Tuesday had passed, Wednesday had passed, he'd lived through another visit from the probo guy - and now it was Friday afternoon again. He'd walked home from work, and as he crossed the street to his house, his phone rang. He ran up to the porch, collapsed into a chair, and pulled it from his pocket. Rapunzel's name was on the screen. 

"Hey," he said, holding the phone to his ear. "Are we going out tonight?"

She paused. "Well, that might be kind of hard. What if they found out?"

"Who, the authorities?" 

"You know, my parents."

"Well," he asked, "what's a way to see me without just blatantly lying?" 

"Blatantly not telling them," she said, and laughed. 

Tyler sat back and crossed his legs. "I guess if we just happen to run into each other somewhere...."

"Hold on," she said. "I got a text." 

He held the phone to his ear, and waited. A few minutes later, Rachel's voice returned. "Um, it's kind of too perfect," she said. "Bethany just texted me. She's doing wedding stuff tonight, and no one's going to be home at her house. She asked me if I'd go over there and do all the place cards. 'Cause she likes my handwriting." 

"Are her parents going out?" 

"Yeah," Rachel said. "They're like, Friday-night-at-the-bar people. So if you wanted to meet me there...."

"And you can just say you're going to Bethany's house." 

"Which I am." 

"Okay," he said, "what time?" 

"Like seven. She lives down the street from me. At 9740 Eunice. It's on the next corner."

"Okay," he said. 

"But don't drive past my house on the way." She giggled. "Go around the block."

"Okay." 

They chatted for a few minutes more, and then hung up. Tyler went in, and found his grandma in the kitchen. She stood at the sink, and a pizza was in the oven. "Are you going out tonight?"

He nodded. "I'm going to someone's house."

"Whose?"

"Just someone from church. Not Rachel's."

He went up to the attic, and then back down to take a shower. When he left the bathroom, he ate a few pieces of pizza, and looked around for the keys. His grandma had settled in front of the TV, and Tyler grabbed his phone. Where did you say her house was? he typed, and he stepped out the door. 

9740 Eunice, she answered. And Tyler said: Ok. I'll be there in a few minutes. 

He got in the car and drove down the road. When he got to Main Street, he came to a corner drug store, and parked at the curb. He went in and grabbed a soda out of the fridge, and then walked up and down the aisles, all the way to the back of the store. He wasn't sure if Rachel wanted to do anything that night - or wanted to at all - but just in case. He picked up a box of condoms, and went to the counter to pay.

"Can I see your I.D., young man?" the cashier asked, as Tyler set down his stuff. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and asked, "How old do I have to be?" 

"Eighteen, young man." 

Well I just turned twenty, old man, he thought, and showed him his identification. 

He left the store, and drove down the road. He had to approach Eunice from the next block, and drove through a winding street. He came to a corner, and checked the address. Bethany's house was also a Victorian, but it was painted white, and was like a normal size. No cars were in the driveway, and Tyler parked at the curb. 

He went down the front path and knocked. A few seconds later the door opened, and Rachel led him inside. "Hey," he said. "Are we alone?" She nodded, and closed the door. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, and they kissed. 

They stepped away from each other, and went down the hall to the kitchen. The table was covered in hundreds of little white cards, and a few black markers, and a sheet of paper with a long list of names. "You have to do that many place cards?" Tyler asked. "How many people are coming?" 

"About two hundred," Rachel said. "'Cause, you know, the more people Bethany invites, the more presents she'll get." 

"Are her parents all right with her getting married.... How old is she, eighteen?" 

"Mm-hmm. Well, I don't know how they'd try to stop her." 

They each pulled out a chair, and sat next to each other. She picked up one card, and took the cap off a pen. They'd gotten to the point where just sitting and chatting was as good as going out - he and Rachel talked about and therefore thought about the same things. They had the same questions about life, and generally found the same answers. And he loved her voice, loved its pitch and her Southern accent. Her hair was in a ponytail, and he noticed her ears, and their unpierced skin.

She put down one place card and admired it. "Guess I should ask Bethany what she thinks." She got her phone from the counter, and snapped a photo. She sent the picture and it rang almost immediately. "She likes it," Rachel said, tapping the screen. "Hey, do you want to see her dress?" 

"Okay."

They left the kitchen, and held hands as they walked upstairs. Bethany's room was painted blue, and her bed was covered with stuffed animals. Rachel switched on the light, and went to the closet. A garment bag hung from the door, and when she unzipped it, yards and yards of white lace tumbled out. 

"Well, that's princess-like," Tyler said. "Yeah, well," said Rachel, "if not on your wedding day, then when?" 

"Is she getting married at church?" 

Rachel shook her head. "At a hotel," she said. "That big one on the highway. It has like a ballroom you can rent for weddings and stuff."

"Oh. I guess you're going."

"Mm-hmm. She asked me to sing at the ceremony. I'm going to sing 'All Things Bright and Beautiful.' It's this old hymn."

"Your dad's not officiating, is he?"

She shook her head. "They got a justice of the peace."

Tyler stood behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I wish we could go together," Rachel said. "But there are going to be so many people there...."

"Someone might tell." 

"Well, they might just happen to mention it. In church or something." 

He noticed she was looking at the bed, and wondered what she was thinking. "There could be another way," he said. "If your parents expect you to stay out late...." 

She smiled. "Well, it is at a hotel."

He leaned down, and asked quietly, "Would you want to get a room? Me and you?" 

"We could...."

"What time is the wedding?" 

"Five o'clock," she said. "And it'll probably last a couple hours."

"I could get there earlier. And get a room. And wait." 

"And when it's over I could make sure no one's looking and...."

"Sneak upstairs?" he asked, and they both laughed. 

She wiggled out of his embrace, went to the closet and stuffed the dress back in its bag. "What are you wearing to the wedding?" Tyler asked, as she zipped the bag up. "Just this yellow dress I have," Rachel said. "I got it for weddings and stuff." 

She switched off the light, and they stepped back out to the staircase. The top step was a little bit steep, and seemed a little unsafe. There was no rail, and it would be a long drop to the first floor. Tyler enveloped his arm around Rachel's waist, and held her close. She laid her head on his chest and asked, "I can be safe with you, can't I?"

"Yeah, of course," Tyler said, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you." 

He hadn't meant to say it, but it just came out, and he realized he'd meant it. Rachel snuggled further into his body, and they stood together, perched at the top of the stairs. Like they were sheltered together. And if they stayed in each other's arms, all the dangers in the world would disappear. 

They finally stepped down the stairs, and went back to the kitchen. Rachel had dozens and dozens more place cards to write, and they sat at the table. "I feel like I should help or something," Tyler said. "But she probably wouldn't like my handwriting."

"No, probably not," said Rachel, and laughed. 

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

He got home in the middle of the night, and parked in the driveway. He unlocked the door and went in, and his grandma was asleep in her room. He went to the living room and lay on the couch, and watched Marigold snooze at his feet. Clicking on the TV, he stuffed a pillow under his head. As he dozed off to some black-and-white movie, he imagined his grandma waking up tomorrow, and asking him for the keys.... He opened his eyes, and he thought. Was there something in the car he wouldn't want her to see? He fell back asleep, and then jumped up. Running outside barefoot, he unlocked the doors. He grabbed the plastic bag that contained the box of condoms, and hurried up to his room.