TURKISH DELIGHT by Barry Faulkner (learn to read activity book .txt) 📕

Mandy got to her feet. She stormed out of the restaurant, leaving me there seated in shock. One minute, everything had been going perfectly. The very next minute, it was like my world was sinking into an abyss.

There was now no need to hide from the coach. He had already returned from the bathroom and had noticed me from the commotion. I expected him to come storming over, but he remained seated for a while. I tried finishing my dessert, but it was no good; I was too upset.

All I had to do was tell Mandy the truth, but I hesitated. She had to understand because I was not hiding out of fear of being seen with her. It was fear of the coach assuming that I was womanizing instead of resting and preparing for the big game.

However, I was also scared that by bringing it up, the issue about my reputation with women would come up. There was nothing worse than Mandy having to endure more stories about my past and my mistakes.

I didn’t want to wreck what was a developing relationship even before it had started. I wanted to show Mandy that I genuinely cared for her, and I would not accept this to just end on such a small misunderstanding.

I saw Coach Kramer rise to his feet. He started walking over to my table. This was it for me, I knew I was in trouble, and there was no escaping it now. I would have to convince the coach that I was just having an innocent dinner, and it had nothing to do with my usual quests.

“Felix, I’m glad to see you here,” said the coach, taking a seat where Mandy had been sitting earlier.

He had a big smile on his face, which surprised me. “I’m proud of you,” he informed me. “I’ve never seen you expressing such emotion over a woman before, and your affection for Mandy is obvious.”

He shocked me with his reaction. I expected him to give me a hard time, even threaten my position on the team, but he just patted me on the shoulder.

 “It’s clear you’re not just trying to play the field with Mandy. There is something sincere about your actions.”

I nodded my head. “I’ve never felt this way about a woman before.” Nervously, I glanced up. “I… I think I’m starting to fall for her. I keep imagining what our life could be like together.”

Coach’s face lit up. “Are you finally ready for an adult relationship, Felix?”

“She’s the first girl I’ve ever imagined marrying,” I admitted. Hearing those words coming out of my own mouth shook me.

I was surprised that I sat there and openly expressed just how I felt about Mandy. My heart quivered with the risk. There was fear there, but oddly, I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

“Mandy is extraordinary,” I told the coach. “I’ve never met anyone like her. I can’t get her out of my mind, and I don’t want to.”

We ended up sitting there for a while, discussing relationships, and I realized that I shouldn’t be upset over Mandy leaving me there abruptly. After all, she had every reason to be suspicious about what I really wanted.

I never expected it, but the coach ended up giving me some sound relationship advice and vowed to be on my side. He made it clear that my position on the team was not vulnerable as long as I kept up with the rest of my teammates.

I left the restaurant feeling happy, knowing only too well that I would fix the damage between Mandy and me. As long as the coach was not breathing down my neck, everything would be alright. I would be able to fix everything and be with her because I was really crazy about Mandy.

Chapter Nine – Mandy

There were little, dark clouds hanging over my head.

I was slouched on my couch trying to watch some soap opera on television, but I simply could not concentrate.

The sour taste of what had happened the previous night still lingered in my mouth, and I felt really stupid that I had trusted Felix to be a different man. It had been a bad mistake to not listen to my own initial instincts.

As I sat there sulking and thinking just how stupid I was, I got a phone call from Brianna. She and Barry had just gotten back from seeing a musical, and she wanted to invite me out for drinks. The idea of getting drunk was appealing, but my mood was too sour. There was no way I was getting off the couch.

I told her everything about Felix, how we had gone out for the first time and how he tried to hide that he was with me. I told her that I felt foolish agreeing to be with Felix. There was no way I could have avoided the initial date that was explicitly organized by the coaches. Still, I should have never accepted an invitation to have dinner with him.

I told Brianna how we had kissed that night in the ballroom, how hot it had been. There was a spark between the two of us, but now, all I felt was a deep darkness that had replaced that affection.

Brianna listened patiently until I was done. “Look,” she said, “it was likely that there was a misunderstanding considering the coach technically is Felix’s boss.”

“I doubt it,” I argued. “Felix is just like Drake. You know it. We’ve all heard the stories.”

She knew that I had been single for a long time, and she tried as much as possible to push the idea of being with Felix. Brianna was very interested in seeing me happy, and one of those ways was being with a boyfriend.

However, I dismissed any notion that there was a misunderstanding between Felix and me. I reminded