Last Chance

by Castronaro, Kyleigh

  "And now Grandad has taken it away." She said with a sigh, biting into the peach. Rivers of juice fell from her lips, trailing down her cheek to splatter on the front of her baby blue shirt. He didn't know why it mesmerized him so much to watch her eat.

  "Yeah, well, that doesn't mean much. If I have to go back to the city alone while you think, that's fine. I could drive up on weekends to see you, or you could get a bus in to see me. Until you make up your mind." He added the last sentence quickly, realizing that his plan sounded a lot like he expected her to say no.

  Maybe he did. Subconsciously, that was. Part of him had hoped when he asked she would jump up and down, throw her arms around him like she had won the Price is Right and tell him ‘YES YES YES!'. Only she didn't, and instead, she asked for time. He couldn't deny her that request.

  "You're sweet." Her voice was filled with the smile on her face as she leaned over, bumping her shoulder against his. "It's one of the reasons I like you."

  “One? You have more than one reason to like me?” He feigned surprise and grinned at her. “I have a thousand reasons why I love you.” He leaned down and kissed her head, wrapping his free arm around her shoulder.

  He noticed she still hadn’t given any indication of when she planned on giving him an answer. Was it because she was having that hard of a time deciding? Or was it because she had bad news and was trying to figure out the best way to tell him?

  A knot formed in the pit of his stomach and Shep focused on his sandwich, telling himself he was only hungry, not worried.

  A comfortable silence fell between them as they both ate, soaking up the late August sun and cooling their feet. They had both turned a remarkable shade of tan, having spent every day of the last three months outside. The bronze of Honey’s legs contrasted with the startling white she revealed when she pulled her t-shirt up and tied it into a knot under her breasts.

  As if reading his mind, she remarked, “gotta even everything out now.” She laughed to herself as she leaned back on her hands, letting her eyes close as tendrils of blonde hair cascaded down her back. She was beautiful, and he was damned proud she was his.

  “You’re perfect as you are.” He said. A gentle breeze lifted off the water, refreshing them only mildly from the heat of the sun before lifting higher still to dance amongst the tops of the trees.

  Someone had built a thruway out of rocks for the river. The build-up of water there turned into swirls that would dizzy the fish and disorient them long enough to be caught. But it also made a great little spot to jump into the water and cool down.

  With this in mind, Shep stripped off his shirt and rose to undo his pants until he was down to nothing but his boxers. With one last glance at Honey, he jumped into the water, whooping like a little boy before cannonballing into the dam.

  When he re-emerged from the water, Shep flicked his hair out of his face and sprayed the length of Honey’s legs with droplets of water. She didn’t seem to mind as she laughed in delight at his playfulness. She took another bite of her sandwich, still smiling as she ate.

  “Gonna join me?” He splashed her, and she laughed again, leaning back to keep her lunch from getting wet.

  "Maybe when I'm done." She said coyly, taking another slow bite and chewing meticulously. He ducked under the water once more and let his muscles relax, the rapids pulling him through the dam until the river died down again.

  He stood, the water safely back down to around his calves and he walked back to the fishing hut. The sun warmed the rocks that were left exposed making them hot underfoot as he made his way back to Honey.

  When she thought he wasn't looking she appeared in quiet contemplation, and he wondered if it had anything to do with his question.

  “Finished yet?” His voice pulled her from her thoughts before she turned to look up at him.

  “There’s a better place to swim further down, the water is deep all around, and we hooked up a rope when we were kids. Should still be there."

  "Alright," he bent down and gathered his clothes and the wrappers of his lunch before smiling at her reassuringly. She picked her own things before leading the way along the water.

  Chapter 20

  1989

  The river slowly widened until it fed into a lake, which sure enough was deeper and better equipped for swimming.

  Honey guided them to the shore where she set their things down under the shade of a tree, undoing her shorts and sliding them down her legs. When she pulled off her t-shirt, he could see the extent of her farmer's tan, although he knew his own skin was far from even.

  “Ready?” She asked as he set his clothes down on top of hers and looked up, letting his eyes scan along her body slowly before meeting her eyes. He nodded his head and held out his hand. It felt as though he let out a breath when she took it, sliding her fingers between his and they walked hand in hand to the water.

  “Where’s this rope?”

  "There." She nodded back at the tree, and he realized now that someone had wrapped it around the trunk, tying it off.

  “Alright, ready for acrobatics?”

  “Better than that first night at the Kee?" She teased with a smirk as he let go of her and ran back to the tree. He undid the knot and with a flourish pulled the rope taut, finding the best angle for his jump and let go. He swung out toward the water, and at the peak he let go, executing several flips in the air before diving straight into the water.

  Honey winced immediately, the water was deep, but it wasn't that deep. It didn't take long for Shep to emerge once more, a small trail of blood coming down his forehead.

  “Oh no!” Honey covered her mouth, trying to keep from laughing as she waded deeper in to meet him. “This is probably why you should stop trying to show off so much.” She bit her lip as she reached out, running her thumb along his face to collect the blood before washing her hand off. “I like you fine without the theatrics.”

  “Could’ve warned a man the water wasn’t that deep.”

  “I was too impressed…?” She tried before laughing, unable to stop herself. “It used to be deep. I guess it’s deeper when you’re only three feet tall.” He huffed at her before offering her a grin, wiping his whole forehead with the back of his hand.

  “I’m fine, it’s a nick.”

  “You sure? We could go to the doctor.”

  "No, we don't. My masculinity couldn’t handle that.”

  “Masculinity?” She smirked again, hiding another laugh as she dropped away from him and disappeared under the water. She was close enough to the surface he could see the shape of her body under the glistening glass layer before she popped up again not far from him.

  "Race you?" She pointed at the bridge on the other side of the lake. Not one to miss a challenge he nodded, dunked himself under the water and took off like a shark.

  He didn't wait to let her catch up, going past her, feeling her leg as his foot brushed it when he went by. Honey laughed, shaking her head as she went back under and took up the chase. Little did Mr. Army know she had been a lifeguard since she was 13 and swimming came to her as naturally as breathing.

  As he swam, Shep found she was right, nowhere in the lake was particularly deep. For the most part, from what Shep could tell, he could stand and his head would still be above water no matter where he was. No wonder she had laughed at him.

  Emerging on the other side of the lake he grabbed hold of the cement pillars holding the bridge up, whipped his hair off his face and spluttered when he saw Honey standing there watching him like she had been waiting decades.

  “How’d you get here so fast?”

  “I know how to swim?”

  He opened his mouth to say something else, but he didn’t know what else he could say without offending her. He was far too shocked at the idea a woman had beaten him to the punch.

  “Good thing we hadn’t bet on that.”

  “Don’t like to lose, do you Shep?”

  “Not particularly. I pride myself at being adept at most
things.”

  “You are. I'm just better at this." She poked his nose before completing a perfect dive off the edge of the pillar and into the lake. She, unlike him, slipped in horizontally dragging through the top of the water. There would be no bump on the top of her forehead.

  “We used to jump off the bridge.” She nodded at it when she bobbed back up out of the water. “In the spring, after the snow has melted away, there’s a period when the lake was overflowed and deeper than usual. You can safely jump and not get hurt so we would do it, calling it a polar bear dip. Most people can’t last long in the frigid cold waters after all.”

  She surprised him, in the best of ways. Demure as she acted at times, he could see the fire behind her eyes hinting at the free spirit she was. Perhaps it was because of the current company that she chose to show this side of herself. The town was, as far as he could tell, moderately religious, and free spirits might've been tolerated to a degree, but they had to draw the line somewhere. He, with tattoos on his arms from his time in the army, drew more stares than expected when he was downtown.

  “I bet you could tolerate the cold water,” he finally said.

  "Oh yes, they had to drag me out of here after I'd gone blue. They used to call me Smurfette. I guess my hair is pale enough; it could look like those toadstool hats." She smiled fondly at the memory. He wondered if she knew the other kids likely called her that to be bullies but didn't want to spoil the look on her face.

  “Can I?” He asked with a grin, he would use it lovingly. As long as she didn’t call him Papa Smurf in return.

  “Only if I can call-”

  “Nope, never mind.” They both laughed, and he swam up to her, arm sliding around her body. It was the first intimate gesture he had initiated since Rick had walked in on them. It was too easy to approach her, wrap her up and show her his love, that he forgot about space.

  She seemed to as well as her arm curled around his neck and she leaned in to kiss him. Her lips were chilly from the water but her cheeks, when they brushed his skin were still warm from the sun.

  His hand tightened harder around her, and he deepened the kiss instinctively. She still had a lingering taste of peach about her, and it only made him hungrier.

  “Shep!” She cried out in alarm at his roaming hands, “what are you doing?” She looked around wildly, searching for an audience that hadn’t appeared. He grinned, kissing her neck.

  "Trust me, we're covered. And if anyone did come by, they wouldn't be able to tell what we're doing."

  “I think they would!” She protested verbally but her body folded under his hands. They tugged at the wet underthings, freeing her enough for what he had in mind.

  Honey’s fears were unfounded. No one came by, not even a car overhead. They were alone and lost in the moment together until it was over, and they were left floating in the water, still holding onto each other tightly.

  Chapter 21

  1989

  "Well," she laughed, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder as her cheeks burned hotly, "that's one for the checklist."

  “Checklist?” She laughed again, shaking her head and trying to burrow herself deeper against him. “Oh no, you brought it up, now you have to elaborate.”

  “I have this list…” She began, finally managing to peel herself away from him so he could look down at her.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s a list of places and things… I want to try.”

  “Is it exclusively sexual?” He smirked, enjoying the idea that she had a sex checklist. If only he had known earlier, they could’ve spent the summer going through it. Happily.

  “Oh no, only half of it.”

  “Half?” He chuckled, amused by this. “The other half?”

  “Are things… For instance, I would like to go to Europe, England specifically. My family is English, my granny used to tell stories about where she came from. I’ve always loved the idea of it, so I’d like to see it.”

  “Of course, so this is kind of like a wish list?”

  “I suppose so.”

  "I'd like to help if I can?"

  "Help? With the list?" She looked surprised for a second before a thoughtfulness washed over her. The moment was ruined when she laughed and swatted at his chest.

  “You only want to help with half of it!” She declared, perhaps trying to sound aghast but she was laughing too much to be convincing. Shep grinned at her, leaning in to kiss her once more before shaking his head.

  “Nah, I want to help you with all of it. Whatever your dreams are, they’re going to be mine.”

  Her features softened, and she smiled before leaning in and kissing him once again. This time, it was a tender kiss. Her hands cupped his cheeks as her lips traced his. His arms tightened around her once more before he lifted her up once again.

  When she pulled away for air, she breathlessly whispered, "I would like that."

  "Me too," he said back softly, his nose nudging hers as he laid one more fleeting peck on her lips. Whatever sign Honey had been waiting for to give him her answer to whether she would move in with him; she finally found it at this moment. Her hands drew away from his face, running down his neck and onto his chest where her thumbs rubbed against the hard muscle. She watched them for a second before finally looking back up at him and smiling.

  “I’ll go to the city with you.”

  Shep looked surprised. Her answer, while welcome, was not what he had been anticipating at the moment. Still, he was happy for it, as he hoisted her further up his body and whooped once more, making her laugh again.

  "You're going to love it. My apartment is on the top floor of the building, it has great views-" He stopped, he didn't want to push the issue and make it into something it didn't have to be. He knew from experience with his own mother that she resented being pushed toward something she would do on her own good time and not a moment sooner. Maybe Honey was the same.

  There was a different sort of look in her eyes now when she looked at him, they glistened as always, but there was a softness there that was accented by the excitement. Maybe it wasn't the city that had her frightened earlier. Clearly, she was happy about it now.

  "C'mon, let's head to my house. We ought to tell my parents." She released herself from around him, and he nodded, following her as they stroked back toward the shoreline.

  Hopefully, they wouldn't have a problem with it. Although forgoing college in exchange for living with a man out of wedlock, temporarily, might not be what they wanted to hear. Honey let her anxiety manifest inside, refusing to let Shep see it on her face, as they got dressed and began to walk back to her place.

  She could always look at attending a city college, they wouldn’t be able to argue and living with Shep would be a way of affording somewhere to stay without having to worry about rent on her own. She worked through ways of countering any arguments her parents might have as they walked back in peaceful silence hand and hand.

  One thing she was sure of, however, was that with Shep at her side, everything was going to be okay.

  And everything did turn out okay. Her father liked him, having gotten a good report from his father-in-law. There was the added bonus that Shep could prove he had a job lined up when he got back to the city, leaving no fear he was going to take their daughter away and make her live in a cardboard box under a bridge.

  Mostly, they were surprised that she was serious enough about the relationship that she wanted to do it.

  And as her mother said, ‘if this is what you want, this is what we want too.’

  They arranged a going away party at the Kee, inviting her friends and family to the celebration. It was a small enough town that it felt like everyone who lived there outside of the summer season came, each sharing a tale of Honey from over the years and none a repeat of the last. After all the older folks went home for the night, it became the dance hall it always was to end the party on a high note.

  The local band came out, including that damned drummer Gerri
tt, to celebrate Honey. Although the cause of the party faded into oblivion as the rest of the night went on. Most people used it as an excuse to have one last blow-out before the rest of the summer population went home and left the town significantly less interesting once they were gone.

  “I’ll take a pint and a rosé please." Shep slid the money onto the sticky counter, glancing over his shoulder to see where Honey was now. Currently, she was crowded by the other local girls, all giggling hysterically at something Honey had said.

  The bartender dropped his change on the counter next to the pint and wine glass. Shep collected it all and carefully maneuvered his way back to Honey. It felt like years ago that he had come here for the first time, gotten drunk enough to fall off the balcony and made an ass out of himself.

  But it was only three short months, and everything had changed. He had changed, which was strange when he thought about it. He had become something he never expected to become - a man in love.

  Chapter 22

  1989

  In the three months they had been together, they had hardly spent time with other people as a couple. Mostly they kept to themselves, so he felt obligated to be on his best behavior for her friends wanting to leave them with a good impression of himself.

  "Thanks, babe," she kissed his cheek, and he didn't miss the knowing look she cast her friends right before she did. What had she told them? The thought itched his mind, but he didn't bother to ask. She wouldn't admit it in front of company.

  “If you don’t need me, I’m going to go up to the deck to see Jeremy and the guys.”

  “Alright, I’ll be up in a bit.” She smiled once more and paid him no more mind as he walked away. He skirted past dancing couples in front of the band before making his way up the steps to the second floor.

  There were still tables up here from earlier when the older folks had been here. Jeremy and crew had pushed a couple together to make one big table around which most of the guys were seated.