Roger Talon loved Julia Dahlbeck. He loved everything about her. Her smile, her laugh, her body. Everything.
The first time he saw her was in high school, three years ago. She was walking between classes with her friends and their eyes met. That was all. It seemed so trivial, as if there was nothing that could have sparked between them.
But then, the next day, she smiled at him as she walked by.
By day three of noticing each other's existence, Julia had ditched her friends and started walking with Roger. They talked all the way to her class and she touched his arm as she went into the room.
Every day after, she walked with Roger, rather than her friends. And every day, they held hands and kissed just before she went into the classroom and he continued on towards his class.
Three years later, Julia was attending the local community college. Her choice. Her parents were less than enthused. They'd intended for her to go to some East Coast school like Harvard or Princeton. They'd wanted to break Julia and Roger up. Of that, Julia was sure. Even though they'd never met Roger.
Julia didn't want them to meet him. When you come from a certain class of people, you're not to mix company with another class.
Roger wasn't dirt poor but he and his family weren't anywhere near as affluent as Julia's parents were. Roger hadn't gone to college, instead working as a mechanic at a local auto garage. Julia wasn't ashamed of him or his standing. She just didn't want him coming into contact with her parents.
The relationship had been tricky at first, for reasons surrounding her parents as well as the question of sex and when they'd be ready.
For Julia, the time was after marriage. She thought that if Roger thought she was "the one" (something he'd told her over and over again), he could wait until their honeymoon.
Roger, meanwhile, while thinking Julia was, indeed, "the one", wanted to sleep with her but didn't dare make a move or pressure her for fear of losing her.
He'd had plenty of experience and wished that the same was true of Julia. He had to admit, though, that having a virgin for a girlfriend was unique. It didn't stop his mouth from watering and his mind from wandering at the prospect of easier girls and now women.
Roger was at work, tuning up a Pontiac, when a silver Jaguar rolled into the garage and onto a lift.
He saw her fishnet stockings first, as she stepped out of her car. Her long legs climbed, disappearing under a tight leather skirt. Roger estimated her at about forty-five but her face was flawless. Not a wrinkle on it. A bright red lipstick highlighted her full lips. The skirt was complemented by a tight white blouse, her breasts proportiate to her body shape and not sagging at all. Her blonde hair was cropped short which only added to her beauty. Before he could stop his thoughts, Roger wondered what she looked like without the clothes.
He rapidly finished his work on the Pontiac, hoping to beat Ben, his fellow mechanic, to be able to work on her car.
Too late. Ben was already starting on the Jag while Roger was writing up the receipt for the Pontiac's owner.
"Christ on a stick!" Ben said, when Roger approached after the Pontiac pulled out. "I'd love to throw one into her!"
Roger felt a twinge of jealousy, even as he smiled and nodded in agreement. Ben continued to work on the car. Roger went into the garage's office, where the woman now sat, applying lipstick while looking in a compact mirror. Her legs were crossed and Roger felt a shiver go through him. He sat down behind the boss's desk. He was out today and it fell to both Ben and Roger to have to do the paperwork as well as the grunt work.
Half an hour later, Ben entered the office and Roger asked him for the damage.
Ben was none to happy to have to give him the total but did so anyway and then, throwing his hands in the air, walked back into the garage.
Roger filled out some paperwork, gave the total to the woman and waited as she reached into her purse and pulled out both the credit card and her ID card and handed them to him.
As he looked at her ID, he nearly choked. The name on the card was Sandra Dahlbeck! She was Julia's mother!
He tried to hide his surprise but knew that she had saw his reaction. He filled out the receipt and copied the card and then handed both back to the woman.
"Is something the matter?" she inquired, a knowing smile on her face. She had come her to see just who this Roger was that Julia kept talking about. It had been going for three years now and she had yet to meet him.
He looked like the everyday run-of-the-mill young man. She could throw a rock from any street corner and hit ten Rogers. Even the grease on his hands and face didn't differeniate him from them.
"Uh, no," Roger said and stood, started back for the garage. She stopped him by putting her hand on his arm. She felt muscle there, felt it jump at her touch, even through the coveralls.
"Just a second, Roger," she said, her voice syrupy smooth. "I'm glad to finally meet you. Julia talks about you all the time, says that you're 'the one'. I had to see what she was gushing over for myself. You can't blame me, can you? Everything she says is true."
Roger wondered what Julia had told her mother about him and why she had told him a completely different story, about how Sandra and her husband had considered sending her away to break them up. Her mother seemed nice enough. She smelled very nice.
All he could say was, "Thank you."
"You do know where live, don't you, Roger?" Sandra asked him.
"Um, yeah, I do," he said, not sure where she was going with this.
"Why don't you plan on having dinner with us this Saturday?" she asked. "I'll run it by Julia and my husband, Peter, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to convince them. What do you say?"
