Tabby Goes Out - Quick Write 9/28/10

(The first sentence was provided as a writing prompt.  The rest was written in about 25 minutes with about 5 minutes of editing/rewriting following.  Again, my goal is quantity, not quality at this point.)
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Carl was his name, and sailing was his game.  At least, that's what he told anyone who asked.  In reality, he worked in the little booth at the end of the pier where tourists could book whale watching tours and rent those ridiculous yellow paddle-boats by the half hour.  Tabby's friends either didn't realize this, or they figured that she was more likely to go out with him if they didn't tell her.  She was betting on the latter.  They were always telling her that she was too picky, although she preferred to think of herself as discerning.

He showed up at the door flourishing a handful of slightly wilted daisies.  Daisies were Tabby's favorite flower (apparently her friends had no qualms about sharing her secrets with him), so this would have worked in his favor, except that she recognized them as being hastily pulled from the flowerbed of her neighbor 3 doors down.  Mrs. Granger was going to be ticked!  Tabby, not wanting to start the date out on a sour note, thanked him, put the flowers in a vase, and made a mental note to send Mrs. Granger an apology.  She grabbed a light jacket and followed him down the step.

Things only got worse from there.  Carl's vehicle was less a "car" and more a "pile of rust trained to take car shape".  Tabby could feel the evening air swirling up through the holes in the floorboards.  She tried desperately to stop her brain from picturing all the ways this car could kill them on the short ride to the theater:  failing brakes, poisonous fumes, just plain falling to pieces as they scooted along at top speed (which, thankfully, was about 45 mph).  As Carl awkwardly tried to parallel park in a spot that wasn't quite big enough, Tabby realized she had been holding onto the door handle so tightly her hand hurt.  In through the nose, out through the mouth.  She took a couple of calming breaths as he walked around to her side.

She waited for him to wrestle her door open, and they walked toward the theater.  Her heart sank when she saw the movies listed on the marquee.  There were 2 children's cartoons, a horror flick, and a documentary about the indigenous peoples of South America.  Which of these gems was this guy going to pick for their very first (blind!) date?  She quickly scanned the board, looking for the shortest movie.  That way if he asked her opinion, she'd have a reason for picking one. 

Carl didn't ask her opinion, though.  He sauntered up to the little window and purchased two tickets for the documentary.  At least there was the chance she'd learn about some South American dart poisons.  Then she'd have a way of dealing with her friends at work tomorrow.  Tabby found a couple of only slightly crooked seats together (near the emergency exit) and settled in.   She was trying to ignore the way her new pumps were sticking to the floor when Carl returned from the concession stand.  "It was much cheaper to buy one extra large soda and popcorn rather than getting 2 mediums of each," he said.  "I didn't think you'd mind."  He grinned at her and held out a glistening tub of popcorn as big as her head.

Tabby sighed.  It was going to be a long night.
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I was totally freaked out by this beginning sentence because I don't know the first thing about sailing.  Suddenly, I realized that Carl was just as ignorant about sailing (and apparently women) as I am.  I kind of thought this was going to turn into a romantic comedy, but something tells me that these two aren't going to have a second date.  :)