Effected Intent

by Alan Ross

  Chapter 5

  A boy named Jack

  “My mom sent me over to pick up a cake mix but I’m not sure which kind to get. Can you help me?” Tom asked the woman behind the counter at the convenience store.

  “Sure, let me show you what I’ve got.” The older woman ambled out from behind the cash register and wobbled down aisle 4. “We’ve got a whole bunch, what kind of cake is she going to make?”

  “I can’t remember; it’s for my Dad’s birthday. She’s going to kill me if I bring home the wrong one.”

  “Don’t worry none, we’ll figure it out.” She grabbed a couple of boxes from the shelf. The door to the store chimed. “I’ll be back at the register in a second.”

  “I’m just getting a newspaper. Can I leave 10 cents on the counter?”

  “Sure thing, have a nice night.”

  “You too,” Bill Miller said as he headed out the door to his car, newspaper and case of beer in hand. “Bet Tom is just now remembering that he needs to get a chocolate cake mix,” Bill laughed.

  “That was awesome!” said Don Mitchie, one of Bill’s buddies from the back seat. “We’re going to get laid tonight!”

  “You think there’s enough beer back there to make you look good to any of the girls that are gonna be at my house?” Mike Watts shot at Don.

  “You ain’t had pussy since pussy had you,” added Bill.

  “Fuck both of you guys, just wait ‘til tonight, I’ll have the last laugh.”

  Tom came whistling out of the store, chocolate cake mix in hand. He stepped into Bill’s “Deuce” and they took off down the street. “Worked like a charm, Bill, what kind of beer did you get?”

  “What do you care? You’re going home to make chocolate cake with your mommy!”

  “Very funny,” Tom said as he tossed the cake mix box out the passenger window. “Let’s go to Mike’s house and get the party rolling.” Bill revved the big block in his Buick as they turned off Main Street and raced down route 394 to Mike’s. Bill wondered who was going to be at the party tonight and hoped he’d end up with someone. The summer had been fun, but he kept hooking up with out-of-towners each weekend, mostly people who camped at the Lake from Erie or Buffalo. As the summer started to wrap up, Bill was looking for a local girl to hang out with. He couldn’t believe that he was going to be a senior in a month. Time to decide what he was going to do after high school.

  Bill dropped the guys off at Mike’s house and said he’d be back later. He didn’t really feel like spending the next four hours listening to them go back and forth with their typical bullshit. He headed back towards Main Street and took a right on First Street. He flipped left on Union and pulled into his driveway. His mom was sitting at the dining room table, talking on the phone. Bill flipped her the paper and said, “Dad home yet?” His mom shook her head no, so Bill flipped on the TV and started looking for something to watch. MTV was showing the Michael Jackson video “Thriller.” It looked like a movie to Bill; he couldn’t believe how much was going on in this video! He had to pick up this tape next time he headed to the mall in Jamestown. After the video was over, he knew there would be a bunch of commercials coming, so he flipped around some more. He stopped on ESPN and watched a short story about the upcoming football season. He was hoping the Bills would be better this year. His dad usually got tickets for a couple of games and Bill really enjoyed those Sundays. There was a lot of talk about the Forty-Niners and the Dolphins, with one commentator wondering just how many Super Bowls the Dolphins would win with Dan Marino at quarterback. Dave Miller came through the door.

  “Hey Billy, what’s happening?”

  “Not much, Dad, how was your day?”

  “Made some juice, finished up another week. Looking forward to this weekend, it’s supposed to be a nice one. Was thinking that we could head out tomorrow morning early and do some fishing?”

  “I’m going to be at Mike’s house tonight and won’t be home until later tomorrow morning. How about Sunday?”

  “Sure, I’m sure your mother won’t mind if we miss church. Fishing can be a very religious experience, after all,” Dave laughed.

  “I heard that! If you two are heading out Sunday you best be back in time for service, and you better come back empty handed or with cleaned fish!”

  Dave winked at Bill and said, “Yes, dear, nothing could keep us from church on Sunday except a Bills game.” Dave was a diehard football fan and there was nothing that could pry him away from the TV on Sundays in the fall, except the chance to catch a game in person. He was a wiry guy who was a bit of a local legend for having taken Westfield to the state championships in the early 1960’s. He had decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and serve in the army instead of going to college. He didn’t talk much about Vietnam other than to say he was glad to be home.

  The Welch’s plant was one of the town’s leading employers, but things had been kind of sketchy over the past year or so as some jobs had been migrating to Massachusetts from Western New York. The plant had been an institution in the town since the late 1890’s. Dave sometimes wondered if he would have a job much longer, and worried about what he would do if he found himself unemployed. He liked working at the plant and considered the people that worked there his second family.

  Dave had been working at the Welch’s plant for almost twenty years, and he was a supervisor on the production floor. It didn’t matter if work was great or terrible, Bill never knew because Dave was always happy to be home. They had their moments, but for the most part Dave and Bill got along fairly well. All Bill had to do was stay out of trouble, do well in school, and get in by curfew.

  Dave believed in military strictness for these things, and when Bill got out of line he found himself suffering through long punishments. Dave was a little man, but he was tough and still had most of his youthful speed. He tried to stay in shape by running, though it was mostly to be able to keep up with Bill when they did things together. One time Bill was busted cheating on a test and Dave not only grounded him but put him to “hard labor” for one month. He hated punishing the kids more than anything, but he knew that it was part of being a parent.

  Susie was a lot softer than Dave. When Bill was in trouble she would always let him sneak a little TV, skip a chore, etc. She and Dave had been together since high school, and it seemed that they would never separate. They had lived in the house on Union Street since Bill was a baby, before Ellie was born. Susie took seasonal work at the mall in Jamestown but other than that she’d always been home with the kids. Her kindness rubbed off on everyone, but especially on her children. Ellie was a volunteer at the hospital who loved to work with sick children, and Bill would do just about anything for anyone. She was proud to see that her seventeen- year-old son still wanted to hang around with his father. Dave liked nothing more than spending time with Bill and had always encouraged him to try new things. It was really hard to believe that this might be the last year they spent together as a family. Empty-nesting was starting to set in already. She knew that she needed to enjoy the time they had and worry about the future when it came.

  “Billy, would you please go over to the hospital and pick your sister up? Dinner is almost ready and will be on the table when you guys get back.”

  “No problem, Mom. I’m starving so don’t blame me if I set a land speed record.”

  “O.K. Richard Petty, I’ll have the checkered flag out when you get back.”

  Bill jumped in his car and headed back to Main Street. The hospital was just a few blocks away right on Main. His sister was standing outside talking to a couple of other candy stripers, including Molly Horton. Bill parked the car and jumped out.

  “Hey, Molly. How’s your summer been? Ready to go back to school?”

  “Not really, I like sleeping in and then heading to the lake every day. How about you? Still working over at the Institution?”

  “Yeah, the job is fine, but it does stop me from tanning.” They both laughed at that one,
Bill was one of the fairest people in town and a couple of hours in the sun turned him bright red. “There is a party tonight at Mike’s house. Well, not really a party, but you know.”

  “Is there going to be beer there?”

  “Good chance. Why don’t you grab some girlfriends and head over?”

  “Alright, maybe we’ll see you there.”

  “Later. C’mon Ellie, Mom’s got dinner on the table.”

  They both jumped in the car and headed home. “Wait ‘til I tell mom and dad what you guys are up to tonight,” Ellie joked.

  “I’m scared. All we’re going to do is rent a couple of movies and hang out, duh.”

  “Sure, Billy, I believe you. I’m sure mom and dad will too. How about I don’t tell, and you can get me and my friends some beer next time I’m ‘watching movies’ at a friend’s house?”

  “You’re way too young to drink. Fifteen-year-old girls get in trouble when they drink beer.” Bill had heard many times from his friends just how hot his sister was starting to look. He had cracked a few of them over some of their comments, but knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

  “So that’s why you invited Molly tonight! Her birthday isn’t ‘til next month, she’s still 15! You’re such an ass sometimes.”

  “I’ll get you beer next time, just keep your trap shut about tonight.”

  They pulled into the driveway, and sure enough, dinner was waiting for them. Mom always took pride in her cooking, and tonight was no exception. She had cooked pork roast and broiled potatoes and the whole family dug in. The dinner conversation was mostly small talk about how Ellie’s afternoon had been at the hospital and what plans were for the weekend.

  “Since the boys are going fishing Sunday, we should head over to the mall tomorrow and buy some new clothes,” said Susie.

  “Any excuse to hit the mall!” joked Bill.

  “I need new school clothes; tenth grade is a big year. I’m hoping to get asked to homecoming this year. I just hope it’s not one of your gay friends that will be asking me.”

  “That’s all I need in my life—a friend dating my sister.”

  “Wouldn’t that be cute? You guys could double-date.”

  “Thanks a lot, Dad. I’m sure you’d want to ride along and chaperone the whole thing too. I’m a senior this year-- I do actually have a reputation to keep up.”

  After dinner, Bill helped clear the table and then headed upstairs to get changed. He took a quick shower, changed and was out the door in about twenty minutes. Mom told him to be careful and Dad told him to behave—the usual. He pulled into Mike’s house and saw everyone sitting around watching MTV and calling people on the phone to pull the party together. Mike’s parents had to run to Rochester for the weekend for some family thing, and Mike hadn’t found out until that morning. It was easier to pull parties together during school, but word spread quickly in a small town.

  “I saw Molly Horton when I picked up Ellie at the hospital. I told her to get some friends together and head over. Hopefully she will.”

  “We’re going to need more beer. I can drink about half that case myself,” said Don.

  “Sure you can, you threw up last time after three beers!”

  “I had ten that night on an empty stomach!”

  “Right. I’ll keep an eye on you tonight.”

  They jumped in the car, and this time they went north to Mayville. There was a deli there that would sell beer to anyone old enough to put their money on the counter. They didn’t want to press their luck by going back to the store in town, and also didn’t want to run into any of their parents. Don and Mike grabbed a case of beer and Bill and Tom grabbed some chips, pretzels and straws. They paid for their stuff and headed back down 394 toward Mike’s house. Bill pulled out two pints that he had shoved in his pants: one Peppermint Schnapps and the other one some rotgut Vodka.

  “Damn, Bill. You are a fucking clepto!” Tom said.

  “Just thought we might need a couple extra things in case the party gets rolling. There is no way in hell I’m going to drive once I start drinking, so this is my insurance policy.”

  “What else did you jack? Is the cash register in your sock?”

  “Did you just call him Jack?” asked Mike.

  “No, but that’s not a bad idea. The fucker steals everything, so his name might as well be Jack.”

  They got back to the house and started drinking and playing cards. People started to trickle in, and before they knew it the party was going pretty well. There was a nice mix of boys and girls, which almost never happens at parties, so the guys were spread around talking to different groups of people. Bill saw Molly Horton and her friends come in so he headed over with some beers and straws. Most of the girls drank their beers with a straw because they’d been told that it intensified the buzz. Bill thought it was pretty stupid, but went along with it anyway. “Hey girls, how’s the buzz coming along?”

  “Great,” one of them giggled.

  “Thanks for inviting us, and for the beer,” said Molly.

  “No problem, just don’t get so drunk that you forget to give me a thank you kiss.”

  Bill wandered in the kitchen and found a bunch of people playing quarters. He sat down and sank his first turn. He pointed to Don and said, “Drink up, bitch.” He sank another and pointed to Tom, “One for you too, girl.” He missed his next one and stayed for a while, laughing and joking around. When he got up to stretch, he saw that a bunch of new people had come over.

  “Yo, what’s up Terry?!”

  “Billy, how’s your summer?”

  “Great, working over at the Institution, hooking up with out-of-towners every weekend, getting ready for football practice to start.”

  “Yeah, I’m doing about the same. Putting in time at my grandpa’s orchard, the usual. Westfield gonna be any good this year?”

  “Hell yeah, we’ve got a lot of players coming back.”

  “Us too, and you guys are our homecoming game this year.”

  “See you ‘round Terry, there are better-looking people to talk to right now than you.”

  “Oh yeah, this is a great party. Later.”

  Bill saw lots of familiar faces from school sitting around the living room and dining room. He walked through the kitchen, grabbed a beer and headed out to the back patio to see who was hanging out there.

  “Hey, Jack, where have you been?”

  “Just hanging out, Mike. What’s going on out here?”

  “Had to break up a fight between Laura and Michelle. Michelle spilled a beer on Laura’s new shirt and Laura popped her in the face. It was pretty funny, but I didn’t want it to get ugly. Michelle took off and Laura is inside trying to get the beer out of her shirt. She’s got quite a right hook.”

  “Where’s the schnapps you jacked, Jack?” asked Tom, who already looked like he was over his limit.

  “You’re gonna be driving the porcelain Caddy already, Tom, why would you want to drink more?”

  “Hey, Jack, you’re not my Dad. Just pass that shit over and look out!”

  Bill handed the bottle to Tom and watched him take a shot and make a sour face. He laughed and took the bottle back from him. Bill headed over to talk to the group that was hanging at Mike’s picnic table in the yard.

  “Hey people, what’s up?”

  “What’s up, Jack?” asked Rob Ryan, captain of the football team.

  “Where the hell did you get that already?”

  “Tom was running around telling everyone to call you Jack, but he didn’t say why. Is it because you like to jack off?” the group busted out laughing.

  “Only to pictures of your mother,” Bill shot back. Rob was a bad ass, but he was pretty drunk and Bill didn’t really care.

  “Very funny, Jack. I’ll remember that one when you come across the middle during football practice in a couple of weeks. I need a beer.” Rob got up and a couple of his friends followed along. Bill sat down in his spot.

  “Yo
u’re lucky he didn’t kick your ass, ‘Jack,’” an unfamiliar voice behind him said. Bill flipped around and saw Dana Weiss, only the hottest girl in school. Bill had a crush on her back in junior high but their paths hadn’t crossed much during their high school years.

  “Thanks for the advice, Dr. Weiss,” Bill smirked at her. “What brings you out here, slumming?”

  “Something like that. We just got back from France and I was a bit bored. Is there anything to drink here besides beer? I hate beer.”

  Bill passed her the schnapps. “Careful with this stuff, it’s not French wine.”

  Dana took a little sip and then hammered back a full shot. She waited about ten seconds and took another one. “Here you go, but don’t go anywhere, I’m not done yet.”

  “I’m impressed; you didn’t even make a face. Why don’t you sit down? It’s not easy to talk out of the back of my head.”

  Dana sat down next to Bill. Damn did she smell good! Dana was about average height with auburn hair and green eyes. She had a few freckles on her nose and cheeks. Her legs were tan and she was wearing a short skirt. Bill was dying. He took a drink of the schnapps to calm his nerves. Dana grabbed the bottle and took a shot. Bill grabbed it back and took another. Dana matched him.

  “So what are your plans for the rest of the summer, Dana?”

  “Just going to get ready for school, maybe visit a couple of colleges. Any idea where you’re going to go yet?”

  “Not sure, been thinking about RPI, but also looking at Carnegie Mellon. Both are good schools and far enough from home. What about you? Still planning on following your father’s footsteps and going to med school?”

  “Yeah, that’s my plan right now. I hope to get accepted to Case Western Reserve, can just stay there from undergrad all the way through med school. That’s Dad’s alma mater too.”

  “I’m sure you’ll get in without any problems. I hadn’t thought about Case, but have heard that they have an excellent computer science program. I’ll have to get some info on the school.”

  “I’ve got about 85 books and catalogs at home. I’ll give you a call and you can come over and pick some up. What’s your number?”

  Bill gave Dana his number and figured that he wouldn’t hear from her. “So how was France? Looks like you spent a little time on the beach.”

  “It was pretty good. Being on vacation with my parents was kind of a bummer, but I was able to get out and have some fun while I was there. The Riviera is a great place to vacation, lots of beautiful people.”

  “Bet you had your share of looks while you were there.”

  “Oh yeah, nothing more exciting to Europeans then a dorky teenage brat from the US.”

  “Right. You’re beautiful Dana.” Must be the schnapps talking now, Bill would never have the guts to say that sober.

  “You’re sweet, Jack.” Dana leaned over and kissed Bill. He grabbed her hand as his heart raced. “Looks like my friends are heading home now, so I’m going to take off.”

  “You can stay if you want. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “No thanks. I’ve had enough to drink and I don’t want to get home late and end up in trouble.” Dana kissed Bill, this time with her mouth open. Bill was in heaven. “I’ll call you about those brochures. ‘Night.”

  “Bye, talk to you later.” Bill watched her walk away and studied her from her hair down to her feet. This was a night he wouldn’t soon forget.

  “Earth to Jack. Earth to Jack.”

  “What’s up, Tom? You still standing?”

  “Come inside, Don and I hooked up with some Mayville girls, and I think we’ve got a chance to score.”

  “Right behind you, Tom.”

  The party had mostly emptied out for the night. There were a few people at the kitchen table playing Bullshit. Four girls sat in the living room talking to Mike and Don. Tom and Bill sat down.

  “This is our friend Bill, but you can call him Jack.”

  “Hi, Jack,” said a cute little blond. “Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable?”

  “Don’t mind if I do. What’s your name?”

  “Amy, I live over in Mayville and heard from Terry Jones that there was going to be a party over here tonight.”

  “Terry’s cool, known him since we played midget football together when we were kids. He your boyfriend or something?”

  “Nope, just here with my girls looking to have some fun. We are all free for the night, did the old sleepover switcharoo.”

  “Cool, Mike’s parents are gone for the night, so we’re all staying here too. Might as well enjoy ourselves.” He passed Amy the schnapps and she took a shot and made a face.

  “This is awful. Tastes like peppermint flavored Nyquil.”

  “Works pretty well though, take another hit.” Amy forced down another shot, shuddered and passed the bottle to her friend. The bottle made its way around one and a half times before it was dead.

  “Anyone want to switch to vodka?”

  “Sure, pass it over,” said Mike. Bill tossed the bottle to Mike and put his arm around Amy. Before he could gauge her reaction, she straddled him and started making out with him. Bill immediately got excited and Amy reacted by grinding on him. That was enough of a signal for Bill, so he picked her up and headed upstairs to one of the bedrooms.

  Bill woke up in the morning and was surprised to see that Amy was still lying next to him. When he kissed the back of her neck, she rolled over and they went at it again. Bill couldn’t believe this party, it was better than the movies.

  “Oh my, Bill, I think I’ve found myself a new boyfriend. What are you doing the rest of the day? Besides me I mean?”

  “I need to head over to work around noon, but no other plans until then.”

  “Can’t you call in sick? I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Afraid not, need to make as much money as I can this summer. Give me your number so I can call you.”

  She gave Bill her number and some more of what he craved. As they stumbled downstairs they found that everyone else was already awake, hanging out in the kitchen eating some breakfast and talking.

  “Oh, you two finally wake up?” asked Mike.

  “Yeah, about two hours ago,” grinned Bill as he grabbed some orange juice.

  “Way to go, Jack!” said Tom. Bill smacked him on the back of the head and laughed. Amy was sitting in Bill’s lap; she was quite a little honey. He decided to call Terry for the scoop on her, but figured he’d be seeing her again, if for nothing else than the sex.

  “We need to head back home,” said Mary.

  “Bill doesn’t need to be to work for a couple more hours, let’s hang out,” pleaded Amy.

  “I can give you a ride to Mary’s before I go to work.”

  “You sure you don’t mind?” Amy said as she wiggled back and forth on his lap. “Wouldn’t want to put you out or anything.”

  “Not a problem, you’ll just have to give me some gas money,” Bill laughed. Amy playfully smacked him and then kissed him.

  “Get a room you two,” complained Mary. “Ok, we’re going to take off then, catch you later. Thanks for the party and the sleepover.”

  “I’ll call you,” said Mike. Mary waved and the three girls headed out the door. The guys headed out to clean up the back yard. There was a ton of trash out there from last night, including a couple places where people had been sick. Bill carried Amy back upstairs and into the bathroom.

  “What do you have in mind now, Bill?” Amy grinned as she took her top off. Bill took off his clothes and turned on the shower. He had always dreamed about taking a shower with a girl; it was right up there on his fantasy list. They stepped into the shower and Amy playfully pulled at Bill. “What’s this? You happy about something?”

  Bill showed her what he was happy about. Then they washed each other off and got out and dressed. Bill was exhausted. He had more sex in the last twelve hours than in his whole life. He was sure that he was dreaming, sin
ce this was all just too damn good to be true. They headed out the door and Bill drove Amy back to Mayville.

  “I want to see you again, REAL soon.”

  “Me too, Amy, you are unbelievable. Are you always so frisky?”

  “Can’t get enough, Bill. Anytime you’re in the mood, give me a call. You’ve got a nice big car, I’d like to try the front and back seat.”

  “Damn. Will have to take you up on that one!” Bill leaned over and they made out for a couple of minutes. Reluctantly, Bill broke it off. “I need to run to work now. The Institution needs me.”

  “Not as much as I do. See you later.” Bill watched Amy walk up to Mary’s front door. Amy turned back to Bill and sent him a sweet smile. He didn’t know anything about her except every inch of her incredible little body. He backed out of the driveway and raced back down 394 to the Institution.

  Lake Chautauqua was a seasonal area that was invaded by folks from all over the country from Memorial Day through Labor Day. People came either to enjoy the lake and the area or to spend some time at the Chautauqua Institution. The Institution had been around forever and provided education, fine arts, sports and many other activities. Bill worked in the sports area, handing out equipment and sometimes teaching classes on basic physical fitness to some of the elderly that visited.

  Bill pulled in and headed over to the tennis courts. There was a group lesson scheduled for 12:30 and he knew that some people would already be waiting to check out rackets and balls. He opened the equipment shop and began to hand things out. All of the activity of the past day had taken a toll on him and he was seriously ready for some sleep.

  His afternoon dragged on and he found his thoughts bouncing between Dana and Amy. Amy was a lot of fun, but Dana was the real prize. He wondered if he’d hear from Dana again. Maybe he would find some excuse to see her if he didn’t hear from her in the next few days. He’d probably be seeing a lot of Amy, at least until football practice started.

  When his shift was over he headed home and crashed. His mom woke him up around 7:00, and asked him if he wanted to get up and eat dinner. He headed downstairs and ate dinner in front of the television. His folks were a bit mad at him for not calling or coming home, but he could tell it wasn’t anything serious.

  “I want you to get our fishing gear ready and packed after you’re done eating and take out the trash.”

  “Ok, Dad, will do. What time are we heading out in the morning?”

  “Around 5:30. We’ll stop in town for some breakfast and see if there’s any talk about good fishing spots. If we don’t hear anything we’ll head over to Bemis Point and work our way north until we catch our limit.”

  “Clean fish and home in time for church.”

  “Yes, dear. We wouldn’t want to miss church. If we’re late you and Ellie can head over there without us.”

  Susie gave Dave the bent eye and headed to the kitchen. The Love Boat was on TV, but Bill decided that he wasn’t really in the mood for that. He headed upstairs and gave Amy a call. He found out that she was going to be a junior at Mayville high school and that she had three brothers and two sisters. She didn’t work or play any sports but didn’t really mind school. They had a few common friends and she had a decent sense of humor. “Want to go out one night this week?”

  “How about tonight?”

  “I’m going fishing with my Dad in the morning, after last night I need to get some sleep.”

  “What happened last night?”

  “Just hung out with some friends and watched movies.”

  “Oh yeah? I get the feeling you’re lying to me, Billy. You’re going to be in trouble the next time I see you.”

  “We’ll just see about that. I’m going to go now. I’ll call you tomorrow or Monday to make plans. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Bill gave Terry a call. Both said they had a blast at the party. Bill asked, “Do you know a cute little blond named Amy from Mayville? Going to be a junior?”

  “Amy Meyers? Oh yeah, she was at the party last night. She’s a wild one, loves to pass that pussy around. Did you get some of that, Billy?”

  “Hell yeah, almost more than I bargained for, she’s crazy.”

  “Don’t worry about knocking her up, she’s on the pill. She is a fun date, but I wouldn’t want her as a girlfriend, that girl just loves to fuck.”

  “Thanks for the warning. I’ll probably hang out with her sometimes, but won’t look for anything serious.”

  “No problem, Billy, tell Mike that was a classic party. I’ll catch you later.”

  Bill hung up the phone and headed out to the garage. He packed the waders, rods and tackle boxes into the trunk of the car. He made sure he had a flashlight and all the other odds and ends Dad liked to take out. He took out the trash and double checked everything then he said goodnight to his Mom and Dad.

  “Up too late last night?” his Dad said with a grin. “Your mother was worried, but I told her you probably just slept late and had to run straight to work. I remember those days, what was her name?”

  “Amy, she’s from Mayville. Nice girl, comes from a big family. She’s a friend of Terry’s.”

  “How is Terry?”

  “Doing well. We’re Mayville’s homecoming game this year.”

  “Speaking of homecoming, I haven’t seen you running or doing much exercising at all. You’re going to die next week when camp opens. If you want me to work with you, just let me know. I could use an exercise buddy.”

  “Thanks, I need to do something this week. Don’t want to hit the first day cold, or coach will run me into the ground. I’m going to hit the hay, you going to wake me in the morning?”

  “Yeah, see you in the morning.”

  Bill headed upstairs and was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Dave woke him up in the morning, and they drowsily headed over to the Main Street Diner where they had a big breakfast and talked fishing with about six other guys. They said that the walleyes and muskies should be biting. Since Dave and Bill would be shore fishing, they were going after trout. They headed over to Bemis Point and started wading. It wasn’t long before they got some bites, and pretty soon they were catching fish at a regular clip. They had almost reached their limit when Bill noticed that it was almost church time.

  “Hey, Dad, we’re going to miss church if we don’t take off.”

  “Don’t worry, I told your mother last night that we were going to miss church. Told her there’d be plenty of days for church but not too many more fishing days. She relented without too much squawking. We can take our time and enjoy the day.”

  “Cool, did she offer to clean the fish too?”

  “Nope, that one still falls on us.” Dave laughed. “We’ve got plenty to clean, but we’re going to have some good supper tonight.” They started working their way back to Bemis Point, still catching fish fairly regularly. They stopped at a park and cleaned all of the fish. When they were done they had a really nice group of fillets. They put the fish on ice and headed into the Casino to have some chicken wings. The Casino was pretty crowded and they grabbed a seat at one of the community picnic tables inside. Bill saw a bunch of people he knew, some locals and some regular out-of-towners who camped around the lake. Their wings came and they sat around and talked about old times, how things had changed, the upcoming school year and many other things.

  On the drive home, Bill thanked Dave for the day and for not blowing his stack about the previous night. Dave felt really proud that his son wanted to spend time with him and that he respected his parents enough to feel bad when he made a mistake. He was a good kid and Dave was proud of him.

  They got home mid-afternoon and found Ellie and Susie back from church and shopping. “Hope we’re having fish tonight, because I didn’t plan on cooking anything.”

  “Lots of fish to fry, Billy and I are cooking. Just relax and let us do the work.”

  “You going to clean up too? That’s part of the job for people who don’t have time to go to
church on Sunday.”

  “Sure, we’ll clean up too.”

  “Oh Billy, some girl called for you a while ago.”

  “Who was it, Ellie?”

  “What’s it worth to you?”

  “C’mon, just tell me. Was it Amy?”

  “Who’s Amy? Some new love of your life? It wasn’t Amy, so you probably don’t even care. I’ll just throw the number away. You probably don’t even know any Danas.”

  “Dana called? When? Where’s her number?” Bill was really surprised at this one. He honestly hadn’t expected to hear back from her. He grabbed the number out of Ellie’s hand and stuck it in his pocket. He’d call her after dinner.

  Dinner was really good and the family all enjoyed the food and the company. Clean up was kind of a pain, since there was grease everywhere, and Mom was in there supervising. Bill smelled like he had jumped into the frying pan with the trout, so he headed upstairs to take a shower. When he no longer smelled like a battered fish, he gave Dana a call.

  “Hey Dana, this is Bill Miller calling you back.”

  “You sound so official, like you’re calling your lawyer.” Dana laughed. “I put together a small stack of catalogs, brochures and other information from Case Western. Do you want to come over and pick it up?”

  “Sure thing, see you in a bit.”

  “Do you know where I live?”

  “On Main Street, right? The old brick house with all of the trees.”

  “Yep, when do you want to come by?”

  “How about a half hour?”

  “See you then. Bye.”

  Bill headed back to the bathroom and finished getting ready. He wasn’t into primping like some of his friends but he wanted to make sure he looked ok. He ran down the stairs and told his Mom he’d be back in a little while, needed to go pick up some college brochures from a friend. His Mom started to ask him why, but by the time anything came out of her mouth he was gone. Bill parked in front of the impressive house and walked to the front door.

  The man who answered the door looked more like a college professor than a doctor. He had longer hair, thick glasses with wide plastic frames and was wearing a sports coat with jeans.

  “Hello, Doctor Weiss, is Dana home?”

  “C’mon inside. Have we met?”

  “My name is Bill Miller. Dana and I go to school together. She wanted to give me some information about Case Western Reserve University.”

  “My old alma mater. What are you thinking of majoring in?”

  “I am leaning towards computer science at this point. I have been working with computers the past few years and find them to be an amazing tool.”

  “The hospital has had nothing but bad luck with computer systems. Maybe after you graduate you can come back and straighten everything out. Let me go get Dana for you. Nice meeting you.”

  “You too, sir.” Bill nervously shifted from foot to foot and waited for Dana to appear.

  She came out of one of the back rooms and said, “Don’t just stand there like a potted plant, come on inside. And sorry about the joke, it’s one of my Dad’s favorites and it’s been burned into my brain.”

  Bill laughed. “We’ve all inherited some kind of sayings or another. Thanks for calling me back, didn’t know if you’d remember.”

  “No problem, I had a nice time talking to you the other night,” She blushed.

  They went into the library and sat down in a pair of comfortable leather chairs. There was a table between them where Dana had set out a bunch of different information. Bill smiled, “Do you work for the school or are you just planning on attending next year?”

  “Very funny. As soon as the school finds out that a donating alum’s kid wants to go there they swamp you with stuff. Dad is a big supporter of the school, especially the biology department. He wants me to follow in his footsteps and major in biology, but I’m not sure. I like chemistry.”

  “Chemistry was fun last year. Physics and calculus this year-- I might be in for a shock. Tough to do homework during football season.”

  The conversation continued and they talked about everything. By the time Dana’s Dad came into the library and told him it was time to go, it was after 11:00! They had been sitting there talking for over three hours. Bill couldn’t believe it; he thought he’d been there less than an hour. Dana walked Bill to the door and then walked him outside. They stood by his car and talked for another forty minutes or so, and then the outside lights on the house started flashing. “Dad’s signal to get my butt inside.”

  “It was great talking to you tonight. Thanks for the brochures.” Bill was really nervous now, and wanted to see if he could get a kiss. Just then Dana leaned in and gave him a really long one.

  “Thought we’d never get there,” she smiled. “Glad that we did. I better hustle inside. Dad is going to lose his temper in a minute.”

  “Um, before you go. If you’re not busy some night do you want to go out?”

  “Anytime, just give me a call. Night.”

  Bill floated home.