| "What are you up to?" Maisie asks as I move to the rear end of the wagon. |
| "You'll know soon," I answer and clumsily jump off the vehicle. I stride to the cluster of flowers I saw at the side of the track and crouch down to inspect them. Unable to find one to my liking, I look around for others. A large patch nearby in the field appears promising, and I scurry to it. Right away, a vivid blue blossom catches my eye. Careful not to damage it, I pull the flower out of the soft ground and remove its root. |
| Carrying it protectively, I return to the track and follow it at a brisk pace until I catch up with the wagon. I give my sister the flower, get back onto the vehicle and sit right next to her in the rear again. She playfully sniffs the blossom and says, "A pretty flower for me? That's so sweet of you, Sis." |
| "It's not for you," I reply, unamused. |
| She hands it to me with a dubious expression. "Is it for Andrew?" |
| "No, silly, it's for me. More specifically, my hair. The color matches my dress so well." I reduce its stem to a suitable length and put it in my hair above my ear. As I move my head to and fro to see if it stays in place, it gets loose. I try to fasten it better, but it falls out when I test it again. Frustrated, I pick up the recalcitrant flower and glare at it. |
| Maisie gently takes it from me. "Here, let me do it." Meticulously, she entwines it with my hair. "There, that should hold a while." |
| Brad, who's driving the wagon, is looking at us over his shoulder. "Not bad," he says. "Certainly better than those ribbons of yours." |
| "Ribbons?" I reply incredulously. "I haven't worn any in years." |
| He smirks. "That's not nearly long enough to forget such a terrifying sight." |
| I wave him off and face my sister again. "Thanks, Maisie, I really appreciate it." |
| "Happy to help." She smiles. "I know you want to look good for your boyfriend." |
| "Unfortunately, I don't have your natural advantages," I say, cupping my small breasts. |
| She shrugs. "Give it time, I'm sure you'll fill out some more." |
| I let out a sigh. "I'm not holding my breath." |
| "Why not? That would make your boobs look bigger in the meantime," Maisie says with a grin. |
| I gaze sullenly at her. "Very funny." |
| "Oh, lighten up a little." She suddenly tickles my side. |
| I tense up and can't do anything but giggle wildly. "Enough," I whimper between waves of laughter. "Maisie, please." |
| She leaves off. "You're in luck, we're almost there." |
| Panting, I sit up straight and smooth my dress. Afraid the flower has loosened, I gingerly check its position. Relieved it hasn't changed, I take a deep breath. |
| My sister nudges me. "I see you are putting my suggestion into practice after all." |
| "Well, you are very persuasive." I whimsically show off the little cleavage I have. |
| "That's the spirit!" she says, and we both break into laughter. |
| Not much later, Brad stops in the usual place on the outskirts of Brackenbrook and says, "I'll meet you here after the fireworks." |
| Maisie stands up and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You'll take care of Bucky?" |
| "Don't I always?" he replies matter-of-factly. |
| "You're the best." She gets off the wagon. |
| "Thanks, Brad," I say as I follow her down. |
| "No problem," he mumbles. |
| My sister and I head toward the village square, the faint music in the distance gradually getting louder. The bakery is located on our way, and it soon comes into view. Andrew is standing in front of it, elegantly dressed in a beige shirt with short sleeves and dark brown breeches. "Well, your beau is already waiting for you," Maisie says. "I'm gonna try to get one of my own." |
| "Good luck," I say absently, pausing briefly to make sure my appearance is in order. |
| Andrew exchanges a greeting with her as she passes him. His eyes focus on me, and he takes a gander at my hair when we meet. "Hi, Jenny," he says in his pleasant voice. |
| My heart starts to beat a little faster. "Hello, Andrew." |
| He smiles at me. "You look beautiful." |
| Blushing slightly, I return his smile. "Thank you." |
| "I have a little surprise for you," he says teasingly. |
| "You do?" I ask, barely able to contain my curiosity. |
| "Indeed." He hides his hands behind his back. "Close your eyes." |
| I comply with his request and tilt my head in anticipation of our first kiss. When the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies reaches my nostrils, I realize how foolish I was to expect him to kiss me right here and now. I open my eyes and see Andrew holding a chocolate chip cookie in front of my mouth. "Ooh, my favorite!" I say and take a bite out of it. It's crunchy, still a bit warm and very yummy. |
| "So I did remember correctly." He feeds me the rest, and I savor the taste to the last crumb. |
| "Yes, thank you." I wish I had the nerve to additionally give him a kiss on the cheek. |
| "You're welcome." He shakes out the small piece of cloth he's carrying and pockets it. "Shall we go then?" |
| "Gladly." I put my hand in his, and we walk leisurely to the village square. The trees are decorated with garlands for the occasion, and there's quite a bit of activity. In the middle, people are dancing in an unorganized fashion to the lively music being played by a small group of musicians near them. |
| As we stroll across the square, I subtly direct my boyfriend toward the dancers. We are fairly close to them when he says, "Do you want to join in?" |
| "I'd love to," I reply enthusiastically, though I'm also a tad anxious to dance with him for the first time. |
| Once we're there, we start to dance together alongside the other couples. After the short while it takes me to become sufficiently comfortable, I focus on Andrew. His bright blue eyes and charming smile captivate me, and I get lost in the moment. |
| When the music changes to a faster tempo, we link arms and go round in a circle, frequently reversing direction. Already somewhat fatigued, I soon get winded. Slightly dizzy, I react too slowly when it's time to switch again, and we almost collide. Andrew, a bit short of breath himself, takes my hands and holds them near to his chest. "Are you all right?" |
| Being in close proximity to him keeps my pulse racing. "Yes," I say softly, "but I've had enough for now." |
| "Sure, that's fine." He lets go of me, and I follow right behind him as he picks his way through the dancers around us. On the way, I catch a glimpse of my sister together with a tall youth. |
| We sit down on the first unoccupied bench we can find. Eyes closed, I lean back and bask in the late afternoon sun, the savory aroma wafting over from the buffet making me keenly aware of my empty stomach. |
| Andrew eventually breaks the silence. "So did you enjoy yourself?" |
| I open my eyes and look at him. "Yes, very much so. Sorry for tiring so fast." |
| "No worries." He glances at my chest. |
| Reminded of my earlier conversation with Maisie, I barely manage to suppress a grin. "I'm really hungry. What about you?" |
| "Me too," he answers promptly. "Let's go eat." |
| We go to the buffet where we each take a plate and look at the available food, which is being tended to by a few cooks. Taking my time, I opt for two thin slices of grilled meat with some gravy and a small portion of greens. |
| Andrew is already seated at one of the trestle tables and beckons me over to him. I sit down across from him, appreciative of him also getting a cup and a set of cutlery for me along with something to drink for both of us. "No problem," he says, raising the pitcher. "Lemonade?" |
| "Yes, please." I smile as he fills my cup. "Thank you." |
| He smiles back. "My pleasure." |
| Feeling terribly thirsty as soon as I begin to drink the cool beverage, I gulp it down in one go and refill my cup. Andrew has started eating, and I do likewise. I gobble my meal and finish well before him, sipping the refreshing lemonade while he continues unhurriedly. Once he's done, he says, "That was really good. Did you like yours?" |
| I nod. "The sauce especially, I'm pretty sure it was flavored with wine." |
| Sated, we relax for a spell. |
| "Well," Andrew says, thoughtfully gazing at the sky, "we still have some time until the fireworks." |
| I lean forward. "Sounds like you have something in mind." |
| He hesitates for a moment. "I do. There's something I'd like to show you." |
| "Tell me more," I say, my curiosity piqued. |
| He still appears a bit uncertain. "It will take a while to get there. Is that all right with you?" |
| "Yes, of course," I reply eagerly. |
| "Great." He puts his hands on the table. "Are you ready to go?" |
| I quickly drink the remaining lemonade in my cup. "I am now." |
| We stand up and deposit our tableware. Hand in hand, we walk through the village and a little beyond its periphery to a small grove I'm unfamiliar with. When Andrew halts for seemingly no reason, I look around in confusion. Only the large beech tree a stone's throw away is remotely remarkable. "You wanted to show me... a tree?" I ask incredulously. |
| "Your tone indicates that you haven't been here before," he replies, clearly amused. |
| I'm quite disappointed, so his response really irks me. "Should I have been? It's just a stupid tree." |
| "Please don't be mad, Jenny," he says soothingly. "Believe me, it's not just a stupid tree. Come, I'll prove it to you." |
| "Fine," I grumble. |
| As we approach the tree, I notice the unusual appearance of its bark. When we are near, I realize the trunk is covered with carvings. We stop in front of it, and I examine them in detail. Inscribed into the wood are paired names, most of them consisting of initials only, the rest displaying first names. A few are enclosed in the outline of a heart, and my irritation fades as I trace one of them with my forefinger, wondering if we'll ever inscribe our own names. |
| "I thought you might want to know about it," Andrew says, tenderly stroking my shoulder, "and it seemed fitting to come here today. I hope you're not still angry with me." |
| I turn toward him. His face is aglow with the light of the setting sun. "Quite the opposite. I'm sorry for my outburst." |
| "Don't worry about it," he whispers. My heartbeat quickens as we look deep into each other's eyes. Andrew gets as close to me as possible and kisses me timidly. Hoping to encourage him, I press my lips against his, and he continues with a tad more confidence, albeit only for a short while. |
| As much as I enjoyed our first kiss, it was all too brief. Craving more, I lean against the tree, draw my boyfriend close and pucker up. He puts his hand on my side and kisses me again, more firmly than before, while lightly pressing me against the trunk. My knees go weak, and I shut my eyes, relishing the excitement pervading me. |
| I feel the tip of his tongue on my lips, gently urging them to part, and I'm only too happy to comply. He puts his tongue into my mouth, and I welcome it with my own, delighting in the new sensation. |
| When Andrew withdraws, I open my eyes. His cheeks are flushed, and he's looking at me with an intense gaze. I'm acutely aware of his hand on my body and wish he would do more with it. Just as I'm about to guide it up to my breast, an indistinct movement in the distance attracts my attention. |
| The sight of a couple heading in our direction startles me, and I let out a yelp of surprise. I quickly step away from the tree, dragging Andrew along with me. While I'm embarrassed for overreacting, I'm far more amused by the bewilderment showing on his face, and I can't help but titter. His expression becomes disapprovingly serious, and he looks about. "Sheesh," he says when he discovers what caused my silliness, "you don't have to panic just because someone might see us kissing." |
| "I know." I giggle. "But it was so unexpected." |
| He sighs. "If you say so. Well, the fireworks are going to start fairly soon, but we should easily make it to the meadow in time if we leave now." After a short pause, he continues in a slightly different tone, "Unless you want to watch from somewhere else?" |
| "Nah. You know I have to go home afterward," I reply, not wanting to think that far ahead. |
| Side by side, we head back toward the village. I suppress my exuberance to avoid appearing even sillier to the other couple, but they are so fixated on each other they barely take notice of us. |
| Once they're out of sight, I blatantly leer at Andrew in different ways, smiling mischievously. He seems mildly amused by my antics but doesn't react to them. Again, I gaze at him sideways, showing him an especially coy expression when he looks back. He suddenly grabs me by the shoulders and plants a kiss on my mouth. My heart immediately begins to pound in my chest. "Sorry," he says cheerfully, "but your behavior invited it." |
| I cross my arms in front of my chest, scarcely able to put on a serious face. "Apology not accepted." |
| "Say what?" he exclaims, flabbergasted. |
| I burst out laughing. "Got you!" |
| He rolls his eyes. "Do you have to be such a goof?" |
| "No, but it's more fun this way," I answer with a grin. "And I won't allow you to apologize for kissing me." |
| "Is that so?" he asks, eyebrows raised. |
| I nod sagely. "Uh-huh." |
| He chuckles. "Well, in that case, I take back my apology." |
| "A wise decision," I say frivolously. "I approve." |
| "I'm glad we could settle the matter to your satisfaction," he replies in kind. |
| Twilight falls as we continue on our way on the outskirts of Brackenbrook, several others heading in the same direction. It's almost dark by the time we pass one of the lanterns marking the boundaries of the gathering place. I follow Andrew as he carefully picks his way between the people sitting on the meadow until he finds an unoccupied area. We sit down on the ground, and he says, "Is this spot to your liking?" |
| I move closer to him, our bodies touching. "I like it just fine." |
| "It should begin at any moment." He puts his arm around me, and I snuggle up to him. |
| We wait in silence, eyes fixed on the starry sky. Before long, the first rocket whizzes unseen through the air and briefly lights up the night in bright red upon exploding. One after another, a green, purple, yellow and blue firework go off. The colors repeat in no specific order for a while, then three brilliant white fireworks explode at roughly the same time. Afterward, the sky remains dark. I hear talking in hushed tones as people slowly start to leave. |
| "Did you enjoy the show?" Andrew whispers. |
| "I did," I reply quietly, "but I wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much without your company." |
| He puts his hand on my knee. "The feeling is mutual." |
| I imagine us smooching for a good while first, then finding a secluded spot to make love beneath the stars. With obvious intent, I adjust my posture so we can kiss comfortably, and my boyfriend leans close. Just as our lips are about to meet, I remember that I ought to depart, and I rise at once, knowing I won't have the resolve to leave otherwise. |
| He follows suit. "Is something the matter?" |
| "No, Andrew," I answer sheepishly. "I'm truly sorry, but I have to go." |
| "I understand," he says warmly. "Do you want me to accompany you to your wagon?" |
| "Thanks, but that's really not necessary. I can easily find my way from here." I realize my blunder right away, and heat rises to my face. |
| "Very well," he replies with evident disappointment before I have the chance to correct my mistake. "Good night, Jenny." |
| I feel utterly stupid and give him a quick but affectionate kiss on the mouth to ameliorate the situation. "Good night, Andrew. Thank you for the wonderful time." |
| "You're most welcome," he says, sounding more like his upbeat self again. "See you soon." |
| "You will," I promise. |
