Sabrina

Tuesday July 13, 1988

Nick rides toward one of the nicer subdivisions on the edge of town in a flurry of warm breeze along with, well, something outside the numbness and disconnect he’d come to call home the past few months.

Sabrina had offered to pick him up but he didn’t want to trouble her, since they’d agreed to meet up in the morning to beat the heat. Her folks both work so it would just be them.

Last night Nick had felt something, and it felt like too little too late. He had gotten one of the library finds dubbed before the TV came on and would cause noise on the tape, so he grabbed a walkman and found some existing stock to review. 

First was some of from about third grade with Tim and some neighbor kid screwing around in Tim’s room and at some points were pretty lucky Irene wasn’t in earshot. He gets about two-thirds through the side then gives up after of it seemed pretty juvenile and ignorant. Life.

He sees some familiar faces driving around and one even throws a disapproving gooseneck, fuck ‘em. Nick doesn’t really care for driving unless there’s a purpose. From a bicycle the world still seems big and impressive, why be in a hurry to conquer it?

So after stashing the screwball tape for some reason he grabbed a dub of someone’s Krokus release from two summers ago, the one with the cover of School’s Out, which he had gotten to compare with the original (a library find of course) and had to give Krokus credit for a faithful rendering, even down to Marc Storace dong a decent growl like Alice.

But the first track, Now, caught him off guard. Back then it just seemed like keyboard-laden attempt to fit in to the times and get hits. Then last night, the desperate, passionate dead-of-night plea to a would be companion seemed to land too close to a place he’d never thought to still exist.

Actually…Nick can’t even say for sure he’d actually been there, as in, that emotional realm where this oft ignored and mostly forgotten ditty tries to take things. Through all those moments with DJ, which at this point seem if only imagined, lots of laughs, a stolen peck here and there, hell, he never really knew what she really wanted, but then, she wasn’t terribly picky either. That grin was just glad to see him for some reason.

Still, somewhere in the chorus it was tempting to believe she, yes, even Danni Jeanne Eversole, might have been open to those kinds of feelings, somewhere in the aether of space and time.

But for the moment, he needed to arrive at some conclusion before reaching his destination, and so the best he has, she’s someone he can believe in….and for that matter, kinda needs to believe in. And so, that brings it all squarely back to purpose.

At this point he also believes in his sense of direction, the streets are just as they were on the phone-book map and he doesn’t even need to peek at the address he’d stuffed somewhere in his jorts. This is the kind of neighborhood where you have no reservations about leaving your bike out front. For some reason he feels like he has to find the front door, lots of nice plants, some hanging, some in the ground (and obviously watered religiously these days), and so the front bay window is mostly hidden. 

With a bit of trepidation Nick reaches to knock on the door when he hears it unlock and it opens. 

“It’s about time, Swanson,” she grins and steps out of the way to let him in. 

Instinctively, or nervously, Nick feels the need to remove his kicks before leaving the small tiled landing.

“Well aren’t you trained?” 

“This looks like nice carpet.”

“Nick, relax.”

“I’ll try.” He finishes his shoes to look up at her smile as a mature yorkie pops up to pay respects.

“Who we got here?” At lest he knows to offer his knuckles as a greeting.

“This would be Cato.”

“Better than Cujo. So like in the Pink Panther movies?”

She raises her eyebrows, clearly impressed, and in that crisp, businesslike tone of hers, “Very good, young jedi, you’re coming along well.”

“We watched those on Sunday nights.”

“Never missed ‘em.”

They lock eyes briefly, then he breaks, “Like your haircut,” although right away he cringes that it didn’t come out right. But it does suit her well, went from a middle part down to her neck to an elegant high-and-tight, shaved all around but with a perm on top that some girls do, just right, not that she’s terribly girly. Actually she’s always been somewhat of a tomboy, winsome, capable, until this past years he’d only known her for receiving awards and other recognitions in assemblies. So what’s he doing here?

Her smile subtly widens, “Thanks, figured this would help till the heat breaks. OH, you’ll like this, c’mon…” then leads him back into the hall, which feels weird, except it’s not a bedroom, well, it’s a spare room with a treadmill, a weight set, and a Squire bass guitar with a small amp.

Before he knows it she’s strapped in and has a finger on a boombox, and from it emerges a familiar sound, takes a second, and just as she starts to strum it all comes back, been a while since he’d heard any Maiden, and this was the live cut, Number Of The Beast. Even after all he’d been through in the area of music shunned by evangelicals and taking a stand, he tended to keep the more controversial material out of the house; it felt like a sensible penance for all the trouble he’d caused.

But he’s certainly glad there’s some Maiden in this house, damn, talk about following a hard act, pretty much note for note with the indefatigable Steve Harris. Sometime during the big finish she stops the tape and Nick can’t resist,

“Wow, how long you been doing that?”

“Well, it’s something besides the usual, you know?”

“Sure been a lot of usual lately.”

She pauses, for a tomboy she’s got lovely eyes and those freckles pop. “Yeah around here it’s a lot of art jazz and Dad’s a dead head all the way. But we’re gonna stop the usual today. You got enough energy to stroll a few blocks to the park?”

“Always.”

Not surprising that she’s dressed nearly the same as he is, but with pocket shorts and a loose t-shirt. As they walk along, Nick realizes he had subconsciously avoided checking her out before, it just didn’t seem to be that vibe and that’s very refreshing, to have things to talk about and not just jive and tension, or worse, attitudes.

She picks up, “Do both of your parents work?”

“Dad runs one of the labs at JAMBCORP, mom, well, she volunteers here and there and sometimes teaches piano.”

“Well that’s nice, yeah, you know my dad teaches at the twig and mom became a paralegal a few years ago.”

“Oh, at a law office?”

“Yeap -”

“The one with Hank Deacon?”

“YES! He’s the best, I’m thinking of law you know -”

“I met him at the pool yesterday, used to mow his lawn and he’s kinda my Obi Won”

Without warning she squeezes him, starts to emit a muted ‘eeeeeeee’ and tries to pick him up, then giggles. “Oh I suck, that was awkward.”

“No complaints here.”

She lets go and keeps walking, leave it to her to take the lead, looks the other way for the first ten steps through more still houses.

“Nick, does this feel…right?”

For once he gets the wise idea to stay quiet.

She looks over finally, blankly.

After a pause, “I wouldn’t be here if it hurt.”

She slowly smiles and looks ahead.

“I don’t think either of us date very much…”

He picks it up, “I haven’t really talked to anyone since last summer, before the blow up.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah.”

“Nick I had the best time in our labs, I hope we can keep that going.”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”

She sighs. “You don’t have to. I never know if it’s a good idea to make a move, that usually goes wrong, I mean….okay, I might as well ask, you don’t carry a condom with you?”

Nick pauses, “Um, no.”

She takes a breath, “See? That proves my point, it’s not about that, or it doesn’t have to be, not all the time.”

“Relax, Staas.” They had gotten on last-name basis only after a couple labs. 

This gets a wry glare, “I know, I know, thanks, Nick.”

“I know what you mean, and I am in no hurry to do anything that requires a proph…prophyl…”

“A cock sock?”

They nearly double over laughing then press on after most of a recovery. Nick becomes increasingly aware of how they are both a tad lanky and more than a tad pallid, she must avoid sun as well, at least this summer.

And in that vein they happen upon a rather mature oak, like the ones near his elementary school, replete with shade despite the punishing dry heat of late, and again, without warning, she takes him to the ground with an improvised move and pins him down, on his side and curled up with her chin digging into his skull.

“This do anything for ya?” she taunts.

“Make…no…sudden…moves….” he grunts with his mouth against his own bare knee,, “...I….have you right…where I…want you.”

During that tirade he planned his move and tries his luck making a grab at the back of her knee, and alas, she’s more than a little ticklish, this gets him somewhat free but she yelps into his ear.

Not wasting a chance, Nick keeps squeezing any part of her knees or calves he can reach but has too much reverence to be overt, except when she tries to reposition and he licks her ear.

She draws up in a ball and covers her mouth, and he tries not to notice what he can see of her face flush.

“You OK?”

“I’ll live.”

After a pause, he takes a chance and sits behind her, and after a near equal pause, she leans back on him a bit.

She draws a breath, “I hate to ask, but what are we now?”

“What were we before?”

“Friends, I hope.”

“Has that changed?”

“I hope not.”

“Better not.”

“So you were busy first part of the summer?”

“Yeah, took a class out at campus, Dad was able to arrange it so it counts both for high school and college. I’ll kinda start college early this year.”

“Damn.”

“I know, I’m a geek.”

“A popular geek.” Right away he felt the twinge.

She leans up slightly and gives the universal expectant look.

“What? You’re a popular babe.”

This gets a smile and she studies him for a second before resuming her lean.

“You really meant that, Nick, thanks.”

“Of course I did.”

“You can probably tell that popularity, as far as what people think, doesn’t really mean shit to me.”

“Why should it?”

Silence.

Nick lets it go.

“Well, you know how my class is mostly partiers, sadly a lot of my favorites graduated with your brother.”

“But you’re always talking to someone whenever I see you.”

“Well, duh, I’m popular, remember?”

“I earned that one.”

She laughs. “Well I do like people…well, sometimes. To a point. I think you know what I mean.”

Nick sighs. “So you have a summer now?”

“Yeah, we’re headed to South Dakota at the end of the week.” She turns around, “can we hang out a little more before then?”

Nick gets a little flushed at her puppy eyes, “Well I see the dentist tomorrow.”

“Fun, yeah I gotta pack anyway, keep the wolves away you know.”

“Yeah, but Thursday i think Mom has another piano lesson so I’d love to get out.”

“Is the student that bad?”

“She’s just…churchy.”

“Ahh…got it….you probably figured we’re intellectual heathens. My brother is up at Northwestern applying for fellowships, chip off the ol’ block.”

“Deke went there. OH, Tim is in boot camp.”

“Wish him luck for me, we sat together in Algebra.”

“He obviously didn’t cheat off you.”

“Hey, different strokes.”

“He’s a different stroke alright.”

She just shakes her head, then readjusts her lean.

He realizes there’s a twinge of apprehension being near her like this.

She draws a deep breath and relaxes more deeply. “If you’re not careful I’ll doze off.”

“Be my guest.”

“Maybe I already did, I can never tell.”

“I rarely remember being asleep.”

She gently places a hand behind his neck and plays with his hair. “For the record, I like your hair shorter like this.”

“Seems everyone does.”

“Makes you look like a MAN.”, and attempting a Mr. T voice, “Hey boy, come over here,” then she explodes into laughter and sits up bury her face in her knees.”

“We did a lot of wise-assing in lab didn’t we?”

“Nick that was the best.”

“Helped me get through the year.”

“I’m glad, it was my favorite part of the week, not kidding.”

Nick lets that float.

“Gonna be hot again today, too bad.”

“I’d get us some ice cream but didn’t bring my wallet.”

“The one with the rubber in it?”

Nick sighs while she goes into another gale, then while recovering, 

“We have some ice cream at the house if you want.”

He thinks a second. “Better yet, I can ride home, come get you in the car and you can meet my Mom, maybe we can raid the fridge if you want some lunch?”

Still grasping her knees, she lights up and holds a gaze. 

Nick stands up, offers a hand, and off they go, as she takes his arm.