“Not any longer, Arly. Get your butt over there,” he ordered through his grin.
-
Lora watched the bushes nervously, hoping that her plan worked. “Hang on, Roy, he should be here any minute,” she yelled from the doorway.
“Okay, but it better be soon, I’m getting tired of this.”
Were the ants still there? she wondered, more nervous now.
The phone rang. “Hello?”
“Lora! Are you all right?” screeched her mother. “I called the police station and asked someone to send Officer Bates over there immediately.”
“Oh, thank you, officer!” she said loudly. She hung up the phone and ran back to the open door. “That was the police station, Roy. They said Officer Bates would be here any moment.”
“Well, I’m getting darn tired in here. You better make it worth my time!”
he yelled.
Lora cringed inside at all the lies she had told tonight, but cringed even more over Roy Fawkes.
“OW! What the hell. There are ants in here!” He started out of the bushes just as the headlights of a car drove up and parked behind his car. He jumped back in, swearing under his breath.
Arly quickly got out of the car and ran up to the door, which was now closed. He banged and it opened immediately. “What is—”
He stopped short when he saw Lora back away from the open door, her finger to her mouth. He stepped in quickly and closed the door. “What’s the matter, Miss Lemmon?”
“There’s a man in the bushes standing in the ant pile.”
“Why, for Pete’s sake?”
“Because I told him to go there. He’ll try to get out. Open the door quick and look,” she said hurriedly.
Arly did as she said. He saw a pant leg quickly disappear back into the bushes.
Officer Bates left the door open and turned back to Lora, mouthing, “What do you want me to do?”
Lora went over to the desk and wrote, “Let him stay in there a while longer. He deserves it!”
Arly grinned and stood in the doorway pretending to talk to Lora. “What did he do?” he whispered.
She whispered back, “He was forcing his attentions on me.” She noticed, with great satisfaction, that Officer Bate’s face turned grim with anger.
Arly formulated a plan in his head, allowing enough time for the ants to do a thorough job. Presently, he heard profanity come from the bushes.
“Goodbye, Miss Lemmon,” he said loudly, then in a whisper, added, “Lock your door.” Arly ran down the steps and over to his car. He backed out quickly. Parking across the street a few doors away, he turned off his lights.
Soon Lora heard Roy try the knob on her door. He banged on it loudly.
“Let me in, Lora! I’m being eaten alive by ants!” he yelled. He tried to open the door again. When there was no response, he swore. “Lora, I have ants inside my clothes! I need to take them off, quick! It’s your fault, Lora, so let me in!” The door remained closed. As angry as he was, Roy couldn’t wait a second longer; he had to get home. He ran to his car, jumping up and down and cursing loudly, then got in and started the car. Backing out of the driveway like a maniac, he turned, burning rubber as he drove up the street.
Making a U-turn, Arly followed him. Presently, the guy began weaving just as Lora had. He was going to enjoy this, he thought, a grim smile on his face. The car ahead turned right and Arly followed, turning on his lights and siren.
Startled, and stinging from a score of bites, Roy almost lost control. His car swerved to the left, then to the right. Finally managing to pull his car over, he jumped out, squirming, brushing, jumping up and down, and muttering under his breath.
Arly walked up to him slowly. “May I see your license, sir?”
Roy pulled out his wallet as quickly as he could and handed it to the officer, who took his time studying it.
“I need to give you a breath test. You were driving very erratically.”
“No, Officer! I’m not drunk. I have ants all over me and even inside my clothes,” he stated frantically, squirming and digging at himself. “I’ve to get home and take my clothes off!”
“Well, now, that’s a new one,” Arly slowly drawled, “and I thought I’d heard them all.”
“Please, Officer! I’m being eaten alive!”
“And just where would you have gotten ants all over yourself?” he asked, sounding suspicious.
“ In, uh, in a yard.”
“A likely story, Mr. Fawkes. Ants are dormant at night.”
“But, officer, I disturbed their mound. Please, Officer,” he whined, still pulling at his clothes.
“No matter, you were speeding and weaving all over the road. I’m going to give you a ticket.”
“Okay, but hurry, Officer.”
Arly took his time writing out the ticket; all the while Roy Fawkes squirmed, and cussed under his breath.
“Watch your language, Mr. Fawkes, or I’ll take you in for being disrespectful to an officer of the law. Oh, by the way, what were you doing in that yard?”
“I was visiting my girlfriend.”
“May I have her name?”
“Why?”
“Answer the question.”
“Lora Lemmon.”
“Oh? Miss Lemmon is a friend of mine.”
“Are you the officer who was just over there?”
“Why, yes. Where were you?”
“I was in, uh, the bushes.”
“What were you doing, spying on Miss Lemmon?”
“No, no! Please, Officer, let me go—”
“If I ever catch you over there again, I’ll find a reason to arrest you, Mr. Fawkes. This whole thing sounds very suspicious.”
“I promise I won’t, Officer. Just let me go home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes!”
“You promise to not have anything to do with her anytime, anywhere?”
“I promise!”
“All right, but you better keep that promise.”
“I will. I will!”
“I think I’ll follow you home, so you won’t be tempted to speed like you were before.”
-
Immediately after Officer Bates left, Lora called her mother. “Hello, Ma.”
“Lora! Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Ma. Thanks to you for being so sharp and calling Officer Bates.”
“He got there then? Good! What happened Lora?”
Lora related the whole story, carefully omitting the incident of the ants.
She hadn’t told her mother where the ants were, and she had made the decision not to. How could she make her mother comprehend why she did what she did when she herself didn’t fully understand?
“Oh, Lora, it isn’t safe to live on your own. You need to come home.”
“One of these days, I’ll bring you over here and show you how safe it is. I promise, I won’t ever let a boy come over here again unless I know him really well. I’ve got to go now, Ma, I’m really tired. Thanks again for being so astute at getting my message.”
Ella Lemmon was pleased that she had done so well for her daughter.
“You’re welcome, Lora. Now be sure to call me tomorrow, won’t you?”
“I will, Ma, for sure. Goodnight.” Lora hung up the phone, went over to the couch, and plopped down, exhausted, but still feeling angry at Roy Fawkes. She smiled, savoring the punishment she had inflicted on him. It wasn’t long, however, before her thoughts turned to Officer Bates. He had caught on so quickly, and handled the whole situation so well! She sighed, wishing the college boys were as nice and on the ball as he was.
A knock at the door startled her. “Who is it?” she asked anxiously.
“Officer Bates.”
Quickly opening the door, she smiled, relieved and happy to see him.
“Officer Bates, what are you doing back here? Please come in.”
“Thanks, I came to report and ask you some questions,” he stated abruptly.
�
��Oh? Then please have a seat.”
“No. I prefer to stand. You be seated, please.”
He hovered over her. “Where did you meet that creep you sent into the bushes?”
“I met him in one of my classes at school. He called tonight and asked to come over.”
“How well do you know him?” he interrogated.
“Not well.”
“Then why did you let him come over?”
“Well, that’s why he came over. He said he wanted to get to know me.”
“Inviting him into your apartment wasn’t very smart, Miss Lemmon.”
“I know, but he wanted to take me out for an ice cream cone, and I said no, that I wanted to go to bed.”
“So, why did he come over?” the officer asked, his eyes fastening on her unmercifully.
Lora tried to blink back tears. “He kept insisting, promising that he would stay just a few minutes.”
Arly Bates saw the tears and realized what he was doing. He began pacing.
The objectivity that a policeman should have was long gone. He was working now on an emotional level. He cared too much about this naive, imprudent, oblivious girl! He stopped and glared at her.
“Do you know that all the guys at the station are ribbing the life out of me?”
Lora blinked in confusion at the abrupt change of subject. “What for?”
“They could see it before I did.”
Her eyes wide with concern, filled with tears again.”W-What did they see?”
“When I told everyone down at the station about the first time you were stung by the ants and I led you home, they could see it then.”
“Oh no, I am in trouble,” she cried, covering her face.
“Yes, you are, Miss Lemmon.” He spoke more gently now. “You’re going to have to put up with me.”
She looked up at him, tears dripping from her chin,”What d-do you mean?”
“What I mean is,” he said, handing her a tissue from the kitchen counter and smiling at the tears and at her whole reaction, “that I’ve come to care for you—against my better judgment.”
The tears stopped instantly. She wiped the residue with the tissue, then blew her nose. “Wh-what did you say, Officer Bates?”
“My first name is Arly, Lora. If you heard that I’ve come to care for you, you heard right.” He smiled.
She stared at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. “I can’t believe it,” she said, standing up in order to examine his grinning face and wonderful, blue eyes.
Arly took her hands in his. “Believe it, Miss Lora Lemmon, believe it.” He exhaled a heavy breath. “I finally do.”
“But what did you mean about the guys at the station?” she asked fearfully.
“They saw that I was interested in you the very first night I reported your foolish actions.”
A look of astonishment replaced the fear.”You . . .you were interested in me even before my makeover?”
Arly Bates laughed.
Lora was puzzled. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re so delightfully funny—and so painfully honest. Please, Lora Lemmon, don’t ever change.”
Smiling with tentative joy, she replied, “But getting to know me under such circumstances—how could you like me? I just don’t understand.”
“Because, under those crazy circumstances, I discovered wonderful qualities in you, unlike any girl I’ve ever known or dated. The guys at the station were right. Without realizing it, I think I was taken with you the moment I watched you jump up and down in front of that old Volks and tell me you had sat right on top of an anthill.”
“Really?” she said, scarcely believing her ears. She gazed at him, then smiled shyly. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I have a confession to make to you, Officer, I mean, Arly. I . . .I’ve had a crush on you since the moment I first saw you.”
“You have?” Arly’s heart accelerated with excitement. “I can’t believe it. I thought I’d have to work like crazy to get you to like me. Does that mean that now I can come and see you in a normal fashion?”
“Yes,” she sighed, smiling.
“You mean I can take you out on a date?”
“Oh, yes, Officer Bates—I mean Arly.”
“I’m off early tomorrow night. If you aren’t busy, could I take you out to dinner?”
Eyes wide, she nodded. “Yes, I’m off work early too.”
“How about I pick you up at six o’clock?”
Beaming, she nodded.
“And what are you doing Sunday afternoon?” he asked.
“Nothing in particular.”
“How about a Sunday afternoon picnic?”
She clapped her hands. “Oh, yes! I love picnics. I’ll make the food.”
“Great!” Arly said with relief. “And I’ll bring a watermelon.”
He walked to the door, turned, and smiled at her, noticing that happiness had changed her face from a pixie-like prettiness—to beautiful. “Goodnight, Lora,” he said softly.
She sighed. “Goodnight, Arly Bates. I like your name.”
Thirty-Two
For Billie Bliss, the weekend seemed so long, it was almost unbearable.
She was sustained only by the miracle that had brought such abundant happiness into her life.
Matilda surprised Billie by handing her the poem that had come with the first rose, the one she had thrown into the waste basket, as well as the second one that she had carelessly left lying about.
“Oh, Aunt Tilly, thank you!” Billie said, hugging her. “You were so much wiser than I. You sensed right away that they were important.”
Matilda smiled, feeling great satisfaction. Now that everyone in the family knew who had left them on the doorstep, they saw them in a totally different light.
Both Matilda and Margaret asked Billie if they might be allowed to read all of the poems again. Matilda, for her part, had squealed with delight as she did so.
Margaret, in the privacy of her bedroom, shed a few tears as she read and reread them, feeling more gratitude than she could contain. That there was a man of Sheldon Ackerman’s caliber in the world today was something she found unbelievable. And that he would come into Billie’s life and appreciate her, in spite of her off-putting actions and attitudes concerning romance. And then prove that he, too, though a seasoned man in the world of business, did indeed have the same high values and understanding of romance! It was more than she had dared pray for. She smiled through her tears, wishing that all women could have a Sheldon Ackerman or a Will Bliss in their lives, especially her sister Matilda.
The atmosphere in the Bliss home had changed considerably since Sheldon had declared his love for Billie. Quiescence permeated the household, emanating from all within it. Particularly from Will Bliss, who knew that he was safe in giving his cherished and only daughter to Dr. Sheldon Dodds Ackerman, a man of integrity and kindness, a man who would love his daughter the way she deserved.
Bill Bliss went around with a smile on his face, his eyes twinkling more than usual, reminding everyone, “See, I told all of you everything would work out well for our girl.”
Even Henry smiled more and groused less, as he thought of the good luck that had befallen his silly, idealist niece—through no doing of her own, he felt sure.
Billie studied the poems more than either her mother or her aunt, especially the ones Sheldon had composed himself. She was in awe that this special man had come into her life. Not only had he made the effort to learn what romance was, but he had turned out to be the most romantic man she had ever known.
At times it seemed unreal, especially the all-too-brief evening with Dodds Friday night. He had kissed her three times. Three wonderful kisses! She would remember them always. Of all the romantic movies she had seen; of all the romantic novels she had read; she had never encountered anything to equal the romance of her own courtship. In her mind, because of her acute awareness of the lack of romance in the world today, she
considered herself as knowledgeable as a single person could be. She was sure that knowledge would grow in depth and understanding as she and her husband worked to make their marriage successful.
Here it was only Monday—would tomorrow night ever come? she wondered with a sigh.
-
After his class, Monday, Sheldon retired to his office to make an important phone call. He called Bliss Hardware and Feed and visited with Will Bliss then made an appointment with him. He didn’t know how they did it today, but he wanted to show respect for Bliss’ father and ask for her hand. He wanted it to be at Will’s office where Bliss’ curious family wouldn’t discover what he was doing.
The appointment made, he locked up his office and left to attend to other important things, his heart bursting with happiness. His class had noticed his state, especially Lora, who smiled knowingly, feeling privileged that she was the only one in class who knew why.
If it weren’t for what he had to do, Sheldon was sure he wouldn’t make it until tomorrow night to see Bliss.
-
Monday evening, Lora sat on the porch of her apartment enjoying the aroma of late August, going over in her mind the crazy circumstances which had brought Arly and her together. How strange that it had always turned out to be Arly who was around to rescue her instead of another policeman. And how lucky she was.
Saturday night, Arly had taken her to one of the nicest restaurants in town. She wore an emerald green dress that Billie had given her, and had fixed her hair as Billie had shown her. Arly had said she was beautiful! No boy had ever told her that before.
It was wonderful just talking and getting acquainted with him, as he had put it, in a normal fashion. During dinner, she peppered him with questions, finding out that he came from a family of six, including his parents, and that he was the oldest of the siblings. He said that his parents and three sisters lived in Springfield and that he wanted to take her to meet them as soon as they both could get time off work. This last statement left her stunned.
When Arly’s questions had touched on the subject of her family he had expressed a desire to meet her mother. She felt a stab of fear. She hadn’t yet told her mother about Arly. Still cringing at the thought of taking him over to see her, which meant taking him inside the house, she remembered how Arly had reacted when she voiced her reluctance.
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