Do You Remember?

It was the time of year Mother Nature breaks out her pallet of colors and repaints the Ohio landscape in brilliant Technicolor. A time of year that brings out the crispness of a fading year—summer is gone—winter's just around the corner.

She wrapped her hand around his arm, and he pulled her closer as they walked down a quiet gravel road. A slow meandering river bubbled and gurgled as they walked by. Its water muddy from the slit it carried.

"It's nice out today isn't?" he asked.

"Yes, reminds me of years gone by."

Do you remember?

"Our first date?" she asked.

"Oh hell yes. I sure do. Damn that was something. I recall it was about this time of year, too. It was our homecoming football game. Yeah, that's right. And of course we lost as usual.

"Todd Candle and I picked you up. I was just sixteen and couldn't drive yet. It was our first date all right. I got in the front seat with Todd and left you sitting in the backseat by yourself. Todd looked at me as though I was from another planet. He had to remind me to go sit back there with you. Oh God. That was a night," he said.

"I don't know how you managed to talk Miss Bailey into giving me the largest flower for my corsage. I remember you were afraid to pin it on me," she said. "You were afraid to touch me. I also recall your leaving me sit up there in the stands by myself while you took photos of the football game for the yearbook."

"Yeah, that's true. But, you know at the time photography was my main interest. I thought I'd make a good living shooting film. I always wanted to be aNational Geographicphotographer. Travel around the world, visiting dangerous places, taking risks to get the perfect shot."

He shook his head slightly in disgust with his lack of ambition. Photography was something he always wanted to do.

"Oh well, guess that dream didn't come true did it?" he said.

"No, but you got me instead," she said.

"Not a bad trade I suppose."

They stopped in the middle of the road and looked each other in the eyes. "You know you're just as beautiful now as you were in 1975," he said.

Do you remember?

"Our first kiss?" he asked.

"Sure. We were at Molly's party. Your dad picked me up, this time you got into the back seat with me. I recall you tried and tried to kiss me at the party, and I wouldn't let you. I'd never kissed a boy before, let alone in front of a group of my friends. I wasn't sure I'd like it. Heck I wasn't even sure how you did it."

"If nothing else, you can't say I wasn't persistent."

"I'll give you that," she said.

"I gave up at the party. But then, when my dad dropped you off at your place and I walked you to your door, there in the shadows under the grape arbor you kissed me," he said.

"I did, didn't I?"

"It was something like this?"

He placed his hands around her face and ever so gently placed a warm kiss on her lips.

"I don't remember it being quite like that. It was much quicker, and a little bit sloppy."

"I got better though."

"You sure did. Henry, you were a good kisser. Your kisses got me in a lot of trouble."

"Like when, Helen?"

Do you remember?

"That old car of yours?" Helen asked.

"Oh God yes, a 1964 American Rambler, but what's that got to do with kissing you?"

"That old Rambler you drove took us to so many places. It seemed you always managed to relive me of most of my clothes. I sat many a night in the drive-in undressed in the dark. We used to neck in your parents' driveway at night, and before too long my shirt and bra would be on the back seat. Good thing you lived in the country. Many a night the only thing that kept me from being totally naked in your car was a pair of very wet panties and my pantyhose."

"I remember you were the first girl that allowed me to take her shirt off. Those bra clasps are nearly impossible to undo when you're never done it before. I damn near died when I lowered your bra from your breasts for the first time. But oh, your breasts were so soft, so warm, and so tender. I can still remember how they just felt so perfect in my hand. I'd never touched a breast before yet alone kissed one. Ah, Jesus your nipples grew hard and red in my fingers. I thought I would explode in my pants—"

"You did. All over the front of my skirt."

"No I didn't."

"You sure did. I had to walk into my house with my sweater wrapped around my waist to hide the stain. I had to wash my skirt in the bathroom sink so mom didn't see it.

"You were the first boy, and I might add the only boy since, whose cock I've ever touched. It was something we girls would giggle about in gym class. I'd hear the bad girls, you know the loose ones, talk about it, but never thought I'd touch one. Holding that hard cock in my hand, I just couldn't imagine how that was going to fit inside me.

"I guess the best part of it was knowing I was the one that made that pecker of yours rock hard. I could do it to you just by raising my skirt up. I'd let you slide you hand up under my skirt when we'd go out to dinner. A few minutes later you were shifting about in your chair. I knew I had that cock of yours hard. Those days were fun. Oh that old Rambler..." Helen said.

Henry dropped his hand down onto Helen's butt and gave it a slight pinch.

"I always wondered why you never put up much of a fight when we went to the drive in. I always thought you enjoyed yourself as much as I did, maybe even more so. Damn, we surely did steam up the windows in that old car didn't we?

"Ah yeah, the Rambler. My dad painted it big bad green in my grandfather's chicken coop. He never painted a car in his life. Hell he even painted the wheels and the tires that damn green color. Took me a week to get the paint off the tires. The damn thing looked like a ripening lemon when it went down the street. As a matter of fact, your sister called it the ripening Rambler. May it rest in peace.

They walked a bit more in silence. The only noise was the loose gravel under their shoes. Henry held her hand tighter.

"We're getting old you know?" he said.

"Yeah, I guess so. A lot more aches and pains now. But, it wasn't that long ago," Helen said, "I use to be a 34B and now I'm a 36 long. I've added a few more pounds here and there, too"

"Never heard any complaints from me have you?"

"Nary a one."

Do you remember?

"Going to the Brown Derby and watching the guys trying to dance like John Travolta?" Helen asked.

"The Brown Derby inside the Marriot was the better of the two," Henry said, "The dance floor had the lights under your feet. Besides, I thought the food was better there, too."

"You always remember the food don't you?"

"I remember that super-short-green-silky-knit outfit I got for you at the time. God, seeing you in that made my dick harder than a bag full of jawbreakers. I'm surprised your dad let you out of the house with that on."

"Jesus that was short wasn't it? Heck, it was barely long enough to cover my butt—"

"Oh yeah that was great. I didn't have to worry about pushing that skirt up your thighs, it was already there when you sat down," Henry added.

"And then you brought me the green pantyhose to match it. I don't know what you were thinking at the time, but I ended up looking like an intergalactic cheer leader."

"Perhaps, but only the first time and only with the green hose. It seems to me that outfit always found itself on the back seat of the Rambler anyway," Henry said.

"That it did. Along with my bra, hose, and sometimes even my panties. You know if we would have gotten caught my dad would have killed us both."

"I know. That's why I asked him about you out in the garden one late evening."

Helen stopped and tugged on Henry's arm.

"What did you ask? You never mentioned this before?"

"I asked him for his permission to marry you. I didn't want to get shot incase he thought I wasn't good enough for his daughter."

"Dad always did have a way of reading people. He made a good decision didn't he?"

Henry ran his hand down Helen's back and they slowed their walk down the road a few steps at a time. They could hear the water from the river rippling as the water broke over the rocks.

Do you remember?

"Wearing those short shorts? Henry asked.

"You mean hot pants. Oh yeah... Dancing to the sounds of 'How deep is your love'by the Bee Gees while wearing white, hot pants, coffee colored pantyhose, platform shoes, and with my butt cheeks hanging out those pants—oh, and you had long sideburns, too. You looked like Cornelius from thePlanets of the Apes.I sure wish we had some photographs of us back then, Helen said.

Henry started to quietly sing, 'I know your eyes in the morning sun. I feel you touch me in the pouring rain. And the moment that you wander far from me, I wanna feel you in my arms again.'

Helen stopped in her tracks. "Henry. You surprise me. You remember the words of that song from so many years ago?"

"I remember falling in love with you at that moment. We've never been apart since."

"Henry...you're going to make me cry."

"I miss the miniskirts back then, too," Henry said as he wiped a tear from her cheek with is thumb.

"Figures. I've long since gotten too old for those. You know that."

"I'll be the judge of that," Henry said.

Do you remember?

"The night I picked you up at your first job. You had to wear a short skirt and black heels just to work at that pharmacy. Boy you were pissed."

"That was stupid. I think the owner had a thing for young woman in skirts."

"I had a good time that night," Henry said.

"I know. I know. We found ourselves alone in the family room at your parents' house. Before the night was done, you had me absolutely butt naked and laying on some blankets on the floor. You were the first boy that ever got all my clothes off. Even in the driveway of your parent's house I always managed to keep something on. But not that night. I was excited, scared, and somewhat eager. God, if your parents would have just come down stairs," Helen said.

"What else do you remember about that night?" Henry asked.

"If I recall, you really had a good time. But, I guess it was those kisses of yours. I've never had my breasts kissed like that before. It was really odd to see how just being kissed would pop my nipples out, making them red and swollen just begging for more of you.

"Then you put your head between my legs, I wasn't sure what you were doing down there, then you gave me my first orgasm—"

"You weren't sure. Hell I had no idea what I was supposed to do either. Other than reading my old man'sPenthousemagazines and the forum letters, I didn't have a clue," Henry added.

Helen smiled. "We both thought something broke when I left such a large wet spot on the blanket. My mom never told me about such things."

"I know damn sure she didn't tell you to jack me off on your boobs either."

Henry could see Helen's face turn red. "You know back then, we didn't have the information like Jordan had when she was in school," Helen said.

"True," Henry said.

"I don't remember you refusing your first blow job either," Helen said. "I can still see that cock of yours. It was the largest cock I've ever seen."

"You told me mine was the only one you've ever saw?"

"It was, but just like you boys, we girls talked, too. Besides, there was always Julie'sPlaygirlmagazines."

"You enjoyed it didn't you?" Henry asked.

"Yeah, I did. I like to watch you squirm and moan when you're about to let go of your load."

Helen slipped her hand into his arm as they walked along the riverbank. She smiled then raised a brow. She wondered why she was so blessed with a husband like Henry. How it seemed all her girlfriends had divorced or where just living a lie with cheating husbands. How many wives have cheated on their husbands? She pulled herself in toward Henry.

"Mom always said that sex was dirty and good girls didn't do it except for having babies. I've always enjoyed making out with you. Still do as a matter of fact. Sex with you has always been fun."

"The only problem now is being interrupted by a grandchild," Henry said.

Do you remember?

"Our wedding?" Henry asked. "The guys at the shop would tease me when I told them I was getting married. They said 'Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?'

"What woman couldn't possibly forget her wedding day? It was picture perfect. A small white church in the country filled with all our families. I just didn't believe any woman on the planet could have been as happy as I was that day. You know, Henry, I married a good man. They're hard to come by nowadays."

"I didn't make out too badly in the deal either. It's been thirty-five years and we're still in love. Can't beat that," Henry said.

Do you remember?

"How we didn't know what to do on our wedding night," Helen said.

"Yeah, if that wasn't embarrassing. You would have thought after we both came so close to having sex all those times that we didn't know what to do," Henry said.

"I think we were both afraid," Helen said, "I couldn't tell mom I wanted to go on the pill and you just couldn't buy condoms in the Walmart as you can today.

"I know I was damn afraid of your dad. If I got you pregnant before we were married, they'd still be looking for my body."

"Your dad was the same way. I remember him saying he wouldn't raise a bastard grandkid."

"He always had a way with words didn't he?"

"Then on our wedding night we both got naked, both got hot, and horny, and then we couldn't get the parts to fit," Henry said, "Tab 'A' just had to go inside slot 'B.'"

Helen laughed. "It was fun trying," she said, "and we managed to figure it out."

"I know that book we brought didn't help a lick."

"You meanThe Joy of Sex?"

"Yeah, that's it. Christ, you'd have to be a contortionist to fuck as they showed in that book."

"It was just a guide honey, not a how to book," Helen said.

She wrapped her arms around his waist as they walked.

Do you remember?

"Our first car we brought together?" Henry asked.

"The yellow Vega," Helen said.

"Yeah, remember you called it the 'Flintstone' car because you could use your feet to make it go 'cause the floor had rusted out."

"Why did we buy that in the first place?" Helen asked.

"Because of the oil embargo and the price of gas went through the roof. I remember it hit almost a buck a gallon back then.

"We got it at the Chevy dealership in Navarre. You told the guy all we had was twelve hundred bucks for a car. He said that was the exact price they wanted—"

"That was stupid wasn't it?" Helen said.

"It wasn't the brightest thing we ever did together. But we learned quickly. You know when it was rainy out you could sit beside that car and hear the rust eat it away."

Do you remember?

"Our daughter being born," Helen asked.

"Saturday morning. It was a Saturday morning when your water broke, and I rushed you to the hospital. It had to be about ten as the Smurfs were on TV. The woman in the next room was in labor and was screaming and moaning. Your face was as blue as Poppa Smurf. The woman next to us wanted to go natural, and I recall how glad you were when the anesthesiologist came in there to give you your epidural.

"Damn did she ever scream? It seems like yesterday. You missed the birth though."

"I know. That's a regret I'll never be able to undo. I wasn't really my fault. The doctor told me that you'd deliver around seven that night and that I could go home. Instead, I went to pay our Montgomery Ward bill and decided to see how you were doing on the way back. I just walked onto the floor when I heard you tell our child 'welcome to the world.' You know that still hurts me.

"Ten pounds three ounces. Proud as hell of our daughter Jordan," Henry said.

"She's been a good daughter. A bit rambunctious at times and a bit boy crazy, but a fine daughter non the less," Helen said.

Do you remember?

"Telling Jordan when she turned sixteen she'd be double dating for two years?" Henry asked.

"Yes I do. And you damn near made her cry when you told her it was you and I that she would double date with," Helen said.

"Good thing they quit making Ramblers. I didn't want our daughter necking in the back seat with some guy running his hands all over her body."

"The very same way your hands touched me?" Helen asked.

"That was different."

Helen smiled back at Henry. "It's no different now than it was back in our day."

The road seemed to disappear into the woods. Henry stopped, but Helen took a few more steps.

"Where're you going?" Henry asked.

Helen looked over her shoulder then back at Henry. "I don't know, honey. I feel like I'm just a pebble trapped along the riverbank, held up by the current."

Helen turned her head and watched the water slowly flow by. "The river of time moves continually; it never stops. It won't stop for me or for you."

Henry stood unable to move. His feet seemed to be frozen to the ground. Helen took a few more steps, and he held her hands until their fingertips were just touching.

"Helen, this afternoon, I didn't give you a good bye kiss. I didn't get to tell you I love you..."

"Henry... you just did."

Helen moved toward the woods, and she seemed to disappear like fairy dust in a windstorm. Henry stood and watched her fade into the emptiness.

"Helen? Helen?" Henry called out...

"Dad? Dad? Come on dad. You need to sign these papers."

"Jordan...I ah...must have...Where's mom?"

"Oh God, Dad, don't make this any more difficult than it already is. Mom's gone—"

"No she's not. I was just walking with her. We were talking. Reminiscing.

"Dad, look around you. You're in a hospital. Mom died in a car accident just a short while ago. They said she never knew what hit her. The doctors need your signature on the organ donor papers. They don't have much time left."

Jordan's eyes were red and swollen with tears. "Dad, they need to harvest mom's organs. You've been sitting her beside her now for half an hour. Come on dad. I'm barely able to hold myself together. Mom's gone."

The old man looked over his shoulder and saw his wife of thirty-five years lying in the bed next to him. A machine was whirling and pumping fluids through her motionless body. He looked up at his daughter.

"No!" Henry said. "No!" His fists clinched tight. He pounded them on the edge of her bed.

"What, why?" he asked.

"The police said someone drove up the wrong way on the exit ramp, Dad. He hit her head on. She died instantly. Dad, I told you this already today. Don't you remember?"

"No..." he said as he looked into his daughter's tear filled eyes.

Jordan handed the paper to her dad. "You've got to sign these. They won't do her any good now. Someone else perhaps but not Mom."

Henry shook as he signed his name to the paper. He stood and touched her cold hand. A single tear meandered down his face, wrinkled and cracked from age and hard work, and it fell onto her hand. He wiped his tear from her hand with his thumb then gave her fingers a warm squeeze. He lowered his face and kissed her lips one last time.

Henry ran his fingers through her hair and smiled. Then he whispered into her ear.

"I remember... Helen... I remember..."