Green’s the color of romance for Oakdale teen

Cody Mitschelen doesn’t have much to say for himself.

But the soft-spoken 14-year-old’s actions sure have people talking – and sharing, commenting and liking on Facebook.

The Oakdale High School freshman hit the sidewalks Sunday to make a few bucks mowing lawns so he could take his girlfriend of six months, Audrey Fierro, on their first “real” date (as in going to her house to get her and take her out for a meal).

He faced a tough customer when he encountered Ryan Cox, who initially said “no” because his lawn didn’t need mowing. But he took a moment to grill Cody: What was he mowing lawns for? What did he need the money for?

When Cody answered that it was to take his girlfriend on a date, Cox caved – and set up a few other mowing gigs for the boy, too. One of those lawns is Timmy Jaramillo’s, who gave Cody some romantic advice: “I told him, I know you’re in high school and it’s embarrassing to walk around with them, but get her flowers.”

Cox was so impressed with Cody that he wrote on his Facebook page a post that reads in part: “We’ve been going door to door getting him business and he busted his ass mowing lawns and sweeping sidewalks and made enough to take her to lunch and get her flowers. I’m so happy this still exists. … Hope is still alive for the future generation and our sons and daughters. I’m impressed by whoever is raising this boy, great job!!!” (Those raising Cody, by the way, are mom and dad Tina and Jerry Mitschelen.)

Jaramillo put a nearly identical post on the Facebook page of Oakdale Area Incident Feed. Cox’s post had 63,300 shares and counting, and the Incident Feed post 260, as of Tuesday afternoon. Between the two, posted comments were pushing 200. A sampling:

▪ “Oh my goodness, that is seriously the sweetest thing! Maybe he can teach some of these older men a few things.”

▪ “What an incredible young man. Any young person can learn such a valuable lesson.”

▪ “Well, that young man sure is doing it on his own. Most kids would just ask mom and dad. He will make some young lady proud.”

▪ “Dude’s got heart. Great job, guys, keeping real men alive. Whatever happened to opening the door for woman – I still do. I bet this kid is man enough, too.”

▪ “Seeing a teenager actually want to work for what they want these days is as close to a miracle as most people will see.”

▪ “It definitely shows that men will go to any lengths to have that girl feel special.”

Cox said he’s received comments and messages from as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Vietnam and Africa. “I had a message from a young lady who was in a domestic violence situation a few years, and she has a son, and she was finally able to get away, to escape that, and she sent me a message saying that her faith in humanity is restored because of this guy right here,” Cox said Tuesday afternoon. He stopped by the Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor to meet Audrey, who was on her second real date with Cody.

Their first date was Monday at Safari Pizza in Oakdale. When Cox’s post went viral, a colleague informed Safari owner Jesse Lopez that Cody intended to take Audrey there. Lopez got word to Cody that the meal was his treat, and went a step further by putting a tablecloth and candles on their table. “At first, I was gonna surprise him with that, but I let him know the night before, to get his permission. We get a lot of teens through here and I didn’t want to embarrass him. So I told him I had an idea … and he said, yes, please, and thank you.”

Cody and Audrey, a 17-year-old junior, met in math class. Tuesday, she described Cody as sweet and nice. He called her “beautiful … and everything that’s nice.”

They’ve been boyfriend and girlfriend for six months, they said, but their dates until now have been simple things like going to the park together. “I never went to her house. I just finally got her phone number,” Cody said.

He’s just met Audrey’s parents, Holly and Leonard, and his reaction is what every father of a teenage girl wants from the boy who comes calling: “Her dad was scary.”

As for mom, she was a pushover. “He is such a hard worker. I’m so impressed by him, at how much he cares for her,” Holly Fierro said of her daughter’s first boyfriend. “He loves to make her happy.”

Cody heeded Jaramillo’s advice on the flowers, which was a good move. He hand-picked a bouquet and gave them to her at the school bike stand Monday morning. “She was blushing,” Cody said.

“I was really happy when he surprised me with the flowers,” Audrey said.

Cody may have been blushing, too, on the Safari Pizza date. “When I got in there and they sat me down, everybody went, ‘Aww,’ ” he said.

He’s happy and surprised by the reaction the Facebook posts have received. “I didn’t know it was going to blow up that big,” the teen said.

His mother, Tina, said she’s also amazed at how the post took off.

“I’m so proud of him and like, wow, at the reaction – people giving him all this praise,” she said. “What a good boy – it makes a mom proud.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Green’s the color of romance for Oakdale teen."