Filed to story: Love on the Sidelines (Natalie & Karl)
“I’m ready.” I watched as he ducked his head under the water and rinsed off the shampoo. “How did Lindsey take it?”
He used both hands to wipe the water from his face, hesitated, then shook his head.
“I don’t think she believed me.” Turning the water off, he shoved the curtain back and reached for the towel I held out, a frown on his face.
“You’re still worried about her.”
“I can’t help it, Peewee,” he said softly. “I’ve been taking care of her since she was a little kid.” He paused in the act of drying, his gaze fixed on some distant point only he could see. “Telling her was terrible, one of the hardest thing I’ve ever done. She just sat there staring at me, like she was waiting for the punch line. I kept asking her if she understood, and she’d nod, but I could see she didn’t understand anything.” I stood and put my hand on his chest. “I’m sorry.” His gaze focused on me and he dropped his forehead to mine. “It’s not your fault, Natalie. It’s mine. I could have forced her to do what I wanted months ago. She wouldn’t have liked it, but she’d have done it.”
“Done what?” I whispered, half afraid of his answer.
“Leave town.” He pulled back and looked down at me, his eyes dark.
Surprise rippled through me, and a bit of elation. Of all the things I’d imagined he was doing, trying to get Lindsey to leave town hadn’t been among them. “Oh,” I murmured.
As though he’d read my mind, his lips curved in a smile and he kissed the end of my nose. “I’d better get dressed while I still can.” I should have asked him why he wanted Lindsey to leave. Maybe at that point he would have told me. But I knew from experience that getting information out of Karl was like trying to pull a hen’s teeth, and I didn’t want anything to delay our confrontation with my family.
When he finished dressing, we walked toward the house holding hands, and I couldn’t help but remember that first church social when his hand gripped mine tighter and tighter. So much had changed since then, and so much remained the same. He wasn’t afraid anymore, but he was still mine.
We went in through the back door, expecting to find Mama and my aunts around the table. Instead, the only one there was my father. He was leaning against a cabinet, eating a piece of the apple pie Aunt Jane had fixed for supper. He looked up when we came in and then arched an eyebrow at me. I gave him a slight nod, and he smiled.
“Karl, nice to see you again.”
“Thanks. You too, sir.”
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
Before he could answer, Mama darted into the room. She’d changed into a good dress and my eyes narrowed as I watched her rummage through a stack of papers on the countertop.
“Now where did I leave those estimates?” She glanced up then gave Karl a sunny smile, apparently missing our linked hands. “Karl, Dear! We haven’t seen you in ages.
Have you had supper?” She hurried over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“No, ma’am.”
“Natalie, fix him a plate while the food is still warm.”
“Are you going somewhere, Mama?”
“Of course. You know the Ladies’ Decoration Committee meets at church tonight.” I nearly groaned. I’d totally forgotten about that committee. “Do you think you could miss it this one time?”
“Don’t be silly, Natalie. There’s no reason to miss it.” When I shot my father a pleading look, he hastily put his pie down. “Maybe you could be a bit late tonight, Ellie. Natalie wants to talk to you.”
“It can wait, can’t it, dear?” She tossed the reply over her shoulder without looking at me. Pushing my father gently aside, she pounced on a pile of papers. “There they are!
Darla, Jane? It’s time to go!”
My aunts bustled into the room, fussed over Karl for a second, then they were gone. I sighed in frustration and Karl put his arm around me.
“Don’t get upset. We can do it tomorrow when everyone is here.”
“He’s right,” my father added. “Why don’t you two go to a movie or something?
Your mother’s attention would have been split even if she’d stayed.” Disappointment was a sharp sting after the day’s anticipation, but I made myself smile. “I guess you’re right.” I went to fix Karl’s food. “What are you doing here tonight?”
“The Judge and I are going to a tractor pull in town.” He rinsed his plate and left it in the sink. “And we’d better get going.”
“Have fun.”
“We will.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now stop fretting. You’ve got all the time in the world.”
As soon as he left the room, Karl pulled me down on his lap and brushed the hair away from my face. “We do have all the time in the world.” He smiled. “And I still owe you a trip to the Star-Vu. Let’s go have some fun tonight and I’ll come over first thing in the morning, before work, and we’ll catch them at breakfast.”
“Okay.” I returned his smile.
We did go to the movie that night, and since it was a Thursday, nearly had the place to ourselves. It was to be the first and last time we’d ever go on a real date 82 together. The movie was boring, but we weren’t watching it anyway, too caught up in each other. And we discovered what millions of teenagers before us had discovered.
Making love in a bed was a lot more comfortable than on a truck seat, even though we managed nicely.