Chapter 29

When we pulled into the restaurant parking lot, I saw Jason's truck.

"They're here," Tina said. "Now be nice! And you don't know much."

"I'm just an old dumb-ass," I said.

The night air was cool, rich-feeling and I tugged her hand. She turned right into my arms for a kiss before we walked into the restaurant. The manager and cashier greeted us. The cashier saw Tina's hair in those two pigtails and said, "New look, Tina?"

Tina laughed. "I do this for the gym. Susan wanted to see it."

"Ohhhh," the cashier said. "And HE..."

Tina nodded, grinning.

We walked to Susan and Jason's table. Tina shook her head, bouncing those little pigtails.

Susan giggled. "That's what you're talking about?"

"Yep," Tina said.

Susan looked at them, giggling.

"I'm missin' something here," Jason said.

"Yeah, apparently my lovely wife has been confiding tender secrets to her friends," I said.

Susan giggled some more. "Tina says little pigtails drive Alan wild. I wanted to see what they looked like." She looked at me. "Alan, you're warped. Not SERIOUSLY warped. But warped, nonetheless."

"Wait, sweetie," Jason said. "You ought not comment on what gets a guy goin'."

"You're a GUY!" Susan said. "I thought you were nuts when you made that big deal about my banana clip on Saturday."

"Banana clip?" Tina asked.

"Yeah," Susan said. "When we were workin' at Dad's shop, I put my hair up with one of those big grabby clips. Wait!" She dipped into her purse and pulled out an example. "Like this!"

I looked at the three-inch long hair clip and told Jason, "Buddy, don't give me any lip about ANYTHING!"

"She looked cute like that Saturday," he said.

Tina jumped on Jason's slip. "And she doesn't look cute now?"

Jason sputtered as Susan eyed him with feigned horror. "No, my baby's always cute!"

"Good recovery," Susan laughed.

We were digging into appetizers and Susan was visibly more animated than usual. Jason kept smiling, but he looked almost guilty of something.

Finally, Susan twisted sideways in the booth and kissed Jason on the cheek. "Should we tell 'em?" she said.

"Please do! I'm about to explode."

Explode? I knew something was up now. I glanced at Tina, and she didn't seem particularly different. There it was – she knew something. I didn't. Oh, well, if it was bad, she'd have already told me, so it had to be good.

"Should we tell 'em what?" I asked.

Jason lifted his hand to the tabletop, grasping Susan's. "Sunday I'm going to ask Mike for Susan's hand. We want to get married."

Tina's squeal harmonized with Susan's.

"Did you upload all your files to the server today?" I asked.

"Files?" Jason looked perplexed.

"Yeah, 'cuz when Mike hears that, he's liable to shoot you."

"He's nooooottttt!" Susan squealed. "Mom an' Dad like Jason!"

"And he's less likely to tend towards violence right after church," Jason added.

Tina was grinning.

"Oh, you're an evil little thing, keeping secrets from your beloved," I told her.

She giggled. "Only to heighten your enjoyment," she said.

"But you knew. How long?"

"Just today," Susan said. "I told her today."

"When did you two decide?" I asked.

Jason answered, "We've been talking about it for a while."

"The thing you feared has come to pass," Susan giggled.

"I didn't fear it, Tina's friend, I just didn't want you led astray by some technician with designs on your cuteness."

Susan wrinkled her nose, grinning at Tina. "Alan called me cute!"

"Uh, don't be hittin' on my fiancé," he said.

Tina giggled. "Alan doesn't hit on anybody. I lived in the same trailer with 'im for weeks and he didn't hit on me. I had to sneak up on 'im."

"And all I wanted to do," I said, "was be a nice guy. With you, too, Susan, since you're Tina's friend. But then I brought this ... Jason up here..."

Susan wrapped him up. "And he's PERFECT."

"Hear that, boss? I'm perfect!"

"She hasn't had your coffee," I said.

"I HAVE had his coffee," she said. "Doesn't change my mind."

"Okay," I said. "I give up. I sincerely hope the two of you are happy together." They certainly LOOKED happy. "You know that I consider you both friends." I sighed.

"Oh, don't sigh like that, Alan," Jason said. "We're trying to do things right."

Susan smiled. "We won't do it any other way," she said. "You know that Tina and I talk about this stuff. And me an' Mom and Dad. That's plenty of good examples. And there are all kinds of examples among my friends and the rest of my family."

"Plus she sees what goes on around us, Alan," Tina added.

"Mister Alan," Susan said, "We're not stupid people. We know what we're doing. And we've been together longer than you and Tina before you two decided to get married, you know..."

"So it's TWO Ted Kaczynski's," I said.

"Not even close," Susan tittered while Tina grinned.

I sat back to let the waitress distribute our dinners. She knew us. "You folks're having fun tonight, I see," she said.

"Uh-huh. Part of THEM having fun is giving ME a heart attack," I replied.

She was my age. "That's what you get for hanging out with a young crowd," she said. "It's all YOUR fault."

"There goes your tip," I said.

Tina smiled at her. "You KNOW better than that. I won't let my husband abuse you."

"Thankya, sweetie," the waitress said, smiling. She patted my shoulder. "You're in good hands, Mister Alan."

"Are you sure that you want this, Jason?" I asked.

Jason smiled. "I don't think I have a problem with waitress abuse, buddy."

I looked at Susan. She was glowing. Tina. Smiling. Everybody else was happy. I just as well join the club.

"So when's the date?"

"Weekend after graduation," Susan said. "That way we're married, we can do a honeymoon because the project will be over, and we'll see what happens after that. College. Work. But we're part of the bunch, you know. That's for definitely."

"A week after graduation? That's not a lot of time to plan a wedding," I said. I picked up a piece of fish.

Susan's blue eyes got serious. "Well, that's a good sign, Tina. He's talkin' about our wedding plans," then she turned to me. "Alan, I am not holding out for a big, gaudy wedding. I think they're ridiculous. My cousin had one last summer. Marriage is already over, by Uncle Jimmy's still payin' the bills."

"Jason, ' I said, "Has she shown you a practical side like this?"

Jason had a puppy-dog look on his face. "I told you she's somethin'," he said.

"She's my sister. You gotta know she's different." Tina grinned. "She's Cindy's sister, too. You might wanna keep that in mind. Mess up our sister, we'll hunt you down..."

"Mess her UP?!?! I wanna have her by my side for the rest of my life," Jason said.

"He's deranged, too, Alan," Susan said. "In a good way."

We finished our meal, chatting amiably through dessert, and then headed home. In the truck I asked Tina an obvious question.

"She says 'no', baby. Says they're holding out until the wedding. His idea as much as hers."

"She's worth it. So are you."

Tina giggled. "I kinda didn't let us wait."

"I kinda told you that I considered us married the night you crawled into my bed."

She giggled. "Noooo ... you were entirely too scared and worried you were doing the wrong thing. It was the next day, when we went to the motel and consummated our relationship."

"Does Susan know about that?"

"I never told her exactly what happened and when it happened. The time line, you know. She does know that I made up my mind about you after that disaster at her house, the night I went over there to meet up with 'friends'. She knows that we flew to Louisiana to get married." Giggle. "We're, like, a good example. So's her mom and dad. And Jason's a good guy."

"I feel better hearing that."

"I feel better knowing that they're gonna marry," Tina said. "My best friend, besides you. Good things happening.

"I just wonder what her mom and dad are going to say."

"Mizz Kathy told me one time, when Susan was out of the room, that she was worried to death about her daughter. Susan had self-image issues, she said. And being so smart and all. She was afraid Susan would latch onto some loser who'd treat her good until he got tired of 'er." She sighed. "I just can't see Jason getting tired of her."

"That's my impression. I just hope we're right."

I felt her gentle touch on my neck. I tilted my head back, encouraging her. "I live for your touch," I said softly.

"Mmm-hmmm, like you're the ONLY one who loves being touched."

I pulled my right hand off the steering wheel and ran it up the inside of her thigh, sensing the taut skin and muscle. Her right hand trapped mine between her thighs. She slid my hand higher, to the crotch of her jeans. "Just so you don't get the wrong idea," she giggled.

"Wrong idea?"

"You know how you are. You start over-analyzing things and start thinking that I might feel like you just want me for my body." She snickered. "I want you for your body, too, just so you know." She pushed my fingers tightly against her crotch. I could feel the heat and the beginnings of dampness through her jeans.

"Am I that bad?"

"You're that good, Alan. You care. I saw that so early in our relationship. Not just me, but others. I remember you paying that waitress at the restaurant for MY meal. And when it comes to ME..."

"You're my everything, that's all," I said.

"Your 'everything' wants to go spend Saturday night in a motel room after dinner and a movie," she said.

"You got something in mind?"

"Standard procedure. We talked about the movie. It's been out a week, so it won't be crowded. We can go to an early feature, eat, then go to the room and..."

"And I think that's a great idea."

"And we'll be back home in time for the fireworks."

"Fireworks?"

"The explosion when Jason and Susan make their announcement." Giggle.

We did exactly as my princess had said we would. The movie amounted to a not unpleasant thing, dinner was as good as you'd expect dinner to be, although we didn't hit the chain restaurants, opting instead for one that Tina found on the internet. It had good reviews. We found out why. That put us back in the motel room at a bit after eight, into a good-sized shower with unlimited hot water. We retired to the middle of the king-sized bed, both naked, both still hot from the shower. What we did for the next hour and a half insured that we maintained the heat.

Sunday morning. Sleep in a bit, wake up naked in a king-sized bed, revel in love-making, shower one more time together, then a late breakfast and we're on the way home.

We were on the road a bit after noon when the phone, MY phone, rang. I looked at the display. "Mike," I said to Tina.

"Susan's dad. Wants you to post bail, no doubt."

I smiled at her, then answered the phone. "This is Alan. Hi!"

"Hello, Alan. This is Mike. I just shot your technician, burned your trailer down, and sent my daughter off to a convent, and we're Baptist, for heaven's sake." He SOUNDED serious, but the laughter in the background gave him away.

"Am I to assume that congratulations are in order? Or condolences."

"Then you knew. And didn't WARN me?"

"Under pain of everything that my wife could do to me? I know what side MY bread is buttered on."

"Speaking of buttered bread, have you had lunch yet?"

"No, we were gonna stop in a bit."

"Well, eat light. In honor of this occasion, I'm doin' steaks this evening at the house."

Susan's turn:

I brought Jason to church on Sunday with Mom and Dad. No, he didn't have a Sunday suit, but he does have some nice shirts and slacks and shoes, and he wore a tie. I think he looked very nice. The fact that he picked me up Sunday morning at the front door, wearing a tie, that impressed Mom and Dad even more.

They've been impressed by Jason. After some of the guys I brought home from high school, Jason's a breath of fresh air. That's what Mom and Dad think. I think he's who I was made for.

From the first time I met him, it's like we just sort of connected. I mean, he's smart and funny, and he's polite and sweet, but it's not that fakey thing that some guys do in front of your parents, you know, and when they get you around the corner they're all hands tryin' to feel you up. Or they get in front of a bunch of other guys and they start talkin' filthy and acting like you don't matter.

Jason's never been like that. He acts like I'm the center of the universe, at least his. And it's been so easy for him to be mine.

Tina started out telling me to slow down, but Jason and I kept hanging out with her and Alan, and she started seeing what I saw. We just match. At first, I was just happy to have somebody else at the table when I went out with Alan and Tina. I had felt like the odd man out. Then Jason showed up, and he wasn't threatening and aggressive. He was just nice.