Summer in Maine Ch. 03

To those of you who have waited patiently I humbly apologize. Real life has a way of changing your priorities, and I didn't get a chance to finish this last year. Thanks to the prodding from my muse Chrissy, I took up the story again and after a few false starts got it down in print. You need not worry that I'll leave you hanging again, the rest of the story is down on (virtual) paper and I'm going through the editing process. Thank you for taking the time to read my stories, and as always, comments and constructive criticism is always welcome!

It had been over a year now.

I was working support in Warren down along the Camden road. There was a large blueberry farm there that was burning their fields. It's common practice to keep the other plants from taking over, blueberries grew like weeds out here, the fall burning helped increase the crop, and here in down east Maine blueberries are big business.

I sat on the back of Engine #3 looking out over the fields, we were just here to make sure that the fires didn't get away from the farmers. Dark smoke rolled along on the breeze as the low flames crept eastward. These were the worst times. Normally I was too busy to think about it, too busy to dredge up the past and go over it like a raccoon pawing through a trash bin. Unfortunately, I tended to hold on to things like that. I could see Chrissy in my mind as if I'd seen her yesterday. The blue eyes, and that crooked little smile, her straw colored hair blowing in the breezes off the water. She hadn't tanned so much as she just glowed, as if reflecting the sun's color and warmth on to you.

Fifteen months. That's how long it had been since she left. I still had the note carefully folded in my wallet. A few times frustration nearly got the better of me and I almost threw it away, but sentiment always seemed to win out.

After she left I stewed for weeks, mom and friends kept trying to shake me out of my funk and none of them succeeded. I talked to Davy about a job but he'd already given my spot to someone else since I hadn't gone down to see him early enough. He told me that the city was looking for recruits for the fire department, and after my level headed rescue of a boater last year I should apply for it. The boater in question thought it was a smart idea to smoke his cigar while refueling, and the fumes caught. I got to him with a fire extinguisher before the place went up. He got burned up his arm and some around his neck but he survived. I didn't have any other prospects and it seemed like a good idea.

The chief remembered the story about my fast thinking the summer before and looked over my paperwork. Before I knew it I was getting a ride up to Fairfield to the fire training academy. After six months I'd gotten my certification in firefighting and my first aid training. I requested further EMT training but the chief said it would have to wait until the new budget year before he could send me back.

The summer had been busy with the tourists, the occasional fire, plenty of rescues, but now that the season was over it had quieted down. It was the quiet times, like now, that I'd fall into this pensive mood. Some of the older guys would try to rouse me, ruffling my hair to snap me out of it. I remembered Herb, the engineer for #3, sat next to me beside the fire house a few days ago. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"She must have been something."

I just nodded. "She was everything."

He nodded. "You know, when the smokes thick, sometimes you have to check the line between you and your partner. Make sure he's still there. If he pulls, and you don't tug back he doesn't know if he's snagged, or lost you."

I smirked. "Yeah."

He stood up and wandered back into the station. He was right, she tugged, but I didn't tug back. I let her leave. I won't lie and say I didn't cry out her name while I kicked the gravel in the driveway. I couldn't understand how she could leave like that without even a goodbye.

Herb was right, and it's time to respond to the tug. We finished out the day walking the line to make sure there weren't any hot spots that would flare up before heading back to the station. Tonight was the end of my shift, I'd be headed home when we got back to the station, and I was off for the next couple days. I told the guys I'd see them on Friday and grabbed my duffel and headed to my truck.

I walked into the house and it smelled wonderful. Mom said hi to me and told me dinner would be ready in a little bit. I went to my room and unpacked my bag. I remember when I told her that I was joining the fire department, she was torn between being happy that I'd found a direction after school, and sad that I'd be getting into a dangerous line of work. When I mentioned moving out and finding my own place she had convinced me to stay, and to put my money away. The house was plenty big, and she didn't like the idea of living alone, even though half the week I spent at work.

I went into the kitchen and after a little silence she asked me what was wrong. I just raised my eyebrows at her.

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"First of all, that response, second, you're not usually so quiet around dinner time." She chuckled. I didn't reply at first.

"What if I told you that I was thinking about moving? I don't mean getting my own place, like to another state?"

She stopped what she was doing and looked at me for a moment. "Chasing your dream girl?" She asked. She had correctly deduced that last years crashing depression was brought about by a girl, but I never told her who it was. She figured it was some girl I'd known in school that left for college.

"How will I ever know she's only a dream if I don't try to catch her?"

She didn't say anything for a minute and went back to setting the table.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. I mean, what if she's got a boyfriend or she didn't see things the way you did. It's not as if you were dating her long, I never even got to meet her."

That idea shot through my mind, my mother meeting Chrissy sent a chill up my spine. I nearly forgot that mom thought this was some high school girlfriend. Then her statement rang a bell as if my head were in it. What if Chrissy had moved on, and was seeing someone or worse, remarried. My heart leapt into my throat and I swallowed.

"If that's the case then I may be back sooner than later."

"Don't you get vacation time from work now that you've been there a year?"

I nodded.

"Then why not take it and find out. Don't burn your bridges Smokey."

She had a point. If I quit and headed into the wild unknown I'd be risking a decent future. I chuckled.

"Thanks." I replied with a little more sarcasm than necessary to get my point across.

"What?"

"I actually expected you to tell me to not go chasing dreams. It never works out like you hope it will, blah, blah, blah."

"Is that what you want to hear?" She asked. "Best thing you did was joining the fire department. If nothing else, it's a job you can get pretty much anywhere you go. I'm not going to try and scare you out of living your life. You're smart, you'll always land on your feet, I've never really worried about you like that."

"I think I'll talk to the chief about taking a vacation." I said smiling.

***

When I got back to the station on Friday I went to the office and put in my request, I decided to take the week of my birthday off. I got the okay the next day. I spent the next couple weeks making calls and doing a little detective work. I found the rental agent in town that handled the house rental and inquired about Chrissy's address. It took a little finagling to get the woman to give me an address, but I got it.

The next couple of weeks went by slowly, thankfully nothing major happened, and my vacation began. I'd packed up my duffel and headed south then west. I burned up the highway arriving at the state line in only a couple hours. I crossed New England by mid-afternoon, and drove on into New York state, making it to the Pennsylvania state line just after dinner time. I was beat, so I found a motel and ordered some take out.

I dreamt of her. The last night we spent together, she opened up, telling me so many things. She had cried, I remembered. There was pain there that was barely hidden.

The next morning I checked out and found the little diner on the edge of town recommended by the clerk. I had breakfast and pored over a map to plan the rest of my trip. Having pushed myself yesterday I'd made it more than half way to my destination, at this rate I'd be there by dinner time. After breakfast I hit the road again, skirting the cities and burning up the miles I found myself looking up at a sign, 'Welcome to West Virginia – Wild and Wonderful'. That caused a chuckle as I thought about Chrissy. It was a good description of the natives if she was any indication.

I skirted the edge of town and found myself a motel room. I laid back on the bed and I wondered what I was doing. I came all this way to see her, and I hadn't spent a single moments thought on how I was going to go about it. Show up at her home and say, 'Hey, how's it going? Remember me?'

I decided the best way was to let her know I was here and to let her come to me if she wanted to see me. It sounded conceited at first, but it also felt right. If she didn't want to see me, she'd only have to call me and say so, and I'd go home. That thought sent a cold chill through me, and I did my best to brush it away. I rummaged through the little desk and found some stationery and wrote her a note.

Dear Chrissy,

I thought it best to let you know I had come here to see you, and let you decide if you wanted to see me, rather than showing up at your door unannounced. Please, give me a call and let me know if I should stay or go.

Pete

I put my number on the bottom of the note, and decided the best time to drop it off would be in the morning. Emmy would likely be in school and Chrissy would probably be at work. I put the note into an envelope and sealed it and wrote Chrissy's name on the front.

The next morning I decided I'd grab some breakfast in the coffee shop of the motel, before I made the trip across town. Where she lived seemed to be on the outskirts of the city on the other side of the river. I took my time making my way carefully through commuter traffic. Then across the river and up into the hills. I found the house and pulled up in front, a small stone retaining wall held back the front lawn from the road, and a mailbox stood sentinel at the head of the driveway. There were no cars in it, and I looked at the little house with its small windows and front porch. A few last die hard flowers held out against the October cold. I smiled, as I imagined her sunbathing naked on the front lawn, causing accident after accident on what seemed to be a busy road. I pulled up and left the note in the mailbox, and hoped that if there were someone else, that it was vague enough not to cause trouble.

As I drove away the anxiety began. I had no idea the kind of reception I'd get. I drove around the outskirts of town killing time. The area reminded me of home, more up towards the mountains not along the coast. I roamed down tree lined roads passed a few farms, cows and horses sunning themselves in fields. I turned back towards the city after noon and made my way back to my motel. I figure if I'm lucky enough for her to want to see me, I should at least be presentable.

After my shower I stood in front of the sink looking into the mirror and noted that I'd firmed up since becoming a firefighter. My face looked a little more angular, my shoulders and arms were a lot stronger. I didn't look like a skinny kid any more.

I got dressed and laid back on the bed, channel surfing for anything to watch while I waited for the phone to ring. Time passed slowly, the tedium of lousy TV shows wasn't helping. It was after 4, and I was getting anxious. I grabbed my phone and took a walk around the outside of the motel so I wouldn't go stir crazy.

I was on my second lap, thinking about how this trip was a big mistake when my phone rang, jolting me out of my reverie. I yanked my phone out of my pocket and noted it was a local number calling.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Chrissy?"

"You're really here?" She asked softly.

"I am here. I'd really like to see you." I stopped knowing that if I said any more I'd probably break down. She didn't respond at first. "I'll understand if you don't want to. I'll just go home if you say no."

"No, I mean yes! I mean don't go, I want to see you. Meet me at RJ's, it's a little bar not far from you. I'll see you in an hour." She gave me directions from the motel, and told me that she called from her cell to just call her if I got lost.

My heart was pounding in my chest. She had sounded conflicted, like she wanted to see me, but had reservations. I forced myself to take slow deep breaths before I ducked into my room and got my jacket. I tried to calm down, and keep from speeding there but I also knew I'd need to find the place. I followed the directions and found it easily. I was about twenty minutes early. I asked for a booth in a quiet area, and let the hostess know a friend was meeting me.

The waitress asked what I was having, and since it was my birthday I decided to have a drink. Hopefully I wasn't going to need it. She carded me and wished me a happy birthday. She returned with my drink and set it down with a smile.

"This one's on me."

I smiled back thanking her. I started twirling the cold glass in my hands looking into the amber liquid. I was lost in thought until I heard a familiar voice say thank you. I looked up to see Chrissy walking towards me. I slid out of the booth and she kept walking, a smile spreading across her face as she got closer. She didn't stop, hitting me in the chest full force as she wrapped her arms around my neck pulling me into a fierce hug. My arms resumed their position as if she'd always been there.

"I almost didn't believe it when I saw the note. It was a bit of a shock after all this time." She said softly into my ear.

"I don't know why I didn't come right away."

She didn't let go of me, and I didn't let go of her either. She just smiled as she looked at my face. I noticed her hair was darker than I remembered, summer had long since past. Her eyes were bright, even in the dim light of the room. She flicked her eyes over my shoulder.

"Sorry." She blushed.

"Oh don't be." The waitress said with a sly grin. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll grab your drink order."

"What are you having?" Chrissy asked me.

"In honor of our last day together I got a cider."

She smiled and told the waitress she'd have what I was having. We finally separated and sat down.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, more curious than concerned.

I gave her a smirk and shrug. "I've missed you."

"That's sweet, but why now? I honestly thought if you were going to chase me down you would have done it right away."

The waitress set down her drink, and asked if we wanted to order any food. Chrissy ordered us a couple appetizers.

"The truth is I've missed you ever since the day you left. I knew it wouldn't do me any good to chase after you. The last thing you needed was a puppy following you home. So I moved on, or so I convinced myself. I went to see Davy, and he'd already given my summer job to somebody else. You saved me from a summer of boredom pumping fuel, and hauling ice."

"What did you do?"

"I caught a break, and went to school on the city's dime." I lifted my jacket from beside me showing the logo I'm sure she would recognize. Rockland F.D.

"You're a fireman?" She asked, her eyes widened. "That explains that."

"Explains what?" I asked.

She just grinned. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

I rubbed my chin. "I did shave before coming, so yea."

Chrissy rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me that you haven't noticed that you've filled out a little. You still look like a young 'un. You must have to beat the girls off with a stick."

"What girls?" I asked.

She looked at me for a moment, a look of shock crept across her face. "Pete, don't tell me you haven't moved on. Tell me you've been out with girls your own age since I left." She said the last part softly, but insistently.

"I've been on dates since you left." I said chuckling. "I missed you, and I sought solace in the arms of other women. I'm such a cad."

She let out a sigh of relief. "So why here? Why now? It's not that I'm not happy to see you, honestly it isn't, but I'm getting the feeling there's something more going on here."

"I've been out with a few girls, but I've only ever been in love with one." I looked her in the eyes. I didn't need to tell her who I meant. It was plain on her face that she realized it as soon as I said it.

She looked at me her head tilting slightly, and reached over and took my hands in hers. She took a deep breath.

"What we shared was amazing, but you need to move on and live your life. You can't be in love with me. You're not even old enough..."

I looked at her for a moment, and purposely raised an eyebrow and lifted my glass and took a long pull off my cider.

"Okay, you're old enough to drink, but you're still so young. What do you want with an old lady like me?"

"Whoa, hang on a minute. You're old? I wish you'd told me when we were rolling around in the sheets like a couple of horny teenagers."

"You WERE a horny teenager!" She growled at me.

"That hasn't been the case now for two years, to the day." I replied. "I'd like to think I've had time to work it out, think on it, and grow up a little."

She looked at me for a moment. "To the day? Your birthday is today?"

I nodded.

"What about you? Have you been dating, are you in a relationship?" I asked. I felt my heart sink as I waited for the blow.

"Happy Birthday." She said and lifted herself up leaned across the table and kissed me.

The shock lasted a split second, her lips lingered in front of mine. I didn't hesitate and leaned in and I closed the gap, this time unhurried. Her kiss was soft and warm as her tongue brushed my lip tentatively asking for permission to enter.

There was a soft shuffling noise and the close clink of a plate. I was loath to part from her. Chrissy's eyes popped open looking into mine shocked as she pulled back and sat down, her cheeks bright pink. I just grinned. She peeked up at the waitress, who had a huge grin on her face as she set the plates down on the edge of the table, rather than between us.

"You two lovebirds want another round?"

"Not just yet." I replied looking at our half filled glasses. As soon as the waitress walked away Chrissy started giggling, and I quickly joined her.

"Oh those smell so good." She reached for a plate and scooped a couple little dumplings onto it. She broke one in half and steam rose out of it, after dousing it with mustard she blew on half of it, then rather than eat it, she leaned over the table and offered it to me.

"Careful it's hot." She said stabbing the other and popping into her mouth, chewing carefully.

It was hot, I gasped some air trying to cool it off as I bit down. "What is this?" I asked tasting onion and bacon.

"Deep fried pierogies. They're so bad for you, but they taste so good." Her eyes rolled up as chewed.

I hadn't let the fact that she didn't respond to my question slip past.

"They are good," and I paused a moment to see if she'd respond.

She let out a small sigh. "After a while... one of my friends kept prodding me to get out of my funk. Trust me when I say, I was in a bad way when I got home. I cried my eyes out for a week. There was a new doctor that worked on C South. She kept pushing me at him, I guess because he'd been asking about me. He asked me out, and after a couple invitations I finally accepted."