Rocket Girl Ch. 02

Today, Will was surprised that it was Bobby calling him at home. They were going out, he and Steve with their girls, he said, but they were painfully tight on cash, and could he help just a little?

"No problem, Bobby," Will said, "If you need the money, tell me what's so special about tonight." He noticed Aurora listening to his side of the conversation and put the phone on speaker for her. He knew how Bobby loved Jenny, and how they struggled together to face the world - a couple of really young kids trying desperately to get by. He wanted Aurora to meet somebody who he thought was pretty special.

There was a pause, and then Bobby spoke quietly, telling him it was Jenny's birthday, and that Steve had just met her friend, but they were hitting it off. They thought they had enough for the date, but likely not enough for gas to put into his mother's car since she'd loaned it to him. Will had been checking his pockets as he listened. He grinned as he watched Aurora's smile, and then he gave Bobby directions to his house.

After he'd hung up, he told Aurora that now he had to meet those girls. He thought so highly of the guys and just took a bit of an interest in their lives, "They've had it a bit rough, those two, but they always stick it out, and since they work so hard for me, I'd prefer it if the world just didn't piss on them for once. I'd have lent them the money regardless, but now I want to see what Jenny looks like so I can put a face to the name."

He shrugged shaking his head, "Call me a hopeless romantic. Bobby and Jenny - the love story."

Will got the engine partly into the frame, and supported the free end with blocks. Aurora wore a tube top, and was reaching through the frame to guide the engine into place. With her arms stretched out like that in such a narrow space, she began to overflow the top a bit, but she didn't dare stop. She looked down quickly and then back up to see Will's eyes locked onto her own.

"I'm not looking there, baby. Don't worry about feeling uncomfortable. Only a few seconds more, and we'll be done here."

She stared into his eyes and smiled, "it's ok Will. I see how you're trying not to look, and thanks, but I'm not that upset."

"Ok, watch your fingers now, I don't want to get them pinched under this pig," he said, inhaling and then giving the last push as he exhaled. The engine slid the last quarter inch and sat in its cradle in the frame. She'd guided it perfectly. He looked over his shoulder as he heard a car slowing at the bottom of the driveway, "Stay right there, and I'll block you."

Before Aurora really had time to pull her arms back, Will was beside her, and she pulled up her top as they stood up together. "Thanks Will," she said. He was turning away, but she pulled him back and her arms were around his neck before he knew it. In the second that Will was confused, she kissed him and then hugged him as she looked over his shoulder, "I have to get a look at these friends of yours too now."

She sighed, and he felt her smile. "They're really cute, I can tell which one is Jenny from here. You're right about how they're so in love. Wow."

They all got out and Will noticed that Bobby was looking a bit uncomfortable, so he pulled him aside in the garage, "How much you need, Bobby?"

"I think ten bucks would be enough for gas, Will." Will peeled off a twenty and handed it over, "Where you guys headed for dinner?" He'd asked it that quickly to get Bobby past the need to refuse the extra money.

"Huh? Oh, just some fast food." Will looked past him to see Aurora chatting with Steve and their girlfriends by the bikes. Fast food, he thought, how romantic, the only place they can afford to go on her birthday in 1986. It just didn't seem right to him, not for those two.

"I'll tell you what, Bobby. You said you needed ten and you'd pay me back. I gave you twenty, so you can each pay me back ten, and don't worry too much about when. But I'm thinking here. I've heard you talk about Jenny a time or ten at least, and I know you guys are just starting out living together. That's a bitch at any time, but you're only eighteen. So here's a deal for you."

"Keep this to yourself, but I know there's some overtime coming up this next month for a big order. I'd like it if I could count on you and Steve when I ask you to work over - just for the next month, and nothing that'll kill you. I just want to be able to tell Sam in the front office that my guys have it covered. If there's no overtime, you're in the clear, and you can forget this anyway, but, here."

He pulled out three more twenties, "You guys make sure you take them someplace nice tonight, like where you can sit down and they serve you. Call it a birthday gift. I only want to see the twenty back when you have it. Wish Jenny a happy birthday for me. And if you get lucky tonight, hey, wear a condom. I don't want any kids named after me, right?" They both laughed and Bobby went back after thanking Will.

But they didn't leave.

There was a short conference in the old car, and then Jenny got out with Bobby and walked up to Will. She looked up at him and spoke quietly, "Bobby always tells me what a great boss you are to them both and how you stick up for them. I see why now, and I'm glad I could meet you and your wife. Thank you so much, Will." She hugged him and kissed his cheek. Looking at Aurora, she smiled shyly, "I hope that's ok, Mrs Schaeffer."

Aurora nodded and smiled warmly, "Have a great time, Jenny. I'm very glad to have met you too."

Aurora smiled and waved as they stood together watching the old car drive off, then she looked over at him with a grin, "They think I'm your wife."

"Sorry about that," Will said, "nobody gave me enough time to set them straight. I'll tell them at work on Monday."

"Don't worry about it, Will. It's got kind of a ring to it. They're so cute together, aren't they?"

Will nodded, "I gave them enough to get them to a better place to eat and told Bobby that there was overtime coming up and I hoped that if I gave them some extra cash they'd stay and work it. It's true, but I just really wanted them to have a good time for once like anybody else. I doubt they'd refuse the work and extra pay anyway, but it was the only way I could think of for him to take the money."

"I don't know about Steve and his girl yet, but Bobby and Jenny were both thrown out of their homes by their parents. They met while living in a park, and I think they've got that kind of love that can get past anything if you give it just a little help. They're struggling every day, but they're happy. Bobby tells me everything, and often comes to me for advice. Not advice with Jenny, just about how you get credit, how you deal with a bank, stuff like that. His mother at least is seeing that he and Jenny are serious about life together. If there's one love story that simply has to succeed, they're it. I'm glad I now have a face to put to Jenny's name."

They walked inside to get washed up for dinner. Will was wondering what Aurora had meant.

"They sure think the world of you, Will," she said as they scrubbed their dirty hands in his bathroom sink.

"Factory work is a bit primal," he said, "You do your simple thinking about the job, and I try to make them keep their own safety in their minds too, but for the most part, it's just grunt work. And don't think I'm a pushover. I've chewed on them both pretty hard on occasion, but I know they give a lot harder for me. I'm listening in on Bobby's life as he tells me. I'm looking for a time when it gets a bit more solid. Then if I can, I'll suggest that he pick up his high school at night and maybe goes on somehow. A factory job can end really quickly, and one day there could be extra mouths for them to feed. I don't know enough about Steve yet - he doesn't talk about himself as much."

Aurora laughed quietly as they dried their hands, "You're some piece of work, Will. I used to be amazed by you every day. Now it's continuous." Will didn't really have an answer to that, but Aurora did. She hugged him.

When he looked down at her, she quietly said, "From the first second, you've always made me feel like I'm your friend – a real friend who you appreciate, and I've never felt that from a guy before. There's always some hopeful mileage that they're trying for, even if they don't know it themselves. You're not like that. I'm so happy that you've fixed my bike - even made it better. Now I'm finding that you take care of people in your own way. I think you're pretty special. I've got a lot of things going on right now, but I'm not worried about them at all because I know that if I get stuck, you'll either just help somehow or at least offer suggestions. Thanks, Will."

She kissed him then, but not as a friend.

He looked a bit dazed and it made her laugh a little, "Uh, was that too much, baby, or do I just need to wait for you to adjust?"

His considered opinion came out as "Uh, ..."

She laughed, and took his hand, "Come on, let's eat before dinner's all gone or at least gone cold."

They sat in his study after dinner. Aurora hadn't let go of his hand since they'd walked down there. "I'm about to call my folks and tell them a few things instead of listening for a change. So, what do I do, Will? I guess I'm asking for options."

He thought about it, "If this isn't too far away from where you work, I've got one right off the bat. This house is huge, Aurora. There are two levels of basement, and we only use the upper one as storage. Let's ask everybody about you moving into the upper level, and we can move the stuff down to the lower one. We could move you there, and if you kick in a bit for the rent, then -"

She'd put her hand over his mouth. He looked funny to her with his eyes staring over her thumb like that. She smiled, shaking her head. "That's pretty typical for you, isn't it, Will? You're always working on solutions. That's great, and I like that idea, but I wasn't thinking that far out just yet. I was thinking about now - tonight."

He was uncertain now. "Why are you even asking? I know you won't want to go home tonight. You can stay here with us until you have a plan. I was just thinking that you could live here. There's plenty of room, your bike's already here, and for now, you can use my bedroom. I'll bunk here on my couch." He stopped suddenly. She was shaking her head. The last pieces of her thoughts had landed in the middle of everything else in her head, and in one instant, the puzzle had solved itself for her.

"No. I already have a plan just now, Will. It's pretty bold for a girl who always does what she's told, but once you think about it, you ought to be proud of me. I'm scotch-taping this together from a lot of places. I got some pieces from you, one from my friends, one from Leona, and maybe the biggest from those workers of yours and their girlfriends. I just need some input from you later. Can I use your phone?"