# Car 54

####
© 2005 / revised 2014
K Pelle

### Chapter 7:
Extreme Danger - Flash Flood Zone

For a few seconds, I simply sat and thought about what Dad had said. He was probably right; I was competitive. I wasn't sure that I felt that I was as competitive as he believed, however I did realize that I was more competitive than my sister. I was still thinking about it when Wil and the twins excused themselves, saying they were going for a walk.

Lifting my sore leg carefully onto the stool in front of me, I turned and looked at Dad in surprise. "Are you really telling me that you think I should race that car?"

"Well, I think you'd better let that heal first," he pointed at my leg. "I'm not exactly sure how having a broken leg is going to affect your taking that job in the city either. I don't think you're going to be able to handle the work they have for you, at least not the way you'd planned. Meanwhile I can't see why you shouldn't at least clean up that car and prepare it as if you were going to race it. I think both Tom and George would be quite willing to help you if you did."

"But Dad, I really wasn't planning on racing the car. It was a gift and I really thought that we'd just take it apart to use for repairs for our other cars."

"Actually I had a close look at that car, Chris, and there isn't very much of it that you can use on the cars that you and the boys are driving now. The engine has been modified so the lubrication system will still work during a race and as well as that, the carburettor and several things on the motor have been modified. The transmission and rear end have been changed. The body of the car is a complete wreck. The frame has been twisted or bent and modified to turn to the left. The interior is gone, replaced with a complete roll cage. All four tires and wheels are different sizes and the suspension is just plain wierd. All in all, I can't see that there's anything much on there that is really useful on a standard car."

I just stared at him for a moment, then I broke into laughter.

"Looks as if I've trapped myself."I said, shaking my head. "I sure didn't mean to."

"I could see that and I didn't think you realized what you had done," he chuckled. "Yet in a way it might be for the best. You do have that competitive streak and this might just be a good way to harness it, at least for now."

"Am I old enough to drive it though? After all, I'm only sixteen."

"Well, Wil thinks you are, at least for dirt-track racing. This isn't like the stock cars that run on the blacktop tracks. The car you've got is meant to be run on the little quarter mile dirt tracks like the one over at Pine Lake. I know you have to be eighteen to race on the bigger tracks, but Wil thinks that the drivers on dirt tracks start a lot younger."

"But what would Mom say?"

"That's something you're going to have to handle yourself," he grinned. "And now that you seem to have added a girlfriend; you might have to convince her as well."

"I think Mom is the problem," I smiled back. "If you'd seen Sandy's face when Mr. Dolens showed us the car, you'd know what I mean."

"So Sandy is car happy?" Dad asked, with a touch of a smile on his face.

"I think so," I sighed. "She's surprising me in several ways."

"Women tend to do that, son," he snorted.

"Just what do women do?" I heard Mom say, as she stepped out on the porch.

"See? There's the perfect illustration, and she does that often," he laughed softly as he reached out a hand to her. "She's always surprising me."

"This time I wasn't planning on surprising you, Willard," she said, taking his hand. "I was wondering if you'd go talk to Beth for a moment, she's really quite upset."

"Absolutely."

And with that, he was out of his seat and moving toward the door. As soon as he was gone, Mom slipped into the seat he'd left.

"Chris, I have to ask you about your trip into town. Did something happen to scare Beth or anger her?"

I thought a minute before I answered.

"Mom, it's really not for me to say, I mean, its Beth's business. Didn't she tell you anything about the baseball game?"

"Yes she mentioned that, but Chris, she's upstairs sobbing her heart out and hanging onto Sandy like she was her last friend in the world. If there's anything you can do or say ..."

"I doubt if there's anything I can do," I sighed, shaking my head.

"Well, did something else happen besides the baseball game that could have upset her? Did George get carried away or something?"

"Oh I don't think so. They were getting along famously, maybe almost too famously, if you know what I mean."

"I see," Mom said quietly. "By the way, Sandy called her mother to let her know you'd brought her here and why. She's a very responsible young woman."

"Unh huh."

Mom just sighed.

"Now what did I do?" I asked.

"Sometimes you're a typical young man and you take things for granted," she shook her head.

"Sorry Mom, but you taught me to look for certain kinds of women in my life," I grinned. "Did you think I'd date a floozy or something? I know Sandy is a sweetheart, it's just that I don't know if she's going to be my sweetheart."

Mom looked at me strangely for a moment, then she just shook her head.

"Now what did I do?"

"Oh Chris," she chuckled. "Just when I'm positive I know what you're doing or going to do; you surprise me by doing making a completely opposite decision and going your own way or saying something that astounds me."

"Well, turn about is fair play," I laughed. "I was just telling Dad about Sandy doing that when you came outside and he was saying you do it to him too. Perhaps it's just a gender thing."

"I don't think so," she sighed. "In your case, I think you've simply grown up and turned into a young man faster than I want to believe."

"Well, I did just graduate from highschool, even if I was the youngest in the class," I grinned at her.

"Oh, yes. That reminds me, you start tests for your finals next week don't you? Are you ready for those?"

"Yes, Mom," I grinned. "You know me and written tests. I'm always ready."

She just rolled her eyes and shook her head. I was one of those people who simply had an easy time with written tests.

"I've done a complete review, Mom, and I'll glance through my notes before each test. Since these are my final exams, I want to be sure that I do well."

She simply sighed deeply, knowing that there was no sense in arguing with me on that point.

I've always refused to cram for tests, and yet I always seemed to do well. I think I simply have a brain that works well under pressure or perhaps a memory that files things away in a different manner than most. I won't try to explain it, I just know what helps me and what doesn't.

"So what are you going to do if your leg prevents you from being able to go work in the city for the summer?" Mom changed the subject.

"I really don't know Mom. I need that experience and I was looking forward to it a lot," I sighed.

"Well, your second passion seems to be cars," she sighed. "Frank Bolens seems to have taken a shine to you. I don't suppose you'd think about asking him for a job?"

I hesitated for a moment and then turned to face Mom more directly. "Dad told you about what he thinks of the car, didn't he?"

"Yes," she sighed softly. "I'm not sure I agree with him though. I still think racing is so dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."

"With this leg, I couldn't drive for a while anyway," I shrugged my shoulders. "Besides, I'm not sure that I'm ready to try racing. I think between the leg and my hand, I'm going to be limited in what I do for a while. I sure that I wouldn't want to try to race like this anyway."

"I think that's wise," she chuckled, which surprised me because it implied that once the casts were off she might not argue so loudly against me racing.

I had turned to look at her and was almost ready to ask her about that, when Sandy came out of the house.

"Whew," she sighed softly. "I think Beth has cried herself to sleep and I think she'll be okay now. Having her Dad there to hug, while she cried on his shoulder helped a lot."

"Oh, Sandy, thank you for staying with her. I've never seen her that upset before and having you stay with her helped a lot," Mom stood and hugged her.

"It was nothing she wouldn't have done for me," Sandy smiled at me over Mom's shoulder and I gave her a thumbs up sign. "If I wasn't here, of all places, I'd have called home and told Mom I was going to stay the night at her side."

Mom chuckled. "That wouldn't be a good idea since Chris's bedroom is just down the hall, would it? Your father might not like that idea at all."

"Yeah, he'd be on the warpath, since he told Chris I had to be home," Sandy giggled. "You might not sleep so well either."

I couldn't help but snort at that and Mom pulled back, but left her arms on Sandy's shoulders.

"I might not have slept well, but it would have been Beth I would have worried about, not you," she smiled, then turned to face me. "I think you two should head back toward town, but you might stop on the way and talk for a while, Cris."

I was flabbergasted. She was telling me in her own way that I should tell Sandy I didn't want to get carried away and I didn't know how to do that without having Sandy angry with me. I looked at Sandy and her eyes were huge, so Mom had surprised her as well, but I think she thought there was a different meaning to Mom's words than the one I read into them.

"Unh, okay, I guess," I managed to mutter.

Mom gave Sandy another quick hug and then leaned over to hug me before heading for the door, but pausing before she went inside and turning back to us.

"It's almost eleven now, so if Sandy's folks call, I'll tell them you'll have her home by one. That gives you two a couple of hours to talk, okay Chris?"

"Yeah, sure Mom, thanks."

"Fine, goodnight then," she said shortly and she went inside before we could say anything more.

Both Sandy and I were left staring after her and at each other, then Sandy wandered over and sat down at my side.

"What was that about?" she asked.

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. "To be honest, I think she wants us to talk for a while and get to know more about each other a bit better."

"Oh?" Sandy's face fell. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no," I reached out and grabbed her hand. "I think she's worried that we're going to go too far and too fast, because we don't know each other all that well."

She just stared at me and then blushed. "I guess ... well, it could happen, I suppose"

"Whoa, whoa," I grinned, chuckling softly. "Can I explain?"

She nodded and squeezed my hand lightly, her eyes staring into mine.

"Well, you're the first girl that I've ever taken out and I think this is your first date too, right?"

She nodded and smiled. "The 'Ice Cubes' don't count, huh?"

"I never took them out," I snorted. "You already know how that happened."

"So what? You were in bed with them," she grinned and stuck her tongue out at me.

"Not by my choice," I snorted. "I told you; I'm shy. That night scared the dickens out of me. I think though that Mom feels I should explain my feelings to you and ask you about yours, just so we both know where we stand."

"That's easy," she smiled and lifted our hands. "I like you and I think you're a nice guy. I'd really like to spend some time with you and get to know you better. I do have another year of school to finish and then I guess I need to learn to be a nurse, or a secretary, or something? But, I don't want to get married yet or anything, so you don't have to worry about that."

When she paused, I was going to speak, but she lifted her hand, silencing me again.

"Look, I know that we've almost been pushed together. What you probably didn't know is that I've had a bit of a crush on you for a long time. My sisters told me a lot about you after they came out to see Beth and the horses. On top of that, I used to hear about how smart you were at school and everything. Then you defended the 'Ice Cubes' and right afterward, you ended up in the hospital. That's when I surprised myself by teasing you about that stupid bed pan and everything," she paused as she blushed.

"I really don't know where that came from. I mean I don't do that sort of thing. It must have been just because I didn't know what to do, just because it was you," she hid her face for a second and giggled. "I'm usually not that sort of person at all."

"I didn't think you were normally like that, and to be honest, I wasn't exactly myself either," I smiled. "Actually, that's part of what's been bothering me. I mean, either I dreamed it, or I kissed you last night."

"You weren't dreaming," she giggled. " But I didn't have to lean over you to tuck you in like I did and I could have pulled away, but I didn't do that either."

"You mean you wanted me to kiss you?"

"Well, what do you think? For gosh sakes, you're good looking, you'd just proved to the whole town that you were a nice guy. Besides, you looked like you were lonely and wanted someone to be nice to you," she was leaning forward and taking excitedly. "Of course I wanted you to kiss me, you dummy."

"Oh," I said as I leaned toward her and touched my lips to hers for an instant, then pulled back with a grin.

"Was that supposed to be a kiss?" she spluttered in surprise.

"Nope, just a promissary note for sometime when we aren't sitting on my front porch under a bright light with the possibility that all my family could be peeking around corners and watching us," I whispered, twisting my head and glancing quickly at the bushes and corners of the house as if looking for someone to appear.

She pulled back to stare at me for a second, then broke into loud giggles. After a second, she stood up and grabbed my crutches, handing them to me.

"Then maybe you should drive me toward town ... slowly," she whispered as she leaned close. "And maybe we can stop somewhere along the way and talk ... or something ... for a bit."

Just the way she said it, I had to laugh.

"Talking is a good thing," I chuckled as I hobbled to my car and she walked beside me.

"Oh shut up," she giggled, hopping in the passenger's door and reaching across to take my crutches from me.

As we drove out of the yard, we saw Wil and the twins waving wildly at us from far down the yard. I didn't want to stop because I was positive that they just wanted to come with us for the ride, but I wanted to be alone with Sandy.

"Hey, what if they wanted us for something important?" she asked.

"If they need to go somewhere, Dad's pickup is there and all three of them can drive. I'm guessing that they just wanted to come along to be with us and I want to be away from them for now."

"Oh, that means I'll be all alone with you," she said in a mockery of a fearful voice. "Whatever will I do?"

Still, at the same time as she was talking, she was also snuggling over close to my side.

"Maybe we can find somewhere out of the way where I can pay off that promissary note?" I suggested.

"That's the best idea that you've had all night," she giggled and lifted my right arm away from the steering wheel to duck her head under it and pull it behind her shoulders so she could snuggle even closer. "And I'm not wearing lipstick, so you won't look like George did."

That surprised me and I thought for a moment before I spoke. "Sandy, I thought you said you were shy?"

Now it was her turn to be quiet for a little while. "Usually, I am. You just seem so ... so comfortable, I guess. I don't know?" she sighed heavily. "I trust you and I want to be around you, because I really like you, a lot."

"I think that's why Mom wanted us to talk," I almost whispered. "I think she's worried that since you seem to like me so much that I might take advantage of you. She's worried that I might be tempted to do things that you wouldn't really want to do, but would go along with because you're with me. I don't think I would, but even I worry about getting carried away."

"You mean stuff like sex?" she did whisper that and I barely caught it.

"Yeah, stuff like sex," I sighed, deciding not to tell her about the condoms that Mom had given me.

"Unh, I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet," she giggled. "But your Mom is smart, I do like you an awful lot and I seem to be willing to do things with you that even surprise me."

"Yeah, and both of us are new to dating as well as to being trusted to be alone together," I laughed. "In fact I couldn't believe your Dad gave me permission to date you."

"Umm, I'm not," she murmured and snuggled a bit. "He's probably heard all about you too, after all it's a small town. I think he was trying to be realistic about me. I was about ready to rebel against all his rules anyway and he knew it, so when a nice guy came along he took advantage of it."

Suddenly she broke into a giggle. "Did you know Daddy dated your Mom before she got married to your Dad?"

"What? You've gotta be kidding?"

"Unh uh, your Mom told me about it."

I was quiet for a moment and she suddenly sat up straighter and turned to look at me.

"Are we going to stop somewhere for a bit, so you don't have to pay all of your attention to driving the car?" she demanded.

"Yep," I grinned, pointing to the top of the ridge we were approaching. "I was going to pull off the road up ahead so we could have a view when we parked, but I'll need both hands for a bit."

"Okay, but I want a cuddle with both arms when we get stopped," she giggled and shifted so I could move my right arm back to the steering wheel.

I knew just where I wanted to stop, so when we came to the trail that lead off of the road, just over the crest of the hill, I turned. Then I drove along it for a short distance before I swung the car so it faced the far off lights of the town. We were under an old poplar tree and hidden from anyone on the road by a growth of willows, but we had a view of the whole valley and the little town where she lived and where both of us went to school.

"Wow. I didn't know this place was here," Sandy sounded surprised.

"I don't think many people do," I shrugged. "If they did, I think it would be a favourite parking spot for people wanting to neck and make out."

"Is that why we're here?" she giggled, again lifting my arm and snuggling closer.

"I thought you wanted to talk," I kidded, whispering in her ear and then kissing it lightly.

"First I want that kiss you promised me," she growled and then she was kissing me.

Wow! I felt that kiss all the way down to my toes and I reacted. Suddenly I was kissing her as well and my hands were roaming over her back and her sides. She twisted, then she moaned into my mouth as I felt the softness of her breast through her shirt and her bra. She even pressed back against my hand and her mouth opened. Our tongues twisted and twined around each other. Everything we did seemed to accelerate our desires.

One way or another, I had my hand inside her shirt, then under her bra and suddenly I was squeezing and caressing her bare breast. One of her hands was around my neck, the other was roaming wildly over my chest and my stomach, then it was pressing on my erection through my cutoffs. I was holding her round butt, pulling her tighter against me and she was helping, climbing into my lap.

At least she was trying to crawl into my lap, only she was stopped by the steering wheel. When she accidentally pressed on the horn button in the center of the steering wheel, we both jumped and pulled apart, then suddenly we both seemed to realise how wound up we were. Sandy pulled back and I think she stared at me, but with all the car lights turned off, I couldn't really see.

"Oh my!" she sighed softly. "Your Mom was right. We need to talk before we go any further."

"Huh?" I grunted.

"We need to calm down a bit," she said firmly and held herself tightly away from me even though I had my arms around her.

I was still under the effect of surging hormones and I really wanted her. Yet at the same time I was trying to fight off the rampant sexual urges I was feeling. Slowly I released my hold on her and leaned against the side of the car, actually leaning away from her. She pulled back as well and when I turned on the dome light in the car she looked almost as surprised as I felt.

"Wow," I sighed softly. "Maybe Mom had a reason to be worried about us."

"Unh, yeah," she agreed, then giggled. "I'm glad you stopped, or ..."

"I might not have ... if you hadn't bumped against the horn."

"Was that me? I thought it was you," she was laughing now.

"No, it was you and what's so damn funny?" I was slightly upset because of the feelings I was having.

"Well, it is funny. Both of us are normally so shy. Then we get together and simply lose control. I almost went right off the deep end and I think you were right behind me."

"I really don't think it's funny," I sighed. "I'm not used to reacting like that and it scared me."

"Hey, what's the worst thing that could have happened," she snapped. "At the worst, we'd have had sex, right? Even if we did, we'd have been pretty safe; my period is due in only two or three days. The chances that I'd get pregnant are slim at best."

Those words astounded me. I didn't know what to think and I certainly didn't know what to say. It was as if I had been struck dumb. I think I gasped.

"Well, say something," she almost begged.

"You're surprising me," I managed to mutter.

"Why, because I think you and I could have ended up having sex?"

"No, I'm surprised because you seem to expect it."

"Why should that surprise you? I'm not a tease like the Coulter twins. If we're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend, you're going to want more than just a bit of smooching and I am too," she sounded almost bored, like a teacher talking about biology. "I'm surprised that it's happening so fast, but I was expecting it to happen eventually."

"Holy shit! If your father gave me the third degree for just giving you a ride home from school. What would he do if I brought you home from our first date and found out that I'd screwed you?" I demanded loudly.

"He'd be pissed, but he wouldn't do anything unless you got me pregnant, then dropped me. I mean, he gave his permission that we could date and he's always said that all guys want to get into a girl's pants as soon as they can. He knows I like you a lot, so it wouldn't be a surprise to him that I let you."

"You mean that you think he gave us permission?"

"I don't just think it, I know it," she snapped. "He knows that if we date for very long we're going to make love, or have sex, or – or fuck, or whatever you want to call it. I know that's what I'm going to want. Don't tell me that isn't what you want, because you sure seemed as if you wanted it a few minutes ago."

I just stared off into the night, feeling like I'd just had my whole world turned upside down. I didn't know what to say or what to do for a few minutes and she seemed to be getting angry.

"Well, don't you want me just as much?" she demanded after a moment or two. "I know I'm not ugly and my body isn't that bad, besides, I ..."

"Wait a minute Sandy," I barked. "I think you're mistaken about what your father expects and you're certainly mistaken about what I expect. Before I have sex with anyone, I want to know that it's someone that I'd be willing to spend the rest of my life with. Maybe I was raised differently than you were, but I expect to date a girl for a long time and get to know her really well before I even think about taking her to bed."

"Then take me home," she snapped.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, take me home. Now!" she almost screamed. You're nothing but a ... a ... a fucking tease.

All the raw emotions that I'd been feeling all evening boiled over then, but I didn't yell or scream. Instead, I started the car, turned it around and drove to town – fast. Very fast, only slowing down after we were off of the country roads. When I pulled up in Sandy's driveway, she almost evaporated out of the car, she moved so fast. Neither of us had said a word after her demand to be taken home and we never said a word as she dove out of the car and ran up the steps into the house.

The drive to town had been enough to calm me somewhat and suddenly I heard Sandy's voice coming from inside the house in loud tones. I was worried about what Mr. and Mrs. McAdam would think of me if I drove away, so I decided I had to defend myself instead of running off. I was just getting my crutches in place after getting out of the car when Mr. McAdam came out of the house and came striding toward me.

"Just what in hell did you do to my daughter?" he demanded.

"I brought her home before we got each other into trouble," I said, matching his tone and staring him straight in the eye.

For some reason that seemed to calm him down a lot and he sighed deeply, then leaned against the fender of my car.

"She said you were an idiot and maybe a queer," he said quietly.

That struck me as funny and I snorted with laughter which made him stare at me like I was a nut, so I knew I had to explain.

"Look, on the way in from the farm, I pulled off the road and stopped. Then we started kissing and damn near couldn't stop," I managed to say calmly. "One or the other of us hit the horn and we both jumped. Otherwise, I don't know if we'd have stopped before we went all the way, and she says that I'm supposed to be a queer?"

I held up my hand with two fingers a tiny distance apart.

"We came about that close to having raw unprotected sex," I growled. "And when we were talking about it afterward, she told me that she expected it, even wanted it. She seems to think that sex is the only reason that people date, and she was saying that you taught her to expect to put out for any guy when she went out with."

He was just staring at me so I carried on, I suppose I was simply letting my anger out then.

"She said that you told her over and over that when she dated, the guys were going to want to get into her pants, so that's what she expects. She figures if she enjoys herself on a date that she has to pay for it and she plans on enjoying herself while she does it. She was upset when I told her that I wasn't raised that way, that I want to get to know any girl I date really well before I have sex with her," I paused for a few seconds and realised I'd been letting myself get carried away. "Mr. McAdam, she's a beautiful young woman and I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to have sex with her tonight, but I just can't do things that way. I was raised differently than that. I'm sorry I got angry and just blurted everything out, but that's what happened. Now I think maybe it would be better if I broke this off before both Sandy and I get hurt."

He didn't say a word. He just reached out and to my astonishment, he shook my hand before he turned and walked back into the house with his head bowed. I got into the car and drove home very slowly. The only thing I could think about was the look of sheer wrath on Sandy's face as she demanded to be taken home and I found I was comparing it to the look of disbelief that I had just seen appear on Mr. McAdam's face as I'd spoken to him. I found myself pitying him, but at the same time, I didn't know what to think about Sandy.

As I was driving home, my leg was hurting, my hand was aching and I was thoroughly confused. To my mind it seemed that Sandy had changed, becoming something or someone I really didn't understand. What she'd said and done simply didn't make any sense to me. I felt that she must have had damn little self respect if she placed that little value on her virginity and on her own personal feelings. Perhaps I was wrong, perhaps she felt more strongly about me than I believed she did, but still, I wasn't about to try to live by anyone else's standards.

I was feeling hurt and confused, yet there was a sense of relief on top of everything else and I didn't understand that at all. Right at the moment I just wanted to go home and sleep, maybe everything would make sense tomorrow. Unfortunately when I pulled into the yard, the porch light was on and Will and the two Coulter twins were still sitting there.

"Hey, Romeo. You got back early," Wil teased.

"Yeah," I snarled, hobbling toward the house on my crutches.

"Umm, did something go wrong?" he asked then, suddenly sounding sympathetic.

"You could say that," I sighed, then stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the three of them. "I guess you could say that I'm too slow for Sandy, or at least that's more or less the impression I got, just before she demanded that I take her home."

"Sandy, little mousey Sandy, said you were too slow for her?" Carissa gasped in surprise.

"I don't believe it," Corinna echoed her sister's tone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Wil asked. "You don't have to, but maybe if you get it off your chest you'll sleep better, and if you say anything it won't go any further. We won't gossip, will we girls?"

"Unh uh. No way."

"We like Chris too much to say anything that might be misunderstood."

"I dunno," I sighed heavily.

I managed to get up the stairs and saw that they were sitting in the seat I'd used before. Almost instantly Carissa realised it and got up but I waved her back.

"My foot is really bothering me. I should go to bed," I sighed.

"Can you put it up, on a cushion or something?" she asked, coming over to me.

"Not really," I sighed. "Is raising my foot so important?"

"It really helps, actually if you sat here and did that now for a while, then when you went to bed it wouldn't be so important," she gestured at the floor. "Look, you could just lay down there and rest your foot on my lap."

"Beth keeps a blanket and cushions in the entryway. She told me she uses them when she's laying in the sun," Corinna offered. "We could easily get them for you."

Carissa didn't wait, she rushed away and was back with them before I could protest, flipping the blanket open on the back section the porch floor and putting one cushion against the wall.

"Come on, try it for a few minutes," she wheedled. "I'll help when you are getting down and back up."

"I could probably do that myself," I couldn't help smiling at her willingness. "Right now though, I think I need a pain killer and ..."

"Sit, darn it, I'll get you anything you need," Carissa insisted.

It was easier to give in than it was to fight her. So before long I was sitting on the blanket, leaning on a cushion set against the wall with my cast was resting on another one. It actually felt quite comfortable and I thanked Carissa. She smiled and sat down at my side, resting her arm on my shoulders, hugging me gently.

"At times like this, you need a friend," she smiled.

"I've got some of Grampa Bender's best medicine here," Wil offered.

"What's going on? Have you been drinking?"

"Just a bit" Wil chuckled softly. "Don't you know alcohol will melt ice? Since these gals are supposed to be 'Ice Cubes', I decided to give it a try. Want some?"

He held up a quart jar of Grampa Bender's squeezins that was still more than half full.

"Oh shit man, that's one of Dad's jugs. What's he going to say when he finds out you raided his stash?"

"He gave it to me and even had a drink with us," Wil chuckled. "Actually he and Mom sat with us for a while, both of them had a couple of drinks before they went to bed."

"Jeez, what's going on?" I asked

"Oh, have a drink," Carissa reached for the jug, had a sip, then gasped and handed it to me.

"It's no damn wonder we couldn't get you drunk last week," Corinna grinned at me as she leaned over Wil's lap to be able to talk to me. "What we had is like drinking water after having a taste of this stuff."

"She's been drinking more than me," Carissa leaned close and whispered. "Just after you left, your Dad called your cousins to help do the chores tomorrow morning. He told us all that we had the morning off and brought out the jar of home made whiskey."

"Wow, what's up with that?"

"Well, we're having a private welcome home party for Wil. And as well Corinna and I are celebrating that we finished cleaning out that damn chicken coop," Carissa said aloud

Then she whispered in my ear. "Mostly though, I think your Dad was trying to compensate, you got hurt, Beth's upset, we've been underfoot, Wil's home, you got given a stock car and found a girl to take out, Beth and George had a date, and so on. Just too much has happened too fast."

Then she astounded me, by kissing my ear lobe and laying her head on my shoulder.

"You've been drinking too, haven't you."

"Mmm, some," she giggled and snuggled even closer. "With this stuff, it doesn't take very much to feel really good. Now come on, drink up, you've got a reason, besides needing a pain killer."

"Yeah," I sighed and looked at the Mason jar.

After a moment, I took a deep breath, lifted the jug to my lips to take a sip, then I swallowed that slug of liquid fire. As usual, I couldn't get my breath for a few seconds and once more, I wondered why I'd even thought about drinking any of it at all. A few seconds later the warm feeling hit my gut, then my ability to breathe came back and I sighed deeply.

"Whoo-wee," I sighed and Will chuckled.

"That jug came from a good batch," I croaked.

"Yep, one of Grampa Bender's finest," Wil snorted. "Pure fire water. So, you gonna tell us what happened?"

"I'll think about it," I sighed. "But first, my throat would need to be a lot more lubricated."

I lifted the jug, took another sip of white lightning and went through the gasp and groan routine before handing it back to Carissa. She sat up and had a drink as well, then handed it back to Wil. She settled back against me, resting her head on my shoulder as I slipped an arm around her back. I looked down and her eyes met mine.

"You can talk or not, it doesn't matter. If you talk, I promise that I'll kick my big sister's butt if she says anything to anyone and she'll probably offer to do the same to me," she said softly, then she looked at Wil. "And the two of us will help you dump Will in the dirtiest corner of the hog run if he says anything."

"Hey!" Will protested. "Quit making suggestions like that Corinna, he might take you up on the idea."

"That's the point, he knows I mean it," Carissa said sharply. "And by the way, I'm not Corinna."

"Oh shit. I'm sorry Carissa. I just get you two confused too easily."

"Yeah, we know," Corinna sighed as she sat next to him. "At least Chris can tell us apart. Why don't you ask him for help in figuring out how he does it?"

"He hasn't got the nose for it," I decided to kid them all. "The two of you smell different."

"They do?" Wil stared at me so I just nodded, doing my best to look utterly serious.

"You're kidding us, right?" Carissa whispered.

I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't suppose you'll ever know."

"That's not fair," Corinna giggled. "We're supposed to be identingcal."

"That's identical, dear," Carissa giggled. "You are drunk and he's right, we're not identical."

"Not drunk, just feeling happy," Corinna argued. "Besides, he was talking about how we smell."

"So, maybe his nose is better than ours," Carissa argued right back. "Sometimes you do smell different to me."

"Well, sometimes you do too, but you don't fart all that often," Corinna's voice had an edge to it.

"Hey, no fights," Wil said almost sharply.

"There's a way to settle this," Carissa barked

"We'll be right back," Corinna added

Then the two of them stood up and hurried inside.

"Do they really smell different?" Wil whispered after they were gone.

I just grinned.

"Are you bull shitting me?"

"Just wait, they're going to come outside and demand that I tell you which one is which, probably with my eyes closed or with them wearing masks. Do you want to bet on whether I can tell the difference or not?"

"No dammit," he chuckled. "You know I quit betting against you years ago. I lost too many times."

Just then the screen door opened and both Will and I turned toward it, then we stared. Except that they were wearing tiny panties, both twins were nude. They stopped between us, but about five feet from either of us and stood side by side. Then they each spun to face Wil.

"If you can guess, which one of us is Corinna ... " said one of the twins.

"... she's willing to sit on your lap and snuggle with you, dressed this way," said the other.

Then they slowly turned to face me before spinning all the way around to face Wil again.

"What happens if I guess wrong?" Wil whispered.

"Why then we cuddle Chris."

"We know he can tell us apart."

"If either one of us finds a boyfriend, he'd better be smart enough to tell us apart."

"I wouldn't want him to play around with my sister and think it was me."

"Neither would I."

"Now, it's time for you to make a choice."

"And Chris, no hints or clues."

"Okay, no clues," I nodded. "But, can I give him some advice?"

They glanced at each other and then back to me before they nodded.

"Wil, Corinna really does want you to figure out which one is which and there are several clues. Take your time, get close to them, think about what you've done together and how they acted, how they looked, things that were special about each one. Then look in their eyes, you'll be able to tell."

"Just like that?"

"Yep and take your time. Personally, I think they're definitely worth looking over carefully."

That brought a giggle from both girls and a laugh from Wil. Then he stood up and approached them. As I watched I could actually see Corinna react to him and I had to hide a grin so Wil wouldn't catch on. When Wil's head was turned away from her Carissa turned her head and winked at me. I had to hide my grin at that too.

A moment later, Wil paused, then he grinned and scooped Corinna into his arms, walking over to the farthest seat at the other end of the porch.

"That was anticlimactic," I said quietly.

"Maybe, but maybe not, don't move," Carissa giggled and danced back to the doorway.

She shut out the porch light. Now the only light was from the moon and it didn't really reach back onto the porch as far as I was. There was enough light that I could still make out her figure as she moved back to me though.

### Chapter 8