Roy and Joni (Chapter 3)

Roy and Joni: When Dreams and Hearts Collide

                   Chapter 3 (Read previous chapters first)

Roy woke up in Larry’s Victorian style house Saturday morning; put down five prize-winning pancakes prepared by Larry’s mother, got his few things together and drove the family’s old rusty Studebaker truck back to his farm. The events of the previous night now seemed dream like; he was afraid he would awaken and everything, especially Joni, would just be erased from his mind, and his heart. Sure, Roy had some girl friends in the past, but Joni was different. The 12 miles from Larry's seemed to evaporate into oblivion.

He arrived just as his Dad was preparing to bale some high quality alfalfa hay in what was referred to in the family as “The Back Field.”. The fast-warming sun had removed all of the dew on the hay, which was cut and raked Friday afternoon. Alfalfa hay was prized hay. It had more nutrients per pound than any other hay. In addition, as a legume, the alfalfa plants put much needed nitrogen back into the soil. It was the ultimate win-win farm crop.

When he arrived home his Dad laid out the coming day's master plan, “Get your work clothes on son and drive the old truck to the back field. I got the wagon back there yesterday. Bill Snyder is bringing his John Deere tractor over to pull the hay wagon and his boy Otis will drive the tractor and you and Bill will pick up the bales and put ‘em on the wagon and stack ‘em in the barn loft.”

“Sure thing, Dad.”

“Did you have a good time at Larry’s?”

“I had a swell time. I met a very pretty girl too.”

“That’s great; today we need to work pretty hard to get the bales in before that rain gets here.” (Roy thought his Dad may have been poking some fun at him by the way he used the word “pretty.”)

Just as Roy's Dad completed greasing the hay baler, and connecting it to the Farmall H model, Bill and Otis arrived.

"Hi there neighbor. Sure glad you gents can help us with the hay," said Roy's Dad as he shook Bill's hand.

"Yeah, the 6 am weather man on the radio said some rain might be coming our way. We'll do all we can," replied Bill.

The caravan of farmers and their equipment resembled an army convoy.  Leading the slow moving pieces of old, but reliable machinery was Roy's Dad pulling the baler with the Farmall H model tractor, followed by Bill and Otis with their John Deere. and Roy in the old pickup truck bringing up the rear. Roy had placed three 5 gallon cans of United Farmers CO-OP gas in the bed of the truck for the Farmall tractor. Bill brought his own fuel for the John Deere. It turned out he didn't need to use it and Roy's Dad only needed one can of the extra gas.

The first wagon load went smooth; with the exception of a still alive black snake that was coming out of one of the bales of hay. Roy didn't notice it until he had the bale about half way on the wagon. When he tossed the bale away from the wagon it broke apart. Roy lived in the country, but he hated snakes, especially those he discovered at a very close range.The loose hay was placed in an an adjoining wind row to be re-baled. 

"Roy, I don't like 'em either," encouraged Bill, who was on the wagon stacking the bales as Roy tossed them to him.

No more snakes were discovered during the remainder of the day. However, a ground hog was seen scampering out of its hole when the baler went by. And a red fox, with a long flowing tail was observed as it raced across the far end of the field near a stand of hickory trees. 

Even though it was mid-September, the weather was very hot. Roy had a hard time recalling how cool it was in Larry's air conditioned home. He had no difficulty remembering how pretty Joni was and how they both seemed to hit it off so well. He never reflected on who asked who to dance and who kissed who.    

Roy’s Mom met the sweaty hay field trio of Bill, Otis and Roy as they were pulling the wagon out of the barn after the second load and she gave Roy a faded brown wicker picnic basket and a large glass jar filled with ice cold sweet tea. She placed a wet towel on top of the basket to be used to clean some hard working hands before eating a quick, but much appreciated, 15 minute hay field lunch. Roy's Dad remained in the field racing some gathering clouds in the distance.

By 5:30 pm all 319 bales had been safely and neatly stored in the barn loft. This sweaty quartet of farmers had just made it to the front porch when it seemed as if the clouds had all been unzippered at once. A big pitcher of lemonade was finished off as the gents watched the rain come down and renew the very dry soil. And just as rapidly as the rain started, it stopped and the sun immediately started shining.

Bill and Otis jumped on the green John Deere and just before starting for home, Roy’s Dad said, “Bill, I owe you one.”

Bill didn’t say anything, he just tipped his Ready-Mix Feed cap and aimed that putt-putt-putt reliable old tractor toward his neighboring farm. Folks in the country help each other simply because it is the right thing to do.  

Roy used the 30 minutes or so rain-delay to go over in his mind---for the seventh time---what he was going to write to Joni. He wanted to be positive, but not pushy. He wanted to be sincere, but not syrupy. He wanted to be definite, but not demanding. He just wanted to have a date with the prettiest, best smelling girl he ever met.

That night in his upstairs bedroom, he started and stopped and started over again, his printed note----this was no time to be misunderstood by his less than perfect cursive handwriting. It was past midnight when he completed his most important note to be given to Larry at church on Sunday morning. Occasionally, a person can be so tired or excited that sleep seems far, far away.  Roy was both.

                                        (To Be Continued) 

   

ROY and JONI (Chapter 2)

Roy and Joni: When Dreams and Hearts Collide

      (After Several Months of Not Writing Fiction, Here’s My Latest Effort)

                                               

                                                CHAPTER 2

Roy Wilson was a novice, a neophyte, a newbie in all matters of expressive adult love.

From his open upstairs window, he could not feel much of a breeze to the humid, hot summer nights. Living in the country had more than a few hardships; but, there were sounds and smells the urban environment could never duplicate. The katydids played a nightly staccato concert just outside his bedroom. In the woods just south of his home the mournful call of whippoorwills punctuated the dreamy night air. Occasionally, a hoot owl, sitting alone on an unknown tree, came forth with a bass note of emphasis which completed the nocturnal orchestra. The intoxicating heavy aroma of honeysuckle blooms, located just across the graveled lane, served as a welcomed consolation to the stale air in his bedroom that was too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Roy often told himself, all things considered, that his country location was as close to Heaven a fellow of 19 could get without dying. Nightly sleep would have gently occurred much sooner had he not always been thinking about her---Joni Marlow.

Joni lived closer to the city and  her home was air conditioned and the only nightly sounds she heard at night was the DJ from a Rock n’ Roll radio station located in the state capitol. “Mr. Action Jackson” was like most DJ’s on her AM radio, he talked too much---“Honey child, I’m your man with my plan!” Joni knew his 11 pm sign on phrase by heart: ”AJ the DJ is feeling fine and sharing my time playing the big records with the little holes and the little records with the big holes!” Joni, like most female radio listeners, had a mental image of her favorite DJ as a tall, Honor Graduate of the Charles Atlas Body Building course. In point of fact, he was overweight and stood 5 feet 9 inches in his Chuck Taylor tennis shoes. Each night he had three or four Mars Bars near the turntable in his cramped studio. When his 57 year old producer was still in a popular watering hole, located a couple of buildings north of the radio station having just one more for the road, the deep voice DJ had to pull his own records and try to finish the poorly written commercials on time.

Joni did think a lot about Roy---he was her latest fixer-upper project.  A little work here, a little work there and Roy would be ready to venture forth into the world of his dreams.  

                                          (To Be Continued)

Glenn <><

Just West of Yesterday

ROY and JONI (Chapter 1)

Roy and Joni: When Dreams and Hearts Collide

      (After Several Months of Not Writing Fiction, Here’s My Latest Effort)

                              CHAPTER 1  (Please read Chapter 1 first)

Roy Wilson was hardly the stereotypical farm boy. It was strange how he liked living in the country; however, he did not like farming. Of course he did his share of chores and manual farm labor. But his dreams were far removed from the Farmall H model tractor that he had driven since he was 12 years old. Roy had once visited a cousin in a large urban area and there he discovered how a small crystal radio, without any power, could receive AM stations several miles away. A few months later, he spent the night with an aunt and uncle who lived in another state. They had a large console Zenith radio, complete with shortwave frequencies. For the first time he heard the BBC from London and Radio Moscow from the Soviet Union. This radio was above and beyond the small black Philco radio that was in his own home. Roy’s horizons had gone international.

Even though he was 19, his still lightly freckled face and light brown flat top gave strangers the impression he was maybe 16, 17, at the most. He was not skinny, neither was he a candidate for the next Mr. America contest in Los Angeles. He had been one of the top students in his small rural high school class. The first year after high school was Roy’s initiation into the world of serious farm work and sweet smelling girls from the city.

How Roy met Joni was different to say the least. He had a friend in the city, Larry, who was best friends with Sammy, a same age son of one of the richest families in the county. One Friday night Roy was invited to spend a night at Larry’s and they went to a party at Sammy’s after a football game. No alcohol, but several local girls were present. Sammy had the first Hi-Fi phonograph player Roy had ever heard.  Sammy’s folks were away on a political trip to Washington, D.C. Sammy’s older brother was somewhere in the six bedroom house, but not present at the party. It was there Roy met Joni. Some of the party goers were dancing and Roy, and a few other fellows, were sitting in the several folding chairs arranged in a semi-circle for the party.

Joni approached Roy and asked, “Want to dance?” Roy sure didn’t know how to fast dance. His “No, not now” was correctly interpreted by Joni as “I don’t know how to fast dance.”  There was something in his face and speech that radiated his innocence with girls. Joanie immediately sat down in one of the gray soft seats folding chairs beside Roy. Roy was startled by her boldness, yet he was glad she chose to sit by him. She had on a perfume that momentarily caused Roy to think of things he shouldn’t have.

“Hi, I’m Joni. I haven’t seen you in town before.”

“I’m Roy and we live out in the country: Ten miles south and two miles east of here.”

“Did you drive in for the party tonight?”

“No, no I’m spending the night at Larry’s. I had no idea we were coming to this party.”

Joni was even more attracted to this fellow who gives me specific directions to his house and tells me he didn’t come to just pick up a date to take home. Joni prided herself on her quick way of reading people, especially, country folks like Roy. Joni knew something about dating, she had already dated three of the boys at the party.

When a slow record started, Joni stood and reached for Roy’s hands, “Let's slow dance, you know how, so come on.”

Roy’s initial reaction to Joni’s forward manner was fast melting. “Ok, but I have two left feet.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll not step on either one of them.”

During the song, “Star Dust”, neither said a word. When the music stopped, they were still silently swaying.

When Roy realized they were the last two still standing, he attempted to move Joni toward the chairs. Joni resisted and drew Roy close to her and gave him a friendly sister like kiss on the cheek. Roy could feel his farmer’s tan face reddening.

Roy was at one and the same time feeling bolder, but also weaker. They got some punch and resumed sitting next to each other. Joni spoke first, “You get into town often?”

“Only on Saturday’s when we come in to get our corn ground and Mom does her grocery shopping.’

“Roy, I hope you don’t think bad of me; but I would like to call you, OK?”

With new found confidence, Roy replied, “Joanie, I hope you don’t think bad of me, but we don’t have a phone.”

Joni thought to herself, “This is too good to be true. This guy IS country”

Roy realized he saw Larry every week at the church, both attended and asked Joni if she would permit Larry to serve as a courier.

She asked, “Why does Larry come to the country to go to church?”

“Larry’s family has deep family roots in the community surrounding our church and they drive down every Sunday to go to church and eat lunch with their relatives.”

“Sure, that’s OK with me. Roy, I like you.”

“Joni, I like you too. I’ll send a note with Larry this Sunday. Hey, that’s just two days from now!”

Roy, stood with Joni as the party wound down and walked her to the car that had brought most of the girls to the party.

Without any words, Joni placed both of her hands on each side of Roy’s face and gave him a full lips-to-lips kiss and for the very first time he felt a girl’s tongue quickly dart into his mouth. His entire body shuddered. He was nearly speechless, but did recover enough to say he would send a note Sunday with Larry.

Joni closed her right eye and performed an extended wink as she slowly nodded her blond dyed head one time in affirmation. A subdued closed mouth smile followed.

This early to bed and early to rise son of the soil was smitten, hooked, entangled in Joni’s well-practiced web of male allurement. As he was on his way to Larry’s car he kept rubbing his front teeth with his tongue in the hope of reconstructing Joni’s goose bump-producing kiss. 

   

                                           (To Be Continued)