for @warashes.
david has a way of getting wind of everything. it’s mostly because jane marie acts suspicious, and because she’s a good, honest girl; all he has to do is ask, and she spills her secrets. it’s how he knows to intercept the knocking at the door before she has the chance to, because she’d already told him what was going on: some boy taking her dancing. it’s out of the question.
david opens the door a crack, and looks the young man up and down in silence for a moment. he has to admit, he’s impressed. he’d expected someone little, mousy -- not this kid. “jane-marie told me you were kind enough to ask her somewhere tonight.” he only says the kind part to soften the blow, and only because he knows that jane is probably listening to this whole conversation from upstairs “but ‘m afraid she ain’t the courting type.”
