The Gods of Song and Poetry

Chapter 19 - What We Have In Common Is More Important Than Our Differences

Chapter 19 - What We Have In Common Is More Important Than Our Differences

My sister stayed up with me for an hour or so. She wanted to hear about everything. I had to keep reminding her that if Kelly and I were ever going to progress from dating to relationship status, then it would have to eventually involve moments that only we shared.

I couldn't resist telling her about Kelly and I collapsing through the door at her grandma's feet, though. That caused Kristy to make jokes about Kelly mounting me on our first date, which in turn caused me to threaten her life until she promised not to tease Kelly about it.

I got around to our plans for a second date tomorrow, and Kristy seemed pleased enough to finally go to bed. That left me alone with my thoughts, which kept returning to Kelly. I decided I really needed to slow down. I was acting like I was totally smitten. I'd seen it happen a dozen times with friends. Someone starts dating a new person, they get infatuated, there's some kind of chemical high that convinces them they're 'in love,' then after a few months things get boring and they start getting sick of each other.

No doubt Kelly was beautiful. She was also friendly, funny, smart, and an amazing kisser. Well, I had nobody to compare her to, but I thought she did an amazing job. The problem was, I think we were both high on the newness of it. These were awesome feelings, but they weren't real. At least, not the kind of feelings to use as a foundation for something that was real. Slow was definitely the way to go.

As I drifted off to sleep, that thought kept fighting for dominance with the memory of the taste of peaches.

The next morning I got to sleep in a bit and still have time for a run. I did the observation platforms again and threw in a few sets of sit-ups as I climbed them. Remembering the firmness of Kelly's abdomen when I held her waist last night might have encouraged my sudden interest in core exercises.

After I showered, I got ready for a ride with Kelly. Thankfully it was a little cooler today. Long pants and leather jackets were miserable in the heat.

When I first got my motorcycle, all I could afford was a basic helmet and an old black leather jacket I found at Goodwill. It had lots of buckles and zippers, and looked a little too bad-butt for me, but it would help in a fall. My parents offered to get me better gear because they were constantly afraid of me getting in an accident. At first I refused, then they surprised me with a white and pink leather jacket. The shoulders, elbows, and spine were reinforced with hard plastic shields. They even got me a matching helmet and nice matching leather gloves. How could I refuse? They were so cute!

That meant I had an extra jacket and helmet for a passenger. I packed the old jacket in a saddle bag and strapped the extra helmet to the 'sissy bar,' a little backrest for the passenger seat. I texted Kelly that I was on my way, revved the ancient machine to life, and took off for her house.

When I pulled up in front, both of her grandparents were outside waiting with her. They looked unhappy. I turned the engine off, put down the kickstand, and dismounted. I took off my helmet and walked over to them, forcing myself to make eye contact with Nurse Annie, even though I was still embarrassed about her catching me making out with her granddaughter.

"Hey! What's up?"

Kelly was holding a backpack and looked a little mortified.

"Now Analee," Nurse Annie said very seriously, "There's no way I'm letting my granddaughter get on the back of that thing unless she's got on a helmet and I know you're a safe driver."

"I brought my extra helmet for her, and a leather jacket," I said quickly. "And trust me, I never speed or do stupid stuff. I'm too chicken for that. The only points I got off during my test was for not speeding up fast enough during some of the maneuvers."