“What is he using?” she asked.
“That’s something I get from the trainers. It feels like heaven.”
“Yes, baby, you keep that up and you’re getting special sex tonight,” Angie moaned.
“No, he won’t. You won’t be able to get off the floor when he’s done,” I snorted.
Twenty minutes later Mom joined us. Greg had us all half-naked and in relaxed puddles. Greg offered Dad, but he wanted to watch the football game; his loss. Mom said something that changed Greg’s life.
“You should do this for a living.”
Angie popped up and smiled at Greg.
“I would pay to learn to do that. If I could give a massage like you just gave me, I’d never lose a girlfriend,” I said as I rolled onto my back.
Angie chimed in. “Your mom’s right. You can do this part-time and make more than you do working at the hardware store. You can also teach David, and he can work for you. Do you guys know how many women would pay a premium to have one of the Dawson boys put their hands on them? I can do your bookings. Baby, this could be the answer to our prayers for paying for school and having time to do it.”
Angie and Greg left the room to plan their new business venture.
MY FAVORITE TEAM, THE Bears, was playing a night game, so I didn’t feel like watching football with my dad. I talked my mom into taking me to the arcade. I was actually surprised it was still open. Most everyone played games on their computer now. They got smart and set up group games, like Black Ops, in small rooms with a four-player setup. Everyone had his or her own monitor. I loved it because, unlike sitting at home with a headset on, I could actually reach over and smack Jeff or Alan when they shot me in the back. We rented the rooms for $20 per hour.
For me, the main reason I liked the arcade was pinball. I confess I was addicted. I loved the lights and dings as the ball bounced around. The trick was shaking the machine, but not too hard, or it would go on tilt. I’d just finished a game when the smart girl from math class came in. If girls ever figured out that at the arcade, 90% of the customers were horny teen boys, it would be the next pickup place. I couldn’t decide what game to play next when I noticed four guys had the girl cornered. I eased over to see what was going on.
“Listen, Sun, we’ll buy you lunch, but you have to be nice to us.”
I guess math girl’s name was Sun. Why would he be offering her a lunch-for-sex deal?
“I’d rather go hungry. Besides, I’m meeting someone. So leave me alone,” Sun said.
The guys didn’t look happy. The ringleader actually looked pissed.
“Come on, we can have some privacy in the bathroom,” he said, and he grabbed her arm and started to pull her to the men’s room.
To my surprise, she didn’t say anything as he started to drag her off. He had to go by me to get to the bathroom, so I stepped in front of them and smiled.
“There you are. I was wondering when you were getting here.”
Sun looked up at me, confused, and then she smiled.
“Sorry, David, I got sidetracked.”
She turned to the guy who held her arm. He looked up at me and let her arm go. Being six-two, I towered over most other freshman. I recognized John from one of my classes. He was a bully, but at five-five, he wouldn’t take me on. I reached out my hand, and she took it.
“Sun, let’s go get a bite to eat, and we can plan our afternoon.”
I led her out of the arcade and we walked over to Monical’s. I would eat Monical’s pizza seven days a week if I could. I’d planned to get a pizza anyways. What surprised me was on the walk over Sun never let go of my hand. We didn’t say a word. She was deep in thought, so I didn’t bother her. We got a booth and the waitress gave us menus. Sun gave me a strange look.
“What do you want on your pizza?” I asked.
“Pepperoni.”
I was a Midwestern boy and liked sausage on my pizza. When the waitress came back, I ordered a large half pepperoni, half sausage and mushroom pizza, and their family-style salad with a pitcher of Coke. The salad came in a big bowl, and everyone at the table would serve themselves. I watched in amazement when this little girl ate as much as I did. We had the salad gone by the time the pizza came. The first thing she did was grab a sausage slice. She saw my look and giggled.
“So you’re a pizza thief.”
She just shoved half a slice into her mouth and grinned at me. I guess she figured if her mouth was full, she didn’t have to talk. I crossed my arms and waited. When she finally swallowed, she got a glint in her eye and snatched another one of my slices. She shoved that one in her mouth also. I must have looked funny because she almost choked while she tried not to laugh at me. I grabbed a couple of slices in self-defense. We ate in silence with me keeping an eye on my last slice. Sure enough, she snatched it and took a huge bite.
When I finished my two slices, I went to grab a pepperoni slice. She smacked my hand.
“Hey, Bub, what do you think you’re doing? I ordered the pepperoni.”
“Okay, we can play this game. I’ll wait and eat whatever you can’t finish.”
I figured that was a safe bet. Sun couldn’t weigh more than a 100 pounds soaking wet. I watched in amazement over the next fifteen minutes as she finished off the pizza. When she ate the last piece, she leaned back and burped. We both broke out laughing.
“You’re such a lady.”
She got tears in her eyes and looked like she was totally going to break down. I got up, slid into the booth next to her, and pulled her into my arms. She buried her face in my chest, and her body was shaking. I just stroked her back and gently rocked her. The waitress came, saw what was going on, gave me a tight smile of understanding, and left us alone.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
“No.”
After being around her, I knew she needed a shower. I looked at my watch. Mom would pick me up in a few minutes. Something wasn’t right.
“Would you like to come to my house and hang out?”
I think if I hadn’t been on the outside of the booth to block her escape, she would’ve run.
“Look, I think you’ve guessed that I’m pretty smart,” I sighed. “I know something’s wrong. I know you don’t want to tell me. I’m fine with that. What I’m offering is for you to come back to my place and just hang out. Contrary to my reputation, I’m not going to hit on you.”
“We don’t know each other. I don’t think we’ve said two words to each other before today. Why are you being nice to me?” she asked.
“To be honest, I don’t know. I saw what was going on in the arcade and was scared for you. When I saw you meekly being led, I knew you’d given up. In that moment, I couldn’t let you go with him.”
Sun was giving me an intense look.
“Before you think I’m going all white-knight on you, I’m not. Whatever’s going on is beyond me. I’m not going to try to save you from it. I’m only offering you some time to just hang out.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
“I’d like that.”
I paid our bill, and we walked back to the arcade. To my surprise, she took my hand. I think she just needed the human contact because there didn’t seem to be any flirting going on. When we got to the arcade, she went in and grabbed a duffle bag. Mom was waiting for us when we got outside. Greg had trained her, so she didn’t even comment when I had a girl with me. I got in the front seat, which did surprise Mom. I received the look that said ‘we’ll talk later.’ Mom and I ignored Sun and talked about my football game coming up. I also told her about going to Tami’s mixer next Sunday.
When we got back to our place, I led Sun to my apartment over the garage. She looked around at my bachelor pad in awe.
“You live here?”
“I picked this over getting a car. My brother about had kittens because he didn’t think of it first.”