The family gathers in the kitchen where Aunt Kathleen had put out trays of cold cuts, potato salad, coleslaw and potato chips. There were bottles of coke in the refrigerator along with cans of Bud for the adults. A brief conversation between the cousins, Dee and Davey takes place: Dee said to Davey, “Are you really a genius? You don’t seem like one.” Davey, “I am blessed. If I can ever help you with anything please let me know. Do you have any good looking friends who are free tonight?” Dee says, “I get better marks in school than you do and all my friends are good looking but busy. You’re stuck with me, or maybe I’m stuck with you, for the next two days.”
After the meal is finished Aunt Kathleen asks Donna to walk the family dog, Angel. Donna tells her mom that it is Kathy’s turn. Kathy is about to object when Donna adds, “Maybe Robert can go with her.” Kathy grudgingly agrees to walk Angel. Of course the grudging part was an act, something which Kathy was good at. About 4pm Kathy, Robert and Angel go for a walk.
They walked and began talking, quickly losing track of the time. Kathy asked Robert about his family, about his future. She offered her complete attention. Unlike Robert, she was not trying to think of the next word she would say while he was talking. She took in everything he said and stopped for a while to think about it before she responded. The discussion was not a competition of who was the smarter, wittier person but a revealing of who the inner person was, the real person. To Robert it was refreshing and a little strange. Soon he was communicating in the same manner she was. It was more of a collaboration than a contest. When talking about her life and future there was an intensity about her that he had never seen in another contemporary. She was a serious person. From what she said, Robert believed that some of her seriousness stemmed from her religious beliefs. Even at 17, she was well grounded, she knew who she was and what she wanted to accomplish. She was much more mature than he was. In this first lengthy conversation he knew she was completely different than anyone else he had encountered in his young life. Her seriousness, intensity and sweetness overwhelmed him. Depending upon the subject discussed, she could easily move from intensity to more mundane late teenage issues. Robert tried to make her laugh. More often than not he succeeded. In spite of their first confrontational encounter in her cousin’s living room in Brooklyn, she loved Robert’s wise cracking, fast talking, Brooklyn attitude. Kat laughed a lot and enjoyed laughing. She was not a joke teller but a great audience. Robert thought they were a perfect match. He wondered what Kathy thought. They get back to Kathy’s house at 6pm, after a 2 hour walk. Angel is panting and she hasn’t relieved herself.