Hearts of Grey

by Earl E. Gobel

  “I’d love to, but I promised Rick that I would stop by. And that was yesterday, so I think I’ll swing by and give him some sad-puppy eyes and beg for forgiveness,” she replied.

  “You’re smitten on him, ain’t ya?” he asked her.

  “Well, sort of—no, wait a second, you know what? I guess that I am at that. But I could do a lot worse than Rick,” she replied.

  “I think so. Rick is a hell of a nice guy. He’s always been nice to me, quiet and polite, charming and pretty handsome too I might add,” Katie added.

  “Katie, if you weren’t with my brother, I would almost swear that you were smitten on Rick too,” Melissa replied.

  “Well maybe if I wasn’t with Mike, then maybe I would be?” she answered back.

  “Okay, time for us to be going. The conversation around here is going places that I don’t need to go to. Grady, you’re welcome to join us if you like,” Mike asked him.

  “Me in a malt shop? Ain’t going to happen. That is a place for the younger folk, like you guys, I reckon,” Grady responded.

  “You’re only as old as you feel,” Melissa told him.

  “Now, you’re scaring me, missy. Restacking those rocks today did me in for sure, I reckon. And nobody wants to feel this damn old,” Grady told her.

  “Anyways, Katie and I are going to the malt shop, and we’ll see you two later,” Mike said as he pulled Katie softly along behind him.

  “Slow down. We’re not in a race you know. Besides, I like just strolling along with your arms around me. It’s kind of romantic, don’t you think?” Katie asked him.

  “Doing anything with you, my dear, is romantic,” he answered.

  “Hey, I was thinking, remember a while back when you told me that one of these days you would just take me and make me your own? Well, I was wondering when that might, uuhh, well, happen?” she asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe someday. And why do you ask such a question?” he asked.

  “Because of you. Because you were the one to come to my rescue to save me from a fate worth than death itself. And I’m a woman, and you’re a man, and well, you know,” she said softly.

  “I know what? What in the world are you ramblin’ about?” he asked.

  “What do I have to do here? Do I have to hit you over the head with a stick?” she asked.

  “And why would you do that?” he asked.

  Mike knew what Katie was hinting at, but he wanted to toy with her awhile.

  She stopped him and spun him around to face her. With a huge smile and clinched teeth, she told him, “Just take me, take me now! Damn it!”

  “Take you? Oh, I see, and where would that be?” he asked.

  “I don’t care. Take me right here, right now. Just do it!” she demanded.

  “Katie my dear, it is virtually impossible to take a person somewhere when in fact they’re already here. So how can I take you right here if, in fact, you’re already here? Now I could take you over there.”

  “Just stop it. Okay, I get the message. Here I am throwing myself at your feet, willing to give all of me to you, and you’re not even interested,” she said as she walked away with her arms crossed across her chest.

  “Katie, oh, come on, I was just kiddin’ ya. Of course, I want you more than you’ll ever know, but I’m not going to degrade you by doing it right here on a concrete sidewalk, in the middle of downtown Savannah, Georgia. Okay?” he told her.

  She stopped and spun around. She smiled. “You really want me. Really? Then why haven’t you touched me. All you do is hug and kiss me, but you’ve never even felt me . . . like normal boys do . . . or should.”

  “Question? Do you want me to treat you the way that certain boys treat certain girls, or would you rather be pampered and loved for who you are, and not what a normal guy gets from normal girls?” he asked.

  “How about a little of both? Oh hell, Mike, I don’t know. I’ve never even talked this way to a guy before. But something inside of me tells me that you’re the right one. So what’s a girl supposed to do?” she asked.

  “Katie sweetheart, there is no doubt in my mind that you’re the right one for me too, but it doesn’t mean that any time is the right time. And to be totally honest here, I’ve never slept with a girl before. So when I decide that it’s time, it will be with you, and it will be great. But jumping into this just doesn’t make sense. And as far as the touching goes, I’d love to run my hands all over every inch of your body. To feel your soft tender skin beneath my fingers . . . and run my fingers through your long soft blonde hair, but that my dear would drive me nuts. So much in fact . . . I would probably go all the way. And ruin everything. So do you understand?” he asked as he looked at her.

  She was standing there, lost in a trance. He softly nudged her, and she kind of jumped a bit. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was picturing you running your big ole manly hands all over my soft tender body and your fingers through my hair, and I guess that I got carried away. But it was good—no, it was great,” she said in a very soft sexy voice.

  “Katie, did you understand what I just said?” he asked.

  “Yeah, but when it’s time, how would you know or when will we know, I guess?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure, but this isn’t it, especially with the sidewalk routine. But I’m really certain that when it’s time, we’ll both know, okay?” he told her.

  “Okay, I trust you. But I haven’t told you thank you for rescuing me in the cave. When I first came to and I couldn’t move, and I realized that I was more or less spread open for the entire world to see . . . I was . . . well, I was hoping that it was you that did that to me. But then, I smelled Susie’s perfume, and I knew that I was in trouble. But with that same breath of air, I had to believe that you would save me. And you did. So thank you, my knight in shining armor,” she said as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him as she had never kissed a guy before. He returned the favor.

  When they pulled their lips apart, they just looked at each other.

  “I do have a confession to make to you,” he told her.

  “Oh really? I’ve got to hear this. I mean considering the subject of our conversation, and now you have a confession to make. This should be hot. So please continue, sir,” she said as she quietly waited for his confession.

  “Well, when I rushed in to save you . . . and your dress was pulled up over your stomach . . . and the top of your dress was open as well . . . exposin’, well, your white bra and your . . .”

  “Tits, Michael, they’re called tits,” she told him.

  “Okay, your tits. It was an instant turn-on. My first thought was wow! But then I had to save you. But for that first couple of seconds . . . I did wish that I was the one that thought that up. You were simply beautiful. All exposed like you were . . . yet unable to res—”

  He pulled her into him, and she accepted him. The passion of the moment had caught up to them. Their hands roaming, searching every bit of new territory. And had it not been for the spotlight of the police car shining on them, they might have . . . well . . .

  “Hey, you two, can’t you find a better place to make out besides here?” the deputy yelled.

  “Okay, Deputy, we will,” he answered. Mike and Katie ran down the sidewalk holding each other’s hand and laughing as they left the very jealous deputy behind.

  “Where in the hell did he come from?” she asked.

  “Don’t know. All I know is five more minutes, and we would have been really busted. I could see me explaining that to your daddy,” he told her.

  “Daddy knows that I’m a woman. Come on, the malt shop is just around the corner. I’m thirsty,” she told him.

  As they slid into their seats, sitting next to each other, they were still laughing.

  “Did you see the look on his face? What a card,” Katie said.

  “Yeah, his eyes were as big as silver dollars,” Mike replied.

  They ordered two chocolate malts and lowered their voices down considera
bly.

  “So you would like to see me all tied up like that, would ya?” she asked.

  “That’s not what I said. What I said was that I wished that I had thought of it first. But I do have to admit that you were very sexy in that position,” he told her.

  “So you thought that I was sexy all spread out for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to see?” she asked.

  “Forget Tom, Dick, and Harry. I would want you like that for my eyes only,” he replied.

  “Well, maybe if you’re a really good boy, Mommy will reward you,” she said in very serious tone. Then both of them started laughing.

  “So what do you think of what all we’ve uncovered so far. Isn’t it exciting?” Katie asked.

  “Very exciting indeed. But at the same time, I get the feeling that we’re being watched,” he confided in her.

  “You too? It’s like there’s a pair of eyes on me all the time. You know, like when you’re at the park or somewhere, and all of a sudden you get that feeling that someone is watching you. You look around, but there’s nobody there. It freaks me out,” she answered.

  “Well, when you get home, you be sure to tell your daddy what you and I felt ’cause maybe he felt it too. Two of us feeling it is weird enough, but if Grady and Melissa also felt it, then it’s most likely for real. And we’ll have to watch each other’s back,” he told her.

  “Yes, I agree with you on that most certainly. Better safe than sorry for sure,” she told him as she gripped his leg under the table, causing him to jump a little.

  “Oh, are you ticklish?” she asked.

  “No, you just startled me, is all. Why? Are you ticklish?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am very ticklish indeed. And please don’t tickle me. I’ll pee my pants,” she told him.

  “Oh, then I’m safe. I can tickle you to my heart’s content,” he said.

  “No, like I said, I’ll pee my pants,” she told him again.

  “But, Katie dear, you’re not wearing pants. You’re in a dress. So that means that I can tickle you,” he said.

  “Okay, smartass, I’ll pee my underwear. There! Are you happy now?” she asked him.

  “I will be as soon as you wet your undies. That would be funny,” he said with a grin.

  “Yeah right, up until the time that I kick your butt,” she warned him.

  “Well, if you’re going to get violent, then forget it. I saw firsthand what you did to Susie,” he told her.

  “You know, for the life of me, I really don’t remember hitting her. I remember reading the note, and the next thing that I remember, she was down on the ground,” she confessed to him.

  “Well, you don’t remember it because it happened like that. And you could hear the bones break throughout the cave. Sure surprised me. Never knew you could hit like that,” he told her.

  “Well, I never intended to hit her, but on top of everything else, then the note, I guess I just snapped,” she told him.

  “Remind me to never get you that mad at me, okay?

  “Well, never say anything about my mom, and you’re safe,” she told him.

  “I guess that I’m safe then. I would never say anything about your mom. Especially since I’ve never met her. But out of respect for you, that just wouldn’t be fair. That’s low, mighty low,” he told her.

  “Let’s get out of here while it’s still early enough to do something else,” she told him.

  “Sure, what would you like to do?” he asked her.

  She just stood there with those big beautiful blue eyes and smiled the most devilish grin she could.

  “Oh, that was a stupid question. Okay, besides that. Something that requires us to be dressed would be good,” he told her.

  Again she gave him that same look as she slowly started to pull up the hem of her dress.

  “Gosh darn it, Katie, is that all you think about?” Then he realized to whom he was talking to. “Okay, bad question. I know, let’s go see a movie. How’s that?” he asked.

  “Yeah, we could sit all by ourselves over in the darkest part of the theater, and you could hold my—as I suck on your—” she told him.

  “Katie, enough already,” he told her.

  “What? You could hold my popcorn as I suck on your soda pop. What’s wrong with—Michael, you dirty-minded little boy, I should spank your backside for having such thoughts,” she told him as her eyebrows danced along and a huge sexy smile came to her face.

  He studied her up and down. Yes, she would feel great in his arms, wouldn’t she? Her hands roaming, his hands searching through the darkness, the kissing, the smell of her filling his nostrils, driving him mad . . . “Oh hell, the movies sounds good to me too, but we better hurry,” he said as he darn near dragged her across the street.

  The Lord’s Prayer

  Mike and Katie hadn’t expected to stay out so late, but they had. Acting like some adolescent schoolkids, they had done what most red-blooded American kids would have done if given the chance. Everything, the kissing, the touching, the exploring, everything except for that one final act that would have made everything else—well, you get the picture.

  Katie didn’t sleep well the night before. But she figured that it was the aftershock of the other day with Susie in the cave. She had cried herself to sleep, but it wasn’t a deep peaceful sleep. There was something about last night that hadn’t been right, but she couldn’t recall what it was. It wasn’t the time with Mike. No, sir, that had been just fine in her eyes. But something had happened later after she had gotten home, but for the life of her, she just couldn’t remember what it was. So she sat there at the dining room table trying to drink a cup of black coffee left over from the night before. It was so thick that she didn’t have to worry about spilling it. But all that the coffee did was keep her wide-awake. But she still felt like shit.

  Then there came a knock on the door. Grady and Katie got there at the same time. Together, they stood in the open doorway staring at Deputy Baker.

  “Good morning to you, miss, Grady. I need to escort you to the courthouse, miss. Ms. Barnes has a court date today, and we need to get your signature on the paperwork before she goes into court,” the deputy explained.

  “Oh yeah, what time is court?” she asked.

  “She’s due in court at ten, miss, but I was told to bring you back personally,” he told her.

  “Really? And who told you this, may I ask?” she said in a real sarcastic voice.

  “The sheriff himself, miss. So if you would please come with me, I would appreciate it very much,” he told her in a very firm voice.

  Katie just stood there staring at him.

  “Deputy, would you please be so kind as to give me and my daughter a few minutes alone. I promise that she’ll be out shortly,” Grady asked.

  “That would be fine, Grady,” the deputy was saying as Grady shut the door.

  “Katie, what’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Daddy, I’m torn between what I know that I should do and what I feel I shouldn’t do,” she replied.

  “Does this have anything to do with you crying last night?” he asked.

  At first she threw him a puzzled look, then she calmly said yes.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

  Then suddenly, she had a huge grin on her face. “No, Daddy, I just realized that there’s no real choice in the matter. I’ll be fine. Got to go. The deputy is waiting,” she said as she opened the door. “I’ll explain when I get home,” she told her father as she closed the front door after her.

  Grady watched as she climbed inside the patrol car and sped off down the driveway. Once at the courthouse she asked the deputy, “Can I see Susie before she goes to court?”

  “I guess, but why would you want to do that, may I ask?”

  Katie just stood there, for she didn’t know how to tell him what she was planning. “No reason. I just want to talk, is all,” she explained.

  “Okay. Follow me, I guess,” he sneered.

  The de
puty led her down a few hallways and into the holding area, where they held those waiting to go to court on whatever offense they had been accused of.

  Susie saw Katie before she saw her. Susie backed up to the back of her cage,

  “Could you open the door please? I don’t think she’ll try anything with you right around the corner,” she asked. The deputy opened the door, and Katie walked in to the tiny cell. For the first time, Katie got to see Susie’s face.

  “Oh gee, did I do all of that?” she asked.

  Susie just threw her a dirty look.

  “Does it hurt much?” Katie asked.

  Again, Susie answered with the same dirty look.

  “We’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t talk to me. So why do you hate me so much?” she asked her.

  “Michael,” Susie told her. And for the first time, Katie realized that her jaw had been wired shut.

  “Oh, God, they’ve wired your jaw shut, haven’t they? Susie, I’m so sorry this had to happen, but I’d like to try and help you, if you’ll let me,” Katie told her.

  Susie threw her a really weird face. “Why would you want to help me?” she asked.

  “Because of something Mike said the other day. He said that you really needed a friend on your side. And I’d like to be that friend, if you’ll let me,” she explained.

  “Do you have any idea as to what those guys were going to do to you, do you? And you want to be my friend after all of that?” she asked.

  “Funny I don’t see them in jail, do you? This isn’t a joke, Susie. I can help you. But this fighting has got to stop right here, right now,” Katie explained.

  “After everything that I’ve done, you still want to be my friend? What about all of the stuff that I’ve already done? What happens to all of that?” she asked.

  “It’s all forgotten, well, except for what you said about my mom. I’ll never forgive you for that, but if you promise never to do it again, I promise never to bring it up again, ever. Okay?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t get you. Not at all, Katie Windslow, but if you’re for real, then I guess I’ll play ball. What do you want me to do?” she asked.