LIFE AT COLLEGE... On into the Fall (Part 18h)

By the time the girls finally came downstairs it was after 11am. I gave Elle a hug and a peck on the cheek, still wary of her mother's disdain for displaying affection. There was a lot I wanted to talk with Elle about but, with Nan present, that wasn't possible. To make "small talk" I asKed how their trip home was. That started something as both answered at once. The long and short of it was that the guy driving drove like a maniac and smoked like a chimney. Nan volunteered that on top of that he was a real "creep" in that he wouldn't stop for Elle to use a rest room on the last part of the trip because "he had a date". I looked at Elle and got the impression that she would've been happier to tell that part to me herself. They went on to say that they weren't going back with him and would be taking the train. I had no idea how to get to Elle's college by train but I did know that the only train leaving our town left at 6am. They had pretty much worked out the details on their own. That news meant that I would only have the rest of the day (and night) and Saturday with Elle and that I had to share her with Nan. It seemed like I couldn't catch a break.

While eating lunch Nan got a call from an old boyfriend and would be spending the afternoon with him. Elle and I wanted to make contact with some friends and also to try to solidify jobs for the Christmas break. Even though we were together there wasn't much chance to have "private time". When we returned we found that Nan had a "date" for that night. We'd talked during our travels that afternoon and had hoped that might be the case. When it worked out that way we were able use the "scripted" plans we'd discussed for the evening. We told her parents that we were going to the movies but we had no intention of going. In the Summer, whenever we'd go to the movies, Elle's mother would always ask what it was about the following day. With me having just seen a local movie the night before we knew we were "covered" for that contingency. At last I was happy!

I deliberately arrived late (after 7pm) in order to give us more time. The movies started at 7pm and 9pm. We'd used this ploy during the Summer as well. There was one other thing though. Curfew for Elle had been extended to midnight. Elle (and Nan) had pleaded with Elle's mother to use the same curfew as at college. On Saturday nights it was midnight so, reluctantly, she agreed. I want to say that I remember Elle being "anxious" when I picked her up. I know I was. Even with a couple of hours time to plan for our time together I showed up without a clue. We drove away from her house with each of us asking the other "Where do you want to go?". The most obvious (and closest) was at the abandoned garage where we'd spent most of our "personal" time at the end of the Summer. I was concerned because with Winter upon us all the foliage that had camafloged us during the Summer was gone. We were both still leery of our old spot by the creek because of the incident where a car had driven in upon us. The other choices were by the closed Boy Scout camp and down at the sailing club. As silly as it seems we ended up at the Sweet Shop next to the movies. We hadn't gotten to the point of arguing but we needed a "break". After sodas we actually decided to go back to our own home are. As a Summer community almost all the homes were closed up and vacant. There was a house just down the beach from mine that I remembered had an open shed attached to the garage. There was enough ambient light for me to traverse the driveway and to park under the shed. By then we were both very, very anxious. For sure, part of it was from nerves. But, I think we both remembered, and longed for, the intimate moments we'd briefly shared over the past three months. The problem was that neither of us wanted to make the first "move".

To be continued...