on his own

"Just slow down," Geoff said into his cell to Dayton as he was coming out of the school to his truck.

"The guy already left." Dayton sounded as if it were all his fault that Riley had had a bad moment.

"What happened?" Geoff was thinking the worst about Riley and his kind of date. "He didn't take his clothes off or anything did he?"

"No," Dayton said. "The guy just freaked. I didn't know exactly what I could say to make things smoother. But once he saw Riley's spaghetti, I guess he knew Riley didn't have all his marbles. Actually, ketchup with buttered noodles, isn't half bad. You know, if you don't have anything else in the house to eat."

"So what's Riley doing now?" Geoff got in his truck and sat there a while to talk.

"The dishes. He kind of likes everything spotless, but he won't shut up about how he'll never go on an actual date. I just don't know how to leave." Dayton sighed.

"You don't know how to leave?" Geoff winced.

"Well, I keep trying to tell him I have to go, but he just doesn't believe me, and could you..could you just talk to him." Dayton begged.

"OK. just hand him the phone and I'll see what I can do." Geoff told him.

Before long he got Riley's muttering about his date. It made not much sense to Geoff who could hardly get in a word.

"Riley? Riley! Enough! Dayton has to go home. He can't stay there with you. Do you understand? He has a son who's hungry. Who has waited all day to see him. Dayton has to go home."

Riley kept his monotone monologue going how he'd cooked and he'd cleaned and he thought he was the one. He just would not shut up. Geoff tried to tell him to give Dayton his phone back. Finally, Geoff hung up, wondering if Dayton would ever get his phone. Dayton was on his own on this one.