Finding Bluefield by Elan Branehama Read Free Book Online
Authors: Elan Branehama
knows if I’ll get this kind of chance again? Nicky finished her cup of wine. “Let’s go,” she said, standing too quickly. She steadied herself on David’s arm as he led her away from the crowd. His hands were soft, but they were strong. He’s probably younger than me, Nicky thought.
Inside the room, David tuned the radio to the march and sent down for soda and snacks. Nicky went into the bathroom to shower while David waited for room service to arrive.
“Your soda’s here,” David called through the bathroom door.
Nicky took a deep breath. “Bring it in.” She looked out from behind the curtain. David had his back toward her as he tried to pass her the glass of soda. Nicky put her hand over his. “Want to wash my back?”
David turned around. “I’d love to.” He stepped into the shower, clothes and all.
“You’re nuts.” Nicky laughed, pushing him out of the shower. “Take those clothes off and I’ll wash your back too.”
When they were both covered with lather, Nicky told David that he could stay where he was, he didn’t need a rubber, she had an IUD. Later, when they moved to the bed, with the radio broadcasting Martin Luther King’s dream about his children, David and Nicky drank more wine and made love more times. When David fell asleep, Nicky got dressed. She didn’t want David to know much about her, and she hated lying. Keeping in touch with him wasn’t a choice. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to David, or the kid, she told herself as she wrote him a note thanking him for a wonderful afternoon and apologizing for the fact that she had to run out to catch her bus home. She added that if she were ever in San Francisco, she’d look him up. She wanted to sound casual, so he wouldn’t follow her. She grabbed her bag and closed the door quietly behind her.
Back at the reflecting pool, in the middle of a huge crowd, Nicky lay on her back and soaked in the rest of the splendid, special afternoon. Just too good to be true, she repeated to herself. She couldn’t stop smiling and she couldn’t wait to tell Barbara.
In the evening, on the bus heading back to Bluefield, during the singing, the eating, the celebrating, the recounting, the retelling of the good day just passed, Nicky thought about being pregnant. This will put an end to all those rumors about Barbara and me, she laughed to herself. And after I have the baby, no one will ever bother us again. Everything will be fine because people will know there was once a man in the picture and they will feel pity. Pity because some guy took advantage of me and left. No one would want to marry me after I had a kid. And then they’ll just write us off as a couple of spinsters. But they’ll leave us alone.
Of course, everyone in town knew that Nicky had gone out with Tommy Baines back in high school. He was captain of the football and basketball teams and had a smile that opened doors. That was around the same time that Nicky had a confusing crush on her gym teacher. So when Tommy Baines, star running back, asked Nicky to go with him to the pep rally, she thought that he was just what she needed. Tommy turned out to be a nice guy, and nice to her, and Nicky had a great time with him. But he did little to cure, or even explain, her crush. That didn’t happen till Nicky slept over at Mary Beth’s house. Mary Beth’s parents were away, and she had asked Nicky to keep her company. They watched American Bandstand and ate vanilla ice cream with corn chips and Mary Beth asked about Tommy.
“Seems like something is missing,” Nicky said. “Maybe I’m doing something wrong.”
“Maybe he is. What do you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Details.”
“We just do it,” Nicky stuffed some chips in her mouth.
“If I’m going to help you, I need information,” Mary Beth said.
“It’s usually in his father’s Buick. He has this new Skylark. I love that car. It’s a red convertible with a white top. But we leave the top up when we
Inside the room, David tuned the radio to the march and sent down for soda and snacks. Nicky went into the bathroom to shower while David waited for room service to arrive.
“Your soda’s here,” David called through the bathroom door.
Nicky took a deep breath. “Bring it in.” She looked out from behind the curtain. David had his back toward her as he tried to pass her the glass of soda. Nicky put her hand over his. “Want to wash my back?”
David turned around. “I’d love to.” He stepped into the shower, clothes and all.
“You’re nuts.” Nicky laughed, pushing him out of the shower. “Take those clothes off and I’ll wash your back too.”
When they were both covered with lather, Nicky told David that he could stay where he was, he didn’t need a rubber, she had an IUD. Later, when they moved to the bed, with the radio broadcasting Martin Luther King’s dream about his children, David and Nicky drank more wine and made love more times. When David fell asleep, Nicky got dressed. She didn’t want David to know much about her, and she hated lying. Keeping in touch with him wasn’t a choice. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to David, or the kid, she told herself as she wrote him a note thanking him for a wonderful afternoon and apologizing for the fact that she had to run out to catch her bus home. She added that if she were ever in San Francisco, she’d look him up. She wanted to sound casual, so he wouldn’t follow her. She grabbed her bag and closed the door quietly behind her.
Back at the reflecting pool, in the middle of a huge crowd, Nicky lay on her back and soaked in the rest of the splendid, special afternoon. Just too good to be true, she repeated to herself. She couldn’t stop smiling and she couldn’t wait to tell Barbara.
In the evening, on the bus heading back to Bluefield, during the singing, the eating, the celebrating, the recounting, the retelling of the good day just passed, Nicky thought about being pregnant. This will put an end to all those rumors about Barbara and me, she laughed to herself. And after I have the baby, no one will ever bother us again. Everything will be fine because people will know there was once a man in the picture and they will feel pity. Pity because some guy took advantage of me and left. No one would want to marry me after I had a kid. And then they’ll just write us off as a couple of spinsters. But they’ll leave us alone.
Of course, everyone in town knew that Nicky had gone out with Tommy Baines back in high school. He was captain of the football and basketball teams and had a smile that opened doors. That was around the same time that Nicky had a confusing crush on her gym teacher. So when Tommy Baines, star running back, asked Nicky to go with him to the pep rally, she thought that he was just what she needed. Tommy turned out to be a nice guy, and nice to her, and Nicky had a great time with him. But he did little to cure, or even explain, her crush. That didn’t happen till Nicky slept over at Mary Beth’s house. Mary Beth’s parents were away, and she had asked Nicky to keep her company. They watched American Bandstand and ate vanilla ice cream with corn chips and Mary Beth asked about Tommy.
“Seems like something is missing,” Nicky said. “Maybe I’m doing something wrong.”
“Maybe he is. What do you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Details.”
“We just do it,” Nicky stuffed some chips in her mouth.
“If I’m going to help you, I need information,” Mary Beth said.
“It’s usually in his father’s Buick. He has this new Skylark. I love that car. It’s a red convertible with a white top. But we leave the top up when we