by Jones, D. F.
Julia tilted her head to the side and said, “I admit it. I’ve never felt this way. But it’s too fast, and I don’t know you. How am I supposed to agree to make love to someone I barely know? When the time comes for me to take the next step regarding sex, I intend to marry that person.”
“Sweet, darling Julia, I’m crazy for you.” Phillip kissed her again, and she melted into his arms.
* * *
Much later, after some spectacular necking, Julia breathlessly whispered, “I have to go home. My parents are going to be furious I left my birthday party. What time is it?” She stood and offered Phillip a hand, which he took.
Phillip glanced at his watch. With a look of surprise, he said, “It’s three-thirty.”
“Holy macaroni. I’m in big trouble. Hurry, please.”
Running to the Jeep, Phillip stopped Julia before she opened the passenger door. He swirled her around and pressed kisses along the curve of her neck. He muttered, “Have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Shivers ran up Julia’s spine as she dipped out of his caress. “I have to work at Big Joe’s tomorrow. But if I’m still alive after my parents get through with me, you may pick me up around six.” She kissed him on the cheek.
With a smile, he replied, “Six, it is.”
Moonlight peeped from behind the clouds as Phillip made his way down the old road and parked at the barn. With one last frantic kiss, he helped Julia out of the Jeep. Then she watched as Phillip made a clean getaway down the driveway.
Dreamy-eyed, Julia sighed, turned, and began walking to the main house. She’d heard the cliché “love at first sight,” she’d just never believed it. Or well, that is until tonight. Julia took a deep breath, and out of the darkness, Sloane grabbed her arm. Julia yelped in surprise. “Geez, you scared the pee out of me.”
Sloane said, “Oh, girlie, you’re in big trouble. Bunny’s waiting up for you, and she’s livid. After everyone left the party, Bunny shouted at Daddy telling him you’re just like him. He laughed, and that made Bunny even madder.”
Walking back to the house, Julia couldn’t stop smiling. “I don’t care if Bunny is livid. She’s not going to ruin my night.” She stopped and turned to Sloane, grabbing her hands.
In breathless whispers, Julia explained they’d driven to the falls and necked. Her voice grew serious when she said, “I think I’m in love with Phillip. I can’t explain it. It happened so fast. Is that possible?”
Sloane hugged Julia and chuckled. “Oh, you have to dish the details later, boy, I can’t wait to see the look on Bunny’s face when she finds out you’re in love with the help. It’s the best news I’ve had all evening. She’s liable to disown you.”
“He’s not the help. Sloane, he teaches in the Science Department. Phillip only took the waiter’s job to meet me. And what if he were the help, you snob. Love has no boundaries or class distinction. Phillip is finishing his doctorate. He’s smart and funny and so sexy that I’m lucky I’m still a virgin. He’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Meet me in my room after Bunny’s tirade.”
Julia opened the door to the screened-in porch, and Sloane ran inside the double doors to the main house, leaving Julia to face her mother alone.
A lone lamp lit the room while Bunny sat in her wicker rocking chair, reading a book.
Pressing her lips tight, Bunny took off her glasses, closed the book, and placed it on the little side table. “Young lady, please come in and sit down. I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes.”
Julia didn't argue with her mother. She sat down in the matching chair adjacent to Bunny and placed her gloved hands on her lap. Julia lifted her chin in defiance. “Okay, let me have it. Give it to me with both barrels.”
Bunny straightened her back and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t be impertinent. It’s nearly four in the morning, and you snuck away with that waiter for most of the evening. How dare you? Where were you? Are you ruined?”
Bunny twisted around to face Julia and gripped the armrest of the chair, so tight her knuckles were pale. “Do you even care about the time and expense we put into your birthday party? Or the scandal that’ll surely follow? Behind my back tonight, I heard whispering and sneers about my daughter. Not only did you place your reputation in danger, but you embarrassed your father and me.”
Julia crossed her arms over her chest while her fingernails dug into her skin. “I see how it is. It’s not about me or my reputation. It’s about yours. I’m a grown woman, and he’s not just some waiter. His name is Phillip, and he teaches in the Science Department at BFU. Mom, I’m in love with him.”
Bunny jumped from the rocking chair. She threw her hands in the air, and shouted, “You’re in love. You’re in love. You’ve ruined yourself over someone you don’t even know, and you’re in love. What if you’re pregnant?”
“For your information, I’m still pure as the driven snow. Mother, I graduate next Saturday, and I plan to move to New York.”
Bunny paced back and forth across the room, and yelled, “Who do you think pays for your bills, Missy? Do you believe we’ll pay for New York too?”
Shaking her finger at Julia, Bunny said, “And you have responsibilities to this farm. The plantation needs you to marry a man who can assume the role of your father. He’s getting older every day, and we must have somebody in the position willing to work with your dad to keep the farm intact. We can't take the chance that some money-grubbing young man is going to take advantage of you.”
Julia walked over to face Bunny and placed her hands on her hips. “Mother, I love you, I truly do, but you're overreacting, and Phillip isn’t a money-grubbing young man. Didn’t you hear me? Phillip’s a teacher at the school and completing his Ph.D. Have you always been so spiteful and petty? Did you ever love Daddy or did you just marry him for the money?”
Bunny smacked Julia hard across the face. “Don't you ever speak to me like that again, ever. Go to your room.”
Julia rubbed the side of her jaw and glared at Bunny. “I’m not twelve. I’m twenty-one, and you treat me as if I'm still a child. I’m smart, and I’m a hard worker. Just ask Dad. I handle the books at Big Joe’s and the farm. I overheard you talking on the phone with Dixie, and I know you want me to marry Brooks Davis. Did you know Brooks hit me when we were dating? He, he tried to…”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear this.” Bunny turned away.
Julia wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. She couldn’t say out loud what Brooks did to her. “Did you know Brooks cheated on me with several of my sorority sisters? He’s a drunk and a coward. But you don’t care about those things. You only care that Brooks has the right pedigree, and believe me, he is a dog.”
Shaking from head to toe with anger, Julia lifted her chin and walked out of the room. Then she ran upstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door.
Julia heard her mother shout up the stairs, “I can’t believe you were eavesdropping.”
Her mom was a piece of work.
A gentle knock on the door and Joe said, “May I come in?”
Julia opened the door and burst into tears when her father walked into the room. He placed his arms around her. “There, there, my buttercup. Please don’t cry.” He gently rubbed her back.
“Dad, I’m sorry if I embarrassed you and Mom tonight. I have to tell you; there’s something truly special about this man. I’m going to marry him someday.”
She shrugged out of his arms and sat down on the edge of the bed, and he joined her. “It’ll be okay in the morning, sweetheart. You know how your mother is, and I’m afraid she isn’t going to change. Bunny loves you and Sloane. However, this is your life. I don’t need you selling your soul for the farm, and Bunny exaggerates. Do you like Phillip? I play golf with his dad from time to time. He’s a good man. It was a sad ordeal when he lost his wife and all. He never quite got over it. But for the times I’ve met Phillip, he seems to be a fine fellow.”
Julia looked up at her dad. “Phillip is the best. I promise th
at nothing happened tonight. Mom always sees the worst in me. Nothing I ever do is good enough for her. I’m not sure why I keep trying to earn her approval. It’s a waste of time. Mom’s more afraid of what her friends think than what I feel. And why do you allow Bunny to walk all over you?”
Joe brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Your mother is the sweetest and kindest woman I've ever known. Growing up, Bunny had a rough time, and she just wants the best for you. That’s what I see. Bunny is a little set in her ways. It all started when she wanted to join the club, and then she became involved in the Women’s League.”
Joe placed the palms of his hands on the bed. “Bunny puts on airs at times because she has deep-rooted insecurities, but at the core of her heart, she’s still the same girl I married. She’s trying to be the best mother she knows how to be even if she gets misguided sometimes. I’ll take care of Bunny. You get some sleep. The sun will be up soon, and this old man needs his shut eye.”
Julia hugged Joe and said, “I love you, Daddy. Thank you for always listening to me and respecting my decisions. Dad?”
“Yes?”
Julia straightened her spine. With a low-pitched voice, she said, “I want to be a writer. I want to go to New York after graduation and write for one of the new TV shows. Or maybe even for radio. What do you think?” She held her breath for his response.
Joe said, “It’s a splendid idea, and I think you should follow your dreams because if you don’t, no one else will.”
Julia leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Do you think Bunny will get over tonight and give Phillip a chance?”
Joe squeezed Julia’s hand. “She’ll get over it. Bunny has visions of grandeur for your life. But as far as I can tell, Ivey Clayborn and his son are good people in my book. I wished you’d said something about Brooks. I believe he and I are going to have a coming to Jesus talk.”
“Brooks will get what he deserves one way or the other.”
“Yes, he surely will.” Joe kissed Julia’s forehead and walked out of her bedroom.
Stretching out across the canopy bed, Julia threw her hands behind her head.
Sloane stuck her head in and said, “Is the coast clear?” before walking into Julia’s room and quietly closing the door.
With a faraway look, Julia said, “I want to drink martinis at midnight in the middle of Central Park, and dance naked under the full moon with Phillip. Then wake up at dawn in his strong arms in a cozy flat in Greenwich Village sipping on champagne until I’m silly as a goose.”
Sloane giggled and plopped down on the bed. “Well, that won’t take much.”
Julia shoved Sloane off the bed with her foot. “That’s what I want to do. But who am I kidding? Good girls don’t act foolishly, and if I’m to have a prayer with Phillip, I’ll have to follow Bunny’s dating protocols.”
Sloane shook her head in disbelief. “You’re such a dope. If I had a man like Phillip, I’d elope. You give a man like him too much time to think about Bunny and dating protocols, and you’ll be marching down the aisle with one of the county’s bluebloods. And where’s the fun in that?”
Julia rolled over on her side, propped on her elbow, and rested her cheek on the palm of her hand. “Tonight was magical. Phillip and I lay on a quilt under the moonlight with the Falls in the background. His fingers brushed against mine, and then he kissed me.” She covered her face with a pillow and screamed. “Oh, Sloane. I’ve never wanted to make whoopee so much in my life. His body was so close to mine.”
Sloane’s eyes grew wide. “Holy moly. Why can’t I find someone like that? I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Julia sighed. “I wanted to. I want to make love to Phillip. I’ve been studying the temperature method since the war ended so I’m pretty in tuned with my cycles, and when the time is right, I’m going to give myself to Phillip.”
Sloane rolled on her side to face Julia. “Are you scared? Have you ever seen a man’s winny winny jimjam?”
Julia threw her head back and silently chuckled so she wouldn’t wake the rest of the house. “Where in God’s name did you come up with that? You’re making my stomach hurt from laughing so much.”
“Bobbie and I found a hole in the women’s locker room back in high school.” Sloane waggled her brows and said, “The hole worked both ways if you know what I mean. Bobbie gave the male member its name.” Sloane and Julia laughed again. Using hand gestures to indicate sizes, Sloane said, “Some of the guys were gigantic, and some were nonexistent. Ugliest things.”
Julia held onto her sides, wheezing from laughter. “Stop it, sis. You’re killing me. I’ve only seen the male anatomy in science books. Besides, I’d rather be surprised with my first look instead of seeing it through a peephole which doesn’t qualify as being romantic in the least. But I’m not too scared. When Phillip kissed me tonight, well, uh, I wanted him as bad as he wanted me.” Julia blushed, and said, “I just have a gut feeling I’m going to marry Phillip someday. I just know it.”
Sloane whispered, “I don’t want to lose you, Julie.”
Julia opened her arms to Sloane. “Aw, come here, tulip. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Wanna sleep in here like the old days?” She patted beside her and Sloane scooted under the covers. Yawning, the sisters wrapped their arms around each other, and Sloane hummed a tune they used to sing when they were small girls.
A lot happened to Julia on her twenty-first birthday. Before she drifted off to sleep, Julia had a moment of doubt, anxiety, and fear that maybe Phillip had used her. What if he didn’t care for her as she did him? Everyone would assume the worst of her, and maybe they should.
Chapter 2
Phillip drove down the streets of Burkett Falls, passing the First Savings and Loan building where his father rented office space for Clayborn Insurance. Phillip had replayed last night a million times in his head. For years, he’d imagined different scenarios with Julia. But the real Julia far surpassed his imagination.
He’d been afraid she’d turn out to be a stuck-up rich bitch, but that was far from the truth. Julia was funny, honest and forthright, and so beautiful from the inside out.
Pulling into Big Joe’s car lot, he felt apprehension. What if Julia changed her mind? What if her dad told him to get lost? He didn’t know how well he’d take that sort of rejection.
Phillip nervously tugged at the full collar of the white short-sleeve shirt he’d bought with his last paycheck. He chose a pair of gray slacks and black loafers. He wanted to look his best without overdoing it.
Right before Phillip opened the door to Big Joe’s, the man himself stepped out.
Joe reached out and shook Phillip’s hand. “Hi, Phillip. I haven’t seen you much since we played golf with your dad last year. Julia told me you were picking her up for dinner. You two have fun, but remember to get her home at a decent hour.”
Phillip’s cheeks reddened, and he replied, “Mr. Boatwright, about last night…”
Joe threw up his hand and chuckled. “No need for explanations. I was young once, but her mother was quite upset. If you want on the good side of Bunny, you better make it ten o’clock. Agreed?”
Phillip said, “Agreed.”
“Good. Julia’s waiting for you inside. Before I leave, I have to make sure all the cars are locked.”
Before Joe could walk away, Phillip said, “I’ll help you check the cars.”
With a raised brow, Joe said, “Yeah, well, all right. You take the cars on the right of the lot, and I’ll take the rows on the left. Just check for keys in the ignition before you lock the doors.”
Phillip nodded and started at the end of the row and worked his way through each car. A few of the cars still had the keys tagged with the make and model. He kept them in his pant pocket until he finished. He stepped over to Joe and handed him the keys. “Only a few of the models had keys, but the doors are locked.”
Joe smacked him on the back. “Well, done. Let’s go see if your date is ready.”
Phi
llip nodded and followed Big Joe through the door. A couple of newer vehicles were parked in the showroom. He spotted Julia behind a desk in the back.
Wowzer. What a knockout.
Her platinum hair was piled high on her head in a twist, and she wore ruby red lipstick that made knots twist in his stomach. Julia looked up at Phillip and waved.
“I’ll leave you here. I have to wrap up a few things in my office.” Joe smiled at Julia and winked.
Giving her dad a grin, Julia closed the ledger and placed it in the bottom drawer, then locked it with a key, and put the key inside a small black purse. “I like a man that’s on time. Give me a quick minute to freshen up?”
With a sharp nod, Phillip said, “Sure thing. I’ll just look at the new cars.” He watched her walk through the double doors and leaned against one of the new Packards. He couldn’t remember the last time he was nervous for a date. Maybe his first date back in high school. But his time with Julia was something different. Tonight would tell the tale of whether last night was a fluke or something real. He prayed for the latter.
A few minutes later Julia walked out to meet him. “So, where are we going to dinner?”
“Whatcha in the mood for? Fancy or fun?”
Julia said, “Fun.”
Philip held the front door, and before Julia walked through, she yelled back at her dad who was stepping out of his office, “Bye, Daddy. See you later.” She blew her father a kiss. What a sweetheart.
“How about Burgers and Beevo’s?” asked Phillip. Burgers and Beevo’s was a diner at the end of town. They served burgers, sandwiches, malts, and beer. It wasn’t a dive, but it wasn’t the Ritz either.
“Sounds fantastic. I didn’t eat much at lunch today, and I’m starving,”
“I love a woman with a healthy appetite.” He chuckled and opened the passenger door to the Jeep, and she jumped inside. Several minutes later, he pulled into the gravel driveway of the packed diner.