter to retrieve some for himself.

"Oh," Everett found himself saying, "I couldn't possibly..." he stopped, mid sentence, eyeballed the carton, then grinned, devilishly at Chrissy. "Could I possibly bother you to show me where the water closet is?"

"Water closet?" Kathryn asked, eyebrows raised.

"Bathroom, Mom." They laughed as Chrissy jumped off the counter. "I'll show you. We passed it on the way in." He followed her out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the bathroom and asked, "Do you think you'll get lost on the way back, or do you want me to wait for you?" She asked, reaching for his hand.

He reached back and said to her, softly, "I think I'll be okay," and turned into the little room.

Chrissy rejoined her parents in the living room and put her feet on the coffee table to watch them eat desert.

"He seems so formal," Ian said, interrupting his desert to say it.

"But that's the way he really is." Chrissy came to Everett's defense. "What you saw has been completely consistent with his overall character."

"He really is darling," Kathryn said, before taking another bite of ice cream.

"Yea," replied, Chrissy. "I really like him." She sighed.

"You don't say," Ian said, feigning surprise.

"Dad! Knock it off!" Chrissy said, as she threw a pillow across the room at her father, who couldn't do much to block, because he was holding a porcelain bowl of ice cream. They all laughed together. No one seemed to notice the figure leaning in the doorway, with his arms crossed as they continued to talk for a couple of minutes, ". . .and it really has nothing to do with his career he left behind."

Everett smiled to himself, for he was really beginning to fall for Chrissy. He took care to backtrack his steps quietly, and made he reentry into the living room with a little bit louder footsteps. "Your home really is quite lovely," he said looking around him as he came into the living room. "Those pictures in the hallway? Is that your son, the missionary?" he asked as he sat next to Chrissy on the couch, but not as close as they sat on the benches at the Riverwoods.

"Yes, that's Jake." Ian said. " He'll be home in little more than eight months." He said so proudly.

"I don't know how hard it must be for you, but I know there are people he has come to love who take care of him and want him to succeed." Everett said. "It was that way for me."

"Oh," Kathryn replied, "That's so kind of you to say." Her whole face smiled and she said, "You know, Chrissy, you really ought to bring Everett around more often. A mom could get used to his complements and stuff."

"Yep." Chrissy smacked the 'p' on the end of the word and both she and Everett blushed. They both picked up that her parents were being sincere.

"Tell me, Everett," Ian said, "Why did you pick Utah?" he asked, as he leaned back into his Lazy Boy recliner.

Everett sat forward on the couch and explained about his conversion. How a very important person in his band had become a member and it had changed his life.He was a better guitarist because of it. He also got along better with the people he knew, but most importantly, he had a peace about him that Everett wanted part of, so he started to learn and along with all the good changes it made in his friends life, it change Everett for the better. It wasn't long after he had learned about the pre-mortal life that his younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia. And he knew deep to his bones that what he had learned was true, and for his sisters sake, and his, he needed to act and make a decision, so he was baptized. His parents didn't approve, and they fell out of sorts with one another, never completely cutting ties, just becoming strained. And his sister never fully recovered and has been sort of fragile ever since. So, in an effort to be around more members, he put his band on hold and came to a place where he could be around more of the same influence. Where he wouldn't be taken advantage of because of his celebrity status. He even mentioned that his parents were accepting missionaries now.

"And I had to pick the place where even only one person knew," he beamed over in Chrissy's direction, making a little red coloring rise up her neck.

"My parents are the only ones I ever told, really," Chrissy confessed, "They've known since we saw 'Hawkeye' in Las Vegas."

"We?"


"Me, and Angela, and Suzy."

"Oh, is that why she always acts suspicious?"

"Yeah. But she would have said something to me by know if she knew. . .."

"Well," Ian said, standing up and collecting ice cream bowls, "It's an honor to have you in our home."

"Thank you, Ian. Like I said before, it's my pleasure," and he squeezed Chrissy's hand.

"Come any time."

                                                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It was eleven thirty when Chrissy and Everett finally left the MacDallan home. "Thanks, Mom, but I need to go to my place tonight."

"Well, you know if you want, you're always welcome to come home." Kathryn said as she walked the two young adults to the door. "Have a good night, sweetie. Thanks for coming over." She hugged her daughter and waved them out the door. "Come again," and then they heard the door shut.

As they took their leave, Everett took Chrissy by the hand and walked to her car on the side of the street. "They really do like you." She said as they walked. She held his forearm with her free hand and looked at the ground.

He bumped her side, only to make her lose her footing, but she regained herself quickly and giggled. "I like them too, Chrissy." He smiled at her and stopped at her car and leaned on the door. They stood this way, in amicable silence, for a full minute. Chrissy noted Everett's eyes dart to her lips as he pulled her close, and Chrissy, for the first time, realized how strong he really was. While he was bundling his arms around her waist, he noticed a flutter in the window of the house they just came out of. "I think your mom is watching."

Chrissy made a quick exhale and retorted, "I bet my dad just got after her, too." They both smiled as Everett rested his chin on top of her head. "You're tired," she said to Everett. "If you want, I can follow you home, or you can follow me home, or something." It was a little hard to see his face, that being on top of her head. It was obvious to both of them that they wanted nothing more than to be together, but it was also obvious to both of them that it was getting really late.

"I think I am going to make myself go to sleep now," Everett said, to no one in particular.

"Yeah, me too. I haven't realized, until now, how tired I really am" She took a step back to look in his eyes. "See you tomorrow at church?"

"Of course. I'm looking forward to it," and he moved his right hand on the back of her neck and leaned down and kissed her, gently on the lips. It wasn't his imagination when he felt his own breath catch at the same time Chrissy's did. What a truly magical moment. "I'll follow you," he whispered.

"Good night, Everett," she said as she stepped around him, to get into her car. "I'll see you in the morning. She had to get in quick and not look back, because she didn't know if she would be able to control herself if she did.

When the cat is away, the roommates do play.

"Ooohhh, nobody's home." cooed Suzy as she, Angela and Hillman pulled up to the girls' house, "do you think Chrissy went with her parents or with Everett?" She asked.

"I don't know," Angela followed. "But did you see those flowers? I hope she left with him, and not them, she was saying as they got out of the car and locked the doors behind them.

"Angela!" Suzy scolded.

"Not apologizing." She said. "It's grue and you know it. We all think it's time for them to admit things to each other, unlike some people we know." She jeered at Hillman. "Like you and Hillman are any better!" She was near laughter now.

"Hey!" Hillman said, pretending to be shocked. "I resemble that remark," he said, as he took Angela's hand in his and kissed her knuckles.

Angela blushed. They all made their way inside and she noticed the smell right away, then she saw them. "Wow! Look at all those flowers."

She and Suzy stood in the doorway to the kitchen and stared at the flowers in the water pitcher for a minute or two.

Hillman blew out a long whistle. "She could open her own store with these."

"I'll say." Suzy said as Angela just stared, holding Hillman's hand.

"Oh," she said as she snapped out of the flowers trance, "Who wants a smoothie?" She asked, as she broke the barrier of fragrance on her way to the fridge to grab the milk, fruit and yogurt from the refrigerator.

"I'm going to bed," Suzy acknowledged, "I'm tired," she said as she headed down the hallway to her bedroom. “Oh, and Angela,” she said before she abruptly turned and waggled her eyebrows, "keep the lights on."

After the recital

As they made their way out of the Piano Gallery, Everett discussed how he thought he other two singers could have floated their duet better, and Robert could have focused his trills more and Teressa didn't quite have a handle on Wagner yet, and that she really kind of held Chrissy back on the Flower Duet. It impressed her parents that he knew so much about classical music because, after all, "he is a rock musician."

"So. What's on the schedule now?" Chrissy said, hoping to include Everett in her plans with her parents. "What are you going to do for the rest of the night?" She asked everyone and on one in particular.

"Why don't you two go out." Boy, her mom was quick. She told, rather than asked them. Because everyone knows the word "why" starts a question, but she wasn't asking. She was very strongly, and kindly suggesting it.

Chrissy smiled at her mom and looked up at Everett to see him smile. "As long as you don't think I'm imposing on your family time," he said--even with a slight smirk.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." Ian said, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist. "The night is young."

"Sure, but first, I need to get these flower into some water," said Kathryn, with a wink to her husband. "This was a very thoughtful gesture, Everett. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I should go home fast too," said Chrissy, raising the flowers in her arms.

"Yeah, you ought to get those into some water," Said Everett, as he gingerly reached up and touched her elbow. He felt a warm bolt of energy flow through his arm from his fingertips. Her parents smiled as they looked at each other. They hadn't seen anyone, even Brad, be so thoughtful of their daughter before.

"Yeah," she sighed, full of energy. "You're right." She leaned over to him and asked, "You didn't drive, did you? I think my parents want to get rid of me for now." they all laughed a little, partly because she wanted to leave them, and partly because it was true. What was she thinking that they wouldn't like him? He was being more than a perfect gentleman.

Chrissy gave her parents both hugs and turned away as Everett said,  "yes, I drove," he watched her parents walk away, and led Chrissy to his car.

"Good night you two," they both called out.

"It was nice meeting you," called out Kathryn as her husband helped her into their SUV.

They arrived at Chrissy's apartment and she let them inside. "I don't know if I have anything big enough for all of these," she said as she walked into her kitchen. Everett followed her and suddenly, she felt nervous again. IT was a different kind of nervous though. More like tension between a man a woman who liked each other. What was the next step supposed to be? She nearly forgot, having spent the last three or four years with Brad. It's a good thing we have the same values, she said to herself. Her roommates weren't home yet, no doubt they were out with HIllman. Chrissy smiled to herself while she looked for something big enough for her flowers. She imagined Angela and Hillman on a real date. She thought they looked cute together tonight, and hoped they might get together. Maybe.
Everett leaned against the counter as Chrissy found a big water pitcher. "This is the biggest one," she said. "She took a few minutes to process the stem on all the flowers and get them into some water. As she stood arranging them, she said, "you know, I think you really impressed my parents." She stopped fussing with the blooms to look at him and smiled softly. "No one has ever met up with me an my parents and wooed my mom before. Ever. And I think I can tell that my dad really likes you too.

"Well," Everett started as he began to fuss with the blooms on the counter, "I meant every word. And to have such an amazing daughter, they'd have to be extraordinary. I see now that they are."

They stood in the kitchen in silence, Everett in his dark washed jeans and button up shirt and suit jacket, no tie, and Chrissy still in her fancy dress and kitten heals. They both paused, looking into each others eyes when Chrissy said, slowly, after a long comfortable silence of sorts, "I'm going to go change," and left the kitchen.

Everett whispered after her, "yeah, you should."

As soon as her back was turned, she closed her eyes tightly and took a deep yoga breath, opened her eyes and didn't exhale until she made it safely into her bedroom. "That was intense," she said quietly to herself as she put her dress back on a hanger and into the garment bag. She picked out a long-sleeved striped t-shirt and some complementing skinny jeans and ballet flats to change into. When she came out of her bedroom thinking all kinds of things about the recital, especially the things Everett had said about her friends, she realized he really was someone she could talk shop with. And other things. It was a nice feeling. In all the years she had known him, Brad had only ever feigned interest in her music, but Everett had said he saw Natalie Dessay sing The Magic Flute. He even said he went willingly. Not under duress, as Brad would have done.

When she came out into the living room, she saw Everett waiting on the armchair for her. Taking into account the feelings she had in the kitchen, not ten minutes ago, she smiled as she said, "Okay, I'm ready," as she went to the door and waited for him to follow. At that moment, when Everett got out of the chair and crossed over to her at the door, her phone rang and she saw, "It's Brad," she said, squishing her lips up, looking at the screen and her mood deflated.

"Answer it," smiled Everett, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "See what he wants." Like he had to even suggest it. The way Chrissy looked at the recital, like a princess, and the flowers he brought her, even though he hadn't really ever met him Everett knew Brad was trying to win her back. "It's not like giving a girl flowers constitutes restitution." Immediately, Everett felt he needed some chastisement. He genuinely felt himself in like with Chrissy. It was really different from the other girls who chased him back home.

With a polite tone, Chrissy answered, "hello Brad!" she sounded happy at least. because she was. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering what you're doing tonight," he said.

Chrissy couldn't believe her ears, and furrowed her brow. "Well, Brad, I'm kind of busy right now." She looked up at Everett, who could only imagine what Brad was saying on the other side.

"Oh." he said, voice sinking. "Yeah." She could almost see him sink. "Right. You're probably entertaining dinner with your parents. You sang really well today, Chrissy." His last remark sounded oddly like a question to Chrissy.

"Thank you for coming, Brad. And thank you for the flowers. They are very pretty."

"You're welcome." He paused and Chrissy felt there was nothing to say. It was a pause very unlike the one she felt in the kitchen just moments ago with Everett. Uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Uh, Brad?" She started, "I have--"

"I-was-wondering-if-you'd-like-to-go-to-dinner-with-me-sometime-soon." He said as fast as he could. It had always been a joke that he had to count 1-2-3, then blurt out what he'd say, because if he didn't he'd never say those most important things on his mind.

Chrissy had no doubt that this was one of those times. "Um. What?" She questioned moving closer to the door to put her hand on the doorknob.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go out again?" He sounded like a lost little boy. To Chrissy, obviously trying to let her down easy hadn't really worked out for him.

"I can't, Brad. I'm going to be really busy here soon, you know, with finals and, stuff"she said as she looked up at Everett as they smiled at each other.

"Oh, I understand." She could hear the moment his heart broke in two.

She hated to do it, but Chrissy had to continue to break his heart because he didn't understand what he had done several months ago, related to the words he just spoke to her. "No, I don't think you do understand."

"Huh?"

"Let me put it this way, Bradley Wayne Johansen."Chrissy used the same tone she used when she walked away from him and the brownies. Quiet, yet calm and kind. "You led me on in hopes to let me down gently. That didn't work out, and now, after I've finished picking up the pieces, quite a while ago, you want to start over."

"Oh," was all he could say.

Chrissy wasn't mad. Annoyed, maybe a little bit, but not mad. She was calm the whole time. "Look, Brad, you'll make some woman incredibly happy, but it's just not going to be me. Okay?" She didn't want to leave him in shreds, but there really was nothing else. "Will you be okay?" She said finally.

"I see." he paused. "Are we still friends?"

"I don't see why not. I can still be your friend. but that's all, Brad. Just friends."

"Oh...So...I can't take you to dinner?"

"No. But thank you for the invitation. And thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful." After they said goodbye, and Chrissy hung up the phone,she summarized for Everett what just happened as they made way to his car.

"It sounds like he wants you back"

"Yeah. I hope he got it this time, though."

"This time?" he said as he started his car and pulled into the street.

"I think he's going through some kind of 'buyers remorse'  since he decided he wasn't interested. But I'm really okay with things."

"Buyers Remorse?" He repeated.

"Oh, um."Quickly, Chrissy thought of how to explain this crazy American phrase to her German friend. "It's when you buy something, or do something, that you end up regretting afterward." She felt satisfied with her answer when he nodded in understanding. "I just feel badly that he's torturing himself." Chrissy looked out the window and watched the ever-familiar scenery pass her by.

They turned into the Provo Shops at the Riverwoods and grabbed a table at the Chinese restaurant, Shoots. It only took an hour from start to finish of their meal, during which Everett learned that Chrissy knew who he was immediately, and that she had been some sort of way, far away fan-girl, separated by two continents and an ocean. So that meant, to both of their relief, she wasn't crazy like the rest of them. Chrissy found out that Everett's family no longer lived in Garmisch-Partenkirche Germany, and moved to Zurich. His father and mother both sought work and the best jobs for them both, were in Switzerland. It was a strained relationship he had with his parents since he was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. They didn't understand, but would accept him, intrepidly, and never have really agreed on much lately. And that he hasn't been singing with his band, Hawkeye, for just a little more than a year. They didn't break up, they're just on a break, so he decided to take his break and live where there were more people who lived and thought the way he has learned how to think. He even confessed, "This being a student thing is a lot more complicated than I thought it would be, but the girls here are not as bad as the fan-girls in Europe."

This comment made Chrissy smile. "You know, if they really knew who you are and what you do for a living, you'd never get any sleep."

"I know," he answered. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For keeping my sanity to yourself." They smiled at each other. Chrissy laughed a little bit and Everett reached over the table to hold her hand just as the check was brought out to them.

After settling the bill, they walked over to the pavilion where they saw Connie singing.

"She wants me to duet with her." Chrissy said into Everett's ear.

"Are you going to?" He looked down at her, smiling.

"I don't know. I think, all of a sudden, my voice is really tired." She unreliably sounded sarcastic. "What?" She quizzically sounded.

"You just look like you're aching to sing more and I know you want to." He was goading her, she knew it.

Chrissy squinted her eyes and scrunched up her lips and said, "You, sir! Are incorrigible."

They locked eyes for just moments as Everett reached down to her hands with his and laced his fingers with hers. He bent low enough that she could hear him whisper, "you know you want to. do it." Then gave her a gentle push in the direction of the gazebo.

It all happened so fast. Connie saw her, stopped the set in the middle. "Ladies and Gentlemen," she said. You're in for a treat." She looked around and then straight at Chrissy. "Chrissy MacDallan is a truly wonderful person and a great singer. So, if'n' you don't mind, I'd like to get her up here to sing some stuff with me. Right now." By now, she was reaching out to her. She got Chrissy on stage with her and they started some music from Wicked, then Notre Dame de Paris. The audience loved it. Connie would be found any Friday or Saturday singing at the Riverwoods and this Saturday was no different. Except she got to sing duets with one of her best students ever.

After the second song they sang, Chrissy spoke into her microphone, "Thanks Riverwoods, but I just sang some hefty arias and I need to rest my voice. Thanks again for letting me play here tonight." The crowd cheered as she hugged Connie. "Thanks, Connie, for everything."

"The pleasure is mine. You're a wonderful person and a great singer."

Chrissy left the stage and found Everett again. "She lied." He said, as he put his arm around her shoulders and she put her arm around his waist.

"What are you talking about?" She looked up at the man next to her, confused.

"You're not a great singer." He offered no further explanation and they kept walking.

Chrissy slowed down, "you really are incorrigible. What ARE you talking about?" She demanded. "I work hard. and I practice. and I----"

"You're not great. You are. . .unbelievably marvelous!" Everett stopped and turned towards Chrissy with a devilish grin on his face.

"Oh, you---. You're good." She said in response, smiling and shaking her index finger at him. The music they were hearing was getting into them both. Chrissy grabbed Everett's hands, "we're dancing. Now." And they did. And they had fun.

She didn't know if it was the excitement of the crowd or the feel of Everett's hand in hers, but the zing or the zap, or whatever it was when they touched, really surprised her. She liked it and after the initial shock, she
found herself teaching Everett a little American Swing dance. She taught him the pretzel and the crossover, and some really fancy foot work he had a hard time pronouncing the names of. He picked up on it really quickly and seemed to enjoy it, quite a bit.

After a few songs, Chrissy made a very, very important decision and turned to Everett with a nearly wild look in her eyes.. "I want ice cream. Do you want some too?"

"Yeah," he said, panting. "That dancing is hard stuff. Fun, but hard."

They made their way to the Provo Beach Resort, a tiny, indoor amusement park. If one could call it that. They got a banana split, a double and grabbed a table near the carousel. Chrissy got all mischievous and challenged him to a duel of speed. Everett tried to protest, but Chrissy made certain to taunt him just enough to give in. She learned to have a cup of room-temperature water nearby when she ate ice cream. All the time.

When she gave the signal, they ate as fast as they could, with Chrissy leading by two spoons. She could tell right away that Everett was going to struggle. Chrissy was half way into her second scoop when Everett was pounding on his forehead, yelling non-words at the ice cream.

Chrissy rolled her eyes back and closed them while she leaned her head back, like it would snap. "This," she said, pointing to the banana split with her spoon, "is soooo good." She looked at him quizzically and asked, "Do you know how long it's been since I've had any dairy, Everett?"

 After a few minutes, when it was all gone and they were just sitting, Everett answered, calculating his words carefully, "Since you just finished a major aria, and I know you take vocal health pretty seriously, I can only assume it's been about two days."

"Well played." Chrissy praised him  for his thought. "But, no"

"No?"

"I haven't had dairy for three days," she exclaimed. "This," she looked at her spoonful of dreamy dairy reward, "has been well earned." Everett raised his spoon as if they were toasting and then they finished up and went back outside to sit on a bench and enjoy the atmosphere. Chrissy asked for a synopsis of the rock-climbing trip she had missed earlier in the day and realized she probably could have gone after all. And he also learned all about her twin brother, Jake, who is on a mission in Japan at the moment, and that Chrissy was planning a trip to Munich in January to visit a friend she had from when she was there for study abroad. Then they snapped some pictures of them together on their phones.

"How different is this," Chrissy finally asked?  "You. Here. In Utah. Away from all your fan-girls? And by the way, for the record, I haven't spilled the beans."

"Spilled the beans? That's funny. What does it mean?" He really sounded like he wanted to find out.

"It means, your secret is safe with me." Chrissy said, as she looked into his lovely blue eyes. This was the first time she really notice how blue they really are. Some sort of tropical blue. She could go swimming in them.

"Thank you. You know?" He started. "It's...it's nice." He put his arm around her back. "Those fan-girls can be crazy."

"How does your family feel about it?"

"My family?" He asked. Chrissy nodded. Everett took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "My family and I have been short with each other for a few years now." He said. "Ever since I was baptized, they just didn't understand."

"I'm sorry." Chrissy said, as she lowered her head.

"It's okay. Really," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "We've not been un-polite to each other, just not close."

Chrissy nodded as if she understood. "When was the last time you saw them?"

"Just a day or two before I came here," he responded. "They gave me a rather warm send-off and then told me they were accepting the missionaries."

Chrissy could feel the happiness in his voice and tried to match it with hers, "That's so great!" She sat up a little taller.

"Yes, it is. Now I know if they don't accept it, they will at least understand where I stand."

In the beginning.

"Okay, Hillman. You can move that chair into the back left bedroom." Chrissy said, as she swiped at her red, curly hair from her face, out of her brown eyes.

"You'd better be sure of where you want it, because I only place it once. I don't rearrange anything. How did you land this place anyway? It's hard to get in to." Hillman said, as he grunted the fancy-looking futon down the hallway. "You had to pick the farthest room, didn't you?"

"Just lucky, I guess. The back room suits me best." Chrissy said, shrugging her shoulders. She changed the subject. "By the way, where is your help you promised to bring?"

"I'm it." Hillman said. "He's not actually here yet. I'm kind of irritated because he was supposed to be here yesterday and I have no idea where he is."

"Oh, come on. You, of all people, know you cant' stay mad at someone forever" Chrissy said, as she put her dishes into the kitchen cupboard.  "You'll meet him and be best friends on the better side of thirty minutes." She yelled down the hallway as Hillman took the smaller bookshelf, of a set of two to her bedroom for her. "Do you at least know his name?"

When he came back to  the living room, he said to her, "It's Everett. He's German. That's all I know. Do you have any idea where these roommates of yours are? They're late too."

"Why?" She asked as she opened her next box of kitchen ware to be put away and looked at him. "Do I look like I know?"

"It's just a question, silly. Besides, you've been roommates with Angie and Suzy for three years. You know everything about each other. There are no secrets. If it gets much later and they're not here, I have to go anyway. I have places to be."

"Everyone has secrets, Hill." She smiled amicably and continued unpacking, pausing only to help move the heavy desk and giant bookcase.

It only took her two hours after that to get her things unpacked and situated before her roommates had even shown up. They found Chrissy in her bedroom, putting her clothes away and hanging pictures on her wall.

"Where's Hillman?" Angie asked, brushing her brown bangs out of her eyes, sounding out of breath, for trying to hurry.

"Yeah," Suzy followed. "Where is our mover-in-residence." She paused as the other two looked at her. "Oh, wait. That didn't come out right."

The three friends laughed, They walked out of her bedroom past the other two bedrooms and the bathroom, into the living room. As the new arrivals surveyed the placement of the furniture, they approved of where Hillman had put it all, with Chrissy's help. They looked over to their kitchen, and the table was dressed with a fresh vase of flowers and the chachkis were already in place. The opening in the wall between the kitchen and living room was big enough for four people to stand in, which made the then Chrissy told them how Hillman had to leave and get his own stuff put together at his own place. "If you two would actually show up on time, You'd get the help you need. Now we have to struggle by ourselves."

"That's okay," Suzy said. "We can struggle on our own. I like to fight with my furniture. It's good for the heart-rate."

They all laughed and got to work together.

"So, who did he bring with him?"

"Is he cute?"

"What's his name?"

"Where is he from?"

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

Chrissy's roommates asked her all kinds of questions, all at the same time. She barely could hear the answers in her head before the next one came out of someones mouth. "I'm afraid I can only answer three of those questions, girls," Chrissy rolled her eyes, trying to gain a sympathy vote for no knowledge. "Hillman came alone, and doesn't know where this mystery man, who's name is Everett, was. He's not here yet. Maybe, he's still in Germany."

Angie and Suzy looked at each other in awe, "Germany? Ooohhhh." They both drew their lips into a small circle. and Suzy whistled.

"Did you meet him when you were there?" Angie asked, referring to the time when Chrissy was in Munich for a semester abroad.

"You know? I very well could have." She rolled her eyes. "Do you know how big Germany really is, Angela?"

"Ha! Just testing you." She teased, flicking some of her brown hair out of her eyes with her fingers.

The three friends continued to unpack and move furniture until well after ten O'clock that night. Luckily, the beds got put together and made pretty fast because they found some willing young men to help out, as long as they were fed, so the girls had pizza from Brick Oven delivered. The rest of the night was used for cleaning up boxes, putting away their things and getting ready for church the next day.

                                    **************************************************

The next day, Sunday, the girls raced to get ready for church. Start time was at Nine a.m. They had to rush so fast, that Suzy declared, "It's a good thing we all showered last night. We would have never made it on time."

"Suzy, you're so right." Angela replied, "although, I wish I could have five more minutes for some cold pizza." She

 "Oh, whatever!"Chrissy snapped, with a smile. "it was your idea to leave right now, to see the new scenery." They ran to her car to get in. As she shut the door, they all

Angela smiled, reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. "Why not? Some people are dense as bricks and need to be broken, a lot. So why not?" She was just a flirt, Chrissy decided long ago, when they met in the third grade after she moved to Provo.

                               **********************************************
Chrissy was in need of  a friend when she moved in during the middle of the third grade. Angela was willing and ready to make new friends. She showed her all about the school; Told her all about the other class members; ate lunch with her every day. In fact, there was not a thing they didn't do together since then. Every year, since they turned 15, and were sophomores in high school, they went to Las Vegas.


They celebrated birthdays together, had countless sleepovers, went to dances in the same groups. If Angela would have had a brother around the same age, Chrissy probably would have dated him. Why not? Angela dated Chrissy's twin brother, Jacob.  They suffered break-ups together, and had all-night hot chocolate days all the time.

One time in Vegas, just during their sophomore year in college, the three friends saw a German rock band, called Hawkeye, give a great show, at the suggestion of Angela's uncle, Bob Wilson, who manages a theater on the strip. Oh, it was fun. They got to the theater and saw the show and instantly became fan-girls. Her friends were squealy and girly and silly and Chrissy had to play the levelheaded girlfriend who told them to knock-it-off, and get back to class. As she suspected, they got over it after a couple of weeks, but Chrissy hid her slight obsession with Hawkeye, since she had seen them once or twice when she went to Munich for a study abroad program and ended up staying with the lead guitarists cousin, Heike.

One year, during their new college days, Angela rushed over to Chrissy's house and proposed, "We need to be roommates, and Suzy, from our biology 1010 class wants to live with us. I have the perfect little house to live in and they want to fill it up in two weeks."

"Whoa, slow down there, Ange." Chrissy's eyes nearly popped. "You want to what?"

"...to be roommates with you and Suzy." Angela was obviously ready to jump in the deep end. Almost like she had her bags packed already. "Come on, Chrissy. I've already paid my deposit, and so has Suzy." She was ready for a change of scenery anyway and has already started moving in. We're just waiting for you." Angela widened her eyes and raised her brows in all hopefulness.  "You're killing me, Chrissy. Say yes!"

Chrissy was really giving it some thought. "What would my parents think?". What would Jacob and Brad think? Brad was her brothers best friend who was a little more than like a brother. He was on a mission New Jersey right now, but. Who was she kidding, she knew she needed to get out on her own, and she was pretty sure her parents would support this. Her brother would be jealous, in a twin sort of way, and Brad could deal with it when he got home in just less than a year. It wouldn't make any difference to Jacob because he was too busy playing baseball right now, and forever, to really let it get to him. He needed to live at home to save money for baseball extras. His scholarship just didn't cover everything.

"You, know, I'll do it." She said.

Angela squealed, raised her hands and immediately picked up her phone, "Did you hear that, Suzy?" She had Suzy on speaker the whole time. "She's in."

"YAY!" Suzy yelled back. "Oh, I can't wait."

"What's all the ruckus about?" They heard Kathryn MacDallan, Chrissy's mom, coming down the hallway.

"Oh, nothing," Angela said. "Chrissy just agreed to move in with Suzy and me!"

"Wonderful. See, I told you she would." Kathryn smiled, waving a dishtowel at the girls.

"You knew about this?" Chrissy asked. "How long have you known about this?"

"Oh, for a week or so." Chrissy's mouth dropped, she looked at her mother and best friend incredulously. "Anyway, the deposit, as well as your first months rent has been paid, so we gotta get you moved."

"You knew all along, and weren't telling me? When were you going to tell me?"

"We just did, silly. Now, let's get you moved." Angela said, going to Chrissy's closet, haphazardly pulling things out. The whole time, Suzy just laughed into the phone.

Their first Sunday in their new student ward was where they met Hillman Sinclair. A newly returned missionary who came home early because of a broken leg, from a biking accident, was also a biology major. He and Chrissy then planned to take all their biology classes and labs together, and it proved an invaluable resource for both. For Chrissy, because of Hillman's brain. She'd never met someone as smart, and for Hillman, because he got his "home-cooked" meal away from home, which is in Idaho.
                                                     *   *    *     *    *    *    *    *    *   *

As the three friends shuffled into the church building, They saw Hillman right away. It's hard to miss someone who's six-foot two, a good four to six inches taller than most of the others in the ward. He was standing with someone they had never seen before, who was obviously not a new freshman and hadn't been there before. It seemed Hillman was showing him around.

When he saw the three friends, he waved them over. "Chrissy, Ange, Z!" He tried not to be so loud in the Church house. They hurried over, just as the tall, blonde stranger turned with a smile. The girls all stopped in their tracks and smiled back. "This is the moving help," said Hillman.

"Oh," Exclaimed Suzy! "You're late. We've already moved in. I'm Suzy Masterson. Sometimes, Hillman calls me Z." She smiled and shook his hand. Why would she not smile or flip her blonde bangs towards her shoulder. He was really good looking and closer to her age of 20, maybe a little older. And he was taller than her, which, when a woman who is five-foot-ten and very comfortable in high heals is hard to beat.

 "Hello," said the stranger. He had an accent. It was so very attractive. "I'm sorry for my tardiness."

"This," Hillman said as he looked for Chrissy, but she had gotten stopped by someone who needed to ask her a few questions. So he looked over for Angela, "is Angela Wilson"

Angela smiled and shook his hand. "Hillman tells us your name is Everett." She looked up at Hillman, "You ought to tell us when Everett showed up, and stuff." Everett blushed and Hillman guffawed.

"What do you expect? A chorus of trumpets?" He was toying with them now, and Everett just smiled and blushed a little more.

"Everett Vogel. I really don't need fanfare." Everett said as he looked sheepishly around. The two girls thought, at the same time, that he is a person they could possibly get used to showing up.

 "Where's Chrissy?" He asked, as he looked around for a second or two before he spotted her catching up. "It's about time you got here. I'm almost done with introductions."

"Sorry." She said to Hillman as she caught up to everyone. "I had to get some things squared away for later." She stopped and turned just as Hillman began to introduce the new guy.

"Chrissy," he started, "This is the moving-help. Everett."

"Hello," Everett said, as he met the last of the three girls, "I'm sorry I'm late, but I am happy to know you got moved in."

"Yeah, well. We managed," Chrissy smiled as she shook his hand and shrugged. Then she paused in a moment of presumption to size him up. There was something familiar about him. His blue eyes nearly spoke for themselves. Chrissy's secret..

Sing a Song of Sixpence.

The week passed with no incident, unless you count the feeling of thousands of butterflies in your lungs and stomach no incident.  Chrissy had managed to get away with little work at both jobs and little homework. She only had one day scheduled at the Piano Gallery. Thankfully, for Chrissy's sake, Connie wasn't working that day. Just getting ready for her advanced student recital gave her stress.

"You know, Chrissy," Connie said, as she passed by the customer service desk, "when you're done singing in the recital, if you want to join me at the Riverwoods, we'll sing some crazy mad duets. If you want." She waggled her eyebrows and made it sound like a question, instead of a statement.

But Chrissy knew Connie's big heart went along with the giant voice, and she gave her a nervous smile. "I'd like that, Connie. It sounds like fun."  Chrissy's nerves were obvious to everyone.

"You know, Chrissy," Connie continued, "if you keep thinking about it and worrying about it, Mozart may not turn out the way you want it. In fact, he may come back from the dead to haunt you." She laughed at the thought of some powdered-wigged man running amok in the streets. Her levity helped break the tension Chrissy felt. She was standing directly in front of her student now.

"I know," Chrissy sighed. It was a good thing neither one of them was busy at the moment. Connie was getting the stores small auditorium ready for the recital tomorrow and Chrissy was trying her hardest to work. "It's just that I have "The Flower Duet" completely perfect. It's my favorite! There's nothing to worry about in French." Chrissy cracked a half smile. Connie knew if she could get her talking about her music, Chrissy would relax. And, 'Meine Lippe, Sie kussen so So Heiss' is just so fun, that I forget about everything else." She managed to smile a real smile this time, but she could still feel the incredible stress clear down to her shoes.

"...But?" Connie said. "I can hear a huge amount of stress behind those words."  She raised her eyebrows and leaned her forehead towards her student in the 'what aren't you telling me' manner. "What else is it, Chrissy?"

"Are you sure it's okay for me to sing two German songs?" She thought about 'Queen of the Night' from Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute. Chrissy felt a little awkward singing in German since thee was a high probability Everett would be there. In fact, he told her there would have to be a near-death-experience for him not to come. She didn't tell Connie, though. She was just making excuses.


"Why not." Connie said, as she smiled her warm, friendly smile. At this time, she was taking the role of friend, instead of teacher. That was one of the things Chrissy liked best about Connie. She was able to balance human characteristics so well. It translated into one of the nicest women Chrissy had ever met. "You've worked hard on all of these pieces. Stop making excuses. I don't see any reason for you to not sing them. All of them." Connie stated this matter-of-factually as she place a hand on Chrissy's shoulder in an attempt to help her relax. "Listen," She continued, "you float your notes just fine."

"I don't want 'just fine', though," Chrissy scrunched her nose. "I want amazing!"

It only took two seconds for Connie to change her face to serious and she confided in her friend, "You will be amazing."

Chrissy smiled, well, she half-smiled. "That's a start," Connie told her. "How about you go get a massage in the morning. It may not take your mind off things, but it will make your muscles feel delicious," she grinned and thought about getting herself a massage too.

Chrissy smiled back because pampering was one of the non-singing related items they both loved to talk about and occasionally indulge in. "Thanks. That's a really good idea." She said it with confidence. "I feel better already.

"You sure?"
Chrissy breathed in a deep cleansing breath and let it out. "I really do." She put a smile on her face, and this time, it reached her eyes. "I think I will get a massage.

                              *           *             *            *            *             *

"Chrissy!" Shouted Kathryn MacDallan from the Kitchen. "You're going to be late!: She stood at the garage door, waiting for her daughter.

"I'm almost ready, Mom!" Chrissy called back.  She was putting her final touches on her make-up and hair. She decided to make-up a little more dramatic because she was going to be on stage. Not a whole lot, just some lip stick and darker brown eye shadow with a little liner. Her hair had been artfully done in a Jane Austen inspired up-do and her curls set if off perfectly. The dress she wore was a little bit long, dusting the floor, but since she wasn't comfortable wearing her high heals, for fear of falling on her face or breaking a bone or something else equally as dramatic, she decided to wear her shiny, silver kitten heals. After looking herself approvingly in the mirror once more, she picked up her purse and water bottle and left her room.

Chrissy and her parents loaded into their car at her parents house and drove the next ten minutes to the Piano Gallery in silence. Well, Chrissy rode in silence, with her eyes shut. Her parents talked excitedly about hearing her senior recital-albeit  it was shared with two others. It was really late in the afternoon, so Connie would have time to go and sing at the Riverwoods afterward. She usually sang there around 7pm on Saturday nights.

"...Chrissy." Kathryn  said as she jolted back to reality. "Chrissy."

"Earth to Chrissy." Her dad, Ian MacDallan, teased.

"Oh, sorry. What?"

"I said we're here now." Her dad looked back at her. "Let's get you inside."

"Sorry. I must have zoned out." It was a trick she had learned when she was about fourteen years old to focus on what she had to be doing. This time, she was working to calm herself before her biggest moment yet.

"I'd like to hear your secrets," said her mom. It sounds like a mini-vacation in your head."

"Kind of. Wait! No." Her response got her to laugh and lighten the mood, which she really needed. She had hardly eaten anything that day, or the day before, and now she thought she could be really hungry. Chrissy gathered up the shiny burgundy fabric of her dress so it wouldn't drag on the ground, but really, she was wondering which of her friends would show up. After Angela and Suzie, and Hillman of course, and through deduction, she knew Mozart was one of Everett's favorites. They'd all be there, if they got back from their hike soon enough. Chrissy was fortunate to have such great friends, and she was thankful for them every day.

As Chrissy walked into the Piano Gallery, she saw quite a few of her other coworkers. Some form the bank: Donald, her boss, and his wife. Nikkie, another teller. Sanjay and Rebecca, a loan officer and new accounts manager respectively. The bank was one little happy family. If you worked there, you were considered family. They were ready and waiting  to hear her, or rather share the stage with 2 of her other fellow students, whom she had already spotted, chatting up with their own crowds.

They all greeted Chrissy and gave her their luck. Some of them chatted with her parents and with the other friends and families of her voice friends.

Chrissy walked over to her parents who cleverly found Connie. She was usually setting last-second details, and probably shouldn't have been out on the sales floor at the moment.

"Chrissy, you look great! Did you go get that massage?" she asked with the most excited face she ever saw. "Do you think you're ready?" was the very next thing out of her mouth, not giving Chrissy the chance to answer one at a time.

"Yeah" Chrissy fussed with a strand of her hair that had fallen down. "I feel really good." And it was true. All the knots had been removed form her back and shoulders. "You were right yesterday. I needed to relax, on more than one level."

"Well, I'm going to go to the auditorium now. I need to warm up." She craned her neck as if she were looking for someone. "Will you tell Quinn to meet me there when you see him?"

"Sure will," her mother answered. "We'll see you in a bit."

They all had wondered where Quinn Thomas, her pianist, was. Quinn was never late. She heard the bell on the front door right at that moment and saw him walk inside.

"Quinn," She waved at him to the back of the store. He acknowledged that he saw her and made his way to the back quickly.

"I'm ready, are you?" He asked, nearly out of breath.He flashed her his most playful smile and they turned through the door to the auditorium.

"Glad you could make it, Quinn." Connie slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "Let's get this show on the road."

"Let's." Chrissy and Quinn said together. Chrissy decided she'd have to wait til after the recital to meet her friends, which was just as well. She didn't need any distractions right now.

Robert and Teresa, the other singers, were already warming up with their accompanists.

"Nice of you to join us." Robert said. They both showed as much nerve as Chrissy was feeling the day before, and had both dressed as sharply as Chrissy had tried.With music by Puccini, Wagner and Verdi, there ought to be a big ball of anxiety. They were all three anxious to be able to properly relax and have no worries.

"Is that sarcasm, Robert?" They chuckled together.

"Let's get rolling," Connie said after a fifteen minute warm up. They started noticing the audience filling in.

"Let's do this." Teresa said, as she looked out at her friends.

"Let's roll." Robert replied.

They all took seats on the front row with their pianists, and in earnest trust, she told Quinn, "nudge me when it's my turn. I'm going into my zone." Chrissy turned to the front and shut her eyes.

"Ooohh," Quinn said, waving his hands all hokey-like. "The zone!" He smiled at his friend, who managed to know it and smiled back at him with closed eyes. "Sure thing, boss," he said.

"Quinn, you are funy." She smiled, patting his knee and waited for Connie to get things started.

"Ange, SSHH! Be quiet!" She thought she heard Suzie's voice somewhere behind her and it made her relax just a little more.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming today," Connie said. "We're happy to have you here, sharing these great talents." Connie went on to start the program. Start it with Chrissy and Teresas "Flower Duet." From Lakme. If there was one thing Chrissy was really good at, it was knowing the character of the song, not just the character singing. She had a great gift of knowing what was just right for everything she sang. When they finished, the whole place erupted in applause. It was indeed, beautiful.

Robert followed with Puccini's  Nessun Dorma. Chrissy thought he had a great voice, but she didn't hear him this time. She had gone back inside her head. Teresa followed. But Chrissy never heard.

Again, it was Chrissy's turn. "Meine Lippen, Sie Kussen so Heiss." This was, by far, her favorite. She tried to sing it straight in her lessons, with all her rhythm and other technical aspects so perfect, but gave up when Connie got upset. "Knock it off!" She'd say. "You know this. It's fun. Sing it FUN!" She demanded, and from that time on, she did. Chrissy owned the fun of this song. She gave herself a technical foul and played fun. It was amazing how she got into the character of the moment of the song and nailed everything else, she even caught herself twirling. Something she could have sworn she wasn't supposed to do. She heard her friends calling her name when she finished, but still refused herself to look directly at the audience. If she broke the fourth wall now, she'd never get back to her place in music. There was one more left for her: Queen of the Night. So when she and Quinn took their places once more on the front, she  sat back to listen to her friends. They each had solos and then a duet from La Boheme by Puccini. Ohh, she thought they were magnificent.

After the cheers and applause died down, Connie stood in front of the audience once more. "You folks are in for a real treat," She said as she looked around. This got Chrissy's attention and she and Quinn readied themselves to take their places once more. "In the opera, "The Magic Flute," by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, lies the most challenging soprano Aria. Many women beat themselves up trying to sing what you are about to hear. Chrissy MacDallan has worked herself to exhaustion to bring you all a little piece of heaven." Connie couldn't have shown more teeth if she wanted to at that moment, as she gestured her hand towards Chrissy and Quinn who took their places once more.

Quinn was ready. Mozart is easy to play on the piano, and he was very ready and very artful about it. Chrissy looked down as he played the first chord and then, with all the power in her, she began Mozarts words. The massage she had that morning must have worked on her brain too, because she looked so relaxed. She had her characher down and when she reached the notes she'd worried about and beat herself up over time and time again, she realized something she'd been hiding from. IN her mind, Chrissy heard Connie tell her "Just go for it! I know you can do this. You're ready and you own it!" Before she knew it, Chrissy felt herself floating over the notes that owned her so many times before.

Then, as quickly as it started, there were cheers and applause and even whistles, she gathered, from her roommates, and or Hillman.

Chrissy stood by herself, breathing heavily and just starred. Quickly, she gathered her wits and motioned to Quinn, who also stood, and together, they bowed, as is traditional for a musical recital. Now, she allowed herself to enjoy the stage.It was finished. She could really relax. Since she wasn't registered as a music major, Chrissy didn't have to sing in juries at the end of the semester and she could take a break if she wanted to . Oh, she wanted to. And Connie would hold her place for a week or two.

Chrissy was enjoying the moment so well, she didn't hear Connie invite Robert and Teresa and their accompanists to the stage or thanked everyone for coming.

She finally came out of her trance and realized that probably one-third of the cheers and applause were coming from her nearest and dearest. Donald, her boss at the bank, and Sanjay and Rebecca came up to congratulate her. Suzy and Angela came up with flowers, all the time talking about how amazing she was and how cool those high notes were. "Awesome" said Angie and "Totally amazing" said Suzy. Her parents came next full of hugs and accolades. Hillman came up to give her a giant hug and even Brad was there, which surprised her because she couldn't remember telling him about it. Maybe he heard through Angela or Suzy. He gave her a small, wrapped bouquet of daisies and a hug, then quickly left.

Chrissy noticed that her parents hung back in the crowd and other people rushed the stage for the other singers. Quinn handled things like a pro. Left to his own devices as the pianist, Chrissy hastily waked to him and threw her empty arm around him in a big hug. "Thank you so much," she said "I really appreciate this." She cried the last part in his ear.

"Oh, it was nothing," he said as they drew apart. "You were amazing!"

"But you helped. Thank you." As they separated, and Quin left, Ian and Kathryn MacDallan were right close again. Chrissy realized she hadn't seen Everett yet and began looking around.

"Who are you looking for?" Her mother asked.

"I haven't seen Everett yet. Angie?"

"Yeah?" she answered breaking away from Hillman and Suzy's conversation.

"Have you seen Everett? I mean since you all went rock climbing?" She couldn't quite make out all the faces in the auditorium from where she stood on the stage.

"Nope. I didn't see him." Angie liked to pop the p's at the ends of her words. It was annoying at the best of times. Chrissy suspected she did it just to annoy people. Not too many people didn't notice that Angela was only noticing Hillman, and Hillman was only noticing Angela. Chrissy noticed, Suzy noticed. This made everyone who did notice really happy.

"So, Everett hasn't shown up?" Chrissy's mom asked.

"That's really too bad," said her father. "You'd think a seasoned--."

"DAD-- !" Chrissy stopped him just before he could blow Everetts cover.

"Oh." Was all he could manage, careful not to draw attention to himself, or the man wielding a rather large bunch of flowers sitting in the back corner of the auditorium. "I'll tell you what, though, he missed a really good show. That's all." Ian MacDallan nodded calmly to his wife at the man no one noticed in the back. and she moved again to hug her daughter so she could get a better look. Chrissy and her friends were too busy talking about their plans for the evening which included mini-golf and arcade games. Angie and Hillman wanted to get out of there quickly and Suzy was going to tag along.

As the friends were leaving and the other crowds were exiting, Andie bounced up the aisle with Hillmans hand in hers. "Everett!" She said loudly. "Oh wow! Those are pretty! Chrissy was just wondering if we had seen you." She turned towards the stage, "Chrissy, I found Everett," and no sooner had she said that, she and Hillman and Suzy were gone.

Chrissy snapped her head around at the sound of Angies voice, just in time to see Everett stand up and walk dow the aisle towards her. Her mother whispered, "so, this is 'The Hawkeye' you've followed on the internet for three years, is it?" She smiled as she waggled an eyebrow at her daughter.

Chrissy smiled back at her mom. "Yeah," she blushed, setting off her red hair very nicely. "He's really nice."

"And thoughful," her dad said. "I'm pretty sure those flowers aren't' for your mother."

"Everett!" I'm glad you could make it." Chrissy said as he became nearer to the stage, where Chrissy stood with her parents.She reached out to give him a friendly hug and he eagerly leaned into it, as her parents watched.  "This is my mom, Kathryn and my dad, Ian." She nodded in their direction in turn, for her arms were still full of flowers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Everett said. Chrissy wasn't sure, but she thought he sounded nervous. Almost as nervous as she had been two hours ago.

"The pleasure is all ours, Everett." Ian said, warmly to the man standing so near his daughter."

"Sir, you are mistaken." Everett said to Ian, as he reached out to shake is hand.

"How's that?"

"I have excellent hearing."

Chrissy wrinkled her nose. She knew her mothers whispering was barely audible, but her father? Well, he was usually a little lout in the best of circumstances.

"These flowers are for your lovely wife."

"You're welcome. It's easy to see where Chrissy gets her looks from." He passed over nearly half of the flowers in his hands to Kathryn, who smiled her thanks.


"You are so thoughtful, thank you," Kathryn blushed. "They are lovely." She said as she graciously accepted the flowers from Everett.

"And these," he said, handing a hand-picked bouquet to Chrissy, "are for the most amazing soprano I've ever heard."

Chrissy took the flowers and stood frozen to the spot she was standing in, smiling like a dummy. No one had ever paid her mother a compliment like that before, not that she knew of, and both women were stunned.

Ian put his arm around Everetts shoulder and shook his hand again. "I think you are wrong there, Everett," he said, as Everett cocked his head and furrowed his brow in misunderstanding, "the pleasure is all ours to meet you!" He finished his sentence in gentle, kind way. It was obvious that he had left quite a great impression on the MacDallans. They liked him immediately. Chrissy smiled to herself, still having not said much.

The Home Teachers

"Are you coming or not, Chrissy?" Hillman asked referring to the annual hike through Rock Canyon on the weekend, A clear, late fall weekend in November, "It's supposed to be warm and you should probably relax before finals, any way."

"I'm not sure. I feel so behind in Biology, and there is that voice recital that Connie want's me to sing in." She was trying ever so hard to make excuses as she stood between her living room and kitchen, waiting for the timer on her cookies.

"You are singing in a voice concert?" Everett asked. Everett and Hillman were assigned to be the home teachers of these three friends. Angela and Suzy weren't home from class yet. "I would love to come hear you." He had a genuine smile on his face as he said this and pierced her soul with his eyes.

"Yeah," she said, glancing at the oven as she sat down, "my teacher is having a student recital next Saturday." Chrissy sighed. "I just don't know if I'm ready."

"Come on, Everett," Hillman said dramatically, "you're supposed to be on my side. You know, get her to come hiking."

"I suppose you're right, Hillman," Everett conceded. "it is only a few days from now, you sing for this Connie, when? Saturday?" he asked. "And you are a natural at your Biology." He smiled at her and she nearly didn't hear the timer on the oven through his accent.

"That's right, Chrissy," Hillman chimed in as she stood and went to the kitchen. "You're a natural."

"The recital is Saturday, Everett," Chrissy shouted from the kitchen. "And Hillman Sinclair!"

"Yes, Chrissy MacDallan?" He said in a sing-songy voice.

"Just because biology is a natural part of everyone's lives, doesn't mean it's a natural thing for everyone. Duh!" She emerged from the kitchen with a plate of warm cookies and two glasses of milk. Because everyone knows you can't eat warm cookies without milk to wash them down. "Here." She offered the plate to the two men sitting on her couch, "you'd better take these now, before the bopsy twins get home in five minutes." They accepted the goodies and without pause, began to eat them.

"This canyon sounds beautiful. You should go on the hike." Everett said as he lifted a cookie to his mouth and slightly raised an eyebrow at her. She watched as he took a bite, then nearly fell to pieces laughing when his face rolled in some wierd contortions. "What do you call this kind of cookie?" He asked as he impatiently stuffed the rest into his mouth and reached for another.

"This," interjected Hillman, through a stifled laugh, "is a snicker doodle." He took a bite of his followed by a generous gulp of milk.

"Snicker doodle. Mmm." he said, just as Angela and Suzy walked through the door.

"I told you they'd be here when we got home." She looked at them, locking eyes momentarily with Hillman. "We shouldn't have stopped at the book store." Angela said to Suzy, as she slapped her on the back. "Hillman's always early."

"Yes, yes. I relent." Upon seeing that Chrissy made cookies while they were out, at the book store--so they say, Suzy said, "But it's a good thing Chrissy was home to let them in, and make us some snacks." They continued on inside and sat with the others in the living room. "Can I have a cookie, Chrissy?" She asked, almost over-eagerly as she reached to the plate.

"We were just trying to convince Chrissy to come on the hike on Saturday," Hillman said, as he leaned over and nudged Angela on the shoulder.

"Yea?" Angela asked looking from Hillman to Chrissy, with a hopeful look on her face.

"Good luck with that," Suzy shot back,  "we've been trying for almost two weeks to convince her."

"Does she need more encouragement?" Everett asked as everyone ate cookies and tried to hold back their giggles.

"Let me put it this way, " Angela started.

"Angela!"Chrissy said, loudly and firmly.

"Chrissy needs a lot of encouragement," finished Angela with a snort and a guffaw.

Without missing a beat, Suzie followed with, "If'n you catch my drift," she winked at Everett, then narrowly dodged a flying pillow from Chrissy's direction.

Everett smiled. He was catching on to silly American customs quicker than he thought he would. Hillman sat back and smiled at the whole thing.

"I have to practice!" Chrissy insisted.

"Practice what?" Angela and Hillman asked at the same time.

"You people are insufferable!" She smirked as she tried to look angry. "Connie wants me to sing 'Queen of the Night' next week." Her face took a more serious gaze, and she wrinkled her lips and her nose.

Everyone grew silent, instantly. They had all heard her talk about Mozart's "Magic Flute" opera and this "Queen of the Night" aria is listed among one of the most difficult in the world even for some of the most seasoned sopranos.

"So it's not biology. You're not really behind." Hillman said. "I knew it! I knew I would get to the bottom of this sooner or later." He had a deep look of sympathy for Chrissy right now because he knew how she talked about how hard and intimidating this song was. "You used biology as a decoy, didn't you?"

"Sure did," Chrissy said, expelling a gigantic sigh and plunging a cookie into her mouth. Whole.

"Queen of the Night!" Everett exclaimed, "I have heard it performed by Natalie Dessay. And she is very good," he said, breathlessly, "but she even struggles."

"You've seen Dessay? Wow!" Chrissy momentarily looked at Everett in amazement, like a little kid who just saw Santa Claus. She quickly gained back her composure and resumed her explanation. "I have my notes down, even the super-high ones everyone mashes" she paused for dramatic effect. It worked. Everyone leaned in to her next words. "I guess it's all down. It's solid. I'm just not confident yet." She watched her toes draw lines and circles in the carpet. "It's just so intimidating!" Chrissy let out a big sigh.

That was the end of it. Since it was no secret that Chrissy wished she could be Natalie Dessay, with her beautiful blonde hair and silky voice, instead of her wavy hot mess of red hair and what she considered a sub-par amateurs voice, and Everett had actually seen her perform, she was completely sunk.

"From my experience,"Hillman offered, "I've seen you perform many, many times," he continued, "you just have to go for it." He really was trying to be helpful. They had known each other since Hillman had come home from his mission three years ago, right before Chrissy went away as an international student, and had become quick friends.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah." He was quick to add. "I think you should stay home and rest those golden pipes of yours. Don't come hiking. Rest and drink lot's of water." Hillman was thoughtful. He knew how important it was for a singer to stay hydrated, and get lots of rest.

"Yes."Everett nodded in agreement. "Drink a lot of water." As far as he was concerned, the others believed he was being thoughtful no one knew of his occupation back home, except for Chrissy, and he liked to believe he could trust her.

Chrissy's Biology test

When she stopped her car in front of her mom and dads cottage-style home in Provo, Chrissy saw her mom watching for her out the living room window. She jumped out of her car, bounded to the back seat and grabbed her laundry basked, still laden with a backpack and toiletries bag. She bumped the doors shut with her hip and her dad came out to meet her.

"When we got your message, we thought you'd be here sooner," her dad said. "What's wrong, Pumpkin'," Ian MacDallan asked his little girl as he scooped her into his arms. At 5'11", he pretty much towered over her 5'5" inches. "It's not every day that you come home in the middle of the night." His voice was filled with concern and love for his daughter.

Marylin MacDallan was close on his heals. She grabbed the laundry basket from her and kissed her on the forehead. "What's going on?" She echoed the love in her voice that she and her husband have for their daughter. Marylin's hair was the same shade of red as Chrissy's but cut to her shoulders in an age-appropriate hairstyle for a woman in her mid-fifties.

"It's been a weird night. Can we go in first?" Chrissy asked, trying to fight the fatigue in her voice. "Do you have any hot chocolate?"

Her mother looked at her father and said, "It's going to be a long night, if she's asking for hot cocoa at midnight." They both sighed as they watched their daughter walk into the house. She clicked the auto lock on her car and waited for her mom and dad to follow her with her things.

Chrissy took the laundry basket and walked through the front entry way towards the kitchen in the back of the house, but not before she kicked off her shoes at the door. She made it to the laundry area that flanked the inside wall of the mud room near the garage. She grabbed one load of dirty clothes, stuffed it in the washer and started it as though she had never left home. Chrissy grabbed her backpack and make up bag and headed towards the living room to the left of the kitchen, which really was just an extension of the living area the kitchen provided, and sat between her mother and father on the couch.

"I just talked to Brad." She said with trepidation as she came out of the mud room.

"How is that good man?" Ian asked her daughter.

"Well, enough, I suppose." She started to cry. "Mom, I cleaned my house after the bonfire."

"Oh, honey what's the matter?" Marylin asked her. Her whole family knew that when she was upset about something, Chrissy cleaned.

"Do you remember when I went to Las Vegas with Angela to see that concert about 6 before I went to Germany?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember how I obsessed for weeks over that German singer?"

"You? Obsessed? Really?" Her dad teased. He was great at teasing, and that's what made his relationship with his daughter so great. She could dish it as well as take it.

Chrissy rolled her eyes, "Dad. A little less, oh, I don't know."

"Yes, honey. You're still obsessed."

"Not really, but that's not the point." She didn't know how to bring up the rest to her mom and dad, but they have always said they had an open-door policy when it comes to anything their children wanted to talk about. This was no exception, and for this, reason alone, Chrissy believed she had the best parents in the world. Right now, Chrissy was just embarrassed. "' Hawkeye' is in my ward." Chrissy rested her head on her mothers shoulder and put her feet over her fathers knees as he sat down with his daughters mug of hot cocoa and handed it to her.

"What?" Ian said, stunned.

"Oh, really," Kathryn said. Her eyes, wide in amazement.

"Yes, really," Chrissy said. "He's a member, and to make matters worse, I never let on that I knew who he was until tonight when Hillman twisted my arm into singing something, and Angela twisted my arm about singing something new, and it was one of his songs I was learning, but I didn't know he'd be in my ward when I printed the guitar tabs, and I didn't know he'd be there tonight, and Angela doesn't really remember who he is and certainly didn't know it was one of his, and he was sitting next to me, and..." She just ran with her sentence.

"Oh, honey. Slow down," empathy filled Kathryn's voice.

"To make things worse, he complimented me like I'd never been complimented before and basically, I got embarrassed because I completely butchered a song that no one knew, but the original singer was sitting right next to me and I couldn't stop myself and then I completely embarrassed me and made a fool out of myself."Chrissy leaned into her mother and her father brought her some more hot chocolate. Tonight, it was extra dark. Just like his eyes. If you didn't know him, or he wasn't smiling, you'd always think he was angry, but he wasn't angry. He had the look of love and concern over his little girl and wanted nothing more than for her to feel better, and not wake up with a headache, because crying this late at night causes headaches in the morning.

"How is it embarrassing if he complimented you," Kathryn asked her daughter as she combed her fingers in Chrissy's hair.

"I don't understand what any of this has to do with Brad," Ian said. "What happened with Brad?"

"I went to see Brad afterward, after I cleaned my house and made brownies. I took him some and asked him when he had changed his feelings for me." By now, Chrissy had chosen not to keep her calm, her face was red and the tears weren't stopping now.

"Oh," Said Marylin, shortly. "I don't understand what any of this has to do with that German singer in your ward."

"Everett commented that it was probably the best he's ever heard a cover of anything he's sung before and he doesn't sing like that, ever. Then he touched my arm, and I felt something that I haven't felt with Brad for months. Basically, Bradley Wayne Johansen has been lying to me and himself about how he feels for months." Her mother was holding her gently now and her father had brought back the cocoa for her and set it on the coffee table. He sat down next to her again and picked up her feet and started rubbing them.

"Oh," Ian said, "Brad is a liar now, is he?"

"Yes Dad! He's a liar," Chrissy blubbered. "He lied to himself that he thought he could work through this funk he's gotten himself into." Chrissy grabbed some tissue from the box on the coffee table. "He said he wanted to break it off gradually so I wouldn't get hurt. That he couldn't lie to himself any more, so I said, 'so it's okay to lie to me about it?' I just don't like being lied to."

"Gradually, huh?" Ian acknowledged .

"Dad, don't be mad at him. I already made him feel pretty bad."

"I'll bet you did, kiddo," Kathryn said. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I just said that I forgave him and left."

"Oh," said Kathryn. "That's pretty heavy."

Chrissy sat on the couch with her parents until 12:30, when her dad said, "Well, Chrissy, I'm glad you're home."

"Thanks Dad."

"Do you want to sleep in your room tonight?" Kathryn said.

"No, it's a couch kind of night. I have a test in the morning and then I have to go to the music store and work. No bank tomorrow. It's my week off from that place."

"Well, Pumpkin'," Ian said to her, "if there's anything you need, let us know." He stood and kissed his daughter on the forehead and went to bed.

"I will, Dad." she said as she rose to change her laundry to the dryer and start the next load. She walked to the adjoining bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. As she pulled the blanket over her from the back of the couch, she drifted into a heavy sleep. One that was dreamless, yet subduing. She began to feel truly rested.

It was six-thirty in the morning when Chrissy woke up. Without thinking about it too hard, she filed herself into the laundry room and found both loads of her laundry had been folded and her mom was in the kitchen making orange juice. She grabbed some clean clothes from the pile and changed in the adjoining bath room and got ready for the day. Since she had to work at the music store  after her test this morning, she picked something a little nicer than her yoga pants and her hoodie. She had to look semi-casual for a Saturday morning at the Piano Gallery.

"I thought you had enough to worry about last night," Kathryn said. "Don't worry, I hung up your sweater so it won't shrink."

"Thanks Mom," Chrissy smiled at her mother and kissed her on the cheek, "you're the greatest." And Chrissy meant it.

"So, now tell me," Kathryn said. "What is this test of yours?"

"Bio-informatics and Molecular Evolution." Chrissy smiled a sly one".


"Sounds interesting." she said, as she raised her eyebrows, and a cup of orange juice to her lips. "Are you ready for it? I mean after last night?"

"Yes, mom. I think I'm ready for this one."

"Well, I for one don't understand why you couldn't pick a normal major, like computer engineering, or something."

"You don't have to understand it Mom, just know that I like it." Chrissy found a bagel and toasted it.

"I'm glad you do." She kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Good luck."

"Thanks. No one has any idea how hard this one is going to be. Not even Hillman thinks he knows, and he's the smartest in class."

"Hillman has nothing on you, dear."Kathryn liked to hear about Chrissy's friends, but she found Hillman Sinclair to be sort of...annoying.

"I know you don't like him, Mom, but he's smart and he helped me pass lab last semester". She kissed her mom on her way out the door, but not before she grabbed a cup of juice and her backpack and purse.

"It's not that I don't like him," Kathryn said carefully. "Hillman is kooky. He's just a little young at heart, that's all."

By the time she got to the testing center, it was already 7:45. She gave her I.D. to the attendant and they took her purse and backpack and left her with a number two pencil and a calculator. When she walked into the testing room, she immediately picked out Hillman. It was easy since he was the tallest, even sitting down. He had probably been there for an hour already. When she sat, she found herself facing a 150-question test.

"Ugh," she said quietly to herself. Hillman must have heard her, because he looked up at her and through a roll of his eyes, he smiled and stealthily gave her a "thumbs up" . "That's a good sign," she thought. Chrissy looked closer and what she thought was 150 questions of pure misery was really just everything she had been studying for the last two weeks. She knew this stuff. Completely. There was no question in her mind that she knew what was staring her back from the paper. Her involuntary body functions took over now and she was more than half-way finished by the time Hillman got up and hurriedly left. She smiled at him and raised her right eyebrow as he smiled back, again, thumbs-upping her. Chrissy leaned back in her chair, rolled her neck, stretched out her arms and took a couple of deep yoga breaths to get her focus again. The next 15 minutes were a blur. Her auto-pilot took over and she really had little recollection of what the events which transpired next.

She didn't have ignore flowers and balloons walking past the window. She didn't even see them, but by the time they went by a third time, when she had finished her test, handed it in and retrieved her belongings, the testing center attendant said, "Can you believe someone spent all that money on flowers?" One of the attendants said, looking out the window.

"Yeah," said the other attendant. "Whomever did that must really be in the doghouse." Chrissy tried not to pay attention as she walked out of the testing center.

Then she saw him. Bradley Wayne Johansen.

"What are you doing here. Brad?" She nearly hissed as she pulled her backpack onto her back. By now, Chrissy sounded really peeved. All she could think about was her test, to try to evaluate how she did. What she really wanted to do was talk to Hillman about it. To see how he thought he did, and to compare notes. But now she couldn't. Now she could afford to get all emotional. Again. But she wouldn't let it happen. She had to be the strong one, and not cry in front of Brad.

"I want to apologize for last night." Brad said with a touch of remorse in his voice. "What I did was unacceptable and uncalled for. I'm sorry."

"It's not just last night, Brad. At least three months." Chrissy had an air of annoyance in her voice, "anyway, how did you know to find me here, and more importantly, It's only nine-twenty in the morning. Where did you get all this at this hour?" She asked pointing to the gifts he was trying to proffer to her. "No one is open yet."

"I called your apartment. Your roommates told me to find you here. Since I know you like to get your tests out of the way, I thought 9 in the morning would be a good time to start, so I went to the photo counter at the grocery store." Brad had a hopeful look on his face. "I was wondering if we could go get breakfast," his voice sounded soft. like he was trying to court her. He was still wearing the clothes he wore to work last night, which told Chrissy that he hadn't been home yet. She was annoyed.

Chrissy smiled, even though she was annoyed. "Brad," shook her head and matter-of-factually stated, "I'll have breakfast with you, but I will not take you back."

"So," he hesitated, and looked around him. "It's really over then?"

"Yes, Bradley." Chrissy said as she clung to the straps of her back pack and leaned on one foot. "It's really over. You said last night that you lied to me for three months. You basically admitted that you were the source of my hurt. I don't need to keep that kind of thing around. I really don't need that." Chrissy shook her head as she stretched out the word need. "I'm not going to make myself wonder on a daily basis like that."

Brad looked stunned. As if his best friend ran in front of a semi truck. Figuratively , he had pushed her there. He gazed around the hallway at the students who were passing by, "Can we be friends at least?"

"You're very noble, Brad." She paused." Possibly." She wanted to give him a hug, but instead said,"If we're going to have breakfast, I need to do it right now. I have to go to work."