My Second Piece of Ass Ch. 16

"Do you remember the lunch we had at the garden restaurant when I was still in my twenties?"

"Of course I do. You were wearing the baseball pants with the Harvard T-shirt and the Red Sox baseball cap." I could not help thinking of the changes that had taken place in the two years since; the changes to Laura and to me and to us. Yet, some things had not changed.

Looking at her I saw the same girl that had sat across from me, quoting from Romeo and Juliet. "We need to find a pair of baseball pants for you. They looked so comfortable and you looked so good in them," I suggested.

When the server asked us if we wanted dessert Laura said she didn't care for anything, explaining, "We're going shopping for some very tight fitting clothes for me." I settled for a dish of apple strudel.

We shopped in department stores and boutiques. Laura was very selective, choosing only those items of clothing that would fit the occasion. We found a pair of women's baseball pants in a sports shop and she selected sweatshirts for each of us. We found tight fitting jeans and knee length pants, white or course and a dozen tops of various styles, some were tight fitting, some were not. She even bought one dress, white and below the knees.

We decided we did not have time to look for furniture for the new room.

I coaxed her into a jewelry store, wanting to measure her ring size

On the way home she was curious as to why I wanted to measure her ring finger.

"We're going to be late getting back," I said, changing the subject. I was anxious to see if the house had been finished. If so I would collect the payment and Jimmy and Davie could move on to help Charles with the two additions.

"We have something to discuss," Laura said. We were in the bedroom, having carried her new clothes in from the car. "But I didn't say anything at lunch because we were having so much fun and I didn't want to spoil it."

"Sounds serious," I speculated.

"No honey, it's not serious at all. Well, it's serious but not the way you mean, I'll tell you in bed tonight, okay?"

What now I wondered as I rushed off to see how the painting was going.

I recognized Petri's voice when she answered the phone.

"She's not here," Petri said when I asked to speak to her sister.

"Really, she's not there or she doesn't want to talk to me?"

"She went out. What happened, Randy?"

I told Petri as much as I thought she needed to know, reliving our parting in the school parking lot that day. "She ran off before I got a chance to explain," I ended my story.

"That's too bad but don't be hard on her. She's been through a lot since she came home from school."

"I don't think I'm being hard on her, do you?"

"No, I don't. I guess I'm just trying to stick up for her, wanting you to be patient, that's all."

"Where did she go?" I asked, showing annoyance. I was annoyed because of Huley's actions in the parking lot but more so because she was not at home to take my call. "She knows what time I call."

"I don't know Randy. She may have gone to see Jake but I don't know that," Petri's voice had a calming affect on me. She was concerned but her manner was soothing.

"What really happened between them?" I asked, thinking that if anyone was going to tell me it would be Petri.

"They're so much alike, popular in their own way; him for sports, her for her looks. Being popular was important to both of them. That summer when he started paying attention to her she didn't know anything about football; she had concentrated on getting good grades and never cared about sports. When she found out what she had, well, you know Huley, she fell head over heels."

"Did he feel the same about her?"

"Who knows? It seemed that way at the time. I was between 10th and 11th grades and I was awestruck by the way he treated her. But I've heard he has played the field after she left for school."

"Do you think she wants to get back together with him?" I asked, feeling something between curious and concern.

"I really, really think she's hung up on you but you know Huley. If she can't control you she'll look for a way to break you. If she can't break you, she'll give up. It took me a long time to find that out about her."

"Thanks for the advice. For eighteen you're pretty smart."

"It's not smart. After you get hurt enough times you learn ways to take care of yourself," Petri admitted.

It was almost nine and Huley had not come home. I assumed their parents were still out and Petri was alone. She offered to have Huley call me. I gave her my number and said goodbye.

When I turned off my desk lamp at 12:15 a.m. Huley had not called.

Not wanting to disturb Laura I eased into my side of the bed, wondering if I would be able to go to sleep. Besides Huley being pissed at me and not having heard what it was Laura had wanted to tell me about I had received another letter from home. Both of my parents insisted that I give up my life of leisure and "that girl" and come home to buckle down. Also there was my part time job and school to occupy my thoughts.

"Did you catch up on your schoolwork?" Laura was awake and moving my way.

"Come here you, you're just what I need tonight," I said, happy to have her in my arms.

"Did you?"

"Yes, I think so. Thanks for the notes. It looks like you read all the Rome books."

"You need a shave," she said, not letting my stubble keep her from pressing her cheek to mine. The necklace bouncing on my chest made me think of the birthday gift I had purchased in the jewelry store.

"Let me up, I forgot something," I said.

Reluctantly, Laura let me get out of bed to retrieve the gift.

"What is it?" she asked in the dark as I slipped the ring on her finger.

"It's not what you think," I tried to assure her.

"It feels like a wedding ring," she sounded nervous.

"It is but it's not what you think. I thought of it when you said we would look like an old married couple. There are times when we need to look that way. You can wear the ring on your finger or you can wear in on the necklace and say it's from your marriage to C C Stone. We'll both know it's your birthday present. No matter what, we'll both know. It will be one of our secrets."

She shifted her position and I felt the trinket bounce on my chest. I also felt dampness against my cheek.

"You're so sweet. I'm so lucky," she managed to say between sobs.

"You're my number one," I answered, letting everything that was interfering with my sleep drift away. We didn't talk about what ever it was that Laura had to tell me.

{To be continued. My thanks for the help, the comments and the voting.}