Riverbend Reunion(82)

He reached across the console and took her hand in his. “I can just hear the drill sergeant bellowing at the top of his lungs at you.”

Jessica could easily visualize her drill sergeant with her hands on her hips, and fire coming out of her eyes when she looked Jessica in the eye and told her to be proud of her height, and never slump. “Yep, she did. I just realized something. Stella Sullivan missed her calling.”

“How’s that?” Wade asked.

“She would have made an amazing drill sergeant. Can’t you just see her yelling at recruits and kicking a metal trash can down the center aisle of the barracks to wake them up before dawn?” Jessica asked.

“Yes, I can,” Wade agreed. “We’re almost to Killeen. You want to go into the burger joint, or would you rather get it to go and take it to the park?”

“What would you rather do?” she asked.

“I don’t like to share my toys,” he answered.

“Me either, so let’s go to the park, and when we get finished eating, will you push me on the swings?” Jessica asked.

“Anything you want, darlin’. I’m your knight in shining pickup truck tonight,” he answered, “but why would you want to swing?”

“You don’t remember, but one time when I was in first grade and you were in third, we had an Easter egg hunt at the Riverbend City Park. I was the tallest kid in class, and—”

He butted in, “Two of the girls were teasing you. I took you by the hand and led you over to the swings and pushed you until it was time to walk back to the school.”

“I felt pretty that day, and I didn’t even thank you,” Jessica told him.

“You were always beautiful,” Wade said as he pulled in behind a line of cars moving toward the takeout window. “You had on a yellow dress and white sandals that came off when I swung you too high.”

“And you put them back on for me so I wouldn’t get my feet dirty,” she said. “That might have been the first crush I had on you.”

He finally got to the window, ordered their food, and added a banana split. Then he turned toward her while they waited. “I wish we would have had more courage in those days.”

“Not me,” Jessica said. “I think fate was waiting on us to grow up and be adults before she made it possible for us to get to really know each other. We might not have worked out back then.”

“You think we will now?” he asked and then handed the girl who was passing the food out to him a bill. “Keep the change.”

He gave the long, narrow plastic dish to Jessica.

“I hope so,” she answered. “I’ve fought the attraction ever since I got home.”

“Me too.” He drove out onto the street and headed toward the city park.

When he had parked at the edge of the park, he turned to her and asked, “Want to eat in the truck before we go swing?”

“No, let’s go over to that picnic bench.” She pointed to one under a huge shade tree. “I’m not real graceful, and I’d hate to get grease from the fries on your truck seats. If I drop one or two on the concrete, it won’t matter.”

“It will just become ant food,” he told her as he got out of the truck. “I’ll take the food if you’ll carry those two root beers.”

They sat side by side and Wade used the paper sack their food was in as a placemat. “Ketchup?” he asked.

“Yes, please, but not on my fries. I like to dip them, and this burger smells really good,” she said as she unwrapped it.

He squirted ketchup out onto the edge of the sack, dipped a fry into it, and fed it to her.

His fingers brushed against her lips, and the sparks around them reminded her of the Fourth of July fireworks. “You are a romantic,” she said. “I think you’ve been hiding it behind the nerd you wanted everyone to believe you were.”

“I’m glad you think so,” Wade said and then unwrapped his burger and took a bite.

“I don’t think, Wade Granger,” she told him. “I know.”

When they finished their food, he cleaned up their mess and put it all in the nearby trash can. Then he returned to the table and held out his hand.

She put her hand in his and said, “There’s no music, but I’d love to dance if you’ll hum a tune.”

“May I please have this time to swing you, ma’am?” Wade asked.

“I was so involved with the food that I’d forgotten.” She let him pull her up and liked the feeling she had when he kept her hand in his all the way over to the swing set. He gave her time to get seated and then pulled her back a long way and gave her a good push forward.

This time her shoes didn’t fly off, but the stars and moon sure seemed brighter than they had even when they were on their way to the reunion. The wind rushed past her face, and when she stretched out her long legs, she touched the bottom limb of the tree in front of them.

“You’ve got to swing with me,” she said. “This is exhilarating.”

He sat down beside her, pushed off with his feet, and waited until they were going at the same speed to reach over and grab the chain on her swing. She did the same with his, and soon they were one, even if they were in two separate swings.

The moon, what there was of it, had begun to dip lower and lower in the sky, but Jessica didn’t want to go home. Still, tomorrow was a workday, and she was a bear when she didn’t get enough sleep.