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)