The Drive In (Blogophilia 50.11)

Traffic on 400 was light and the orange sunrise matched his mood. The long expanse of concrete dulled Jimmy’s senses. This thoughts drifted to this morning. In a soft voice he began to sing.

“I've got you under my skin. I have got you, deep in the heart of me...”

Her stepping out of the shower, flashing what he’d seen so many times before.

“So deep in my heart that you're really a part of me. I've got you under my skin.”

The firm hand ran along his chin, sending a thrill where it shouldn’t. It wasn’t smooth any more, which made it more ticklish and fun. Their little dance played in in the mirror as she swayed from side to side. The hand drifted across his chest, across his round belly.

“I'd sacrifice anything come what might for the sake of having you near”

Wet hair tucked into his shoulder and she purred.

“Jimmy Morris, do I dazzle you?”

“Forever, Kathy Simpson.” The sound of his shout rattled around the car and a silly grin spread across his face. “Forever and always.”

Dang, that sounded like came from some lovesick teenager, but it was true. They were two halves of the same person dancing to a fiddler’s tune. Twenty years and forty pounds ago didn’t matter, she was the sexiest thing he’d ever known. There was still laughter, even through the fights. She got under his skin in ways he would never understand.

Chapped lips pressed against his. The purr said he was her banana as his hands came up under the towel. The damp flesh jiggled a little, but still felt good. The smell of lavender and her filled his nose and all he wanted was to...

HHHOOONNNNKK!!

He snapped the car back in his lane. The guy in the truck flipped him off as he went by and Jimmy laughed. That was better than if Emily had walked in. He stopped. No, she would have just teased them about being mushy and hugged them both. Like her mother, affection never bothered her. Stroking his jaw, he smiled and slowed for the line of traffic. The car ahead of him signaled lane change. Jimmy let the lady in and settled back into the routine of the commute.

He knew something was up when he saw the package in the fridge, a banana split from Dairy Queen with three cherries on top. Kathy said it was for Emily being in the school play. But he knew better. Banana splits were a birthday tradition, but whose? His had already passed and Emmy’s wasn’t for another month. He saw the twinkle in the green eyes, the one saying she knew something and he didn’t. And the something was going to be good. Kathy called dinner and Emily ran out from her room, red curls bouncing with each step. Jumping into Daddy’s arms, she kissed him and drug him to the table.

Dinner was pleasant, with no fussing about food. Emily crowed about getting not one, but two gold stars from her teacher. They both said how happy they were and maybe it was a good thing Mommy got a treat for her. She brought out the desert and set it down. Emily squealed in delight.

Emily fed him her last piece. He made a fish face as he ate it. Nom, nom, nom. Giggling, she kissed the icing from the edges of their lips and said she was ready for bed. Jimmy and Kathy grinned as she trotted, her carrot hair bouncing with each step. She really was her mother’s child.

As soon as Kathy was sure she was asleep, she brought out another split. This one had four cherries on top and he knew. Another baby...wow. It seemed like only yesterday Emily came home and she’s seven now. They had only got a little bit of sleep, but it was worth it. With her, it always was.

The sun dove behind a cloud bank and his mood changed with the light.

They had been trying for another for a while. There had been hints, but no confirmed pregnancy. And every miss reminded him of Little Jimmy.

They went to Hawk Mountain for his birthday. When he pulled up in the driveway, she was standing in a flowered dress with her hair in a pony tail. A packed wicker basket was on the porch rail. When he got out, all he could smell was lavender. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She whispered about a special present and it thrilled him. They done it a few times before, but she was adventurous and he wondered what she had in mind. As the were leaving, Mrs. Simpson came out and hugged them both. She told them to be careful and not get into trouble. They promised they would...sort of. They grabbed the basket and waved good bye.

The basket held roast beef sandwiches with lettuce and tomato, two for him and one for her. They picked up a bag of chips, and a banana split with two cherries on top to share. The park wasn’t far. When they got there, they found a small clearing shielded from the parking area by a small hedge. It only took a minute to unload everything and slip into their private paradise. With a flourish, Kathy spread the blanket in the heart shaped space Jimmy cleared.

If there was anyone else there, they didn’t know. They were their world. She sang happy birthday out of key as they fed each other the desert. When they kissed, the cherry stems played and moved between their tongues. They laughed when they came out as an interconnected knot.

It became a blur of leaves and love.They tasted bananas, caramel, chocolate and each other. Auburn curlsfreed from their restraint flowed over his face. She kissed the top of his head as it traveled along her bosom. Hands glided to places and back again. It was the dance of the eternal busker, around and around, in and out.

The condom broke. Her green eyes flew open in a panic and he didn’t know what to do. Oh Lord, no! Not now. I mean, I love her, but not now. They pulled apart and silently looked at the remains. It felt like a cliff they were going fall off of. He was eighteen and making $5.60 an hour busing tables at Bobby’s Pizza. How was he supposed to support a kid on that?

But Kathy wasn’t angry. Placing her hands on his face, she said not to be scared. She believed in him and wanted more than anything to have his children. If this was how it was going to happen, so be it. The next hour was talking about what happened and what the future might be. There no blame, guilt, or anger, but instead prayers to God for guidance. Their die had been cast.

Together, they told their moms what happened and what they planned. They weren’t happy, both of them had been mothers early, but they resigned to Kathy’s indomitable will. The marriage was at the Courthouse the next week, Kathy fudging her age six months so it would be legal. She’d heard nobody bothered to ask for a birth certificate.

The kid was confirmed a few weeks later.

They stayed with her mom until they found a small apartment near her job at the grocery store. It took some getting used to with be each other all the time. A fight over leaving clothes on the floor and a couple of others about general habits. But they worked through it and settled in. He began to look for a job.

He got an interview at Henson’s Chevy. When he told her about it, she bought him a suit at a thrift store. As she put the tie around him, she said he should look and be his best. Nobody had ever said that to him, not even his mom. He looked in the mirror after she finished. A man had replaced the boy and he felt a sense of pride he’d never felt rose up. He wondered if his Dad would have been proud of him, bless his soul.

She kissed and he breathed in the lavender scent. His smile lasted all the way to the place and he got the job as a Service Writer. It didn’t matter he didn’t know much about cars. He learned quick enough. Everyone seemed to pull in the same direction, unlike anyplace he’d worked before. Get the cars in and get them out. The hours were long, but Kathy didn’t mind. She turned out to be a good cook, proud to feed and keep her man.

They grew to love the smell of the shop. He’d come home smelling of gasoline mixed with the Old Spice she love to buy him and she’d cuddle up like a kitten. As the baby grew, he would kiss it through her tummy good night when they went bed. On the days she was so tired from work she could hardly move, he would rub her feet to get a smile. He tried to get her to quit, but she said they needed the money.

It was raining when he got the call at work. Her mom had found her on the floor of the apartment, bleeding. When he got to the hospital, she was crying uncontrollably in her mom’s arms. It was a boy. Together they named it James William and the funeral was a few days after. A missed gift or a dodged bullet? As the Pastor told them at the funeral, they would never know. He’d be seventeen now, the same age they were when it all happened.

He wiped a tear from his eye as he pulled into the parking lot. With a sigh, he said a quick prayer for Kathy, for him, and most importantly the child growing. When Emily had come, they celebrated. God willing, they’d celebrate from now until the baby came. All gifts were good. Even the ones you didn’t get.

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Topic-Sallon Newlove

Hard Prompt-Stephanie Meyer quote “Do I dazzle you?”

Easy Prompt-Hawk Mountain, (NY)

Pic-Doris Emmett

Pic guesses: Fiddler’s dance (in blog), busker (in blog), valentine, pink, violin, pay the kitty, street performer.