Nobody Knows Your Secret

37

When Hardy heard the news about Claire Winthrop, he felt as if he'd been punched in the gut. All the wind was knocked out of him. Claire had always been such a sensitive girl. Hardy had tried to make her feel special after the accident. Whenever he'd run into Virgie and Claire at Pixies, he'd make an effort to say 'hey.'

What a waste, Hardy thought. What an incredible crying-shame waste.

His brain flashed back to that dreadful day.

The sun was shining and the bright blue sky was filled with huge, cotton-ball clouds. Hardy hoped they didn't foretell thunderstorms later in the afternoon.

"Come on, Willie Mae," Hardy said. "Let's get a move on."

Hardy was on summer vacation. Willie Mae was young and a knockout, and Hardy was head-over-heels in love. It had been just Hardy and his girlfriend for several months now – just the way he liked it. It felt good to have a pretty girl cruising the mountains alongside him in his old pickup. All his friends at school were jealous.

Hardy had a moment of inspiration.

Why not take Willie May to that amusement park everybody was always talking about?

Willie Mae was less than enthusiastic about the idea of spending a whole day with her boyfriend at a playground.

"It's not a playground," Hardy had said. "It'ull be fun. Come on. What'sa matter? Too scared to ride the coaster, Willie Mae?"

"No," she said, punching Hardy on the arm. "I thought we were going to grab a few beers and make our own fun."

"We'll do that later," Hardy said. "We got all day."

"You're not going to let go of this, are you, Hardy?"

Hardy's eyes twinkled. He smiled and shook his head no.

Reluctantly, Willie Mae agreed to go.

"All right," she said. "but let me change first."

Willie Mae went into her parents' small house. She came back in a few minutes.

"Go back in and put on something with a little more material, sweetheart," Hardy had said when Willie Mae reappeared from her bedroom wearing a long-tail tee and skin-tight Daisy Duke shorts.

"Don't you think this looks good, Hardy?"

"You look too good. Every boy in HopeRockCounty will be following you around, Willie Mae. I don't need a bunch 'a hound dawgs in heat on our tails."

"Aw, Hardy." .

"Don't 'aw Hardy' me. Just put on some jeans. Those rides are rough on your clothes. I'll be waiting for you in the truck."

Willie Mae huffed and puffed but went back into her bedroom.

"I'm going to buy the all-day passes," Hardy said. "We'll be able to ride anything we want."

Willie Mae said nothing. She was still steamed at having to change clothes and at having to go at all. 

She'd planned on finding a nice cool shade tree in a beautiful meadow and making out with Hardy. But all Hardy wanted to do was ride a bunch of stupid kiddie rides. They were going to a carnival on steroids, Willie Mae thought.

She'd almost rather go the gynecologist. What were those stupid rides going to do to her hair? And what was so fantastic about banging your brains out in the bumper cars? And spinning in circles on the swings?

Willie Mae could lose her lunch just thinking about it. But Hardy was stuck on the idea like a broken record. 

She wished they'd never run into Betsy and Billy last night. She hated Betsy Lincoln. The girl was more snobby than a stuck pig. Thought she was so much better than everybody else 'cause her Daddy worked the mines and could afford to buy his daughter a brand new convertible.

Willie Mae's father was a janitor at the high school. All he could afford was the bright yellow public school bus for Willie Mae to ride to school. Though lately, she'd been able to persuade Hardy to swing by and give her a lift in his truck.

Still, it would be nice to be breezing around in a convertible. If it didn't mess your hair up too much. And didn't Betsy say that if you left the windows rolled up, you could tool around with the top down in cool weather?

Geez, Willie Mae thought, some gals have all the luck. But not me.

Anyway, Hardy Branwell was as cute as a speckled pup, even if he did insist on putting a wad of chewing tobacco the size of a softball inside his cheek. 

Willie Mae wiggled in her seat. If only Hardy would find that perfect meadow instead of insisting they go to that stupid playground, amusement park, or whatever the heck you called it.

She sighed and looked out her window. 

Hardy turned up the country music and started humming. It was a catchy little tune, she thought, letting her hand move toward Hardy's cute little booty. Willie Mae threw Hardy her sexiest smile. She noticed the color flare just above the collar of his western shirt.

Oh well, she thought. 

If she had to endure a day at the carnival for a night of carnal lust, it was a small price to pay. She'd be patient. Paradise under the stars was just as lovely as it was under that big old tree in a perfect meadow.