Chapter 14

The next morning, I got up and had an unusual craving for a bagel (of all things). So I got up and made a quick trip to the local ‘mom-and-pop’ convenience store which had a fresh baked goods section. While standing in the short line to pay for my bagel, I looked at the headlines in the town paper and had to read it a few times to believe what I was seeing.

The big story was about the mayor meeting with the Governor to discuss getting State funds to fix the intersection! I snatched the paper off the rack and started reading; completely forgetting why I was standing in line or even THAT I was standing in a line. My eyes scanned across the print in a flash and I was barely aware of someone repeating, ‘next in line, please?’ Finally, the guy behind me snapped me out of it by saying, “Hey, buddy: that’s you.”

I looked up to see the cashier waiting for me to step up and I apologized while handing her the money for my bagel and still looking at the lead story in the paper. She asked if I was buying the paper, too, and I found myself once again asking for forgiveness, “Oh! Yeah! I’m sorry—this story—never mind: I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

The cashier seemed less than interested so I didn’t bother to explain why it had me in such a state. She clearly just wanted me to hand her some money and move it along. I complied with her unspoken wishes, dumped the change in the tip jar (more so as an apology as opposed to great service), and finished reading the article before I got in my car to leave.

The story didn’t mention me by name, but it did say that a plan to change the intersection had been presented at the town hall meeting by a local firefighter and that the mayor liked the plan and needed funding to implement it immediately.

To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. Something that was my idea and I worked on was now getting attention from the Governor! I felt successful already. Even if the plan was shot down, I knew I did my part (although I wouldn’t let it go that easy). Already I was formulating a plan to start getting signatures of voters that wanted the change to be made—just in case the funds were not approved.

It wasn’t until I was juggling my keys to open my door that I remembered that I also bought a bagel. I sat at my table while absentmindedly eating my bagel and reading the story several times as though it wasn’t real or maybe there would be more information the next time I read it. I finished eating my bagel and my head was so far away that I couldn’t even say if it had tasted good.

I called Cherry to tell her the morning news (literally) and she congratulated me.

“David, that is amazing! And you made that happen; I’m so proud of you!”

I gushed a little and said, “Well, believe it or not, you helped. You are like my muse: you helped me focus and to think clearly.”

Cherry said, “Muse, my rear end—you did it and you know it! Mona Lisa was a muse, but without Di Vinci’s talent as an artist, no one would know her name today. Getting the Governor to look at your idea only happened because you were smart enough to find a good solution to a bad problem. It’s as simple as that.”

I said, “I’m sorry: you mentioned your incredible rear end and I didn’t hear anything after that. All I can see or think about now is your butt.”

“You’re a pig,” Cherry said matter-of-fact with a hint of amusement.

I chuckled and said, “Yeah, but I’m your pig.”

“You are coming to the game tonight, right?” Cherry asked, changing the subject.

I replied, “Of course!”

Cherry said, “Good. Olivia is having a small party at her place after the game and Mom says I can go. I’ll tell you more about it later, but I have to go for now—school...”

I looked at the clock and realized she was about to be late so I let her go after we told each other ‘I love you’. It wasn’t until I was off the phone that I began to digest what she said and a few problems came immediately to mind.

The biggest problem seemed to be that if Olivia was having something at her place, how was I going to be able to be there with her parents there? With their conservative ways, I was sure they would not approve of me being there. And, provided that they didn’t mind my presence there (unlikely), how could we be certain they wouldn’t say anything to Cherry’s Mom?

Clearly, it was pointless to worry about it all day, so I let it go and waited to hear from Cherry after school. She texted me during her last class of the day and told me to meet her in the parking lot when school was out. I looked at the clock and saw that I had 15-20 minutes before I had to go, but I left early anyway.

When I pulled into the parking lot, there was a short line of cars; parents waiting to pick up their kids. I took position at the rear of the line and waited like everyone else. Soon enough, Cherry came out and jumped in the car with me and planted a big kiss on my lips. She was wearing a fruity lip gloss that made her kiss all the sweeter.

Breaking the kiss she said with a happy grin, “Drive.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

Cherry said, “We are supposed to have coffee together! Did you forget?”

I said, “Oh, right. And no, I didn’t forget!”

While driving to a local coffee shop, Cherry began filling me in on the plans for the night. In a nutshell, the plan was to make an appearance until Olivia had several people at her party (at least so she wouldn’t have to be alone) and we would take off and do our own thing. Cherry’s Mom wasn’t expecting her home until later the next day and Olivia would cover for her in case she called there.

I said, “That’s a pretty good plan, but there could be a problem with it.”

Cherry asked, “What’s the problem?”

I explained, “Olivia’s parents: they will know we aren’t there and will probably say something—as conservative as they are.”

Cherry looked at me funny and said, “Yeah, they are conservative, but they won’t be there. They are out of town for the weekend.”

“Well, that’s convenient,” I remarked.

Cherry agreed, “Yes it is.”

She seemed to reflect on the point I made and was milling something over in her head. We pulled up to the coffee shop and went in to order our beverages before taking a seat to wait for them to be served to us. Cherry was unusually quiet as she continued thinking. I began thinking again about that guilty feeling from the night before and decided I had to tell her.

I said, “So there is something I need to tell you, but I’m worried you might get upset.”

Cherry asked a little concerned, “What is it?”

“It’s a bit of a confession; It isn’t something I meant to have happen; it just happened.”

Cherry waited for me to continue, saying, “Ok...”

I explained, “I wanted to surprise you last night and I came to see you. But before I could knock on your window, I saw that Olivia was there. I really didn’t know she was there beforehand, honestly.”

She said, “Yeah; I know.”

“You know?” I asked.

She said, “I knew you were out there.”

Surprised, I asked, “You could see me?!”

Cherry said, “No, last night I didn’t know you were there. I just figured it out now.”

Even more surprised I asked, “How?”

She explained, “You said that Olivia’s parents were conservative. I never told you that. There’s only one way you would know that...”

I said, “I’m really sorry. Are you mad?”

Cherry said, “No, don’t be sorry; I’m not mad. It’s actually kind of funny. So, did you leave as soon as you saw her there or did you watch us?” Her tone was teasing and she sounded sure she already knew the answer.

“I’m a little embarrassed to say that I couldn’t leave; I had to stay.”

Cherry laughed and asked, “Remember that reward for your attention to detail that I owe you?”

“Yeah?”

She said, “Well, consider that debt paid!”

I joked, “Hey! That’s not fair: you didn’t know you were rewarding me! That doesn’t count!”

She asked, “Were you surprised?”

“Yes...”

“Did you enjoy it?” she asked further.

“Yes...” I admitted.

She said, “Debt paid!”

I gave a well defeated sigh and said, “You’re right: that is fair. In fact, that was so hot, I think I might owe you now...”

Cherry laughed and agreed, “You’re darn right you do!”

“Me and my big mouth...” I said. “Can you do me one favor though: don’t tell Olivia?”

She said, “Knowing her, she’d probably think it was funny, too. But I won’t tell her.”

“Why on Earth would SHE find it funny?” I asked.

She explained, “For one, she isn’t at all shy about her body. And, because you came over to spend time with me and had to sit outside and watch her spend time with me instead. She loves irony like that.”

I nodded and said, “Yeah, when you put it that way, it is pretty funny...”

Our coffee was served to us and we barely took notice, content in just the conversation and spending time together. We were excited about having the night to ourselves again and began trying to figure out what do. Cherry said that she was feeling adventurous and wanted to do something that had an element of ‘danger’ to it. But it was up to me to come up with the idea; that was how I had to ‘repay her’ for watching her and Olivia last night.

I was still brainstorming on an idea when it was time to go so she could start getting ready for the game. Fortunately, her cheer-leading uniform was in her locker at school. She went inside to change and meet with the other girls while I sat in the car thinking about the night’s plans.