Wings of Love (5 page)

“Howdy Adam.  Have you been rabbit
hunting lately?”  Mr. Shoemaker, the owner, asked as he
rung up the bill.  “I got me about a dozen of them
yesterday.  The wife is home cooking them up as we
speak.”

“No, I haven’t had a chance.”  Adam
paid for his groceries and grabbed the paper bag.  “My
dad asked me to go but I had practice.”  He nodded to Mr.
Shoemaker and walked out the door.  He put the bag in the
back of his pick-up, before he headed out on the highway
again.  Adam turned up the radio and listened
to 
Rock and Roll All Night
 by Kiss.  He
couldn’t wait to get home and call Amy to share his news.

Adam made a bologna sandwich and a bowl of
soup for dinner.  He placed it on the coffee table to let
his soup cool and sat down on the couch.  He picked up
the phone dialing Amy’s number and waited for someone to
answer.

“Hello?”  Amy’s voice was on the
other end.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard her
voice.  “Hi babe.”

It had been a couple of days since their
date.  He wanted to call her the next morning but decided
to wait.  He hadn’t wanted her to think he was pushy or
worse yet, desperate.  He figured he was safe now.

“How are you?”  Amy said excited to
hear from him.

“I signed up for my GED classes
today.”  Adam took a sip of his soup.  “I start
right away and I will be finished in May.  Then I can
attend college in the fall.”

“Good for you.  If you need my help
studying just let me know,” Amy said thoughtfully.  “I
used to work as a tutor in high school.”

“Thanks.”  Adam remembered the main
reason he called.  “You can bring your car to the station
on your lunch tomorrow, if you want.  We don’t have too
many repairs scheduled, so I’ll have time to look at it.”

“That works for me.  I go to lunch
at noon,” Amy agreed.  “But only if I can treat to
lunch.”

“Okay.”  Adam swirled the spoon in
his soup.  “I miss you.”  He sat nervously as
he waited for her response.

“I miss you too.”

Adam exhaled a sigh of relief that they were
both on the same page.  “See you tomorrow, babe.”

As he hung up the phone his stomach growled
to remind him about the dinner that sat there
untouched.  He ate his sandwich as he reflected on the
positive changes that he had made in the past
week.  
Life is good
.

***

Amy pulled into the parking lot of Harper’s
Shell.  She stopped at McDonald’s on her way
over.  She hoped he liked Big Macs because she bought him
two.  Amy watched Adam in his short sleeve shirt which
showed off his muscular arms as he pumped gas into a Ford
LTD.  She blushed as she caught herself checking him out
when he leaned over to wipe the windshield.  
Damn he
looks good.

Adam finished with his customer than
sauntered over to greet Amy.  “Hi babe,” he smiled.

“I brought you some lunch,” Amy held up the
McDonald’s bag.

“Come on.  We can eat
inside.”  Adam grabbed her hand and led her into the gas
station.  They walked through the garage then into an
office in the back.  Amy sat down in a swiveled chair
Adam offered her by the desk. 

He cleared off the desk and pulled a folding
chair next to her.  “It’s nothing fancy, but I guess it
will do.”  He chuckled at his own joke as he unwrapped
the burger Amy placed in front of him. 

“Well, well Adam, who do we have
here?”  A stout, middle-aged man with glasses and graying
hair slapped him on the back. 

“This is Amy,” he said
proudly.  “Amy this is my boss, William Harper.”

“Nice to meet you, Amy.”  Mr.
Harper extended his hand towards Amy.  “Enjoy your
lunch.”

“Thanks,” said Amy as she shook his hand.

Amy unpacked the rest of their lunch and
placed it on the desk.  “Shoot!  I forgot the
ketchup”

“That’s okay.  I’ll let you slide
this time.”  Adam winked at Amy and wolfed down the rest
of his second hamburger.

“Joey was wondering if you and I wanted to go
to open skate this Saturday night.”  Amy asked before she
took a bite of her lunch.

“Sure, I don’t think I have nothing going
on.”  Adam said as he sipped his pop.  “How
about I pick you up around seven?”

Amy nodded as she took another bite of her
hamburger.  Adam took the empty bag and placed his
crumbled wrappers in it.  He waited for Amy to do the
same then tossed it into the garbage.  Before she could
get out of her chair he spun her around and gave her a kiss.

“Thanks for lunch.”  Adam’s gray
eyes sparkled right in front of her.  “Now let me take a
look at your car.”

Adam started the car up and listened to
it.  He shut it off and popped the hood checking the oil,
the coolant level, and antifreeze. “Those are all good,” he glanced
up at Amy as he screwed the lid back on.

Adam also checked the brake, power steering
and windshield washer fluids.  ”Be right
back.”  He strolled back to the station and carried a
gallon of blue fluid back with him.  “You don’t want to
run out of this when the weather is nasty.”  Then he
checked all the belts and hoses.  He took his flashlight
out and looked for leaks in the engine.

Amy observed him as he worked on her
car.  He appeared to her to be a man that had mastered
his job well.  She noticed how he enjoyed getting his
dirty hands tinkering with her car.  He knelt down and
looked underneath the car for any leaks.  He checked the
tire pressure and the treads on her tires. 

“Looks like you bought yourself a reliable
car.”  Adam wiped his hands off on his
pants.  He checked the dash lights, headlights and brake
lights.  “Yup everything seems to be in tip- top
shape.”  Adam closed the hood.

“That’s good to know.”  Amy was
relieved to hear the good news.  “I hoped I didn’t buy a
lemon!”

“If you have any problems, just let me
know.”  Adam flashed her a million dollar smile.

“I really appreciate all you have
done.”  Amy looked at him gratefully.  “I’m
really sorry to cut you short but I do have to get back to
work.”

Amy hugged him and gave him a peck on the
cheek.  She whispered into his ear.  ”Thank
-you.”  She rolled her eyes towards the service station
where his fellow employees stood gawking at them through the
window. 

Adam led her to the car shutting the door
when she got in.  He leaned in the open window and with
his back towards them he gave her a kiss.  He touched her
nose with his finger leaving behind a smudge of oil. “Bye
babe.”

***

Adam drove down the highway admiring the
scenery that passed by.  Miller’s farm stood on the left,
marked by the three blue silos and the weathered red
barn.  He had milked cows there for several
summers. Peruski’s family had planted corn last spring, now
all that was left was the rows and rows of cut
stalks.  The forest behind them reminded him of the
October nights he had spent coon hunting with his father, uncle and
cousins. 

As he got closer to Amy’s house the fields
were fewer and the houses were closer.  He pulled up into
the driveway and she came out before he was able to even get out of
the truck.  She walked around to the passenger side and
the door creaked from the cold as she opened it.  She
tossed her skates in the back of the pick-up.

Adam smiled at Amy as she moved close to him
in the cab of the truck.  He gave her a kiss that let her
know exactly how much he missed her.  “I missed you,
babe.”  He breathed in the mixture of her hair and
cologne. 

“I miss you too.”  Amy placed her
hands on his unshaven cheeks and gave him a kiss.  She
leaned her head on his shoulder and snuggled close to him.

Adam pulled back out onto the main
road.  The utility poles flashed by quickly and the
sunset blinded them as it reflected off the
snow.  
Silly Love Songs
 by Wings played
quietly on the radio.

Adam squeezed Amy’s leg.  On the
one hand she was the sweetest girl he had ever met.  And
on the other hand no other girl had ever turned him on as much as
she did.

“So what’s new?”  Amy smiled up at
his rugged face.

“Just work and school.  Then I get
up and do it all over again.”  He
shrugged.  “What about you?”

“Working of course.”  She placed
her hand on his leg, as she softly rubbed it.  “I also
helped Mrs. Dunn from church make centerpieces for Father Kevin’s
going away reception.”

Adam pulled the truck into the parking lot of
the ice skating rink in Bad Axe.  It was full, but that
was to be expected on a Saturday night.  He grabbed their
skates out of the back of the pick-up, locked the truck and took
Amy’s hand.

Adam entered the brightly lit rink with his
arm around Amy.  He guided her through the crowd to the
back where they sat down to lace up their skates.  He
waited for her to finish then held out his hand.  She
placed her gloved hand in his and they skated onto the
ice. 

Adam skated around with Amy to the sounds
of 
Saturday Night
 by Bay City
Rollers.  He’d seen Janet as she skated past and waved at
the two of them.  A few more fast pace songs were played
then the lights were dimmed for the first slow song of the
night, 
My Love Is Alive
 by Gary Wright.

Adam skated behind Amy as he held her in his
arms.  He nestled his face in the nape of her neck
pulling her closer to him.  He enjoyed the movement of
her body against his and the smell of her.  The song
ended and he led her towards the exit.  He held her hand
in his as he glanced around the area to find a table.  He
spotted one that had just been cleared off and headed towards
it.

“Would you like a hot chocolate or something
to eat?”  Adam asked as he noticed the zamboni machine
had come out on the ice.

“Sure, that sounds good.”  Amy sat
down and busied herself lacing her skates that had loosened
up.  “Whatever you want is fine with me.”

“I’ll see what they have.  I’ll be
right back.”  Adam walked away towards the concession
stand.  He ordered a large pepperoni pizza and the hot
chocolates.  “Hey Bob.”  Adam bumped into him
heading in the same direction he was almost spilling the
drinks.

“What’s up Adam?”  Bob followed him
back to the table.  He smiled as he sat down next to
Amy.  “Hi Amy!”

“Oh, hi Bob,” she said startled by his sudden
appearance.

Adam passed Amy one of the hot chocolates he
brought back.  “Watch it.  It’s
hot.  They said our pizza would be up in ten
minutes.”

“Would you like to skate?”  Bob
placed his arm around Amy.

Before Amy could answer Joey and Angie
approached their table. 

“Pizza?  That sounds
good.”  Joey and Angie joined them.  “Have a
seat Angie and I’ll go order us one.” 

Angie sat down next to Adam.  “Hi
Amy.”

“Hi Angie,” said Amy.  “This is
Adam and Bob.”

“Hi Angie.”  Adam and Bob said at
the same time.

“Hi,” she said.  “It is nice to
finally meet you.  Joey has told me a lot about you
both.”

“Uh-oh,” laughed Bob.  “I plead the
fifth.”

“All good,” Angie laughed.  “I
promise.”

“Hi Guys.”  Janet sat down next to
Bob.  “Guess what?  It is
official.  I am moving to New York!  I got the
part of Kendall on My Generations!”

“That’s awesome Janet!”  Amy beamed
at her friend.  “I am so happy for you!! When do you
leave?”

“Next week,” Janet said.  “You will
definitely have to come out and see me sometimes, all of you.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Adam agreed.

“Party in New York,” whooped Bob. 

Adam excused himself as he picked up their
pizza.  Joey and him brought the pizzas back and set them
down on the table to be shared with the gang.  He had a
good time as they talked and made plans about going to New York at
the end of this year.  Adam noticed the way Amy’s nose
crinkled and her dimples shown when she laughed at Joey as he told
one of his latest jokes. 

“Well, you ready to get back out
there?”  Adam offered his hand and helped her out of her
seat.

“I most certainly am,” she took his hand and
he ushered her onto the ice.

Bob whispered to Joey before they were out of
hearing distant.  “What’s up with Adam and
Amy?  Are they together?”

“They’ve been seeing each other for a couple
weeks,” Joey said nonchalantly.  “Why?”

“No particular reason.”  Bob
slapped Joey on the back.  “Well I think I am going to
take off now.  I got myself a hot date tonight.”

“See you around.  Don’t do anything
I wouldn’t do.”  Joey chuckled as he turned around to see
Angie who looked perturbed.  “I’m just
kidding.”  He quickly kissed her and apologized as he led
her to the ice to skate again. 

Chapter 6

 Amy heard the door bell ring while she
stirred the spaghetti sauce.  She placed the lid back on
the crock pot, set the wooden spoon down and rushed out of the
kitchen.  She checked her reflection in the mirror that
hung over the table in the vestibule before she opened the
door. 

“Hi babe.”  Adam stood with his
right hand behind his back.  He gave her a kiss before
holding out the roses he had hidden.  “I even remembered
my books too.”

“Oh, thank you.  That is so
sweet.”  Amy was tickled by his
thoughtfulness.  “Dinner is almost ready so we can eat
before we hit the books.”

Amy led him into the kitchen where the aroma
of the homemade sauce filled the room.  She reached into
the cupboard and produced a vase to place the flowers in with some
water.  She placed the flowers next to the two lit
candles on the table, which was set formal as it had shown her in
the Betty Crocker cookbook.

“Boy, it sure smells good in
here.”  Adam stood and inhaled the smell of her home
cooking.  “Do you need any help?”  He set his
books on the empty chair.