On Madison's Avenue

"Thank you, Mrs. Callahan. Your home is beautiful!" Madison said in genuine amazement.

"It's home, and call me Terry. That's Bill. We're not big on formality here."

Madison smiled. "Thanks, Terry."

"I would bring you in for a cold drink, but I think Tommy's taken care of everything." Terry turned to Thomas and said, "It's all packed and ready, dear. Thunder and Missy are saddled and ready to go too."

Thomas grinned, grabbed Madison's hand and took her into the barn. They rounded the corner of the stall and Madison froze in her tracks. There in front of her was a jet black mare with white markings around her hooves and a white star between her eyes. She was the spitting image of Maza. Madison was speechless. She turned to Thomas and back to Missy.

"How did you ... how did you ..." she said to Thomas as tears formed in her eyes.

Thomas smiled and kicked the dirt. "I was in your social studies class in 8th grade with Mr. Gregson. I remembered how sad you were about Maza, so I thought you might enjoy riding Missy. She's a spirited horse and one of my favorites."

Madison was fighting very hard to keep from sobbing. She clutched Thomas close to her, kissed his cheek, and said softly, "Thank you. I can't think of anything in this world I'd like more."

Bill and Terry watched the whole thing with their arms around each other. They gave each other a kiss and watched Thomas help Madison onto Missy. He climbed up on Thunder. Bill had packed a wagon with blankets, a cooler, and a picnic basket. He told Thomas to unhitch it from Thunder and leave it in the field when they were done. He said he'd get it tomorrow.

Thomas led the way to a huge oak tree by a wide creek. He spread out the blanket and got the dinner organized. They had Terry's famous fried chicken and rolls, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Terry had also backed a cherry cobbler for them. The cooler held plenty of water and lemonade.

Madison was blown away. She never expected anything like this in a million years. She felt like a little kid. They ate. They threw rocks in the water. They galloped through the fields on the horses. It was an absolutely magical evening. After dark, Thomas took her up to the ridge and spread out a blanket. She was thrilled to see the light of the city laid out in the valley below them. In the sky, millions of stars filled the heavens. She clutched Thomas's arm. She was having one of the best nights of her life.

After some time spent talking, Madison took Thomas' chin in her hand and turned his face towards hers. "Thank you, Tommy," she said with a giggle and a small hit on his arm. "This is the best date I've ever been on." Thomas beamed. Then, Madison kissed Thomas. He was stunned. He never expected anything like that, but he wasn't stupid enough to pass up the opportunity.

Thomas kissed her back passionately. Thomas had never kissed a girl and was afraid Madison would realize that fact. If she did, she didn't show it. She was so overcome with affection for Thomas that she kept kissing him and kissing him. She explored his mouth with her soft tongue, and he quickly picked up the cues to do the same. They just sat there kissing for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, Thomas' watch alarm went off to signal that it was time to head back to the farmhouse. Madison looked at him with surprise and then fell over backwards onto the blanket laughing. Thomas smiled sheepishly.

The kids were taken back in Bill's truck, and Madison was home ten minutes before the 11:00 curfew imposed by the raffle committee. Thomas walked her up to the door to say goodnight.

"Tommy, that was an amazing evening! Thank you, again, so much," Madison said to him.

Then, she kissed him again. Mr. James raised his eyebrows in surprise. Thomas was not her usual type. She turned to Bill and yelled, "Bye, Bill! Give Missy a couple of extra carrots for me!"

"I will do that, Madison. You're welcome anytime to ride her again," Bill said.

"Really?!"

"Sure. Any friend of Tommy is automatically a friend of ours."

Madison squealed, gave Thomas a big hug, and kissed him one more time. Then, she turned to her Dad. "Daddy, can Tommy go to the park with us tomorrow, please?"

Warren chuckled and answered, "Sure. If he can stand your company for two days in a row."

"Can you?" she asked, turning to Thomas.

Thomas was practically speechless, but he did finally answer, "I think I can manage."

"Great! We'll pick you up tomorrow at 1:00, right?" she asked, turning to her Dad.

"Doesn't look like I have a choice?" he said with a laugh.

They said their goodbyes, and Thomas finally headed back to Bill's truck. Never in any fantasy he ever had did he think he would go on a date with Madison James ... much less two dates.

When they got to his house, Bill went in for a few minutes to give his brother and sister-in-law the lowdown on the evening. He figured Thomas would be too lost in his own world to talk.

In school the next week, there were several stories about the cheerleader dates. Most were either routine or ridiculous, like Walter Stevens trying to be romantic and dancing with Tammy by a big lit fountain. Unfortunately, he tripped and fell into the water dragging her in with him. Everyone asked Madison about her date, expecting dopey dish. Instead, she told them it was the most romantic date she had ever had. She described the events and went on and on about Thomas' gallantry and how much fun it was to ride Missy. Her friends listened in stunned silence.

"Are you, like, falling for him?" Kelly asked.

"Nope," she answered. "Already fallen."

"For Thomas Callahan?" Tammy asked in shock.

"For Tommy Callahan," she answered, looking dreamy and heading down the hall to her next class. Her friends stared at her with their mouths open.

At lunch, Madison brought Thomas to her table to sit with the cheerleaders. Judging from the looks on the various faces, she might as well have brought an orangutan. Thomas was very nervous to be so far out of his comfort zone, but Madison kept holding his arm and refused to let him go. She talked to her friends as if nothing different was taking place.

Blake approached to ask her about their impending date. He saw Thomas sitting there with Madison wrapped around him and was confused. "Hey, Callahan, the nerd herd's over there," he said pointing to Thomas' usual table. Thomas turned red.

"So, Maddie, slumming today?" Blake said with a goofy grin. "How about if I pick you up on Friday about 7:00?"

"Sorry, Blake. Tommy and I are going to be busy," she said staring at Blake and holding Thomas harder.

"Tommy? Who's Tommy? Remember the date you promised me last week?" Blake said getting annoyed at being in this position in public.

"Things change, Blake, and I'm going out with Tommy now," she said, getting angry at the scene he was causing.

Blake knocked Heather's tray onto the floor and yelled, "Bullshit! Madison, I asked you very nicely, and you said yes. Now, you tell me you're going out with this doofus?"

"Blake, you and I are not going to happen. Accept it and move on to your next conquest."

"Fuck!" Blake took an aggressive step toward Madison like he might hit her. Thomas was no longer frightened. He stood up and looked straight into Blake's eyes. "She asked you to leave," Thomas said through gritted teeth.

Blake looked around the cafeteria and asked no one in particular, "What Twilight Zone are we in?"

"Just move away," Thomas said as he closed his fist.

Blake grabbed his shirt, made a fist and said, "How about if I move your face between your butt cheeks, Shithead?"

"Nielsen! What in the sam-holy-hell do you thing you're doing?" yelled Coach Pratt, the head football coach from across the cafeteria. "Are you gonna throw your whole football career away over some girl?" Coach Pratt was standing next to Blake now. He turned to Madison and said, "Sorry, Miss, I didn't mean anything insulting by that remark." He turned back to Blake. "Let him go or kiss your scholarship good-bye. NOW!!"

Blake let Thomas go but said menacingly, "We'll have to finish this later."

"No. You're not finishing one damned thing," Coach said. "In fact, you're going to make it your mission in life to make sure no harm comes to this boy. Do you hear me? If any student lays a hand on Callahan, I'm holding you personally responsible, Nielsen." Blake started to protest. "Personally responsible! Do I make myself crystal clear?" Coach said, looking right into Blake's eyes.

Blake knew he was beaten. He looked down and answered, "Yes, Coach."

"Good! Everybody get back to whatever the hell it was you were doing!" Blake walked dejectedly away to the football table, which erupted in conversation.

Thomas unclenched his fist and sat back down.

The cheerleaders were agape. Madison kissed Thomas on the cheek and turned to the group and asked, "Any more questions?" The girls looked at each other and began talking about the things they usually talked about. Madison squeezed Thomas' hand under the table and leaned on his shoulder. The kids at the nerd table stood and gave Thomas a standing ovation, which brought a much needed round of raucous laughter throughout the cafeteria.

Madison felt giddy about going out with Thomas. Regardless of whether anyone else understood it or not, she loved the way Thomas looked at her and how he made her feel. They spent so much time at Uncle Bill's that Terry said they might as well adopt the two of them. Missy began to think of herself as Maddie's horse.

Thomas and Madison became inseparable. Over time, the cheerleaders accepted him as a regular boyfriend. He was welcome at parties and on group dates. The other girls might have been going out with jocks, but Thomas became a genuine member of the group. For awhile, he was torn between different worlds. To the nerd herd, however, he was a hero. He was proof that it was possible to escape to the other side, and they wished him nothing but good luck.

Interestingly, as time wore on, more of Madison's friends picked guys who were more than muscles. They looked for guys that could become friends as well as boyfriends.

Madison and Thomas often had Olympic length make-out sessions. Thomas had become quite a good kisser, and they would ride into the hills, find a shady spot near some water and grass for the horses, spread out a blanket and hug and kiss for hours. Thomas even graduated to second base on a couple of occasions and relished holding Maddie's perfect breasts. They were firm and satiny, and they sagged just enough to accentuate her trim waist. Her dark skin was the perfect backdrop for her large russet nipples. He kissed them a few times but usually ended up staining his shorts not long after his tongue met her pert brunette buds. Still, for that time in Madison's life, Thomas was the best pal she could hope to find.

With Thomas' help, Maddie finished her senior year with straight As, and they were both accepted to State. Thomas, of course, was pursuing a career in chemistry or chemical engineering. Madison decided to explore college for awhile until her passion was unearthed.

Life would take another turn for them sophomore year. Thomas' new roommate was a laid-back dude from California who was into Eastern philosophy. Thomas liked him immediately.

Madison's new roommate, Kate Merriman, was a quiet transfer student from Tech, but Madison was soon able to get her out of her shell long enough to learn that she was another science geek. Maddie was certainly comfortable with them and knew she and Kate would get along great.

The beginning of fall semester was a whirlwind. Tons of frats and sororities were pledging new members. Clubs galore were also looking for associates. There were loads of parties. Madison's Mom had been a Kappa Delta, and Madison promised her she would actually go to one of their rush parties even if she decided not to join.

"Kate, since I promised my mom I'd go to this rush party, why don't you come along with Tommy and me?" Madison asked, fearing that Kate would be sitting home alone.

"Thanks for the offer, Maddie, but I kind of have a date."

"Really? That's great!" Madison said with a big smile. "I didn't think you had time to meet anyone."

"I didn't really. The guy's a friend of my brother, and Mike has always been very protective of me," she said with a smile. "He even finds me dates in college. How many big brothers do that?"

"Not many, Kate. That's very cool. I'm going with Tommy, so you can bring your date along if you'd like. I mean, if you're interested in seeing what a sorority's like."

"I don't know. Maybe. I'll ask him when he gets here," Kate said.

"What's his name?" Madison's question was interrupted by a knock at the door. Maddie opened the door and stood there in shock. "Blake?"

He was just as surprised. "Maddie?"

Kate was also surprised. "You two know each other?"

No one knew what to say or do. Finally, Madison moved so Blake could enter the room. She looked at Kate and said, "Blake and I went to the same high school. I haven't seen him since he graduated."

"It's good to see you, Maddie," he said with a smile. Then, he went over to Kate and sat next to her on the bed.

Madison, still in shock, closed the door and sat across from them on her own bed. "So, how've you been, Blake?"

"You know, hanging in there. What about you? You still dating Thomas?" She expected to see some fire in his eyes, but it wasn't there.

"Yes. He's here at State as well. In fact, he'll be here in a few minutes. We're going to a rush party together."

Blake smiled. "Great! That's so cool that you guys stuck together. I'm really happy for you." Madison studied his face and she was surprised to see that he really meant it. He seemed so different.

Another knock at the door made Madison jump. She opened it for Thomas. He stepped into the room with a smile, but it quickly faded when he saw Blake sitting on the bed with Kate. Blake stood and walked over to shake his hand. Thomas took one instinctive step back before Blake reached him.

"Hey, Thomas. Good to see you, man. Small world, huh?" Blake said.

"Uhm ... yeah. Small world," Thomas said slowly as he sat next to Madison.

Kate looked at Blake and said, "Maddie invited us to go to the rush party with them if you want. I didn't know what you had planned."

"Campus is full of parties tonight. I've got an 11:00 curfew cause of the game tomorrow against BYU. I'm up for just about anything. I hear the food is way better at the sororities than at the frats."

"OK," Kate said. "Let's go." She and Blake led the way out of the door. Madison and Thomas looked at each other with open mouths, shrugged and walked out behind them.

The KD house was like the other houses, bathed in bright lights and had plenty of music blaring out of it. They were greeted by one of the student hostesses. Kate was given a yellow prospective pledge pin and Madison was given a red legacy pin. The four of them got something to eat and drink and mingled a bit. The ended up in the dining room, which had been converted to a dance hall. Dancing was not Thomas strong suit, but he figured that as long as he was with Madison he would look cool no matter what he danced like. Kate was also a bit awkward, but she really got into dancing. When the band took a short break, they refilled their drinks and headed to the huge wraparound porch. Not long after they sat down, the band started back.

"C'mon," Kate said to Blake.

"Do you mind if we take a break?" he asked.

"I want to dance! How about you, Thomas? Are you up for another round?"

"Yeah, but ..."

"It's okay," Madison assured him. "I'm enjoying the breeze here on the porch. You two go knock 'em dead." Thomas and Kate grabbed hands and headed back inside.

"Whew! I never expected Kate to be a dance machine," Madison said.

Blake laughed. "Me neither."

"So, how did you two meet?" she asked.

"I don't know if you went to the games last year, but I blew my knee out in the second game of the season and had to have surgery."

"Yeah, I read about all that in the Chronicle."

"Anyway, Kate's brother is in school to become an athletic trainer, so I got to know him pretty well in rehab. He was worried that Kate would dive into her books again and miss out on college life completely, so he asked if I would take her out."

"Why'd he pick you?"

"He said I was the only one he could trust. Me. Shocker, huh?"

Madison smiled. "You do seem ... different, Blake. I guess college suits you."

He sat back in his chair. "Maybe, but after my Mom died, I don't know. Something changed inside of me, Maddie."

"I heard about that. I'm so sorry, Blake. I can't imagine losing my mom."

"It was really rough. It's weird, you know, in high school, everything seemed to be about being tough and popular. Then, something like that happens, and you realize what shit all that other stuff really is. You recognize what the really important things in life are, and it's not who can drink the most beer or go to bed with the most girls." He stopped and turned to look at Madison.

"I look back at high school and realize what a class A butt hole I was most of the time. I still cringe when I think about embarrassing you in the cafeteria that day. I'm really sorry about that, Maddie. I wish I could take it all back," Blake said.

She found herself momentarily getting lost in his dark good looks and in his sparkling green eyes. "That's ancient history, Blake. I haven't thought about that in ages." Madison always had defenses in place when it came to Blake. He was either the stud, the macho shithead, or some other equally distasteful version of the type of guy she hated. Now, however, he seemed so different her defenses were disappearing. His eyes made her feel tingly inside.

Thomas and Kate burst through the door sweating from their dance revolution. "We could use some fresh drinks!" Kate said with a big smile.

"That I can handle," Blake said, and he jumped up to get a fresh round of drinks for all of them.

About 10:30, they thanked the hostesses and headed for the athlete's dorm to drop off Blake. "Good luck tomorrow," Madison called after him as he walked up the driveway.

"Are you coming to the game?" Blake asked. The three of them looked at each other and shrugged.

"No. We didn't stand in line for tickets," Madison answered.

"Okay. Wait right here." Blake instructed as he turned and ran into the dorm. He emerged a few minutes later with three tickets in his hand. "They always give us a bunch of tickets for family and friends. I got these from Kiner since his dad's a big donor. He never uses all his tickets, and they are great seats," he said as he handed them to Thomas.

"Wow ... 40-yard-line!" Thomas exclaimed. "Thanks, Blake!"

"Thanks, Blake," Madison said.

"Thanks, Blake," Kate said, giving him a quick kiss good-bye. Madison didn't want to admit it, but that kiss made her a little envious.

Blake waved and ran back inside. The three friends walked around campus for awhile. Thomas walked the girls to their dorm and then headed for his. The kick-off was at 1:30, so they decided to meet at 11:00 so they could get a seat in a restaurant somewhere. They were all excited. This was their first big-time college sporting event, and the campus was on fire.

At the game, Thomas sat between the two girls. He was in heaven. Kate didn't know very much about football, so he spent a lot of time explaining what was happening. Madison didn't mind. She was watching Blake on the field.

When he got hurt the previous year, Kevin Palmer took over at quarterback. Palmer had been the designated starter until the new hot shot freshman rolled into town. A lot of people thought he would take the starting job back permanently. But, Blake worked very, very hard in rehab to be ready for spring practice. He was such a gifted athlete that his talent quickly lifted him above Palmer on the depth chart.