Chapter 3

Now I had the task of telling her father I wasn't playing football. Amy and I walked to her house. I told mom I would eat supper with them because Amy had invited me. We entered her house and I sat on the couch in the living room while she went into the kitchen to tell her mom that she had invited me over for supper. Her Dad came downstairs stopping to say hi as he was going into the kitchen.

"Mr. Renick, I have decided to put all my efforts into my studies this year and not to play football." I blurted. He stood still contemplating his thoughts of what I had just said.

"Have you talked this over with Coach Reeves?"

"Yes sir. He was very supportive of my decision."

"Are we talking about the same Coach Reeves?" he asked with a puzzled look. I smiled and shook my head.

"Yes sir. It may seem odd but he understood."

"Well I told you he was fair."

"I know how much you are involved in sports and I didn't want you to be disappointed in me now that you will be seeing a lot of me around your home."

"Is there a message somewhere in that statement?" he said raising his eyebrows at me.

"Yes sir! I am very fond of Amy."

"I'm not going to have to run you off every day, am I?"

"I'm afraid you are sir."

"Oh no, now I've heard it all. Love at first sight!" he said shaking his head and smiling.

"Actually with me it was the second look." I replied. He continued shaking his head walking toward the kitchen.

"You kids!" He said leaving the room.

Amy and I sat and talked awhile until her mother called us in to eat. At first we ate quietly until Amy broke the silence.

"Momma, Daddy, Jay has been studying college subjects. He is going to get his degree in one year, maybe less." She blurted out. Her father began laughing. Thinking she said it as a joke trying to impress them. I understood why he was laughing and began laughing with him. I saw a good opportunity to pull a joke over on her so I played along with her father.

"I'm not joking Dad. I'm serious." She said in frustration. "Jay, explain to him I am not lying!" She said looking at me wanting support. I began laughing harder thinking of what I was doing causing her father to laugh even more. I looked at her mother and she had both hands covering her face trying not to laugh. Amy leaned over being embarrassed and began crying.

"That's not funny Jay!" she said through her hands. I immediately went over and kneeled beside her and put my arms around her.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. The way you blurted it out was so funny. I'm sorry but I had to do it. I continued holding her while looking at her father. His face turned to a more serious expression.

"She wasn't joking?" he asked.

"No Sir. You got me to laughing so I played a joke on her.

"No wonder you don't have time for football." He stated.

"Are you really Jay?" her mom asked.

"Yes ma'am." I said continuing to hold Amy while talking to them. I raised her head up by the chin. She wasn't crying but her face was wet. I wiped her face with the back of my fingers. "Come on now. You have to admit that it was funny." I said looking in her eyes.

"OK you got me, but I'm going to get you back."

"And I will deserve it too." I said giving her a small kiss and hug then getting back in my seat.

"Oh honey. Isn't that so sweet." Her mom said teasing us.

"Momma you're as bad as they are." Amy snapped at her mother. I turned my head and began laughing again.

"Why are you laughing?" Amy asked me.

"Where is your sense of humor?" I asked turning to look at her. I glanced at her mom and Dad and they were smiling. "I think we have had enough fun with her tonight don't you?" I said. They both shook their heads yes.

Her father wasn't satisfied with the simple answer I had given him so he quizzed me even more.

"Jay, how do you intend to get a degree in one year?"

"I'll take the exams as fast as they will let me."

"I'll ask a more direct question. Are you a boy genius or something like that?"

"Some would say that but the fact is I have a photographic memory."

"He does Daddy. Jay knows everything about everything." Amy said bragging on me.

"Not everything Amy. Let's say I know a lot of things about many things."

"I'm curious, can I test you?" her father asks.

"Sure!"

"I'll be back in a second." He said. Then came back with a World Book Encyclopedia.

"I am going to flash a page in front of you and then you quote it back to me. Would that fair?" he asked.

"No! I see that you have Volume 8, which would cover the letter G. You turn to any page and give me that page number." I stated. He thumbed through it quickly finding one."

"Page 276, ninth paragraph."

"There are twelve paragraphs, eight hundred forty words, two hundred ninety three sentences on that page. "Pure democracy can only work in relatively small communities. All the people of large communities-cities, states, provinces, or countries-simply cannot meet in one place. Instead, they elect a certain number of their fellow citizens to represent them in making the laws. An assembly of representatives may be a council, a legislature, a congress, or a parliament. Each permits the people to make the laws indirectly through their representatives." There are seventy words in the paragraph I just quoted."

"I'll be damned. I take it you have read this one?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you remember everything?"

"Yes sir." I replied. I knew the answer from seeing his mind but knew it wasn't wise to let him know all that I could do.

"I told him I would never have to go to a library again. If I want to know something I would come to him." Amy remarked.

"Only if it is an emergency. There is no substitute for doing research in a library.

"I'll agree with that." Her mom said. We talked of sports and college through supper.

"Mom, Dad, if you will excuse us, Jay asked me to take a drive with him. Is that ok with you?"

"Sure but don't let him forget the way back!" her father said teasing.

"See you in awhile." Amy said with a half grin.

During the drive I felt I should express my feeling to her about her not telling the truth.

"Amy please do not say things that aren't the truth. I didn't ask you to go for a drive."

"I was wanting to be alone with you. I couldn't think of another thing to say."

"It would have been just as easy to say Jay and I are going for a drive."

"Are you asking me to never tell a lie?"

"Once you tell a lie, you compound it with another. Before long any lie you tell becomes the truth."

"What philosopher wrote that?"

"My father."

"Sense you sound so serious I won't do it anymore."

"Good. It will help you to have a pure heart."

"Your father?"

"No, Me."

We ended up in the parking lot of the doughnut shop again. There were a few cars with kids standing around them. I lowered the top and we moved as close together as we could considering the bucket seats. She laid her head back staring into the stars with a dazed look on her face. I knew she had a lot to think about given all that was laid on her mind today.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"I should ask you by the expression on your face."

"You probably already know what I am thinking so I am asking you."

"Look at me Amy." I said as she stared into my eyes. "I'm not probing your mind. I told you I wouldn't do that. I will never do that without you saying it is all right first. First of all I was thinking about all that was presented to you today. How it must be rough on you to handle and I was wondering if you would still love me after today." I explained.

"I think I love you more. Actually I was trying to figure a way we could be together more often and I was wondering how late we could stay out without my parents being angry." She said and smiled.

"I hate to be the mature one but we don't want to make our parents angry. I've always been home by midnight but they have never set a time."

"Eleven o'clock for me." She responded.

"We have two hours, let's enjoy them. I know a game we can play. Who ever guesses what the other is thinking, the loser has to do whatever the winner ask!" I said joking.

"You are so crazy. I bet you have played that game before. Haven't you?"

"I did when I was young and somehow I won consistently." I replied. She began laughing out loud and I laughed with her. "I told you life with me will be a circus." She laughed even more. I was so glad to hear her laugh. I put my arm around her and when she stopped laughing I kissed her. We held one another not saying anything for a few minutes.

"See that couple in that car." She pointed. "That's Brad and Tina. Can you read their minds and tell what they are thinking?" she asked.

"Are you sure you want to know? Sometimes it's not what you may think." I remarked.

"I'm sure. They have been dating for a year. They are probably thinking where they can go to do it." She said while smiling at me. I was suddenly caught in a quandary. I felt myself being curious and aroused by what she had just said. Was she hinting or maybe there was a connotation in her statement. I wanted to probe her mind but my better judgment prevailed. I'm realizing now what teenagers have to go through during relationships. Not knowing what the other is thinking added a certain amount of exhilaration to love. But there are subtle ways to determine her thoughts without breaking a promise. I began thinking of ways I could bring her thoughts to the surface.

"Are you sure it's their thoughts you are speaking?" I asked noting her expression. She glanced at me with a smile.

"Maybe not!" she replied. I took that in a positive way. I leaned over and kissed her not making any advances but accepting that when we were ready it would happen.

Consumed by Love and knowledge!

Weeks passed, as Amy and I became absorbed in each other's lives. With the exception of our differing class schedules we were always together. Realizing my need and desire to obtain more knowledge we agreed to set aside a minimum of two hours every afternoon or evening for study alone with no playing during this time. We rotated study time between our homes. My parents never interrupted us while we were in my room but at her house it was a different. Mostly it was her mother that would knock on the door asking if we would like anything. Amy would always say, "come in" and her mom would see that we were innocently studying or talking.

I never told Amy but sometimes I would eaves drop on her mother's thoughts, curious to know if she were suspicious of us being alone together. At first she was, then over time she began trusting us and not checking as often. Being beautiful and once young and beautiful as Amy she knew the minds of young men, which was understandable, and I admired her for that. I was reading several books an evening at her house and as many at mine. She was all business during our study times encouraging me to keep my mind focused. But I would always take the time to help with her studies if she needed it. She would sometimes catch me staring at her and again, insist I keep my mind on studies during this time. After our study time we would sit and talk of things in our past and what we wanted to do in our future. Most evenings we would spend some time with our parents depending on whose house we were at. Her mother and father treated me almost as one of their own as my parents did her.

Temptations!

We had just finished eating supper; Amy and I had done the dishes. More often now we were randomly rotating to eat at each other's house. Sitting on the swing located just off my back porch in the grass on an exceptionally warm evening about eight thirty we were intermittingly discussing plans for our future along with events of the week.

"Jay, what do you really want to do after college? Have you thought seriously about what you want to do?"

"I am not certain yet. I don't think I will ever get my fill of finding out what this universe holds. There are still so many wonders to explore that I feel I will never be satisfied." I answered squeezing her tighter with my arm draped over her shoulder.

"You don't think there is anything in this universe that can satisfy you?" She asked in a low soft voice turning her head slightly away and down looking into the grass. I thought for a moment of how to answer her. Apparently I hesitated too long to respond, she turned her eyes toward me looking into mine with a soft glowing smile. A little embarrassed I looked into her eyes and returned a little smile.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"Not using your mind but what does your heart tell you I am doing?" She asked trying to refrain from showing an even larger smile. At this point my heart began thumping vigorously as I stared into her soft brown eyes. My emotions were taking over my whole body as tried to maintain control but almost unable too.

"You are doing something to me that might be beyond my self control."

"Well, by no means let your heart tell you what to do." She responded with a little smirk on her face, but only teasing.

"God I can't believe how much I love you!" I said leaning over slightly to kiss her on the lips. Her hands felt cool placing them on my neck to hold me into a long soft kiss.

"Jay, I want to marry you whenever we decide is the right time but the feelings I have now are more than that. I love you so much and I want to be with you, "alone." She said with a trembling voice. I knew what she had just said took every ounce of courage she could muster just to say the words. Again I hesitated, contemplating my response. I had thought of her in that way many times as we as we lay near one another on the floor studying in our rooms, alone, and countless other times. But understanding what my father had said about putting her in jeopardy had been foremost on my mind and forced me to use the little self-control I had remaining. She took a deep breath sighing.