CHAPTER 3
It was 11:30 p.m. and I was driving my bomb of an '88 Buick Century, which I proudly purchased for the grand sum from a neighbor for fifty bucks the summer before. Anne sat next to me on the bench seat fixing her bra strap, while rearranging her breasts all the while attempting to put on lipstick. The radio was playing but I wasn't paying any attention to it. My mind was in her pants and on her beautiful ample breasts, gazing sometimes at the road while hers was probably on her favorite lip gloss.
"So where's it gonna be?" I asked excitedly while placing my hand on her knee, gently caressing her leg moving my way up to the edge of her knit skirt.
Anne pushed it away snapping, "I don't care, you decide."
Forcing me to assume the role of desicion maker, which I often accepted it was like she was the teacher and I was the student taking the final exam. Looking back now I sometimes honestly wonder if Anne even had a brain to think for herself, or if she was just spoiled and never made a decision but the night in question I was determined that it was going to be her turn to decide where the sacred act would take place.
"It's your turn to pick, can't you decide for once?"
Her eyes flared with contempt as she looked at me. "Fine," she said followed by a short piercing pause. "What about the Dairy Queen parking lot," she replied.
The roads were empty except for the occasional cars we passed. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to do it, I just didn't want to always be in charge and we had to find a place where we wouldn't be spotted by a bored lonely cop looking for something to do.
"What the one on Hickory?"
"What other DQ did you think I meant? Because I sure as hell don't feel like driving all the way to Austin tonight." she said as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She offered me one which I gladly accepted to calm my increasing annoyance which was only coming about because I didn't know where the hell to go anymore and I wanted to keep things fresh for her. Rolling down my window I spit out my gum and turned to her for a light. After a hurried flick I inhaled the calming smoke.
"No, the one here is too risky," I said. "Matt and I used to hang there around by Josie Turners house. The cops hover there a lot since the projects are a block away. It was a lie, but I wanted to be alone and not in a car without any desire to get a ticket or the hell my dad would raise.
"Too risky? Fine, what about the golf course again?" She suggested with a smirk.
"Are you kidding me? Are you that absent minded? Doesn't your Dad work night security there?" I stuttered out. The golf course was the last place I wanted to go, and it wasn't because I was terrible at golf if you catch my meaning.
I took another drag from my cigarette. I inhaled deeply and drove with one hand while the other I used to flick ashes out the lowered window. There is an unspoken closeness to Anne I felt even during this time, I couldn't really be mad at her as she leaned over to me, smiling.
She looked at me with renewed excitement, "No, he quit last week, and I hear the new guy has a tendency of falling asleep on the job." I didn't question how she knew this information, and suddenly in the back of my mind the locker room talk came to the forefront but I pushed it away. Truthfully, I didn't want to know how she knew this valuable piece of teenage information.
All I said was, "No, I don't feel like going there, not tonight."
"Why?" she asked pushing the envelope for a detailed answer to my refusal.
Anne looked at me blankly for a second and burst into laughter as the memory of the golf course came rushing back to her memory. That night was just one of the many nights in recent memory I would like to forget. Forever.
After she calmed down she said, "Yes, but maybe it was just a fluke accident. You've been able to get it up plenty of times before."
I was growing short now. "No, not tonight." I tried to not think of the past experiences but it was beginning to haunt me. I toss the cigarette out the window and tried changing the station, trying not to think about the past. A very unpleasant silence passed between us.
"Fine, then you decide. But make it quick I have to be home by 12:30." Anne said looking at her watch. By this time already I was getting pissed at the situation and I couldn't get mad cause then I wouldn't get laid. I hadn't planned for all this drama, all I wanted was to have a nice roll in the hay with my beauty queen but my mouth seemed to have a mind of its own the same way my dick did when I pulled it out.
"Do you see me as nothing more than a sex toy?" I blurted quickly afraid of how she might answer. Anne didn't like questions and I was sabotaging the moment.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Anne replied guarded.
"Well, I've been thinking about it lately and I wonder why we never really stay in."
"I don't understand."
Communication wasn't one of our strengths. All we ever did was have sex, and deep down I was worried it was getting stale for her and within the last week Anne seemed to become distant. When we first got together I couldn't keep her off me, and now she was acting like she was doing me a favor. Kids at school talked about us but I never paid attention to what was being said, and a lot of people told me to be careful. The only thing I felt like I needed to be careful about was not getting her pregnant. Besides, if I could handle living with my father, I felt I could handle anything.
"Why don't we ever just hang out, you like go to the movies or go to your place or something?" I continued hesitantly knowing full well what her response might bring or not bring for that matter.
"McCoy, you know my parents don't even know we're dating," she said.
I was flabbergasted. I'd seen Anne with her boyfriends in the past and her parents always knew and seemed okay with it.
"And why is that? I mean why don't your parents know we are together?" I asked. Throughout all this, I was still thinking about where we could go. Now I wasn't sure if we could get past this. We were driving through Franklin, the next town over, a little bigger than ours but not by much.
"I'm not even supposed to date. Every time we go out my parents think I'm going out with Megan," piped Anne.
"Whatever," I said under my breath trying to focus on finding a place, my original question taking the back burner for now. No one was on the streets, it felt deserted. I could tell Anne was uncomfortable and maybe somewhat annoyed. People didn't ask her questions, they just told her things. I looked at her and decided to drop the topic and change it to the one thing we did know, sex. "I think I have a place." I said with a happier tone in my voice, hoping to get back on track.
She lit up, talk about sex always made her happy. It was like a drug she couldn't get enough of. "Really, where?" she asked.
"The Harper Community Church," I replied with excitement as her face suddenly changed to one of both horror and intrigue. I picked the church for several reasons but the biggest one was, I believe, to defy my dad.
A grin appeared on my face as she declared, "Church? Are you nuts?"
"No, actually I am quite serious, it’s the perfect place," I stated still smiling beginning to imagine what it would be like.
"McCoy, seriously who has sex in a church? Isn't that like against the law or God or something?" I could only laugh at her response.
"It sure beats the golf course, where the balls could be my own if your dad caught us."
Then she surprised me by saying, "I don't know McCoy, if we have sex in a church don't you think that will earn us a one-way ticket to Hell?" I just shrugged. My disapproval for the church and the need to get out and do something was beginning to eat away at me with each passing second it seemed.
"Look, we gonna do this or not?" my tone quickly changed as I for the first time in our relationship, made her wonder if she'd get laid. "The church is perfect. I mean, who is even going to be there this time of night and we're running out of time. It's already 11:44; we are five minutes from the church tops, two if I speed a little." I stated becoming more anxious.
"Would it even be open?" she asked, appearing to begin to being more open to the idea.
Knowing that it might require a bit more convincing but enjoying the fact that it appeared Anne seemed to like me taking a bit more control, I answered, "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"
Confused Anne answered, "Well considering it’s almost midnight and it’s not Sunday, don't you think the doors would be locked?"
A little worried about time and the prospect of having to meet my friend Mr. Lefty in bed later and obviously anxious to be with Anne, I pulled my beater to the side of the road and decided if I had any chance left to get any a desicion must be made. I gave it one last try.
"Doubtful, my dad goes to this church like every day. He invites me to go too, but at all costs I try to avoid it. You know that. But I went once last week cause I said I would and the Pastor asked people to come and pray on weeknights, even said during service that the doors are open twenty-four hours a day. Most people never go because let's face it most people are not religious fanatics like my dad. So, what do you say, you game?"
"But what if someone comes?" she quietly responded still sounding somewhat unsure.
"Isn't that the idea?" I asked sarcastically, unable to resist. Wanting another smoke, I reached into Anne's purse and grabbed one. She lit it for me then smiled at my comment.
My brain said, "It's a go!" but my hopes were diminished by another question. "I'm serious, what if someone walks in on us?"
Losing it I exclaimed, "No one is going to be there or come, I'm positive. But since you are so concerned I will make a deal with you. If someone comes or if we even think we hear someone coming, we will leave." I looked at her with the most sincere face I could muster.
"All right," she answered with her fears melting away. She continued, "The church it is, but in case someone does come in let me give you a head start." Anne proceeded to lower her head into my lap as I started up the car and pulled away from the curb onto the deserted street. Anne told me to lean back and enjoy. I reached for the seat lever and released the seat back some to give Anne room to perform. I drove slowly down the deserted back road to the church, not thinking about the time. Time always seemed to stop when engaged and I wasn't concerned about speeding, I knew where the church was and it wasn't far. I hadn't seen a car for at least a mile as I let the car do the driving as Anne drove me. I was becoming more excited, not because Anne was doing this for me like so many times before, because I was taking her to the church. I tried not to picture what it would be like but it was impossible not to. I saw myself leaning against the pulpit and Anne on her knees in front of me, slowly moving her head forward and back. It excited me instantly, but I didn't care this time. My orgasm stronger than usual surprised me but Anne didn't seem to mind. She sat up and smiled wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"It looks like we don't need to go to the church now," she said.
I'm not sure why but I felt a wave of anger and said “We decided on the church and we are almost there. It's just at the top of this hill and we're going." I sounded rough even to myself and Anne's eyes got big and she was about to speak but before she could I said "I'm sorry babe, it's just that I love being with you and I can't wait to be inside you where it’s warm." She smiled as I turned into the lot.
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by Antonio Grasso, author of The Valley of Candles
