by Hill, Jamie
She tried to get Nick to go out and do something with her, anything, but other than going to Lost Wages, he wasn't interested. They watched some TV but didn't have the same interests, so that wasn't much fun, either. She couldn't get Nick to talk to her. She liked to talk about anything and everything, and he was quiet as a church mouse.
Maddie got her first glimpse of the future that week. She realized there probably was no future for her and Nick. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she pushed the thought out of her mind. She was still having fun, and didn't want to get that serious.
One thing Maddie really enjoyed was listening to Nick played his guitar. Sometimes he played alone, or he would have friends over, and three or four of them would get high and play. He said he played better stoned, but Maddie thought he sounded great all the time. She curled up on the sofa and listened contentedly for as long as he played.
He had lively conversations with his friends. They talked about all kinds of things, late into the evenings, either at his house or at the pool hall. Maddie loved watching him in that mode. He was a completely different person than when they were alone. She loved him, but wished he'd open up to her. There didn't seem to be a way to explain that to him that made sense. He looked at her like he had no idea what she meant, and Maddie eventually gave up trying.
Nick went back to work, and Maddie hung out at his house or her dorm during the day. Sometimes she'd go down to his bike shop and sit on the sofa in the corner while he worked. She was surprised to find out he owned the place, because it was called 'Dick's Bike Shop'. Nick explained that he bought it from his old boss when Dick retired. The name had a good reputation, and he kept it rather than change and have to virtually start over.
Since he owned the shop, he didn't care if Maddie hung out there sometimes. The garage was a big four-bay unit, with two garage doors and a front door, all on the same side. Nick's desk sat next to the sofa, and he'd sit there and do paperwork while Maddie read magazines, painted her toenails or tended to some other matter of similar importance.
Ty worked at the shop, and another mechanic named Fritz. They were both cool and friendly, and as long as Maddie didn't distract them, she could stay. She felt comfortable there, and occasionally napped on the sofa. Nick often glanced over at her and shook his head, commenting how he couldn't believe that she wanted to be there. Maddie always had a smile for him, and he one for her.
Sometimes, when the shop closed up and Ty and Fritz went home, Nick would slide on to the sofa and make love to Maddie. They couldn't keep their hands off each other when they were alone.
Her school term started up, but Maddie's life didn't change much. She went to class most of the time, then went back to the dorm to study, some of the time, and check her messages. She spent her nights at Nick's, which was convenient with Ty spending most of his nights at the dorm.
Maddie took her books to the bike shop and tried to study there. She almost always ended up falling asleep. Ty suggested she should try sleeping at night like most people, and Maddie countered that didn't sound like much fun. They shared an easy banter, and Maddie was happy, for the most part, with her life.
She went home to Hartford for the occasional weekend. Her parents bugged her if she didn't come back at least once a month. Occasionally she drove with Alec, who went home much more frequently. He was friendly and someone to talk to, and though Maddie didn't discuss anything personal with him, she enjoyed having someone to talk with, about anything or nothing. They laughed as much as they talked, once they got going. She liked to stick her feet out the window when the weather warmed up, and it drove Alec crazy. She threatened to moon someone who flipped them off, and Alec burst into hysterical fits of laughter.
Alec and a group of friends were going to Florida over spring break, and Maddie told her parents she was going with them. After a few days of watching TV at Nick's while he worked, she almost wished she had gone to Florida. Instead, she spent time in a local tanning booth, so she'd look like she'd gone to Florida. Some days, she lay in the tanning bed and wondered if she truly knew what she was doing. Those thoughts crept into her mind more and more often, but she continued to push them away. She was still having fun.
Her classes were easier, and she pulled "B's" without much effort. Maybe I'll be able to show these grades to my parents. She'd lied about her first term grades.
Towards the end of the semester she was moping around the dorm one afternoon when Zoey returned. "Hey, Mad! How's it going?" She flopped on the sofa next to her roommate.
Maddie shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I need to vent."
Zoey kicked her feet up on to the coffee table and answered "The doctor's in. Vent away."
Maddie stood and paced. "I don't know. I just keep feeling there ought to be something more."
"More than what?"
Maddie looked at her. "Nick is great. We have a fantastic time in bed. But when we're not in bed, we have, like, nothing in common."
Zoey laughed out loud, then covered her mouth. "Sorry. What did you expect? He's a middle aged man and you're a kid in your first year of college. We've been through this before. Nick is not a man you pick out rings and cakes with. This is a man you enjoy for as long as you want, and then you move on."
"I hate that!" Maddie stomped around. "What if I want the rings and the cake? What if he wants it?"
"Has he given you any indication that he wants that?"
"Not really," Maddie admitted. "But he likes having me around."
Zoey laughed again. "What man wouldn't? You look at him like he's the god-damned king of England. You're there all warm and waiting every night. He's got it pretty good, Mad. I bet he's not sitting around worrying about where your relationship is going."
Maddie dropped into a chair. "You've seen him in a group of people. He's Mr. Personality, so happy and fun to be around. People love him. And then he's alone with me, and he's nice and friendly, but we don't talk. He won't tell me anything about his family, or his life growing up, or what he wants to be doing ten years from now."
Zoey shrugged. "Sounds like he thinks your relationship isn't going anywhere, and he's trying to hold back a little, not get too involved, you know? Guys get hurt, too, when these things end."
"I don't want it to end. I just want it to be different."
Zoey laughed out loud again. She picked up their cordless phone and tossed it to Maddie. "555-2896."
"What?" Maddie looked at her.
"That's my mom's phone number. Give her a call and talk to her about marrying a guy you think you can change. She's lived with my old man for twenty-three years. She told me she knew he liked to go to the bars and drink before they got married. She just thought once they were married, he wouldn't want to do that anymore. I hate to break it to you, but she thought wrong. When she'd finally nagged him enough about the bar, he started staying home and drinking. The added benefit to that was when he got drunk enough, he hit her every now and again."
"They're still married?" Maddie asked sadly.
"Oh sure. She loves him." Zoey shrugged. "Maybe they have rocket-hot sex. Who knows?"
Maddie picked up a pillow and threw it at her. "I hate you."
Zoey hugged the pillow to her chest. "I know. The truth hurts. I just don't want to see you in her spot in twenty years."
Maddie covered her face with her hands. "If I only had some direction. I mean, you— you know that you want to be a doctor, and you're strong enough to pursue whatever you want. Me? I'm just barely staying above water grade-wise. I have no idea what I want to do. I don't even know if I want to keep going to college."
"The first thing you need to do is cut back on the pot. It's a real motivation killer."
Maddie groaned. "God, some days it's the only thing that gets me through."
"Maddie, I think you need to make a change. This semester is almost over. Make a clean break with Nick, and go home for the summer. Spend some time with Alec and his friends. Try to get into the," she used air quotes, "traditional
college experience."
"Oh God," Maddie moaned again.
"You wanted to go with them for spring break, you know you did. You should give it a try. You may like them. And if it's any consolation, I'm ending things with Ty, too."
"Why?" Maddie was surprised.
Zoey smiled. "Same reason. He was a lot of fun, but I have my sights on something, and I need to concentrate on it a little more."
Maddie growled and buried her face in her knees. She knew Zoey was right, it just hurt to think about it. Her birthday was coming up, then the end of the semester. She had a few weeks to figure out how to end things amicably.
She used finals as an excuse to pull back from Nick a little bit. She spent a few nights at the dorm, and slowly brought her stuff back from his place.
Her nineteenth birthday was on a Saturday, and she had to go home for her parent's family party. Nick convinced her to spend Friday night with him, and drive back Saturday. She agreed, and went to his place that evening after he got off work.
"What are you doing?" She asked when she entered the candlelit dining room. The table was set for two, with flowers and candles in the center. "God, I don't think we've ever eaten in here."
Nick came from the kitchen carrying a pan of lasagna. "Some people use tables to eat, not just have sex on." He grinned at her and set the pan down.
Maddie grinned back. "And candlelight? Holy smokes!"
He turned to her. "That's so you can't see the food as well. I cooked it, after all."
Maddie slipped her arms around his waist. "You did all this for me?"
"Well, a girl only turns nineteen once in her life. I wanted to make it special for you."
"You're so sweet."
"Don't let that get around."
She kissed him passionately, her tongue nudging his. He groaned and ran his hand down her back to her butt, and pulled her tightly against him. Eventually, he pulled back and shook his head. "You're one hot little number. Let's eat dinner first, we can look forward to dessert, later." He patted her butt again.
They sat at the table and ate. Nick's lasagna was very good, and she teased him about his hidden talents.
He chuckled. "We had an old lady wander into the shop this afternoon. She wanted to know if we tuned pianos."
"How did she come up with that?"
"I don't know," he shook his head, "but it took all three of us to convince her we did not tune pianos. Ty suggested perhaps that was a euphemism for what she really wanted."
She laughed. "I've never heard it put quite that way. Hmmm, I don't know, you think you could tune my piano?"
"I'm sure, I could." He grinned. They fed each other, and barely made it through dinner before they were peeling each other's clothes off and making love on the dining room floor.
They ended up in the bedroom, and once Nick saw to it that Maddie was fully satisfied, he brought presents to her in bed.
"Oh my God!" She smiled at him. "You shouldn't have done this!"
"Open it." He pushed the big box towards her.
Maddie unwrapped the present, a soft, black leather jacket. "It's beautiful!" She hopped up and tried it on. It fit her perfectly.
"Sure is." He watched her parade around wearing nothing but the jacket.
"Here, this goes with it." He handed her another small package.
Maddie opened it and found wraparound sunglasses like his.
"For the bike," he said. "Now that it's almost summer, I thought we might take some road trips."
Maddie's heart soared. "That sounds so great!" She inspected herself in the mirror.
He stood behind her and put his hand on her ass. "I like the look, but it could use one more thing." He held out some long, dangly diamond earrings and a matching necklace.
She spun to face him. "No way!"
"Way," he replied, and fastened the necklace around her neck. He handed the earrings over and she put them on. She turned back to the mirror and wiggled so they'd sway.
"They're just beautiful, Nick!"
"You're the beautiful one."
Maddie turned to look at him. "I love you," she said for the first time.
He smirked. "Yeah, well, I guess I might love you, too."
Maddie stared into his eyes as she pushed him backwards gently toward the bed. She climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply, and they rolled around necking for a long time.
They made love again in the morning before she had to leave, and she was sorry to go. She left her jacket there but wore the earrings and necklace. As she headed to Hartford, she realized she couldn't end things with Nick. She didn't want to end things. She wanted to lie in his arms and make love with him forever.
Chapter Nine
Maddie made it through the weekend with Rob's help, and got a walking cast put on her leg at the first of the week. It was much easier to maneuver, and Rob could finally go back to work, leaving her with Sophie and the little ones.
The late July Oklahoma days dragged. Sophie's summer activities were finished, which was a good thing, with the temperature hovering around one hundred degrees every day. Maddie stayed inside a lot, and took the kids out early in the morning or in the evening when Rob was home. He let the kids swim in the evenings, since Maddie couldn't get in the pool. They all counted the days until her cast came off.
They day it did, they celebrated with ice cream. Maddie wiggled her toes and sighed. "Finally!" she said, twisting her foot around. "Holy cow, I need to shave my leg!"
"Nice," Rob teased her as he ran his hand up the leg. "Real earthy, or maybe tres Francois!"
"Yeah." Maddie snorted. "Quit that or I might not let you touch it after it's shaved."
He pulled his hand back quickly. "No more, I promise."
Maddie shook her head at him. "You're so whipped."
He leaned down to tie Sam's shoe and grinned up at her. "You got me, there. I truly am."
She ran a hand through the hair falling across his face. When he looked at her like that, he seemed so much like a little boy that Maddie always had to smile. "I love you," she mouthed.
Rob sat up and leaned closer for a kiss. "I love you, too, Mama." He murmured, and nuzzled her cheek.
The last of the summer flew by once Maddie was wholly on her feet again. They spent lots more time in the pool, and took the kids to Frontier City, a big amusement park in Oklahoma City. Rob turned twenty-nine, and Maddie had a party for him, with all his friends and their families. He sat on the porch with the crown on his head, and let everyone wait on him. They had fun, and laughed at the gag gifts everyone gave him. He wore a ball cap when he worked construction to keep the hair out of his face, and someone always got him a new, usually raunchy, cap. This year, someone gave him a new cowboy hat, and Maddie hollered, "Yee haw!" when he opened it. Everyone laughed at her reaction, but only she and Rob knew the meaning behind the smiles they exchanged.
The children went to bed and the adults stayed up drinking for a while before they all took off. Rob and Maddie danced to the radio on the back porch until they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and moved the party to their bedroom.
"I have more presents for you." She sat him on the edge of their bed, and stepped out of her jean shorts.
"I like these kinds of presents." He watched her strip appreciatively.
Maddie removed her shirt, revealing a very sexy pink teddy, cut very low on the top and very high on the leg.
"Oh, lordy! That is nice." He reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. He buried his face in her cleavage and inhaled. "Damn, you're beautiful."
Maddie pressed her chest into him and ran her hands over the back of his head and neck. "I think you're beautiful, too," she murmured. "And I love you more than anything, ever, in this world."
He growled and squeezed her in his arms, then rolled her over and brought her underneath him on the bed. He lowered one strap on the teddy and kissed Maddie's tattoo. "I love you, too, baby. I cherish every inch of you, and I want to show you how much.
"
"Mmmm," Maddie rose up as he slipped the teddy off and wedged himself between her legs. "That feels so good."
"It's fixing to get even better, darlin'."
"I need to tell you something."
"Now?" he began a slow, rocking rhythm.
"Right now. It's your last present."
He grinned. "I'm enjoying my last present, already. But if I have enough stamina, it may not have to be my last present."
Maddie grabbed his face. She kissed him deeply, then whispered, "I wanted to tell you that I stopped taking the pill. We could make a baby tonight."
Rob's face lit up. "Hot damn! God, that turns me on. You may not get any sleep at all tonight, woman."
"Hit me with your best shot." They laughed and kissed and made love, late into the night.
A couple of weeks later, Maddie was knee deep in stacks of clothes in their bedroom when Rob got home from work.
"Hello." He looked around warily and gave her a kiss.
Maddie chuckled. "Hi baby." She kissed him back.
"What are we doing?"
She dropped to the edge of their bed. "Well, it started when I went to clean Sophie's closet out to see what she needed for school. This is her stuff here." She patted the bed. "This pile is going to Stacie, and these over here need to go back to Dionne, if she wants them. If not, they go to Stacie, too."
"Okay." He nodded. "So what are you doing in my closet? I'm not going back to school."
"I know, but you have so much stuff in here you never wear. I just thought I'd go through it."
"Don't touch a thing in my closet!" His eyes widened. "I don't have that many clothes, and I'd like to keep what I have, thank you."
"But look at—"
He cut her off. "Ah, ah, ah…don't touch a thing. If you want more closet space, look at your end—you've got stuff in there I've never seen you wear." He shifted some hangers. "Like this. When have you ever worn this?" He pulled out a little black dress, and apparently reconsidered. "Oh, I like this. Never mind."