“Sure.” Bucky mopped at his forehead again. Now it was hot! Picking up his sack lunch, he headed out the back door and glanced around for a shady spot.
“Pardon me, I can’t seem to find what I’m looking for,” a lilting voice interrupted.
He whirled around with a grin. “Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you were baby-sitting again today.”
Lisa laughed. “They called at the last minute and backed out. Tomorrow yes, but today no. So I got a day off.”
“You’ll never get rich that way.”
She made a face. “Who needs to be rich when you have good looks like I’ve got?”
“That’s oh so true,” he agreed.
“Anyway,” she bubbled, “I brought a fantastic lunch for two. And I insist that you join me.”
“But I already have a lunch,” he protested with a grin. “I made it myself.”
“Let me see.” Lisa surveyed the scanty contents of his paper bag. “You’re really dying to eat that, huh? Totally lame.”
“Well, what have you got?”
She slowly opened up the lid to her picnic basket. Right on top was a huge piece of cherry pie. “Now what do you say? Still salivating to eat that lunch of yours?”
“What lunch of mine?” he laughed, hiding the bag behind his back. “I haven’t got any lunch. You must be hallucinating.”
“Oh, come on,” she said, taking his arm. “You can eat that stuff of yours tomorrow. How many chances do you get to eat with a babe like me?”
They walked to a small park one block away from the home improvement center. Spreading the contents of the basket on a little table for two, Lisa motioned for him to dig in.
“Just a sec. Let me say the blessing.” Lisa bowed her head as he said a short prayer.
“That was nice,” she commented, taking her first bite of a sandwich. “I wish we had grace at our house.”
Bucky picked up a big handful of potato chips and a sandwich. “Boy, this is great.” Between bites he began to tell her about work.
“There’s so much stuff to keep track of,” she said, wrinkling up her nose. “How do you guys ever learn what’s what?”
“Well, my dad has lots of that same junk at home, so I sort of know about some of it at least. After that, it’s just a matter of learning more and more each day. While I’m workin’ I keep my eyes open and try to notice just where everything is. It’s kind of fun, really.” He popped an olive into his mouth. “Except when it’s as hot as this. The AC’s about half of what it needs to be.”
“Yeah.” Lisa cut an oversized piece of pie and handed it to him. “I feel sorry for those guys working out on the highway in this blazing weather.”
All too soon it was time for him to head back for the afternoon shift. Gathering up the trash, he tossed the bundle into a nearby container, then returned and pulled Lisa to her feet.
“Well, thank you again. You are a very gracious young lady.”
She giggled. “You’re very welcome, kind sir. Anytime at all.” As usual, she clung to his shirt sleeve as they walked back toward his workplace.
“Sure would be great to get away from here this weekend and do something fun,” Bucky commented suddenly.
“Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Just seems like I haven’t poked my head out of old Hampton Beach in months.” He laughed. “Actually, I don’t think I have gone anywhere since some of our baseball road trips.” He kicked at a rock. “I mean, day after day, work, go home, sleep, come back and work some more.”
“Well, let’s go this weekend.” Lisa was predictably enthusiastic. “I’m ready.”
“What time?”
She wrinkled up her nose, a cute gesture he really liked. “I’m trying to think. Seems like my folks and I are going somewhere just in the morning. Oakland for something. Shopping, I guess.” She snickered. “You could come with me for that too. Doesn’t that sound sparkly? My mom and I can try on shoes for endless hours, you know.”
“Thank you, girlfriend, but I’d rather die.” Bucky grimaced. “I know better than to try to tag along with you on that expedition anyway. I think I’m still off your parents’ Christmas list.”
“Oh, it’s not as bad as that. But, yes, you’d be bored out of your skull shopping with my mom and me. We’re the original every - shoe - store - in - the - mall addicts.” She gave him a persuasive pinch. “But in the afternoon, I’m wide open. Let’s do it.”
He gave her a sidelong glance. “You’re on. But where to?”
“It was your idea.”
He thought. “Lake Berryessa?”
“Sure!” Then her face fell. “Bucky, how are we gonna get there? Last time I checked, you didn’t have a drivers’ license yet.”
“So what? I bet we could get Sam to go. Then we could gang up on him and force him to drive.”
“At gunpoint.” She frowned again. “You, me, and him? Isn’t that kind of awkward?”
“I was just thinking that,” he admitted. He remained silent for a moment. “I know this sounds awful . . . could you fix him up with somebody?”
“Oh, boy,” she said with her characteristic silvery laugh. “That does sound bad. But let’s see . . .”
As he picked his time card up to punch in, he asked, “Well?”
“I might try Denise.”
“Think she’d go?”
“Oh, I imagine. She’s very unattached right now. And I know she thinks you’re OK.”
“Never mind that. What does she think of Sam?”
Lisa shook her head. “I don’t know if she even knows him. Don’t worry – I’ll work on her. You just get Sam and our free car ride lined up.”
“OK.” Bucky’s pulse flickered at the thought of a day at the lake with Lisa.
“Just a sec.” Lisa pulled him closer and landed a resounding kiss on his cheek. “Just so you won’t forget me by the weekend.”
“Not a chance,” he laughed, blushing in spite of himself.
Persuading Sam that evening proved to be a challenge. The older boy was more than reluctant to venture out on a blind date, even with Bucky and Lisa along.
“Who is this girl, Denise, anyway?”
“Oh, you know. That blonde chick who was on the cheerleading squad with Lisa last year. She’s extremely cute . . . and Lisa promised me she’d line her up for you.”
Sam groaned. “Oh, brother. Like in the movies. The poor cousin from Nebraska who can’t get a date.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun. I’ll pay for all the gas.”
“Clear to Berryessa? I hope they’ve given you a raise at that store you’re workin’ at.”
“Is it a deal then?”
Sam threw up his hands. “OK already, just leave me alone!” He managed a laugh. “If this doesn’t work, Mr. Stone, I’m gonna dance at your funeral. Your imminent funeral.”
Bucky shook his head. “No sweat. You’ll have a great time.”
His friend grunted an unenthusiastic farewell.
The appointed time rolled around, and Bucky, his weekend chores all finished way ahead of schedule, kept peeking a glance out the picture window in the living room. Finally he spotted the faded blue Nissan pulling up to the curb. “Here’s Sam,” he announced, grabbing a drink of water out of the kitchen tap. His mother gave him a teasing grin. “Have a good time, honey.”
“I will.” He grabbed his duffel bag and headed out the front door, pausing to tug on Rachel’s pigtail. “‘Bye, kid.”
“Goodbye. Are you going someplace with that girl again?”
“Uh huh.”
“Oh.” His little sister gave him a mischievous look. “OK.”
Bucky tossed his stuff into the back seat of the little car. “Right on time,” he complimented Sam as the pair gunned away.
“Yup.” Sam shifted into third gear. “Who do we pick up first?”
“Lisa, of course. I have no idea where Denise lives.”
The Vietnamese boy gave his friend a dour loo
k. “I have no idea about her, period. I don’t even know who we’re talking about here.”
“Stop worrying. Would I ever lead you astray?” Pause. “Don’t answer that.”
Sam laughed. “I say again, if this isn’t the greatest day since the Giants beat the Mets in the playoffs last year, I sing at your funeral.”
“It’s a deal.”
Lisa was already waiting out by the curb as they drove up. Bucky climbed out and let her into the back seat, then climbed in next to her. “To the opera, James, and pray, make haste,” he intoned in a clipped British accent.
“Very funny.” Sam gave him a mock-poisonous look in the rearview mirror. “Where do we go, Lisa?”
“Just head out to the freeway. Her house is on the way.”
“You’re sure this is going to go OK?”
“Oh, sure. I fixed it all up.” Lisa laughed.
“She really wanted to go with Sam?” Bucky gasped melodramatically.
“No, but I told her I’d do all her homework next semester and she finally said OK.” Lisa burst into laughter again.
“You’re as funny as a crutch. Maybe I’ll just go by myself to the movies instead and you fifteen-year-olds can walk to Berryessa.”
“We’re only kidding, Sam. Stop worrying!”
A moment later Lisa pointed. “Right here.”
Sam wheeled obediently into the cul-de-sac. “Which house?”
“That one with the RV on the side.”
Pulling up the driveway, he turned off the engine. “Well, here goes nothing. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck, Sam. We love you.” Bucky and Lisa looked at each other, then grinned. They peered out the window as he rang the doorbell. A moment later the door opened.
“All right, Sam!” Bucky whistled softly as the blonde shut the front door behind her, handing a large picnic lunch box to Sam. The older boy was grinning broadly.
“Stop it!” Lisa pretended to pout.
“Well, Sam doesn’t look too heartbroken.”
The older boy unlocked the trunk and put Denise’s lunch inside before opening the passenger door for her. “Everybody set?” Sam gave Bucky a wild-eyed look via the rearview mirror, then a broad wink of approval before starting the engine.
Because of traffic, the trip up to Berryessa took just over an hour. The winding mountain roads snaked through the brown California hillsides. One area, showing evidence of a recent brush fire, stretched for miles.
“Remember this? That awful fire last month?” Lisa shook her head in dismay.
“Here we are,” Sam interrupted. “Anybody got money for the gate?”
‘‘What gate?” Bucky asked.
“Three dollars. To picnic in here.”
Ruefully, Bucky realized he hadn’t anticipated this expense. “I think . . .”
“Wait, I guess I got it.” Sam found a tattered bill in his jeans pocket. “Remember, Stone, you’re putting in some for gas.”
The younger boy nodded gratefully. “Deal.”
Several miles down the road they pulled to a stop near the edge of the lake. Two or three ski boats cruised along the other shore, but the area was relatively tranquil.
“This is great!” Denise grinned, hopping out of the car. “I wonder how cold the water is?” She and Sam wandered over to the lake’s edge where she stuck an exploratory toe in the water. “Mmmmmm, not bad!” Lisa joined her, kicking off her shoes and beginning to splash around in the shallow water, giving her boyfriend her usual mischievous look.
Several hours later Bucky polished off a final handful of celery strips and sighed contentedly. It had ended up being a perfect day, and the girls were obviously enjoying themselves. He sat quietly for the moment, reflecting just how special Lisa was turning out to be.
“You guys about ready to go?” Sam asked, interrupting his thoughts.
Lisa threw some sand at him. “Already?”
Just outside the park, Sam wheeled into a gas station. “Here’s your big moment, Buck.”
“Huh?”
“Cough it up, man. Gas money.”
Bucky frowned. “We’re empty?”
“We only had a quarter tank when we started.”
Bucky dug into his wallet and fished out a ten. “I can put in some,” Lisa added.
“No, we’re good.” Sam clambered out and began pumping the gas.
“Let me out, Denise,” Lisa said.
“Oh, right. Me too.” Giggling, the two girls headed toward the station’s restrooms.
Bucky leaned against the car as Sam pumped away his precious funds. “Well, not bad,” the older boy grinned, watching Denise’s retreating back.
“See? I told you we’d pick you out a winner. Is the funeral off?”
Laughter. “Sure, I guess.” Sam grinned. “Yeah, this was fun.”
The guys chatted about this and that, and somehow the topic drifted over to Christ Our Redeemer Church. “I really like that place, Stone,” the older boy confessed. “And you know, it’s helped me a lot already, learning about, well, God and stuff.”
Bucky considered that for a moment, and then took a breath. “You ought to think about, maybe, Bible studies.” He measured his next words. “You know, sort of as a way to get ready to join the church. If that’s what you want, anyway.”
The other boy studied him. “Seems like you told me that once before.” He looked thoughtful, then snapped back to reality as the gas pump clicked off. “What are Bible studies like?”
“Oh, you know, you just study the Bible subject by subject. ‘What is God like?’ ‘Jesus’ death on the cross.’ ‘What it means to be saved and born again.’ ‘God’s plan for heaven and a new world.’ That way you get the big picture.” Bucky began to relax. “I know the church runs a six-week class for new believers, but I think that’s just every January. Which is a ways off.” He hesitated. “I’m sure Pastor Jensen would be glad to study with just you, though.”
Sam hung up the gas nozzle before responding. For a moment he glanced over to the girls’ restroom door. “Where are they?” he mused to himself. Then to Bucky: “No.”
The word hung in the air. “What do you mean, no?”
“I don’t want to study with the pastor.”
“But I . . .”
Sam’s eyes twinkled. “I want to study with you.”
“What?”
The twinkle faded. “You, Stone. That’s it. Are you up for it?”
Chapter Three: A Free Ride Home
Bucky flipped off the TV set in disgust. “Six in a row! What a cruddy season this is turning out to be!”
His father looked up from the newspaper he was browsing through. “Giants aren’t doing so hot, huh?”
“Oh, they’re doing wonderful, if you think fourth place is OK.”
Dad glanced at a headline before answering. “I guess that happens a lot to championship teams. The next season everything seems to go wrong.” He scratched his head. “And, of course, you know every other team in the N.L is gonna to be going all out to knock the champs off the throne.”
“Yeah.”
Mr. Stone grinned. “I’ll bet it just galls those other teams when the announcer says, ‘And now . . . your National League Champion San Francisco Giants.’ “
“Yeah, but that hoopla wears a little thin when you’re eight-and-a-half games behind the Rockies.” Bucky sighed. Baseball-wise, it was turning out to be a long summer. Not even the All-Star break yet, and the Bay Area boys were fading from contention. “Guess I’ll have to switch over to the A’s,” he muttered to himself as he climbed up the stairs to his room.
Just as he flopped down onto his bed, his cell phone buzzed. Reaching over, he flipped it over on the second ring. “Hello?”
Sam’s voice vibrated over the receiver. “Hey, Senor Stone, what’s happening?”
“Oh, nothin’. Just celebrating the extension of the Giants’ new streak.”
The older boy laughed. “What, seven in a row?”
“Oh
, heavens, no. Nothing like that, just six.” He forced a hollow laugh.
“Are we still on for tomorrow night?”
“Say what?”
“You know, tomorrow night? Didn’t you tell me we could start those studies this week?”
“I almost forgot,” Bucky confessed. “Yeah, tomorrow’s fine.”
“What time then?”
“Well, I get off at 5:00,” Bucky said after thinking a moment, “and we’re usually done eating by about 6:30. Make it 7:00.”
“No game on TV tomorrow?”
Bucky laughed. “Well, there is, but I’m too discouraged to think about it.”
Thoughtfully he switched off his phone. Even though he had agreed to study the Bible with Sam several weeks earlier, he hadn’t really considered what the promise involved. Wrinkling his forehead in concentration he tried to recall how his own studies with Mom and Pastor Jensen had gone.
A minute later he padded downstairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Stone was busy making a casserole for after church, assisted by a dough-covered Rachel Marie. “Hi, honey,” she greeted. “What’s up?”
He sat on the counter. “Remember when we had studies with the pastor?”
She set down her measuring cup. “Sure.”
“Did he have lessons for us, or did we just look up verses or what?”
She smiled. “Are you starting with Sam?’
“Uh huh.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah, but what do I do?” He paused. “All of a sudden, I’m totally clueless. I haven’t got the slightest idea where to start.”
As she continued to mix ingredients, she tried to think. “Well, if I remember, Pastor did have some printed things we worked on together. Kind of a fill - in - the - blank set. Six or eight of them – I forget.”
“That’s it! OK, I do remember now.” He thought for a minute. “Do you think we still have ‘em?”
“I imagine.” Mom leaned over and pulled Rachel Marie’s apron off. “Enough for you, kiddo. Bath time.” Then to Bucky: “They’re up in my bedroom. I’ll get them for you in a minute.”
“I wonder if Pastor Jensen has any more sets?”
Bucky Stone: The Complete Adventure (Volumes 1-10) Page 23
