Chapter 9

After Mass, on the Sunday after the Homecoming dance, I had a message from Amanda on my cell phone to call her. When I returned her call, she told me I was invited to dinner at her house that night. I got permission to go from my dad then accepted the invitation.

Amanda offered to come pick me up but I declined and rode my bike over instead. I hoped the trip would be the swan song of having to use a mountain bike as my primary mode of transportation. I pedaled the two miles to Amanda’s. She and her mom lived in a nice subdivision surrounding two golf courses. The guard at the gate finally waved me through after thoroughly examining my ID. It was embarrassing to get hassled sitting on a bicycle as people driving by gawked at me. I guess me on a bicycle was a whole different matter than a girl and me in a Lincoln. I was on time even with the delay at the gate. When I rang the bell Jane answered the door.

Jane was as nicely dressed and impeccably groomed, as she had been last night. Now I don’t know if it was my grandmother’s influence, or whether it was from being with Dee-Dee, but I was becoming a big fan of women who made an effort in their appearance. I took both of Jane’s hands in mine.

“You look more beautiful every time I see you,” I said sincerely.

“You are too sweet,’ she replied, again with the sexy flutter in her eyelids.

I held on to one of her hands as she led me to the living room again.

“I’ll go get Amanda,” she said.

“What? No hug first?” I asked.

She hesitated only a second before stepping into my arms. She was a delightful armful. I again kissed her, this time more on the lips. She held the hug a few seconds and then went to fetch her daughter. Amanda came into the room by herself.

“Jeez, Pulaski, haven’t you ever heard of being fashionably late?”

“If I had known you would be looking this good, I’d have been here an hour ago,” I replied.

I meant what I said, no grunge look for Mandy today. She was wearing a skirt and sweater that sure let me know she was a girl. She blushed and stepped into my open arms. It was no quick little kiss, as with Amanda, though. She planted one on me that left me breathless. Amanda stayed in my arms after we broke the kiss.

“I’m very happy that you are here, Johnny, and Mom’s been atwitter all day. I must be crazy but I trust you Johnny, so you do what you think is right with her. One of these days we are going to sit down and discuss this attraction thing, though.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

Next to my mother and sister, Amanda Pullman was the smartest girl I had ever met. I think if anyone could help me figure out these sensations I received from certain women, it would be her.

Dinner was excellent! Jane missed her calling, not being a chef. We had a roast with potatoes and carrots and fresh baked dinner rolls. Everything, Amanda said proudly, was made from scratch. I think the amount of food I packed away proved to Jane that my praise of her cooking wasn’t just flattery. After dinner, Amanda and I helped Jane in the kitchen, ignoring her plea that she had it covered. After we had put the last plate in the dishwasher, Amanda excused herself to call Caroline. It was something to do with schoolwork, she told her mother. I sat at the table drinking coffee and chatting with Jane while waiting for Amanda. In about five minutes she came into the dining room wearing her jacket and carrying her car keys.

“I’m going to run a couple of books over to Caroline’s. Johnny, you stay here so you and Mom can get to know one another and I’ll be right back.”

Her mother looked a little put out by her leaving but Amanda kissed her on the cheek and told her it was important. The she kissed me on the lips, winked at me and left with a wave. Jane started to apologize but I shrugged her off.

“I think Amanda left so we could talk in private,” I said.

Jane thought for a minute and smiled as she realized I was probably right.

“I guess we do need to talk, Johnny. I am so happy Amanda has finally started dating again. I am even happier she is dating you. I know your father very well. He banks at the branch I manage and also takes care of our cars. Your father is such a good man and I have a feeling you are a lot like him.”

Small world, wasn’t it?

“Amanda is an amazing young woman but then again you are pretty amazing yourself.”

Jane looked at me quizzically. “You don’t have to butter me up or be overly friendly, Johnny. I told you I was all for you dating my daughter.”

“It isn’t that Jane, and I can prove it; here, give me your hand.”

I laid my hand on the table palm up and she hesitated only a moment before taking it. I watched fascinated as the hair on her arms rose with goose bumps.

“Feel that?’ I asked.

She gave a little nod.

“With some people I have a connection of some sort. For some reason, with you it is stronger than with anyone else, so far. I know from experience that you can feel a lot of what I feel when we are touching. Now close your eyes.”

When she obediently closed her big baby blues I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers. I made my lips soft and gently moved them over hers. When I pried her lips apart with my tongue she resisted only briefly. I gently broke the kiss.

“Keep your eyes closed and listen to me please. I kissed you like that because you are a beautiful woman and I’m attracted to you. I told Amanda that. Amanda doesn’t mind because she said you needed to get on with your life and if I can help, she’s all for it. I don’t know what’s going to happen between you and me – or for that matter, between Amanda and me – but I like being around you both, and hope I can do that. What do you think?”

Jane blinked a couple of times and regarded me with a steady calculating gaze.

“I felt ever word you said,” she said softly, “every single word came across as a feeling of sincere honesty. I don’t know how you do it, and I don’t know why it doesn’t scare the hell out of me. But here it is, I trust you to do what’s right and I’m going to leave everything up to you. Just don’t hurt my daughter, okay? It would kill me to be a party to that.”

“It’s easy to promise that, Jane. You both already mean a lot to me.”

“Good,” she said, “now what are your plans for me?”

I told her the truth, “I really don’t have any. I just want to be around you.”

She smiled at that. “Hmmm, well do you think another one of those kisses would fit in your ‘non-plan?’”

I said I was hoping it might and pulled her up to her feet. I was really getting to like making out with these tall girls. Jane was a good kisser when she put her mind to it. She had me seeing stars in less than a minute. I slid my hands down and cupped her butt as we kissed heatedly. Jane definitely had a handful for me to grab.

“You have a fantastic body,” I told her when we broke the kiss.

She laughed at that. “I’m a big girl Johnny, no question about it, but I work hard to keep in shape and I’m not ashamed of how I look. I hope you are trying to make Amanda feel the same way. I don’t want her feeling bad because her new friend Caroline is such a tiny little waif.”

“Not a problem,” I said.

Talking with Jane was as much fun as talking with Amanda. It was obvious to me where Amanda got her slightly skewed sense of humor. We sat and gabbed for fifteen minutes until Amanda arrived home. Jane and I cracked up at her daughter’s noisy entrance. She followed our laughter into the kitchen.

“Mom, I haven’t heard you laugh that hard in ages,” Amanda sounded pleased.

“I haven’t felt this good in ages,” Jane admitted.

I hung out for another half hour then had to get home. At the door it was Jane who kissed me. It wasn’t one of her specials, but it was sweet. Amanda walked out with me to see me off.

“It was wonderful to hear my mother laughing, Johnny, thank you.’

“My pleasure,” I replied.

“It might be your pleasure real soon. I’m going to talk to Mom about getting on the pill tonight.”

“Good luck with that,” I said.

Man did the week drag as I impatiently waited for my birthday. I was even unfocused at football practice doing stupid stuff that ended up causing me to run about a million of Coach Boyette’s punishment laps. When Friday finally straggled around, I was up at the butt crack of dawn even though the DMV didn’t open until eight.

I caught half an hour of Denise’s program while I waited for my grandfather. Denise was interviewing a county commissioner about the beach situation. I was impressed at how well prepared and knowledgeable Denise was as she questioned the guy about federal funds for replenishing the beaches. Papa interrupted my viewing shortly after seven-thirty. We cruised to the DMV in Nana’s Lincoln arriving five minutes before they opened. I had the first appointment of the day and at eight forty-five walked out with my license.

Papa took me to Mama’s to celebrate. I watched Tina and my grandfather as they interacted, trying to get a hint of their relationship. Tina seemed so familiarly comfortable around him, just like Dee-Dee and me. True, my grandfather was seventy-five years old, but he was still a vigorous old coot. I wasn’t difficult to imagine Papa popping a few of those little blue hardon pills and Pulaskifying buxom Tina. Papa proudly told Tina that I was sixteen today.

“You know, Tina, a woman like you could make a man out of him,” Papa teased.

Tina laughed as I blushed furiously. “If he’s related to you Jan, I’m betting I would have to get in line.”

Tina brought our coffee and served it from behind me. I blushed again as she purposely rested one of her big melons on my shoulder as she served us. I swear that when she walked off her nipples were pushing her uniform top out a good inch. I watched in awe as her surprisingly trim hips swished toward the kitchen.

“Down boy,” Papa said with a grin.

“That’s a lot of woman,” I gulped.

Papa sighed. “Almost too much,” he said.

Papa dropped me off at school at ten. It was a good day for me, as Alice Cooper almost said, “I was sixteen and I liked it.”

The football game that night was an away game down in Brevard County. We had a team meeting after school and bussed down at four-thirty for the game. It was a tough game dominated by two excellent defenses. We were lucky to eke out a ten to seven victory. I had a good game and actually set up the game winning field goal by forcing a fumble on the Titusville 30 yard line.

After the bus trip back to the school, I rode home with Darryl Pritchett, a big offensive lineman I’d made friends with. I was stoked that it would hopefully be the last ride I had to mooch.

My dad congratulated me on my game. He’d driven down to see it, although I hadn’t seen him there.

“Jane Pullman said to tell you ‘good game,’ too. She and her daughter were there.”

“Really? I didn’t know they were coming.”

“Jane spoke highly of you, Johnny. She said she was very pleased you and her daughter are dating. I trust you not to hurt her feelings. I know you are also seeing Caroline and that could lead to complications.”

“It’s cool, Dad. Caroline and I are just friends and Mandy knows that.”

“Hmmm, does she also know you slip off with your friend once a week?”

I looked Dad in the eye and, “Yes,” was all I said.

Dad shook his head in wonder, “You are a lot like Vik with the ladies. Good night, son and happy birthday.”

He started for the stairs then turned back toward me.

“Oh, I almost forgot, your birthday present needed new brake rotors that I had to order from the dealer, they’ll be in Monday. You should have a set of wheels by Tuesday for school.”

I thanked him and went to bed myself. I resigned myself to waiting three more days for wheels, but after waiting sixteen years, I guessed I’d live.

It was funny but I didn’t feel any older the next day as I did my chores. Without Mom and Katrina around, Dad and I split the housework between us. We were both neat anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal. Dad was an hour late getting home from work and by then I had the house looking spiffy. Dad and I hung out together all day. It was enjoyable. We pressure washed the deck and did some minor repairs around the house. Dad told me that we were going out to dinner at six with my grandparents.

I dressed in a nice shirt and Dockers for dinner because we were going with Nana. Papa and Nana drove up at five-thirty and took us to Olga’s Steak House. Olga’s was owned by Olga Swistak, a good friend of my grandmothers. Olga’s was the best place to get a steak in Central Florida. In addition, Olga had some traditional Polish fare on her menu. You could get pierogis, golabki (cabbage leaves stuffed with meat and rice covered in tomato sauce), hunter’s stew and the best cheese blintzes you ever tasted. I was looking forward to Aunt Olga spoiling me rotten.

When we arrived at the restaurant Olga herself greeted us at the door. Olga had proclaimed herself my aunt when I was about three years old and she was just opening a small restaurant. In the years since then, Olga had had to find a bigger place. Finally, she’d built the large restaurant we were at now. Aunt Olga was a large motherly woman whom everybody loved. Olga grabbed me and pulled my face down for a big buss on the cheek.

“Nadia, he is such a handsome young man!” she exclaimed to Nana.