Breathless

By Margie Keane

teen love

 

Jeremy and I had been sweet on each other since second grade and now, at 19 we were engaged—supposed to be engaged, that is. Just yesterday I was in town to do some shoppin’ and as I walked by a fence I heard familiar voices – the voices of my girlfriends, Anna Mae and Emily. They were talking and laughing about Jeremy and Sue Ellen!

“Can you imagine?” gasped Anna Mae, “How do you think Sue Ellen must have felt being caught bare ass naked?  She’ll never live this down!”

“And what about Jeremy! Giggled  Emily.  “He was only wearin’ his union suit and he was practically on top of her! And kissin’ her! I can hardly believe that, and I thought he was so shy!  They’ll be the laughin’stock of the town forever!”

“Boy, wait till Carrie Ann finds out,” crowed Anna Mae, “she’s been struttin’ around town showin’ off her ring, I would love to see her face when she hears about this!”

I stepped around the fence and faced them. “Well, take a good look at me, you backstabbers! I turned and walked back around the fence and ran home.

Later that day Jeremy came a callin.’ I saw him comin’ up the road so I ran out to meet him at the gate. When he got there he was all smiles. “Hi, sweetheart,” he said leaning forward to give me a kiss.

“Don’t you dare ‘sweet heart’ me! I yelled.  You are a two-timin’ cheatin’ so and so!”

“Whoa, wait a minute honey, what’s goin’ on?”

“You know perfectly well what’s goin’ on – you and Sue Ellen!

Jerrmy grinned broadly. “That’s what I came to tell you about, you see—”

“You needn’t bother saying anything else. It’s written all over your face.  And besides Emily and Anna Mae already told me how they found her naked and you in your underwear!” I turned and went back to my house, slamming the door behind me. “Go away!” I shouted.

“No! doggonit,” yelled Jeremy, “You need to hear the truth! Either open this door or I’ll break it down!

I saw him backin’ up, waitin’ then he came a barrelin’ forward so suddenly that I flung the door wide open and he ran right through and into me! We both fell in a heap on the hallway floor.

Jeremy picked me up and held my arms so I couldn’t get away (not that I really wanted to right at that moment}.

“Listen, you crazy girl! Sue Ellen went skinny-dippin’ down in Miller’s Pond. No one goes there so she thought she would be safe but she got a cramp in her thigh and couldn’t move her leg to swim.  I happened to be goin’ by because Mr. Miller wanted me to build some bird houses for him.

I saw Sue Ellen in the pond, she looked so scared! She went down under the water, then came up and went under again and I knew she was in trouble so I took off most of my clothes and Jumped in and pulled her onto the bank. She wasn’t breathin! Remember the first-aid course we had to take in our senior year? The chapter about CPR? ( I did remember it.)

“I wasn’t kissin’ her, I was tryin’ to save her life and I’m proud to say I did!  The town has organized a special meeting for tonight.  The Mayor is givin’ me a citation and the Kiwanis  is givin’ me the use of a limousine whenever I want it and Harvey O’Toole of Harvey’s Steak House said after the ceremony he wants the two of us and our parents to come for a special dinner! That’s what I came to tell you! Our parents will meet us at the restaurant.

I hung my head but finally looked up at Jeremy. “I hardly know what to say!

Jeremy grabbed me to him and kissed me so hard and so long that I got dizzy!

“Oh my, Jeremy, I can hardly breathe! You may have to save me a whole bunch of times.”

 

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