The Monday before Thanksgiving, Jill had an appointment with her psychiatrist, Dr. Liz Todd. She was standing at the window staring out at the cloudy day, while Dr. Todd sat in her leather chair, asking Jill questions and taking notes. In the three months that Jill had been seeing the psychiatrist, they hadn't made a great deal of progress. And, the progress they had made had been on a two-steps forward, three steps back variety. The last few visits, they had discussed Mike. Dr. Todd had learned that was one subject that Jill didn't seem to mind talking about.
"Tell me what you're going to do for Thanksgiving," Dr. Todd opened, figuring the holidays were a good place to start the session for today.
"I'm supposed to go to my grandfather's and participate in the family holiday from hell," Jill replied.
"You still haven't talked to your grandfather about your suicide attempt?" Dr. Todd surmised.
"Why? It's so pointless," Jill said, still staring out the window.
"What's Mike going to be doing for Thanksgiving?" Dr. Todd asked, noting the first smile she'd seen on Jill's face so far that afternoon.
"He's going to go to Huntington with me," Jill said, turning around.
"You seem happy about that. Let's talk about Mike for a few minutes. Have you talked to him about what happened with Cleve?" The doctor asked.
"I'm afraid to," she admitted.
"What do you think about when Mike isn't around?" The doctor asked.
"Lately, he's all I think about. I only feel complete when I'm with him," Jill smiled.
"So, what kind of things do you think about when he isn't around?" The doctor pressed.
"It's hard to explain. I wonder what it would be like to take things to the next step," she said, starting to blush.
"So, you haven't had sex with him?" The doctor guessed.
"No, not yet. Sometimes, I think that I'd like to take that step, but then I get scared and find myself holding back," Jill sighed, pulling on the Venetian blind cord.
"Is Mike pushing you to take the next step?" The doctor asked.
"No, he's been really sweet. I just wonder how long he's going to be willing to wait before he decides he's had enough and moves on to someone who'll be more willing to give him what he wants," Jill said.
"Jill, there are some men in this world who are gentlemen. If he loves you like you think he does, I think he'll wait for you to decide you're ready. Are you still writing your thoughts down?" The doctor asked.
"Yeah, when I remember," she said.
"You need to open the door a little bit more and start letting him in, Jill. Try doing that and I'll see you after the holidays," the doctor said, standing up.
Thanksgiving morning dawned chilly and wet. The weather had been this way all week, but today was by far the worst. The weathermen were forecasting thunderstorms for that evening, something that filled Jill with dread. She had an intense fear of thunderstorms. She was already on edge when Mike called saying he was on his way to pick her up. When he arrived 45 minutes later, Jill walked outside wearing her usual wardrobe of jeans and tee shirt. She had on a long sleeved flannel shirt over the tee shirt.
"Are you okay?" Mike asked as she got into the passenger seat and shut the door.
"Yeah, I just wish it was tonight already," she signed heavily.
"You know, we don't have to do this. Your Uncle Ray and Aunt Letty told us that we're more than welcome to have dinner with them," Mike said, putting the car in gear.
"Yeah, we do have to do this. I promised the old man and I've never been able to break a promise to him. I'll be okay. Really," she said, forcing a smile, as Mike looked skeptical.
"I wish I believed that. Is Trap going to be there?" Mike asked.
"I don't know. Maybe. His mother and stepfather live up the road from my grandfather. I know he was going to go to Pensacola to visit his father, but you never know with Trap," Jill said.
"He'll have time for dinner with both parent's?" Mike asked, surprised.
"Sure, Pensacola is only about two hours from my grandfather's. Besides, Trap's like me, he likes to drive fast. Once we made the trip in an hour and 39 minutes," Jill said, grinning as Mike rolled his eyes.
"Were you being chased by state troopers?" Mike asked.
"I like to drive fast," Jill said, a fact Mike was already too aware of.
"I know, that's why I'm driving today. Anyway, I brought a thermos with some coffee," he said, pointing to the console.
"Great! Now, I can be depressed and wired!" She said.
It was a short drive to Huntington. Jill directed him down a rutted and muddy road to her grandfather's farm. She showed him a place where he could park the car as she scanned the cars that were already parked. Mike didn't know who she was looking for and he didn't ask. He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Jill, taking her hand as an older man came walking up to the front gate. He was tall, with stark white hair and Jill's brown eyes.
"Poppy, this is my friend, Mike Danko. Mike, this is my grandfather, Will Kingston," Jill said, introducing the two men.
"I'm pleased to meet you, sir," Mike said, shaking the man's hand.
"Frankly, I'm surprised that Jilly Kate could remember how to get here. Well, come on, you two. Your aunts have fixed breakfast," he said, leading the way toward the house as Jill followed with Mike in tow.
After greeting everybody, Jill fixed a cup of coffee while Mike fixed him a plate. The one thing that Jill had learned about Mike was the fact that he was always hungry. She then led him out to the screened in back porch where several relatives came outside out of curiosity to see whom Jill had brought out to the farm. She stole some bacon off of his plate as the parade of relatives introduced themselves to Mike. Her grandfather came outside with a cup of coffee in his hand and sat down across from Mike, staring at him pointedly.
"So, what do you do for a living? When Jill told me she was bringing somebody, I was afraid it was going to be that Andrews boy. He isn't welcome here," he told Mike.
"I'm in the Army, sir," Mike answered politely.
"The Army, huh? Vietnam?" He asked.
"I've already been, twice. I think I'd like to stick around here for a while. I like the country," Mike said, looking at Jill and smiling.
"Jill, your taste has definitely improved. Enjoy your visit," he said, getting up and walking back to the house.
"Thank you, sir. He doesn't seem like such a bad guy, Jill," Mike said, taking a bite of his biscuit.
"Yeah, he's a real prince," she said sarcastically.
"You know, Jill, someday is approaching real fast," Mike said in a tight voice.
"Don't start on me, Mike. Not today. And, do me a favor. Don't leave me alone with these people, not for a second," she begged him.
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" He smiled, trying to lighten her mood.
"You know what I mean!" She hissed.
"I won't leave you, I promise. Are you going to eat anymore?" He asked, standing up.
"No, I'm done," she said as he took his plate into the house.
After dinner, Jill helped her aunts and cousins clean up. Mike sat in the living room watching Jill from where he sat. He saw her getting agitated when one of her aunts starting making comments about Cleve. He decided that she needed rescuing. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed her by the hand.
"I'm going to borrow Jill for a while, ladies," he told them.
"Go ahead. There ain't room in here for all of us, anyway," one of the women said.
"I'm a city boy. I've never been on a farm before. I'm going to get Jill to give me the grand tour," he smiled as Jill glared at him.
"Make sure that tour includes the barn, Jill," one of the cousins snickered.
"Come on, ignore her," he said, pulling her out onto the front porch. Once there, he pulled her close and kissed her. "You looked like you needed a knight in shining armor."
"Thanks," she said, leaning into his embrace.
"I'm serious about the tour, though. Show me around," he said, smiling at her.
"Mike, it's so wet and nasty out here. We can come back on a nice day when all of these people aren't around," she complained.
"No, this is perfect because we'll be alone. That means, no interruptions," he said as he kissed her again.
Mike took her hand and they began walking. He couldn't believe that she was so hesitant to do this when wandering was her favorite thing to do. This looked like the perfect place to go wandering. She took him out to a field that was bordered on one side by a low rock wall. Climbing up on it, she took his hand and began walking along the top of it. Mike loved this place. It was so quiet that you could hear the drizzle falling on the stubbly brown field.
"When I was a kid, this wall used to border the entire property. I used to walk the entire length of it without ever touching the ground. I used to pretend I was a tightrope walker. Hell, I used to pretend I was anything or anyplace but her," she sighed sadly.
"This looks like a great place to grow up," Mike observed.
"Well, it wasn't. My grandfather used to work me like a rented mule or a slave, take your pick," Jill said.
"Was California any better?" He asked.
"No, it was just different," she said. She looked down at Mike strangely when he tightened his hold on her hand. "Mike, I'm okay. I've never fallen off of this wall in my life and even if I did, I wouldn't fall far enough to get hurt."
"Jill, I love you," he suddenly said, as Jill looked at him in pure terror.
"Don't tell me that! You don't even know me! If you knew even one of the stories about me, you'd drop me in a heartbeat!" She yelled, yanking her hand violently out of his grasp.
"You're so wrong about that. I know you better than you think I do. I know that there's something eating at you. Something that you're afraid to share. Something that you think is going to make me hate you. Jill, don't you understand by now that I could never hate you? I don't understand a lot of what I'm feeling. I've had a lot of girlfriends and I've even been in love a time or two, but I've never felt anything like this. I want to take care of you. I want to help you through whatever it is that's trying to destroy you. I love you. Probably too much for both of us," he told her.
Jill wrapped her arms around herself, not sure if she was chilled from being outdoors or from what Mike had just told her. She was scared to have him love her, even though she'd known he was going to say the words sooner or later. Mike lifted her off of the wall and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
"You're cold. Come on, let's go back to the house," Mike said, taking her hand.
"Wait. Mike, I want to tell you some of these things. I want to tell you before you hear them from somebody else, but, there's not a one of them that's good," she said.
"I know. If there were any good stories, you would've told me by now, right?" He smiled as she nodded. "Come on, let's go back."
Trap's red Mustang was parked by the house when they walked back. Trap was out front drinking a beer when Mike and Jill approached.
"Jill, you've got a phone call," her grandfather called, stepping out onto the front porch.
"Who is it?" Jill asked.
"Do I look like a secretary to you?" The old man asked harshly as Jill sighed.
"I'm glad you guys made it out here," Trap said, handing Mike a beer after Jill and her grandfather walked inside.
"Trap, Jimmy told me that you were with Jill in California. I need to know something about what happened out there," Mike said, popping the top off of his beer can.
"I can tell you what I know, which is just what I heard and saw, which was plenty. Cleve was older than we were. He wasn't around much when we were kids, then he suddenly reappeared when she was 14 and I was 16. Jill and I thought he'd invented the moon, that's how cool we thought he was. He started plying us with beer and pot, but I started worrying after a while. In fact, I stopped hanging around him," Trap said.
"Why?" Mike asked.
"Like I said, we were 14 and 16 years old. Neither one of us knew anything. He started putting the moves on Jill. He was pretty obsessed with her. Jill's grandfather's a good man, Mike, but he's strict. He has a farm to run and he fully expected Jill's help to run it. I also think he saw what was going on with Cleve. Cleve put on a good front around the old man, but everybody could see right through him like he was made of glass. Poppy told Jill he wanted her to stay away from Cleve or he was going to put the law on him, which just pushed Cleve closer to Cleve and further away from family. I started to get scared that he was going to get her pregnant," Trap said in a quiet voice.
"He started having sex with her while she was still on the farm?" Mike asked incredulously.
"It was the only way he could gain total control of Jill. Before that, she was torn between wanting to be with him and wanting to obey the old man. One day, she found me and told me that he'd lured her out behind the barn. I didn't have to hear the rest. What I remember most clearly was the fact that she didn't understand why they made such a big deal about sex in the romance novels when it had hurt like hell," Trap remembered.
"What did you tell her?" Mike asked.
"Mike, I'm not much older than she is. I didn't know anything about sex. I mean, I knew the basics, but not much else. I told her to stay away from him, that it wasn't right for a grown man to be having sex with a 14-year-old girl. That's when she told me that she was going to go to California with him. He'd told her that he loved her. That's all she needed to hear. I told her that her grandfather wasn't about to let her run off to California and she told me that she had no intention of telling him, that she was just going to run away," Trap said.
"So, how did you end up going?" Mike asked.
"I didn't trust him. I told him that if he was going to California, I was going, too," Trap said.
"He didn't care?" Mike asked.
"He wasn't paying the bills. He didn't care who came and went in that house and believe me, I've seen circus freaks that were less strange than some of the people who stayed in that house. He started beating Jill almost as soon as we got to L.A. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't kill her. He used to carry this club that was about six feet long and about seven or eight inches around. That's what he'd hit her with. Either that or a leather strap. She has scars all over her back from that club. He knocked her in the swimming pool one day. If I hadn't jumped in after her, she would've drowned. Ever since then, she's been terrified of water that she can't stand up in. But, by that time, I think Jill was hoping that he would kill her, just to get it over with," Trap said.
"Trap, where were her parent's? Why was she living here?" Mike wanted to know.
"Mike, her parent's are a touchy subject that you'd best take up with her. I've probably said too much already," Trap said.
"Well, you solved a few mysteries, anyway. Let me go inside and check on her," Mike said, throwing his beer can in a trashcan.
"Mike?" Trap called after him.
"Yeah?"
"Just be patient with her. I know she's frustrating at times, but she needs you," Trap said as Mike smiled.
"Thanks."
"Mike, are you ready to go?" Jill asked as she stormed out of the house.
"Anytime you are," Mike said, looking at Trap, who shrugged. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to your grandfather?"
"I have nothing to say to him!" Jill shouted, moving so fast Mike could barely keep up with her.
"Would you like to tell me who was on the phone?" Mike asked, almost running.
"My father!" Jill said, stopping and turning to face Mike. "Can we go now?"
The rain that had been falling off and on all day came down harder as they drove toward Anniston. Jill jumped as she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Instead of going toward the trailer, Mike stayed on the highway and headed toward the base.
"Where are we going?" Jill asked, looking at Mike.
"I thought we could go to my place for a while, then I'll take you home, okay?" He asked as she nodded.
When they got to Mike's quarters, he led her inside and went to the kitchen while she sat on his sofa watching him.
"Do you want some coffee?" Mike asked as she shook her head.
"No, I'll be up all night," she said.
"Jill, do you trust me?" He asked suddenly.
"I don't trust anybody," she admitted honestly. "It's someday, isn't it?"
He looked over at her and saw she was getting ready to bolt and run. He could tell by her body language. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, poised to run for the door at a moment's notice. Mike tried to think. So much had happened today that they were both on sensory overload. He walked over and knelt in front of her.
"I have to know something," he said, taking both of her hands in his and squeezing. "Where are your parent's?"
"I was really hoping you'd want to know about California first! That's easier to talk about than them! I don't want to talk about them! Not now, not ever!" She cried, trying to break free from his grasp.
"Baby, listen to me. You're going to find out that there's nothing so bad in this world that we can't work out together, but you have to learn to trust me," he said, tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him.
"If I tell you, you're going to hate me!" She sobbed as he felt like kicking himself. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her this much pain.
"I told you already that I could never hate you," he gently kissed her fingers. "I love you. Please let me in."
"My parent's gave me over to my grandparents to raise when I was five years old. It had something to do with them getting divorced. By the time I was seven years old, I was running the household after my grandmother died. What kind of a man makes a seven year old do women's work? It wasn't like there weren't women around! The summer that I turned 11, my father remarried and asked to see me. I was so excited, Mike. I mean, I'd never been anywhere outside of Birmingham. I'd been there a few days when my stepmother went out on errands one afternoon and left me alone with my father. He called me into the study and told me he had something to show me," Jill stopped to catch her breath as tears began running down her face.
Mike swallowed, beginning to feel slightly sick. He'd suspected something like this all along, but hearing it was worse than anything his imagination could've prepared him for. Suddenly, Jill jumped up and began frantically pacing around the small apartment, pounding her fist into her hand. He got up and pulled her into his arms to stop her frantic pacing.
"It's going to be okay. Did he hurt you?" He asked, stroking her hair.
"No, he wanted me to touch him, but I managed to get away from him and locked myself in my room. I told my stepmother when she got home. She slapped me and called me a little whore, and then she called my grandfather and told him. My father got into the act and demanded to know what I was being taught on that farm. My grandfather told them to send me home, which they did the next morning. Poppy didn't say a word to me the whole way back to the farm, but as soon as we got there, he sent me out to the woodshed and beat me with a razor strop until I couldn't sit down," Jill sobbed.
"Didn't anybody believe you?" Mike asked.
"No. He made sure everybody heard my father's version and that's gospel as far as the family's concerned. Nobody even talks about it, anymore. The only people who know my side are my Uncle Ray and his family and Trap. At least they believe me. Can you please take me home now?" She begged as he got his keys.
By the time they got to the trailer, the rain was starting to come down in buckets, accompanied by thunder and lightning. They both sat in the car outside the trailer waiting for it to stop.
"I hate thunderstorms," Jill said as a boom of thunder shook the car. "They scare me."
"Why? Another one of your secrets?" Mike asked.
"Mike, I have reasons for my secrets," she said shortly.
"I know, I'm sorry. Well, look, we have two choices here. We can either sit here and wait for the rain to stop or we can go back to my place," he said, looking over at her.
Jill looked over at him. She had a feeling that she knew where things were going to go if she went back to his place with him. "Let's go back to your place," she said as Mike put the car in gear and headed back down the road.
By the time they walked back into Mike's BOQ they were both soaking wet and shivering. "Wait here! I'll get some towels!" Mike told her as he left the room. "Come on back here!" He called out a minute later.
Jill shyly walked through the living room into his bedroom, feeling like she was entering some kind of inner sanctum. His bedroom was as neatly kept as the rest of his quarters.
"You keep a cleaner house than I do," Jill observed as Mike came out of the bathroom with two large bath towels.
"I have to. I get inspected once a month," he told her as he walked over and began trying to dry her off. Laughing at his fumbled attempts, she took the other towel and reached up to begin drying him off. She suddenly stopped when he leaned down and kissed her. "Jill, will you stay with me tonight?" He whispered.
"After that story I just told you, you still want to have sex with me?" She asked, puzzled.
"No, I don't want to have sex with you," he smiled at the look of confusion on her face. "I want to make love to you. There's a big difference. I want to hold you in my arms and wake up with you beside me tomorrow morning."
"Mike, sometimes I have screaming nightmares," Jill admitted fearfully.
"That's okay. I'll be right beside you to hold you tight when you wake up screaming," he told her.
"I also have a problem with sex. I don't...I mean, I've never..." she said, blushing furiously as Mike picked up what she was trying to say.
"It's okay. I get the general idea. We'll work on that. See, I've been told that I have what are known as roamin' hands and rushin' fingers," he joked as Jill blushed an even deeper shade of red. "What's important is that you know what goes where and why, right?"
"Yes, but..." she stammered.
"Then, it's going to be okay.
I'm not going to force you to do something that you're not ready for. If
you don't want to stay, just say the word and I'll take you home right
now," he promised her.
She stood there watching Mike's blue-green eyes for what seemed an eternity. She was scared that sex with Mike was going to be a repeat of all the nights with Cleve, but as she'd told her shrink, there was a part of her deep inside that wanted this. She slowly traced his jaw line with her fingertips before pulling his head down to kiss him.
"I want to stay, Mike," she breathed.
Mike found it difficult to breathe as he once again pulled her close and kissed her, dropping the towel he'd been holding to the floor. His heart was hammering in his chest as he mentally willed himself to take things slow. He pushed back her damp hair as he bent down to gently kiss and nibble on her neck, smiling at her quick intake of breath. He took a couple of steps back until he felt his knees touch the edge of his bed before pulling her down beside him. He propped himself up on one elbow so he could look down at her.
She looked up at him and smiled at the look in his eyes before reaching up and running a hand through his still slightly damp hair. Bending down, he gently kissed each of her eyelids before once again capturing her lips with his own, all the while lightly skimming his hand down the front of her body through her clothes. He unbuttoned the cuffs on her flannel shirt before removing it with help from Jill.
Jill gasped as Mike slid his hand under her tee shirt, lightly resting it on her bare stomach before moving it slowly upward to caress her breasts through her bra, feeling her nipples instantly harden under his touch. She sat up as Mike raised the shirt over her head, letting it drop to the floor with her other shirt before reaching behind to unhook her bra and removing it, as well.
"You are so beautiful," he breathed as he once again kissed her mouth, before kissing his way down her body, stopping to take her nipple into his mouth, teasing it even further with his lips and tongue.
Jill arched her back and pressed Mike's head closer to her breast, as he continued to kiss and nibble on her breasts before moving up to kiss her once again, caressing her breasts with his fingers before letting them travel down to the top of her jeans. He unbuttoned and unzipped them before sitting up and pulling them slowly down her legs, leaving her clad only in her panties.
Jill's heart was pounding like a jackhammer as Mike removed her panties and began to once again kiss his way down her body, all the while caressing her hips and the insides of her thighs. She stopped him before he moved down any further.
"No, Mike," she gasped, pulling
him back up to her.
"Shh! It's okay," he reassured
her as he kissed her once again.
She smiled as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, running her hands over his bare chest. She could feel his erection straining against the fly of his jeans, but decided she wanted to take things as slowly with him as he had with her, for which she was grateful.
Mike lay down on the bed and let Jill explore his body, trying to think of anything that would help him maintain some kind of control over his increasing state of arousal. He almost lost every ounce of control he had when she bent down to kiss his chest. She smiled when she heard his low groan of pleasure. Easing her hand down, she unbuttoned the top of his jeans and slid the zipper down carefully. Mike looked at her with eyes full of passion when she didn't precede any further.
"What's wrong?" He whispered. "It's okay, baby."
He sat up and removed his boxers and jeans, kicking them to one side before taking her hand and placing it on his engorged member, guiding her in the way he wanted to be touched. She couldn't believe how hot and hard he felt in the palm of her hand. He pulled her close and kissed her again, once again teasing her flesh with his fingers. She fought him when he attempted to push her head down toward his groin.
"No, Mike, no. I..." she stammered as he pulled her back into his arms.
"It's okay. I want you so badly," he whispered, laying her down and covering her body with his own. She sighed as he slowly entered her, a sigh that soon turned to cries of passion as he began to move, slowly at first, then faster as she picked up his rhythm. She wrapped her legs around him and clutched him to her tightly as they both moved toward a common goal. Their hands and lips seemed to be everywhere, as they got closer to a glorious release. Jill cried out Mike's name as the universe seemed to explode within her. Hearing her achieve her release was all it took for Mike to explode, as well. He collapsed on her shoulder, gasping for breath as she stroked his back. After several minutes, he slowly moved off of her and moved to one side, pulling her into his embrace.
"Mike, I'm sorry about the oral sex thing. Cleve would make me do that after he'd been drinking or doing coke and it would take him forever to come. Give me time on that one, okay?" She asked as he cuddled her closer.
"It's okay. I already told you that I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do," he kissed her. "So, do you regret staying?"
"No, I was scared at first, though. Sex with Cleve always used to hurt. I thought that there was something wrong with me," she said in a small voice.
"And, now you know that there wasn't," he said as she nodded.
"Also, I don't like to sleep close. It makes me feel trapped, so when I move later, I just want you to know that it's not you, it's me," she explained as he nodded.
"Okay. I love you," he said, running his hands down her body once again.
"You recover quickly," she teased, feeling him grow hard against her bare leg.
"I have lots of time to make up for," he said, once again covering her body with his own.
Jill lay in his arms afterward, watching the pattern of rain on the window. She jumped as a boom of thunder shook the apartment.
"It's okay, it's only the storm," Mike muttered sleepily, tightening his arms around her.
He woke up a few hours later to find his arms empty. When he reached over to pull Jill closer to him, she stiffened and pulled away. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked over at her as she slept, soon to be a favorite pastime of his. There was something vulnerable looking about her as she slept, like she needed to be protected. Looking at her bare upper back, Mike could discern some of the scars Trap had told him about the day before. He wondered what she'd meant about sex with Cleve always being painful. He figured it was just one more thing he was going to have to find out about.
When Jill woke up the next morning, the sun was starting to shine through the window. She was confused for a minute until she remembered where she was and smiled, before rolling over and reaching for Mike, only to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up and ran a hand through her tangled, long hair, wondering where her clothes were. Now that it was light, she felt self-conscious.
"Good morning," Mike smiled at her from the bedroom doorway, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He lay across the bed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her hungrily as he pulled the sheet away, sending her senses reeling with his exploring hands.
"You're up early," she remarked as he nibbled on her neck.
"Well, I waited for you to wake up, but I finally just decided to leave you some hot water instead," he said, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Thanks," she smiled as he resumed his exploration of her body. "Mike? Michael?" She poked him in the chest to get his attention. "Where are my clothes?"
"You want to know where your clothes are now?" He asked as she nodded. "I folded them and put them on the chair over there," he pointed as he moved down to kiss and caress her breasts, smiling at her sigh of pleasure.
It was at that moment that the
phone rang, ruining the moment. He groaned as he sat up and snatched up
the receiver. "Hello?" He barked into the phone.
"Mike, this is Jimmy. Have
you seen Jill? I went by the trailer and her car's there, but she didn't
answer the door," Jimmy's voice came over the line.
"Jill's here with me, Jimmy. Do you want to talk to her?" He asked, as Jill shook her head no.
She continued glaring at Mike as she took the receiver. "Hello?"
"Hi, how'd it go yesterday?" He asked.
"I survived," Jill answered nonchalantly.
"You must've gotten up early this morning if you're already with Mike, or is there something you want to share with me?" Jimmy asked curiously.
"Who are you, my father?" Jill asked sharply.
"I'm sorry, I just don't want you to get hurt," Jimmy said apologetically.
"I'm okay, Jimmy. Listen, if I don't see you today, I'll see you in the morning when I come in," she said, anxious to get him off the phone.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later," he said, hanging up the phone.
"Great! Now everybody in town's going to know we're having sex," Jill said, hanging up the phone.
"What's he going to do, take out an ad?" Mike asked, reaching for her.
"It wouldn't surprise me. Can you do me a favor and bring me my clothes? You're wearing more than I am at the moment," she said.
"Jill, it's just you and me. What's the big deal?" He asked, kissing her bare shoulder.
"Mike, please?" She begged, trying to ignore the still new sensations Mike was creating in her body.
"Okay, but if I bring them, you're not going to pull a bolt and run on me, are you?" He asked, reluctantly releasing her and climbing off of the bed.
"No, but I do want to go home and put on clean clothes. When do you have to go back on duty?" She asked as he handed her clothes to her.
"Not until Monday. Do you want to do something special today?" He asked with a gleam in his eye.
"No, I just want to be with you," she said pulling him back toward her.
"We can do that," he said, slowly pulling the sheet off of her body.
When Jill went into the bar the next morning, Jimmy was busy sweeping the floor. He barely spoke to her as she tied on her apron.
"What crawled up you and died?" She demanded midway through the morning.
"Excuse me?" Jimmy asked, startled.
"What're you so pissed off about?" She asked.
"I'm not pissed off. I was just a little surprised to find you at Mike's yesterday morning," he said quietly.
"Jimmy, I'm confused. You're the one who wanted me to see Mike in the first place," she reminded him.
"Yeah, I wanted you to see him, not start sleeping with him! You've only known him a few months," he said, going behind the bar and pouring a cup of coffee.
"Jimmy, how stupid are you? He's a man! Being a man yourself, you know how you guys act! You had to know that sooner or later sex was going to enter the picture. Besides, I've learned more about Mike in three months than I did about Cleve in five years," she said.
"Speaking of Cleve, you haven't told him anything, have you?" Jimmy asked.
"What're you talking about?" Jill asked.
"I'm talking about California, Jill! We talked about this when you came back!" Jimmy exclaimed.
"Are you going to tell him?" Jill asked.
"I'm going to do what I have to do," Jimmy said.
"I wish you wouldn't do this to me," she said.
"Like I told you once before, I'm not doing anything to you, Jill, that you aren't already doing to yourself," he said, rinsing out his coffee cup and going back to his office, firmly closing the door behind him.
Over the next couple of weeks, Mike and Jill spent more and more time together, until eventually he was staying at the trailer most of the time. He could see how upset she was becoming over Jimmy's increasing hostility, but she still refused to tell him what it was Trap and Jimmy had discussed. She didn't realize it, but Jimmy was about to force her hand. She was making plans to drive to Athens, Georgia, to go Christmas shopping with her stepsister.
"How far away is Athens?" Mike asked, curiously.
"About 200 miles. I'll be back in the evening. Man, it was cold in the bar today," Jill remarked as Mike looked at her.
"Way? Is the heater broken?" He asked.
"No, not literally cold," she explained as Mike sighed and nodded.
"Babe, do you want me to talk to Jimmy?" He asked, rubbing her shoulders as she leaned against him.
"No, things'll work out eventually. I just don't know what he wants from me," she said, going into the kitchen to start dinner.
Since Jill was going to be out of town the next day, Mike decided to take the opportunity to talk to Jimmy, anyway. He didn't like Jill being so upset. Jimmy was sitting at the bar when Mike walked in.
"Jill isn't here, but I imagine that you already know that," Jimmy said, looking up from the glasses he was washing.
"Yeah, I already know that. I was hoping we could talk," Mike said, sitting down at the bar.
"We could, but the person you should really be talking to is in Athens for the day," Jimmy said.
"Okay, Jimmy. I'll bite. What is it that Jill and I should be talking about?" Mike asked, in no mood to play mind games.
"I assume that you and Jill are having sex."
"Jill and I make love, Jimmy. There's a big difference," Mike said in irritation.
"I'm a married man, Mike! I know there's a difference! Has Jill talked to you at all, Mike? About anything?" Jimmy asked.
"Jill told me what her old man tried to do to her," Mike admitted.
"I'm not talking about her old man, although he probably plays a role in all of this. The day Trap dropped her off at my folk's house, I met him in town and talked to him. He told me more than I ever wanted hear about what happened in that house in California. He told me that his room was down the hall from Jill and Cleve's. He said he used to hear Jill every night, screaming and fighting with Cleve, screaming for him to please stop hurting her," Jimmy said, lowering his voice so his father wouldn't hear in the next room.
Mike felt as if he was going to be sick. Things were beginning to make a lot more sense. He understood now what Jill had meant the first night they were together about sex with Cleve always hurting.
"Trap told me that he tried more times than he cares to remember to get into the room, but Cleve kept the door bolted shut and he told Jill that if Trap ever got through that door, he'd take the gun he kept in the bedside drawer and shoot him dead," Jimmy continued.
"The first time we slept together, she told me that she'd been scared because sex with Cleve had always hurt. I didn't understand it at the time and I didn't think to ask her what she was talking about. Does she know you know this?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah, she knows. I told her she needed to talk to you. When she asked me if I was going to tell you, I told her that I was going to do what I needed to do," Jimmy stated.
"Is that why she cut her wrists?" Mike asked.
"I don't know. Trap didn't say anything about that," Jimmy replied.
"Well, I'd better get home. I have a feeling that it's not going to be a pleasant evening," Mike said, getting up and walking to the door.
Before going home, Mike drove over to the high school and walked around the oval track, trying to clear his head. That morning, his C.O. had told him that he needed to sign up for some helicopter class that was scheduled to be held in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, that spring. Once he'd looked forward to taking classes that would further his career, but since meeting Jill, he'd been thinking more and more of getting out. He wasn't sure how he was going to approach Jill with the news Jimmy had just laid on him. He'd known things had been bad with Cleve, but he'd had no idea just how bad it had been.
In the short time they'd been sleeping together, Mike had found out two things about Jill. First, she was a restless sleeper. She tossed and turned all night long, often hitting or kicking him in the process. The second thing, which Jill had told him about, was she had incredibly vivid nightmares. Not a week had gone by that he hadn't had his sleep interrupted at least once by her screams in the middle of the night. He didn't know what she dreamed about because she could never put her terror into words. Most of the time, he could coax her back into bed and hold her close until she drifted back to sleep, but she wouldn't stay in his arms. He'd wake up the next morning and find her far on the other side of the bed, as close to the edge as she could possibly get without falling off.
After walking around the track for a while, Mike headed home. The red VW was parked in front of the trailer and Jill was inside wrapping Christmas gifts when Mike walked in.
"Do you like meat loaf?" She asked, kissing him.
"Yeah, why?" He asked, sitting down and unlacing his boots.
"Good, 'cause I wanted to make something that I didn't have to fuss over while I get this stuff wrapped. You have time to take a shower before dinner, if you want. You have clean stuff on the bed," she said, standing up and stretching. "You look tired. What did you do today?"
"Well, today I got called to my commander's office and was told that I have to go to this stupid helicopter class, as if I don't already know how to fly the stupid things," he said, tugging his boots off.
"Where's this class and how long do you have to go?" Jill asked, helping him with the other boot.
"It's in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and it lasts 12 weeks," he said, watching her.
"Twelve weeks?" She asked, in a tone that said he might as well have said 12 years.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It's not a lifetime. Besides, a lot could happen between now and this spring. I could get promoted or I could decide to get out. But, there is something else we do need to talk about," he said, standing up and kissing her.
"What?" She asked in a panic.
"It'll keep until after dinner. I'm going to go take that shower," he said, kissing her once more before leaving the room.
Jill was setting the table when Mike came out of the bathroom. "How was your trip to Athens?" He asked, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator.
"Okay, I guess. My sisters want to go to Atlanta to visit my mother. I'm not sure I'm up to that. When do you leave to visit your parent's?" She asked, changing the subject.
"I picked up my ticket this morning. I leave on the 23rd and return on the 29th. We'll have our celebration when I get back, okay?" He asked, grinning at her.
"Okay," she said, smiling back. It still amazed her sometimes how much she loved him.
"You know, Jill, if you don't want to visit your mother, all you have to do is say so," he said, fixing his plate.
"Yeah, I know. It's just that I haven't spoken to her since..." she broke off as Mike nodded.
"Since your suicide attempt?" He finished for her.
"Yeah, she accused me of being melodramatic," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Did she know Cleve?" Mike asked as Jill stiffened up.
"She went to school with his father and uncles. Why?" Jill asked.
"No reason, I was just wondering," he said, picking up his fork and eating.
After dinner, he got up and helped Jill clear the table, drying the dishes while she washed them. She could tell that there was something on his mind.
"I stopped in the bar today to see Jimmy," Mike began as Jill rinsed out the sink and placed the dishcloth over the faucet. "He told me what Trap had told him."
"About what?" Jill asked in a shaky voice.
"About you and Cleve," Mike said, watching her reaction.
"What about me and Cleve?" She asked, her voice a shaky whisper.
"Baby, why can't you talk to me about this?" He asked, putting his hands on her arms.
"No!" She cried, shoving his hands away and walking into the living room and throwing herself down on the sofa, her hands shaking. Mike walked over and knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at him.
"Do you trust me?" He gently asked her.
"Mike, I can't talk to you about this," she said, tears falling down her face.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because it sounds like something from a science fiction novel. I think back on what I remember of it and I can't believe it was me," she told him.
"Look, we need to talk about this. Because, if we don't, sooner or later, it's going to start causing some serious problems with our relationship. Listen to me. I believe that each person is responsible for the path that his or her lives take. Cleve led you down a path toward destruction, but it's up to you whether you stay on that path or change course," he said, taking her hand in his.
"If I tell you, you're either going to hate me or you're not going to believe me," she said, squeezing his fingers.
"Listen to me. I can never hate you. As for not believing you, I know that something awful happened to you while you were in that house. Jimmy told me what Trap had told him, but I need to hear it from you," he said as she took a deep breath.
"At first, I thought Cleve really loved me. I mean, I was 14 years old and he was a lot older than me and a lot more sophisticated. He showed Trap and I how to roll and smoke grass. After a little while, Trap stopped hanging around with us. That was when Cleve started putting the moves on me. Then, one day, he told me that if I really loved him, I had to prove it. Mike, I didn't know anything about sex. I'd been raised around old Southern women who'd rather die than tell a child anything about men and women. I think it's only because they didn't know a lot themselves. Anyway, I thought I was going to die the first time because it hurt so badly. Then, I got scared that I was going to get pregnant. Cleve told me not to worry, he'd pull out in time. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn't take long for me to find out. Let's just say I'm glad I'm the one who did the laundry. I wouldn't let him touch me again. I was afraid we were going to get caught. By that time, I think my grandfather was starting to suspect something was going on. Anyway, the next thing I knew, Cleve was asking me to go to California with him. I'd never been anywhere outside of Birmingham and Atlanta. To me, California was the land of movie stars. I thought everything was going to be okay, especially since Cleve didn't seem to mind when Trap announced that he was going, too. When we got to California, that's when Cleve started beating me," Jill paused, taking a deep breath.
"Why?" Mike asked.
"Because I remembered how badly it'd hurt when he had sex with me before. I didn't want to go through that again. He started forcing me to have sex with him, usually more than once a night. The more I fought, the more brutal he became. It was as the fight turned him on. Trap would hear me fighting with Cleve and begging him to stop hurting me. Cleve kept a .45 in the nightstand drawer and he told me that if Trap ever made it through our bedroom door, he'd shoot him right between the eyes with it. After he got done with me and passed out, I'd try to sneak out of bed and take a hot bath and try to scrub the smell of him off of me. If he heard me get back into bed, sometimes the whole process would start again. After a while I learned to pray that he'd just be drunk, because if he was drunk and high on coke, it would take him forever to finish," Jill sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"Is that why you cut your wrists?" Mike asked, taking her hands in his.
"I just wanted it to stop. I was in the bathroom one morning after one of our nights together. The door was closed, but I guess Trap just wasn't thinking and he came in. He wanted to take me to a doctor, but Cleve told him if he did, he'd kill both of us. By that time, I didn't care. Part of me wanted to die. There didn't seem to be one good reason to stick around," she said, brushing her hand across her eyes.
"Do you still feel that way?" He asked.
"Sometimes," she admitted.
"Jill, I love you so much," he whispered.
"I love you, too, but I'm scared that I'm going to destroy you," she told him.
"You're not going to destroy me. Tell me what happened that day you cut your wrists," he pressed.
"The night before, Cleve was the most brutal he'd ever been. He had friends over and they brought coke with them. I knew how he got when he did coke, so I tried to lock myself in the bedroom. He forced the lock on the door and came in, anyway. After a while, I heard Trap banging on the door begging Cleve to let me go. The next morning, Trap again wanted to take me to a doctor and was told again that if he tried, he'd kill us both. I kept bleeding and the pain was unbelievable. I could barely stand up straight. I felt like he'd torn up my insides. I started drinking, thinking that alcohol would numb the pain. Finally, I decided I wasn't going to take another night of that, so I told Cleve that I was going to kill myself. He told me to go ahead. I knew he kept a straight razor in the downstairs bathroom," she took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "I was drunk, but the first one still hurt so bad that I almost didn't do the other one. But, by the time I did the second one, I wasn't feeling anything. I guess it was the shock. Anyway, Trap and Cleve were out on the back patio, blitzed out of their minds, until I walked outside with blood running everywhere. Trap took one look at me, and then he ran inside and grabbed two towels and the keys to Cleve's prized Corvette. When we got to the hospital, they were more concerned with my bruises than with the fact that I was bleeding everywhere. Trap played dumb and said I fell down some stairs. Even after they told him they didn't believe him, he wouldn't give Cleve up," she took another deep breath.
"What about you?" Mike asked.
"I was so blitzed I barely knew my name. Then, they told Trap because I was an attempted suicide; the law required that I had to be locked up for 72 hours observation. It took six men to hold me down so they could put restraints on me. I told Trap I'd never forgive him. The only way they released me after 72 hours was Trap signed a statement saying he'd deliver me to my grandfather's custody," Jill said.
"The first time that we made love, you told me that sex with him had always been painful, but I never dreamed that's what he was doing to you. I am so sorry," he said, drawing her into his arms.
"It's not your fault. You weren't the one who was doing it. Maybe if I'd known more, I could've stopped him. Anyway, tell me about this school you were talking about earlier. Where is it?" She asked, pulling away from him.
"Well, the one I put in for was at Red Rock Army Depot. At least if I went there, I'd be able to come home on weekends. But, the Army in its infinite wisdom has decided to send me to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri," he said, pulling her close once again.
"You said for twelve weeks, right?" She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Yeah, but don't worry. Nothing's carved in stone. I could still get promoted to light colonel and get a desk job," he grinned.
"At the Pentagon?" She asked as he laughed.
"I don't kiss enough ass for that! Anyway, to change the subject, where do you want to go when I get back on the 29th?" He asked, kissing her lightly.
"I don't care. Are you going to tell your parent's about me?" She asked, suddenly worried.
"Of course. I don't have anything to hide. So, are you going to go to Atlanta?" He asked.
"I don't know. My stepsisters want to take this trip to see my mother and their father. I'm not sure I want to make that trip," she said, making a face.
"I just want you to have a nice time while I'm gone. I'll be back before you know it," he said, sitting on the sofa beside her and pulling her close to him. "Do you feel better telling me about what happened in that house?"
"I don't know. Talking about it just dredges up the awful memories of all the nights with him," she sighed.
"I'm going to tell you something. If ever you're not in the mood, all you have to do is tell me "no," or "stop," or whatever you have to do to let me know that you're not interested, okay?" He asked as she looked up at him.
"You won't be upset?" She asked, stunned.
"No, baby, I won't be upset. I love you. I love your company and I love waking up with you beside me in the morning. The sex is not the reason I stay with you, although I admit that I enjoy that part very much. Right now though, I think we could both use some sleep. I have to get up early in the morning and get my packing done," he said, standing up and helping her to her feet.
Mike lay beside Jill, languidly stroking down her body until she fell asleep before he fell asleep himself. He woke up a short time later to her tossing and turning and crying out in her sleep. Jill's nightmares were notorious and frightening. Just as he was about to wake her up, she sat bolt upright in bed, the covers clutched around her chin.
"Was I hitting you again?" She gasped, trying to catch her breath.
"Yeah," Mike said, reaching over and switching the lamp on. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No," she said, lying down with her back to him.
"You know, I could cancel my trip and we could go somewhere, maybe Pensacola or Mobile," he said, gently rubbing her back as she tried to relax.
"I don't want to see Trap and you need to see your family before you get sent overseas, again," she stated.
"Jill, I didn't mean to open a can of worms. The last thing I want is for you to be so upset over this," he said, moving closer and wrapping himself around her.
"Mike, I would've told you about it. I just feel like I got forced into it. It was almost like being with him all over again," she whispered, placing her hands on his.
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I know you still have a lot of fear inside of you. He isn't going to hurt you, anymore, I promise. Now, I don't know about you, but I could use a little more sleep."
"I'll try to keep my hands to myself," she mumbled sleepily, hugging his arms tighter around her.
"Hey, we still have one more night together before I have to leave. Do you want to go to the movies?" He asked as she nodded.
"Butch and Sundance?" She mumbled as Mike grinned.
"Okay, Butch and Sundance it is," he agreed, kissing her on the neck. "We can even steam up the windows of the car, if you want to."
Jill smiled as she drifted off
to sleep. The physical side of their relationship still continued to amaze
her. They were always holding hands, kissing or touching in some way. And
there were times when they couldn't seem to get enough of one another,
which often resulted in one or the other of them going into work bleary
eyed from lack of sleep.
Mike arrived at his parent's home two days later and quickly learned that some things never change. His brother was home for the holidays, which made things a little more pleasant, but his father was as distant as he'd ever been. If it weren't for his mother, Mike probably wouldn't have made the trip, at all. He just hoped Jill was faring better with her family visit than he was.
At Jill's mother's home, things were just as tense. It started as soon as the door was answered at the palatial home of Jill's mother and stepfather, in one of Atlanta's more affluent parts of town.
"Amanda, Patricia, Katherine," Jill's mother announced, pecking her daughter and two stepdaughters dutifully on the cheeks as they entered the house. "Please come in. Katherine, you're so pale! Are you feeling all right?" She observed, taking in Jill's appearance.
"It's Jill, mother, and I'm fine. How are you?" Jill asked, quickly diverting the subject.
"Well, you know how the Atlanta social season is, especially during the holidays. So many parties," as the girls mimicked her, "so little time. Lucy, please take the children to the play room," she said, leading the three women along with Amanda and Patti's children into the house. "I want to visit with my daughters. Amanda, where's Paul? And, Patti, don't tell me that Joe couldn't get off work for one day!"
"He's working, mom. He'll be down later this afternoon," Amanda said, biting back a smile as Jill rolled her eyes.
"Yes, mom. As you know, we can't all marry into money. Some of us actually have to work for a living," Patti quickly added.
"Don't be rude. What about you, Kath...Jill. God, I always hated that name! Are you still with that awful Andrews boy or have you finally moved on?" Jill's mother asked, leading them toward the back of the house toward the patio area.
"No, mother. I've managed to move past Cleve," Jill said.
"I'm so glad, Kath...Jill. Why do you insist on going by that awful name?" Her mother demanded.
"Mother, I've been Jill since I was five years old! You didn't think it was so awful when you named me at birth," Jill said.
"That's only because your grandmother, God rest her soul, insisted. I always thought Katherine a lovely Southern name," she sighed.
"Yeah, it ranks right up there
with Scarlett and Melanie. Is it all right if I make a phone call?" Jill
suddenly asked as Patti and Amanda smiled.
"Of course, dear. Who're you
going to call?" She asked curiously.
"Dial-A-Prayer. It's beginning to sound like I need one," Jill said, going toward the den and a private phone.
Mike was trying to get through stilted conversation with his parent's when the phone rang. His mother looked at him strangely as she announced that the call was for him. Mike smiled as he took the phone.
"Hello?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down.
"Mike, it's me," Jill voice came over the line.
"Hi, baby. Are you okay?" He asked, thrilled to hear her voice.
"Yeah, but my mother's making me a wreck. I miss you," she whispered as her sister Amanda entered the room.
"I miss you, too, but I'll see you in a couple of days. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow and get you a totally terrific gift," he promised.
"The only gift I want is you," she continued to whisper as Amanda watched her.
"The 29th will be here before you know it. You're going to survive this. It's not a lifetime," he assured her.
"I know, I just needed to hear your voice. I'll see you in a few days," she said, preparing to hang up.
"I'll call you after I get back from Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. I love you," he said.
"I love you, too. I'll see you on Friday," she said, hanging up.
"Okay, who is he?" Amanda demanded as Jill stared longingly at the phone.
"Who's who?" Patti asked, walking into the room.
"The guy Jill was just talking to on the phone. The guy she was telling she loved and she missed. Come on, Jill, give us the dirt," Amanda said as they took seats.
"Okay. His name's Mike and he's stationed at Ft. McClellan. I met him at work," she said as her stepsisters looked intrigued.
"When did you meet him?" Patti asked.
"About a week after I started working."
"Jill, that was back in August! So, when are we going to meet him? Is he an NCO?" Patti fired the questions with the curiosity of one her kids.
"No, he's an officer and I don't want to overwhelm him with family, especially THIS family. You know how mother can be," Jill said as the two women nodded.
"Do you love him?" Amanda asked, but one look in Jill's eyes gave her the answer to that question.
"Yes, I love him very much. I think one day he's going to ask me to marry him," she smiled as she shyly bit her lower lip.
"He's okay with what you did to your wrists?" Amanda asked pointedly.
"Yeah, we've talked about my wrists, along with other things," Jill told them. "Right now, he's in California visiting his family. He's only been gone a couple of days, but I'm beginning to feel like I've had my right arm cut off."
"She's got it bad, Amanda," Patti sighed.
"I'll say. I remember those days," Amanda smiled.
Later that night, Jill was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up as Amanda stuck her head in.
"Hi, can I come in?" Amanda asked.
"Sure," Jill waved her into the room.
"Remember when our dad and your mom got married? I think you were seven or eight at the time and you used to let me come into your room at night and brush your hair before you went to sleep," Amanda remembered.
"I was nine, but I remember," Jill smiled. "That was before my world started spinning out of control."
"Do you mind?" Amanda asked, reaching for Jill's brush.
"Go ahead, even though I think I'm old enough to brush my own hair," Jill said, turning around with her back to Amanda.
"Indulge me," Amanda said, beginning to slowly brush Jill's long, straight brown hair. "So, tell me more about Mike."
"What do you want to know?" Jill asked.
"I don't know, you tell me," Amanda said.
"Amanda, you've been married for a while. How'd you know when Paul was the one? You know, the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?" Jill asked.
"I didn't, at first. Then, one day, we were out somewhere together and I looked at him and it was like someone had turned a light on over my head. Can I ask you a personal question?" Amanda suddenly asked.
"Yes, I'm sleeping with him," Jill blurted out.
"That's not what I was going to ask. Your mother told us you'd gone to California with Cleve. What happened out there that made you want to die?" Amanda asked curiously.
"I can't tell you the whole story. Cleve was abusive towards me and I just decided one day that I'd had enough," she said quietly.
"But, Mike knows the whole story?" Amanda asked, putting the brush down.
"Yeah, he knows," Jill replied.
"I'll let you get some sleep," Amanda said, walking towards the door.
"Amanda?"
"Yeah?" She asked, turning around.
"For the first time in a long time, I feel truly lucky," Jill smiled.
"That's good. Get some sleep,"
Amanda said, walking out and closing the door behind her.
Christmas Eve morning, Mike and his older brother, David, went shopping for last minute gifts. David had Mike's wavy hair, but his eyes were more gray-green. He was surprised when Mike walked into a jewelry store and started looking at gold bracelets.
"Okay, Michael, what gives? Who is she?" David asked, slightly amused.
"Who's who?" Mike asked.
"The girl you're buying the bracelet for. You must be remembering that story Pop's told a thousand times. Mike, don't do it unless you're serious," David urged him.
"I've never been more serious in my life," Mike said as the salesman approached the counter. "What size ring does Lisette wear?"
"Lisette? My wife, Lisette? Seven. Why? Look, Mike, if you're thinking of getting my wife jewelry for Christmas, please don't. She has more gold in her jewelry box right now than Fort Knox," David pleaded with his brother as Mike looked at him strangely.
"Why would I be getting your wife jewelry?" Mike asked, looking at David.
"Oh, man! Does Pop know about this girl?" David asked.
"Don't have kittens, I'm going to talk to him," Mike said, pointing to a bracelet under the glass. The salesman brought it out for him to look at.
"Are you going to ask her to marry you?" David asked as Mike looked at two other bracelets before selecting a herringbone that he thought was perfect.
"That's the plan, but you don't know anything," Mike said, fixing his brother with a lethal stare as they walked over toward the rings.
"Why are you thinking of settling down now after all this time?" David asked as Mike began looking at wedding sets.
"What're you saying? That just because I'm almost 30 years old, I'm too old to settle down and start raising a family? If you want my opinion, you started too young," Mike said, examining a couple of different sets.
"Yeah, maybe," David mumbled to himself.
That afternoon, Mike was eating lunch listening to the din of various relatives in the other room when his father walked in. By the look on his old man's face, Mike knew he was in for a serious grilling. His father fixed a glass of iced tea and sat down across the table from his younger son.
"I see you're eating well," his father observed.
"I've always liked to eat, Pop," Mike said.
"Your mother was telling me that you got a call from a young lady yesterday. Do you want to fill me in on this new girlfriend of yours?" He asked.
"What do you want to know?" Mike asked, rising to the bait.
"Don't play games with me, Michael! Why do I get the feeling that your mother and I aren't exactly going to approve of this young lady?" Mr. Danko surmised.
"Where do you get that idea?" Mike asked.
"Because, you've been in Alabama for over four months and this is the first we've heard about her!" His father hissed furiously, trying not to draw attention.
"Well, it's probably because you wouldn't approve of her. Her name is Jill Kingston. I met her in Anniston," Mike said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"What does she do?" His father inquired.
"At the moment, she works in her uncle's bar," Mike said, cringing while he waited for the explosion.
"She's a waitress?" His father asked, his face beginning to redden.
"No, sir. She tends bar," Mike said quietly.
"Have you lost your mind? With your education and your background..."
"I knew you were going to have this kind of a reaction, that's why I never wrote to you about Jill or told you about her over the phone. I'm going to marry her, Pop, and I'm waaaay over the age of consent, so I don't need your permission or your blessing, although the latter would be nice," Mike said, putting his plate in the sink and leaving the room.
Before he'd left to go to Los Angeles, Mike had asked Jill's uncle about his beach cottage in Mobile. He wanted to take Jill there for a few days when he got back into town. When Jill came into the bar the afternoon of the 29th, Ray handed her the keys.
"I don't know if it was supposed to be a secret or not, but Mike asked about the house in Mobile. Here's the keys," the old man said, handing Jill the keys.
"Thanks," Jill said, looking at Jimmy, who only shrugged.
"What time's he supposed to be in?" Jimmy asked as Jill wiped down the bar for about the hundredth time. "Jill, if that bar gets any cleaner, we're going to be able to eat off of it."
"Sorry, I guess I'm just antsy," Jill smiled as she hung the towel on a hook.
"Is Mike meeting you here?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, he should be landing any minute," Jill answered.
Mike walked into the bar about an hour later, dressed in his Class A uniform. Jimmy smiled at the way Jill's whole face lit up when he walked in. He took off his cap as she walked over to him and kissed him.
"Hi, I missed you," she breathed as he longingly kissed her back.
"I missed you, too," he said, hugging her tightly.
"You two need to get a room already," Jimmy remarked as Jill and Mike looked at him. "Get out of here, Jill. I'll see you after New Year's."
They walked out of the bar and
went back to the trailer to prepare for their own holiday celebration.