Chapter 14: “Don’t do that again!”
“I had to get away for a couple of days, JB. I needed a change….” all the while hoping that he wouldn’t ask if I had been crying. He didn’t ask, which was typical of JB. He did mind his own business.
When the bus stopped at my street, he got off the bus with me. “I’ll carry your suitcase. Hope the neighbors don’t think we spent the weekend together….or would you rather that I didn’t walk you home?”
“Walk me home, please….JB. I was dreading the thought of having to lug that baggage for three blocks. Believe me, I am very grateful that you were on the bus. Maybe my mother will reward you with some of her special fried chicken and biscuits .
He laughed. “I’d have to be starving to eat that Yankee fried chicken and sweet raisin biscuits. Just kiddin’….I ate there Friday night, but not chicken and biscuits.”
When we walked in the door, there was tension in the air. My parents, no doubt, were probably wondering why JB and I were arriving together. He, too, sensed the unusual lull in the conversation and began to explain how we ran into each other at the bus terminal.
I took my bag and went into my room to get into something warm and comfortable. When I returned to the kitchen, there was a fresh pot of coffee and an assortment of sandwiches on the table….and the atmosphere was cordial.
Mom sat at the table with us. I gave her a ceramic rooster that I bought for her collection. She noticed “souvenir of New York” at the base, confirming that I didn’t spend the weekend in Atlantic City with JB.
“So you went to New York. What did you do there?”
“Well, on Saturday , I took a tour of the city, walked in Central Park and was too tired to do anything else in the evening. There wasn’t time for anything today.”
JB got up from the table, initiating a change in the conversation. “Thank you for the dinner. I’d better get going or I’ll miss my ride back to camp.”
After he was gone, my dad asked, “How come you went to New York without telling anyone where you were going? He didn’t wait for a response, but just added, “Don’t do that again!”
“I won’t,” I replied, thinking that when the next time rolls around, I’ll be a married lady and wouldn’t have to account for my activities to anyone but Bob.
I took refuge in my bedroom, very much relieved that everything was quite peaceful. The fact that JB was there may have kept my father’s temper under control.
As I recalled the events of the day, I wondered if JB had seen Bob and me saying goodbye at the bus terminal.
More Tomorrow… violation of all professional etiquette
