Chapter 17

Between feeling awful about kissing Uncle Bob and wild wet dreams, I hardly got any sleep on Saturday night; and I almost went to sleep in church several times. Thanks to George nudging me, though, I didn't embarrass myself and start snoring in the middle of anything. I could tell by his expression that he was concerned about me, but I couldn't explain what was going on in church or even when we got back to the house, where all of my family that could, would be arriving for the Sunday dinner that was usually held at Grandma and Grandpa's. I would have to wait 'til we were alone and where I was sure no one could over-hear us.

Grandma, Aunt Prudie and Elvis came to the house for lunch, as did Grandpa and Uncle Bob. Dad made sure Grandma and Grandpa were sitting in the end chairs of the dining room table and things went smoothly -- in spite of the glares they threw at one another every now and again. I had thought that Bob's announcement about Tammy Sue being his next date would fix things, but apparently, they were going to drag things out for reasons known only to them. Personally, I think they enjoyed arguing as much as they enjoyed eating.

George, Bob and I, along with several of the older kids, cleaned up afterwards and then joined the younger kids out in the front yard for a game of kick ball. There were twenty of us, with the boys out-numbering the girls by two, but we had some older players and decided in favor of girls verses boys. With changing the rules and horsing around the game ended up being tied at twenty-two before Dad called us for homemade ice-cream.

Bob tugged gently on my pony-tail and I stayed back while everyone else ran around the house like a herd of elephants. George had my five-year old cousin Mary-Beth on his shoulders.

"Lisa's mom called this morning to see if I would let Lisa talk with me," he said. "I told her I would, of course. She backed out of the contest."

"Did she say why?"

He shook his head. "Dad says she's playing hard to get."

I giggled.

He fidgeted a moment, looking at the ground and shifting his weight on his feet. After a moment he said, "I'm sorry about last night."

"But you didn't --"

"Maggie," he looked at me, "I flirted with you."

"You did?"

"Yeah. I opened my mouth and said what was in my head without thinking."

"I still shouldn't have kissed you, though."

"Maybe. But it's understandable that you did. A nice night, a few flowery words from a guy who hasn't got a clue and things are bound to happen."

"So, you don't think I'm a freak?"

Shaking his head, he grinned. "You're no freakier than the rest of this family."

I suddenly had another overwhelming urge to kiss him and if Mary-Beth hadn't called out my name and come running up, I would have plastered him.

"I got a secrud to tell you," she said. Her giggles reached her blue eyes.

Running my hand over her short yellow curls, I knelt down so that she could whisper in my ear and I could talk into hers. After I gave her my answer, she pulled me by the hand and Bob followed with a complaint that women were driving him crazy.

When we got around back, Mary-Beth let go of my hand and took Bob's. I winked at her and went back in the direction from which we'd just come. George was waiting for me by the front steps. He smiled and handed me a Styrofoam cup of chocolate ice-cream and we walked to the front gate of the pasture. Once inside, we ate the cream as we strolled along in contented silence to my favorite oak tree that was well secluded.

Tossing his cup on the grass, he stretched out on his back and rested his head on his hands. "So, how come you didn't get much sleep last night?"

I sat down beside him and pulled blades of grass.

When I didn't say anything, he took my hand and kissed my wrist. "Sweets, you can tell me anything. Spit it out."

"I kissed Bob."

"From your tone, I take it wasn't a niece to uncle type thing?"

"You've got that right." I sighed. "It was a lip-lock for the ages."

He chuckled. "You never do anything half-way, do you?"

"No, and it's Dad's fault."

Laughing, he pulled me down on top of him and caressed my cheek. "Kissing him doesn't end the world, Maggie."

"And it won't cause brain damage, right?"

"Right."

"How about sterilization?"

He laughed. "Not even that. Though it might give him some interesting dreams."

"Like me licking melted peanut butter off his naked body?"

He licked his lips. "Maybe."

"And sipping Pepsi out of his navel?"

"Uh-huh."

"And cleaning strawberry flavored cream cheese off his cock?"

"Oh, Maggie."

"What?"

"How about giving me one of those lip-locks for the ages?"