Free I Don't Want to Lose You by Loreen James-Fisher Page A

Lifetime. For me to have won would have meant that the panel of interviewers were smoking some seriously good weed before I walked in to make what came out of my mouth be acceptable responses.  I was literally full of attitude.
                  I showed up wearing a black pencil skirt with a green, blue and black blouse and my hair in a French roll with curls dangling down.  I walked in to the meeting hall to see Theo standing at the door looking extremely handsome in a navy blue suit.
                  “I almost thought that you weren't going to come,” he said. “You look beautiful.”  I always did when I took some time to throw on some makeup.
                  I smiled, knowing that I was blushing.  “Thank you.  You look quite handsome yourself.”
                  “I do, don't I?” He gave a GQ pose.   “Thanks.  Come here.  I want you to meet my family.”  I walked with him over to where family was allowed to sit.  There was a section for all of the nominees, which was next to all the buffet tables and near the stage, and the rest was for their guests. 
                  “Papa y Mama.  I want you to meet Monica,” he said.
                  I shook their hands and said it was nice to meet them.
                  “And this is my little brother, Manuel, but we call him Manny.” 
                  I looked at this stocky, little boy with bright, brown eyes and black hair, sharing the same olive complexion of his older brother. He was cute.
                  “Hi.”  I put my hand out to shake his.  “It's so nice to meet you.  Theo didn't tell me that you were so cute.”
                  “You're cute, too,” Manny said.
                  “Thank you.  You know something, Manny.  I think you can tell a lot about a little boy by looking at his knees.  Can I see your knees?”
                  He looked at me like I was crazy but he rose up his pant leg and showed me.  I sweetly responded while staring Theo dead in his eyes, “Oh, don't you have nice knees.  That means you're a good little boy.”
                  “Yep,” said Manny.
                  “We're going to go to our seats.  I'll see you guys later,” Theo said.
                  “It was nice meeting you all,” I said before walking away.  I shot Theo a look that told him to not ever call our knees ugly again, which brought a smirk to his lips.
                  He showed me to a table where he had already saved a seat for me.  He was sitting at the head of the long, rectangular table and I was to his right.  He pulled the chair out for me to sit in.  That almost blew me away.  I couldn't recall Nathaniel ever pulling a chair out for me. 
                  We talked to each other and those seated at the table with us until an announcement was made that the nominees could go to the buffet area to get their food.  He allowed me to go in front of him in the line and we went back to the table.  I noticed that the majority of the seniors in attendance were at another table.  I suddenly realized that we were sitting with underclassmen and I was the only female at the table.
                  “Theo, why are we at this table with them? There are seats over there with the other seniors.”
                  “Babe,” he started.  Babe?   He had never called me babe before.  “Were you planning to go on stage?”
                  “No. I just came for the free dinner.”
                  “And here it is right next to you,” he pointed to the buffet tables we were sitting next to by using his hand like a game show model pointing out the features of a prize.
                  I nodded.  “Did you want something more to drink?”
                  “Yes, I could use