“Are you all right?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, yes. I’m fine. Is it hot in here?”
I had to think of something to make the swelling go away. Dentist’s drills, vomit, dead squirrels. Then Nancy leaned over to kiss me again. And she put her hand on my knee! Oh, God!
I jumped up from the table. “I gotta go!”
“Where are you going?” she asked, surprised.
“Gotta shake the snake. I mean…I’m sorry. I’ll…uh, I’ll be right back.”
I don’t know how I made it to the men’s room without doubling over. I was in there for five or more minutes. When I finally came out and returned to the table there were two fresh bottles of beer waiting. Nancy was smiling.
She said, “One more for the road, then, as much as I hate for this night to end, I’d better be getting home.”
We had our last beer and I drove her home. She sat right next to me, sometimes resting her head on my shoulder. When I stopped the car in front of her house I went to open my door so I could walk her to the porch.
“Wait,” she said, “my father’s waiting up for me. If he sees you he’ll make the Spanish Inquistion look like a cub scout picnic. There’s something I want to tell you before I go inside. Bill said you were a nice guy, and I think you’re a nice guy, too. I talked a lot about myself tonight, so I’d like to get to know more about you, Mackenzie. Do you think that’s possible?”
“Sure. Now?” “No. Not now. But tomorrow maybe?”
“Okay. Sure. But I have to work until eight thirty. Maybe after work we could get a…I don’t know. A hamburger?”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
Nancy put one hand behind my head and pulled me to her. We kissed long and hard. I ran my hand down her back and felt her bra underneath her sweater. She ran both her hands up and down my back. We came up for air and she put her finger to my lips.
“We better save some for tomorrow,” she said. “You don’t have to walk me to the door. My father’s probably waiting right inside, ready to throw open the door and snatch me from your evil clutches.”
“Well, he’s right. I am evil.”
“No you’re not, Mackenzie Peck. You’re special.”
She gave me one more quick kiss and got out of the car. It had stopped raining, but she still bounded up the walk. She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to wave at me. Then she went in the house and the porch light went out.
There have been times in my life when I’ve been positive about certain things. I just think of something I really want, and I get it. Maybe not right away, but someday. Or if I really and truly want something to happen, it happens. It’s not wishful thinking, it’s positive thinking. Wishing comes from the mind, positive thinking comes from the heart. And if you know in your heart something is going happen, it will happen. As I watched Nancy run to her house I was positive about one thing: this girl, with her softness, her melodious laugh, her bright eyes, would be my companion through life, my other self, the keeper of my soul; this girl, with her passion, her fervor, her big ideas, would someday be my wife.
And thank God I didn’t have to walk her to the door.
Chapter Six
“What are you so happy about?” Go-Go asked me as we stood at the face up table.
“Huh? You talking to me?”
“Something ain’t right about you, man. I’ve been standing here watching you. You’ve had a smile on your face for the last ten minutes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“You ain’t smokin’ the weed, are you?”
“Hell no. I just feel good, that’s all.”
Mel Duckworth, standing to my left, joined in. “You musta got laid last night. Huh, Mac?”
“Shut up, you moron,” I said to Duck.
“Who is she?” Go-Go asked.
“Who’s who?”
“The girl you’re in love with.”
“What makes you think I’m in love?”
“Hellfire, boy,” Duck said, “for the past couple of weeks you’ve been happier than shit. Now, tell us her name.”
“Her name’s Nancy. Nancy Marshall.”
Duck and Go-Go laughed.
“What?” I said. “What’s so funny?”
Go-Go leaned over so he could see Duck’s face. “Our boy’s in love, Duck.” Go-Go pinched my cheek. “Ain’t you the bad little boy.”
“Peck the Bad Boy,” Duck said. “Why’ja wanna go ahead and fall in love for anyway? Don’tcha know girls ain’t nothin’ but trouble?”
“Yeah,” said Go-Go. “Say adios to your freedom.”
“You guys are full of it,” I said. “If it’s so bad then how come you two are married?”
“I hope you ain’t talkin’ about marriage,” Duck said.
“Well what if we are?”
“How long have you known this girl?” asked Go-Go.
I shrugged. “Couple of weeks. We’ve been dating two weeks, so what?”
Go-Go and Duck exclaimed together, “Two weeks?”
“Boy, you are crazier than shit,” Duck said.
Then Go-Go said, “Don’t be talking about marriage yet, Mac. You hardly know her.”
“Yeah,” Duck said, “you gotta form what’s called a relationship first.”
“We have a relationship,” I said defensively.
“No, man,” Go-Go said. “Just because you play tonsil hockey at the drive-in every Friday night doesn’t mean you have a relationship. Building a relationship is like building a house. You build a house piece by piece. You take measurements, you make adjustments, you take out the stuff you don’t like, and keep the stuff you can live with. When the house is all finished, you double check to make sure everything is right. Make sure all the plumbing works, the roof don’t leak, the paint is dry. When you’re satisfied you can live in that house for the rest of your life, you move in.”
I looked at Go-Go, then turned to Duck.
Duck said, “Kinda brings a tear to your eye, don’t it, boy?”
We all laughed, and from somewhere on the workroom floor came the voice of Mr. Dell.
“Less talk, more mail!”
There was a school in New York that actually taught people how to hang wallpaper. When Nancy went to enroll she found out she’d be the only girl in the class. I told her not to let that bother her, but it did. So instead, she took a job at Skinner’s Paint and Wallpaper store in Maplewood. It was hard work moving those paint cans around, especially the five gallon containers. She stocked the shelves, swept the floors, and made deliveries. I noticed after a couple of weeks that her arm muscles became more defined, and I could tell she was stronger by the way she hugged me.
She never complained about any of her duties. In fact, she had such a positive attitude, that she convinced Mr. Skinner to teach her everything he knew about the paint and wallpaper business.