Chapter 2
It was three that Friday afternoon, and another day of school was over. The teens were elated with having a weekend free from the books and lectures. But of course, some had homework they had to squeeze in their two days of freedom.
Darin sat and waited on the hood of his Bel-Air. Since classes were over, he removed the rubber band from his ponytail and let his hair hang freely down to his shoulders.
Seventeen-year-old Charles Moore and Kenny Woods strutted up to Darin with grins of weekend freedom.
“Hey, Darin,” said Charles, who was about the same size as Darin but with long black hair down to his shoulders.
Hey, Charles and Kenny,” replied Darin.
“So, are you ready to go in a couple of weeks?’ asked Charles.
“I can’t wait to party for a week. It’s been long brutal years to finally get to this day,” said Kenny, who had long auburn hair down to his shoulder and he also had pot marks on his face, as a reminder he lost his years with battling acne.
“I’m so fucking ready to have some fun in the sun over at the beach,” said Darin.
“Is Sheryl coming to the beach?” said Kenny while he glanced with eyes widened scanning the area for her.
“Yeah, she’s planning on coming along with us to party,” said Darin.
Kenny smiled, thinking about seeing her in a bikini showing off her butt cheeks.
“We better go. I have to work the night shift at the gas station,” said Charles, as he hated his pumping gas into cars that wanted the full-service treatment.
“Yeah, I need to get home anyway,” said Kenny, who had plans of hitting his bedroom and dreaming about Sheryl.
Charles and Kenny walked away and headed over to Charles’ white with blue interior four-door 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air.
Darin kept a watchful eye on all the other students leaving the building.
After five minutes his eyes widened with joy the second he spotted Sheryl walking his way with her blonde hair swaying in rhythm with her walk.
“Hey baby,” she said the second she got to the front of his Bel-Air. She gave Darin a quick kiss on his lips.
He opened up his driver’s door, and they got in the car.
She slid across the bench seat and sat next to Darin.
Darin started up his Bel-Air, backed out of the parking spot, and drove off through the lot.
Sheryl turned on the radio and the song How Can You Mend a Broken Heart by the Bee Gees played on the WFIL AM station.
“What a long, long boring day,” said Sheryl while Darin made a left turn out of the school lot and drove off down the street.
“Don’t worry, it will all be over soon enough,” said Darin while he listened to Sheryl while she started to hum along with the Bee Gees. This wasn’t one of Darin’s favorite songs, but he loved it when she sang or hummed along with a song.
It wasn’t long before Darin stopped his Bel-Air in front of Sheryl’s home.
“I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty tonight,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, then leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips.
Sheryl got out of the car, and Darin watched her backside while she ran off to the front door. After she was safely inside, he drove off down the street.
It was suppertime, and Henry was home from his shift at the plant. Tonight June made pot roast, mashed potatoes, and corn. Henry had his usual bottle of Black Label beer with his dinner. It was his way to unwind from spending all day making trunks and hoods for the Chevy Bel-Airs.
Henry had served in the Army, as a ground pounder, during WWII in Germany and still sported a crew cut. He had gained weight since the war and now sported a belly with that nine-month pregnant look. On his right forearm, he has a heart tattoo with June above it. He got that after joining the Army to save the world from the Nazis. Having that tattoo was a reminder of his girlfriend, June, back home. The girl he wanted to marry if he survived the war.
It was quiet at the dinner table. June decided to break the ice and get her two guys to talk. “So Darin, are you getting excited about next weekend?”
Darin grabbed his glass of milk and took a drink. “Yeah, I can’t believe it’s finally here,” he said then took a bite of his pot roast. He thought about tonight while he chewed. He started to get a nervous stomach.
“Remember, if you don’t succeed with college, I can always talk with Randall, and he can get you a job. You might have to start at the bottom, maybe janitor work, then you can work your way up to the line one day,” Henry said breaking his silence then he took a drink of his Black Label. “Or if you want, there’s always the Army,” he said then shoved a piece of pot roast in his mouth. Fucking draft dodgers. He thought while he chewed on his piece of roast. He loathed the cowards running off to Canada to avoid serving their country. After all, his generation served their country and couldn’t understand why so many of Darin’s generation ran.
June didn’t like hearing Henry talk about the Army. She hated those nightly news broadcasts about the number of young kids that were killed over in Vietnam.
“Maybe,” said Darin, but he knew that his plans for his future were rock solid and he wouldn’t have to worry about the Army.
June looked at Henry. “You going out tonight?”
“Yeah, Vince and boys want to bowl a few games and drink some beer.”
June nodded with a smile. She knew Henry loved his once a week bowling night with his friends. It helped him relax.
It remained quiet for the rest of their dinner except for the clanking of forks on the three plates.
Eight-thirty rolled around, and Darin rushed out of the house.
He got in his Bel-Air and immediately drove over to Sheryl’s house.
She rushed out of her front door in a fresh pair of blue jeans and a red tee-shirt.
After she got in the Bel-Air and slid across the seat next to Darin. She gave him a kiss on the lips then he drove off down Chestnut.
After Darin drove out of the neighborhood, he drove north on Thorndale Avenue then turned left on Marshall Avenue.
He headed west and found the Burkeville Drive-In Theater off Marshall Avenue. This was one of the places, so many teenagers of Burkeville would hang out on Friday and Saturday nights when weather permitted. Tonight the movie Dirty Harry played. But who really watched the movie at a Drive-In theater?
Darin parked his Bel-Air off to the left side three rows in front of the Snack Bar. While he parked his car, he didn’t notice a green four-door 1962 Rambler that was parked in the very last row all by itself. Inside that Rambler was Kenny all by himself.
Darin rolled down his window, reached out and grabbed that gray metal speaker. He clipped the speaker on the top of the window glass and rolled it up until there was only a two-inch gap for air. He placed his arm around Sheryl’s shoulder, and she put her head on his shoulder.
After a few minutes, the Dirty Harry movie started.
Darin looked nervous. There was something he wanted to say to Sheryl but was getting nervous again. He decided to wait until later in the movie.
The car to the right of Darin’s was a black with black interior 1961 four-door Chevrolet Bel-Air.
Inside that 1961 Bel-Air was seventeen-year-old Wallace Stevens with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair and seventeen-year-old Tiffany Barnes with long black hair down to the middle of her back. Tiffany had a hot body with perky breasts and a sweet body that all the guys loved. They also loved it when she wore her bell-bottom hip-hugger blue jeans, as they really accented her rear cheeks.
Wallace and Tiffany weren’t actually boyfriend and girlfriend but loved to party together. They partied almost every weekend.
After Wallace had his speaker installed on his window, he immediately lit up a joint.
Wallace took a hit off the joint and passed it over to Tiffany. While Tiffany took a hit off the joint, Wallace opened up two cans of Black Label beer his older brother bought for him.
While Tiffany passed the joint back to Wallace, she saw Darin and Sheryl in the Bel-Air. She always had the hots for Darin and hoped that one day Sheryl would dump him. But tonight all she cared about was partying with Wallace, getting stoned and then doing her other fulfilling her other desire.
Wallace took his hit on the joint and handed Tiffany her a can of beer.
Darin glanced to his right and saw Wallace and Tiffany smoking a joint and drinking beer in the car next to him. He knew Tiffany wanted him, but a party girl was not his style. He felt so lucky to have a girl like Sheryl.
Darin and Sheryl continued to watch the movie while they cuddled.
The Dirty Harry movie was in the middle of Act II when Darin decided it was now or never. But he was still nervous. He looked over to his right and saw Wallace in his Bel-Air, head leaned back, and he could see the top of Tiffany’s head slowly bobbing up and down over Wallace’s crotch. Tiffany had a reputation for giving blowjobs when she was stoned or drunk.
Darin looked away from the Bel-Air and decided to go for it. “Ah, Sheryl, listen, Ah, I was thinking.”
“About what?” she said with her head rested on his shoulder.
“Ah, I, ah,” he said and got really nervous.
“What baby?” she said while she lifted her head off of Darin’s shoulder. She noticed Tiffany’s head in motion over Wallace’s crotch over in his car. “Is that what you want? A blow job?” she said while motioned over at Wallace’s car.
Darin looked at Wallace’s car then back at Sheryl. “No, not that, I, ah, I, ah,” he said again the paused for a few seconds to let his stomach settle. He then decided to get brave. “I was thinking. Why don’t after we graduate from college, we get married,” he blurted out and cringed figuring he screwed up.
Darin just knew he screwed up and should have left things the way they were. He silently prayed she wouldn’t dump him tonight.
“It’s about time you asked. I was starting to worry you would never,” she said, then paused.
Darin was still nervous, and her response didn’t sink in his head. “Does that mean, yes?”
“Of course, it means yes. I want to marry you,” she said then kissed him. “You’re the only one I want to spend my entire life with.”
“We’ll have a great life together. I’ll be a history professor at the university, and you’ll be a nurse at the hospital,” said Darin.
“And a baby,” said Sheryl.
Darin nodded in agreement then they started to kiss. It didn’t take them long for their kissing to turn passionate.
He slipped his hand up under her tee-shirt. He began to cop a feel of her bra and felt her nipples through the material.
She ran her hand down to his crotch and felt his erection through his jeans.
While their hands moved around their bodies, they didn’t notice Kenny was spying on them with interest from the rear window.
Kenny rushed back to his Rambler when he heard someone walking over in his direction.
Five minutes of kissing and fondling between Darin and Sheryl continued when seventeen-year-old Robbie Hanson, his best friend Mickey White, and four other Burkeville Bears football players, Bobbie, Herschel, Denny, and Frank strutted up to Darin’s car like badasses.
These guys were all stocky brutes, and Robbie loved to intimidate everybody smaller than him. It brought joy to his heart, bringing fear to the other kids at school. And since he was the star quarterback and his dad was the Chief of Police in Burkeville, nobody dared mess with him.
Chief Butch Hanson was a Marine in World War II and was a tough dad and sported a USMC tattoo on his right bicep. Chief Hanson pushed Robbie hard to be the best quarterback Burkeville had. Failure wasn’t an option for Butch or his son.
Even though Robbie was good at being a quarterback, he had a dark secret back in 1971. In fact, Chief Hanson believed that his son was a saint and shame on anybody that stated otherwise. Robbie didn’t want anybody to discover his dark secret; hence, the bully personality cover-up. So he had his brute buddies believing he had numerous sexual conquests with girls from his class. And some of the girls falsely admitted to having sex with Robbie so that they would appear fashionable.
Robbie had seen Darin’s car while he and his cronies headed over to the snack bar for some soda and popcorn. He couldn’t resist the temptation.
Robbie, Mickey, Bobbie, Herschel, Denny, and Frank stood by the driver’s door of Darin’s Bel-Air. They watched while Darin and Sheryl had their lips locked and hands fondling each other’s body.
“You haven’t been in her pants yet? Have you?” Mickey asked Robbie.
The other football players looked at Robbie and nodded in agreement with Mickey.
Robbie got an evil smirk then pounded on Darin’s door window. Darin and Sheryl jumped a mile inside the car. They saw Robbie, Mickey and his buddies standing outside the car laughing.
Darin was always intimidated by Robbie who had bullied Darin ever since the eight grade. He fought hard not to piss his pants or pass out.
“What a fucking pussy. I bet he pissed his pants again,” said Robbie.
“I remember that day in ninth grade,” said Frank.
The other guys smiled. “Me too,” said Denny.
“It was after school and Robbie threatened to punch Darin in his nose for his comment in class,” said Herschel.
“I’m surprised he didn’t pass out,” said Mickey.
“Yeah, like last year after gym class,” said Bobbie.
Robbie smiled when his buddies bragged about his intimidations over Darin.
The Robbie and his buddies walked away, laughing while and headed over to the snack bar.
Darin glanced over his shoulder to make sure Robbie and his cronies were gone. “He’ll get his one day,” he said once he knew Robbie would be no longer a threat.
“I can’t stand him. He always gave me the creeps ever since the eighth grade,” said Sheryl then she rested her head back on Darin’s shoulder.
Darin and Sheryl watched while Robbie and Mickey got into his shiny 1971 black Chevrolet Camaro.
Darin placed his arm around her shoulder, and they returned to watching Clint Eastwood catch the bad guys.
What nobody saw was Kenny alone in his Rambler pleasuring himself with his right hand while he thought about doing the nasty with many of the girls of his class – including Sheryl.
While Kenny had his eyes closed, he was stroking himself, he didn’t notice Robbie watching from his driver’s window.
A tap on the window from Robbie startled Kenny. He quickly shoved it back in his pants and looked to see who was at his car. Fuck! He cried out in his head when he noticed it was Robbie standing outside.
Robbie motioned for Kenny to roll down his window.
Kenny obeyed, knowing he didn’t have a choice.
“Be at the lake, in an hour,” said Robbie while he leaned forward.
“Please, I don’t want to do that anymore,” pleaded Kenny.
“You better,” said Robbie, and he clenched his right fist to show Kenny the consequences for disobeying.
“Okay,” said Kenny while he rolled up his window.
“Fucking asshole,” Kenny quietly said while he watched Robbie walk over to the concession stand to use the bathroom. He knew that if he told anybody about these forced encounters, he would be branded a liar.
Twenty minutes was left in the Dirty Harry movie.
A static click sound came across the speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen. The snack bar is open for another fifteen minutes, after that it’s closed for the ending,” a young female voice said then another static click sound was heard on the speaker then the movie audio was again heard.
Darin and Sheryl could care less since their lips were locked again into more passionate kissing and fondling.
The movie finally ended with Dirty Harry saving the day.
The ending credits to Dirty Harry rolled on the screen. A static click sound came across the speaker. “Ladies and gentlemen. That is our show for the evening. Thank you for coming to Burkeville Drive-In. Please leave by the exit and don’t forget the speakers,” a young female voice said then another static click sound was heard on the speaker.
It was almost a musical when all the cars at the Drive-In started up their engines and turned on their headlights. It was now the mass exit out the one exit.
But Darin could care less, as he achieved his goal for today. Sheryl had agreed to marry him after they graduated from college, and that’s all he cared about at this moment.