Well, I'm still having fun writing. Seems, though, that these two have had it way too easy. Time for a little trouble. So, let's go to college.
*
My nouveau Bug was completely full. There was barely room for the two of us. Kim looked to stuff just one more bag of clothing somewhere. Her parents and I stood aside, looking on with amusement.
The nouveau Bug was a 1969 used Beetle, navy blue with a little rust. It ran great. But it was a Bug, meaning no air conditioning in the summer, and vestigial heat in winter. Good thing it was going to North Carolina, where the winters were far less severe than here in the Midwest. I had learned to change the oil and adjust the valves, a requirement every 1,500 miles or so with its air-cooled engine. I had done so the day before, so with a full tank of gas we were ready to travel.
Ever see the circus, where clown after clown emerges from a Bug? We were trying to do that in reverse, stuffing both our sets of college possessions. I had pared down mine as much as I could to leave more room for Kim, figuring that if there was something essential I had left out, I could get it at Duke in Durham.
Kim pushed with her sneakered foot. That foot attached to a long, tan leg, which attached to the finest butt in the universe, which sat upon a slender, toned, body-to-die-for, topped by a beautiful face framed by long, blonde hair, at the moment tied back in a pony tail. A complete six-foot package. The outfit? A simple grey Duke T-shirt, and a pair of farmer jean shorts: bib overalls with short, hemmed legs. She was so adorable. I could feel it in my heart every time I looked at her. Must be love.
"Give it up, Kim," her dad said. We'll mail it to you."
"No," she grunted. "One...more...push!" And the last pillowcase filled with clothing was stuffed in, barely.
"Congratulations!" I said. I was rewarded with a smile.
Mom fretted. "Now, you're stopping tonight, right? You're not going to try to drive all the way through?"
"No, Mom," said Kim; in a way that suggested this wasn't the first time this conversation had taken place, or even the sixth. "I have the motel money you gave me. We'll make sure to stop for the night."
"It's just that with a stick shift, poor Dave has to do all the driving," she said. "I don't want him falling asleep behind the wheel."
"I'll be OK, ma'am," I said confidently. "I know my limits, and I've planned our route. I think we can make Knoxville and then cut east. That should make it about a 12-hour day today, and much less tomorrow."
"Uh," Dad said, clearly uncomfortable. "And just what will the sleeping arrangements be tonight?"
Kim hugged him. "Oh, Daddy, all motels have two beds, if that's what you're worried about. We'll be fine in one room. If Dave were going to take advantage of me, he's had plenty of opportunity before now!" She kissed him on the cheek. I struggled to keep a straight face. Kim's mom, who knew all about us, stifled a guffaw. Dad relaxed a little. Kim could charm the Grinch out of stealing Christmas.
"I guess you're right. Well, you'd better be off if you want to beat rush hour going through Chicago." Said Dad, mollified.
Kim hugged her mom. "Dave will take care of me, Mom, he always does." They hugged tight, Mom whispered something, and Kim giggled.
She embraced her dad again, and I shook his hand and hugged her mom. Into the Bug we piled, and took off down the street. The adventure to college had officially begun.
It was a long day, but with windows down we were able to stay pretty cool. Bug zoomed down the interstates, through Chicago, Indianapolis, Louisville. We stopped for gas and snacks about every two hours, but pretty much kept going without a break. Bug got 35 mpg, and ran well. I pretty much stuck to 55 mph. It was 1973, and the first Arab oil embargo was trying to paralyze the country with $40-a-barrel oil. 55 was the patriotic speed.
We found a Holiday Inn outside Knoxville about 6:30. While it had a pool, we discovered that we would have to unpack most of the car to get our swimsuits, so we forgot the idea of a cool dip.
"I'm sooo stiff," Kim complained. "I need to go for a run." She had been doing about five miles a day to get in shape for basketball workouts. We checked in, taking the small bags of essentials we had kept handy for overnight.
"OK," I said. "I'll get us some take-out while you're gone, and we can just relax here.
"Sounds good." She changed in the bathroom into running shorts, and disappeared out the door.
To work. I got fried chicken and trimmings with some soft drinks. Food taken care of. Check. I found my secret bag in the car. Check. Into the bathroom, I took candles out of the bag and lit them. Check. Drew hot bath with special bubble bath. Check. Everything was ready.
Coming out of the bathroom, I closed the door behind me to wait for Kim's return. About five minutes later (no time to spare, so bubble bath will still be hot. Check.), Kim came in the door, sweat dripping down her face and hair plastered to her head. She puffed out a huge breath. How can someone look that pretty all sweated up? Easy, if you happen to be Kim.
"Wow, I needed that, but it's sooo hot! Time for a shower." She took her bag, and opened the bathroom door. She froze, and took in the sight. Slowly, she turned back to me.
"David? What's this?"
"I have chicken. I thought a picnic would be nice, and a hot bubble bath for you would be a luxury you may not get for a while. I suspect they only have showers at school."
"Can I eat in the tub?" She asked, in an excited voice.
"That's the whole idea."
"Will you join me?"
"On the floor. The tub's a bit small for the two of us."
Wasting mo more time, Kim stripped right there, and gingerly stepped into the tub. "Ow! It's HOT!"
"Too hot?"
She settled in, breasts disappearing under a mountain of bubbles. "No, once you're in, it feels heavenly." She was too short for the tub, so to get her body in, her knees emerged from the bubbles. "Oh, this is so good!"
I came in and sat on the floor, and served her chicken and biscuits on a paper plate. I kept the soft drink handy, but since it was a glass bottle, I didn't want to risk it slipping and breaking in the bathroom. We spent a pleasant hour munching and chatting. Kim was clearly enjoying the bath. I enjoyed seeing her face in the soft candlelight. But the second law of thermodynamics being what it is, the water cooled.
"I think this bath is about over. If it's OK with you, I want to wash my hair under the shower. I'll meet you in bed in a few minutes."
"I thought we were in separate beds?" I ventured.
"Nope. Mom whispered to me that if you were going to do all that driving, that I should take very good care of you when we stopped. And I can't do that from a separate bed!"
"I wondered why you giggled," I said. "She's the best."