ATM machines themselves were just starting to make their appearance to the world. At the moment, my bank did not have any of them. When I wanted money I had to physically go inside and cash a check. I had to be sure to do this between nine and five on a weekday or I was shit out of luck in the money department. I reflected, as the numbers on the pump clicked off dollars and cents, that the American public in general was probably spending a lot less money than they would in a few years. Right now you had to go to the bank to get cash and cash was basically the only way to acquire anything small. In a few years you would be able to go to any machine anywhere and deplete your checking or savings account at any hour of the day. It would be no longer mandatory to take out a supply of money in order to survive the workweek.
I was wondering if this was a bad thing or a good thing when I detected a presence moving in on me. My instincts flared, thoughts of Richie Fairview coming for his final revenge crossing my consciousness. Adrenaline flooded me in an instant as my body prepared to fight or flee. I turned into my aggressor, my arms coming up in a defensive posture and suddenly I was enveloped in a pair of female arms, a warm, soft body pressing heavily into me.
"Bill!" A familiar voice squealed at me. I felt the press of breasts against my chest as I was pulled into my attacker.
"Maggie?" I asked, taking in the form and instinctively returning the hug.
She gave me a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Did I scare you?" She asked teasingly, pulling back to look at me.
"No." I lied. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting gas." She told me, finally releasing me from her embrace. She was dressed in a pair of tight shorts and a half-shirt. She looked very pretty.
The endlessly horny part of my brain remembered what that body looked like naked, how it felt moving beneath (or above) mine. "What else does one do at a gas station?"
"Good point." I allowed. "How have you been? What have you been up to?"
"I'm still going to college." She said. "Working on my pre-recs for nursing school. Hopefully I'll be able to transfer over to State next year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."
"Good for you." I told her, knowing what was going to come soon from her lips. An offer to get together with her for a little fun. Fortunately she'd allowed me an opening to derail her offer before it came. I seized upon it. "My girlfriend is going to be getting those pre-recs too. She wants to go to med school."
"Girlfriend?" She moaned sadly, but good naturedley. "Don't tell me you're out of circulation?"
"Afraid so." I confirmed.
"Well that sucks the big one." She giggled. "I was hoping you and I could get together, you know, for old times sake." Her tone heavily implied that this would still be a possibility, girlfriend or not.
"Sorry." I said, smiling. "But if I was ever tempted…" I winked.
We chatted for a minute, her catching me up on the whereabouts of Cindy. "That bitch moved in with the college professor and left me holding the lease for our apartment. If I wouldn't have found another roommate right away they would've had to evict me. She's such a blonde."
"Are they still together?" I asked.
"Oh yeah." She nodded. "They're gonna get married as soon as his divorce is final."
"Go Cindy." I said.
"So who's the lucky girl that snagged you?" Maggie asked me. "She must be a hottie."
"Nina Blackmore." I told her.
Her brow crinkled in confusion. "Nina Blackmore?" She asked. "Really?"
"Really." I confirmed, knowing the source of her confusion. Though Nina was pretty and though I longed for her body as well as her mind, she was not exactly in the category of "hottie".
"Well congratulations." She told me. "But if you ever break up with her…"
"You'll be the first one I call." I promised. "But I don't think I'm gonna break up anytime soon."
"Pretty serious huh?" She asked.
"Very." I confirmed.
She sighed. "That's what I need." She told me. "Someone to be serious with. Having different boyfriends every month used to be fun but it's getting kind of old. And now with AIDS and all that shit, well, you know?"
I nodded and then an idea suddenly hit me. It was an impulsive decision, one that I did not have time to think out carefully, but I went with it.
"Hey Maggie," I said. "Do you like to water-ski?"
She looked at me, wondering what this was about. "I've done it a few times." She said. "It's fun."
"I just fixed up my Dad's ski boat." I told her. "Nina and Mike Meachen and I are taking it out on Saturday. You want to come?"
She grinned knowingly. "Are you trying to fix me up with Mike Meachen?" She asked.
"No." I protested. "I just thought you'd like to come, that's all. What's wrong with Mike anyway?"
A giggle. "You are." She accused. "There's nothing wrong with him I guess.
He's kinda cute, but he's younger. I don't go for younger guys."
"You don't have to go for him." I said. "I just wanted to know if you'd like to go skiing with us."
She considered for a moment. "Okay." She finally said. "What time?"
That evening after work Nina came over for a visit. We did the obligatory time chatting with my parents and then we went out front to sit in the porch swing with our arms around each other, watching the sunset while we rocked slowly back and forth. I told her that I'd invited Maggie to go boating with us and felt her tense up.
"Maggie Bartlett?" She asked carefully. "You invited HER to go?"
"Yeah." I answered, wondering suddenly if it had been such a good idea after all. "I ran into her at the gas station. I thought that maybe her and Mike might hit it off a little."
She looked over at me. "She's very pretty." Nina said.
I shrugged. "I suppose."
"You've uh, done it with her before." She said. It was not a question.
"Nina that was the past." I said. "And it was a long time ago." Which wasn't exactly true, Maggie and Cindy had been the last two girls I'd slept with after all, but I didn't think that little fact needed to play a part in this discussion.
"Bill…" She started worriedly.
"Those days are over." I told her. "I promise you that. I'm committed to you completely. Maggie is just a friend and I thought that maybe her and Mike would maybe make a good couple. Mike needs a girlfriend and Maggie needs a boyfriend. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't. If you want, I'll call her up and tell her we cancelled the trip."
She considered this for a moment. "No." She said finally. "Let her come. It's very nice of you to try and fix Mike up. It's just weird to think that I'll be spending the day with someone that you used to… you know?"
I nodded. "Are you sure?" I asked.
"I'm sure." She told me. And then softly, "Was she good at it?"
I nearly choked. "What?"
"Was she good at it?" Nina asked. "In bed?"
I shook my head. "No." I replied. "Terrible."
Nina smiled a little. "You're not a very good liar Bill."
My mother was still not in on the secret of my recycling and so she naturally questioned my Dad's decision to allow my friends and me to take out the boat. I can see her point of view well. Somehow, how I know not, Dad convinced her that it would be all right. She didn't like the idea but she consented to it. And since she'd consented to it she made it her mission to make sure we were suitably supplied for a day at the lake. She packed a picnic basket with enough fried chicken, homemade potato salad, chips, and pork and beans to kill us all. She filled up a large ice-chest with soda. After a stern, motherly warning to be careful and to bring back her silverware, we were allowed to proceed with the loading of the boat.