Ciaran left the school alongside Mael, expecting him to join him on the way home. 

“I’ll go to town. You shouldn’t wait for me”, Mael declared after they reached the crossroads. “I need to get a costume for the upcoming prom.” 

“Oh, do you want me to tag along?”, Ciaran offered. “I don’t mind, I know all the good shops in town that are worth checking out.”

Mael shook his head instead. “I prefer to select my clothes alone.” 

That was a reply Ciaran hadn’t expected. For a moment, he blinked as if he was turned down on a date request. Did it sound strange to Mael? 

“I see. Then I wish you good luck with finding one. If you need some suggestion where to look, just write me, ok?” 

“Sure.” Mael walked away so fast that Ciaran wondered if he had said something wrong. What changed since this morning? There was no way he was mad because he accepted Jack’s request, was there?

No, that sounded absurd to the young man. Mael hadn’t even hinted that he might be interested in men. He shouldn’t risk a possible friendship in building thanks to rash interpretations. 

Ciaran shook his head and returned home. As he greeted his mother in the kitchen, another package which was neatly adorned like a present awaited him on the desk. The memory of yesterday rushed to his head. 

“Cia, are you alright? Did you catch a cold?” His mother monitored him worried.

“What? Oh, no. It’s nothing serious.” There was no way he could tell her what happened in the cinema yesterday. “I just got someone unexpectedly asking me out to the prom today.”

“Oh, really? Who was it?” She was too eager to her the news. Maybe because she thought it would give him a chance to move on? Or perhaps she was just happy he wasn’t thinking about what happened in the last few days. Whatever it was, Ciaran didn’t want to exclude her in it.

“It’s Jack. The leader of the theater club. I hesitated at first, but decided to at least give him a chance.” He didn’t wish to go into full detail, so this was the closest answer to the truth he would disclose.

“Oh, isn’t he the veterinarian’s son? You know, Mr. Kirkwood?” 

Wait. Kirkwood? Like ‘K.’? He rarely ever heard Jack’s surname in school, so he hadn’t thought about that possibility. Was this just a coincidence? He guessed that ‘K.’ in the letters referred to someone’s first name. But potentially that was a misconception all along? At least the whole act of hiding his identity would suit someone as eccentric as Jack. Did he dare to ask him out after yesterday because he thought he had a higher chance now?

Considering the few possibilities, he would have surely come to the conclusion “Jack” right away, if the letters were signed with ‘J.’ instead. That was no guarantee his thoughts were on the correct track, but with all the hints he accumulated so far, it seemed plausible.

“Yes, you’re right. I nearly forgot his father worked as a veterinarian in town.” Ciaran shrugged. He didn’t have a pet, so he basically never visited his clinic in town.  “He’s going to pick me up at 6 pm on the prom evening.”

“Will he walk you home as well?”

Ciaran rolled his eyes at the question. “Mom, I know you’re worried about me, but I can take care of myself. The walk from school to our house isn’t that far.” What did she take him for? He was no princess in the need of protection or whatever she pictured him to be.

“That’s not what I meant.” She sighed and laid her hand on his shoulders. “It’s just that you never know what happens when you’re drunk.”

“It’s a school prom, mom. We won’t be having any alcohol in there.” 

“Not officially”, she insisted. “But I know you’re young and sometimes people find their way to sneak stuff in. It’s not like I’m telling you to never take a sip. But please be careful, ok?” 

Ciaran sighed, but nodded to calm her. It was never easy to be a lone mother, but in her case, she was especially worried. His mother worked as a nurse in the small local hospital, so she often came across unexpected accidents. If one knows how worse luck can turn, one starts to worry even more. 

Ciaran took her hand gently from his shoulder and squeezed it slightly. “I know you’ll never stop worrying about me, and it’s your job, mom, but I assure you: I’m still the responsible-minded man you raised me to be. So, even if there is someone sneaking something in, I won’t get drunk, and I’ll come home safely. Alright?”

“Alright. What kind of mom what I turn out to be if I didn’t trust my son on his word?” She gave him a small smile and started to gather her things for the next night shift. “There is food in the fridge if you want to heat something up.” 

“Sure, I’ll be fine. I hope your shift passes calmly. See you tomorrow.” He waved her goodbye before he took the package upstairs with him. Time to find out what someone gifted him this time.