Lawfully Chosen

by Ginny Sterling

  “Bonnie, let me fix us some tea and let’s talk.”

  “I’d appreciate that.”

  Penny started the kettle and sighed heavily as she saw Bonnie rifling through her hand bag taking a few bills. Thankfully she kept her money hidden elsewhere and never told a soul. If Bonnie was that hard up for money, she was welcome to it.

  “You know Bonnie that we all love you at the diner and if you need a few clams then Joe might let you work a few shifts.”

  “I appreciate that. Clyde’s just had a rough go and he’s trying to do right by me. I wish your man would quit singling him out. Say something to him for me, please?”

  “Bonnie,” she warns, “Clyde shouldn’t be getting in scrapes nor getting you in trouble. Will has been focused on prohibition raids, not gangster-“

  “He’s no gangster!”

  “Well, whatever illegal thing he’s doing that’s got you scared? He needs to stop then. Think Bonnie, growing up? It was God first and family second. You keep those two in line, the rest falls into place.”

  “Don’t you go getting preachy on me, Miss Penelope Brown. You don’t understand him like I do. I’ve loved him from the first moment I laid eyes on him. You’re no saint nor have you ever loved someone like I love my Clyde.”

  “Never claimed to be either. I also know that I sleep well at night and not ate up with worry. I think the tea is ready.” Penny prepared two cups, but she knew deep in her gut that Bonnie wouldn’t be there waiting. Sure enough, the living room was empty. Penny was still sitting on the small couch looking out the window when Will pulled up. She hurriedly poured Bonnie’s untouched tea out and poured him a fresh cup.

  “Hi there,” he said brightly with a smile at the cup of tea she handed him. “Were you waiting on me?”

  “Bonnie came by again,” she started and shook her head. “I know she’s reaching out for help but I can’t help her.”

  “I know she’s your friend and you care for her, but distance yourself from Clyde and Bonnie. He’s well known for cracking safes and going to serve time this time around. I don’t want you mixed up with those two.”

  “You don’t have to worry. She actually stole money from me,” she admitted shocked and dismayed.

  “A lot? Do you want to press charges?”

  “No. She took a few bills, that’s it. I feel sorry for Bonnie. I think she’s in over her head.”

  “If she’s hanging with Barrow, I’d say so. If he ever comes here, you ring the station immediately. I don’t want you in danger and I don’t trust anyone with your safety. Don’t let her use you and play on your kind heart. It took me a long time to shut myself off from caring too much, don’t let them hurt you. You’ve got a gift of tenderness in your heart and I need it there more than I care to admit.” both got quiet and you could hear a pin drop.

  “Now, I’ve promised to take you driving and have a basket packed. I thought if you were free we’d make a day of it, or what’s left of it.

  “I don’t want to talk about Bonnie anymore,” she said firmly, feeling a bit put off by the thought of him ‘caring more than he wanted to admit’ – what exactly did that mean?

  “No problem. Just you and me now.”

  Will was a perfect gentleman. How could she expect anything less? He was formal, polite and a bit stiff reminding her of the first time she’d seen him. She hadn’t asked any questions on where they were going, just shutting her eyes and along for the bumpy ride. It was obvious they were out in the country away from Dallas. When she peeked, she saw the grasses and cows in the distance flying by at an alarming rate, making her pinch her eyes closed yet again nervously. The automobile was foreign and unknown to her, but his promise today was to show her the ropes.

  Pulling the car down a bumpy dirt road, he yanked on the e-brake and got out of the vehicle, looking very solemn. Penny crawled out and let out her breath nervously, thankful to have stopped and be in one piece. She watched as he spread a picnic blanket out near a large grove of pecan trees. His eyes kept watching her almost as if he was waiting for something?

  “Everything okay?”

  “You tell me?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The driving. Did I make you sick again?”

  “That? Naaaaw. Not this time. Were you trying to make me ill?”

  “Absolutely not” he said stiffly looking quite dismayed at the idea.

  “Okay then. Lighten up and relax a bit you stiff suit. Live a little and let’s have some fun,” she exclaimed with a forced enthusiasm, picking a dandelion and blowing the feathery tufts into the air in his direction. She noticed that he finally cracked a smile and grabbed the basket. It was a small bread basket lined with a linen cloth, something she’d seen used several times in the past. Inside was two sandwiches wrapped in brown paper, tied with string. A small bowl of orange fluffy looking stuff and two Dr. Peppers.

  “Oh, you brought the good stuff!”

  “Only the best,” he quipped with a wry smile.

  “Legally.”

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  “I just thought that maybe since you were with the police that you had access to better stuff, a stiffer drink. Goodness knows you might need it for my driving lesson.”

  “While that might be true, I hope you realize that I will never break a promise, break my faith or break the law. I might be a stick in the mud to some people, but I have to be true to myself.”

  “I never called you a stick in the mud.”

  “No, but its written all over your pretty face sometimes.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I might seem dry or dull, but…”

  “Let’s forget all of that. This is now and no stick in the muds or frowny faces allowed. I hope you didn’t forget that you promised to teach me how to drive – you haven’t changed your mind have you?”

  “No, of course not. I didn’t know if you wanted to eat first or if you wanted your first driving lesson?” He said with a knowing smile – it was the grin on his face that her made her take the bait and get over any nervousness in her.

  She arrogantly marched right over to the car, her feet stomping in the dirt sending up some little poofs of dust around her. She yanked open the driver side door and climbed inside like she had driven a car before. She watched as he got in the passenger side and could not help the wide smile that nearly split her face and half – she was tremendously excited and a little intimidated.

  Penny had initially thought that the dash was plain – but was really only noticing it for the first time. Every time she’s been in the car she shut her eyes or crouch down in the seat as far as possible. She’s never really looked around. Now she saw the silver glistening display in the very center of the dash with two tiles on it and a silver knob in the middle. There was a place for the key that he held aloft, dangling from his fingers. Below the dash was too large sticks jutting up from the floorboard. In front of her, were three pedals and she realized that she had absolutely no clue what to do.

  “I have no idea how to even start this thing,” she finally admitted and saw Will nod. She felt a little intimidated as he began speaking casually of all the knobs, bells, and switches that the car was equipped with.

  “Now before we get started, there’s a couple of basic things that you need to know. Once the car starts, it automatically starts to move forward. So, you will need to have your foot on the brake. You will have to hold it down hard enough in order to hold car still. The second thing you always need to do is make sure that you are in park or neutral. If you were in first gear and started the car, it’s going to surge forward without any control.”

  Penny knew she was staring at him wide-eyed but she was focusing exactly on what he was saying and absorbing the information he was throwing her way. She watched as he wiggled the shifter and explained that moving it left or right put it in neutral. The other stick was the brake. But then he explained that one of the pedals was the brake.

  “What
?” she exclaimed. “I’m lost. There’s two brakes? Which do I use?”

  “Don’t be, this will be easier than you realize.”

  “Maybe this is a bad idea I don’t want to damage your car. My mother always claimed that ladies were not supposed to drive these things – maybe she was right?”

  “Well I happen to think that you are the epitome of a lady. And my girl can do whatever she puts her mind to,” he proclaimed firmly, looking at her in a silent challenge. “If you want to do this then you will learn how, if you don’t feel like learning, or you don’t think you can...?” he trailed off, baiting her and Penny took it.

  “I never said I can’t – I just said that it might take me some time and I’m afraid that I will cause damage to your vehicle before I really learn how to drive.”

  “So, what do you want to do? Do you want me to show you? Or do you want to try and work your way through it?” She watched as he put the car in neutral again and then inserted the key in the dashboard. He gave it a turn in the car thrummed with life, making her yelp in surprise.

  “How did you learn?” She asked him quickly, feeling the car purr as it waited to move forward. There was a silent power just ready to surge forward at the slightest direction from her.

  “As a young boy I drove the tractor on my parent’s farm, so I was used to having a vehicle moving underneath me. I was also used to shifting the transmission. Do you want to learn on a different day and just check out the controls today?”

  “No, I want to learn-“

  ”Well then don’t be scared – be the brave woman that I know you are and trust me. I will help you. If you get scared, stomp on that pedal,” he told her pointing at the floorboard.

  ”But that is…”her voice tailed off, far more confused. “You said this was the brake?”

  “Right. The car has two brakes – one for your foot and one for emergencies. If you get scared, stop the car. Relax, you’ve got this,” he encouraged.

  Penny took several deep breaths and put her hands on the steering wheel flexing her knuckles several times and just trying to get used to the feeling. She could feel the vibration of the engine in the steering wheel and it was a heady feeling.

  “That’s my girl – now I’m going to put it into gear so put your foot on the pedal,” he coached softly.

  “Wait! I don’t think I’m...” The car suddenly surged forward and started to roll and a very slow pace. Penny stared at him wide eyed as he started to laugh.

  “Steer the car sweetheart or we’re going to hit the trees ahead.”

  Penny whipped her head around – and saw the tree line far off in the distance. She immediately turned the steering wheel to the right, and then to the left... And then a sharper left. The car responded and suddenly she was driving in circles. She began laughing uproariously at herself. It was more of a panicked laughter and a reaction to his own laughter – both were giggling hysterically.

  “Want to try something fun now?” He asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.

  ”This is terribly fun – I don’t know if I can handle much more,” she admitted, suddenly concerned that more fun would involve speeding down the road as he did when he drove her to the bakery. She was no where ready for that.

  “Push on that pedal there – just a little bit.” Penny pushed down just a bit as he instructed, and the car surged forward even faster, still winding in circles.

  ”Oh, I don’t think this is such a good idea,” she exclaimed holding onto the steering wheel forcibly. She glanced over at him to see that he had stopped laughing, his face pale with a greenish hue to it.

  ”Hit the brakes, Penny,” he ordered in a strange voice. Penny mashed down on the pedal as hard as she could putting the car into a harsh, abrupt stop. Will grabbed the shifter, threw the car into neutral and turned it off quickly. She saw him yank his door open just in time to throw up in the grass. Penny stared in shock – and began to laugh again.

  “I am so sorry,” she exclaimed let out a giggle. She slapped both hands over her mouth – in order to keep any more laughter from escaping. “That really was great fun – but maybe we shouldn’t drive in circles?”

  “I say, that is a champion idea,” he groaned aloud. “Let’s go sit down for a little bit – let’s leave the car where it’s at.” Nodding, she got out of the car and met him around the rear bumper. It was just so easy with him – he extended his hand towards her and she immediately slipped her hand into his. He yanked a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. They walked across the field to where the grove of pecan trees was at and sat down on the blanket.

  “I have to apologize – I did not realize how sick you were that night we went to go get fried pies. I think I’ve just received my comeuppance.”

  ”I feel like I should be apologizing to you, I did not even think about me driving in circles would make you sick. I’m actually surprised that I did not get sick this time.” He lay back on the blanket and put his arm over his eyes – she could see the smile lingering on his serene face.

  ”The next driving lesson – we go in straight lines only,” he teased.

  “Absolutely – especially if this means that I didn’t scare you off?”

  ”I don’t think anything you could do scare me off.” They lay there quite a while on the blanket – just talking, as his stomach settled down. After a while they set up and ate the ham sandwiches. It was nothing extraordinary, it was simplicity at its finest and a perfect afternoon. As it started to get a little bit dark outside – he suggested that he drive her home.

  “Do you think we can try one more time?” she hedged, thinking how exciting it had been.

  “As long as you don’t drive in circles it – you’re going to have to actually drive it or else I get sick again. Don’t be scared of the car – you control everything that it does.”

  Penny got into the driver seat bravely padded the seat next to her as a silent invitation. Will got into the car and scooted over as she directed, putting his arm around her shoulder. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm down her heartbeat at the nearness and the adrenaline rush from what she was fixing to do. He put the key in the ignition and cranked it, the engine road to live and lurched underneath them. Penny let out a loud yelp and surprise and grab the steering wheel steadying the car. Will lean down and whispered in her ear.

  “You’ve got this.”

  Penny felt goosebumps and nodded nervously. She drove quite a while in the field up and down where the cornrows had once been. Looking ahead she saw at the grove of trees was nearly black with shadows from the sun going down.

  “I’m going to head back towards the trees,” she instructed him. “When I get close I need you to help me slow the car down.”

  “Of course – I will help you.”

  As they got closer, he took her hand and put it on the gearshift her covering it with his. It was incredibly intimate yet innocent at the same time. He gave the shifter a pull and a push throwing it into a different, lower gear. Penny sucked in her breath in surprise and let it out in a whoosh the moment he told her to hit the brake pedal. The car skidded to a stop, he put it in neutral and set the other floor brake.

  “I did it!” she exclaimed happily.

  ”You sure did.”

  “Thank you so much for helping me.”

  “It was my pleasure – thank you for trying it again and believing in yourself,” he whispered gently staring at her “Penny?”

  “Yes will?”

  “Would you be terribly upset if I kissed you?”

  “I might be more upset if you didn’t,” she breathed. Slowly his head leaned down towards her – his dark eyelashes fanned on his cheeks. How has she ever thought this man was cold? She never saw so many different facets to his personality and the way he was looking at right now had to be her absolute favorite. As their lips touched in the briefest of kisses, she smiled as he pulled back awkwardly, with a very shy smile.

  “Again, I apologize – I was
overcome with emotion and forgot that I was ill earlier. Those sweet red lips do a number on me,” he admitted, his thumb tracing her mouth lightly.

  “I don’t think I even noticed.” Penny was instantly glad she’d taken to putting the rouge on her lips like Ruby did. She’d wanted to look attractive to Will and it made her fell so feminine to know it worked.

  “Well I sure did – and I want to kiss you the right way. Can I see you again tomorrow?”

  “I’d like that a lot.”

  “Then let’s get you home so you can rest. You’ve had an exciting day.”

  5

  They met several times over the next few days, each time he took her back out to that field and let her drive. She looks forward to the meeting each time, and it was as if he was making sure that he had time for her to. Sometimes they would meet in the morning and he would drop her off at the diner for her shift. Other times they would meet in the afternoon and he would pick her up, take her to dinner, and then take her for a driving lesson. Seeing Will, and being able to drive his car, had been quite the highlight of her life lately.

  Penny adored their afternoons together. The pecan grove had become their place, or so it seemed. Every afternoon that they were together ended with them laying under the clouds, holding hands and staring up at the sky. She loved watching the leaves weave in the breeze and the sense of peace that stole into her soul was awe-inspiring.

  Will had even surprised her one afternoon, carving their initials into a tree for all time. He’d then swept her into his arms, holding her tightly and kissing her senseless. This felt like the garden of Eden and they were the only creatures there, making her wonder what would ruin it for them – but also gave her the knowledge that Eve had of what temptation was. She understood now better than ever.

  The way that they would lay under the trees talking, seemed so innocent yet so intimate. She was keenly aware of the way his eyes raked over her as he lay there, his head propped against his hand. Will’s smile was for her alone and it was a rare treasure he shared with her, she didn’t get to see as often when others were around. He shared his soul with Penny in these moments, their talks and she felt so honored to be a part of his life.