Filed to story: Love on the Sidelines (Natalie & Karl)
“Are you going to take me to the Star-Vu to see a movie when you do?” The Star-Vu was our local drive-in. On the weekends it was taken over by teenagers, being one of the few places in town to take a date.
“Sure thing, Peewee.” He slid a finger playfully down my nose, then glanced toward the house as a burst of laughter reached us. “Sounds like they’re having a party.”
“I guess they are, kind of. My Uncle Vern is back, and he brought his sons with him. They’ll be seniors when school starts in the fall.” Karl frowned. “Are they going to move in with you?” He wasn’t comfortable around other males, except for the Judge, and I realized he was afraid he’d have to stop coming over so often. I hurried to reassure him.
“No. Uncle Vern already has a job at the Morgan’s lumber mill, and he rented that small house of Mrs. Thompson’s on the edge of town. They’ll only stay here until it’s ready to live in, a few nights at most.”
“So why aren’t you in there celebrating?” He leaned back over the motor and removed the air filter.
“They were giving me a headache.”
“You don’t like them?”
I shrugged. “That’s just it. I don’t know them well enough to decide, but everyone expects me to treat them like I’ve known them forever. And the boys keep looking at me funny.”
He straightened, his gaze piercing as he stared at me. “Funny how?”
“I don’t know, just funny. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“Stay away from them,” he growled. “Don’t let them get you alone.”
“Why not?” Maybe I was older, but my curiosity was still intact.
He looked away before he answered me. “Because they’re guys and you’re a girl, and you said yourself you don’t know them.”
Hallelujah! He’d noticed I was a girl! I was gloating over that when what he’d said sank in. Nervously, I chewed my bottom lip. “They’re my cousins, Karl. You don’t really think they’d…well, you know, hurt me, do you?”
“Trust your instincts. If those guys make you uncomfortable, there’s a reason.” A shiver ran over me. What if he was right? At least I knew Karl had my best interests at heart, and I wasn’t too sure about my new relatives. “Okay.” A sound from the front of the shed had both of us turning in that direction as my cousins came to an abrupt stop, identical expressions of surprise on their faces when they saw Karl.
The boys eyed each other warily while I stammered my way through the introductions. Although he was two years younger, Karl was three inches taller than Casey and Cody, and he didn’t look like the kind of person you wanted to mess with. I was extremely glad he was there.
“Are you Natalie’s boyfriend?”
Casey was the one who asked. They were identical twins, but I’d discovered that Casey had a small scar nearly hidden in his eyebrow that Cody lacked.
Karl hesitated and glanced down at me. “You could say that.” It was all I could do to keep from gaping at him. Lord, I wished I had a tape recorder in my pocket, because by tomorrow I’d be doubting my own ears. He gave me a half-smile, then looked back at Casey.
“You got a problem with it?”
Casey held up a hand. “No skin off my nose. She’s all yours.” The twins didn’t stay long after that. As soon as I was sure they were gone, I turned on Karl. “You lied.” I was standing with my feet apart, hands on my hips.
His gaze ran over me and to my absolute shock, his face turned red. “Not exactly.”
“You told them I was your girlfriend.”
As though he couldn’t help himself, his eyes wandered over my body yet again, like he was really seeing me for the first time. “Well, you are a girl, and we are friends.” He cleared his throat. “Besides, your feelings were right about them. Now that they think you have a boyfriend they’ll leave you alone.”
“Oh.” All the wind went out of my sails and disappointment left a hollow place in my chest as he picked up a wrench and went back to work on the truck motor.
“You’re not old enough to have a real boyfriend,” he muttered.
I stiffened. “If I’m old enough to have babies, then I’m damn well old enough to have a boyfriend,” I ground out. “And just as soon as I decide on who it’s going to be, I’ll let you know so you can stop lying to people.” The wrench he was holding hit the engine with a stunned clang, but I wasn’t waiting around to hear what he had to say about my pronouncement. I ran all the way back to the house, up the stairs, and into my room, locking the door behind me. It was two days before I deigned to talk to him again, or even acknowledge his existence, but I did notice he was paying more attention to the boys who flocked around me, and he wasn’t frowning anymore. He was downright scowling. But the real problems didn’t start until a month after school was out for the summer.
For once, I was home alone, something that didn’t happen often in a family like mine. The Judge had gone to some kind of civic meeting, Aunt Darla was at the Children’s Home, and Mother and Aunt Jane were grocery shopping, something I hated and avoided whenever possible. I’d finished my chores, then read for a while, but I was too restless to sit still for long.
Grabbing a soda from the fridge, I went outside to sit on my swing. The seat had been replaced a few times over the years, and I knew I was too old for it now, but I couldn’t bring myself to give it up yet.
The heat outside was miserable, the humidity so high it was like breathing underwater. Not a breath of air stirred the leaves on the tree above, and for once, the robins weren’t fighting over nesting space. There wasn’t a sound anywhere, I realized abruptly.
I lifted my gaze to the line of thick black clouds rolling in from the southwest. I’ve never been afraid of storms, but when you live in an area prone to tornados, you learn to respect them. You also learn the warning signs pretty early in life, and this one looked like it was going to be bad. Maybe it would be smart to check the local TV station and see if any warnings had been issued.
Before I could suit action to thought, Karl captured my attention. He’d stepped out of the woods behind the barn and was heading in my direction, pausing now and then to look up. I went to meet him and we converged at the corner of the yard, both of us staring at the sky like two old farmers anxious for their crops.
“What do you think?” I asked him. The world around us was turning a sickly green color and the wind was picking up.
“It doesn’t look good. Where’s your family?”
We watched a streak of neon purple lightning flash across the sky while my nervousness increased. “They aren’t here. I’m getting worried, Karl.”