Karl on his coat and cajoled him into giving her the name of the store where he'd bought it, since it was exactly the kind of gift she'd been seeking out for her own father. Like everyone else, Karl glowed under Trista's attention, and I could tell he was disappointed when she finally excused herself and the other girls so they could catch some of the guys' basketball practice.
"Oh!" Trista called back after they'd turned to go. "I'd love to pick your brain about Northwestern sometime. Cara's been raving about it. It sounds like an exceptional school."
That did it. Karl went supernova. "Anytime, Trista. Anytime." Then, as he turned to smile down at me, Trista shot me a knowing smirk and wink ... and I finally got it. She'd said she'd help with my home situation, and charming Karl to within an inch of his life was her way of doing it. I didn't know if it would work, but I loved that she'd made the effort. It proved she really did think of me as one of them.
"So ... our new friends seem very nice," Karl said. He did that when he was being playful: made everything plural like it belonged to us both. I was supposed to balk and call him on it, but after spending several weeks disowned, I didn't have the energy.
"I have a surprise for you." He gestured to his car.
Come on.
"What about my car?"
"We'll get it later."
Karl stared straight ahead as he drove, but his voice was cheerful. "Guess where we're going?"
"I don't know. Where?"
"Pat's ... Steaks," he said.
Pat's totally lived up to its hype as the best cheesesteak place in Philly, but it was all the way in the city, so we almost never went. Something was seriously up, but after several minutes of silence, I knew Karl wouldn't tell me unless I pried it out of him.
"Why?" I asked.
"We received your report card," Karl said. "It was exactly as you and your mother had said: straight As. Clearly you did not go quite as astray as I'd first believed. I have already apologized to your mother for not taking her at her word when she told me she spoke to your teachers. I should have. I also should have been more careful in choosing my words to you when I was upset. You are not a stranger, you are not dangerous, and you will always be my daughter. I love you."
Karl was sweating and he had the steering wheel in a death grip. I stared at him, my heart beating a little faster in anticipation. Was this it? Was he going to lift the grounding?
"Cara?"
"Oh." I realized he was waiting for absolution. That had never been a problem for me, telling Karl what he needed to make him feel better. But this time ... I couldn't. The words wouldn't come. Still, he seemed like he was about to lift my punishment and I had no desire to stop him, so...
"It's okay," I managed.
That probably wasn't the ideal response to "I love you." Karl squeezed the wheel tighter. I tried again.
"I mean ... I know. You know ... I know."
Oh, that was eloquent. I'd get a Pulitzer one day for sure.
The white faded from Karl's knuckles as he relaxed and nodded. "I do know. Thanks, Cara."
Wow. Maybe I would get that Pulitzer. I almost giggled, which would have been disastrous because I'd have stopped Karl from saying what came next.
"I hereby lift your punishment and return all privileges. Which leaves only one important item to discuss: American or provolone?"
The answer was obviously provolone. As we huddled over the steaks and cheese fries, Karl told me he had already faxed my report card to Dean Jaffe at Northwestern, who was very impressed. The dean had cemented his plans to come to Philly, and we were officially on his books for lunch April twenty-fifth. I did my best to give lip service to what I knew should be some of the greatest news ever.
Truthfully, though, I had no room in my head for anything but visions of my new life as a fully functioning member of the Populazzi.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Oh my God, you could not possibly be any cuter!" I squealed. Yes, squealed. I defy any human being not to squeal when faced with a twenty-pound love-pig of a black fuzzy mutt with little white paws, a little white bib and chin, and wide pointy ears that moved completely independently of each other, and either flopped