Kissing Booth

An hour later they had everything ready and only needed to set up a few chairs for anyone interested in watching them demonstrate CPR or how to drop and roll or put out a kitchen fire. It was easy work, and there weren't a whole lot of people willing to spend time at the OFD booth, and that gave Kathy hope that during the long lulls she and Brad might find a common interest beyond firefighting.

The Omaha Police Department had a booth on their right, but Brad had no idea who was setting up to their left because whoever had rented the space hadn't shown up. As he stepped out to see if anyone was there yet, the event coordinator saw him and asked if he needed any help.

"No. I was just wondering who's gonna be on this side of us."

"Ah. Well, that would be MADD."

"Mad? Who's mad and why?" he asked having no idea what she meant.

The fairly attractive woman laughed then explained that it was 'mad' with two Ds.

"You know, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers."

Brad looked at her then kind of sheepishly said, "Oh."

"No biggie. You're not alone. A lot of folks haven't even heard of them, either."

Brad had heard of them but didn't bother explaining how. He just didn't make the connection when she used the acronym.

"They called a few minutes ago and should be here soon. And you can expect a lot of interest."

"In a MADD booth?"

The woman leaned his way then said, "Yes. Because this year they're doing a kissing booth as part of their spiel."

"Wait. MADD is just a kissing booth?"

Again, the woman laughed then said, "No. It isn't just a kissing booth. They have most of the space set aside for their normal display. But there will be a small section for people to um...make a small donation in exchange for a kiss."

"Huh. Well, it is a worthy cause," Brad said as he tried to envision the space and who might be doing the kissing.

The woman laughed yet again then said, "Now if the fire department was to do the same thing, and if say...someone as handsome as you was the person I could kiss...there's no telling how much money I might be willing to spend."

"Oh. Gee, uh...thanks," Brad said as he kind of scratched his head.

She leaned a little closer again then said, "But I'd let you kiss me for free."

Kathy had gradually moved closer and only heard the last line. But it was enough to cause her to say, "So what else can we do to get ready, Brad?"

"Sorry. Duty calls," he told the event coordinator as he pointed his thumb toward his partner.

"Yes. Of course it does," she said with a whimsical sigh after getting another look from the female firefighter.

"Doesn't she have a job to do?" Kathy asked once the other woman was gone.

"Oh, come on. She's just being friendly."

"Brad. She was hitting on you. Totally. How can you not see that?"

"Nah. She's just being nice."

"So if I were to tell you you could kiss me for free, would you..."

"I'm sorry. Excuse me," they heard someone say.

They both turned around at the same time and saw a woman who looked to be around 30 and extremely attractive.

"Sorry to bother you. I was just wondering if one of you might possibly be able to give me a hand. I'm setting up, but I seem to be all by myself and need a little help with something."

"Sure. We'd be glad to," Brad told her.

Kathy stepped in front of him and said, "My partner needs to finish up our booth, but I'm available. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, thanks. This'll just take a sec, but I can't do it by myself, and the other ladies aren't here yet."

"No problem. We firefighters love to help out," Kathy told her as she got the woman out of their booth and away from her current crush.

Brad busied himself with some little details as his partner helped the woman out, and when she came back a couple of minutes later, she was all smiles.

"She's really nice," Kathy said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. She's very friendly and guess what?"

Before Brad could guess his partner said, "She's one of the people who'll be in the kissing booth."

"No kidding?" Brad replied almost absentmindedly as he recalled how attractive the woman was.

"Oh, and her name is Kayla. So...K&K."

"K&K?"

"Kayla and Kathy."

"Right. Gee...duh," Brad said as he laughed at himself.

Kathy laughed, too, but he didn't notice as he found himself wondering what it would be like kissing an attractive, older woman for the first time. When he was 19, he hooked up with a woman who was 25 but who looked 21. So far, at least, that was the closest he'd ever been to anything like a 'May-December romance' which was something he'd never given any thought to because older women had never interested him in the least.

But after seeing her, this...Kayla...Brad couldn't help but wonder if that might somehow be fun. The thought didn't last long because their lieutenant showed up to see how things were going, and Brad gave his boss his full, undivided attention.

"Looks good, Brad," the boss said.

He took a look at his watch then mentioned how they had about another hour before the public was let in.

"How was the traffic when you drove up?" Brad asked.

"Let's just say that were I not in an OFD vehicle with its lights flashing, I'd be waiting at least an hour to get in. And that's just to get to the parking area and not counting the line."

"Oh, wow. This place is gonna be a zoo," Brad replied with a shake of his head as he began asking himself why he'd volunteered.

The lieutenant chuckled then asked how their rookie was doing.

Kathy was close enough to hear, and she also heard what Brad said about her.

"Great. She's a real asset to the team."

The lieutenant gave her a nod then said, "Good to hear."

He then asked if they needed anything, and that's when Brad said, "You should take a peek next door."

"At the cops' booth? I've seen it every year for as long as I can remember."

Brad laughed then said, "No. On the other side."

"Why? What's over there?"

"Go take a look," the younger man said with a devious smile on his face.

"Yeah?" his boss replied. "Okay. I'll bite."

He disappeared and was gone for at least ten minutes. When he came back he was all smiles.

"I see you met Kayla," Brad said as soon as he saw the happy face.

"Um...yeah. And...wow!"

Kathy rolled her eyes and let out a kind of 'hurumph' which both men ignored.

"You're in a relationship, Lieutenant," Brad said, pretending to warn the man he worked for.

"Doesn't mean I'm blind."

"She is pretty hot, huh?" Brad said quietly but not quietly enough as his partner said with sufficient volume to be heard, "oh for crying out loud!"

As if that wasn't bad enough, the next to last thing their lieutenant said before leaving was, "Brad? If you need someone to take your place just let me know, okay?"

Both men laughed causing Kathy to shake her head again and mumble something about boys, but the 'boys' were too busy laughing and yukking it up to notice.

"Good luck. And thanks for volunteering!" the lieutenant told them both as he turned and waved on his way out.

"And thanks for volunteering," Kathy said in that same quiet, snide voice which Brad heard.

"What's up with that?" he asked her.

She glanced over at him, stared directly at him for a couple of seconds, then turned away without answering his question.

Just before noon a PA announcer let everyone know the gates were opening in five minutes. Six minutes later the near utter silence inside the fairgrounds was replaced with the unmistakable sounds of a large crowd as people began pouring into the fairgrounds in droves.

As expected there wasn't a whole lot of interest in the OFD booth. Occasionally someone in their teens would stop by to ask questions about becoming a firefighter and one of them said it had been his dream since he was five years. Brad spent about 15 minutes with the boy answering questions and offering him tips on how to prepare.

He and Kathy had a CPR demonstration set up for 5pm, and by the time they got ready to start, there was a group of maybe 15-20 people loosely milling around. They had a Resusci Anne manikin, but Kathy was secretly hoping that Brad might want to demonstrate on a live person. But her hopes were dashed again when the most she got was his hand on her shoulder when he explained the difference about doing CPR on a human being.

"You may break a rib or two or even crack the sternum, but that's a small price to pay to have someone save your life," he said before asking if there were any questions.

He let Kathy field them, and just as she began answering the first one, he noticed that the very attractive, older woman from next door had come around to see what was going on. She caught his eye and smiled when he realized she was looking at him. She also waved a cute little female wave which Brad returned, completely unaware of how silly it looked when he did it.

But he wasn't thinking about his masculinity. He was wondering once again what it would be like to kiss, or maybe...date, an older woman; a very specific, very attractive older woman. As Kathy answered questions, he slid over to the side of the booth and walked out then turned left.

"Hi there!" he heard the woman say. "I missed the entire class. If I'd known if was going on I'd have watched the whole thing."

"I take it you haven't had a lot of...customers?" Brad asked with a smile.

"Oh, let's see. We've had...what? A grand total of two people stop by and one of them took a brochure, so...I'd say I probably could have watched the demonstration."

She laughed a little when she said it, and Brad moved closer.

"I'm Brad Taylor," he told her, a smile on his face.

"Yes, right. That's what Kathy told me. I'm Kayla. McKinley. Pleasure," she replied as she stuck out a hand.

Brad took it and noticed the way it felt so small and soft in his.

"Same here," he told her.

He looked at the booth and noticed the brochures as well as the grim statistics along with some graphic images of fatal traffic accidents then saw the kissing booth.

"So when does the main attraction open up?" he asked with a laugh as he nodded toward it.

The woman's response wasn't what he was expecting.

"I don't mean to be rude, but the kissing booth is just a way to raise money. Everything else is the main attraction and something I take this very seriously."

"Sorry," Brad replied feeling a little foolish and a bit like he'd just been politely scolded. "I didn't mean any disrespect."

The woman's expression immediately softened and she apologized.

"No, that's my fault," she said. "I lost my husband and baby to a drunk driver, but that's no excuse for being..."

Before she could finish, Brad told her how sorry he was and noticed the large diamond ring on her finger for the first time.

"Thank you. Me, too," she said, remembering to smile and then apologizing if she sounded rude.

"You weren't rude. I just had no idea. But I should have drawn the connection without having to be told."

"That's not fair," Kayla told him. "I could be anyone and volunteer to work here. It just so happens that I am here because of the way drunk driving affected my own life, but it's unreasonable to expect anyone to know that."

"I'm still very sorry," he told her.

She smiled then said, "To answer your question, though, the kissing booth is open from 6-9 tonight and tomorrow."

"Only two days?"

"To me it feels like two years," Kayla told him with a sigh and a little laugh. "But it is for a good cause."

Brad peeked over at the sign and saw that each kiss was five dollars.

"I uh, I've got a twenty in my pocket, so I uh, I may stop by again after six," he told her in a way that didn't sound crass or...rude.

Kayla laughed then told him that under normal circumstances she wouldn't charge firefighters or police officers.

"But in this case, I'm afraid you'll have to pay like everyone else."

Brad hoped he wouldn't offend her as he smiled and said, "Well, in this case, I'll consider it the best $20 I ever spent."

Kayla smiled back then said, "Oh. So you're going to spend it all right here?" as she nodded toward the booth.

He looked at her, but not in a lewd way, smiled again, then said, "I think I very well may."

"Okay. In that case, I guess I'll...kiss you...later?"

She was plainly being playful, and Brad's growing interest in older women, or rather this one particular, very attractive older woman, was increasing by the minute.

"Yes you will!" he told her as he tried to look very businesslike while he pointed at her.

She laughed again then said, "It was nice meeting you, Brad."

"You too, Kayla," he told her as he turned around, suddenly realizing he'd completely forgotten about his rookie partner.

But as he walked back into their booth he saw that she had everything under control. There were only a half dozen or so people left, but Kathy was answering their questions like a pro.

When she finished Brad told her she did great, and the compliment had her feeling on top of the world until he spoke again.

"I took a look at the MADD booth."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I uh, I kind of got to know the woman over there...Kayla...a little."

"Oh?" Kathy said again, not happy with where this was going.

"Yeah. You were right. She's not only extremely attractive, she's really nice. Very friendly lady."

"Friendly. I'll bet," Kathy said in that snide way as she turned away.

"Her husband and a child were killed by a drunk driver," Brad told her, still unaware of his partner's feelings for him.

"Oh, my goodness. That's awful!" a mostly-repentant Kathy said, now feeling bad for being so petty.

"Seriously. I can't even imagine."

Kathy had never known her maternal grandfather because he'd been killed by a drunk driver when her mother was only 12 years old. Her mom rarely talked about it, but Kathy knew that it had torn her mom's heart out and had the same effect on her grandmother who'd never remarried.

But the pettiness welled up again in her when Brad told her he thought he'd stop by again later on and 'make a donation'.

"Or two. Or maybe even three or four."

He was all smiles, but the best Kathy could do was try not to let the hurt show as Brad asked what was next.

They had a running video playing that showed how to improve one's chances of survival and get out of a home or building that was on fire, and that video was followed by another that talked about kitchen fires and how to (and how not to) put them out safely. It stressed the importance of having a fire blanket handy at all times—just in case. They were only about $10 and could save an entire house from going up in flames.

Brad waited until around 7:30 then took a look next door and laughed when he saw the line for the kissing booth. It wasn't huge, per se, but there were at least 20 men and a handful of college-aged boys in it.

"Can't say I blame you guys," he said to himself as he chuckled and decided to wait a while longer before spending all of his hard-earned money in one place.

When he turned around Kathy was less than a foot away.

"Geez! You uh, you scared me," Brad said because she had.

"Can I ask you something?" his partner asked.

"Okay. Sure."

"What does she have that I don't?"

"Pardon?" a thoroughly confused Brad Taylor said with a little shake of his head.

"The older woman in the kissing booth. How is it that a woman you just met has your full attention after saying 'hello' and I can't even get you to notice I'm alive?"

Brad didn't need a PhD to understand what was going on. He'd never once thought of Kathy like that, but it was obvious that's how she thought of him. And she was perceptive enough to notice that Kayla had indeed captured his attention. But explaining how or why might require a doctorate in psychology and Brad only had an associate's degree in general studies from a community college.

"Kathy. I'm sorry. I don't even know what to say," he told her as honestly as he could.

"It's fine. Really. I don't actually expect you to be able to answer that. I know because I've been where I just put you too many times. You know, when some guy had a thing for me but I didn't notice because I was crushing on someone else."

"I'm sure that happened a lot," Brad told her. "Because you're a very attractive girl."

Kathy sighed then said, "Girl. Maybe that's the problem. She's a woman and I'm just...a girl."

Brad could tell she wasn't angry. She was hurt but not so much that she wouldn't be fine in a few days or so. Still, it made him feel awful to know she was hurt, but he also knew there was nothing he could do about it other than be honest and continue being professional around her.

"Sorry. That was childish of me," she told him, now that she'd finally revealed her big secret.

Kathy seemed to be thinking then started talking again.

"Love is often so hard to understand. It seems simple, but there are so many variables, you know? There are obvious factors like looks, but there are also...intangibles; things that matter to one person that make no difference to someone else. And if we don't have the intangibles that certain someone we like is looking for, there won't be any...spark. And without that spark to get things going there can't be any connection."

Kathy shook her head then apologized for 'preaching' and tried to smile before finishing up with her thought.

"Listen. There isn't anyone hanging around waiting for another CPR class, so I can handle things here if you want to, you know, go next door."

Now aware of just how good a partner Kathy was, rookie or not, he realized he needed to stay. With his partner.

"No. That's okay. I'll stay here. After all, we're partners, and partners stick together, right?"

Kathy forced herself to smile then said, "Yes, but a good partner also know what her partner needs. And you need to go make a donation to a charity. So...go!"

"You sure?" Brad asked just to be sure himself.

"Hey, I may still be a girl, but I'm a big girl, so...yes. Go ahead. Go spend your money."

"Just give me a holler if anyone does want that CPR class, okay?"

"I will, I will. And you'll only be 20 feet away for crying out loud. So go!" she told him as the smile on her face belied the broken heart she'd begin mending in the morning.

After all, she did have a PhD. Hers was in the delicate subject of mending broken hearts, and she'd earned the degree the hard way by having had hers broken more times than she could count.

"And unless I learn to stop wanting the wrong guys, I could become a world record holder in...broken heartology," she said to herself as Brad went to get in line.

But before doing that he stopped at the ticket booth and paid for four. Tickets in hand, he got behind a man at least twice his age who said this was his third time in line.

"My wife bailed on me a few months ago," the man began, "and I haven't kissed a woman since. Until tonight."

"That's a tough break," Brad said sympathetically.

"Nah. Not really. I was actually glad to see her go."

Brad's eyes opened a little wider, but he didn't say anything.

"She got fat. Not just fat. HUGE! I couldn't stand to be around her."

"Oh," Brad replied not sure what else to say.

"Now if my wife looked like this babe..."

Brad tried not to be judgmental, but this guy was a good 50 pounds overweight himself. He'd lost most of his hair which wasn't his fault, but the greasy combover he had going on couldn't be blamed on genetics. The man also reeked of tobacco smoke which had yellowed his teeth, and Brad was trying to understand how this guy could be so critical of someone else while being clueless about his own looks.

With only one person ahead of the complaining 'hunk', the man stopped talking and got ready for his third kiss.

"Look who's back!" Kayla said when she saw him.