I just slayed a monster, but wouldn’t you believe it I was shaking in my boots.

We pulled into the Pho Noodle House parking lot. The lot was butted up against the old Kmart lot that had been vacant for years. Now it was just rusted light poles, broken shopping carts, and a garden of weeds taller than me. That’s Vallejo for yah. Always on the brink of death and bankruptcy. And yet this new Pho place had cropped up last year and blew all the other Pho places out of the water.

Across from us was Bud’s Burger, Vallejo’s number one burger joint. The smell of cheeseburgers almost made me change my mind. We could always go there on the third date. A grin spread across my face. I was on a second date with Charice!

We waited to be seated with a family that came in just before we did. The parents were young, maybe only ten years older than myself and Charice but they had two kids, a boy and a girl. I wouldn’t put either of them over ten years old.

The hostess wasn’t paying attention and tried to seat us first.

“They were waiting first,” said Charice. The parents smiled and said thanks.

“That was nice of you,” I said.

Charice shrugged. “It’s only fair.”

The hostess returned and seated us.

“And we didn’t have to wait any longer for it,” said Charice.

I smiled. She was so chill. Easy going.

“What?” she asked me.

I frowned. “Nothing,” I grinned. “Patience is a virtue.”

“What comes around goes around.”

We were seated in booth seats parallel to the family.

“Anything to drink?” asked the waiter.

“Two waters for starters.” My mouth was parched.

I eyed the menu. “So many good choices. I’m ready for some noodles and meat.”

Charice didn’t respond. She was holding her menu so that it blocked the bottom half of her face. She mimicked the little girl sitting parallel to us who had her fingers and eyes peeking over the edge of her chair, staring at Charice. Charice made a face at her and the girl giggled, the sides of her eyes squinting just enough to know that she was smiling.

I chuckled. She was good with kids. Even though he was annoying, I could see Charice and Aiden getting along just fine. “You work with kids?” I asked her.

“I want to,” she said. “I’d like to be a pediatrician someday.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Wow. I don’t run into too many people that want to be a doctor, let alone one for kids.”

“I like to make kids happy. Keeping them healthy seems like a good choice.”

I nodded. “It’ll take a lot of schooling though.”

“It’ll be worth it. Maybe I’ll even get to save lives,” she said. “Plus with all that schooling I’ll have an excuse to get away from here.”

The waiter came around and dropped us some ice water in glass cups. Cool condensation sweat through the glass. I took a long swig. It hurt my teeth, but it was refreshing.

“Aaaaahhh,” I sighed. “I needed that.”

“Dehydrated?” asked Charice.

“Yeah probably.”

“What was so urgent that you canceled dinner anyways?”

“Oh, you know. Saving lives.”

Charice smirked. “If you want to be private it’s cool. I just thought we were here to get to know one another.”

“Touché,” I said. “Know what you’re ordering yet?”

She looked at the menu. “There’s so many good options. I think I’ll get the #1 Dac Biet Bo Vien. Wet noodles sound good on a cold night like tonight. Plus I can make it extra spicy.”

“I’m sticking with a meat plate.” I pointed to the picture on the menu so she could see.

“That one is mild though.”

“I don’t do spicy.”

“Wimp,” she said.

“Whatever,” I said. “I’d like my stomach to feel good.”

“White people,” said Charice, mocking me. “Such sensitive stomachs.”

The waiter came back and took our order. While we waited we chatted small talk.

The food came fast and did not disappoint. Thick steam rose from the food. The smells of meat and noodles and freshly sliced pickled vegetables filled my nostrils and my mouth watered.

“Looks amazing,” said Charice.

I took smaller bites than I normally would, until I realized that Charice wasn’t holding back.

“I thought you were hungry, Sean.”

“I thought girls don’t like to eat too much food because it’ll ruin their form.”

“Please! Not this girl. Gotta have my food. Good food is a good life.”

“Amen to that.”

Man, I like everything about this girl.

“So what do you have against Vallejo?”

She had a mouth full of noodles, a look of confusion masking her face.

“Earlier you said you wouldn’t mind an excuse to get away from here.”

She nodded and swallowed. “It’s not that I don’t like living here it’s just—”

She stopped as if holding back.

Next to us the boy and girl were play fighting at their table.

“Just what?”

She eyed the family. “I never had what they have. My home life kinda sucked growing up. Until my brother finally moved out.”

“Because he was in a gang?”

She nodded. “Growing up, we were pretty poor. We always lived on the South side of Vallejo.”

The South side was notoriously HOOD. I filled my mouth with a forkful of beef and let her continue.

“Dad was always working overtime to make ends meet. And Mom worked part time too. That left me and Justin alone most of the time. He hated our upbringing. He’d go to school and see what the other kids had, nice clothes, nice shoes, nice backpacks. Parents available to help them at home with their homework. We didn’t have any of that.”

“But you’ve turned out okay. Why didn’t he?”

Charice shrugged. “I guess he saw how hard my dad worked just to barely scrape by, meanwhile he learned an easier living could be made by selling weed and other drugs. When he got jumped into a gang he finally had that male camaraderie that he was looking for. And no one was going to look down on him.”

“Geewhiz. That’s heavy. Sure you don’t want to be a psychiatrist?”

Charice swallowed more noodles. “I notice when people are hurting. Especially kids. That’s why I want to become a children’s doctor, so in some small way I can help kids feel better.

“What about you Sean? How was your family growing up?”

That was a loaded question. “Growing up it was good. When the whole family was together.”

“Did some family members move away?”

“Gavin did. He’s my younger brother.”

“Where to?”

“Washington. The state. He wanted to get away from it all... after my sister and dad passed.”

Charice’s eyebrows furrowed with concern and her eyes got watery.

“I’m sorry Sean. I didn’t know...”

“It’s cool.” My voice cracked as I got a little choked up. I cleared my throat. I noticed she was wearing a butterfly bracelet. I took the opportunity to change the subject.

“What’s that about?” I touched it. “Seems a little girly to be wearing.”

She rolled her eyes and flashed me her brilliantly white teeth. “This is a present from my Lola. Grandma. I told her what I wanted to be and she gave me this bracelet.”

“That’s cool. What’s that have to do with being a children’s doctor?”

“It’s a reminder that we all can transform into something beautiful. If we work hard enough we can change.”

I nodded.

Charice must have sensed my discomfort. “What?”

“Nothing.” I didn’t want to dampen the mood.

“No really Sean. What?”

I sighed. “It’s just that for the last few years, changes were always results of something bad happening.”

I assumed she’d try to argue, but instead Charice just nodded, hearing me out.

“I just wish... some things could stay the same.”

I put my hand down on the table.

“Change isn’t always bad though Sean.”

Her hand slid over mine.

I don’t think she was insinuating that not all things were bad because I had her. She was genuinely just trying to comfort me in some small way. But when her hand touched mine I smiled and then we both looked at our hands touching and retracted them.

“That wasn’t awkward,” I chuckled.

“I’m serious, Sean.”

She reached over and playfully punched me. “I was trying to cheer you up.”

I laughed. “You did… by being awkward.”

She rolled her eyes and blushed.

We both grinned at each other.

They brought us the check.

“Shall we?” I stood up.

“We didn’t get to talk about what you want to do for a career.”

“Talk about it over dessert somewhere? You like FroYo?”

“Sure.”

The date was actually going well. We were chilling and I was digging the vibe, even if things did get real a little too fast.

As I was paying for the meal I got that sickening sensation.

My Keening burned.