It was a problem that we had every weekend. Elise and I would dress up all proper and sit down on the couch (wearing oxfords and all) and think of where we should go that night. We’d exchange suggestions for every type of activity — dinner, dancing, art galleries, films, or any combination of these, but we’d never really be able to pick anything. Usually it was because as soon as something had started to sound nice and settled, Elise would start to say, “Or maybe we could save that for another day…” and do X or Y instead tonight. Now, don’t get me wrong. Elise was really lovely. I’m not saying that it was her fault or anything that we never went anywhere, but it was just a little frustrating at times. I mean, it would be, right? Wearing a stiff collar and nice trousers and sitting there takes a lot of patience. The thing with fancy clothes is that they’re only any fun if you’re out doing something that’s appropriately fancy. But I don’t mean to say that Elise had done anything wrong. Elise was so sweet and always looked pretty in her red dresses, but I really couldn’t figure out why she was never able to pick a place to go with me. Sometimes I think that she just wanted everything to be so great that she was too afraid to settle for anything and let it disappoint her. Or maybe staying at home was exactly what she wanted and she didn’t realize it. I could never really tell. I’ve thought about Elise and those Friday nights on occasion — but never for too long because there are other girls who like to go places and take me along.