CHAPTER 1.

A Young Girl In Trouble

The heavier rain had stopped about an hour ago, but the road being still damp from a light but steady drizzle reflected back the headlights, making it difficult to see the lane markings. On each side land and sky were indistinguishable in one massive sea of black as the low dark clouds floating along on the moderately stiff breeze blocked out any light from the moon or stars, and just looking out at it was enough to make one shiver and want to pull their coat or whatever covering they had closer around their body. Because of the damp and darkness and the twisting nature of the two lane highway, Jim Ferguson was thankful there was very little other traffic on the road, with just an occasional car going in the opposite direction, and he was able to keep the high beams on most of the way. He was in a hurry and was not familiar with the road, having only driven on it once before about six years ago. Because of the poor conditions his knuckles were white from a too tight grip on the steering wheel, and he was bent forward concentrating on the illumination of the headlights stabbing into the almost impenetrable blackness ahead. Although he could not see most of the countryside around him, he remembered there were a lot of trees close to the road on each side. He also remembered that in several areas the road was cut into the side of a steep tree covered hill, and there were several steep drop-offs. In spite of his apprehension about the driving conditions, another apprehension compelled him to take frequent glances in his rearview mirror, and he was both pleased and surprised that no other traffic was travelling in his direction. He was hoping his young companion had been mistaken when she said she thought she had seen Bruce Crandell as they left the hotel, but he was trying to drive as fast as the poor conditions would allow just in case she was right. He glanced at her occasionally and smiled trying to reassure her everything was fine, but he could see she was still very visibly upset.

She was a young girl, he had not asked her age, but guessed she was about 18 or 19, certainly not more than 20. She had a fair complexion, which at present was almost devoid of colour, and her big brown eyes, which seemed bigger than ever because of her fear, were an awesome and almost eerie sight with the rain and tear-induced smears and streaks of her mascara and makeup. Her shoulder length hair, which the previous evening had appeared almost golden, looked darker now, and was still a bit damp from the rain as she had ran to the car in the parking lot. It was hanging in dark damp strands some of which were clinging to the side of her squarish face, and the rest still sent the occasional drop down onto her neck and then running apparently unnoticed down under her jacket. The car was by now warming up, and although the air in the car was still a little cold and damp, it no longer had that biting damp cold which seemed to penetrate deep into your bones. She still held her jacket tucked tightly around her with both hands however, and she bent forward occasionally in a slight rocking movement. She was about five feet four inches tall, with long graceful legs and a nice body slightly on the thin side. She was not wearing any stockings, and her short skirt had a slight rounded bulge which indicated the early stages of her condition. He was not sure of how the other girls who worked for Crandell felt about him, but there was no doubt that this young lady was absolutely terrified of him, and he wondered what kind of person it took to instill such fear into such a fragile young girl.

Jim remembered the first time he saw her the previous evening, standing there on a street corner. There she was, trying to look attractive to passing cars, but unable to control her shivering in the short skirt, no stockings, and holding her jacket tightly around her as she was doing at present. That night he had been unable to determine whether she was holding the jacket tightly around her to ward off the cold, or to help her control her shivering, but apparently it was unsuccessful at both. The cold damp wind had driven most of the other ladies of the night off the street to ply their trade elsewhere inside and warm.

He had to go along this street to get to his hotel, and had travelled along it several times during his many trips to this city, but he had never felt any sympathy or curiosity about the ladies, who plied their trade there. He was well aware of the reputation of the street, and the pimps in their lavish out of place suits and large Cadillacs, and had often wondered if they realized how gaudy and vulgar they looked with their bizarre attempts to impress. He had never been interested in the company of any of the girls, who’s ultra short tight skirts and tops were designed not only to over emphasise their feminine attributes, but perhaps more to advertise to any man seeking female companionship that they were available. It was not because he was afraid of any of the pimps or any disease he might contract from one of the girls, but his love and desire for his wife Cathy, whom he had met at the age when most boys start to become curious about girls, had instilled in him a need for love, and love returned, which he did not think any of these ladies could provide. Yes it was Cathy he missed rather than a need for any of the services these ladies might provide, and every night he was away he would call Cathy as soon as he got into his room. He always looked forward to speaking to her and their little five year old daughter Ann, and would hurry to his hotel before Ann’s bedtime. That night had been no different, but the sight of the young girl shivering tugged at his heart strings, and as he waited for the light to change he looked at her longer than his usual casual glance at the other girls. When she saw him looking at her she took a few quick steps expectantly towards his car just as the light changed, and this jolted him to speed up and carry on to his hotel. He was surprised by the feeling of guilt that came over him, which continued even as he started to speak to Cathy, and after the usual pleasant greetings he told her about the incident, and how guilty he felt about leaving that poor girl out there freezing in the cold.

Cathy asked him, "Have you ever seen her there before."

"I can’t say that I have. She may have been there, and I just didn’t notice her."

"How old was she" asked Cathy. "And what did she look like."

"I don’t know, but she looked like she was in her late teens. She seemed to be a pretty young girl, perhaps a little on the thin side, but she just seemed so pathetic standing there shivering in a short skirt and no stockings."

"Jim, That may be a young girl in trouble."

Jim tried to explain to Cathy, as he understood it, the workings of the system with these girls. It was not a simple case of a man picking up one of the girls, and taking her to his hotel room, where he would have to pay first before she performed her services. Most of the girls had a pimp, and any freelancers were usually driven off their first night, or forced by a pimp to join his group. The girls usually started the life to make money, but at the end of their career had little to show for it, since the pimp usually got the lions share, and the more ruthless ones got it all. Sure they gave the girls protection from their customers, and made sure they got paid, but they could be equally ruthless with the girls themselves if they got out of line or did not do what they were told. It wasn’t the girls welfare they were concerned with, but their own financial gain. They made sure the customer paid the girl, but they also made sure they got the money from her, and were quite capable of giving a severe beating to whichever one they thought was holding out.

"Doesn’t he have any compassion for her out in the cold, or what about the police. Couldn’t they help"

"Believe me Cathy, these guys are really low life, and all they are interested in is the money these girls make. As for the police, she may or may not be lucky. They might pick her up and take her to her home if she tells them or to a hostel. They might also charge her with soliciting."

"How would you like it if that was your young sister, or Heaven forbid, in fourteen years your daughter. Would you like her to be in the grips of a monster, who was treating her badly, and using her body to make him money, and have everyone pass her by without giving her any help."

The thought of that young girl being Ann was too painful for him to contemplate, and he pushed it from his mind, but he knew Cathy, and he knew she would not let go of this unless he did something. He was feeling guilty enough himself however, so he had a double motivation to act. Jim and Cathy could have their difference of opinion, and neither was afraid to express them strongly, but there was a very strong bond between them, and when it came to emotions they usually acted in unison. He knew the pimp would be watching if he picked her up, and would be quite prepared to act if his financial gain was threatened. Although he was not afraid of tangling with anyone in a fair fight, he knew the pimp would make sure the fight was heavily weighted in his favour, and the answer did not lie in picking the girl up. There was a church a little further along the street, and maybe the pastor would have a bit more experience at this than him, after all they must know the area and have seen this before. He told Cathy about the church, and although he did not know what denomination it was, he was going to contact the pastor.

"Jim, say goodnight to your daughter, and then get in touch with that pastor. No matter what denomination he is, if he is any kind of a good pastor he will have some compassion."

Jim said good night to his daughter, but his daughter was not prepared to let her daddy get away so easily, and had several questions and her own little stories to tell before her mother finally got her away from the phone. It was therefore a few minutes before Jim put on his winter overcoat and went back out to go to the church. The pastor’s wife opened the door when he rang the bell. She was a pleasant looking woman, neatly dressed in a black dress with a white apron over it, just slightly overweight, and with a very bright smile and gentle personality. She invited Jim in when he ask if the pastor was home, and directed him into a small room to the right of the hallway as she called for her husband. The pastor was a tall man and was wearing black slacks and a white shirt with an open collar. He was a jolly person and like his wife was slightly over weight. He came into the room with an outstretched hand and a broad smile as he welcomed Jim, and asked him what he could do for him.

Jim told him about seeing the girl, and his guilt at not helping her. The pastor listened attentively as he also related the conversation with his Cathy. When Jim finished the pastor smiled at him as he squeezed his arm and said "It is good that there are still good people as compassionate as you and your wife. Now let’s see what we can do."

The pastor went to the phone, and called a Sargent White at the local police station. When he answered he told him about the young girl Jim had seen at the corner of John and Peter streets, who appeared to be soliciting. He expressed his own and Jim’s concern that she did not appear to be dressed for the cold tonight, and also their concern there was probably a pimp around somewhere, that they would sooner not tangle with. Sargent White explained he could not pick her up for soliciting unless she had in fact solicited someone, and if he did pick her up he would not be able to hold her for long, but the Pastor did not give up so easily. He asked if as a humanitarian act the police could pick her up to take her out of the cold. If the police would pick her up he would like to come in the back way to the police station to speak to her, and if she was willing he would take her back to his home for the evening. When the Sargent agreed he thanked him, and said he would be there in ten minutes.

The Pastor hung up the phone and turned to Jim.

"I guess you got the gist of that conversation. Now Jim you were just coming back to your hotel. Do I take it that you have not had dinner yet?"

"No I haven’t, but I have already put you to enough trouble, and I did promise to call Cathy back and let her know what was happening. It is probably best if I go, but I would like to know how things turn out."

"It is no trouble at all Jim, and I would like you here when and if I manage to bring her back. Now take the phone and call Cathy, and I will get Martha you get you something to eat. We made too much tonight, and all she has to do is warm something up for you."

Jim called Cathy and told her what was happening, and when he had finished Martha came and invited him into the dining room where she had set out a meal for him. From the aroma of the meal and as he started to eat it he began to realize why both Martha and her husband were slightly overweight. Martha was obviously a very good cook.

After dinner and while they were waiting for the pastor to return Martha and Jim went into the living room where a small log fire was blazing in the hearth and sat and talked. She asked Jim about his family and he showed her a photograph of him and Cathy together and also a few of Ann taken at various times over a few years. As she looked at the photographs of Ann, Martha had a smile on her face as she said how beautiful Ann was, but Jim seemed to notice there was a sadness in her eyes, which was confirmed as her eyes glazed over and a tear formed at the side of her eye. She wiped the tear away with a tissue, and apologized to Jim as she again said how beautiful Ann was and how blessed he was to have her and Cathy. She told Jim that she and the Pastor had been blessed with a little boy, but he had been a frail child, and had died just before his third birthday. Her eyes glazed over again as she said.

"The Lord giveth and the Lord takes away, and we have to be thankful that we had the joy of having him for almost three years. We pray that the Lord will bless us with another child, but so far that has not been his will, and we accept his will in all things."

She and the Pastor, except for the wish to be blessed with another child, were quite content and happy. They did not wish for very much in life and joyfully accepted everything the Lord gave them. The parish they had was small, but well attended, and the Pastor was well respected and often asked to preach at other parishes in the area and some many miles away. The offerings he got when he visited the other churches supplemented the salary he got from his current parish, and they were able to live reasonably comfortable.

"The Lord provides for our needs" she said.

As they spoke Jim started to realize how peaceful the home seemed to be, and it made him a little homesick for Cathy and Ann. The home was not lavishly furnished, and what furnishing there was showed signs of age. The chair Jim sat on was very comfortable, but it was a comfort that comes from age, as he sank a little further into it than one would normally sink with new springs. The fabric on the arms of his chair and also the chair that Martha was sitting on were a bit thread bare, and there were signs that some neat homemade repairs had been done in a few areas. From the neatness and tidiness however it was obvious the home was well kept, and there was a warmth and coziness about it, that made Jim feel very comfortable.

It was just over an hour before the Pastor returned, and the girl was with him. She looked very frightened and apprehensive as Martha took her jacket and led her into the living room by the fire.

"We were right to be concerned about the pimp Jim. His name is Bruce Crandell, and he tried to stop the police picking her up, saying they had no right to arrest her. When they said they were just taking her in out of the cold, he tried to pull her away from them. They had to call for backup and it took three big police officers to cuff him and put him in the second car. Apparently he is a very nasty piece of work, but we don’t have to worry about him for tonight anyway. The police locked him up for the night for obstructing them. Oh Jim, this is Sandra . Sandra this is Jim, the gentleman who spotted you standing out there in the cold."

Sandra nodded to Jim, but still looked frightened. It was then that Martha dropped a bombshell as she asked "Why would he leave you out there in your condition dear. How far on is your pregnancy?"

"It is almost four months now."

Both Jim and the Pastor gave a slight gasp and asked almost at the same time. "Are you pregnant? Did Bruce know your are pregnant when he sent you out."

"He was very angry when he found out I was pregnant, and beat me. He wants me to have an abortion, and sent me out tonight to get the money to pay for it."

"Is he the father, and how do you feel about an abortion" asked Martha.

Sandra blushed and looked very sheepish as she replied. "I don’t know who the father is, but I don’t want to kill my baby. I don’t want Bruce to beat me any more though so I will probably have to do it."

"But why do you have to have an abortion if you don’t want to? Why don’t you just leave him, and get out of this life" asked Martha.

"Bruce won’t let me, and he has threatened to find me anywhere if I leave him. He has even threatened to kill the baby if I have it. So I guess it will get killed one way or another" She added the last part very wistfully..

Well I don’t think he would do that, because that definitely would be murder" said Jim.

"You don’t know Bruce. He is not afraid of anyone. He thinks he can get away with anything, and brags about that. He can be very ruthless, and left one girl a cripple when she tried to leave him. He also has a couple of guys who work with him."

"How many girls does he have working for him" asked Jim.

"Seven that I know of, but I have heard he also has others in another part of town."

"Do you know their names."

"I only know their first names. Bruce doesn’t take any of our last names, and doesn’t allow us to use them with anyone. He is afraid some of the Johns might find us, and we could make some money on the side.

"Where are you from my dear" asked the Pastor "Could you get away from him if you were to go home"

"This is my home town. Besides my mother’s new boyfriend started making passes at me, and my mother blamed me, and threw me out. I didn’t want to live there anyway with that creep around. I met her a few times when she came out of work at the meat packers, and tried to speak to her but she wouldn’t listen.

"My dear if you could go somewhere where he could not reach you, would you want to go and have your baby?" asked the Pastor.

"Well yes I would" said Sandra as her eyes seemed to light up for a few seconds, but almost immediately the fright and despair returned as she said "But I have never been anywhere else other than here, and I don’t know anyone anywhere else"

"Well we want to help you, and that is our problem" said the Pastor. Now you are going to stay here tonight, you go with Martha and she will get you something to eat, and then show you where you are going to sleep."

When Jim and the Pastor were alone, the Pastor turned to Jim and said, " I’m afraid she is right about Crandell. He is a nasty egotistic very bad man. Unfortunately the only places I know are within a hundred and fifty miles of here, and that may not be enough to keep him from finding her. How far away do you live Jim? Do you know anywhere close to you."

"Well I live about eleven hundred miles from here, which would probably be far enough away, but it is a very small town in a farming area, and there are no facilities there that I know of. I could call Cathy again to see if she knows of any, but I do not hold much hope. Besides that plane tomorrow night is usually full and often oversold, so getting her there could be a problem as well.

"Well call Cathy anyway just in case, and if she doesn’t know anyone we will have to try something else."

Jim called Cathy and told her everything that had happened. He explained the problem the Pastor had with only knowing places within a hundred and fifty miles. He asked her if she knew anywhere close to them where she could go. He also explained about the problem of getting her there.

Cathy said, "I don’t know anywhere close to here, but I would imagine there must be some place not too faraway she could go. Jim I have not met the girl and I don’t know if it would be a good idea to have her here with us, but if you think it would be OK, I am willing for you to bring her here on a temporary basis until we find somewhere else, perhaps even one of the farms in the area. We could explain the situation to our pastor, and I am sure he would help."

"I hadn’t thought of her staying with us, but if you don’t mind, it may be at least a good temporary measure, but how are we going to get her there." As he said this he saw the Pastor give a sigh of relief, and got the impression this had been what the Pastor wanted all along.

"I’m sure you will find a way to get her here, and it is settled, she will come here at least for the present. I will start getting a room ready for her. Let me know when you will get here as soon as you know what you are doing."

Jim turned to the Pastor and said, "Well that is settled she will stay with Cathy and I until we can find somewhere more permanent for her to stay. The only problem is how to get her there."

The Pastor said, "I am very pleased at that decision, for I don’t think I could find a more compassionate couple for her to stay with."

"Well it is only temporary, since I do not know how it is going to work out. We do have a small daughter to think about, and I am not sure we are creating a good environment for bringing her up. I don’t know what our Pastor at home is going to say either."

"Give me your Pastor’s name and phone number and I will call him tomorrow and speak to him about it. He should know how compassionate you and your wife have been here tonight. Now let us check with the airlines to see if we can get her on the same flight as you, or if we can make other arrangements. I have a fund to help people in need and I think there is no one in more need than that young girl, so the church will pay for her air fare."

"It may be quite expensive since she would be booking at the last minute."

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

They checked with the airline Jim was supposed to fly with the following evening, and as Jim had guessed it was over booked, and could not take a reservation. They even offered to give Jim a credit towards a future flight if he could fly at a different time. He asked them to check other flights for the following evening, but they did not have anything available for that airport until Sunday afternoon. They tried other airlines, but they were even worse, having nothing until late Monday evening. They told him there was a flight leaving later the following evening from an airport about a hundred and fifty miles away, which would get him home about two hours later than his current booking, if he had any means of getting to the other airport. Jim asked if he would still be eligible for the credit if he transferred to the other flight, and if he could use that to pay part of the other passengers fare. They agreed and booked and confirmed two seats on that flight for the following evening for Jim and Sandra. He used his credit card for the balance, and the Pastor gave him a cheque for the difference. He called the car rental office at the local airport where he had rented the car and arranged to drop it off at the other airport at a later time, and all was settled. They told Sandra, and watched the smile that came on her face as the news sank in. She thanked everyone for their help, and gave a little laugh of joy as she said, "Now I can keep my baby."

Martha made coffee for everyone and they sat around talking for a bit. Sandra was obviously feeling a lot better, and Jim noticed she sat with her hand on her stomach. Jim was enjoying the company, and thinking it was a lot better than sitting in his hotel room watching television on his own. After a while he looked at his watch, and realized it was 10:30, and he should go. The Pastor noticed him looking at his watch, and remarked it was a nice watch. Jim showed it to him and said it was a gift from his father when he graduated from college. It was obvious that Jim was very proud of his fathers gift, and as the Pastor admired the monogram on it’s face he said, "J.A.F. What does the ‘A’ stand for." Jim said "My middle name is Alan." He then said good night to all, exchanged home phone numbers with the Pastor, and as he left promised to call them tomorrow. He called Cathy when he got back to the hotel and told her the change in plans. He told her how happy Sandra had been, and what she had said about her baby. He could hear a little sniffle on the other end of the line, and realized Cathy was crying. He told her how much he loved her and said goodnight.

Jim called at noon the following day, and the Pastor answered the phone. He said, "I was hoping it was you Jim. There has been a slight change of plans for tonight. Bob White called me this morning and said they would have to release Crandell this afternoon. I told him we are sending Sandra home with you this evening and asked him to keep that confidential. He recommended that we move Sandra from the church to the hotel before he releases Crandell."

"But wouldn’t that be a worse place for her."

"Well Bob thought it was a gamble worth taking. He felt churches and the police station as well as her mother’s home might be the places Crandell would concentrate on first, and he felt we might have a problem if it was known she was here. He is going to get a room at the hotel about an hour before Crandell is released, then he will pick her up and take her in the back way to the hotel. When you get to the hotel, go to a house phone and ask for Mr. White’s room. When he get’s your call, he will bring Sandra down to the back door of the hotel, and escort her and you to your car."

"O.K. Pastor I will meet him at the hotel about 5:30. Can we trust him."

"Yes he is a member of this church, and a good Christian man. You can trust him and it would probably be useful to have him around if Crandell or one of his henchmen do show up."

"Yes Pastor you are probably right. I will give you a call tomorrow and let you know if we got home O.K. Thank you very much for all you have done."

"No Thank you Jim., and God be with you. I will wait for your call tomorrow."

Bob did escort Jim and a very frightened Sandra to the car, and Bob tried to comfort her by telling her she was mistaken. He put Sandra in the passenger side of the car, and as he closed the door, he took Jim’s arm and told him to get going as fast as possible. He promised he would look for Crandell, and if he was there he would delay him as much as he could.

* * * * * * * * * *



As time passed both Jim, and his passenger to a lesser extent, started to relax, and he was beginning to believe she had indeed been wrong. Unfortunately as he neared the end of a straight stretch of highway he noticed headlights behind him, and it was gaining fairly fast. He tensed up immediately, and glanced aside at his companion with a smile to try to assure her everything was fine, but she had seen him go tense, and she turned round to look behind. She started to panic a little at the sight of the headlights, and could not take her eyes off them as the car caught up with and finally passed them. Jim tried to calm her by telling her it could be any car passing them, and as it passed there was no way to tell who was in the car or who was driving. As the car continued on it’s way she settled down again and so did Jim.

As they came round a curve however there was the car almost sideways on the road blocking their way and Jim had to slam hard on the brakes to avoid hitting it. His companion screamed to him "Don’t stop. It’s Bruce, and that creep is with him," but it was too late. Bruce and another man were standing at either end of the stopped car with a rifle pointing at Jim. Jim thought of putting the car in reverse, but Bruce reacted quickly and was at the side window in a flash.

"O.K. Bud, Nobody steals a broad from my stable" as he slammed the butt of the rifle against the side window smashing it. Jim slanted his head away from the window when he saw the blow coming, but the carry through of the rifle butt caught him on the side of the head. At the other side of the car the other man did the same. Both Jim and his young companion’s heads were bloodied both from the carry through of the rifle butt and the shattered glass of the windows. When Crandell saw his companion strike Sandra, he yelled,

"You idiot, I only wanted to kill the John, I didn’t want her killed" and he left Jim and went round to look at Sandra. He took her wrist and thought he felt a pulse.

"Quick lets get her into our car." They opened her door and between them they got her out and carried her to their car and put her lying on the back seat.

"O.K. you get all his identification, luggage, rental car receipts and anything that would identify him out of the other car then we will push it down the hill, and hurry we have to get her to a hospital. We’ll tell them she slipped on some mud when she was getting into the car, and hit the side of her head on the car."

He then took one of her shoes off and scrapped it along some mud on the side of the road, and put it back on her foot. It was then he noticed the blood on her skirt and realized she was haemorrhaging.

"Quick let’s hurry she is haemorrhaging." He slammed the back door shut, and rushed to join his companion at the other car. While his companion searched Jim’s pockets, Crandell got his luggage from the trunk and put it in his Cadillac, and returned to help his companion push the other car over the side of the road. He steered the car and pushed from the driver’s door, and his friend pushed from the back. Once the front wheels cleared the side of the road, gravity took over and the car plunged down the steep slope. It bounced off a couple of trees and finally came to rest about thirty five feet down in heavy bush. It was lying on it’s side resting against two trees with the drivers side door still hanging open, and Jim was hanging out of the car with only the seatbelt keeping him from falling further down the slope. Except for a few broken branches the bushes behind the car sprung back into place covering the car.

Crandell had expected the car to go all the way down to the bottom, and when he did not hear a crash at the bottom he got a flashlight and shone it down to see what had happened. When he realized the car was lodged somewhere and couldn’t be seen, he chuckled then took one of the broken branches and swept it over the tire tracks, obliterating any evidence a car had gone over the edge. As he threw the broken branch away and rushed back to his own car with his companion he chuckled, "I guess Adams it is going to be some time before they discover that sucker."

When they got to the next town they followed the "H" signs to the nearest hospital, and headed for the emergency entrance. Since she had been bleeding a lot Crandell decided to check her again before taking her in. This time he did not feel a pulse however, and realized she was dead. He was furious, and screamed at his companion, "You goddamn idiot you have caused me a lot of income tonight." They drove away from the town, and found a remote area where they buried Sandra, and covered her grave with some large stones, which were in plentiful supply in the area.

As they drove home Crandell said, "Well at least we got the other creep. We had better take this car into Bert’s garage tonight and get him to clean the blood out of the back. No better still you clean it out and if you can’t get it off get the seats replaced, and burn the old ones." He then slipped a CD into the radio and listened to the music until he got home, where his companion dropped him off and then drove to Bert’s Garage.

CHAPTER 2.

Young Love Triumphs

Jim Ferguson had grown up in a small town in the mid-west in a lower middle class family. The surrounding area was farming country, and Jim’s father owned the local hardware and supply store. Trade was good during the week but was always busiest on a Saturday late afternoon and evening when the farming folk came to town. They came to get their supplies for the week and to socialise and hear the local gossip and news. Jim’s father always left the store open late that night, and over the years it had become a gathering point for locals as well as the farming community. Jim as a young lad always liked to sit and listen to the stories that someone or other would tell, and the way they told the story it seemed as if it came alive before his eyes. Boy could some of those folks tell a good story. He was not the only youngster who sat there listening to the stories, since many of the farmers would bring their children to town.

One night when Jim was almost sixteen he noticed a young girl about a year or so younger than himself sitting beside and leaning on one of the farmers. Jim had not paid much attention to girls up to this point, and had ignored the talk of some of the other boys in the town as just that, but he found himself turning to look at this young girl frequently to the point where he was starting to get a little self-conscious about it. The girl however must have felt his eyes on her, and started to return his glances, first in a slightly annoyed way, but then a slow smile started to appear on her lips, and Jim started to feel more comfortable looking at her. It was late Summer and she was dressed in a neat green cotton dress with a white collar and a loosely tied cotton belt of the same material as the dress. She was wearing white sneakers with white ankle socks, and the Summer sun had turned her fair skin to a light golden brown. Her light blond hair was shoulder length, and to Jim seemed to frame her oval face like the frame of a rare master portrait. She was slim but not skinny, and her legs were nicely proportioned to the rest of her body. Her body was nicely proportioned for a girl of her age, with nicely rounded hips and a bust which seemed to be nicely proportioned as well, without being too large or too small. She had a very pleasant soft smile, but the most striking feature was the pale blue of her eyes, which seemed to sparkle as she smiled. A few years later when he brought her home to meet his parents after a date his father remarked to him afterwards "Boy a man could sure get lost in those light blue eyes." Her chin was slightly pointed, which seemed to add to her beauty rather than detract from it.

There was a feeling within Jim, which he had not felt about any girl before, and which he did not understand why. All he knew was that wanted to get closer to her, but at the same time he was not sure he wanted anyone to be aware of it. He gradually moved closer to her a little at a time, but though no one else noticed the girl noticed, and when he got as close to her as he could with all the other people around her, she decided to help by moving away from her father to the outside of the crowd, where Jim was able to come right up to her.

As he came up to her he heard her father call to her "Cathy, don’t go too far away," and although the name was quite a plain and common one in the area, it sounded almost musical to Jim’s ears. Jim was a little puzzled by this, but did not have any time to ponder on it since he was beside her and she said "Hello Jim." He wondered for a moment how she knew his name, but let it pass, and the subject did not come up again until a few years later.

He returned her greeting "Hello Cathy," grateful that her father had called her by name.

The conversation was a little awkward for the first few minutes, since Jim did not fully understand why he was so interested in talking to her, but Cathy though younger was perhaps a bit more mature as girls usually are at that age, and soon Jim found himself quite comfortable talking to her. He found that her last name was Walsh, and that she lived on a farm about four miles outside of town. He also learned that she would be attending the same school as him come September. She was very easy to talk to, and Jim was surprising himself that he was having such a long conversation with her, but she seemed to make the conversation easy and interesting. He was also surprised at how similar many of their opinions were on various subjects. He noticed from time to time that her father was keeping a close eye on them, but on one occasion he noticed the woman beside him, who was obviously Cathy’s mother, poke him in the ribs with her elbow, and pull him back round to face away from Cathy and Jim. They talked about many things that evening, but they also had some time when they did not say a word. However these periods of silence were not awkward, and neither of them felt at any time they had to say anything.

After a little while Jim asked her if she would like to go for a coke or an ice cream, and she went to let her parents know she was going. Her father seemed a little reluctant, but under some scolding from his wife he agreed, and Jim and Cathy had their first short date. It was the first date for both of them, and each took a little ribbing from friends, but it was friendly ribbing, and the warm glow which each of them felt was more important than the ribbing. As they were returning to his father’s store Jim asked her if she would be coming into town next week and said he would like to see her again. Thus began Jim’s relationship with Cathy. Each Saturday he looked forward to when Cathy and her family came to town. He would have to help in the store during the busy part of the afternoon, and Cathy would wait for him, sometimes helping until he was free to go. They would then go off together, either to the ice cream parlour or for a burger to the restaurant that most teenagers frequented, and occasionally to a movie. He especially liked the movies, because there in the darkness where no one else could see they were in their own little world.