Chapter 3

At eight on Saturday morning the phone rang. "Yeah?" I asked blearily. The coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

"Are you going to sleep all day?" Debbie asked.

"Depends," I said. "Are you going to sleep with me?"

"I need to be careful around you, Mr. Wilson."

"No," I said. "You don't."

"Does that mean you're going to be a gentleman?" Debbie asked me.

"Do you want me to be a gentleman?" I asked, reasonably.

"I'm still deciding."

"Well. While you're thinking on it, do you want to do something today?"

"Hmmm. Well, now that you mention it. I did call for a reason."

Somehow I'd guessed that. "Which was?"

"You're going to take me to a movie today."

"Just like that?"

"I'll make it worth your while..." she teased.

"Being with you makes it worth while," I said. It was true.

"Hurry up and shower and get dressed," Debbie told me. "Because I'm on my way over and you wouldn't want to be embarrassed again."

I did hurry the shower, but I didn't hurry the dressing. She popped in while I was still in my boxers. Imagine that.

I hopped up and gave her a kiss before she could object. "Good morning!" I said.

"Get dressed!" she scolded.

"Get undressed?" I counter-offered.

"Your mother is right out there..."

I winked. "As long as she stays out there..."

"You! Pants!"

I caved in after getting one more good morning kiss. I could learn to like those.

We went out and joined mom for a few minutes but pretty soon we were headed out.

"Your mom is pretty cool," Debbie said.

"So is yours," I answered. "Inviting us over on Thanksgiving just so you could ask me out..."

Debbie blushed but didn't deny it.

So what do you do in Laramie in the morning on the Saturday after Thanksgiving with a bunch of snow on the ground? Nothing.

We drove around a bit. We stopped for coffee. We drove some more. We got the paper. We checked movie listings. We drove around a bit.

And then we went to the movies.

Being Thanksgiving weekend the theater was empty. Students scattered back to home, I guess. We shrugged off our coats and Debbie pretty much wrapped herself around me for the movie.

I have no idea what we watched. And I don't care.

Debbie pretty much wrapped herself around me for the movie.

I let her.

I did it without complaining.

I was glad the bulky coat I put on covered the evidence of just how much I enjoyed our cuddle. We got to the Jeep, got it warmed up, and headed to my house.

Things seemed to be moving fast, maybe too fast. It didn't really feel "right." Well, it "felt" right, but I was beginning to think it might be a mistake this soon after her breakup. I've heard bad things about starting relationships on the rebound and I was worried that we were doing exactly that. I didn't want to hurt Debbie, and I didn't want her to hurt me. I needed to figure out where Debbie was and what was up. I thought about it all the way home.

Debbie was as quiet as I was.

"We need to talk..." we both said as I pulled up in front of the house.

I chuckled. "Yes. We do. Let's go in."

Mom said 'hi' but went right back to her desk and the stack of papers she was working her way through. Mom is one of those instructors who assign projects to be completed just before vacations so that she won't get one.

I got us a couple cold colas and we sat down in the living room. I looked at Debbie. She was looking pensive.

"I don't want to go too fast," I said before she could.

"What?" Debbie was confused; I was probably stealing her lines.

"I don't want us to rush a relationship," I said. "You're still getting over your 'Big Boyfriend' and it's probably too soon..."

"But..." Debbie tried.

"Debbie, I really like you," I said. "A lot. And, to be honest, I'm pretty sure I'd like to..." I got shy. "... you know. Uh."

She smiled. With dimples. "Uh. Yeah. I think I might like to 'you know' too... but..."

"... but it is too soon," I said. "I'd rather be friends forever than have a fast, frantic relationship that ends badly."

Debbie just looked at me. Then her face seemed to collapse and she was crying.

Shit.

"Debbie?"

She scooted over and hugged me. I hugged her back. Duh.

"Deb?"

"I don't," she said through sniffles, "know whether to kiss you or kick you..."

"I'd prefer a kiss," I told her honestly. "But if you need to kick me, please try to hit the side of my leg. My shins are tender."

Fortunately she decided on a soft warm kiss to my cheek before she went into the bathroom to wash her face.

When she came out she sat down again, took a sip of her drink and looked at me. "I'm confused," she said. "About a lot of things."

I nodded. Join the club.

"I had this speech all figured out about us being friends, not pushing, you know... but..."

I smiled. Not the time to speak.

"... but part of me just wants to throw myself at you." Debbie looked into my eyes like she was searching for something. "You know?"

I slowwwwly winked. "Believe me, I know."

We both burst out in laughter.

"So are we friends, or what?" I asked.

"Well... maybe a bit more than friends," Debbie said. "I don't kiss too many of my friends."

"Too bad for them," I said. Then we moved the conversation on to easier topics (like the movie I hadn't watched.)

I took her home late that afternoon and didn't see her on Sunday. But we talked.

On Monday she was waiting for me in the Union for lunch and we talked at four, like usual. Our schedule was back on track.

I continued to ace Calculus and my other classes were barely speed bumps. I was coasting with a solid four-point-oh as the semester wound down.

Debbie and I went to a few parties where she introduced me to some of her friends — as a friend, but still. Debbie kissed me hello and she kissed me goodbye and sometimes she just kissed me. If we went for a walk we held hands. But neither one of us was pushing it. Sometimes we went a few days without seeing each other and we even hade four days where we didn't talk. But usually we saw each other every day and talked every afternoon.

On December fifteenth Mom's lawyer sent her the final ruling in her divorce. Dad was out of her life for good and, based on how often he called me, pretty much out of my life, too.

I was pretty down about the whole thing, and I couldn't help but think that it wouldn't have happened if Mom and I hadn't moved to Laramie. Debbie gave me a big hug and said she understood when I told her I was down... but what could she do? It was done, it was done and nobody could do anything to make it right.

Not in Laramie.

School broke for Christmas and most (if not all) of the people I sort of knew, with the exception of Debbie, disappeared.

Mom and I set up a new plastic tree and decorated it with the ornaments we'd brought from Boston. I bought mom a couple of things I knew she needed and a couple of things I knew she didn't.

I got Debbie a couple of books I thought she'd like, some perfume I thought I'd like, and I wrote her a long letter telling her how much I appreciated her as my friend.