“I know.” Zach agreed. “That wasn’t my third question.”
“Oh?” his ancestor asked in surprise.
“I wanted to know if... um... if... you think Hannah would go out with me if I asked her?”
Faye gave a knowing smile. “That’s a question I can answer with no hesitation at all. Yes, dear boy. The answer to that one is an unqualified ‘yes.’”
Chapter 12—The Reel World
Emboldened by Faye’s assurance of success, Zachary lost no time in asking Hannah to go out with him. On the following Friday evening, he maneuvered his car silently up the driveway to the farmhouse. No exhaust fumes, no rumble from a bad muffler. It was going to cost him a week of yard work, but he’d managed to wheedle his dad into giving him the keys to the family sedan. He checked his look in the rearview mirror, running anxious fingers over the crown of his head. Even without gel, his hair still had a tendency to stick straight up in the air.
He loped up the walk and knocked hesitantly on the front door. Hannah swung it open immediately.
She gave him a tremulous smile. “H... hello. Won’t you come in?”
He gulped. She looked prettier than he’d ever seen her before and that was saying a lot. Gamma must have helped her curl her hair. She was wearing makeup and a dress made of some kind of gauzy material that seemed to float on the draft coming through the door.
He walked into the warm, bright parlor where his ancestor was sitting in her favorite armchair. “Hello, Zachary,” she said. “I didn’t hear you come up the drive.”
“That’s because I’ve got my dad’s car.”
“Very wise of you.” She nodded her head approvingly. “And where will you be taking Hannah tonight?”
“To the Cineplex at the mall. There’s a new pirate movie that just came out.”
“Nothing violent, I hope?” the old woman asked in a worried tone.
“Strictly PG.”
“What’s PG?” Hannah asked.
“It’s a rating system for films, dear,” Faye explained. “It means the content of the movie is suitable for general audiences. No graphic sex or violence.”
“Oh, my!” Hannah looked alarmed. “Do movies usually have sex and violence?”
“Some do,” Zach said. “The one we’re seeing tonight shouldn’t be too racy.”
She eyed him dubiously.
He checked his watch. “We better go, or we’ll miss the trailers.”
“What’s a—"
“Never mind.” He cut her off. “I’ll explain in the car.”
“Hannah, you should take a wrap,” Faye warned. “It’s chilly out tonight.”
***
Zach paid for their tickets and led Hannah into the theater. Once through the entry door, she stopped dead in her tracks, goggle-eyed at the size of the lobby and its glossy film posters framed in blinking lights. Zach found himself secretly fascinated by her reaction. He was seeing the world through her eyes, and it carried him back to the first time he’d ever been to the movies. All the wonder of make-believe on the big screen returned to him in a rush.
He nudged her toward the refreshment counter. “Do you like popcorn?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “What is it?”
“It’s corn that’s popped.”
“Oh, just like it sounds.”
Zach ordered a large bucket of popcorn and two sodas from the attendant. “We can share,” he told her. “That way if you don’t like it... more for me.”
She giggled at his ungallant explanation. He colored in embarrassment, wishing he could snatch the words back. Only a knuckle-dragging mouth-breather would say something as lame as “more for me.” Duh!
Hannah jumped slightly when the popcorn maker started shooting kernels into the bin. She pressed her hands against the glass, entranced by the process.
The boy chuckled at her amazement. He handed her a soda and balanced his own soft drink and the bucket of popcorn, all the while steering her to the correct theater.
She glanced up at the dozen marquees. “You mean all these different movies are playing here at the same time?”
“Yup. Here’s ours.” He ushered her through a semi-darkened doorway.
She had a little trouble figuring out how the seat worked and stood puzzling over it.
“It collapses, see? Push on it.”
She did as he instructed, and the seat dropped down. When she released her hand, it popped back up again. Hannah jumped back, startled, then tried again. And again. And again. This went on for several seconds.
“Hold the seat down and then sit on it,” Zach urged, once her giggling subsided.
“Your grandmother doesn’t have chairs like this at home,” Hannah confided as Zach slid down beside her.
“Nope, it’s a movie theater specialty. Want some corn?” He extended the bucket toward her.
She reached in tentatively and selected three kernels. Cautiously putting them in her mouth, she chewed with great concentration as if she were analyzing the taste. Her eyes flew open in surprise. “This is good. Buttery.”
“I ordered extra butter.”
Hannah didn’t need any more encouragement. She dove into the bucket and scooped up an entire handful.
The theater lights dimmed.
“What’s happening now?” she asked in alarm.
“It’s show time.” Zach leaned back in his seat. “Oh, I almost forgot. When the movie starts, put these on.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved a pair of glasses with tinted lenses.
Hannah took the object and examined it warily. “I can see the screen just fine from here, Zachary. I don’t need glasses.”
“These aren’t ordinary glasses. You use them to see the 3-D effects. This movie was filmed with special cameras so sometimes it looks like the action onscreen is actually jumping off the screen in three dimensions.”
She stared at him blankly.
“Don’t worry about it. Just remember to put the glasses on when the movie starts and don’t take them off til it’s over, OK?”
“If you say so,” she agreed, sounding unconvinced.
The previews rolled—one action scene after another accompanied by the blast of Dolby Surround Sound. Zach snuck a look at Hannah to see how she was enjoying the experience. She sat gaping at the screen,
