The Ring

by Sarah Anne Carter

  “Mom, don’t worry. I’m not going to fall for a military guy. His job is on those planes we see flying around, and it sounds interesting. He sounds like he’d be a neat friend.”

  “Just be careful,” her mom said as she tucked a strand of Amanda’s straight brown hair behind her ear.

  “I will be, Mom. Love you.” She grabbed her white jacket as she headed out the door as the temperature was finally dipping into the 50s.

  Lucas was waiting outside the restaurant when Amanda arrived. She recognized him from his height more than anything. The khaki pants and green, long-sleeved, button-up shirt still gave off the aura of a military man. His hair was different, though, and not like the military haircut she’d seen at the coffee shop. His blond hair was spiked up a little on the sides instead of flat.

  “Good evening,” she said as she got closer to the front door.

  “Hi, Amanda. You look very nice,” he said.

  “Thank you.”

  Lucas looked at his watch and then back to her with a half smile.

  “To be honest, I didn’t know if you were an on-time person or not, so I got us a reservation for 6:15 p.m. to be safe. We have 15 minutes to kill. Want to hang out at the bar or out here?”

  “Let’s just sit out here. It’s a nice night so far. I heard it’s supposed to get down to 45 tonight.”

  “That’s not too bad,” he said as they sat down on a bench. “I don’t mind the cold at all.”

  “I love the summer. I don’t like being cold,” Amanda said. “So, tell me about these trips you take? What do you do on the plane?”

  Lucas explained that he was a loadmaster, which meant he was in charge of getting the cargo on and off the plane and making sure it was secured while they were flying. The trips he took could last a few days or a few weeks, depending on the mission. Sometimes they took people, sometimes they took a tank, and sometimes they flew empty. He said he was glad he was able to live in the dorms on base right now because he felt like he was gone more than he was here. He was telling her about getting to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany when he checked his watch again.

  “Let me tell you more about the castle when we sit down. Our table should be ready now,” Lucas said. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up. She couldn’t explain the sensation she felt in her arm when their hands touched. She felt very comfortable with him, and he was very easy to talk with. She looked into his green eyes and smiled. He smiled back and kept her hand in his as they walked into the restaurant and to their table. There was a connection between them already, but Amanda thought that was a bit strange since they barely knew each other.

  The next few hours went by quickly as Lucas shared places he’d visited around the world. Amanda was fascinated but shared her own stories of visiting Europe, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico with him, too. Her parents would often rent an RV in the summer, and they would go on long road trips to see anywhere they could drive. The only times she had flown was when they visited Alaska and Europe. They rode in the RV on the way to Alaska to experience the ALCAN highway and went as far as Fairbanks to see Denali, as the locals called Mt. McKinley, but had flown back home to make sure they were back home in time for school. When they went to Europe, they flew into London and left from Rome.

  Lucas explained that he had only been to Washington, D.C., for a school trip before joining the Air Force. His parents had divorced when he was 14 but had both stayed in Charleston until he graduated high school. Then, they both wanted to move and told him he was on his own for college unless he wanted to go to Florida where his mom was going to start an art studio or move to Denver where his dad had been hired by a financial firm. Two of his friends were joining the Army, but his grandfather had been in the Air Force, so he decided to go that route. He knew he wanted to do something with planes if he could. His grandfather told wild stories about aircrews during World War II. As a mechanic, he had seen planes in every kind of condition and heard the pilots’ stories firsthand on their returns.

  When they left the restaurant, Lucas reached for her hand again as they walked across the parking lot to her car.

  “I really enjoyed talking with you tonight, Amanda. Can I call you when I get back from this next trip and we can do this again?” He nervously ran his free hand through his hair as he asked and looked at her intently. She wanted to say yes – she could feel a small spark between them. But he was in the military, and she didn’t want it to get much bigger. She was strong, though, and could make sure she didn’t fall for him. She convinced herself one more date wouldn’t hurt anything. They would end up being friends.

  “I would love that,” she heard herself saying finally, surprised by how true it was. He smiled and then leaned forward and quickly kissed her on the cheek. Then, he opened her car door and let her get in.

  “Goodnight, Amanda,” he said right before the door closed. She smiled and waved at him before he walked away. She started the car and felt her cheek where he had kissed her. She realized she was in more trouble than she knew. Friends don’t kiss each other on the cheek and hold hands. She would go on one more date with him and then she would have to stop. She could not get into a relationship with Lucas – her teaching career, her not wanting to move, and her heart depended on it. She would tell him that, too.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  "He called you, didn’t he?” Jodie asked her during a brief quiet moment between customers. They were offering half-price peppermint mochas that day, which always drew a big crowd.

  “What are you talking about?” Amanda asked, trying hard not to smile.

  “You’ve been smiling and humming during the whole morning rush, even to ‘Feliz Navidad,’ which I know you hate. Did that tall guy finally call you?”

  “He did, and we went to dinner last night,” Amanda said, smirking at Jodie.

  “You kept a secret from me?” Jodie acted. “I’m impressed, girl. How was it? Was he charming? Where did you go?”

  “It was great, actually. We met at The Keg. He was really easy to talk with. He’s going to call me after he comes back from his next work trip – to Hawaii.”

  “Man, those military guys have it good. I’d give about anything to be on a beach somewhere.”

  “Yeah, but that means he’s almost never here. No way I could ever get serious with a military guy.”

  “You can’t use the ‘serious’ word after only one date, girl. You’re young, anyway. You have plenty of time to be serious later. Have some fun! It’s about time you went out on some dates.”

  The bell chimed in succession three times, and they got back to work. Amanda hadn’t thought about dating Lucas as just being fun. Goodness, she was so serious sometimes, just like her father said. What was the harm in dating someone? He wouldn’t be here a lot anyway and then he would move. It could be fun to have a non-serious relationship while finishing up school. Her classes were hardest this year, but would be much easier her senior year. Half of that year was student teaching anyway.

  Amanda sighed, feeling herself relax about seeing Lucas as many times as she wanted. As long as she was having fun, it would be okay. Not every relationship had to be serious, and she wasn’t looking to get married anytime soon, anyway.

  Amanda had almost a month off from school for winter break, and she picked up a second part-time job at a clothing store, Amelie, to save up for her senior year and the summer after graduation. Her current savings would cover this next semester and about half of her senior fall semester. Amanda truly enjoyed her job at the coffee shop, but really looked forward to the job at Amelie because her best friend would be working there with her. Juliana would be home from MIT, and they were usually able to get the same shifts. Amanda would start at Amelie Saturday, but Juliana wouldn’t be in town until Sunday night and she wouldn’t see her until work Monday afternoon. They had plans to go out to dinner together after work and get all caught up – especially since Amanda hadn’t mentioned Lucas to Juliana yet.

  Juliana let her
brown curls out of her ponytail as they were walking out of Amelie. It had been a fairly quiet shift, mainly sorting through the weekend’s returns and organizing all the stacks of clothes that had been toppled over by shoppers looking for a certain size. They chatted occasionally when they were near each other about classes but nothing super personal. They never did that at the store in case their supervisor walked by. Beatrice was known to dismiss workers very easily if she didn’t like how they were working, and that included socializing on the job.

  “Any new, good restaurants open this fall?” she asked Amanda as they walked to their cars.

  “There’s a new wing place in the mall, and we finally got a Sonic out in Puyallup,” Amanda replied.

  “I think I feel like Greek. Want to go to Phyllos?”

  “I could have bet $1,000 you were going to ask to go there. Of course. You know I’m always willing to eat a gyro.”

  “Sounds good. See you there in 10.”

  After they ordered, Amanda told Juliana all about Lucas – from the coffee shop to the phone call and the date. Juliana listened, wide-eyed, until Amanda finished.

  “You got picked up at work and went out with a military guy?” Juliana asked when Amanda was finished. “Are you the same Amanda Schaffer I said goodbye to in August?”

  They both laughed and then Juliana asked if she’d get to meet him.

  “Why not? Although, I do have to wait for him to get back from Hawaii. I think he is scheduled to get back tonight, but their missions often get delayed, he said.”

  “Missions? Don’t start talking like a military person now. Ugh, do you remember Jason? You had told me not to date a military guy, and I should have listened to you.”

  Juliana had dated Jason a few times the summer after they graduated high school and then she found out he had a girlfriend back home the hard way. The girlfriend had decided to make a surprise visit when Juliana was watching a movie at Jason’s apartment. Luckily, the girlfriend was so mad at Jason that Juliana just slipped out the door and never looked back.

  “It’s just for fun, anyway. He seems like he could be an interesting friend,” Amanda said.

  “Friend, huh? Didn’t you say he held your hand? I don’t think he has friends in mind,” Juliana replied.

  “Well, I do. And it’s only been one date so far. There won’t be a ring on this finger for a long time.”

  “Let me know when he does call, and maybe I can organize a small party you could invite him to. There’s always plenty of people who want to get away from their families for a bit while home on break.”

  “That sounds like a great idea. Now, tell me about all the guys you dated this semester.”

  Juliana was a structural engineer major, and there were 10 guys for every girl in most of her classes at MIT. Juliana always had a lot of friends around her, while Amanda had just a few close friends – they were very much opposites. Their friendship went back to the third grade when they bonded over both having a missing sack lunch on a field trip to an art museum. Mrs. Frindlay had felt bad for them and bought them Wendy’s from across the street, but she made them come with her and eat it at the restaurant so none of the other kids would be jealous. They were sworn to secrecy and started hanging out with each other at recess after that. They only lived six blocks from each other, so as soon as their parents would let them, they walked to each other’s house almost every day. Amanda knew Juliana would be key to helping her keep her relationship – if that’s what it turned out to be – with Lucas in check.

  When Amanda checked her phone on her way to Amelie after working at Coffee First the next day, there was a voicemail from Lucas. She smiled as she played it on speaker while she drove.

  “Hello, Amanda. It’s Lucas. We just got back after we maxed our crew day. Shorty, one of the pilots, wanted to be back for his wife’s ultrasound appointment. I’ve been awake for 20 hours now. That means I’m tired, and I can’t wait to get to my bed and sleep. But I want to talk with you, too, so give me a call anytime. If I don’t answer, it’s only because I’m asleep and I’ll call you back when I wake up if it’s a decent hour. Hope your week’s been good so far. Bye.”

  The call had been made about three hours earlier. She decided to wait until after work at Amelie to call him back so he could get some sleep. When she did call, it went to voicemail after a few rings and just as she was about to leave him a message, her phone started ringing. He was calling her back. She switched to his call.

  “Hello,” she said. “Welcome back to Washington.”

  “Thanks,” he replied and yawned. “I’m just glad I was finally able to get some sleep.”

  “Did I wake you up? You can call me back later or tomorrow.”

  “I was actually starting to wake up a little. I was getting hungry. It usually takes me two days after a trip to get back in the right time zone.”

  “Jet lag all the time – that probably wouldn’t be the best recruitment slogan.”

  Lucas laughed, and Amanda found herself laughing, too.

  “That’s a good one. I’ll have to tell the guys at work that one.”

  There was a pause.

  “So, they want us to leave again on Friday,” Lucas said. “And it’s to the sandbox, I mean, Afghanistan, so I will probably be gone for two weeks. They picked us single guys to do the Christmas and New Year’s missions.”

  “Oh, did you have plans for Christmas?”

  “Nothing set in stone because I thought they might do this, but I haven’t been with either of my parents for Christmas in two years so I was thinking of visiting them both if I got time off. I’ll have to do it sometime not around the holidays next year instead.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “It is what it is, I guess. Hey, can we meet up this week sometime, though? My buddy told me about a great seafood restaurant up in Seattle that we could go to if you don’t mind the drive. Would tomorrow night work?”

  “Tomorrow night would work. I get off at Amelie around 4 on Wednesdays. I just can’t be out too late as I have to be at Coffee First at 5 in the morning.”

  “Can I pick you up around 5?”

  “Sure. That will work.” She gave him her parents’ address. She had told him all about her college financial situation on their first date and he thought she was being really smart. He said he would eventually go to college, too, and that it was nice to not have to face a mountain of debt for it since the military would pay for it.

  “Well, at least our side is moving a little. The cars going south are at a standstill,” Amanda said quietly. As soon as they had passed one of the last Tacoma exits, the traffic on I-5 North had slowed to a crawl. They had only moved two miles in 20 minutes, and Amanda could see Lucas was worried and upset. They hadn’t spoken much in those 20 minutes, and Lucas mostly stared straight ahead. When she spoke up, it was like he was shaken out of a zone – like he had almost forgotten she was there. His hands moved from the top to the sides of the steering wheel, and he sat back in his seat and sighed.

  “We’re never going to make it in time for our reservation. I don’t think it’s the type of restaurant that would hold it.”

  “We’re going to Elliott’s, right?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I forget you know this area really well. I’m used to hanging around military people who don’t know anything about where they’re living.”

  “Elliott’s won’t hold the reservation, and they are always booked up. Sorry, but we probably need to change our plans. Do you like BBQ?”

  “I do, but I did get spoiled on authentic BBQ when I was in Oklahoma. Is there a good place near here?”

  “There is – Saucey’s near the airport. We just need to get to the airport exit in about 10 miles. They have some really cool celebrity photos on the walls there. The owner is from Mississippi. It’s the best BBQ you’ll get around here.”

  “I’m game if you are. Sorry, I did want to take you somewhere nice.”

  “It’s okay. I’m pretty e
asygoing about things. I’m more used to a BBQ place than Elliott’s anyway. I wasn’t poor growing up, but two teachers’ salaries didn’t make us a rich family either.”

  “I hear you. We only went to fancy places for my father’s work Christmas party. I never liked wearing a suit. I don’t think my dad did either, but Mom liked to dress up, and dinner and drinks were free for them that evening. There was usually a children’s buffet and movies and crafts for us to do. I stopped going once I was 12 and they could leave me home alone.”

  “There’s the exit,” Amanda interrupted him. “It’ll be off to the right about two blocks down.”

  Another night went by quickly for Amanda. He shared some stories from his Hawaii trip and gave her a lei he had bought there. She shared about the old lady she followed around Amelie who would pick up and item, walk a few steps, put it down on another shelf, and pick up another item. She did it for an hour and then left the store without buying anything. Lucas got her home before 10, and her parents were still out for their Thursday night bowling league. He walked her to the door, holding her hand again.

  “I guess I won’t see you again until next year,” Lucas said. “I’ll call you when we get back, if that’s okay with you.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it,” Amanda replied. She felt at ease in his company and realized she would miss him over the next two weeks.

  “If we stop in Germany on the way home, I’ll bring you back some German chocolate. That alone should be worth going out with me again. I’ll let you pick the restaurant next time – you’re much better at it than I am.”