The Awakening (6 page)

     Adele lifted her eyes to meet his. “Thanks,” she said wiping tears away, watching as Bentley left the room.
      She rose and stood in front of the mirror, looking at her figure, noting her face still flushed from the episode. Then she went back to bed.
        After a while she was able to settle down and shortly after, fell into a deep sleep, forgetting all about the incident.
     In the morning Adele came awake with a start. The knocking at the door made her eyes snap open. She rolled over, grateful to see Eva waltz in the room. The memories of young Jefferson barging in her room unannounced didn’t seem to trouble her today. Perhaps a good night’s sleep had brought about her forgiving heart.

     “Thought I’d let you sleep in,” Eva said whipping open the closet doors. “Breakfast is almost over, better hurry before it gets cold.” Eva pulled out a few of articles of clothing and laid them on the bed.

     “Shouldn’t have lost my temper last night. Never realized what I was doing,” she said, recalling the event. “Guess I’ll just have to apologize and hope Bentley doesn’t send me home.”

    “Don’t think you have to worry about that. My brother likes you. A lot. Says you’re a sweet girl.”

    “Hope so.”

    She dressed slowly, not convinced Eva was correct in her speculations. On her way out of the room she slid her fingers over the door and felt a gouge. However she managed to find her way downstairs and into the dining room. When she walked in she was relieved to see everyone had already eaten and she was left to eat breakfast alone.

    But before she could sit down, Jefferson waltzed in the room, a serious look on his face. Still, she was angry from the evening past and stiffened. He was dressed more casually this morning, yet looked dashing in his clothes, and Adele surmised he’d likely look good in overalls. Her heart decided to do that racing thing like it did before. She watched as Jefferson marched up to her.

     “Adele, can we talk?”

     She wanted to say, when hell freezes over, but prayed, and managed to restrain her wicked tongue.

     “It’s a free country.” She knew how rude she sounded but didn’t feel she owed anyone an apology except Bentley. 

      “I know I’m to blame. Totally. What a stupid fool I was,” he said. She agreed. “I acted like a jerk last night. Such a jerk.” He continued while shaking his head. “Forgive me, please. It’ll never happen again.”

     When she met his soft brown eyes, like before, she melted.  

    “You swear?”

     “Yes, I promise.”

     She felt her heart softening in less than five minutes.

    “Will you join me outside?”

     She nodded.

    Once outside he said, “You’re very special.”
   “What makes me so special?”

    Jefferson cleared his throat.
    “Well for one thing, you’re down-to-earth. Actually, you’re refreshing to be around, too.”

     “I see,” she said, but really didn’t.

     “I’m studying to become a scientist. Uncle Bentley would love to see me followed in my father’s footsteps, though becoming a general practitioner doesn’t interest me,” he announced.

     Adele smiled not knowing what to say. She’d never met anyone who had such high expectations. Her mind wandered off, thinking about Tammy. All Tammy wanted was to finish school by the time she was eighteen.

    “What are you thinking?” Jefferson asked sliding his arm around her waist. Uncomfortable, Adele quickly removed his arm.

     “Oh this and that,” she said.

     “Care to share?”

      She shook her head.
      Instead she kept glancing in his direction every chance she could, aware that he intimidated her terribly.

      Jefferson motioned for her to join him on a nearby bench. Adele sat down and stared off into space before she decided to ask, “How long does it take to become a scientist?”

     Jefferson, leaving little space between them, stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles. The sound made her cringe.

      “A long time. I’ve been very fortunate, though. My aunt lives in Kentucky, and she’s been kind enough to open up her home to me, for free. Sure appreciate the summers off, let me tell you. When I’m at the university, it gets pretty hectic. I have five more years before I received my degree.”

     “Wow,” Adele said, staring at him. “Think you’ll make a great scientist. You’re smart, energetic and seem to have this knack for detecting when a person’s in trouble.”

    “Only where you’re concerned.”

   “What do you mean?”

    His lips widened with a smile, and he spoke softly, gazing at her as though he were able read her mind. That made her uncomfortable.

   “I like you, Adele.”

   She hadn’t a clued that he was attracted to her. No way. Not even close.

   “I like you, too,” she said.

   “That’s good.”

    Adele wasn’t aware that over time she’d become a beautiful woman. On a scale of 1 to 10, she was a definite 10. She had soft silky golden skin and her figure was a shapely hour glass. She never wore any make-up, never needed to, and her hair was long, and thick and gorgeous. It shone, and had grown long in the past few years hanging beautifully well past the middle of her back. She was a strikingly gorgeous young woman.

Chapter 10

June 29, 1971

     A few weeks had slipped by without Adele knowing that Jefferson was falling in love with her. He was planning to take her canoeing at Constance Bay, a familiar spot he thought she would enjoy. There would be only a few weeks left that he’d have her all to himself. Soon, he’d return to the university and back to studying.

     For her part, Adele found herself becoming faint more than she cared to admit while in his company.

    She lost her balance again and accidentally fell on the front seat.

    Jefferson chuckled. “Well, that’s one way of getting in a car.”

    Adele jerked her head back and gave him a dirty look.
     “You pushed me!”

     “No I didn’t.”
     “You did too.”

     He smiled, slid around the other side, hopped in, and started the engine. She glared at him, and, despite her temper, thought he was exceptionally good-looking today wearing a white T-shirt.

     “Don’t do this, Adele. Not today. It’s good to have a laugh once in a while.”

     “All right,” she chirped, kicking off her shoes, tossing them to the floor. She lifted her silky pink dress to her knees and laughed. “I’ll relax. I’ll just sit here with my mouth shut and won’t say another word.”

     “Good,” he said watching her closely.

     For the next while, she rested against the side of the door, her head resting on the back of the seat. The car pounced a bit as it hit pothole after pothole.  Jefferson glanced over at her and smiled.                                                          

     A little while later they arrived to Constance Bay.

    “We’re here,” Jefferson said, releasing his hands from the wheel, giving her a nudge. “Are you hungry?  Must be lunchtime. ”     

    Adele blinked several times before taking a double-look at their whereabouts.

    “It’s beautiful.” She looked around, and then turned her attention to Jefferson. “Yes I’m hungry, too.”

    She moved away from him, noting the perspiration on his shirt. Jefferson smiled, and sped to the other side of the truck, and helped her out. 

   “What a view,” she said her eyes looking across the lake.

    The lake glistened brightly with the sun shining upon the still waters. The trees along the riverbank were teal blue, and the sky a heavenly blue, and held not a single cloud.
    In seconds he had spread a bright red blanket on the ground, two pillows and a picnic basket.

     Adele pivoted around to see Jefferson relaxing on the blanket. 
     “That was fast,” she said.

     “C’mon.” He tapped his hand on the blanket, yawned, grabbed a pillow, and stuffed it under his head. “I could spend the whole day with you.”

     Adele knelt down beside him, feeling her face instantly growing hot. Jefferson was a magnet, drawing her attention to him. He made her feel so uncomfortable. He was too close. Plus he had muscles everywhere. Hard to keep your eyes off that.

     He sat up, closing the space between them, and stared at her. “May I kiss you?” he asked, his fingertips touching her chin as he inched his way closer.

    Adele stiffened. She’d never kissed anyone before. What was she to do?

    “I’m a teenager. You’re in your twenties,” she said finally. “Didn’t know you liked me.” She glanced at the river and then back at him. “Sides, I’ve never kissed anyone.”

    “So what if I’m older?” He shrugged. “Not that much to kissing.” He relaxed back, his head resting against his hands.

     “That’s because you’ve had some experience,” she said.
    “You’ve got to know Adele—I’m falling in love with you. Never felt like this before.”

     “Seriously?” Adele shifted her eyes away. “I didn’t know.”  

     “Well I am.” He took a deep breath. “This is a first for me. I’ve had a few girlfriends, but sure never felt like this.” He moved her face with his hand until there were only inches between them.

     “This is awkward.” 

    “Why?” He looked surprised. “Don’t you like me?”

     “…ah, yes. But—” Adele gulped.

      “But what?”

      How could he be attracted to her? She was too young, too poor, and too stupid, she thought. Besides, he was becoming a scientist and they had nothing in common.

     “Relax. Everything’s fine. I promise I’ll be good.”

      It went against her better judgment to relax beside him, but she laid her head down, the two side by side, under the shade of an oak tree. They stared at each other for a long time. That’s when she discovered she had feelings for him. But the feelings were more than mere attractions. Jefferson lovingly embraced her, wrapping his strong arms around her.

      And the lunch, the spectacular view of the lake, all seemed insignificant now.

     She gazed into his eyes and studied him.

     “I’ve wanted to hold you for so long,” Jefferson said, caressing her face, touching the softness of her skin.  She lay enveloped in his arms, speechless, allowing him to stroke her hair. Jefferson gazed longingly into her eyes. “Adele,” he whispered, gliding his fingers along the outline of her face. “I could look at you forever, you’re so beautiful.”

     She’d never thought she’d hear a man talk to her like this. She shook her head, tears in her vibrantly green eyes, but not falling. She felt stupid and somewhat vulnerable, yet not frightened enough to pull away.

     “It’s all right. I won’t ask again.”

     If he only knew how nervous she was, how utterly perplexing it was to be so close to him.

     Adele cleared her throat and hoped her question didn’t sound silly.

    “How many girls have you kissed?”

      He smiled, shook his head, and pulled her against his chest. “Five or six.” He glanced down at her delicate silky dress and admired her long slender legs.

     “That’s not so bad,” she said, turning to look at the picnic basket. “We should eat. I mean, Eva went to all the trouble. Then maybe we could go canoeing.”

    “Good, I’m hungry,” Jefferson said sitting up.

    “So am I.”

     As they ate, Adele sat quietly thinking several things. She found she was glad that Jefferson wasn’t pushy. She was attracted to him but didn’t know how to respond, what to say, or what was even right. Such an awkward moment.
    After lunch he sped to the shore to steady the blue fiberglass canoe.

    He waved his hand. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve got  the whole day to canoe.”

      Adele nodded. She unbuckled her sandals, tossed them on the blanket, and lifted up her dress and nervously waded into the water. “How deep is it?”

    Jefferson chuckled. “What do you care? We’re canoeing.”

    Her eyes widened. “Because I can’t swim, that’s why. Not one stroke,” she hissed, noticing the mischievous look on his face.

     “It’s shallow. Four feet maybe. It’s not over your head, I swear.”

     Jefferson came up beside her, picked her up with ease, and sat her in the bottom of the canoe, facing him. He climbed inside and began to paddle long hard strokes. Not long after, Adele found she was actually enjoying the ride, despite her fear of water. He paddled around the river as if he’d been doing it all his life. He stopped for a second and she thought he needed to rest, but instead, she watched as he tore off his shirt and tossed it in the canoe beside her.

    “You don’t mind, do you?” He smirked, with lips curved upwards.

    She couldn’t think straight. All she could do was squirm inside, because deep down she was beginning to wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
    “Guess not,” she replied, but her face said otherwise and her eyes dropped in embarrassment.

     She’d never seen muscles like his. They were all over his arms and chest and were nothing like the muscles she’d seen on her father. She wondered how he expected her not to stare. Then she clued in. He’d taken his shirt off on purpose, she decided.

    “Enjoying yourself?” he asked, shifting his body gently, tipping the canoe slightly.

    Adele gave him a scornful look. “Jefferson, stop it, right now.” She grabbed the edge of the canoe, gouging her fingers in its rim till they were numb. “You’ll tip us. I meant it when I said I couldn’t swim.”

    But Jefferson, as though he were deaf ignored her warnings and the canoe continued to wobble. By this time she was furious, and her fear of the water, as well as her destiny intensified.

    “Stop it, please!”

     Still, with total disregard to her warnings, soon the inevitable happened and the canoe tipped over sending them both into the chilly waters.

     Shocked, she bobbed her head up from the water a second time and gasped for air. Angry, she kept spitting water, and screaming at him vulgar names.

    “You’re such a jerk!”

     “Jerk?” He rubbed water from his eyes and shook his head.

    “You heard me.”

     “That’s not very nice,” he teased, diving beneath the water.

     Now stuck in what felt like quicksand, her feet trapped in slime, her voice soon escalated. “Where are you?” she shouted, circling her arms in the air. “I could kill you!”

     Without warning he leaped from the water, just inches from her face, yelling, “Gotcha!” He wasn’t exactly an impressive sight. But when he shook off the excess water the way a dog would, and the water slapped her across the face, she lunged for him.

     “I’ll wring your…” She grabbed his throat, but he seized her arm and drew her body tight against his chest where she instantly felt weak and frazzled.

    “I apologize.”
   “Oh, really…well…fine. It’s only my life. I’ve heard your apology, now get lost.”

    Their bodies touched.

     Jefferson smiled and then kissed her. She slid her fingertips over his muscular chest, until they reached the tops of his shoulders. When her knees buckled and he scooped her up in his arms and kissed her passionately.

    “You’re beautiful, Adele.” He kissed her sweet lips once more before releasing her back into the water. He was right, the water only came to her waist. “Stay here a minute. I’ll be right back.”

     Adele nodded and watched as he went to retrieve the canoe. His physic, made her feel strangely weak. Upon his return his expression changed and a frown lined his handsome face.

    “Something wrong?” she asked, shivering.

    “Look at us!”

     She looked at her dress—it hugged her body and was dripping wet. “Well,” she said, “I warned you.”

     “I know. I’m a moron. One hundred percent moron.” He lowered his eyes to look at her and brushed her hair to the side of her face, observing her bluish lips.

     “I have an idea,” she said excitedly. “Our clothes will never dry in time. You can stand the ride home in those wet pants, can’t you?”

     “Yes, of course. I’m not concerned about me. I’m worried about you. Never should have done that.”

     “Well, it’s too late to change what’s happened. We’ll have to make the best of things. Look, see those bushes over there?” She pointed in their direction.

     “I’m not blind, just stupid,” he grumbled and kicked the sand.

     “If you promise not to look, I’ll take these wet things off and wrap myself in the blanket. It’s big enough.”

     He rolled his eyes and held up his right hand. “I give you my word.” He turned away and said, “Just get out of those wet things. You could get sick with the way you’re shaking.”
    She shrugged. “Should have thought of that earlier on.”

    Jefferson gave her an embarrassed look. “I know, I know. I feel bad. Really.”

    “All right.”

     Adele sped to the blanket, seized it, and in a flash took to the bushes. She peeled off her wet clothes and wrapped the blanket around her, relieved to be somewhat warm.

     She was grateful to see he was a gentleman, and true to his word and never once peeked.

     And not long after they were in the car, returning home. The day had been wonderful, despite Jefferson’s childish behaviour.

     Jefferson was quiet on the drive home. During the ride, she fell asleep, feeling safe next to him.                                                                                                                                                     

    He glanced at her bare shoulders, at the blanket that covered her and smiled. If only she knew. How he wished for more time with her. He wound the side window up. Last thing Adele needed was to come down with a cold. Bentley would skin him alive. His uncle could be so old fashion at times. Despite, he was a good man and Jefferson was grateful for their relationship.

     As he drove his mind kept wandering, recalling the wonderful kiss he had with Adele. Tomorrow… what would tomorrow bring? Would she fall in love with him? He hoped so.