Second Base

“Thompson!”

Robert Thompson slammed the door to the Corvair and moved toward the trunk.  “Hey Freestone.”

“Have a good Christmas Break?”

Robert shrugged and pulled his suitcase out of the back.  He didn’t want to really talk about staying with his brother.  Dad had split when he was ten, and since Mom died during his senior year in high school, Christmas didn’t really seem much like Christmas anymore.  George was his legal guardian.  Fifteen years his senior, George had been on his own already when the family fell apart.  He had visited Robert and Mom for holidays, and spent some time with his little brother doing things a dad should have been doing. After that last Christmas, when Mom had been too sick to decorate, things had never been the same.  He and George hadn’t even had a Christmas tree this year, and that impeccably decorated apartment on Lakeshore wasn’t really a home, at least not to Robert. “I survived.  You?”

“The usual.”  Ron Freestone slammed the door of the powder blue Cadillac.  “My dad said to tell you to come by some time next week and he’ll have that recommendation for you.”

Robert grinned at his frat brother.  “Thanks, Ron.  That’ll be a big help.”

Ron shrugged.  “Yeah, sure.  Like your four-oh average and the work you’ve been doing with Professor Tenner wouldn’t make you a shoo-in for a slot in med school.”

“Your average is just as good.”

Ron grinned and opened the door to the fraternity house for Robert.  “Welcome to home-sweet-home.”

The frat house with its polished wood and constant smell of stale beer wasn’t home either.  Robert really felt that he didn’t have a home any more.  Besides that, he missed Susan.  He had fallen in love with her the moment he saw her and spent as much time as possible with her.  She had been in Texas with her parents for the past three weeks and her absence left a physical ache.  When he did think of home, it was a future home, where Susan fixed supper for them, and the Christmas tree was beautifully decorated by her.

“Kat called me yesterday.  Her flight and Susan’s come in at the same time.  She suggested I pick them both up.”

Robert nodded.  Katherine was Ron’s girlfriend.  They met at a rush party Robert had invited Susan and her roommate to.  Ron was not his closest friend in the fraternity.  They frequently had different views on things, and arguments ensued, but in all, Robert liked Ron.  Since Susan and Katherine were close, they spent a good deal of time double dating.  At least Ron was intelligent. 

“Think we can fit all their luggage in one car?”  Robert asked. 

“I hope so.  They didn’t take much home, but will probably bring tons of stuff back.  They always do.”

Robert nodded.  He had talked to Susan by long distance on Christmas day and again on New Year’s Day.  She had told him all about the new outfits she got for Christmas.  He had intended to pick her up himself, and knew she expected him at the airport.  If Ron drove, he and Sus would have the back seat all the way back to school, although, she and Katherine would probably talk all the time. 

Ron opened the door to his room for him.  Robert’s roommate, Charlie Duncan, sat on his bed, nose in a book. 

“Hey, Thompson, Freestone.”

“Duncan,” Robert acknowledged.

“Ready to get back to work?”  Charlie asked.

“Huh,” Robert remarked.  Ron slouched at the foot of Charlie’s bed while Robert tossed his suitcase on his own bed.  The Frat house was closed during Christmas break, but Robert had driven over from his brother’s place nearly every day.  There was always plenty to do in the labs, and he’d preferred to rack up some extra hours while Susan was away.

Robert began stowing away his clothes as Ron checked out the book Charlie was reading.  It was their text for this semester’s comparative anatomy class.  Ron snatched the book from him and Charlie hit Ron with a pillow as he admonished Ron not to lose his place.  It was reputed to be a tough class and Charlie wanted to read ahead.  Robert glanced over and noted that Charlie was in the middle of chapter three.  That was the chapter on avians versus reptilians.  Charlie was on the section about flightless birds.  Robert had already read the entire text, and, as usual, remembered every page he read.  He hoped the professor’s lectures were interesting.  Charlie was every bit as bright as Ron, and Robert enjoyed associating with them.  The friends he had made in college had certainly proven more satisfying than the clowns that had inhabited his high school. 

That afternoon he found himself at O’Hare waiting for Susan’s flight to come in.  Katherine’s flight did indeed arrive at almost the same time and in the same terminal by some miracle.  Katherine was from North Carolina and they were flying on the same airline.  Ron leaned against the back of a row of chairs and lit a cigarette while they watched the passersby.  He automatically offered one to Robert.  Robert shook his head.

“What’s the matter, Thompson?  Chicken?”

Robert glared at him.  “Ask me that again when your lungs turn to goo and you’re gasping for breath.”

“Oh, come on, lighten up.  That’s just an exaggeration.”

“I watched it happen to my mom.  She died about three years ago. Lung cancer.”

Ron had the grace to look sheepish.  He didn’t put out his own cigarette, but he did put the pack away without any more jibes.  Katherine’s plane pulled into the gate about that time and Ron headed toward the disembarking area.

Robert turned toward the other gate.  A plane was also approaching it.  He waited impatiently as an assortment of businessmen, tourists, families and students walked past.  Susan was wearing a pale pink suit with matching pillbox hat.  Her heavy coat was draped over one shoulder.  It was tan with a fox fur collar and buttons.  She looked stylish and elegant as usual.  She smiled with delight as their eyes met and she rushed over to him.  He pulled her into his arms, crushing her to him. 

“I missed you so much!”  He murmured into her ear.

Before she could say anything, there was a squeal from behind him. 

“Susan! Is that a new coat?”  Katherine rushed over, Ron in tow. 

“Mother and I went shopping in Dallas,” Susan said. She turned to show off coat and suit to her friend. “We got it at Neiman’s.”

Knowing he wouldn’t get another word in, much less a kiss, Robert took Susan’s elbow and began to lead their little pack through the other passengers to baggage claim.  The two girls chattered away as if they hadn’t seen each other in years.  Robert simply enjoyed hearing the sound of Susan’s voice.  Ron lit another cigarette as they waited for the bags, but he stood well away from Robert.  Susan and Katherine handed over their claim checks to the men and vanished into the ladies room, still talking nonstop.

Within a half hour they were headed for school, the Cadillac’s huge trunk filled to capacity and Susan sitting close to him to accommodate two more bags in the back seat.  Ron teased the girls about exceeding the weight limit for the airplane baggage.  Robert held Susan in his arms.  She continued to chat with Katherine, but as they made plans for the evening, she turned to Robert and whispered, “Bring your car to supper.” 

Robert knew what that meant.  They would meet the others for burgers, then slip away for an hour or so to themselves in the back seat of the car.  He nodded in agreement and she smiled at him in reward.

There was a new burger shop near the campus.  Ron’s family lived close by since his father was a professor at the University, so he had scoped it out over their break.  Susan’s closest friend, Monica, was dating Robert’s roommate, Charlie and the six of them were all at the new restaurant sharing a corner booth by sundown.  The table practically groaned with the weight of the food consumed by the young group, barely out of their teens.  They shared a couple of platters of fries and onion rings, everyone had burgers and shakes of various flavors and sodas and Charlie wanted to try their ice cream sundaes for desert. 

They discussed their schedules for the upcoming semester and the professors they had drawn.  Charlie was teasing Susan about her major again.  It was a constant source of conflict between the two of them, but Susan never had any problem defending herself.

“The past is dead, Susan.  Why bother?”  He asked, draining his coke with a bubbling slurp from his straw.

“Because, Charles, I find it extremely interesting.  Besides, we can learn a lot from our past.  Those ancient Greeks you’re always telling me I don’t need to know about were the ones who invented that oath you boys are all so anxious to take.”

“First of all, do no harm,” Robert prompted his roommate with a smile.

“Okay, okay, but what are you going to do with this degree?”

Susan looked smug.  “Actually, I’ve already been offered a job.  I’m going to work at the museum in the restoration department.  Dr. Jackson has just returned from a dig in the Mediterranean and has been looking for someone to catalog and restore the objects she brought back.”

“Dr. Jackson?  Angela Jackson?”  Ron asked.

“That’s right.  I had a class with her last term.  We got to talking one afternoon and she offered me the position.  I start next week part time.”

“That sounds really exciting, Sus,” Monica said.  “It’s just what you wanted.”

“I’d love to go on a dig sometime too.  See Greece and Egypt,” Susan said.

Robert certainly didn’t want her to leave for exotic places any time soon.  He wanted her close by, with him.  He knew quite well that med school would keep him here and fully occupied for years to come.  He had his finances worked out to pay for med school.  His mother’s house had been paid for and she had a small life insurance policy.  On George’s advice, she had willed the house to Robert to be sold and used for his education.  As her executor and Robert’s guardian, George placed the proceeds for the sale in certificates of deposit, timed to mature at the beginning of each semester.  He would have enough to pay for basic living expenses, tuition and books through med school, but no extras.  Clothing, auto expenses, and dating were paid for from his job at the lab at school.  There was a small amount left for savings, but certainly not enough for wandering around the globe.  But someday, he knew that would change.  He could imagine Susan and himself sitting in a sun-drenched café enjoying a view of the Parthenon, or overlooking the brilliant blue Mediterranean.   They would explore ruins together, with her telling him tales about Alexander the Great and the others she loved to read about.

“Dr. Jackson is a tough old bird.  I took her ‘Intro to Archaeology’ my freshman year.  I couldn’t believe the amount of reading.”

Susan nodded.  “I took it with her too.  I thought it was a fascinating class.  I did my term project on the interpretation of engravings on certain Greek urns.”

Ron rolled his eyes.  “I’m sure that impressed her.  I couldn’t stay awake in the class.  I can’t even remember what I did my project on.   I just remember the whole thing being torture.”

“That’s okay, Ron.  I wouldn’t stand a chance in Microbiology,” Susan said with a smile.  “I sat in on that class with Robert last term and only understood about every third word.”  The class was his last on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Susan’s classes ended at two forty and Robert’s Micro class started at three.  She got in the habit of meeting him and sitting in the auditorium for the lecture then they would have dinner together and spend the evening studying together at the library.   The class was large but never completely filled the auditorium so no one noticed that she wasn’t a registered student.  Although she had helped Robert study for the class she never seemed to grasp the subject.  Robert loved the fact that she continued to come with him just because he was there.

He put his arm around her.  “Someday, maybe we can explore Greece together.”

Susan beamed at him.  “I can’t think of anything I’d like better.  Did you register for that Greek course like we talked about?”

“My last class on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”  Robert nodded.  “Although I don’t think being fluent in Ancient Greek will be much of an advantage while traveling.”

“Probably not, but it’ll be fun to take a class together,” she replied.

“And study together.”

Charlie groaned at the mention of studying.  “I’m not ready to talk about studying right now,” he said. 

Talked turned to other subjects.  Susan asked Robert for a couple of quarters and slid out of the booth to feed the jukebox.  Monica joined her while the others argued about desert.  They talked over the songs listed and which ones they should choose.  There was a small dance floor by the jukebox, but Susan wasn’t finished eating yet and didn’t want to choose dance music yet.  Robert kept a close eye on his girl, just enjoying her movement as she tossed back her ponytail and toyed with the chain that connected her sweater at the neck.  He didn’t notice a man approaching from the other side of the restaurant until he leaned against the bubble of the jukebox, practically leaning on Susan.  He could hear him though.

“Want to dance, sweetheart?”

“I’m not your sweetheart,” Susan said, turning back to Monica.

Then man leaned over her shoulder.  “Not yet, anyway.  Let’s give it a try.”

The man stood close to Susan.  Monica was on her other side and there was nowhere to move to.  She looked over at their table and saw Robert.  The look she shot him clearly asked for help.  Robert stood and started across the room, ignoring Ron’s urgent call from the table.

The man was lean and tall, but Robert was taller.  “She said she wasn’t interested.”

“My conversation is with the lady here,” the man practically growled.  He wore a rumpled suit and reeked of aftershave.  He took in Robert’s slacks, buttondown shirt and sweater and added, “college boy.”

Robert stepped around the man and took Susan’s arm.  “We can listen to music later.”

“I think you ought to let the pretty lady make up her mind,” the man said.  “Come on, honey.  Why not try dancing with a real man?”  He held out a hand to her.  The back of his hand was covered with coarse dark hair and he wore two thick gold rings on his fingers.

Susan shrank back against Robert.  Monica had backed away and circled back to the table.  Both Ron and Charlie were now on their feet. 

“I think you need to learn some manners.  The lady isn’t interested.”

The man took a step closer, his chest practically brushing against Robert.  “Oh, yeah?  Well, who’s gonna be the teacher, Junior?”

Robert put his left arm around Susan and gently guided her behind him as he pulled his right arm up, nudging the man in the chest.  He put just a bit of force behind it, shoving the man backwards.  The man gave a small hop backwards to maintain his balance and with a blur of motion, there was suddenly a gold handled switchblade in his hand. 

Robert saw the flash and knew what it was in a heartbeat.  He hadn’t seen one since high school, but his reflexes hadn’t dulled in the two years since.  He gripped Susan’s arm and pushed her away a little harder, she stepped back into Charlie with a little cry.  He hoped Charlie had seen the knife too and would get Susan out of the way.  Instead of trying to reach for the knife, his arm was still bent and his elbow pointed towards the man’s chest.  He stepped into the man and brought his elbow up against the other’s chin.  As it made contact he reached down for the man’s wrist and twisted.  As the blade ‘snicked’ open, it fell from his opponent’s hand, landing on the floor with a clatter.  The room was quiet as the knife clattered to the floor.  Ron stepped in and picked up the knife.  The owner of the restaurant hurried over.  Ron surrendered the knife to the owner who quickly bustled the man toward the doorway.  As the owner dragged the man out he assured the young people that the police had been called and this man wouldn’t be welcome in here again.

Robert turned toward the table and Susan rushed to him from Charlie’s arms.  He held her close and felt her trembling.  “It’s okay, honey.  He’s gone.”

“I want to go, Robbie.”  She said softly.

“He won’t bother us again.”  Robert had dealt with bullies before.  George had long ago taught him that bullies usually backed down once they found out you wouldn’t take nonsense from them.  The neighborhood they grew up in had become a tougher place over the years and George had made sure his little brother could defend himself.  It was certainly easier, however, once he had attained his full growth of well over six feet.

“Please, Robbie.  Let’s just get out of here.”

Robert nodded.  They were almost finished anyway and he no longer had an appetite.  He pulled out his wallet to pay for their share. 

The owner, a heavyset man with a bald head and a tattoo of an eagle on his forearm hurried over.  “I’m sorry about that folks.  That’s not the kind of place I want to run here.  I’ll be pressing charges against that hoodlum.”

“Thank you,” Robert said. 

“I don’t want yous ta go away angry.”  The man almost sounded like a thug himself.  He had been in the kitchen and still wore a white work apron over his plaid shirt.  The sleeves were rolled up to reveal meaty arms. He looked like the kind of man who inhabited the gym where Robert learned to box.

“We’re not, but Susan here was a bit shaken up.  I think we should just settle up and go now.”

“It’s on da house,” the man said, waving at the table and the whole party magnanimously.  “Just promise me you’ll give da place another chance.”

Robert hesitated.  He looked at Susan who put her hand in his and gave him a small nod.   “That’s very generous of you.  Sure, we’ll come back again.”

Ron was standing at his shoulder.  He nodded over at Charlie who had returned to the table and was finishing up the bowl of French fries.  “Looks like the food passes muster.  Yeah, we’ll be back.”

Robert had to smile.  Not much disturbed his roommate’s eating habits. 

They barely spoke as they left the restaurant.  They bowed out of going to a movie with the others and wished them a good night.  It was still early.  Susan didn’t have to be back to the dorm until eleven.  Robert pulled out of the parking lot and headed away from the campus.  Susan leaned back in her seat with a sigh and placed her hand on his thigh.  He smiled in the dark and glanced over at her.  She smiled quietly in return. 

This is what he had been waiting for all day; all of Christmas Break in fact.  He kept his own hands on the wheel,  enjoying the feeling of fire where she touched him.  He headed for their favorite spot.  The remote lake was quite a drive from the campus, but the seclusion it provided was well worth it.  He asked her about her flight and she was happy to volunteer information about her trip from Texas. 

They turned down a familiar road that curved around the lake and found the spot where they could park on a hillside above the water.  A waxing moon was already above the trees, reflecting silver light in the water.  Susan smiled, squeezed his thigh, then turned to open the door.  She stepped out quickly, pulled back the seat and slipped into the back seat.  Robert joined her quickly and they both slammed the doors to keep out the bitter cold of a January night.  Robert pulled a heavy wool blanket from the back seat as he sat down and they quickly burrowed under the old army surplus blanket.  His arms went around her waist and her lips met his. 

Her hand caressed his cheek.  “I was so scared, Robbie,” she said when their lips finally parted. 

He moved his lips along her jaw, then tenderly nibbled at her earlobe.  His hands rubbed her back.

"And you were so brave."  Susan said breathlessly.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you.  You're my girl."  He said as his lips moved down toward her neck.

 "Robbie, I'm so hot."  She said. 

"Take off your sweater."  He lifted his hand off her hip to help, moving it slowly up to her shoulder. 

When he reached what he thought was her shoulder he gently caressed it. Susan moaned.  "Oh yes, Robbie touch me there." 

Robert stopped nibbling her neck.  The soft flesh that he held in his hand certainly didn't feel like her shoulder. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily.  "Sue?  Are you sure?"

"I'm on fire, Robbie.  Touch me."  She kissed him deeply shrugging her sweater off her shoulders. 

With the sweater gone, Robert continued to touch her gently caressing her breast feeling the nipple grow hard beneath his fingers. 

"Susan, we should stop."

 "Why?"

 "Because if we don't I'm going to explode."

 They stopped kissing, content just to sit in each other's arms. However, Robert did not move his hand from her breast.  Instead he continued to caress her until her breathing matched his. 

"Oh, Susan. Being able to touch you like this...it's so...special."  Robert resumed nibbling her ear.

 "I like it, too." 

Touching her like this wasn't part of his plan but since she seemed to like it, he pressed his luck.  Sliding his hand down, he began to tug on her turtleneck trying to pull the end out of the waistband of her pants.  As he struggled, he felt her hand join his and soon Robert's hand was touching the soft skin of Susan's belly. 

"Yes."  Susan whispered.

 Robert moved his hand upward until he once again felt the soft weight of her breast in his hand.  Through the thin material of her bra, he felt her hard nipple.

 "Oh Baby." He moaned into her mouth. 

"I know.  I knew it would be like this."  She responded. 

Robert traced the outline of her bra cup with his fingers as his other hand trailed behind her back looking for the claps.  When found he made quick work of undoing the hooks.   With the garment loose he was able to touch bare breast.  Both moaned at the contact.  He touched her intimately until neither could stand any more. Out of breath, they simply leaned against each other. 

”Unfortunately, it’s about time to head back,” he said with regret.  They had to get her back to the sorority house before curfew. 

 “We’ll do this again?”

 “Lots,” he promised.

 “Robbie, I can’t bear the thought of being away from you again at Spring Break, much less Summer Break.  Besides, I want you to meet my parents.  Do you think you can manage to come home with me for Break?” 

He caressed her cheek.  “As long as it’s all right with your parents.  I want to meet them too.”  He leaned forward and kissed her softly.  “I’m looking forward to meeting my future inlaws.” 

She grinned in return.  “You said you wanted to talk to Daddy about that.  This would be a good time.”

 “By the time we come back, we’ll be officially engaged.  I know we still want to get through college before we marry, and then there’s med school.  We’ll have to talk about how long we want to wait.  But someday, we’ll have a place of our own, and kids running around, and I’ll take you to Greece and Egypt to see all those places you want to see.”

 “Oh, won’t that be wonderful?  Robbie, I know we’re going to be so happy.” He held her close, cherishing this moment with her.  “We already are, Susie, we already are.”