Jacob's Bell

by John Snyder

  “Why don’t we hang around for a little while longer,” Jacob said, unable to peel his eyes off Amanda.

  “You didn’t even want to come here in the first place.”

  “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Forget about it, Jacob. You blew it.”

  “What I wouldn’t give for a second chance.”

  “Well, you’re not going to get it this afternoon. Let’s go.”

  Nick gave his Aunt Helen a good-bye kiss, wished her a happy birthday, and departed as promised with his friend.

  Nick and Jacob walked several blocks to the station and caught the L train back into town, just a few miles away. All the while, Jacob couldn’t stop thinking about Amanda, the most beautiful girl he ever met—or…sort of met…anyway.

  * * *

  Jacob obsessed over Amanda for weeks after their introduction. He kept prodding Nick to set them up with a date. Nick resisted the role of Cupid, however. Jacob would have gone calling on her himself, but after the fiasco at their initial meeting, he figured he needed all the help he could get.

  One Monday at work, Nick and Jacob discussed what they’d done over the weekend. Nick described the delicious Sunday dinner he’d enjoyed at his Aunt Helen’s. Jacob immediately began to cross-examine him about Amanda.

  “What was she wearing? How did she look? Did she mention me?”

  “Amanda. Amanda. Amanda. That’s all you ever talk about. You only met her once. You didn’t even speak to her. I doubt if she even remembers you after that great first impression you made.”

  “I know, but she’s always on my mind. She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. You’ve got to arrange for me to meet her again.”

  “What if she already has a fellow?”

  “Does she?” Jacob asked desperately.

  “I don’t know, but she might.”

  “I don’t care. I really want to see her again.”

  “Well, I suppose if I want to get any work out of you, I better do as you ask. You’ve been moping around like a beaten puppy since you met her,” Nick relented. “My aunt’s back fence needs mending. She’s always saying Uncle John keeps promising to fix it, but he never does. She mentioned it as I was leaving yesterday. Maybe next Saturday, you and I will drop by and fix it for her. That will be your excuse to see Amanda again.”

  “Thanks, Nick, I really appreciate it.”

  “But this time, practice your lines, will you?”

  “That’s real funny, Nicky boy.”

  The days of the week passed ever so slowly for Jacob as he anticipated another chance to meet Amanda. He couldn’t believe he let Nick rope him into fixing a fence, though. But the opportunity to redeem himself in Amanda’s presence seemed well worth it to him.

  Finally, Saturday rolled around. Jacob and Nick caught the L and arrived at Nick’s aunt and uncle’s just after ten in the morning. Nick knocked on the door and his Uncle John answered.

  “Nicky! What a surprise. Come on in.”

  “You remember Jacob, don’t you?” Nick said, introducing his friend.

  “Sure. You guys are getting quite a reputation around town. Real go-getters.”

  “Good to see you again, Mr. Lewis.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to call me Mr. Lewis. You can call me John.”

  “Thank you, John,” Jacob said respectfully.

  “Who was at the door?” Nick’s Aunt Helen asked her husband as she entered the room. “Nicky!” she said with surprise as she rounded the corner from the kitchen. “And you brought your friend Jacob.”

  “What brings you young men out this way, business?” John asked.

  “No. Actually, we came out to fix the back fence.”

  The truth being there was a conspiracy afoot for Nick to introduce Jacob to Amanda…again.

  “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to fix that fence for a couple of years now. I’ll give you guys a hand.”

  “Oh, that’s all right, Uncle John. We can manage. Besides, that’s the least I can do to show my appreciation for the delicious meal Aunt Helen fed me last Sunday.”

  “That’s mighty nice of you and Jacob,” Helen said as she glared at her husband.

  “Is Amanda home?” Nick asked his aunt.

  “No, she spent the night with a girlfriend. I don’t expect her home until late this evening. I believe she said something about going up to the lake with her friend’s family. Did you need her for something, Nicky?”

  “No, I just wanted to say hello.”

  “I’ll give her your regards when she returns.”

  Well, that’s just dandy, Jacob thought. I came all the way out here to meet the girl of my dreams and she’s not even here. Now I’m stuck fixing a fence on a beautiful Saturday! Why didn’t Nick check to make sure she’d be here?

  “The tools are in the shed out back,” John told them. “You guys sure you don’t need an extra hand?”

  “No, Uncle John, we can handle it, but thanks.”

  As they examined the fence, Jacob, with clear irritation in his voice, said, “Why didn’t you make sure Amanda was going to be here? That’s the whole point of this, isn’t it?”

  “Look, I didn’t know. I just assumed she’d be here.”

  “Well, you obviously made the wrong assumption!”

  The project wasn’t as easy as Nick had anticipated. A number of the boards were rotten and needed to be replaced. The job ended up taking most of the day.

  “Ouch! Dang it, Nick. Watch what you’re doing!” Jacob shouted as he threw down the board he held and grabbed his left thumb, which throbbed with pain.

  Nick had missed his mark with the hammer and slammed it down on Jacob’s hand.

  “Sorry, Jacob.”

  “Sorry? You’re sorry? I’m the one who’s sorry. Here I am wasting a perfectly good Saturday helping you fix a fence, with a smashed thumbnail, all so I could meet a girl—who’s not even here!”

  “Well, if you could have got your tongue dislodged from the roof of your mouth the first time you met her, you wouldn’t be here now—would you? You’re sorry, all right!”

  They both started to laugh, Jacob forgetting momentarily about the pain coming from his aching thumb.

  After completing the job to the satisfaction of Nick’s Aunt Helen, she invited them to stay for supper. Before replying, Nick and Jacob looked at each other. Though grateful for the invitation and Nick’s aunt’s anxiousness to show her appreciation, Jacob considered all the other things he could be doing—especially in light of the day falling so short of his expectations.

  Nick, sensing Jacob’s reluctance to stay, spoke up. “Thank you very much, Aunt Helen, but we have to be going.”

  “I baked an apple pie,” she said as an enticement.

  Jacob gave Nick a look of certain death if he changed his mind.

  “No, Aunt Helen. Thanks, but we’ll be going.”

  “Thank you, boys, for fixing the fence,” John said. “I was going to get to that next week.”

  Helen eyeballed her husband, smiled, and said, “Sure you were, dear.”

  “Not a problem, Uncle John,” Nick said as he winked at his aunt. “We’ll be going now, Aunt Helen.” Nick kissed her on the forehead before leaving.

  Jacob and Nick were about halfway down the block when Nick looked back and saw Amanda walking up to the front door.

  “Oh no,” he said as they continued to walk.

  “What?”

  “You’re not going to like this.”

  “What?”

  “I just saw Amanda go into the house.”

  “What?”

  “I just saw…”

  “I heard what you said. I just can’t believe it. Of all the dumb luck! I came out here to get another chance to meet her. Instead, I end up spending the day with you fixing a fence, turn down a meal—and I’m starved, by the way…Amanda wasn’t even home, then she shows up a minute after I leave…and all I have to show for it is a smashed thumb! You’ve got to do something,
Nick.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “Think of something!”

  “Well…If you hadn’t been in such a darn hurry to get out of there, we’d be eating supper right now, you could be gawking at Amanda, and I’d be about fifteen minutes away from enjoying some delicious apple pie.”

  “We have to go back and say we forgot something,” Jacob conspired.

  “But what?”

  “You left your billfold out by the fence.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Jacob swore at his friend. Then he said, “I know you didn’t, but that will be our excuse to go back.”

  “You better get it right this time, Jacob, because I’m not going through this again just so you can meet Amanda. Now let’s go!”

  Nick knocked at the door. Amanda answered. She looked fantastic. The sight of her made Jacob’s day worth reliving, except perhaps for the part about his throbbing thumb. She wore a dark blue dress with a flowered print that fit her frame snuggly, accentuating her slim figure.

  “Nicky. What are you doing here?”

  “It’s a long story. Jacob and I were here earlier fixing your mom’s fence and I think I left my billfold out in your backyard. I came back to get it. You remember Jacob, don’t you? You met him at your mother’s birthday party a few weeks ago.”

  Amanda looked at Jacob with uncertainty, then politely said, “Sure, I remember meeting him,” though she didn’t seem quite positive. “How are you doing, Jacob?”

  “Fine,” he replied.

  “I’ll let you two catch up on old times while I go get my billfold,” Nick said with a touch of sarcasm.

  Well…this was the moment Jacob had wished for. He felt a lump begin to swell in his throat. His mouth became dry. Not again, he thought.

  Amanda broke the ice.

  “Why don’t you come in and sit for a while.”

  “Thank you. That would be nice.”

  They walked into the sitting room to join Nick’s Uncle John and Aunt Helen.

  “I thought you and Nicky left,” John said.

  Jacob explained why they came back.

  “Did Nicky find it?” Helen asked.

  “I don’t know, he’s in the backyard now looking for it,” Jacob answered. He actually felt somewhat guilty telling the little white lie.

  “How has your business been going?” Amanda asked.

  “Great,” replied Jacob. “We’ve been real lucky.”

  “Dad says it’s more than luck. He says you and Nicky are going to be very successful one day.”

  “I sure hope he’s right.”

  “Well, just remember good old Uncle John when it happens.” John laughed.

  “I found it,” Nick said as he entered the room, holding up his billfold.

  Jacob couldn’t keep his eyes off Amanda. She caught him staring at her several times. His eyes would dart away when she looked back.

  Amanda glanced down and noticed Jacob’s mangled thumbnail. “What did you do to your thumb?”

  “Nick hit the wrong nail,” he said, holding up his swollen digit for everyone to see. He glanced over at Nick as everyone laughed.

  “Believe me. He deserved it,” Nick joked.

  “That looks sore,” Amanda said sympathetically.

  “Yeah, it hurts a little bit,” Jacob retorted in a manly tone to ensure that Amanda didn’t perceive him as a wimp.

  Amanda stood and walked over to Jacob. His eyes followed her every move as he scanned her body, beginning with her feet, up her long legs and torso, and they came to rest as he gazed up at her eyes.

  “Why don’t you come out in the kitchen and let me clean that up and put a bandage on it for you.”

  Jacob immediately jumped to his feet and followed her into the kitchen. She drew some water and, with a clean cloth, gently scrubbed the dried blood from his thumb. They stood close, Amanda bending over slightly in front of Jacob to get a good view of his injury. Jacob’s eyes were active as they took in Amanda’s beauty. He couldn’t help himself. He leaned in slightly to get even closer. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair, closing his eyes to heighten his senses.

  “Ouch!” Jacob shouted suddenly. Instantaneously, his ecstasy turned to pain and his eyes opened wide. “What are you doing?”

  Amanda stood upright and proudly displayed the object of her surgery—his thumbnail.

  “It was just hanging on there by a thread. I had to pull it off so it would heal properly,” she said.

  She gently wrapped his thumb with a clean bandage and they returned to the sitting room, rejoining Nick and Amanda’s folks. Nick and Jacob ended up staying for supper that night, which made them both happy. Nick got his slice of apple pie. Jacob got to spend time with Amanda.

  By midweek, Jacob’s head still remained in the clouds over Amanda. He found it hard to concentrate—difficult to get any work done. Nick’s patience with his partner wore thin.

  “Come on, Jacob. You haven’t been good for anything all week. Don’t make me regret introducing you to Amanda. I need you here.”

  “I’m sorry, Nick. I just can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “You’ve got it bad. Why don’t you do something about it?”

  “Like what?”

  “Ask her for a date. Take her candy, flowers, I don’t know. Just do something so you’re not so useless around here.”

  The truth was, Jacob longed to call on Amanda, but every time he got up the nerve, he got cold feet. That evening he bought some flowers and took the L out to Amanda’s house. When he arrived, she was sitting on the swing that hung from the rafters above the front porch, her attention absorbed by a book. She hadn’t even noticed Jacob as he walked up the sidewalk, bouquet in hand.

  “Hello there, Amanda.”

  His words pierced the silence and frightened her, causing her to jump.

  “Well, hello, Jacob. I didn’t expect to see you so soon. How’s the thumb?”

  “It’s great!” He held it up. “Practically brand new.”

  “But you’ve taken the bandage off. You shouldn’t have.”

  “Oh, it’s all right. You did such a good job patching it up that it’s healing real good. Here, these are for you,” he said, timidly handing her the flowers.

  “They’re beautiful, and they smell so lovely. But why are you bringing me flowers?”

  “Because I wanted to, and to thank you for taking care of my thumb.”

  “Oh…That’s sweet of you, and I appreciate it. But it wasn’t really necessary.”

  “All right then, I’ll take them back,” he joked.

  “Oh, no you won’t!” Amanda said playfully. “It’s not every day a girl gets flowers, you know.”

  If you were my girl, I’d bring you flowers every day, Jacob thought to himself.

  Amanda moved over and made room for him on the swing, patting her hand on the cushion to invite him to sit next to her.

  Jacob practically fell over himself at the suggestion. She lifted the bouquet to her face, taking in the pleasant aroma of the flowers once again. Looking over at him, she smiled and said, “Thank you, Jacob. That was very nice of you.”

  Jacob couldn’t help blushing. They remained on the swing and talked for about an hour. Amanda quizzed him about the business, how he liked working with Nick, and she even asked questions about him, giving him the mistaken impression that she was interested. Jacob let Amanda do most of the talking. He loved listening to her voice and felt contented just being in her presence.

  “I really must be going in.”

  “Yes. I need to be going also,” he said, though truthfully, he would have stayed for several more hours if he could.

  An awkward period of silence followed. Then, Jacob blurted out, “I’d really like to see you again.”

  “Sure, anytime,” Amanda said, misinterpreting his intentions.

  “I mean…well…what I mean is, I’m attracted to you and I would like to take you out on a date—to dinner or something
,” he said clumsily.

  Amanda nervously inspected the flowers. Then, biting her upper lip, she peered back at Jacob. Mouth open, eyebrows raised, he anxiously anticipated her answer.

  “I think I should tell you that I’m seeing someone.”

  “Is it serious?” he asked, bracing for the painful response.

  “I wouldn’t say we’re going to get married or anything—not just yet anyway. But I have feelings for him and we’ve been seeing each other for a while.”

  Another uncomfortable pause punctuated the conversation. Jacob’s face turned ash white. He felt queasy. Amanda’s answer was absolutely deflating.

  “What’s his name?”

  “Does that really matter?”

  “Not really. But it would be nice to know the name of my competition.”

  “Competition?”

  “You didn’t think I was going to give up this easily, did you?”

  She laughed. “Somehow, I didn’t think you would. His name is Robert. But I wouldn’t say you are his competition.”

  “By that, do you mean I’m not his competition, or he’s not my competition?”

  “Either way, this is not a competition.”

  “So what you’re saying is there’s still hope for me.”

  She shook her head and smiled. “Somehow, you impress me as a fellow that doesn’t like to lose.”

  “I can only accept losing after I give my best. Could I just come over sometime and take you for a walk or something?”

  “I’m not so sure that would be proper, since I am seeing Robert.”

  “Oh. So you aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?”

  Amanda placed her hands over his. Looking up at him, she said, “Thank you for the wonderful evening and for the beautiful flowers. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon at a family gathering or something. That’s if Nick brings you.” She smiled in an ornery fashion.

  “I’ll make him bring me.” Jacob laughed.

  They hesitated, exchanging glances before saying their farewells. Jacob watched as Amanda opened the door and went inside. Then, he began his walk back to the train station. The evening, which had begun with so much promise, ended on a flat note—at least for Jacob.

  J & N Manufacturing continued to flourish, as did the business reputation of the two young men who were behind it. Once they were content with the quality of their product and their manufacturing operation, Jacob and Nick hit the road, calling on the purchasing agents for the rail yards around Chicago, Detroit, and other major cities in the Midwest. Little by little over the next few years, their business grew even more. As the demand for their products increased, the entrepreneurs expanded their manufacturing facility. They also purchased land and buildings to expand further. The demand for their products became so high they could not seem to expand fast enough to keep pace.