Our Heart (13 page)

I don’t know why, but her comment stuck with me, and I somehow grasped the importance she had placed on it. Using my shoulder for leverage, she took her free foot, and the toe of her shoe, to use as a wedge, while she slipped her foot out of the other shoe. As I held the ribbon, she wiggled her foot until it was free from its constraints. With her foot free, the ribbon easily slid off from around my foot. I didn’t even ask and handed her the ribbon, once I stood up. She took it from me, and I once again felt the intensity of the bond developing between us. She rolled it up with care, the best she could, and safely tucked it away in the pocket of her shorts.

Allison smiled at me, her eyes sparkling, as she said, “A memory that will never be forgotten.”

The next couple of hours became a timeless blur, as we walked all around the town and back again. In was a great day, as we held hands, laughed, and enjoyed our time together. This girl, so new to me, had found a way to make me feel…to
feel
,
period. It was a side of me that had been forgotten. I never thought I was capable of feeling this way. It was of great importance to be amazingly happy, rather than giving into the anger and frustration over losing my mom in the car accident and my father walking out on me. I really believed I had been destined to be miserable for the rest of my life.

It was pushing seven o’clock when I told Allison I needed to go home and clean up. She gave me more than a curious, sideways glace. I let her know that I needed to meet up with Justin, my cousin, and help him set up the “Thoroughbred’s,” equipment so they would be good to go for the street dance.

Allison just looked at me and asked, “So now you’re a roadie, too?”

I smiled my best “Aw shucks, ‘tisn’t nothin’ ma’am” look and squeezed her hand a little tighter as I laughed. I said I was really sorry that I wouldn’t be able to pick her up and take her to the dance, but I was hoping she’d be willing to meet up with me there.

She looked prepared to make a sassy comeback, then realized the sincerity in my voice. “I’ll be there, and if you’re lucky, I might even save a dance for you!”

We both smiled and left it at that. We shared a few more stories walking back toward our respective houses. I was always careful not to talk too much about my father, and she was considerate not to ask. The closer we got to our houses, the more I had a feeling of being watched. I’m sure I was being plain ridiculous, but then Allison asked me if I felt like someone was spying on us. Sure enough, both Grandma Sarah and Allison’s mom were sitting outside on my grandparents’ front porch. To all casual observers, it might have looked like a nice, quiet conversation, but we knew differently. Their eyes were targeted in on us, as we made our way down the sidewalk. All the brave and heroic notions I had about trying to steal a kiss from Allison disappeared right then and there on the spot.

As we made the last turn and started up the sidewalk to the porch steps, Allison’s mom stood up and came down to meet us. Allison let go of my hand, and the two of them hugged. Holding hands with Allison was not lost on Grandma Sarah, and I noticed her scrutinizing me over the top of her glasses. I responded with a cursory shrug of my shoulders, knowing full well there would be several questions, later. Stacy Dittmer and Grandma exchanged farewells, and then Mrs. Dittmer and Allison headed off home, cutting across our front lawn.

Before Allison stepped inside her front door, she looked over at me and yelled, “See you later, cowboy!” She smiled, waved, and was gone, but I stood there with hands in my pockets and a pair eyes boring into my back.

I unglued myself and turned to face the grand inquisitor! She didn’t say a word or even have one of her special looks on. Grandma Sarah politely stepped out of my way, as I moved by her on the porch and opened the screen door. She was still on the porch when I took the first two steps up to the second floor. I was going to run the rest of the way up and hopefully avoid any last-minute interrogation.

It was only wishful thinking, as she finally called in after me, “Had a good time today did you?” Her words were like arrows, striking me with dead-on aim in the back.

Stopping in my tracks, I twisted back to face her and responded with an exuberant, “outstanding!” Two could play her game, then I bounded up the remaining stairs two at a time and out of earshot before she could fire the next round.

There are times when a long, hot shower can wash away more than dirt and grime. I needed this shower more than ever. So much had happened today, and tonight could even be more climactic. I did a complete and thorough lathering of every part of my body, even stepping out of the shower to look in the mirror, making sure I didn’t have any leftover flour streaks anywhere. Once back in the shower, I let the cascading water massage the back of my neck as I reflected on the day’s events. Every so often, I turned it hotter until the steam began to rise and hover in the air around me. Certain I was as clean as I could be, I shut off the water and did my best to dry off in the humid bathroom. I turned on the exhaust fan and opened the door to my room to let some of the steam out.

With the towel wrapped around my waist, I sat on the edge of my bed. I felt much better and let my upper body flop backwards. I lay there for several minutes, enjoying my solitude, preparing my mind for the night ahead. It was going to be special in many ways. I could feel it deep inside of me. The anticipation caused my heart to speed up, and I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rising tide. I shut my eyes and pictured how the events of the night would unfold. I’d been thinking about this night for weeks. I hoped it would happen just the way I imagined it. I grinned from ear to ear in anticipation of all the looks of surprise, which I knew the night would bring. I envisioned the look on Allison’s face and I couldn’t wait to see those enticing eyes once more.

I put on my best pair of jeans and a nice polo shirt. No tennis shoes. This time I grabbed my Rockport’s to wear and finished off the look with my dress watch and a nice belt. I ran the brush through my hair one last time and applied an extra shot of cologne. Thinking ahead, I brushed my teeth again for good measure and grabbed the gum off the top of my dresser, just in case.

I took one last look in the mirror and a final big, deep breath to steady my nerves. Mentally ready, I hurried out of my bedroom using as much stealth as possible. I wanted to make it down the stairs and past Grandma Sarah’s reach. I didn’t even need to try. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me. Grandma was cunning, if she was anything at all. She was as wise as they come and, in a weird sort of way, I loved her for it. When I got to the bottom landing, I avoided the formalities by walking straight over to her. I gave her a big hug before she could even make a comment. It left her speechless for once. When I told her, “Thanks for fixing me up with Allison today,” she patted me on the back and told me how great I looked. She kissed me on the cheek and commented on how good I smelled also.

Grandma Sarah was never one to lose when it came to a game of witticism. As I pulled away from her, she commented straight-faced, “I may have given you the first kiss of the night, but I doubt it will be the last!” As the silly grin spread its way across my face, her eyes softened, and she held on to my arms, with both of her outstretched hands. “Jason, have a good time tonight! If anyone deserves a little happiness and joy in his life, you do. Tell me all about it tomorrow,” she added and then released her grip.

I nodded and gave her another quick hug before flying out the front door. All the excitement and possibilities of the night were building within me. I walked briskly along, just short of running. I headed down our street, towards Main Street, where the nighttime gathering for the town celebration would be held. Third Avenue was barricaded for two blocks, extending from the intersection with Main Street to Third Street. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, but many of the townsfolk were already lining the sides of the street with their lawn chairs. Everyone was trying to get the best spot possible for the night’s festivities.

As I turned down Third Avenue towards the staging area, which had been set up at the far end of the blocked off area, I saw Justin unloading a speaker from one of the band’s carrier vans. He couldn’t see me, and I watched him place the speaker on the main stage. I called out to him, and he returned a wave to me. I trotted over to him and helped him with the next speaker, as he started to heave it out of the van. We kept the conversation light as we worked to unload the rest of the equipment. Unloading all of the equipment was causing me to work up a pretty good sweat, and I realized that I should have brought a different shirt to change into. It was too late now. Justin could tell I was worried when I kept doing the chicken wing dance to keep my shirt dry. He laughed and then made a snide comment about how I’d really be feeling the heat later. That didn’t help, but I smiled anyway.

The rest of the group maneuvered the equipment around on stage, as Justin and I off loaded it from the vans. Vince Reinhold was the unspoken leader of the band, and he sang lead on most of the country songs, as well as playing lead guitar. Vince was in his late forties and loved to take charge. He was dishing out the orders to the group and hastily moving from spot to spot, checking the wiring and all the connections. It looked like most of the people in the band just did their own thing and didn’t pay much attention to Vince. I asked Justin about it, after noticing several of the band members smiling at each other during one of Vince’s directives. Justin chuckled and told me that Vince was the kind of guy who liked to hear the sound of his own voice. It was one of the ways he prepared himself for the concert and got rid of his nerves.

I commented to Justin how I thought it was funny that, after all of the years Vince had been singing, he still got nervous.

“We all have moments of nerves,” Justin said. “Sometimes, before a big show, I take a tennis ball and my ball glove and look for a brick wall to throw the ball against. Tina, over there,” he said, pointing to the only girl on the stage, “likes to read poetry or hot and heavy romance novels. Says it gets her in the right mood for the show.” I gave Tina more than just a casual look. I couldn’t help but notice how exceptionally pretty
she was.

Justin broke my gaze, as he gave me an elbow in the side, along with his best sparkling white, toothy grin. “Besides,” he asked me, “what do you have to be nervous about anyway?” I just stood there looking at him dumbstruck. Too many thoughts started chasing each other around in my brain. He smacked me on the side of my arm, and I returned a punch to his stomach. After a couple of bops and weaves, we jumped down from the stage to unload the last of the equipment from the vans.

I did my best to help out with all the setup, running to get duct tape and filling the group’s personalized bottles with ice water. One of the commitments each band member made before joining was, “No alcohol prior to or during the performance.” It was a rule with no second chances and had only been enforced once during the band’s twenty-year history. Not that they didn’t have a few drinks after the show, just never during or before. They believed in each other and always tried to do their best to give their fans a great concert. Even though they weren’t paying much attention to Vince and his self-imposed leadership role, I did get the feeling the band was a really tight group.

As it got closer to nine o’clock, the starting time for the street dance, the band members became more engrossed in the sound checks for all the microphones. They made sure all of the instruments were in tune and ready to go. I couldn’t resist standing up on stage and looking out over the crowd that was forming. I swear the whole town was here. I tried to spot Allison, but after scanning the masses of people, I gave up and went back to taping down some of the loose wires on the stage. The band was almost ready, and Justin took a moment to come over and talk to me. We shook hands, and I wished him good luck. He returned the sentiment. I told him I’d meet him by the side of the stage after the band finished their first set. We smacked the knuckles of our fists together for luck, and then he leapt off the back of the stage to get ready for the concert. I jumped down and made my way through the crowd.

Matt was standing
fifty
feet away, leaning against the wall of the movie rental store. Dani wasn’t with him, at least not at the moment.

I worked my way over to him and he gave me a smartass, “You looked really good up there on stage…for a gofer boy!” I didn’t pull my punch and gave it to him good on the meaty part of his bicep. He rubbed his arm and gave me a feigned look of immense hurt. He puckered up his lips and blew me a big, noisy kiss. We both laughed.

I asked where Dani was and if he’d seen Allison yet. Matt rolled his eyes, and I knew the look. “Off somewhere together and having a friendly conversation?” I asked. He just nodded and added that he hadn’t seen them in the last twenty minutes, after they split to go use the bathroom. It was his job to round up some pop from somewhere, before the music started.

He asked me what I thought all of us should do the rest of the evening, and I just smiled at him. He looked at me, waiting for an answer, and then it registered, and he smiled back. I told him I needed to meet Justin after the first set. Matt shrugged his “whatever” and then I felt a soft touch on my lower back. A lightning bolt shot throughout my body as I instantly recognized who the touch belonged to. I turned to stare into Allison’s alluring green eyes. Her eyes danced and sparkled brightly. It might have been the reflection off the overhead streetlight, or maybe it was how happy she was to see me. Without a second’s thought, I flung my arms around her, lifting her off the ground and hugging her tight to me. She made a gasping exclamation of surprise and wrapped her arms around my neck. I spun her around until she smacked me on the shoulders with her fists, to stop. I started to laugh and she joined in.