Two weeks later, I had just walked in the door from school when mom told me that I had received a phone call and that she had wrote the number down next to the phone. I didn’t recognize the number at all, so when I called it back and got some official sounding office, I nearly hung up the phone without saying anything.

“Hello?” an average sounding male voice on the other end repeated for the third or fourth time before I finally said something.

“Hello, this is Max Riddle. I think someone called me from this number earlier?” I said nervously.

“Oh yes!” the man said sounding much more upbeat, “Please hold while I transfer your call.”

I was used to getting put on hold. That happens whenever I try to call my dad at his office.

“Hello Max!” a woman’s voice sang into my ear.

I knew the voice, but it took me a second or two to place it.

“Mrs. Orric?” I said, unsure if I had guessed right or not.

“That’s right Max!” She sang again and I couldn’t help thinking how unlike Mrs. Orric she sounded.

“Max, I have got to meet with you as soon as possible. I have some wonderful news for you.” She said.

“You do? I mean…” I couldn’t finish my thought. My brain was working in overdrive, but I was still confused.

“How about this evening? We can talk over dinner.” She said, but before I could reply, she added, “I won’t take no for an answer Max! And be sure to wear something nice. A suit and tie, if you would.”

I could hear a bunch of noise in the background that sounded a lot like a busy shopping mall or somewhere like that.

“Uh, I’ll have to ask my parents first.” I said.

“Absolutely Max! You do that; I will hold.” Mrs. Orric said, and then it sounded like she was talking to someone else wherever she was at. “No, no! It mustn’t have any writing or pictures.”

Confused and nervous I put the phone down on the counter and went searching for mom, but instead, I found my dad. He was just walking in the front door.

“You’re home early.” I told him and then I explained to him about how Mrs. Orric, the Mayor’s wife, wanted to take me to dinner. Needless to say, Dad was pretty much stunned.

“You know the Mayor’s wife?” he asked.

“Um, yeah.” I said feeling almost guilty, because he didn’t have a clue as to how I had met her in the first place and there was no way I was going to tell him either. In the end I told him, that I’d met her and her son at the movies.

“As long as we know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. I don’t see why you shouldn’t go.” Dad said, and I could tell that he was both impressed and proud that I was rubbing shoulders with someone so important.

I went back to the phone, picked it up and put it to my ear. There was even more commotion in the background than before.

“If they want that much money, tell them, we’ll have to pass. No wait; tell them, that we’re in negotiations with another company at half the price they are offering and see, what they say to that.” I heard Mrs. Orric saying.

“Mrs. Orric?” I said into the phone.

“Oh Max, is everything set then?” She asked, sounding overly sweet.

“Uh, my dad said it was okay.” I said, still feeling like my stomach was doing flip-flops like a fish out of water.

“That is wonderful! I will send my driver to pick you up in say, two hours?” she said. “Okay, bye-bye!” and then she hung up.

I hung up our phone and turned to see mom and dad looking at me with expectant eyes. I guessed, that dad had already told mom about the Mayors wife wanting to take me to diner.

“Well?” Mom said when I didn’t say anything.

“Sh-she’s sending her driver to pick me up in two hours.” I said, as that thought finally sunk in. “She also said I should wear a suit and tie.”

I showered, combed my hair, put on my best suit and one of my father’s ties, while mom polished my shoes for me. They kept asking questions like, I wonder what she wants? Or they would ask me about meeting her the first time. Stuff like that.

Dad also told how he had met the mayor and even once met his wife, but he’d never been asked to dinner.

Waiting for the driver to arrive was agonizing, but finally, a long black car pulled up in front of the house and I knew that must be for me.

“Do you have your phone?” Mom asked.