Penny & Squirt: A Love Story

by T. M. Haught

  “The way that reporter was arguing with the cops I didn’t think she was going to leave,” said Penny. “Then she got a phone call and things changed. Fast.”

  Robert smiled knowingly. “The third phone call I made was to the CEO of my company, Charles Granville, back at our home office. I know him pretty well, and he has kids of his own, so when I explained to him about what happened yesterday, he said he would help. I found out later that he called the CEO of the network that owns the local station here and told him that he didn’t think that was the right way to do things. The head of the network told him that since you two are both eighteen the usual rules that protect minors didn’t apply and that you were fair game.”

  Rebecca’s eyes narrowed. “How nice.” Her words dripped sarcasm.

  “Yeah,” said Robert. “So then Mr. Granville pointed out to him that our company spends something like a million dollars in advertising each year with the stations in his network, but that he would be happy to invest that money someplace else instead. The network CEO apparently appreciated that point more than the one about the ethics issue, and promised he would call the local station right away. I guess he did.”

  Jonah grinned approvingly. “Way to go!”

  Robert held up a cautionary hand. “We’re not totally in the clear. The arrangement that was worked out is that the station will back off and sit on the story for the time being, to give us all some breathing room. But as soon as the trial for Travis and the others starts, and we can’t really avoid publicity at that point, they will be able to interview you and Penny, briefly and under controlled conditions. That will probably be in the summertime, anyway, after you’ve both graduated.”

  Rebecca nodded, but still looked concerned. “I’m worried about that video, though. If it’s released to anyone in the media....”

  “There’s already a judge involved who has scheduled the preliminary hearing, and she’s put a lock on it to prevent its being released before the trial,” said Robert. “I suspect that’s at the request of the attorney hired by Travis’s father, but it ironically helps us, too.”

  Penny sighed, turning to pace a bit. “Maybe that will quiet things down. I’d like to be able to go back to school after the week’s suspension is up without having to worry about paparazzi.”

  “Well, I hope so,” said Robert. “But in the meantime, I think we all could use a break from the routine.”

  Penny stopped pacing. “A break?”

  Rebecca took over now. “Robert and I talked it over, and since he can take a day off, and I can go off the active list at the temp agency for a day, and since tomorrow is Friday with the weekend following, we decided we could go away for a few days.”

  “Away?” said Jonah. “All of us?”

  “Of course,” said Robert. “It’s only a few hours drive from here to Disneyworld, so I thought we could pack a few things tonight and leave in the morning in my SUV since it has the most room. We can stay a couple of nights, spend some time at the park, just get a change of scenery and relax a bit. What do you think?”

  Penny hesitated. “Great!” She smiled a brave smile and hoped she sounded only casually interested when she inquired, “Where will we stay?”

  “It was too hard to get into the big onsite resorts on such short notice,” said Robert, “and they’re a bit on the pricey side anyway, so I booked two rooms at one of the large motels that’s close to the road leading into the complex. I’ll cover the cost for all of us for the tickets and rooms.”

  “And I’ll help with that,” Rebecca reminded him.

  Jonah fought the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and feigned enthusiasm. “Gee, that sounds like fun.”

  “Yes,” said Penny, despite that same sinking feeling. “Oodles.”

  Everyone was silent for a long moment, then Robert checked his watch. “Well, since it’s too early for dinner,” he glanced at Rebecca, “and if it’s okay with Mrs. Nash, maybe we should do our packing now. I also need to make a few more calls to people, including the principal at the school and the police. And if you’re worried about keeping up with your school work, you can bring your laptops with you. The motel is Wi-Fi equipped.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought of everything, Dad,” said Penny. But she gave a slight sigh as she exchanged glances with Jonah.

  Jonah sighed, too. As subtle as her look was, Jonah could read the nuances of her facial expressions and body language as easily now as the pages of any of the novels on the shelf in his room. Easier, in fact. And the look in Penny’s eyes at this moment spoke volumes....

  * * * * * * * * * *

  Dinner had been a fairly normal meal in the dining room. Rebecca had kept it simple, fixing potato salad and opening a canned ham to slice, served with bread and a salad. Conversation had mainly been about the upcoming trip... favorite places in the park they wanted to see again, new attractions they’d heard about, the best times of the day for short lines in certain areas. But Jonah thought the conversation still seemed slightly awkward, and he could tell that Penny did, too.

  They had all watched television together in the living room for an hour, then Penny had gone up to her room to work on her homework since they had both received their day’s assignments by email. Jonah had taken the garbage out and done a quick check of the patio again on his way back in, then he too went upstairs to work on his homework.

  The assignments had been fairly simple and straightforward this time and it had only taken Jonah roughly an hour and a half to complete the work. He read the portions of the textbooks he needed to, and the parts that were written he finished and emailed back to the teachers before turning off his computer.

  He double-checked the few garments and essential items he had already placed in the small suitcase that was open on his bed, then added a few more pairs of underwear and socks around his laptop to cushion it, and then finally, somewhat reluctantly, he tossed in a book from his shelf---The Prisoner of Zenda---in case he needed something to read at night. He knew he probably would. Jonah closed the suitcase and sat it near the door to the hall, checking to be sure that door was locked securely as he had been doing each night lately.

  He was so preoccupied with thoughts of the day they had all had and with the feared impact of the trip that he hadn’t even noticed the sound of the wall panel in their closets sliding open. As he turned away from the door, he saw Penny standing there, his closet door open behind her.

  “Penny,” he said, his face transforming as the burdensome thoughts troubling him disappeared.

  “Hi there,” she replied softly. She smiled warmly, too, but there was still a trace of anxiety in her face and voice. She looked as she had that first night they shared, wearing an oversized T-shirt for a nightie and her legs and feet bare.

  He went to her, standing there a moment just looking into her eyes. “I... I did my homework and finished my packing.”

  “Me too,” Penny said with a sigh. “So I guess we’re ready.”

  “Nothing like visiting the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’,” he said unconvincingly. “Three days.”

  “And two nights,” added Penny meaningfully. Her features clouded. “Two long nights... in two separate motel rooms. Me and my dad in one, and you and your mom in the other.”

  Jonah nodded. “No privacy. And no secret passage.”

  “Yeah,” she said with a weary frown. “I may die.”

  “Me, too.” Jonah leaned forward and gave her a comforting hug, then a reassuring kiss. “But we’ll get through it.”

  Her eyes searched his. “You sure?”

  He took both of her hands in his. “We got through yesterday,” he reminded her. “We got through today, too—and I never thought I’d see a day like that!”

  She couldn’t help laughing a bit, remembering all of it. “True.”

  Penny stepped back a bit and sat on the chair that was pulled out in front of Jonah’s study desk. She looked tired, and Jonah knew that worry about the trip, added to eve
rything else, was part of that. As she sat there she reached down and rubbed her left foot, seemingly lost in thought.

  Jonah watched a moment, then asked her, “Do your feet hurt?”

  “A little,” she admitted. “They do, sometimes.”

  “Those sandals you wear look pretty, but they don’t give your feet much support.” His eyebrow rose teasingly. “You gave them a pretty good workout today anyway, walking and standing barefoot on those hard patio stones. And... other stuff.”

  She looked up at him coyly. “Yeah, I know. Worth it, though.”

  Jonah thought a moment, then he sat down on the floor cross-legged in front of her and slightly to one side. He raised her left foot in both hands and rested her ankle across his knee.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Helping, I hope,” he said. He began rubbing her foot, using his thumbs and fingertips to gently massage the sole of her foot, kneading the skin and the tissues beneath the surface. He went across the bottom several times, then massaged the top as well. Then he used just his fingertips to lightly rub the bottoms of her toes and the spaces between them.

  Penny closed her eyes and leaned back a bit in the chair. “Oh Jonah, that feels good. I mean, really good! How’d you learn to do that?”

  “Years ago, when my dad would be home on leave and we’ll all be watching TV in the living room, my dad would rub my mom’s feet when she was tired,” he said. “That always stuck in my mind. Sometimes I rub my own feet when they hurt, so I know what feels good, to me at least.”

  He continued the massage for several more minutes, then as he finished with her left foot and set it back on the floor, Penny put her right foot across his knee and flashed him a hopeful grin. Jonah chuckled a bit.

  “I was going to do that one, too,” he said.

  As he started massaging that foot she looked down at both. “Do you think I have pretty feet?”

  “I think everything you have is pretty.”

  “Aww...” she said, and briefly ran her fingers through his hair. “Well, thank you for that. But there’s one thing I have... or hope I have... that isn’t pretty. It’s handsome. And smart. And talented. And very, very brave.”

  The softness in her voice, even more than the words she had spoken, made him blush and tugged at his heart. “You don’t have to hope, Penny. That’s something you can count on.”

  Jonah continued working on her right foot for a long while, then as he felt the stiffness in it relax, too, he gave it a pat and returned it to the floor. He carefully got to his feet.

  “Excuse me for a minute or two,” he told her, heading for the bathroom. “I need to make a pit stop and brush my teeth. Then we can go to bed I guess.” He winked. “I’ll be back.”

  She winked in return. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Jonah quickly took care of things in the bathroom, even using a little mint mouthwash to freshen his breath, then dried his hands on the towel and headed back. As he got part way into his room he stopped and gave a bit of a sigh. His head tilted to one side and the corner of his mouth twisted up.

  Penny was still sitting there in the chair, but she was sound asleep. Her pretty head was tilted down with her chin resting on her chest in what looked like an uncomfortable angle, and her arms and legs were still virtually in the same position they were when he had stopped rubbing her feet and stepped away. Her breathing was slow and steady, and a faint sound came from her lips that was a cute version of snoring, or maybe more like purring. The excitement of the day had finally caught up with her.

  He walked up beside her and studied her for a long moment, then he looked over at his bed, gauging the distance. He couldn’t leave her in the chair, and he hated to wake her up. But was he strong enough? The things his dad had taught him for self-protection had required conditioning, even though he did not look outwardly muscular.

  Jonah carefully slid his left arm behind her back and his right arm under her knees and lifted. He found he was able to raise her completely off the chair, and as he did so her head shifted over against his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and carried her slowly over to the bed, then laid her down as carefully as if she was the most fragile treasure in the world. He lowered her head to the pillow and made sure both of her arms and legs were in a comfortable position.

  He walked back to the wall beside his door and switched off the room lights, then stripped down to just his boxer shorts and returned to his bed. Jonah carefully got into bed beside her, avoiding jarring the mattress in a way that might wake her. He reached down and pulled up the sheet until it covered them both, studied the quiet beauty of her face and hair in the faint light of the room, then he got comfortable and promptly fell asleep beside her.

  * * * * * * * * * *

  They slept soundly through the night, only waking moments before the alarm rang. They were in each other’s arms, still sleepy-eyed and yawning, but since Penny was closest to it she reached around toward the nightstand, groping for the alarm clock, and turned it off without even looking. Then she brought her hand back to rest upon Jonah’s chest and snuggled closer.

  “Mmmmm...” she said.

  “I hate alarm clocks,” murmured Jonah. “I have always hated alarm clocks, but I have never hated them more than I do right now.”

  “Me, too,” whispered Penny. “Let’s break it. Later.”

  Jonah stayed there close to her several minutes more, not wanting to move. Then he sighed and said, “I guess we should get up and get ready.”

  Penny snuggled against his ear. “I guess.” Then she moved her face slightly away from his and pouted.

  He frowned. “What is it?”

  “Just... last night was the last time we’ll sleep together for the next few nights,” she said. “And it will probably be three days at least before we can make love again.” She searched his eyes. “Do you think... we’d have time now?”

  Jonah started to open his mouth to say something, then a sound from outside the house caught his ear and he listened. “That sounds like the door to your dad’s SUV opening.”

  Penny nodded, then sighed. “He’s probably checking the car to get it ready for the trip. Which means that he’s up and dressed. Which means that we’d better get up and dressed.”

  She reluctantly disentangled from his embrace and got up from the bed. She stood there a moment, looking down at the T-shirt she still wore, then glancing over at the chair by the desk.

  “You know, I don’t actually remember going to bed last night,” she said.

  Jonah got out of bed himself then, still in his boxers. “Long story. Tell you later.”

  She headed for the door to the closet to return to her own room, then paused. “Of course, since we both have to take showers anyway... I mean...?”

  Anguish and other emotions played across Jonah’s features. “I want that so bad. But, remember yesterday morning?”

  She grimaced. “Good point. I guess. I’ll go get ready over there, and you can get ready here, and then we’ll both go downstairs.”

  “Good plan,” said Jonah, and he almost sounded as if his heart was in it, even though it really wasn’t. He watched her hesitate within the open doorway to his closet, shoot him a longing glance and a sigh, then disappear inside as she closed the door behind her. He heard the wall panel slide back in place and breathed a heavy sigh himself. He quickly headed for his own shower....

  * * * * * * * * * *

  When they got downstairs they were both carrying their suitcases. They set them down in the living room, on the floor close to the front door next to two other slightly larger suitcases. Just as they straightened from doing that, the front door opened and Robert came inside.

  “Morning,” he said, giving Penny a kiss on the forehead and reaching over to give Jonah a pat on the shoulder to acknowledge him as well.

  “Morning, Dad,” said Penny.

  At that moment, Rebecca emerged from the dining room, also fully dressed but without the apron she usually
wore in the mornings. She approached them but was still checking everything around the living room with a keen eye.

  “Everything in the kitchen is okay,” she told them. “Nothing is turned on or plugged in that shouldn’t be. I think we’re all set.”

  Robert said, “Good. Everybody got their cell phones and chargers?”

  Jonah said, “Yes.” Penny and his mom nodded.

  “About breakfast,” Robert said. “I suggested to Rebecca that we grab something out on the way so she wouldn’t have to worry about cooking this morning or have dishes afterwards, if that’s okay with everyone.”

  “Works for me,” said Rebecca with a bit of a grin.

  “Me, too,” Penny agreed.

  “Sure,” said Jonah.

  Robert said next, “I presume everyone visited the bathroom already?”

  The others all nodded.

  “Then,” said Robert, checking his watch, “I guess we’re ready to go. Let’s get these bags out to the SUV, stowed where they’re out of sight, and then we can hit the road.”

  “Sure,” said Jonah. He picked up his own suitcase, paused, and then picked up Penny’s as well and started out the front door with Penny following.

  Robert smiled, then picked up his bag and the suitcase belonging to Rebecca and headed for the SUV after them. Rebecca took one more quick look around the room, then followed the others out and closed and locked the front door, securing the deadbolt lock, too.

  Once they had placed the luggage into the secure space in the back of the SUV with the cover over it, they piled into the seats. Robert took the driver’s seat after holding the passenger side door open for Rebecca, and Jonah and Penny got in the back seat. They all closed their doors and fastened their seat belts. The engine started and within moments the SUV backed out of the driveway and headed up the road.

  Robert and Rebecca were both looking forward, eyes on the road ahead, quiet for the moment. Jonah glanced over at Penny. Penny returned his look, then her hand crawled over, spider-like, across the seat space between them and came to rest on top of his hand, low enough to be out of sight to her dad and his mom. She left it there, and Jonah gave her a subtle wink, then pretended to look out the window at the passing scenery....