§
"Have you thought about what you
want?"
I asked as we coasted up to the order/menu station.
""Not really, have you?" He replied, sliding closer to look out
the window at the menu.
"Not...yet." I answered just as the speaker blared, "'May I help
you?"..."Give us a second," I replied irritably. "Damn, we don't get a
chance to check the menu and someone is wanting our order," I groused
angrily, irritated at being interrupted.
He is a little quick on the draw, Larry, but, "I'll have a chili dog
with onion rings and a large Dr. Pepper."
"Are you still there?" I asked the speaker box, still a little
irritated.
"Yes, Sir, I got the chili dog, onion rings and Dr. P order, " the
anonymous voice replied.
"Okay," I said, looking at Derek in surprise as I said, "add an
order of
the onion rings, and a quarter-pound burger with mustard and onions
only, nothing else, plus a large Pepsi, easy on the ice."
"Got it," the voice replied almost instantaneously, surprising me again
as he repeated each item of the order and gave me the total cost.
"Some smart-ass hi...kid," I said, hesitating in mid sentence and
turning to face Derek, who hadn't moved away.
"You were going to say 'high school kid' weren't you?" He said,
smiling, his beautiful blue eyes twinkling.
"Well, yes, I was; but, most of these restaurants hire high
school
kids during the summers," I replied, moving my arm up on the back of
the seat and inhaling deeply..., "I love the new car smell," I said,
exhaling explosively, trying to avoid any more discussion about high
school
kids.
"Ugh huh, so do I," he replied, grinning expressively, and running the
tip of his finger up an down through the hair on the nape of my neck.
Shivering from the sensation his teasing created, I was about to
chastise him when the drive through windows opened, and we heard,
"that'll be eleven ninty-five."
I handed the teenage attendant a twenty dollar bill, and while making
change he kept up a running commentary. "New car, huh, I 'd give
a left nut to be able to own a Monte Carlo, it's hot and sexy."
"I wouldn't go that far, but if you save your tips it might help," I
said as he handed the change to me through the window.
"What tips?" He called out in a plaintive tone as I pulled away from
the window.
"He's kind of cute, Larry."
"Are you kidding, D?" I replied, glancing at him. "He's only a kid,
maybe sixteen or seventeen years old."
"Maybe," he responded snickering. "At least we know he has one nut. How
far to the park?"
"It's about fifteen minutes if you still want to go there."
"I do, Larry. I didn't know there was a city park like the one
you've described, and I'd like to see it," he replied anxiously,
balancing our sweating drink containers between his legs. "What
are the picnic
areas like, are there any other recreational facilities, and did the
chapel ever get built?"
"It took quite a while but, they did just about everything Old Man
Devoe wanted," I said. "They built two soft-ball fields, horse-shoe
pitching pits, swings and teeter-totters for the kids, and two public
rest rooms located on so they are easily accessible . I'm not sure if
the city officials realized it or not but, when they built the private
picnic areas, they created hidden lovers nests, and that's where all
the high school kids went.