Wonders - Day 5

Another bright, sunny day at the beach. Two fourteen-year-old boys laid in the sand, propped up on their elbows, surveying the bodies that walked by.

“Pickens a little slim today, Joey.”

“Yeah Timmy, way slim.

“Hey, isn’t that Stef and Lisa over there?”

“Who are they?”

“In our History class. You know, they sit at the front and answer all the questions.”

“Oh yeah, the smart girls.”

“Hmm, they look a lot better out here than they do in class.”

“That’s not saying much!” Both boys chuckled and continued their scanning.

Later in the day, as the heat had drained most of the beach of its energy, a light voice pulled the boys out of their beach dreams.

“Hi Timmy. Hi Joey. Mind if we join you.”

“Yeah, its boring over where we were.”

The boys opened their eyes and found that Stef and Lisa were standing a few feet away from where they laid.

“Sure.”

“Whatever.”

The girls spread their two towels near the boys and set up their beach chairs facing the boys. They were wearing one piece bathing suits that were cute, but by no means daring. The suits did show that both girls had begun the transformation to women.

“So, what have y’all been doing this summer?” bubbled Stef.

Timmy and Joey looked at each other and just shrugged, “Nothing.” Neither boy was very good talking with girls, which was obvious by the extended silence that followed.

Lisa jumped out of her chair, holding a small, foam ball she had pulled from her beach bag. “What to play catch?”

Joey just looked away, but Timmy mumbled sure and got up slowly. Lisa zinged the ball at Timmy who tried to catch it, but dropped it.

“Wow, you have an arm!”
“For a girl, right?”

“Yeah, no, I mean you really have an arm. Or was that an accident?”

“Pick it up and throw it back and I’ll show you if it was an accident or not.”

Joey had been watching all of this threw mostly closed eyes. He was confused. Lisa was a smart girl, how could she throw like that? And, … she was kind of cute.

Stef broke Joey’s thoughts, “Lisa plays softball on a traveling team. She is really good.”

Joey looked over at Stef’s voice and found himself smiling. While Lisa was cute, he realized for the first time that Stef was actually pretty.

“Do you play softball, Stef?”

“Me? No. I tried it, but was never good with that hand-to-eye coordination.”

Joey was a little disappointed. Just another geek girl. He asked a bit timidly, “Do you play any sports?”

“Well, I play soccer.”

“On a team?”

“Yeah, I’m a member of the Sharks.”

Joey’s eyes lit up. The Sharks were the best soccer team in the area.

“You play any?”

“Yeah, I am their starting goalie. No big deal though.”

It was a tremendous deal. Joey had just read an article in the paper about how good the Sharks were, and especially how good their goalie was, shutting out opponents 75% of the games they had played.

Stef asked shyly, “Want to kick the ball around?”

“Sure.”

The four spent the rest of the day alternating between playing and just sitting and talking. Neither boy had ever just talked to a girl. In fact, neither girl had really just spent time with boys. All four found the experience to be – thrilling.

As the sun began to set, Lisa said disappointedly, “Sorry guys, but we have to go.”

Joey spurted out, before his brain could stop it, “yeah, I bet your boyfriends are worried about it.”

“Boyfriends? Oh right” and both girls giggled. “Boys are just lined up to be our boyfriends!” They giggled again and began packing.

Timmy helped them load their beach bags. Joey grabbed the girls’ chairs and the four began the trek to the parking lot.

“Lisa has a game tonight at 8:00 over at the high school, if y’all are bored.”

“Will you be there, Stef?”

“Yeah. I go to as many of her games as I can.”

“We will be there then, right Timmy?”

“Right Joey.”

“See you two there then,” and the girls got into Stef’s mother’s van. The windows were tinted, so the boys couldn’t see the two girls wave as they road out of the asphalt parking lot.

Stef’s mother noticed the waving. “New friends.”

The girls just giggled.

Stef’s mother smiled and murmured, “I wonder ….”


--- the end ---

Wonders - Day 4

It was another beautiful day down at the beach. The sand was clear, the water clear, and the sun hot. Since it was a Thursday, the beach was not too crowded, populated mainly by tourists and high school/college kids out of school.

Two fourteen year old boys sat on the sand, bored. They had scoped out the beach and settled in about twenty feet from a group of high school senior girls. The four girls had their towels, blankets, radios, purses, beach bags, and sun tan lotion spread out around them. They were deep into their tanning positions, soaking up as much sun as they could before the big Summer dance scheduled for that weekend.

“I wonder …”

----

No one noticed the lone man jogging down by the water. People jogged up and down the beach all the time. But this man was different. While most joggers stared straight ahead at the path in front of them, this man kept his eye on the people on the beach. While most joggers wore sunglasses and a hat, this man’s glasses were huge, and his hat was pulled down so low, you almost couldn’t see his nose.

Just as the man approached the boys area of the beach, he veered left. He didn’t change his pace at all, but smoothly jogged past the boys, and then past the four senior girls.

Julie, the senior girl on the outside of the line of four, raised her head to see who just went by, and then calmly laid her right arm out to make sure her purse was still there. Julie was the most paranoid of the four, taking ribbing for it all the time.

“MY PURSE”

Two of the three other girls raised up.

“MY PURSE. ITS GONE.”

The fourth took the towel off her face and instead of looking at Julie, looked down the beach at the jogger who had rejoined the surf and was still jogging at a relaxed pace.

“There it is Julie. That man has it.”

Both Joey and Timmy had been lazily keeping an eye on the girls – more from a “wait until they turn over to see if anything fell off” than from a guardian mode. They leapt to their feet and began to chase the man.

Julie yelled, “That man stole my purse,” and the boys picked up their pace. Joey was the faster of the two, running the anchor leg on the 4 x 400 relay at school. Timmy was the stronger of the two, and fast, but not quite as fast as Joey.

“Joey, you catch him and slow him down. I’ll be right behind you if you need any help.”

Joey increased his pace, with Timmy slowly falling behind.

Somehow the man realized he was being chased and picked up his pace, until he was at a full run. Joey continued to gain on him, until the man realized there was no use running anymore. So he stopped and turned to face his 14 year old pursuer.

“What’s you doing, kid?”

“I’ve come to get the girl’s purse back.”

“This purse? I don’t think so.”

“I’m afraid you are wrong. I will get the purse back. Besides, it doesn’t match your running shoes.”

The man smiled at the brazen attitude of this 14 year old boy, but then reached behind his back and from somewhere, produced an eight inch knife.

“Like I said kid, I don’t think so. Now beat it.”

Joey stared at the knife for a second and then back up at the man.

A blur rushed by Joey and slammed into the man’s mid-section. It was Timmy. Both tumbled to the sand, the knife escaping the man’s hand with the impact.

“About time Timmy,” mumbled Joey as he retrieved the knife.

Timmy jumped up and stood over the man, ready to do what was necessary to retrieve the purse.

“Here is your purse. Man, you guys take this way too seriously.”

A low, rumbling voice joined the group from behind Joey.

“We also take it seriously.”

It was John, the Beach Police Officer. His six foot six, muscled frame towered over the man, insuring there would be no further confrontations.

“Thanks boys. You did great. We have been trying to catch this guy for some time.”

John picked up Julie’s purse and handed it to Timmy.

“Can you give this back to the rightful owner?”

“You bet,” is all Timmy could say.

When they had returned to the four senior girls, Timmy handed the purse back to Julie.

“My gawd, I saw the whole thing. You were so brave. Thank you so much.” And then she leaned over and gave Timmy a big kiss on his quickly blushing cheek.

One of the other girls moved over to Joey.

“And you were so fast.”

Her kiss was received by Joey’s cheek with the same blushing manner as
Timmy’s.

Julie looked directly at Timmy and asked, “Do you have a date for the Summer’s dance this weekend?”

Timmy shook his head no.

“Would you like to take me?” she asked seductively.

Joey’s girl joined the conversation, “and you me?”

Both boys nodded yes. Life was great. Really great.

----

“How come you were the muscled one Timmy?”

“It doesn’t matter, you got a girl too.”
“Yeah, guess your right. At least I got a girl too.”

Thankful at Twelve

“I’m thankful that I don’t have your big sister.”

“Yeah, me too. She’s mean.”

“And ugly.”

“She’s not ugly!”

“You are right. She’s not ugly. She’s hideous.”

“You don’t even know what that means.”

“I do so. It means if I had a choice between looking at your sister and looking at barf – I choose the barf.”

“I can understand that, since you look at your barf face every morning in the mirror.”

Five twelve year old boy cousins, walking through the woods of an Oklahoma farm, 22s in hand, waiting for something to shoot at to pop up. It was Thanksgiving break and they all would be expected to have something to be thankful for at the big dinner later that day.

“I know, I’m thankful that Uncle Sid accidentally left his Playboy in the bathroom again.”

“Like you would even know what to do with a Playboy!”

“Would too!”

“Yeah, right.”

“Okay, I got dibbs on the standard ‘Thank you for this family.’”

“Mom says you have to come up with something new.”

“She ain’t my Mom.”

“Nope, but she is your Aunt and she can make you come up with something new.”

This caused a few minutes of silence as each boy decided how much power Aunt Betty could weld.

“Okay, I’m thankful that Jr. made it in the Chase this year.”

“I like that. But I don’t think Aunty Betty will like it. She is a Gordon fan.”

“Too damn bad.”

“Yeah, too bad on your butt, butt-face.”

“How about this? I’m thankful that Reverend Stone likes football and keeps his sermons short during football season.”

“Uncle Bill will like that.”

“That’s a keeper. Now we just need four more.”

“Hey, I got one. I’m thankful that the election is over so those stupid commercials don’t play anymore.”

“What election?”

“You moron.”

“Whatever. Okay, that’s two then.”

“How about, I’m thankful that when I got out of bed this morning, my feet went to the ground?”

“Where else would they go, dufus?”

“I’m thankful for gravity. It we didn’t have gravity, and I jumped out of bed, I’d end up in the closet instead of on the floor.”

“Yeah, like you have ever jumped out of bed.”

“I do on Christmas morning!”

“Oh, still a little baby excited about presents…”

“Darn right. Cause I still get good ones. Not like the crap you get.”

“Okay, gravity it is. That at least sounds good. We need two more.”

“I’m thankful that Johnny is too young to go hunting with us. He’s so klutzy, he’d shoot one of us for sure.”

“Nope, we can’t be mean.”

“At least not mean at the table, right?”

“Right.”

“I’m thankful for … Jesus. That’s always a good one.”

“Yeah, but the little kids always get to say that one.”

“Rats.”

“I’m thankful for the sun.”

“It has to be longer than that.”

“Okay… I’m thankful that the sun comes up each day, even if we don’t see it behind the clouds.”

“That’s a keeper. We just need one more.”

“I forgot the other three.”

“You are just plain stupid.”

“Yeah, I’m thankful you are so stupid, cause it makes me look smart.”

“I’m thankful for y’all.”

“Aw man, it sounds too faggy.”

“No really. I’m thankful I have cousins like y’all that I can go hunting with.”

“Aunt Betty will like that. That’s five. We are cool.”

“What would you say if we could say anything we wanted to.”

“I’d say I’m thankful that I’m not a girl.”

“I’d say I’m thankful that I got a family.”

“I’d say I’m thankful that I don’t have to worry about food or clothes or that stuff.”

“I’d say I’m thankful that when I wake up, I’m okay.”

“I’d say that I’m thankful that I’m here to be thankful for stuff.”

“I’d say..”

“Wait, you already answered.”

“I got one more. I’d say I’m thankful for beer commercials and cheerleaders.”

“Cheerleaders!!! You bet.”

“Maybe that’s what we should all say at the meal. We are all thankful for cheerleaders.”

“Yeah, Aunt Betty would love that!”

“Hey look, a hornet’s nest. Bet I can shoot it first.”

As twelve-year old boys do, they quickly shifted from deep thought to getting into trouble. They should have included they were thankful that they all were bad shots and never did hit the hornet’s nest.

Wonders - Day 3

A lone cloud drifted across the sky, casting a dim shadow on the crowded horde of sun worshippers on the beach. It did little to slow the heat and was unnoticed by most, if not all.

The two college freshman co-eds seemed to be disturbed by the break in the direct sunlight, for they both raised their heads and tried to open their eyes, squinting as if they were taking a peek at the Christmas Tree at 4:00 AM on Christmas Day.

The two co-eds were wearing brand new bathing suits they had purchased that morning. Neither cared that they had spent over $300 a piece for what amounted to three small handkerchiefs tied together with small, elastic bands. To them, the less the better. This held true for their bodies, except their well-apportioned chests, which seemed to strain to escape their new restraints.

Monica slowly raised her tennis-firmed leg and glanced over at Priscilla. Both looked good, and they knew it.

Two fourteen year old boys sat on the sand, bored. Bored, that is, until Monica and Priscilla had arrived and laid out not ten feet from the boys.

“I wonder …”

----
The four men walked confidently down the beach, knowing that they were to be respected by all, held in awe by most. They were gym buddies, and enjoyed flaunting their steroid-assisted bodies for the world to see. The beach was perfect for them, because they could flaunt all they wanted without being arrested.

“Hello little girls, you look like you could use a little excitement.”

Monica looked up at the four figures towering over her, four huge outlines, black because the sun was directly behind them. She did what rich girls always do when confronted with people they don’t want to deal with – she ignored them.

“I said HELLO LITTLE GIRLS. I’m talking to YOU.”

Big Guy 1 reached down and grabbed Monica’s right arm, jerking her to a standing position.

“Hey you big ox. What in the world do you think you are doing? Do you know who I am?”

Big Guy 2 replied in a mocking falsetto, “Yeah Bill, do you know who I am?”

Big Guy 1: “I don’t really care who you are baby, I just want a kiss.”

The four men closed around the two girls, cutting off any escape. The girls were too frightened to scream and just stared at the four brutes in disbelief.

As Big Guy 1 pulled Monica to him, intent on that kiss, a calm voice interrupted.

“Ladies, do we have a problem here?”

The four monsters turned to see who had interrupted them, and found one lone boy standing five feet away.

Timmy coolly looked each hulk in the face and softly said, “Gentlemen, I believe the ladies would like you to leave.”

The four began to laugh in that guttural laugh common to wolves and jackals.

“Yeah right, we’ll leave. Right after I get my kiss.”

Timmy closed the five foot gap in a flash, grabbed Big Guy 1’s wrist, the wrist that still was latched onto Monica, and twisted, hard.

Big Guy 1 immediately let go of Monica and grabbed his wrist.

“I think you broke my wrist!”

The other three had watched this event in mild amusement. Timmy switched his attention to them and still calmly said, “Okay guys, fun is over. Time to move on.”

It was obvious from the expressions on the three remaining behemoths, they had no intention of moving on. The began to spread out and encircle Timmy.

“Guys, last chance. I can’t be held responsible for what will happen if you don’t leave.”

One of the three answered by swinging his club of a fist directly at Timmy’s nose. Timmy easily ducked the punch, shifted his weight, and drove his heel into the bulk’s solar plexus. The man crumbled to the sand, fighting for air.

The remaining two rushed Timmy in a coordinated attack. Timmy took one step back, shifted his weight, and grabbed the extended right arm of one of the attackers. Timmy then fell to the ground, bringing the attacker’s arm with him, planting his foot in the attacker’s exposed belly, and flipping him, head-first, directly into the second attacker. Both attackers collapsed into a heap.

Timmy jumped up and brushed off the sand which covered his thick legs. The four brutes, so powerful before, all lay on the sand, holding various injuries. They began to crawl away, finally rising and walking off. It took them several minutes to regain their composure and begin to hunt new game.

Monica and Priscilla had watched the action in disbelief.

“You saved us. They were so strong and YOU were so brave.”

“It was nothing ladies. I’m sorry that a few bad eggs tend to ruin the beach for everyone else. Please have a good rest of the day.”

“Wait! Can’t we repay you for your gallantry? Can you at least stay here for a bit?”

“Well, sure. Thank you.”

----

“Oh right Timmy. And you were invited to their Daddy’s yacht for a party, right?”

“No. To their country club.”

“Country club, yeah right. You would fit right in.”

“It could happen.”

“Yeah, right.”

The boys turned to watch the two college co-eds get up from the sand, pack their stuff, and walk off. As they were leaving the beach, they walked right past the boys. Both boys smiled their best smiles, and puffed out their chests. The two girls kept walking, kicking up a little cloud of sand with each step. As the sand settled on the boys, Joey repeated, “Yeah, right.”
-- continued –

Wonders - Day 2

The sun flooded the entire beach in a brilliant heat. Sweat was the most prevalent fluid of the day, to some, it seemed there was more sweat than ocean.

This was especially true on the sand volleyball court, where four lean, muscled college students were hard at it – spiking, serving, diving.

Two fourteen year old boys sat on the sand, bored, watching the game.

A spike. A dive. A yelp of pain as one player twisted his ankle, and then the volley ball crashed into the two boys.

Timmy ducked and it hit Joey on the left side of his face.

“Owww!”

“You putz Joey, you should have ducked.”

Joey grabbed the white, leather ball and checked to see if any of his face remained on it. Before he threw it back, he held it tightly between his two hands.

“I wonder …”

---

“Hey kid, can you throw the ball back?”

“Sure, here.”

“Wow kid, you really got an arm. Hey, my teammate just turned his ankle. Do you play?”

“I’ve played a little.”

“Good enough for me. I’m Frank. Let’s go beat their butt.”

The next hour was amazing on the hot, afternoon beach. Frank and Joey meshed together as if they had been teammates for ten years. Any block that Frank missed, Joey would dive and save it. Frank made perfect sets and Joey hammered them home, sailing far above the net as if he lived there.

The play was so good, a large crowd began to gather to watch the two play. They quickly beat the two opponents and then washed right through the next three.

Suddenly, the crowd buzzed as Roger and Ben stepped into the court, opposite Frank and Joey. Roger and Ben were icons of beach volleyball and if they had ever been beat, no one could remember it.

The games were extremely intense, with the ball appearing to almost break the sound barrier on several occasions. In the third, tie-breaking game, Joey hooked his foot over the boundary rope and crashed to the ground. Frank ran to his side.

“I think its broken Joey.”

“Yeah, it sure feels like it.”

“I’ll go tell them we forfeit. Man, we were so close to beating these turd heads.”

“Wait Frank. Help me up. I can still play.”

Frank pulled Joey to his feet and the crowd continued to buzz. Joey walked around in circles for a few minutes, testing his ankle out and then nodded. The game continued.

As all master games should, the entire match came down to the last point. Joey limped to the back line, held the ball high over his head and stared at his opposition. He then tossed it high in the area, and ran forward, striking the ball at its apex.

The ball rushed toward the net as if it were a comet about to plunge into the Pacific. It barely cleared the top of the net and then dove almost straight to the ground. The beach went suddenly quiet, except for a lone seagull of in the distance.

And then the crowd erupted and flooded the sand court. Joey had served an ace and they had beat the unbeatable. Joey, grimacing with the pain in his ankle, was hosted onto the crowd’s shoulders and carried around for a good ten minutes.

Finally, when he was gingerly put back down on the ground, there stood his partner, Frank, flanked by a gorgeous red head in one of the smallest bikinis ever made.

“Joey, you are really something. Hey, this is my sister Amy. We are having a party on Dad’s boat tonight and Amy needs a date. Are you up to it?”

Joey just smiled and nodded yes.

----

“Hey punk, are you going to give us the ball back, or just sit there and drool all over it.”

Joey threw the ball back to the players. It bounced several times and then died in the sand, a good 10 feet from the waiting player.

“Some arm, kid.”

“I told you were a putz, Joey.”
“Aw shuddup.”

-- continued --

Wonder - Day 1

Day 1

She walked down the beach as if she knew she was entirely in her element -- a dolphin cruising easily through the warm tropical water. The air parted as she took each step, easing down the sandy shoreline, parting as if royal court partisans, kneeling in awe of her majesty. Her arms floated through the air in rhythm with her long, lean legs. While the sand was loose, she glided over the crystals as an ice skater over new ice. The wind took care to only fluff her long, flowing blonde hair – extreme care not to blow it out of place. All around her, the world stopped and partook of that special moment, when in the presence of something wonderful.

Two fourteen year old boys sat on the sand, bored. Bored, that is, until they became aware of the passing royalty.

“I wonder …”

----
She was gliding through the water, quietly slicing through the almost pacified ocean water, when three gray fins of ghastly ugliness began to circle her. She began to tread water and looked to the shore for help. She didn’t scream, afraid that the sound of her voice would cause the huge shapes that circled her to attack.

Timmy jumped up, ripped his shirt off, the cloth shredding around his muscled shoulders. In ten quick steps, he was in the water and cutting through the water as if he had a jet-pack strapped to his back.

Within minutes, he approached the circling monsters. He took a quick second to wink at her, then went right to work. He dispatched the first shark with a quick jab directly into its soft nose. As the stunned shark began to sink, he grabbed the second shark’s exposed fin and in an extreme show of strength, raised the 30 foot Great White out of the water until its belly was pointing to the hot, noon sun.

Just as he whirled around and tossed the helpless shark toward the nearby rocks, he felt the third shark’s teeth grab his waste. To the shark’s surprise, the razor sharp teeth could not penetrate Timmy’s steel-like abdomen. The shark’s black eyes only had time to glance up and see the overhead, two-fisted smash as it cracked into its skull and knocked it out.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

“Oh yes, thanks entirely to you. You saved me. I can’t believe how strong you are.”

Timmy gently put his muscled right arm around her waste and propelled them both to shore.

“You are my hero.

“My dad is having a cook out on our yacht tonight. Can you come? I’m sure he would love to met the boy, …, I mean the man that saved his only daughter’s life. He has been known to be very grateful to those who help his daughter.”

“No gratitude is needed, ma’am. But I would love to come as long as I could see you there.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m sure you will be seeing lots of me for a long time.”

---

“Oh for gawd’s sake, what kind of mind can dream up something like that? Timmy, you are weird.”

“HEY, it could happen!”

“Oh yeah, like your 90 pound body could even bust out of a dark closet, let alone do all that.”

“It could happen.”

“Yeah, right.”

-- continued --

Starting Line - Day 5

“Hey Mister. Sorry to bother you, but can you move your car? I can’t get out with your car sitting there.”

I hadn’t noticed the burly old man come from the back of the house up to my car.

“What?” was all I can get out.

“Your car, Mister. Can you pull your car out so I can get out?”

“Ahhh, I live here. Who are you anyway?”

“John. John the washer repair guy. Guess I should have parked on the street, but some of the neighborhoods around here don’t like that, so I pulled around back. The Misses said it was okay since you weren’t going to be back from work until later today.”

“So you two weren’t …… Oh, never mind. Yeah, sure, I’ll back up. Just give me a sec.”

It probably only took a couple of minutes for me to pull out, for John to leave, and for me to pull back in, but it seemed like forever. My whole body was weak, feeling as if I had bungee jumped off a bridge using super bungees that made every loop bigger than the last.

Finally, I pulled into the garage and got out without even a thought about the flowers which waited so patiently on the passenger seat.

I rushed inside, to find Mary sweeping away dirt that had been dislodged by the washer repairman.

“David?” she said in a surprised, but controlled voice.

I didn’t stop to say anything. I just scooped her up in my arms, just like the last scene in so many old movies, and planted my lips on hers. At first, she tried to give me the usual peck and pull away, but my arms were not having any of that. I kept her pulled close, and kept my lips upon hers.

Finally, she let herself relax and returned my kiss. I don’t know when the one kiss transformed into many kisses. I don’t know when my arms changed from restraints into foragers, desperately searching her entire body. I don’t know how we made it to the bedroom, or even how long we were there. What I do know is that I once again recognized exactly how much I truly loved Mary. And how much she loved me.

As I laid in our bed with Mary snuggled up tightly to my side, I remembered the flowers.

“Oh shoot.”

“What Davey?”

“I’ll be right back.”

It only took a minute to dash out to the garage and back. My hurry was mainly fueled by my desire to return to her side (and hoping she didn’t get up and get dressed while I was gone), and partly driven by my nakedness.

When I returned, Mary was still in bed, still snuggled down in the sheets.

“For me?”

“For you and only you.”

“Dave, I almost hate to ask this. I sure don’t want to ruin what just happened. But I have to know.”

I climbed back into bed and slid my arm underneath Mary. I pretty much knew what she was going to ask.

“David, is there any reason I should be suspicious of this sudden change of behavior?”

Yep, I was right.

Do I tell her she has every right to be suspicious? Do I tell of her of my attraction to Jane and the lunch today? Do I tell her about Bob and starting lines and Grandpa?

“Mary, I have been a real jerk for the last years. I have allowed calluses to grow over my deep love of you. I have built walls and shelters and hell, whole towns that have separated us.

“When we were first married, you were everything to me, Mary. And you still are. I just lost sight of that.”

I paused to kiss her on the forehead and look into her eyes.

“I won’t lose sight of that ever again.”

Mary’s eyes clouded up and I thought she was going to cry. Instead, she reached up and pulled me even closer to her. We spent the rest of the afternoon and deep into the night laying in bed, returning to the start line. We had spent twelve years running away from the start line. It only took one afternoon to return back to it.

Just before we nodded off for the night, Mary rose up on her elbow and said, “What was that old phrase your Grandpa use to say all the time? Something like ‘everybody looks good at the starting line’? That was it, wasn’t it?”

I was shocked. Had she been reading my mind all along?

“That was it exactly, Mary.”

She bent down for one last, long kiss.

“Let’s not leave the starting line this time, Davey. I like it right here.”

So do I. Boy oh boy, so do I.
-- the end or is it just the start?--

Starting Line - Day 4

Jane returned, looking even better than before.

“I’m so sorry Dave. It was Frank telling me about another client party this Saturday. Now, what were you saying before I was so rudely to interrupt you? You were telling me about your Grandpa.”

She looked me directly in the eyes and smiled. I could have melted right there, and probably would have, except something outside the window caught my attention.

“That’s Bob. He works down on two. He runs 5 miles everyday.”

I had met Bob once, but didn’t recognize him in his running gear. Damn, he looked fit. The tight running outfit he had on seem to just flow around his body. Even the white head band almost looked ironed as it kept his groomed hair perfectly arranged.

“Nice looking guy,” I muttered.

“Yeah. Too bad he’s gay.”

I laughed, actually laughing way too hard to fit the level of humor. If I had been in a normal state of mind, I would have realized my laugh was based on a potential competitor being eliminated. Of course, I was no where near normal right then, so I just launched back into the story of my Grandpa. And Jane actually listened.

Thirty minutes later, after we had shifted through various topics, Jane pointed to the window.

“Looks like Bob made it back.”

I followed her slender hand as it pointed out the window.

There was Bob. His running suit, so fresh and sparkly before was completely drenched with sweat. His pressed head band was stained and down around his neck. His hair, so GQ before, was pointing in all directions. And his face, so chiseled before, was blotched and puffy.

It hit me right there and then – like a hammer swung at a rusty, old car. Bob looked great at the starting line. But here, only five years, I mean five miles later, he looked terrible.

I looked at Jane, looking as pretty now as when lunch began, and then down at the floor, truly thinking I might see a starting line. There wasn’t one there, of course, but actually it was there – I just couldn’t see it. But I could feel it.

Thinking quickly, I looked at watch and said, “Oh no, I’m late. I was suppose to be home at 2:00. My wife wanted me home to help pick out curtains for our bedroom. She is so sweet in that way. Most wives would just pick out whatever they liked and not care what their husband wanted. But not Mary. She cares about what I want.

“Lunch was really fun, Jane. Next time, lets invite Jerry and Jake. Sorry I have to leave so quickly.”

I threw down two twenties, which was more than enough to cover the lunches and tip and hustled out of the restaurant. I didn’t go back to the office, instead went directly to my car which was parked across the street. I called my boss from my cell phone and told her I was taking the afternoon off. The engine purred on the first try and I quickly entered the traffic heading home.

I should have felt bad about leaving Jane so quickly. And using some of the best guy-tricks so quickly. Best way to stop a relationship with a woman is to mention your wife (in a good way), your bedroom with your wife in it, and your home, again with your wife in it. I used all three. Plus I added that our next lunch should include other people. Message delivered and hopefully all previous messages cancelled.

It usually takes me 45 minutes to get home from work. But traffic was light this early in the afternoon and I drove pretty fast, so I made it in twenty-five. I started to call Mary and tell her I was coming home, but decided to surprise her.

I made one quick stop at the neighborhood grocery store and bought the first bunch of flowers I could find. I felt completely good about what had just happened. Guys deal with guilt quickly and I decided that if it took me being that close to the wrong line to get me back on the right path, that’s okay.

As I turned left onto our street, something was wrong. I couldn’t tell what it was, but I could feel it. I was three houses away from our house when I finally identified what was wrong. There was a car pulled around in back of the house. We have a rear entry garage, but I could still see the silver rear fender poke out the side of the house.

I drove slowly into the driveway and stopped, but left the car running and the transmission in drive. I knew what it had to be. I wasn’t the only one in the marriage that felt the need for outside entertainment. Obviously, I had stumbled upon Mary’s Jane.

The world stopped, just stopped, as I sat there – flowers on the passenger seat, tears flowing down my face.

-- continued –

Starting Line - Day 3

The fork felt foreign in my hand. It wasn’t that I hadn’t used a fork before, I had many times. Its not that I wasn’t use to this restaurant’s silverware, I was since I had eaten lunch here many times. Maybe it was what was happening at the table today – something which hadn’t happened for a long time.

“Dave, can you excuse me for a couple of minutes? I have to answer this phone call.”

She actually waited for me to answer.

“Sure Jane. Go ahead. I’m in no hurry.”

I watched her walk away. Wow. It was all I could do to keep my hands from wiping my brow. She really knew how to walk.

I had been working with Jane on a project for the last three months. We hit it off great from the beginning. She was smart, cute, and very friendly. Did I mention she was cute? She was way cute – long legs, enough curves to invite inspection, dark wavy hair down past her shoulders, and deep dark eyes.

For some reason one recent afternoon we started sharing our stories. She was married to a defense lawyer. They only saw each other when ever his office was having a social event. I’m sure she dressed up really nicely.

It was her idea to go to lunch today. I eagerly agreed – maybe too eagerly. But as we sat and talked over the Thai Chicken salads, the mutual attraction became as thick as the dressing that laid so innocently on the greens in my hardly touched bowl.

I let my eyes wander out the window to the busy sidewalk. My mind was enjoying that special feeling that I had not felt for a long, long time. If any corners of my conscience was trying to get my attention, they were failing. I must have been smiling in a lecherous way, for a mother on the sidewalk grabbed her two children and bustled off, shaking her head at me. Even that didn’t bother me.
In the absented-mindedness of a summer Sunday afternoon under a shade tree, I interlocked my fingers and stretched my arms out. I locked my knees and stretched my legs out. I must have looked like a runner getting ready to approach the starting line.

Starting Line - Day 2

In the early days of dating Mary, life was great. She was cute, funny, and just a bit wild. We started as friends, then eased on into dating. Six months later, we moved to lovers and then a year later into marriage.

Our early days of marriage were good – no, they were great. We took our time in establishing who we were. Each problem was an opportunity to work together and find a solution – or sometimes just throw the problem away as being too silly to worry about.

Yes, the starting line sure looked great.

Looking back, it was sometime before we discovered that marriage was not a sprint, nor even a long race, but a freakin’ marathon. And not just any marathon, but a double marathon through the hottest day that Death Valley could supply.

“DAVID!”

Oh brother.

“Yes dear.”

“DAVID, did you pick up milk on your way home?”

“Forgot. Sorry.”

“Hope you like dry cereal again.”

Freakin’ marathon.

-- continued --

Starting Line - Day 1

They say that “everybody looks good at the starting line.” I’ve heard this old saying for most of my life. My Grandpa used to say it all the time. I never really understood what it meant. But lately, the validity of this statement began to become part of my life.

“DAVID!”

Oh brother. What now?

“Yes dear?”

“DAVID, are you down in the basement again? For God’s sake, is that all you do is play?”

“I’m not playing dear, I’m looking for something.”

Actually, I was playing. And I was driving for a go ahead touchdown. Lions were down by 6 with 3 minutes to play. Lucky my Playstation has a pause button. I didn’t wait for a response from Mary. I knew she had walked off as I was answering. She didn’t care about my response. She just cared about communicating her disapproval.

Shoot! Interception. I threw right into double coverage. Oh man. Guess I’d better go upstairs and take my medicine.

“Well, its about time David. Did you find what you were looking for?”

I guess she really was listening to my answer. Hmmm.

“No. I think maybe I put it in the garage.”

“Well, then its lost. With all that junk out there, you’ll never find it.”

I mumbled something even I didn’t understand and headed out the back door.

Yep, she really did look a lot better at the starting line.

-- continued --

Scott's Birthday

October 24 was a very monumental birthday for Scott. I thought I'd post a few pictures from the collection. They show some of the many sides of Scott. Enjoy!

Frank and Earnest Day 7 - The Last Day

Sunday morning dawned cold, crisp, and clear. Church goers began to gather at the football field well before the scheduled ten o’clock start. No one knew what to expect. When they arrived, they found a simple sign pointing up into the stands. On the field itself, were two folding chairs, one small lectern with a microphone plugged into a portable amplifier.

There was a huge turnout, far larger than a normal combination of both churches. Many of the people had not been to church in years. The violence earlier in the week unsettled the community and people were searching for answers.

Some of the normal church goers were nervous. There had been no fellowship time before the service, with coffee and doughnuts. No choir was present. No prelude organ music. Deacons had no special seats. In fact, the two congregations merged with the non-church people so that separate, distinct groups could not be identified.

At 10:00 sharp, Brother Reynolds (Frank) and Reverend Matthews (Earnest) walked out to the field and sat in the two folding chairs. Neither talked – they just sat there, completely immobile.

Ten minutes passed. Ten minutes of anticipation and silence. Even the children up in the stands were quiet.

At ten minutes after ten, a small girl began to timidly sing,

“Jesus loves the little children…”

Slowly, the people around joined in,

“All the children of the world.”

By the end of the verse, the entire congregation had joined in. They sang the same verse two more times, and then, as if on queue, they stopped.

Frank rose from his chair and walked up to the lectern.

“Thank y’all for coming today. And thank you for that wonderful song. It is so appropriate, more than most of you know.

“As you have probably heard, my good friend Ernie, I mean Reverend Matthews..”

“Ernie is fine, Frank.”

“Okay, my good friend Ernie and I were eating lunch in the town square earlier this week, as we have been doing for the quite some time.

“We were talking shop talk. And on this day, evolution was the topic of choice. We shared our own opinions, knowing no minds would be changed that day, but you know how preachers love to talk. And since we were eating at the same time, we both were having a great time.

“A young boy, turns out Tommie was his name, was apparently listening to us, but we didn’t know this at the time. He came to our table and sat down and asked us a few questions.”

At this point, Frank began to choke up. Earnest stood up, walked over, put his arm around Frank and said, “Sit down for a bit, Frank. I’ll take it.

“As Frank was saying, Tommie was asking some questions about what we had said. Neither one of us knew Tommie, and we didn’t know how much he could really understand about this very complex issue, so we tried to stay light.

“Light, that is, until Tommie pulled out a pistol he had been hiding. The rest is a blur to both of us, but the papers said the police were forced to shoot and kill Tommie before he could shoot one of us.”

Earnest began to shake at this point. Frank returned to the microphone, letting Earnest gather himself.

“People, Tommie died in a confused state. And we, Ernie and I, missed our chance to unconfuse him. Or at least give him some real facts he could hold on to.

“Now, I’m not saying we missed the chance to support our individual stands on evolution. I’m saying that we missed the chance, and in this case, the last chance to tell Tommie what the real facts are.

“And here are the real facts people. Evolution. Abortion. War. Politics. Dating. Alcohol. All these are grains of sand. They come, they go. They are not the rock our faith, the rock our very lives are built on.

“Our faith, our lives are built on two base truths:

“1. God is God.
“2. God loves each one of us.”

Earnest rejoined Frank and took over the microphone.

“Two base truths. First, God is God. It doesn’t matter if you believe in Him, He is God. It doesn’t matter how many churches there are, or if there aren’t any churches. He is God.”

Frank repeated it. “God is God.”

Earnest continued, “and base fact number two: God loves each one of us. He doesn’t love you because of what you do, what you say, who you are. He loves each one of us.”

Frank jumped in. “He loves us when we are good and when we are bad. He loves us when we are in step with Him, and when we act as if we had never heard of Him.”

Earnest: “He loves us when we tell others of Him, and ….”

Frank: “… even when we miss the last chance to.”

Earnest continued.

“Repeat after me please. God is God.”

The congregation repeated it softly.

Frank grabbed the microphone.

“I’m sorry, did y’all whisper something.”

This time, the congregation chanted “God is God” louder.

“Did you hear something, Ernie?”

“I heard something Frank, but I couldn’t tell what it was.”

This time the entire crowd rose to their feet, as if the football team had just scored a touchdown and shouted, “God is God.”

Frank: “Yes, God is God.”

Earnest: “And God loves each one of us.”

The people needed no prompting, shouting “God loves each one of us.”

Earnest: “Two base facts on which all else should be built.”

Frank: “From this minute forward, I pledge to strive that in everything I do, those two facts are my base.”

Earnest: “I join you in that pledge.”

------------

Things were never quite the same in that small town. A small plaque was placed in the town square three months later. It read simply, “Tommie Flannery.” Just those two words. Visitors to the town square didn’t understand it, but the townspeople did.

The First United Methodist Church and Calvary Baptist church continued to retain their separate identities,. Their congregations began to grow steadily. Both churches made it a scheduled point to get together at least once a month for fellowship, worship, and fun.

Each Thursday, Frank and Earnest continued to meet to eat lunch. And the continued to discuss the hot topics of the day. The biggest change in their lunch time meetings is that they always started their gathering with “God is God. And God loves each one of us.” They ended each of their gatherings in the same way.

And to the best of their abilities, they lived their lives on these two base truths.
the end or is it the beginning?