Prom Night in Purgatory(27)

“All right,” Maggie surrendered, her voice pitched on a level with his. “Lead the way.”

Johnny took her bike without further comment and pushed it to where the Bel Air was parked at the curb. He popped the trunk, slid her bike in, and closed it without a word. Maggie didn’t wait for him to open her door but, like most girls of her generation, opened it herself and slid inside. For a moment, she was alone in the interior of the car. She breathed in deeply, letting his scent wash over her. She thought of the blonde girl with big breasts she’d seen kissing him the last time she’d sat in Johnny’s car. She wondered if she would ever be able to ride in his car without seeing that kiss. It must have been some kiss to be stamped on the interior like it was.

“You okay?” Johnny asked as he slid in beside her and turned the key.

“I’m definitely not the first girl that’s ridden in this car.”

“Huh?”

“I just saw....I mean...never mind.”

Her voice was sharp, discouraging a follow-up question, and they rode in silence for several minutes.

Johnny flipped on the radio and a song with a driving beat filled the car and shook the dash. He flipped it off almost immediately. Maggie reached out and turned the radio back on, turning the knob until she found what she was looking for.

“There. Is that better?” Elvis begged her to not be cruel, and Johnny visibly relaxed.

"I feel like I haven’t eaten a cheeseburger and a shake for years…” Johnny’s voice trailed off. Maggie giggled and then thought how inappropriate laughing was. None of this was funny in the slightest. But when she looked at Johnny, amazingly enough, he smiled with her, his dimples making their first appearance since Purgatory. Maggie gasped at the jolt of electricity that smile shot straight through her belly. She was in such trouble!

They went to Shimmies again, but this time Johnny pulled into the long line at the drive thru, and Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. She was too tired for drama, and Shimmies was full of teen angst. Maggie took one look at the menu board and knew what she wanted. She always got the same thing. Johnny was still reading the menu, a frown of disbelief between his brows. She guessed that the prices were a tad bit higher than he was used to. Oh well, she’d warned him, hadn’t she?

“Do you need me to buy?” She asked softly. Johnny shot her a look that would have caused her to shrivel up and die had she not grown a rather thick skin over the years. Still, she cringed a little bit. He clearly took her offer as an insult.

“I’ve got plenty of money... but it had better be a darn good burger. The last burger I ate cost fifteen cents.”

“Fifteen?” Maggie squeaked.

Johnny tossed his heads toward the window at the gas station they could see across the road. The fuel prices were displayed on a large marquee. “A gallon of gas used to cost me a quarter. I can’t believe people are still driving cars at these prices.” He looked back at her, his expression unreadable. “You already know what you want?” He changed the subject abruptly.

“I always get the same thing.”

“Not too adventurous, huh?

“Life is disappointing enough without having to take chances on your food. I always go with the sure thing.”

A waitress skated up to Johnny’s window and crouched down so she could see into the car, her pad and paper poised and her eyes drifting over Johnny curiously. Whenever it got really busy, Shimmies sent a girl out to the drive thru on skates to take orders. It gave the place a car hop kind of feel.

“Ready guys?” The waitress popped her gum.

Johnny tipped his head at Maggie and she rattled off her standard cheeseburger, french fry, chocolate shake request.

“Make that two of the same,” Johnny added, his eyes lingering briefly on the girl’s very short shorts, and then looking away quickly. The girl didn’t miss the look, and skated away with a little extra swing in her hips. She even glanced over her shoulder to see if he was watching her. Maggie was pleased to note that he wasn’t.

“None of the girls wear enough clothes,” Johnny murmured, almost to himself.

Maggie raised her eyebrows. “And you don’t like that?”

“Surprisingly enough, no, I don’t.” Johnny sat back in his seat and looked around, his face contemplative. “Some of the mystery is lost if it’s all on display. Half the fun of getting a present is unwrapping it. If you already know what’s inside, why bother?”

They ended up eating their dinner at the little park located about a block off Main Street. Johnny said the park had been there for as long as he could remember. The playground equipment had been updated, and he claimed the trees were much larger than they used to be. He stood beneath one giant oak and tipped his head back, as if trying to count the highest leaves. The sun had set, and the evening shadows merged and touched; the gray of twilight lay softly all around them. They ate in reflective silence, before Johnny spoke up randomly.

"So you always get the same thing?"

"What?"

"You said life was disappointing enough without having to take chances on your food. You said you always go with the sure thing."

Maggie shrugged, dipping a fry into her shake. "When I find something I like I tend to stick with it. Less risk that way, I guess."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense.”