Wheels of Love

Jenny blushed. "I am not brave, I try to do my best with the cards I've been dealt."

Liam sipped his beer and said, "Don't we all?"

"My turn. What do you love more about being a music teacher?"

"Believe it or not, I didn't set out to become a teacher. At first, my dream was to play the guitar and become a rock star," Liam laughed. "We had a band in high school. We were pretty good."

"What happened?"

"Life got in the way. Long story short, I had to give up my dream and get a job. So, teaching music was my second-best option. I had to work hard to keep my grades up to average while working from twenty to forty hours a week outside of school. Finally, I got my degree and I found I just enjoyed teaching so much. I love to sit with my students for an hour or more every week, and help them learn how to play an instrument. My technique is to treat all my students as individuals, and to help them explore and be inspired. Music lessons are often more than just instruction. My classes are a time to listen, to share, and to be a friend. Teaching is a pleasure, not just a necessity."

Liam grinned and his dimples appeared once more. "Long answer. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"What about you, Jenny?

"My plan was not to become a teacher, but to become a gymnast. I was on my way to the Olympics to win a gold medal when I had the... accident."

"Oh, wow! Talk about having your dreams crushed."

Jenny nodded. "When my spinal cord and my legs were injured in that accident, all my plans were crushed, too."

"It must have been very hard for you," Liam said quietly, extending his hand to squeeze hers.

"You have no idea. There is absolutely no way to describe what I felt. It was like my world was crumbling. I do not even want to try! I had lost everything I cared about. I hated my life," Jenny gulped and continued. "At some point, my sister Kara told me, 'Enough wallowing in self-pity, do something with your life.' So, I went to college and became a teacher. I suppose one of the steps that led me into teaching is that I have always liked being a student. I like being a teacher now. As you said, you can make a difference."

Liam was resting his chin on his hand. He was carefully listening to her words.

"I can't believe we've never talked about things like this. I feel like I know you, but I don't know you--not the important things, anyway," he said.

"Well, we are getting to know each other, now."

"True."

The waitress arrived with the pizza.

Liam and Jenny reached for a slice of pizza at the same time. Their fingers touched. He lingered a moment, and it felt like he wanted to flip her hand over and hold it.

Jenny wanted that too.

All too quickly, Liam took his hand away and glanced into Jenny's eyes. "All yours," he said with a smile.

Jenny took a slice and placed it on her plate.

Liam took the next slice over. He brought it to his mouth, self-conscious knowing Jenny was watching him. He took a bite, but the pizza was hot. He looked comical for a few seconds, as he tried to get air into his mouth to cool it down without looking like he was chewing with his mouth open, all the while trying hard to pretend it wasn't painful. Jenny caught his eye and started to laugh at the situation.

"I burned my tongue," said Liam. He drank half of his glass of beer. Then, he started laughing at himself.

"Look, you have an audience," Jenny said.

Liam glanced around. Some people were looking at them with curiosity.

"I burned my tongue," Liam explained to the audience with his tongue out.

They both laughed again.

"Next time, let it cool off," Jenny suggested.

"I'm too hungry for that," he said, fanning the slice with his hand.

Finally, he was able to take a bite.

"You know what?" he asked, with his mouth full of pizza.

"What?"

"It's taking me a little while to grow accustomed to not having to text everything. Like, I want to pull my phone out right now and send you a text."

"What would you write in your text?"

"I'm having a lot of fun on our date. It's perfect."

Jenny's lips tilted up at the corners. "So you're saying I'm the perfect date?"

"I'm saying our date is perfect so far. The jury's still out on you," he kidded, "but I'll be happy to go on a second date with you."

"We're still in the middle of our first date, Liam. You can't ask me that out of the blue."

"I already did, and I refuse to take it back," he said, taking another slice.

"What if I don't like you by the end of this date?" Jenny asked.

"You honestly think that's possible? Look at me." His dimples poked through his smile, and she knew right then, she was saying yes.

"Say yes, Jenny."

"Yes, Jenny," she said, batting her eyelashes in a ridiculously flirtatious manner.

They sat there for hours, just talking and laughing. They noticed they had a lot in common.

By the end of the date, it was official. Jenny had a crush on Liam. He was funny, deep, warm and engaging. He felt like an old friend.

They finally took a look around, and realized they were the only ones left inside.

"Is it late?" Jenny asked.

"Time flies when you're having fun. Did you have a good first date, Jenny?"

"It wasn't terrible," she said, with a wink.

"Admit it; this was the best first date you've ever been on."

"I don't know..." Jenny pretended to think. "I remember a first date at a theme park when I was fourteen. That one is hard to top."

Liam pouted, and Jenny laughed. "Our date is in my top three, for sure."

"I'll think of something for our second date. Does a top three date deserve a kiss?"

She wanted Liam to kiss her, hard or soft, anyway, she could get it. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, wanted to know if they were as soft as they appeared. She was dying to feel his stubble brush against her lips as his mouth moved over hers. She wanted to know if he kissed the way he talked--sweet, with just a hint of dirt.

"We're in public," she managed to scratch out.

"We are."

"I don't think this is a good place for that."

"And why is that, Jenny?"

"Because I'm certain once I start kissing you, I won't be able to stop."

"I'm going to kiss you anyway."

Liam moved toward her, his lips parting slightly. He was gentle at first, but their soft kisses turned firm and they were grabbing at one another, as if they'd never touch again. He slid his hand around until he was cradling her face. Jenny pressed into him, into the kiss, into... whatever the hell this was.

Their tongues continued to dance to a song only they heard, and she couldn't even begin to count the minutes they were wrapped up in one another.

Somewhere along the way, their kisses turned sweeter. They finally pulled their lips apart and sucked in deep breaths of air.

Their first kiss was everything she'd dreamed of and more. She would never forget it, as long as she lived. She drank it in, memorized it, and made it a part of her.

"What am I going to do with you?" Liam pressed a kiss to her forehead. "A rhetorical question, by the way."

"Too bad. I had a really good answer."

He met her eyes and tilted his head in interest, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Yeah? And what is that?"

Jenny winked. "Guess you'll never know."

"Tease."

"Guilty," she whispered, before placing her lips on his again.

Before she knew it, Liam was pushing her chair out of the restaurant. "Come on, Jen. I'll take you home before your sister comes to fetch you."

They stopped at her door, and Jenny used her keys to open the front door. "Liam... our date... it was everything I hoped it would be and more."

Liam was staring at Jenny, his eyes full of delight and a crooked grin stretched across his face.

"You can say it, I'm awesome."

Jenny shook her head and laughed.

"Thanks... for everything."

"Thank you, Jenny. For finally being honest with me. For taking the risk. For laughing at my horrible jokes. For being... well, everything I wanted you to be."

Liam leaned down for another kiss.

A cough interrupted them. "So, I take it your date went well," Kara said, looking at both of them."

"It did," Jenny confirmed.

"I better go now before you tell her the truth and she hits my head with her bat," Liam gave Jenny a last kiss and winked at Kara. "Goodnight, Jenny. Goodnight, Kara."

"Goodnight, Liam," Jenny whispered.

He waved his hand, and walked away, leaving Jenny standing there wanting more.

More kisses.

More touches.

More of him.

CHAPTER 14

"Hi, dear," Nana greeted Liam, as soon as he walked through the door. "How did your date go?"

"It went well, Nana. I had a good time."

The old lady gave her grandson a look that meant she was waiting for him to say more.

What else was there to say? Besides everything, of course.

"Would you like some tea? I can fix it up."

Nana was a tea lover. She used to think a cup of tea could solve almost anything.

"Yes, thank you. You didn't have to wait up for me."

His grandmother went immediately to the sink, filled the teapot, and placed it on the stove.

"Old habits die hard, Liam. "Your mother wanted to wait for your return too, but you know her meds make her drowsy."

Liam nodded.

"Besides, I couldn't wait to know every detail of your wonderful date."

"It was wonderful but..." Liam let his last word trail off.

"Oh--?"

The teapot began to whistle, and the old lady poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of her grandson. Then, she sat at Liam's side.

"She was in a wheelchair," Liam finally explained, after taking a sip. He shrugged his shoulders, resting importance on the whole thing.

His grandmother just looked at her grandson waiting for him to continue. When he didn't say anything else, she said softly, "I sincerely hope you didn't make that poor girl feel bad about that."

"No, Nana, of course I didn't. I was a perfect gentleman." Liam's words brought a smile to his grandmother's lips.

"Well, I was a little agitated that she lied at first, but I could see why she might have wanted to hide her situation."

His grandma moved her head up and down approvingly. "The value of a person is not about her face, her body, or her figure. If you like her, it shouldn't matter if she is in a wheelchair or not."

Liam sipped his tea slowly.

"Jenny isn't a raving beauty, but she seems to have a beauty that came from within. I know you would like her."

"Do you like her?"

Liam took a few seconds before answering. "I do."

"So, are you going to ask her out on a second date?"

"I already did. Besides, pushing her wheelchair around is good exercise," Liam said, with a smile. "I'm going to have biceps of steel."

His grandma scratched the back of Liam's head, and smiled softly. Her grandson always used humor as a way of dealing with the hardest parts of his life.

He might come off as the cheery, happy-go-lucky, easygoing person who often liked to lighten the mood by making jokes, but he was also a deep, caring, sincere, and warm person.

His grandmother was one of the few people he let his guard down around.

"Something is bugging you, dear. What is it?"

"I like Jenny, but I don't want to be a care nurse. It's a huge burden. I already did that when..."

"When your mother went into depression," Nana said, completing her grandson's sentence.

"Yeah... Grandma... Am I a horrible person for thinking that?"

"No! Of course not! It is all right to feel that way. Asking yourself these questions means you are considering a steady relationship with her."

Liam nodded.

"It is a huge responsibility, yes," Nana went on. "But you do not have to be her care nurse. In any case, you can share your doubts with her. Was she getting along fine before she met you?"

"Honestly, I didn't ask. It didn't seem appropriate to ask that on a first date."

"That's what dating is for, after all - to learn if you're compatible with someone. You talk, you get to know her, she gets to know you, you find out what's important to her and vice-versa."

"That's true.

"Grandma, did you know that you were in love with Grandpa from the first moment you set eyes on him?"

"No." She laughed. "I hated that arrogant, cocky man!"

Liam gave her a surprised look. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. You've heard this story before, Liam."

"Yeah, about how you two met, but I didn't know how you felt about him." His grandmother folded her hands on top of the table and had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, there must have been something there. Anyone who expends as much energy hating someone else has to acknowledge that there is an excess of passion. I believe that too much of any emotion is akin to love," his grandmother explained.

"When did it change from hatred to love?"

"I don't know if it was ever truly hatred... but, one day we were debating. I don't even remember what it was. But I was so aggravated, and he smiled, then looked at me closely. I just... well I just felt warm." Liam's grandmother was smiling and her cheeks reddened.

"Is that when you knew that you loved him?"

"No," she chuckled. "I spent a lot of time denying my feelings. I knew I loved your grandfather with our first kiss." Liam smiled. "And then I didn't want to ever kiss another boy... and I never have."

Liam gave his grandmother a big smile.

"Let me ask you - Do you like this girl?"

"Yes, I do," he said, "I'm not in love, not yet, anyway. I care about her, and I want to get to know her better."

"That's a very good start," his grandmother began making circles on the table with her index finger, an old habit of hers when she was thinking. Finally, she stopped and looked up at Liam. "Be careful."

"You know me, Grandma. I won't hurt Jenny's feelings."

"Not what I meant. Keep your heart safe, Liam."

"I will, Nana."

Liam went to his room, and lay in bed, thinking.

His father was killed in a car accident when he was fifteen. They got a bit of money from the insurance company; enough to cover a few months of grieving at which time his mother would be expected to get a job. She had been a stay-at-home mother.

Only she didn't. She didn't do anything but sit propped up in a chair or, more often, huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Once in a while, she'd stir; get up as if moved by some urgent purpose, only to then collapse back into stillness.

Liam was terrified. Now that his mother was locked in some dark world of sadness, all he knew was that he had lost not only a father, but a mother as well.

He took over as head of the family. There was no choice. His mother was too depressed to care for him, get a job, cook, or pay bills.

He had a taste of what being poor and desperate was like. He wasn't ashamed of being poor, but he became aware of how those who weren't poor viewed those who were.

Despite Liam's efforts, the bank took possession of the house. He called his grandparents, and they took their daughter with them to Tacoma.

Liam never blamed his mother for what happened. She was sick. If anything, he felt guilty for the relief that her departure gave him.

He was in his senior year. He moved in with a friend, got a part-time job, and somehow finished high school. As soon as he graduated, he moved with his grandparents in Tacoma.

His mother was doing better. She had found a psychiatrist, had got some meds, and had gotten a job.

Liam decided to become a music teacher. Music was his safe place to express his joys, his pains, fears, and his struggles in his life. So, he went to Tacoma Community College to become a music teacher. It took him a lot of time and effort to get a bachelor's degree in music and go through a teacher training program, but he did it.

Then he dated an executive assistant, named Tiffany.

They had started okay, but in the end, the relationship ended terribly. When Liam asked her why she was breaking up with him, she confessed she didn't want to be a poor man's wife. Dating a music teacher wasn't enough for her. "You were a perfect starter boyfriend, but we have no future," she sentenced. "Do you expect me to move in with your grandparents and your mother, if we get married?"

Liam had laughed, but her words had remained with him, echoing uneasily during his most uncertain moments. He was brokenhearted. Of course, he never let anyone see that he was hurting. He hid his pain behind his smile.

"Now you know what she loved," Nana told Liam. "You should be happy that it ended. There are plenty of girls out there who are not only beautiful outside but deep inside, as well."

Then, Liam met Jenny. It started as having fun, just chatting back and forth, but soon it became something else. It got serious. It started to mean something. They'd grown close enough, that he couldn't fathom not having Jenny in his life.

CHAPTER 15

Jenny was missing Liam already. Thinking about him made her feel all tingly inside.

Tingly in a good way.

A very good way.

Liam had done more than just see her as a woman, instead of a handicapped person, he had given her a reason to be happy again. She hadn't had that in a long time. She had just been going through the motions.

But now, she had found Liam, and she could barely contain her joy.

Through sheer poor luck and the inability to make their schedules sync, it had been a week and a half since their first date. Their chats and calls hadn't diminished, but Jenny was bummed they hadn't seen one another again.

She grabbed her phone and sent a message to Liam.

"Confession... I kind of want to see you again."

"What's on the schedule for this evening?" He typed back.

"Grading papers from my students. Never-ending task. I'm tired and bored and hungry and I just want to not do this. It's Saturday night!"

She took a pic of her desk, and sent it to Liam.

"Sorry, I don't mean to complain. I'm getting cranky from lack of human interaction," she added.

Her stomach grumbled loudly.

There were three loud knocks on the door, and Jenny welcomed the excuse to take a break from correcting papers. She rolled her wheelchair to the front door to answer it.

She swung the door open and squealed in delight.

Liam.

Looking too perfect to be true.

Her eyes misted.

"Are you crying?" Liam asked, his face creasing with concern.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, brushing at her wet eyes.

"Good tears or bad tears?" he looked uncertain now, unsure of what he should do.

"Good tears," she assured him. "I'm just happy to see you."

"Well, that makes two of us, because I'm glad to see you, too." Liam stopped and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, while he glanced over her shoulder.

"Looking for something?" she asked.

"Is your sister home?"

Jenny shook her head, "She went out on a date. Why?"

"I didn't want to get my head smashed because I'm kissing you."

"No worries. Kara likes you."

"I come bearing gifts," Liam said, putting two takeaway bags on the coffee table and taking out various containers. "We have enchiladas, burritos, tacos, and for dessert sopapillas."

As he named them, he opened the containers, "Dig in."

"You are a godsend!" Jenny exclaimed. "I could kiss you again right now, but I'm freaking hungry and I need to eat before I get hangry. You don't want to see that."

"Are you going to rip your clothes off like the She-Hulk?"

"You wish!" she said, with a wink.

"I've got beer, soda, juice or water to go with them," she offered.

"Beer, of course. That's a given," said Liam, as he sat down on the couch.

Jenny hurried her wheelchair to the kitchen, opened the fridge, got two bottles, and wheeled back to the table. Then, she grabbed a container, and started to eat.

"Oh my God, this is amazing!" she moaned, through a bite. She swallowed and added, "Thank you, for the food, I mean. I appreciate it."