Chapter 8

The Memorial Day parade was a huge success as always. The Bob-Whites helped direct people to the ceremony that followed. The float that Bobby, Larry and Terry’s class had built was a crowd favorite.

The rest of the week flew by. Honey, Diana, and Trixie were busy trying to finish up research papers and studying for their final exams. Dan and Mart had difficulty keeping focused. With the warm weather, they had been hit with a serious case of Senioritis.

Brian and Jim enjoyed the break they were having before summer school started. They had been recruited by Regan to exercise the horses. Everyone else was busy with school. They also helped patrol the preserve so Dan could enjoy the lasts weeks of High School.

Thursday, May 28, 1987

Brian and Jim were out patrolling a remote area of the preserve. Jim was riding Jupiter and Brian was on Lady. All week long, Jim sensed something was bothering Brian but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Jim knew that Brian had resumed dating Honey. That should have been making him happy but Brian just seemed so tense, like he was worried about something.

They rode in silence for several minutes when Jim finally spoke up. “So what’s bothering you, Brian?” he asked.

For a moment Brian was going to deny anything bothering him, but he really needed to talk to someone. He hoped that Jim wouldn’t react the way he feared he would react should the roles be reversed.

“I think you know Honey and I got back together last weekend.”

Jim chuckled, “Well, it would have been hard to miss the way the two of you could hardly be pried apart at the parade.”

Brian looked uncomfortable. “It wasn’t that bad was it?”

“Well, it was a little much,” Jim teased and then continued. “Okay, so you got back together. What’s the problem?”

“You promise not to go big brother on me?” Brian asked. He pulled Lady to a halt and dismounted. Jim followed suit with Jupiter.

“I’ll put on my best friend cap,” Jim replied. He tied his mount to a tree and walked over to Brian.

“Well, Honey and I took our relationship to another level,” Brian said carefully. He couldn’t look Jim in the eye so he stared off into the woods.

“I don’t know,” Jim said seriously. “I might have to go back on my word.”

“We didn’t take it to that level, but I did spend a lot of time on second base,” Brian said wryly.

Jim gasped, “You, Mr. Honorable?” He stepped closer to Brian trying to make eye contact.

Brian shook his head. “I sure don’t feel so honorable now.” He turned to face his best friend.

“Are you regretting your actions?” Jim asked.

“No, it was great and Honey was enjoying it as much as I was.” Brian’s eyes flashed as he remembered the afternoon in the orchard. He chuckled as Jim squirmed a little.

“Okay, I don’t want to know all of the details. This is my sister you’re talking about,” Jim begged. He paused and then continued. “So what else happened? You wouldn’t be revealing this if something else didn’t happen.”

“Saturday afternoon we went to the orchard to talk,” Brian started. He turned to look back out into the woods, seeing nothing.

“Just talk?” Jim asked.

“Well, that’s what it started out as,” Brian started, “But things got a little hot and heavy. My dad saw us.”

“Oh my god, how embarrassing!” Jim exclaimed.

“Yeah, I know. I got a big lecture from Dad about being responsible,” Brian said. He mimicked his dad as he continued, “and that Honey was still a juvenile and what happens if she would get pregnant and be glad Matt Wheeler hadn’t seen you.”

“Wow, no wonder you’ve been acting on edge all week.” Jim observed.

“I don’t know what to do. I know that I don’t want to go any farther than we have. I know Honey is still in high school. But every time I see Dad, I think I see censure in his eyes,” Brian explained. “He said that I was an adult and that he wasn’t going to lecture or mention it again. I need to be responsible for my actions.” He turned back to Lady and mounted her. Jim followed suit on Jupiter. They started off into the preserve again.

After a few minutes, Jim asked, “So what are you going to do?”

“Well, definitely keep dating Honey. Last weekend was so crazy with Reddy’s death and Honey and I working things out. I think we’ll just back off and take things slower,” Brian replied.

“So you’re going to go back to fond looks and dreaming?” Jim asked.

“I said I would be taking it slower not going back to the ice age,” Brian laughed.

The two guys came upon a downed tree. It wasn’t very big and they were able to move it off of the trail. “So how are things with you and Trixie?” Brian ventured.

“Well, we haven’t progressed as much as the two of you have. We’re really working on communicating and trusting one another,” Jim replied. “It sure is nice to be dating again though. I even realized that despite all of the hassles of the last semester, we are probably better off than if we hadn’t broken up.”

The guys finished up their ride and then went to clean up the tack and rub down the horses. Regan was waiting for them in the stables.

“How are things going with you?” Regan started.

“We just finished patrolling in the far west corner of the preserve. There was one tree down that we’ll have to go back with Dan and a chainsaw to cut it up. Other than that the trails looked good.”

“We gave Lady and Jupiter a good work out. Tomorrow we’ll ride Starlight and Susie.”

Regan gave both boys a stern look. “I understand you’re both back with your girlfriends. I hope you’re both being respectful and cautious.”

Brian blushed, but he knew that Regan could not have known what he and Honey had been doing. He just said, “Yes, Regan. They’re both still in high school.”

After all of the work was done, Brian headed back home and Jim went up to his house. Brian would have liked to stop to spend some time with Honey, but she had stayed after school to do some research at the library. He had promised his mother that he would go over and get Bobby at the Lynches’ before dinner. Why Mart hadn’t been asked to do it was beyond him.

Friday, May 29, 1987

Trixie was getting frustrated. She was rapidly getting burnt out from all of the studying she had been doing. She and Jim had spent a grand total of about ten minutes together since Tuesday morning and Honey and Brian had been with them so they had had no privacy. She’d spent more time with Jim when they weren’t dating than they did now.

It had been Dan’s turn to drive the B.W.G. station wagon to school that day. He dropped Mart and Trixie off at Crabapple Farm and then drove the car over to the Manor House where it would be parked.

Trixie trudged into the house, trying to ignore Mart’s ramblings. She was not in the mood for it. Part of her wanted to just go upstairs and hibernate in her room for the rest of the evening. The other part couldn’t wait to see Jim. He had promised they would do something together tonight. Putting a movie in the VCR and falling asleep while watching it sounded like a good idea right about now.

She stopped to talk to Moms in the kitchen. “Jim and I are going out tonight, but I want to take a shower first. The air conditioning at school was on the fritz today. I feel like I spent the day in a sauna.”

“Oh my,” Moms said. “I hope they get it fixed before Monday. It will be difficult to concentrate during finals if it’s not.”

Trixie nodded in agreement, grabbed a still warm chocolate chip cookie and headed toward her room. She passed Brian on the stairs. She hadn’t seen a lot of him all week. He and Jim had been busy exercising the horses and patrolling the preserve. When she had seen him, he seemed to be acting differently. While part of her would have loved to solve that mystery, she had stemmed the concern, remembering what had happened the last time she had tried to interfere with Brian’s personal life.

When she got to her bedroom, she placed her backpack on the floor next to her dresser and threw herself on the bed. Tonight she would not be studying. She was going to enjoy some time with Jim and relax. After a few minutes, she got up to take her shower.

As she removed her shirt, she took a second to look in the mirror. She loved to see how firm and tight her body had gotten in the last year. It had taken a lot of work but she was so grateful for the results. It wasn’t the looks that she was receiving that made her feel so good but just how it helped her self-esteem and self-image. That played into her doing better in her schoolwork as well.

She felt sticky and sweaty and was looking forward to a cool shower. She grabbed a clean pair of new denim shorts and a sleeveless red button front shirt. On impulse she grabbed the red lace bra and thong panties that Honey and Diana had bought her from Victoria’s Secrets for her birthday. At the time, she had sworn she would never wear them. While she wasn’t expecting Jim to see them, she hoped they would make her feel a little more feminine.

Her shower was quick. She put on a little blush and mascara and then ran her fingers through her hair to try to untangle her curls. She pulled on her clothes and then straightened them and headed downstairs. She was just getting into the kitchen when Jim came through the door. Fortunately, no one else was in the room. The two embraced in a hot kiss.

“Wow, you’ve got Wessonality,” said Jim. She smelled like fresh flowers and her hair was still a little damp. He reached up and tugged on the curl he could never resist. Trixie pulled him back and placed a kiss firmly on his lips. “What brought that on?” He was thinking about the conversation he’d had with Brian the day before. Up until now he hadn’t thought about moving their relationship physically. He didn’t want to think about it. His body was ready for some action but he knew he needed to take things slower. He didn’t want to regret moving too fast. Of course, he could be moving too slow as well.

“I don’t know,” said Trixie. “Maybe it’s that I saw more of you the entire semester you were at school than I did in the last week. I thought I’d see you more this week than I did.”

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want to see you, Trix,” Jim started. “I knew you needed to study and I didn’t want to be a distraction. Mother and Dad had some things they wanted me to help with and then there were the horses and the preserve. Next week is finals and then it’s Dan and Mart’s graduation. After that, we should have more time together. At least until Mart, Dan and I go to Victory Camp for two weeks.”

“Don’t remind me. I’m already missing you. I wish the girls could join you. That would be awesome.”

“So what do you want to do tonight?” Jim asked. “We could go to White Plains for dinner or catch a movie at the Cameo.”

“I’d really like to do something low key. This week has been hectic,” Trixie said. “This unseasonable heat hasn’t helped at all.”

“Maybe you’d like to go down to the lake. If you don’t want to go for a swim we could take the Water Witch out and row across it. We could talk.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said. “You might have to do all of the rowing though.”

“Anything for you, Trix.”

After grabbing some fruit and bottled water out of the refrigerator and adding some cheese and crackers to a basket, the two headed up to the Manor House and over to the boathouse. They decided to change into their swimming suits in case they decided to swim later, and then rowed over to the other side of the lake. Jim’s eyes just about popped out of his head when he saw the swimsuit Trixie was wearing. It wasn’t that it was any more revealing than last year’s. In fact, he thought it covered up more. It was that Trixie’s body had become so much more toned. Her thighs were firm and lean and looked like they were about five inches longer than they had been last year, even though he knew she hadn’t grown an inch this year. She filled out the top of her bikini as well. Everything was discreetly covered but there was more to fill the cups. Jim was hard pressed to keep focused on the task at hand, which was rowing the boat. Trixie didn’t have any problems keeping her mind on that task. Jim had changed into his swimming trunks and left his shirt off. He placed the picnic basket in the boat and then grabbed sweatshirts in case it cooled off later. His muscles rippled as he pulled each stroke. Trixie was mesmerized. She hadn’t remembered him being so supple.

As they approached the opposite shore, Trixie got out of the boat to help pull it ashore. When she looked up, she was staring at Jim’s back. Even though she had seen his back many times, it never failed to shock her when she saw the scars that had been left by Jim’s evil stepfather, Jonesy. It angered her that someone could be so cruel. Once they had the boat to secure, he bent to get the picnic basket. Trixie came up behind him and put her arms around him. She rested her cheek on his back and hugged him tight. Then she began gently kissing the length of each scar on his back. He stopped in his tracks, not able to do anything.

“I get so angry that someone would take their rage out on another person,” Trixie said. “I wish I could take all of the hurt away.” She placed one final kiss on the ugliest scar there.

Jim grabbed Trixie’s hands and turned around to face her. He gently kissed her lips and then led her over to a level area along the shore. He spread out a blanket and then pulled her down next to him.

“I used to feel that way, but lately I realized that if I hadn’t experienced that, I wouldn’t have run away, and if I hadn’t run away then I would never have looked for Great-Uncle James, and if I hadn’t looked for him, I would have never met you.” Jim said. “I think I’ve been around Honey too long. I’m sounding like her.” He chuckled.

“I wish I had your compassion,” Trixie said as she snuggled up closer to him. She needed to feel his body physically next to her, though she didn’t want to embrace him quite yet. To distract herself and Jim, she went about pulling out the food from the basket. She was surprised when next to the bottled water she found what appeared to be a bottle of champagne.

Her hands stopped. Part of her wanted to throw caution to the wind and experiment. After all, it seemed like everyone else in school drank at least once in awhile. It was never something the B.W.G.’s did. When one really thought about it, all of them were as honorable and responsible as Jim and Brian.

“What’s this?” she asked as she pulled the bottle out of the basket. “Were you going to try to get me drunk so you could have your way with me?”

“Read the label, Trixie. It’s sparkling grape juice. I just wanted to do something different to celebrate getting back together.”

“Oh,” she said. She was surprised that she was a little disappointed that it wasn’t alcohol. Maybe alcohol would free her inhibitions. She wasn’t ready for sex or even serious foreplay but she would like to move beyond hand holding and stolen kisses. She’d been frustrated last weekend when they’d gone to the movie and the only time their bodies touched during the entire movie was when they both reached into the popcorn at the same time.

Trixie worked in silence as she set out the cheese and crackers. There was more food in the basket than she had thought they’d put in it. She realized that Jim had been planning this or at least hoping for this all along. She was still thinking about the alcohol, or lack of it, when Jim spoke up.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked tentatively.

Trixie didn’t want to lie to him so she didn’t deny it. Instead she answered with her own question. “Why do you say that?”

“Suddenly, you’ve shut down. You’re not even carrying on polite conversation.”

Trixie took a deep breath and realized that now was the time to put her money where her mouth was and express her feelings.

“I just got to thinking,” she started. “I know we talked about taking things slow and I know that I’m not ready for a lot of things but could you show just a little more affection to me?”

Jim looked confused. He thought he had been being the perfect gentleman. “I don’t know what you mean, Trixie. I sure don’t want to make out in front of your family.”

“That’s not it,” she tried to explain, “but when we went to the movie last weekend, I might have well been sitting next to Mart for all the attention you gave me.”

Jim recognized how hard it must have been to bring the subject up and that Trixie was making good on her conviction to improve those communications. “I was cautious because I knew if I wasn’t careful I’d be pushing you to do things neither one of us are ready to do. It’s not something I’m very proud of.”

“Thank you for being careful,” said Trixie. “I know a lot of kids in school have sex and there are days when I think something’s wrong with me because I know in my heart I want to wait, maybe not for our wedding day, but at least until we’re both emotionally ready for any consequences that might occur.”

Jim breathed a sigh of relief and then felt joy. It was so freeing to be able to talk things over with Trixie that he had been afraid to before. As they ate their picnic, they continued to talk about their relationship and what they wanted out of it. It wasn’t a forced discussion and it was one that was filled with laughter.

Jim popped the cork on the sparkling grape juice and then poured it into the plastic champagne flutes he had remembered to pack. They toasted their relationship, their friendships, and their families. With each toast they took a sip and then Jim would place a gentle kiss on Trixie’s lips. When the grape juice was gone, Jim pulled Trixie into his lap and gently placed kisses all over her face. Parts of his body were reacting to Trixie’s bikini-clad body in ways he hoped she wouldn’t notice. He had no intention of listening to his body today. First base was where he was happy to be held up.

Trixie sighed, enjoying the feel of his kisses on her face. She placed her hands on his shoulders and caressed them. Suddenly, without warning, she yawned a tonsil-baring yawn. She placed her arms around Jim’s neck and her head on his shoulder.

“We’ve both had a busy week,” Jim said. “You won’t be offended if I suggest we lie down next to each other and take a nap, will you?”

Trixie pulled Jim down next to her and said, “It’s a perfectly perfect idea.”

Using his shoulder as a pillow, Trixie curled up next to him and threw her arm over his torso. Jim placed his arms around Trixie and in moments they were both sound asleep.

Trixie was awakened by mosquitoes buzzing around her head. She was shocked when she realized that the sun had completely set. They must have been sleeping for several hours.

“Jim,” Trixie said nudging him awake. “Wake up. We’ve been sleeping for hours.”

Jim wiped the sleep from his eyes and glanced at his watch. “Oh, my God!” he exclaimed. “It’s almost eleven o’clock. I can’t believe we slept that long.”

Trixie started to shiver now that she had pulled away from Jim. Jim grabbed her sweatshirt and helped her pull it over her head and then put on his. Quickly, they packed up their supplies, folded the blanket and pushed the Water Witch away from the beach.

This time, Trixie wasn’t admiring Jim’s physique but was worried about what her dad would say. She still had an eleven o’clock curfew unless she had asked permission for a later one, and all week her father had wanted to know her every move. It was driving her crazy.

When they got the boat docked, they took turns changing. Trixie was so nervous about breaking curfew that she didn’t realize she had buttoned her shirt crooked. Her curls were in a shambles and she failed to notice the red bra strap slipping down her arm and that the way her shirt was buttoned, the lace edges of her bra were peeking out.

Fortunately for Jim, he had been wearing a navy blue polo shirt, khaki shorts and dockers. He quickly grabbed the picnic basket in one hand and Trixie’s in the other as they ran back down the hill to Crabapple Farm.

Jim knew they had missed Trixie’s curfew, something that had never come close to happening before. He wasn’t about to let Trixie face her punishment alone. Since they were only about ten minutes late, he didn’t think it would be that big of an issue. Was he wrong.

Mr. Belden was waiting for them when they entered the kitchen. He looked very unhappy. “You’re late,” he said in a tone neither of them had ever heard before.

Glancing at the kitchen clock, Trixie said, “It’s only ten minutes, Dad.”

“I don’t care if it’s thirty seconds. If curfew is at eleven, you need to be in the house at eleven. Not nearby making out like some actors in a bad porno movie.”

Trixie was shocked. First, because what they had been doing was so far from what her dad had suggested and second, because of the language her father had chosen. He never talked like that.

“I’m really sorry, Mr. Belden,” Jim started. “We rowed across the lake and had a picnic. We were both really tired and fell asleep, honest.”

“How do you expect me to believe that? Trixie looks like she’s just gotten out of bed after spending all evening with her lover doing who knows what,” Mr. Belden’s anger got worse. “Your clothes look disheveled and you couldn’t even manage to button your shirt up correctly.” He saw wisps of red lace and got even angrier. “I don’t want to know what your undergarments look like but from what I can see, they look like they are ones meant for looks and not function. And you expect me to believe that all you did was take a nap?”

Jim stood by Trixie, not willing to let her take her father’s ire for something they hadn’t done.

“Honest, Mr. Belden,” he tried again. “Nothing more than a proper kiss happened. We both fell asleep.”

By now Trixie’s eyes were filled with tears. She had no idea what she had done to make her dad so angry with her. Jim however was starting to figure it out.

“Trixie, just go to your room,” her dad insisted. “We’ll discuss your punishment in the morning.”

She burst into tears and started to run up the stairs to her room. Before she hit the first step, she turned around and defiantly walked back to Jim to kiss him good night. It was a proper kiss for a high school student to give her boyfriend. Then she turned and ran up the stairs.

“I think you’d better leave, Jim,” Mr. Belden said as he tried to escort Jim to the door. Jim stopped in his tracks and refused to move. Mr. Belden looked startled.

“I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Mr. Belden, but I’m not going to sit back and have you jump to the wrong conclusions. I didn’t say this in front of Trixie because as far as I know, she doesn’t know what you witnessed last Sunday, but I do. Brian needed to talk about what happened and so he shared his confidence. I’m not going to judge Brian and Honey on their relationship. It’s theirs and unless one or the other is doing something dangerous then it’s none of my business.

“It’s funny because Trixie and I actually discussed where we wanted to go with our relationship. I’m not going into details because that was between the two of us. I can tell you that we want to take things very slowly. Your daughter is seventeen. She’s a smart girl. Have faith in the way you brought her up.”

Jim turned and walked out of the house. He didn’t want to argue any more with Trixie’s dad. He cursed Brian for getting caught in a precarious situation because now her dad would be watching over them like a hawk even though he had no reason to worry, yet.

Peter Belden stomped out of the kitchen and started to head upstairs. He was stopped by his wife of over twenty years. She didn’t look very happy with him.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “If anyone else was home they would have been woken up by all of this commotion.” Just as her husband was about to say something, car lights could be seen out the kitchen window. Brian and Mart were home from their double dates.

Peter didn’t say anything as his two oldest sons walked through the kitchen. Sensing the tension in the air, they chose to quickly head up the stairs to their bedrooms. Peter glared at the back of Brian as he made his way up the steps.

“What’s happening with you?” Helen Belden asked again. “All week you’ve been in a funk and Trixie has taken the brunt of your attitude. Since she has spent most of the week either studying or helping around the house, I can’t figure out what she might have done to earn your wrath. First, last week you moved her curfew up for no reason and then tonight she’s ten minutes late for the first time ever and you go ballistic.”

Peter didn’t say anything for a while. He usually told Helen everything, but he hadn’t told her about finding Honey and Brian in the orchard or the discussion he’d had with Brian afterward.

“I just don’t want to see my little girl grow up,” he finally said. “Now that Jim is back in her life as her beau, I worry about her.”

“You can’t keep her from growing up and maturing,” said Helen. “And if you try, she will just dig her heals in and resist. I wouldn’t even blame her. Has she given you any reason to deserve your mistrust?”

Peter tried to make excuses, “She came home looking like she’d spent the last few hours out in the woods with Jim doing who knows what. She said she fell asleep but I don’t know if I can believe her.”

“Peter, Trixie isn’t one to lie to you or anyone else. And when she does, you always can tell it by looking in her eyes. I don’t think Jim would outright lie to you either. Think about it.”

“I know you’re right, Helen, but she’s still a teenager. What if she does something that she’ll regret later?”

Helen sensed something else was driving her husband’s behavior. “You’re not telling me something, aren’t you?”

Finally, Peter gave in. “I found Brian and Honey in the orchard last weekend in somewhat of a compromising position. It took me by surprise.”

“Oh,” she said. “I bet that was uncomfortable for both of them.”

“I didn’t confront them then but I did have a discussion with Brian later about being responsible. What if Honey got pregnant?”

If finally dawned on Helen why Peter was acting the way he was. “So you think that just because Honey and Brian are, shall we say, exploring their sexuality, Jim and Trixie are too? What about Diana and Mart? I see you didn’t get on Mart because of his brother’s actions.”

Peter stumbled over his words. “Well, Mart’s a guy.”

Helen slammed her fist on the table. “I can’t believe you just said that. That is so chauvinistic. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s wise for our young adult children to be doing that kind of experimenting, but you need to treat your daughter the same way you treat your sons.”

Peter had enough sense to look humbled. “You’re right, dear. I guess I was just so shocked when I walked in on them. In part of my mind, they will always be in grade school.”

“I think you owe your daughter and her boyfriend an apology,” his wife said.

“I know I do,” Peter groaned. “It’s going to be a very long summer trying to not clip our children’s wings.”

 

 

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