Chapter 2

My teammates and I had agreed to meet at the high school on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings to practice during our Easter vacation. Will hauled Ed, Jeremy and me to practice. I brought along my folding camp chair so I could rest my ankle while I supervised our practice.

I set up my chair along the sideline of the practice field. I could have left it at home. I spent most of the two hours hopping along the sideline shouting encouragement, telling Ed or Jake what play to call next, and giving the receivers and defensive backs directions to improve their play. By the time practice was done, the group was teasing me, calling me “Coach.”

I should have used my chair more later in the morning. My ankle was swelling and sore when Will brought us home. I spent the afternoon with it elevated and iced down to help with the swelling.

In spite of my best intentions on Wednesday morning, I did the same thing again during practice. My ankle was aching when Andy and I got home from practice. Andy and I were finishing lunch when Julie arrived for the afternoon.

Julie smiled, kissed me and asked, “How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m fine.” I answered as I hopped to the sink with my lunch dishes. I hopped over to her and gave her a kiss.

Julie looked shocked. She asked, “What’s wrong, Kyle? I thought your ankle was doing better?”

“It was. I over did it at football practice yesterday and this morning.”

“You were practicing football?” she asked, incredulous.

Andy broke in. “Coach here wasn’t playing. He spent both mornings limping up and down the sidelines yelling at us.”

I straightened up. “I wasn’t yelling. I was trying to teach you guys. You weren’t running the plays correctly.”

“Yeah, Coach. Right!” Andy countered.

Julie was perplexed. “Why are you calling Kyle Coach?”

Andy replied, “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, coach.” Andy stuck his tongue out at me.

“You wait turkey. I’ll kick your ass in a couple weeks when my ankle is better!” I declared, glaring at Andy.

Andy smiled and headed for the back door. “I’m out of here. I’m going over to Brittany’s house.”

“I’ll fix you, Andy,” I yelled as Andy went out the door. “You just wait.”

“You aren’t really mad at Andy are you?” Julie asked.

“No,” I chuckled. “I was just teasing Andy. You know how brothers are.”

“I know. W. J. can drive me crazy sometimes.” Julie gave me a kiss on the cheek. “What do you want to do this afternoon lover? Head for your bedroom?”

I gave Julie a kiss on the lips. “Sorry honey. Not today. Will and Abby agreed to look after Lizzie. She’s upstairs in her room.”

“OOoohhh...” Julie groaned. “Do you want to watch a movie? I picked one up at the video store on the way over.”

Julie and I started for the family room when Will and Abby walked in the back door with two bags of groceries.

I queried, “What’s for dinner, Will?”

“You’ll see later. Now get out of here. Abby and I have a lot of work to do.” Will answered.

Julie helped me limp to the family room. She brought my ice pack. I had a seat on the couch and propped my ankle up on the coffee table. Julie wrapped a towel around my ankle to hold the ice pack in place. She popped the movie into the DVD player. She settled down beside me. I wrapped my arm around her. She laid her head against my chest while we watched the movie.

Julie and I headed back to the kitchen when the movie was over. I asked, “How’s dinner coming? I smell the bacon.”

“What are you making?” I queried.

“Twice baked potatoes.” Abby replied as she stirred the frying pan of bacon.

Julie asked, “Why do you call them twice baked?”

“I baked the potatoes for an hour already. They are over there cooling. When they are cool, I will scoop the insides out, leaving a shell. I’ll mash the insides of the potatoes and add crumbled bacon and shredded cheese.”

“Mmmm ... this sounds good.” I added.

Will said, “If you two are going to hang around the kitchen, I’ll put you to work. Shooo...”

I laughed and said, “That’s cool, Will. How can we help?”

Julie added, “Sure. I’d enjoy helping. What do you need?”

“Seriously?” Will asked.

“Sure. Julie and I will help,” I answered.

Abby said, “OK. You two can make the dessert. We are having peach parfait.”

Abby assigned me the job of sitting at the table and chopping the pound cake into 3/4” cubes and dicing the peach slices. Julie made vanilla pudding. Will collected 10 parfait glasses from Mom’s good set of dishes.

I looked over at Will. He was pounding out chicken breasts into thin patties. I asked, “What is that for?”

“Chicken Cordon Bleu.” Will answered.

Julie purred, “You’re really going all out tonight, aren’t you?”

Will grinned. Abby answered the question. “We want tonight to be a night to remember.”

I put a layer of cake cubes in the bottom of each glass. “What’s next?”

Abby handed me a small bottle. The label said it was peach schnapps. She directed, “Put one tablespoon in each glass. No more!”

“What will Mom say when she taste the schnapps?”

“It’s one tablespoon. She won’t notice. We’ll keep this part our secret, OK?” Will said.

“Sure” “Top Secret Will, I promise.” Julie and I answered.

I added a layer of peaches. Julie added a layer of pudding. We repeated the process with more cake, schnapps, peaches and pudding. We topped it off with whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Julie carried the parfaits to the refrigerator. I sat and watched Abby and Will work.

Will added a slice of ham to each chicken cutlet, added cheese and rolled the cutlets. Will breaded the chicken rolls and set them on a cookie sheet. Abby combined the crumbled bacon, smashed potatoes and cheese. She filled the potato skins with the mixture.

Will checked his watch. “It’s an hour to dinner. We have some free time. The chicken goes in the oven in thirty minutes. The potatoes go in the oven in forty-five minutes.”

The four of us hung out at the kitchen table and talked. Mom got home from work just before Will put the chicken in the oven. Will sent Mom off to relax. Tonight was her night off from housework. She appreciated that.

Lizzie popped in the kitchen to check things out a few minutes later. Will greeted her, “Hey, squirt. How’s it going?” and gave her a hug.

Lizzie answered, “It’s good. Can I help with anything?”

“Sure. Why don’t you and Julie set the dining room table? We are serving ten tonight.”

Julie and Lizzie set the table while Abby prepared the salad for dinner. I rested my ankle and watched. Dad got home just before the potatoes went in the oven to bake again. Andy got home from Brittany’s house just after Dad arrived. Will warned everyone that it was ten minutes until dinner. Abby’s parents arrived a couple minutes later.

Abby seated every one just as the food came out of the oven. I managed to grab a seat beside Julie. Abby served a fruit cocktail appetizer while Will finished the preparations in the kitchen.

Will and Abby brought the main dishes out when we finished the appetizer. They sat down and joined us in our meal. The conversation flowed freely between my parents, Abby’s parents, and us kids. Our families had been friends almost since Will and Abby started dating four and a half years ago. The Chicken Cordon Bleu was fantastic. Abby’s twice baked potatoes were good too.

The peach parfaits were greeted with oohs and ahs when they appeared. The parfaits disappeared in a blink. Will and Abby gave Julie and me credit for the dessert.

When everyone was done, Dad sat back and said, “That was great Will and Abby. Thank you for dinner.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Martin.” Abby answered.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Will added.

Dad continued, “I can’t help but wonder. What are you buttering us up for?”

Mom frowned, “Behave yourself, Dan. Our son and his girlfriend can make us dinner and not want anything.”

Will laughed. “Dan isn’t entirely wrong. I did want to talk to you about something tonight. You know how I have to register for dorm space for next fall in a couple weeks? I was thinking I’d like to get a place off campus instead.”

Dad asked, “How much would this cost?”

“If I get a roommate, it won’t cost much more than room and board in the dorms.” Will explained.

Mom asked, “Have you found a roommate, Will?”

“Um, actually I have.” Will said with a grin. “My fiancée would like to share the apartment with me.”

Abby pulled her hands out from under the table and displayed the engagement ring she had kept hidden since she got home for spring break. All of us sat staring at Abby’s ring for about thirty seconds. Then bedlam broke loose. Everyone fired questions at Will and Abby faster than they could answer them.

When things finally calmed down, Will told the story. “I asked Abby to marry me last Thursday night.”

Abby broke in. “Will was so cute. He was down on one knee in the restaurant when he asked me to marry him. The people at the tables near us clapped for us when I said yes.”

Jim Hendricks, Abby’s dad, asked, “Do you plan to get married right away?”

Will grinned and answered, “No. We are planning a long engagement. We would like to get married in two years after we finish our undergrad studies.”

Our two families continued discussing the news for a few minutes. Finally Will asked, “Mom, Dad ... what do you think? Will you help Abby and me get an apartment next fall?”

Mom stared at Dad. I glanced over at Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks. They were doing the same thing. Mom broke the quiet. “I think we should help them, Dan, don’t you.”

Dad answered, “Yes. Jim, Elaine? What do you think?”

Mrs. Hendricks sighed and nodded her head yes. “My baby is getting engaged. I think we should help them, Jim. Don’t you?”

“OK” Jim replied. The parents headed to the living room with Abby and Will to discuss the details. Julie and I volunteered to clear the table and load the dish washer.

We were in the middle of loading the dishwasher when I asked, “Isn’t this great news, Julie?”

“It is. I’m so happy for Abby and Will. They make a great couple.”

“You know they started dating in tenth grade just like us. Do you see us still together in four years like them?”

Julie answered, “I don’t know. That’s a long time.”

“I know it is. I guess what I’m asking is if you think our relationship is serious.”

“I know I’m serious about you. I’m in love with you. I don’t know if we can make it last like your brother and Abby. We’re not even sixteen yet.”

“Do you want to try? That’s all I want to know,” I asked.

Julie didn’t answer, at least not with words. She hugged me, stared into my eyes and then pulled my head down so we could kiss. It was one of the most passionate kisses the two of us ever shared.

Finally the two of us broke apart. Julie purred into my ear, “I’ll do my best to make this last, Kyle. I love you completely.”

“We will figure this out Julie. We’ll stay together.”

Julie and I headed for the family room to cuddle and watch TV. Andy was already there, sprawled out on the floor. Both of us had seen the movie already, but it was a good one. We settled in on the couch to watch it. Julie and I made out a little when the movie was over. Nothing to serious, after all, Andy was on the floor beside us. Julie glanced at her watch when we stopped to catch our breath.

Julie said, “I’ve got to call for my ride home soon, Kyle.”

“Can we get together tomorrow sweetie?”

“No. I’m sorry. My mom and I are going shopping in King of Prussia. We’ll be gone most of the day. How about Friday after lunch?”

“I’m working on my Eagle project Friday. I have about fifteen scouts coming to help me with it.”

Julie asked, “Are we still on for our double date with Trent and Ashley?”

“Of course. I’m in charge of the project. I’ll be done in plenty of time to shower and get ready for our date. Don’t worry about it.”

“What is an Eagle Project, Kyle? You’ve talked about it before, but I’m not sure what it is.”

“You know Eagle is the highest rank in Boy Scouts, right?”

“I know.”

“A prospective Eagle scout needs to be active in Boy Scouts, earn twenty-one merit badges, live up to the Scout Oath and Law, and serve as a leader in his troop. When that is done, he does a community service project where he shows the leadership skills he has learned in scouts to plan, organize and carry out the project. The project is a big deal. It usually takes 80, a 100 or 120 hours of work to accomplish.”

Julie asked, “I knew it was a big deal, but I didn’t know it was that big. What is your community service?”

“I’m preparing a map of my church cemetery; cataloging all the tombstones in it and creating a database so people can access the information for the church or for genealogical studies. My crew and I start collecting information on Friday. We plan to work from 9 AM to 3 PM.”

“That sounds like a lot of work. Should W. J. come and help?”

“Sure. Your brother is welcome. I can use all the help I can get. Remind him to bring a lunch.”

“I’ll do that, Kyle.” Julie answered. The two of us kissed. We pulled apart when the door bell rang. “That’s probably Daddy. You rest your ankle. I can see myself out.”

“I’m done down here. I’m going to my room when you leave. I’ll walk you to the door.”

I limped out to the foyer with Julie. Mr. Simpson greeted me. I gave my lover a good night kiss before she left. I headed upstairs to browse the internet awhile and then listen to some tunes.

Andy and I broke our vacation habit by getting up early on Friday to get ready for my project. Andy loaded my equipment and supplies in Will’s car. Will gave us a ride to the church. Andy and I were the first to arrive. Andy helped me set up in the grave yard.

Ed, Jeremy and Hal arrived a couple minutes later. I had assigned them tasks. Each would lead a crew of three or four scouts to do their assignments. Hal’s crew would measure locations of the tombstones. Ed and Jeremy’s teams would transcribe the information on each tombstone onto forms I made up and take pictures of each tombstone.

I kept Julie’s eleven year old brother W. J. as my personal go-fer. W. J. ran any errands I needed. He kept the water cooler filled all day. He delivered supplies to my teams of workers. W. J. was a pretty neat kid. I was glad he joined Boy Scouts.

My work crews took a break at noon for lunch. We went back to work after lunch. We had over half of the cemetery mapped and catalogued by the time the scout’s rides arrived. I planned to have another work day in the beginning of May to complete the outside work.

Justin Baer agreed to prepare the plan of the cemetery for me. Mr. Clark, our scoutmaster, worked with databases and HTML coding at work. He agreed to set up the database and web pages for us. If everything went according to my plans, I would have everything done for my Eagle rank before I went to work on camp staff at our scout camp for the summer.

Will arrived a little after 3 PM to pick up Andy and me. We headed for home. Andy let me shower first since I had a date tonight. I kept thinking about the last time Trent, Ashley, Julie and I went on a double date. It was about a month ago. After dinner we parked on the dirt lane south of Strasburg. Julie and I had sex in the middle seat in Trent’s mini-van while Trent and Ashley did it in the back seat. I ended up beating off while I remembered that crazy night. I shaved my sparse blond whiskers, such as they were. I didn’t want to scratch Julie when we kissed.

Trent arrived at my house a few minutes early. I headed out to his mini-van. I gave Ashley a kiss on the cheek when I got in the car. Trent headed straight over to Julie’s house to pick her up. We planned to have dinner at a small restaurant in Millersville and then check out the movies that were playing tonight.

Dinner was excellent. After double dating five times in the past five months, the four of us had gotten to be close friends. Trent drove us over to the movie theater. We checked out the movies. The two movies we thought sounded good were sold out.

I asked, “What do you want to do, gang?”

Ashley sniffed, “A G rated Disney flick, two dumb horror movies, and a lame comedy. Bleah! We need to find something better than this.”

“I’m with you, Ash. These other movies suck.” Trent added.

“Could we find somewhere to go for some fun? I wouldn’t mind getting intimate with Kyle.” Julie suggested with a big grin.

“Cool!” I said. I gave my lover a kiss. The four of us discussed it for a little and agreed that would be the most fun we could have in the evening. I suggested we head south to the field where Stacie and I and later Sally and I had hooked up in the fall. The weather was mild for early April. Even though it was approaching dusk, the temperatures were still in the seventies. I directed Trent to the secluded field a mile and a half behind a development.

We were getting blankets out of the back of the mini-van when another car pulled into the field. Julie and my friends looked surprised. I looked the car over and waved. It was Stacie Thompson’s car. Stacie grinned and waved back. She pulled her car up beside ours. My teammate and friend Drew McCormick waved to us to from the passenger’s seat. Drew was in tenth grade like me.