Keeping Faith by Cindy Bradford (serial 11)
Chapter 3
Cindy Bradford
When Sue met Patrick at the airport in Dallas the last week of August, he smothered her with kisses and gave her a tiny box. His plan had been to save the gift until dinner but he was too anxious to wait. Curious, Sue nervously removed the wrapping and opened the package. Inside she found a small, gold ring with a note in Patrick’s handwriting that simply read: Promise me! Immediately she began to cry.
“Hey, now don’t do that. Don’t you like it?” he asked, worriedly.
“I love it and I love you,” she answered.
“Then pledge to me you’ll wait for me and someday be my wife. But tell me we can get out of this godforsaken part of the world.”
Sue laughed, “I promise you both.”
Having spent a year in Townsend, Patrick had finally admitted that it really was a quiet and safe little town where people watched out for each other. When someone was sick, people visited; when someone died, they took food for the family and if a child needed a coat, one mysteriously appeared.
When teenagers acted mischievously, they knew there were consequences. Toilet-papering yards on Friday night automatically meant cleaning them on Saturday morning. Neighbors borrowed a cup of sugar and the local service station owner checked the oil in every car. At night during the summer older people sat in swings on their front porches while the young ones caught fireflies. Signs advertised: Shop Townsend First and people did.
Though not especially different from any other small town in the South, Townsend held a quaint charm and simplicity. Those with old money and those with no money coexisted, both equally proud of their homes and children. Small frame and larger two story brick homes sat alongside one another, nestled beneath tall pine, pecan and occasional sweet gum trees. Fragrant magnolias and creeping moss draped oaks dotted front yards where always the St. Augustine grass was trimmed on Saturday. In the spring, gardenias, camellias and azaleas filled the flower beds and gave a sweet scent to the air.
Now driving the two and half hours back to Townsend, Patrick found himself excited about returning. The young couple talked nonstop about what had happened during the summer, discussing what courses they were taking and time schedules for the classes. Even though they had talked about this repeatedly on the phone, they said it all again.
≈≈≈
Worried, Sue went to Alice at the end of September, “Sis, I need your help”.
Surprised because it had been a long time since Sue had asked her for advice or a favor, Alice quickly asked what was wrong.
“I know you’re probably not going to be happy with me, but sooner or later, most likely sooner, I am going to give in to Patrick…you know…I can’t help it,” she said, blushing. “I love him and I know it is just going to happen. He really tries hard not to push me, but we’re both losing our resolve. Anyway, I need birth control pills, but I just can’t ask Dr. Tilton. Yuk. Can you imagine what he might say? Talk about a lecture…I can hear him now,” rolling her eyes and jerking her shoulders and head quickly as if to shake off the thought.
Alice laughed, visualizing the old doctor who had delivered them both giving her little sis a lengthy lecture in his slow, precise drawl. Then more seriously she said, “Sue, I’m not unhappy with you. If Dwayne and I hadn’t married when we did I wouldn’t have held out much longer. God knows he did everything he could to convince me to have sex. Besides, I hear most everybody over at the college is doing it.
“Listen, as bad as things are between Dwayne and me right now, I still want to get pregnant. I have about two or three months of birth control pills you can have. Then we’ll go over to Planned Parenthood in Rose Hill and get you set up on your own.”
“Thanks Alice, I love ya,” hugging her tight, an act she performed often as they had grown extremely close and dependent on each other since their parents’ deaths.
Without any written prescription or other knowledge about birth control pills, Sue didn’t know much about taking the pill or when it would start being effective. That certainly wasn’t something they taught at Townsend High. She popped one in her mouth and felt a sense of relief.
Still cautious, the next few weeks she held Patrick at bay, but in the last week of October she succumbed to his pressure. After sharing a meal at her house and spending a couple of hours on the couch snuggling and watching television, Patrick kissed Sue fervently, his hands sliding under her blouse. Slowly he undressed her. With his shirt off, their bare skin felt good against each other. Patrick reached for her and felt her moist warmth, “Please Sue.”
“Okay Patrick, I think I’m ready.”
Slightly taken back, he still lost no time in pulling her closer. “Are you sure?”
“Yes Patrick.”
“Can we go to your room so we can be more comfortable?”
“Let’s go to Alice’s room.” She had mentally prepared herself for this moment and somehow it caused her less guilt if it didn’t happen in her own bed where she had slept since she was a baby. It was bad enough that she was doing it in her parents’ house. She took his hand and led him to her sister’s bed.
“Can we leave a small light on so I can see your face?”
“Sure, just leave the door to the bath open.”
He stood with his bare butt to her and with his foot nudged the door open slightly. Crawling back into bed, he kissed Sue tenderly, stroking her body. She loved the way his cologne smelled and the way his skin felt against hers. He was becoming more and more aroused. Sweat beaded on his forehead although the room was cool. Kissing him, she rubbed his moist back as he awkwardly fumbled with a condom. He had been so insistent and sure of himself; now he appeared nervous and clumsy.
≈≈≈
It ended about as soon as it started but both lay there for a long time before talking, spent from the nervous anticipation of the night. It wasn’t at all like she had imagined for so long, plus it hurt–more than she had expected.
As if reading her mind, he offered, “I’m sorry it wasn’t very good for you but this damn mattress didn’t help any. What is it made of?”
Managing a smile, Sue realized he had probably never slept on a feather mattress. “It’s down, down feathers, don’t you like it? Alice and I both have had them since we were little girls.”
“Let me just say it interferes a little with the process. You sunk down so far that I….”
Kissing him she tried to convince him that it had been okay. “We’ll get better.” She couldn’t tell if this was his first time or not, but she didn’t want to ask, fearing it might spoil the moment or make him think she was unsure of him. Nothing mattered except they had been together and Sue belonged to him now.
They lay together for a long time before Sue noticed Patrick seemed distracted. “Is something wrong?”
“This canopy bed gives me the creeps. It makes me feel like I’m inside of something and can’t get out.” He stood up quickly, naked in the light.
She turned her face but really didn’t know why. They had just had sex, yet she felt funny looking at his body. He sensed it and crawled back in the bed, pulling the covers.
“Are you sorry, Sue?”
“Sorry? Only that I waited so long. As you can see, I’m a little inexperienced in all this. It scares me that I love you so much.”
He pulled her closer to him and put his arms around her, holding her tight. “I love you, Sue. Can I stay tonight?”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea, but you can take my car and come over sometime tomorrow. I don’t need it.”
He kissed her tenderly and dressed. She lay there thinking about what had just happened. Soon after she heard him drive away, she fell into a deep sleep, only to be startled by the phone ringing.
“It’s me. I forgot to tell you again before I left that I love you. Sweet dreams,” sounding more confident now than a couple of hours previous. Smiling into the darkness Sue fell back asleep. She woke before dawn and for awhile lay there thinking about Patrick, knowing she would never be the same.
≈≈≈
The next night Sue told Patrick she had gone on the pill in late September.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, leading her this time into her room.
“I knew you wouldn’t want to wait and I still needed time” she whispered, turning to him.
Touching her gently at her waist, he looked around. Even with only the light from the hall, Patrick could tell that the pillows and spread were pink; everything was unmistakably feminine with dainty touches all around the room. Several crystal perfume bottles sat squarely in the middle of the antique mahogany dresser. As Sue tossed the extra pillows on the floor, Patrick glanced at the old fashioned painting of an English style garden above the bed. Pink roses and heather along with other flowers he didn’t recognize surrounded a tiny cottage in the print. It reminded him of a picture his grandmother had in her living room.
Smiling, he asked, “Do you still need time?”
“Whenever you’re ready” Sue answered.
That was all the invitation Patrick needed as he undressed her and then himself. As they settled in between the frilly white sheets, the scallops on the eyelet tickled his skin. He had never been in a bed so crisp. Suddenly he wasn’t thinking about the sheets or the walls or anything but making love to Sue. She seemed to melt beneath him as he slid deeply into her body.
“This is how it’s supposed to be, isn’t it Patrick?” Sue murmured weakly.
For a minute, he didn’t answer and she touched his forehead with her fingers, twisting his hair, whispering the question again in his ear.
“Yes, it was too good to be true. Nothing should feel so special–not to me. I don’t deserve it,” turning slightly and moving his head away from her hand.
“How can you say that Patrick?” reaching over to cup his face. “You deserve the best and we will get better with practice.”
He laughed as if what she said surprised him. “You sound like my coach. But I agree, practice does make for perfection,” as he reached for her again.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she whispered, pulling away. “Enough of a good thing for one night, we have the rest of our lives,” rising and reaching for her robe. Noticing his frown she wondered if she had said the wrong thing or if he was just disappointed that she had put him off.
“You’re going to have to take me back to the dorm you know. You’ll need your car in the morning.” For the first time Sue wished he had a car.
“Can I take a quick shower first?
”Sure, I’ll lay here and wait for you.”
When Sue returned, Patrick was sleeping. He looked content and cute to her. “Wake up sleepyhead, tomorrow’s a school day.”
He dressed quickly without talking. Walking with him to the car, she asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were married and you could just stay here?”
Patrick grimaced slightly, not responding.
“I mean, someday” she quickly added, but the look on his face was not lost on her. Sometimes he perplexed her with his reactions and mercurial moods.
When they reached the dorm he was still quiet, almost pensive.
“I love you, Patrick.”
Turning to look at her, he paused and with a forced smile, said, “I love you Sue,” then quickly jumped from the car, never looking back as he usually did.