“What do you mean this is all you have? Help me out here.” Lee stared in dismay at the car Leatherneck gave him from the motor pool. “A VW Beetle? It’s painted like . . . Herbie! I can’t drive this!”
“Sorry, Lee. Like I said, everything’s checked out or being fixed. It takes a while to get bullet holes out of Detroit’s finest.”
“Damn. This’ll be inconspicuous.” Lee muttered as he took the keys from Leatherneck and folded his body into the car. At least his Vette had more legroom. He pushed the seat back as far as would go and still felt like he was in a sardine can.
He glanced at his watch and noticed the time 6:45; if he didn’t hurry he’d be late picking up Amanda for their date. They’d only been officially dating for a few weeks and he still felt the need to impress her.
“What’re you thinking, Scarecrow. This is Amanda you’re talking about. She’s not impressed by cars, or even if you’re a couple minutes late. But still . . .” He looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror. He did look quite handsome in his red sweater and faded button fly Levi’s.
He turned the ignition and with a sputter the car started. Once he got out onto the highway he pushed on the gas to see what it would do. Even at it’s fastest, a little old lady in a huge blue Caddy passed him and Herbie.
It was 7:13 when he finally pulled up in front of Amanda’s house. The door creaked as he opened it, alerting the whole neighborhood of his arrival. He whacked his knee on the steering wheel as he attempted to extricate himself from the tiny car. Finally out, he slammed the car door, shook his head and headed for the front door and Amanda. At least being with her would keep his mind off his car woes.
Lee placed his hand in the small of her back, one of his favorite things to do, and led her toward the car.
“What in the world is that?” She stopped in her tracks.
“Your chariot for the evening, my dear.”
One hand covered her mouth in a weak attempt to stifle a giggle. “You call that a chariot?”
“That’s all they had. The vette’s getting the brakes worked on.”
“Brakes? On a car you drive? I wonder why.”
“Well it has to be better than when I had the transmission worked on after I taught you how to drive a stick.” He grabbed the hand that tried to swat him and raised it to his lips. “Which, I’m sure, had more to do with the way I drive, than with the way you did at first.”
“Good answer.”
“Thank you.” Lee opened the door and guided her in, praying that he would be able to get in a little more gracefully than when he got out.
With only a few puffs of smoke from the exaust, and being passed by every vehicle, including a couple of ten speeds, he finally pulled up to Booches.
“Have you been here before?”
“Is this the same Booches I used to hear about in college?” Amanda leaned forward, looking at the sign above the door.
“One and the same. Known for great burgers and even better pool.” Nestled in a storefront in Georgetown, the small bar held an eclectic mix of patrons. A place where college students, government interns as well as their congressional bosses could hang out after work.
“Sounds fun, but I have to warn you. I haven’t played pool in a long time, probably since college. I suppose it’s one of your many hidden talents?”
“You have to have something to keep occupied on a military base. Shooting pool and playing poker kept me sane during my teen years under the strong arm of the Colonel.” Lee gave himself a quick reminder on how to get out of the car, that task accomplished he walked around and opened Amanda’s door.
Amanda stood across the pool table setting up the balls, but the rack on the table wasn’t the one that grabbed his attention. It was the rack that was covered by white lace that he caught a glimpse of as she leaned to reach the eight ball and put it in it’s appointed place. He shifted his weight, trying to relieve the slight pressure in his Levi’s without being obvious.
This might be a long night.
He could barely concentrate on his game; every slight movement Amanda made caught his attention. Even the easy shots wouldn’t fall tonight.
Amanda walked around the table. “You didn’t leave me with anything here.”
“That’s the point isn’t it?” Lee winked as he walked up beside her and surveyed the table. “I left you with a good shot. Just use the rail.”
“The what?”
“The rail. The edge.” Lee reached his arms around her, holding the cue, just outside of her hands. He leaned against her, urging her to lean forward.
Adjusting the stick he accidentally bumped it against her hip, causing her to take a slight step backward, her butt brushing against his thigh. She tried to step forward but the stick was in the way. “Here’s the angle you want. Don’t be afraid to hit it pretty hard. The cue ball will hit the rail, then go to the left, hitting the seven ball, hopefully, sending it into the corner pocket.”
He could hear her swallow before she spoke. “I’ll try my best.”
Reluctantly he stepped back, giving her room to attempt the move.
The smile on her face warmed his heart. She looked like she’d just received the Nobel Peace Prize, not made a fairly easy bank shot.
Lucky for Lee, after her next shot came up about 18 inches short she’d left him set up with a great shot. After getting three balls in succession, their food came.
Their hamburgers were exact opposites. Amanda’s was just the burger, cheese and lettuce. His had two patties with jalapeno cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and catsup, hold the onion. He could barely get it in his mouth, obvious by the drips of catsup that dribbled out on his lip
Amanda’s thumb brushed against his lip, wiping it off.
The blush on her cheeks ran all the way down her chest, he wondered if it went under the white lace bra he still had the image of in his mind.
She looked down and quickly finished her cheeseburger as he did the same.
“Alright, Lee. I think I’m getting the hang of this again. I’m sure I’ll do better this time.”
“You’re doing great. I can’t help it if I’ve played in tournaments back in college.”
“Really? I never knew that about you.”
“Yeah, I may have been kicked out of quite a few colleges, but it wasn’t always for partying. A couple were from bad grades. I tended to practice pool rather than study. I even missed a midterm once because I’d been up all night in a tournament. Slept through the test.”
“Oh, that’s bad.”
“You can say that again.”
“Oh, that’s bad.”
Rolling his eyes he racked the balls.
The game seemed to go fast, probably because he had himself situated across from Amanda every time she hit the cue ball. That little glimpse of cleavage was definitely a distraction. It’s no wonder he almost lost.
“Good game. How ‘bout a drive?”
“That sounds good. Just let me go to the ladies room first.”
Lee parked the Bug at the far end of the parking lot. Rock Bridge State Park was the perfect distance from the city that you had a clear view of the stars without the city lights being in the way.
He looked down at their clasped hands. It felt so right. Then he looked up and saw her gorgeous eyes looking at him.
Neither of them needed any prodding, they leaned in for a kiss.
Clunk
“Damn.”
“Are you okay?” Her hand rubbed his knee that now had a permanent indentation from the dash. “Why don’t we recline our seats, that might give you more leg room.”
Seats reclined, they moved toward each other again. This time without any bruised knees.
Her hand on his chest burned through him. Her other hand rested on his cheek as they kissed. Could life get much better than this?
He laid his hand on her hip, gauging her reaction. They’d kissed before, but this was turning into a full-fledged make out session. Her hand moved up around his neck as their tongues began to tangle in their mouths.
Their hands now roamed over each other’s body. Tugging her blouse from her waistband he slipped his fingers up onto her back. Her skin was smooth and warm underneath his touch and a slight moan emanated from her lips.
All of the sudden he felt his own shirt being unbuttoned, revealing his chest to her caress. Tongues moved faster now, matching the racing of his heart.
Rubbing up her back he came across the clasp of her bra, two hooks. Good to know for future use. Back down to her side then to her stomach, he felt her breathe.
The kissing intensified as the windows fogged over.
Running his fingers up her abdomen he felt her gasp and clutch his chest. He brushed his fingers underneath her breast, then lightly up the valley between them. His hand slowly descended on her breast.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK
Jolting apart he made sure that Amanda looked presentable and wiped the steam from the window to see a young police officer standing there, shining his flashlight in the car.
“Oh no.” He rolled down the squeaky window. “Yes, officer?”
He bent down, one hand on his flashlight, one on his holster and peered in the front and back seats. “What are you folks doing here this late at night. The park closes at 10:00 and it’s almost midnight.”
Lee squirmed in his seat, banging his knee on the steering wheel. “Um, just talking and watching the stars.”
“Umm hmmm.” The officer glanced at the fogged up windshield. “I suggest you take this elsewhere.”
With that he turned and walked back to his cruiser muttering, “Dang, they’re older than I am, surely they can at least afford a room.”
Amanda was shaking, her hand over her lipstick-smudged mouth.
“Are you laughing?”
She nodded her head and let out a poorly restrained laugh. “Sorry, I haven’t been caught out parking in a long time.”
Soon Lee laughed harder than Amanda. It had been quite a few years since he’d had a flashlight pointed at him through a fogged window.
Maybe this Volkswagen wasn’t so bad after all. There’s no way anyone could recognize him in this.
“Lee? From now on, can we go to your apartment to make out?”
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: I claim no rights to Scarecrow and Mrs. King or it’s characters. This is written for entertainment purposes only.
Setting: Soon after ATWAS
Setting: Soon after ATWAS