Chapter 3

The next afternoon I got home from work and set up a table in the basement, surrounded by a frame I'd knocked together out of some two-by-fours and electrical conduit I'd found in the garage. Over the frame I'd spread a shower curtain for a tent. I put the part I'd got from Beth's dad in the tent and took a drop light and moved it around the tent trying to come up with an angle that would give me what I needed. Nothing looked good—just a bunch of shiny spots. After trying a bunch of other ideas I gave up for the day. It was time to meet my lady anyway.

Beth's mom was in the yard as I pulled up. "Hi, Tommy, Beth's up in her room. I think you know the way," she chuckled.

When I walked in, Beth was lying on her bed reading Tolkien, "Hi, Tommy! D'you have fun this afternoon?"

"Nah, I fooled around with that part your dad gave me, but I'm not having much luck with it."

I sat down at Beth's computer and started searching for some more ideas—continuing the search I'd started at home—while Beth went back to her Hobbits. Sometimes I marveled at how easy we were with each other. Some couples we knew had to be talking or touching each other all the time. It was almost as if they were afraid if they didn't they'd lose each other. We didn't seem to need that constant reassurance—which was kind of reassuring in itself.

The next day I was back at work and had just started another car down the tunnel when I glanced up and saw a rainbow in the mist left from the spray. It seemed like it should remind me of something but I couldn't pin it down.

After work I drove home, showered and debated calling Beth. With a sigh, I decided to head downstairs instead to see if I could come up with a way to photograph the parts that were starting to drive me nuts—there had to be some way...

Suddenly I remembered the rainbow I'd seen at the car wash. Would different colors give me some definition to the different sides and angles? I rummaged around until I found the box of gel cutoffs I'd collected during the shows I'd worked on.

After an hour of trying different colors I realized that while shiny surfaces will reflect colors, you can't see the colors on the surface itself. Another good idea down the drain.

Later that evening I called Beth and invited myself over.

Beth was waiting on the front step as I pulled into the driveway. She jumped up and was next to my door before I could even get out of the car.

After kissing her thoroughly we walked over and just sat on the step for a while, not talking, just enjoying each other's company.

Finally Beth stood up, "Want to go eat?"

"Sure. Where would you like to go?"

"Tonight, I'm thinking something besides pizza!" Beth chuckled.

We walked in the house to tell Beth's folks we were going out for dinner then Beth started for her room, "I'm going to change first. Wanna help?"

You'd think a smart girl would know better than to ask silly questions.

She had her t-shirt off by the time I got to her room. I walked up behind her and reached around to unsnap her jeans.

"Um, I was planning on just changing tops, Tommy."

"Oh," I said as I slid my hands up to cup her bra-covered breasts. "Good, I don't want you to ever change anything down there," I said as I moved my hands down to her hips.

She playfully slapped at my hands. "You goof! Let go, I want to comb my hair," she said as she walked to her bathroom and flipped on the lights. "Dammit, I hate that hairspray!"

"What's the problem?" I walked up behind her.

"Look at my mirror. That new spray I tried just fogs it up."

I looked and, sure enough, there was a slight coating on the glass.

And suddenly there was light! I grabbed Beth spun her around in a happy dance and kissed her—hard. "You, my love, are a genius!"

"Tommy! What are you doing?! What are you talking about?"

"Beth, I think you just solved my problem with the pictures your dad wants!"

"I did? How?"

I sprayed some more of the hairspray on one end of the mirror, grabbed the flashlight Beth kept in her nightstand, turned the lights off in the bathroom, and shined the beam from the flashlight across the mirror. Eureka! Where the beam hit the hairspray-covered mirror I could see the beam, something I couldn't do with a clean mirror. "You see the beam where it hits the mirror? That's the answer ... I think."

"That's great! Now can I get dressed so we can go eat?"

I let her go, and started thinking how I could best use my new idea.

Later that night we were snuggled up on Beth's bed, still dressed, but thinking impure thoughts. At least I was.

"What'cha thinking?" she asked, rolling over to face me.

"Oh, just your usual run-of-the-mill dirty thoughts," I said as I ran a finger around one of her breasts.

"Ohh, I LIKE those! But just run-of-the-mill? Nothing new?"

"Welll ... If you've got a kitchen mixer, two bottles of olive oil and a ferret..."

Why don't I see those elbows coming?

Later we both drifted off. I woke up during the night to find Beth's mom had tossed a light blanket over us as we slept, spooned together, still fully clothed. I smiled and fell back to sleep. Perfectly content to be wrapped around my lady.

Saturday! I woke up still wrapped around Beth and feeling like doing one of Snoopy's happy dances. No work today! Unfortunately, if I was going to get anything done on my photo project from Hell I was going to have to move. I tried to get up without disturbing my girl, but as soon as I pulled my arm back, she rolled over.

"Where are you going?"

"I want to get to work on the pictures for your dad and that means I've got to go home for a while."

"So I'm going to be abandoned? Oh the shame of it all! Whatever shall I do?" Beth was holding me with one hand while clutching her chest with the other, looking like a silent movie heroine.

Two can play that game, "Alas, my darling, duty calls and I must go!" We fell against each other laughing.

"Seriously, I want to try your hairspray on that part from your dad and see if it'll solve my problem. But later this afternoon I'm taking you on a picnic!"

"Oh, so then you'll be able to tear yourself away to spend a few minutes with me?" Beth tried to pout while the corners of her mouth were turned up in a grin.

I kissed her hard and escaped before I could consider the possibilities of staying.

I'd brought Beth's hated hairspray home with me and started by lightly spraying one section of the valve—just enough to take some of the shine off but not so much that you couldn't see the mirror finish on the part. It took a couple of tries to get just the right amount of spray, but finally I thought I had it.