FIRST KISS
Debra Petersen (Debra
P.)
Behind
the barn that dominated one side of the main yard on the Ponderosa, there
rested a small wooden bench. It had been there for many years, having
been placed there not long after the barn was built. It remained as
sturdy as ever, even though its white paint now showed considerable wear,
testifying to the amount of use it had endured.
All
three of the Cartwright sons had frequently found refuge in this spot, but the
one who had made the most use of it was unquestionably Little Joe, the youngest
of the three. Countless times Joe had sat on the bench with a friend,
planning some scheme or other. He had often retreated there after getting into
a spat with his oldest brother, Adam. He had even gone there more than
once to nurse his wounded feelings, and backside, after a “necessary talking
to” from his pa. But the fourteen year old had never brought a girl to
this special place. Until tonight.
Tonight
there was a party going on at the ranch house in celebration of Hoss
Cartwright’s birthday. The entrance to the house was bathed
in the warm glow of Chinese lanterns while its windows blazed with a more
intense light from inside, and the sounds of music and laughter made their way
past the sturdy walls to echo around the yard. Among the guests were the
Mueller family, long time neighbors of the Cartwrights, including their son,
Dan, who was a good friend of Hoss’, and their daughter Belinda, known to
everyone as Lindy, who was just a year younger than Joe.
Joe
had been taken with Lindy Mueller since the first time he had met her.
The girl had long auburn hair which she wore loosely, with the front part of it
simply being brushed away from her face and held by barrettes at the
sides. Her eyes were jade green, and an attractive scattering of freckles
adorned her cheeks, which always seemed to carry a slight blush. But what
caught Joe’s attention most was her laugh. Lindy had an irrepressible
giggle that she would let loose with on the slightest provocation, as if she
found all of life to be simply one big pageant being played out for her
amusement. Lindy was just about the only person Joe had ever come across
who seemed to get as much fun out of life as he did. That intrigued
him. Joe was delighted when he found out that the whole Mueller family
would be coming to Hoss’ party. Joe had made up his mind that he wanted
Lindy Mueller to be the first girl he would REALLY kiss. And tonight
would be his big chance.
When
the Mueller’s arrived, Joe immediately latched onto Lindy, and she giggled
happily on seeing him. She was wearing a brown dress with white at the
collar and cuffs, and to Joe’s eyes she looked especially fetching. They
stood and watched together as Hoss blew out the candles on his cake and everyone
applauded. Joe, showing himself to be very much the young gentleman,
fetched some cake and punch for Lindy, and she rewarded him with a bright smile
and a “thank you, Joe,” accompanied by her charming laugh. Shortly after
that the fiddler who had been hired for the occasion began to tune up and
people began to pair off for dancing. It seemed to Joe that this was a
good opportunity to get Lindy away from the crowd. He took her hand.
“Say,
how’d you like to go someplace just by ourselves?,” he whispered in her ear.
The
slight blush on her cheeks turned a shade darker. “Now, Joe, you aren’t
planning on doing anything...improper...are you?,” she asked impishly.
“‘Course
not,” he responded. “I’d just like to talk without all these folks
around. No harm in that, is there?”
“I
suppose not.” Lindy raised a hand to her mouth to stifle another
giggle. “Though I’m not sure my pa would agree. Where do you want
to go?”
“Come
with me.” Joe gripped her hand harder and began to move in the direction
of the door.
With
people’s attention focused on the beginning of the dancing, they managed to
slip outside without drawing anyone’s notice. And now, a little while
later, here they were sitting on the bench behind the barn, still holding hands
and looking up together at the radiant full moon shining above them. Joe
felt that his ambition was very close to being fulfilled.
“Beautiful
night, isn’t it?,” he ventured.
“It
sure is,” Lindy agreed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the moon so big and
bright. Oh, I just wish I could fly right up into the sky and touch the
moon, and the stars too! Don’t you think that would be wonderful, Joe?”
“I
guess I don’t need to fly into the sky to touch the stars. They’re right
here in your eyes,” he answered her softly.
“Oh,
Joe, how you do talk,” she murmured in response, and she began to tremble a
little bit.
Joe
felt that his moment had arrived. “Lindy,” he said , “have you ever
kissed a boy?”
She
shook her head shyly. “No, I haven’t.”
“Would
you like to?”
Lindy
looked directly at him, and the stars that he had seen there in her eyes
were shining brightly. “I think I would,” she whispered breathily.
Joe
very gently reached out and brushed his hand along her cheek. Slowly he
leaned forward, bringing his mouth close to hers. Then their lips
touched, softly and sweetly, and they each felt their hearts begin to beat a
little faster sending a surge of warmth through their bodies. It was a
heady sensation, completely living up to Joe’s expectations.
Their
moment was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat.
Startled, they pulled apart, and both looked over to see Adam leaning against
the corner of the barn with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look in
his eyes.
“Adam!
What are you doing here?,” Joe choked out.
“Just
trying to find out what YOU’RE doing here,” Adam replied. He uncrossed
his arms and came to stand right in front of them. “Pa and Mr. Mueller
noticed that the two of you were nowhere in sight, so Pa asked me to see if I
could find you. It didn’t take too much looking.” He regarded them
seriously. “You know,
“Do
you have to tell ‘em Adam?,” Joe pleaded. “We weren’t really doing
anything wrong...just kissing. I never really kissed a girl before,
Adam. And Lindy never kissed a boy either. Do you remember what it was
like to kiss someone for the first time, Adam?” Joe’s eyes looked
beseechingly into his brother’s.
Adam
looked down at the two youngsters and saw the warm blush on their faces, the
apprehension in their eyes. And something in his own eyes softened just a
little. “I remember,” he said quietly. A long moment passed in
silence.
Then
Adam’s manner turned brusquely businesslike. “All right, I’ll tell Pa and
Mr. Mueller that the two of you were just looking at the new foals in the
barn. That should be believable, and, I hope, acceptable. You’ve
got ten minutes to get yourselves back into the house. And I would
strongly suggest that on your way you make a quick stop in the barn and
actually take a look at those foals, so if Pa or Lindy’s father should decide
to ask you any questions you’ll know what you’re talking about. And you
had better not be getting yourselves into any more situations like this
tonight. Understood?”
Joe
smiled in relief. “Understood. Thanks, Adam.” He thought he
saw his brother give a quick wink just before he turned away. But he
wasn’t quite sure. It might have been just a trick of the moonlight.
Both Joe and Lindy stared after Adam as he disappeared around the corner of the
barn.
“Joe,
is that the brother you’ve always told me liked to give you such a hard
time? Why, he’s actually giving us a break!,” Lindy said in a surprised
voice.
“I
know,” Joe returned, shaking his head thoughtfully. “It’s not like
him at all. Maybe it’s the moonlight. It can do strange things to
people.” But remembering the tone in which his brother had said “I
remember” Joe couldn’t help but suspect that there was more to his brother’s
sudden willingness to cover for them.
Lindy’s
eyes were still trained on the spot where Adam had disappeared. “He’s awful
handsome, too,” she said softly.
Joe
stared at her. “Hey! Are you sayin’ you think he’s better looking
than I am?”
Lindy
responded with one of her giggles. “Of course not, silly! I don’t know
anybody I think is handsomer than you. But if I was his age, well...”
Joe
decided he didn’t want to hear any more. He stood up from the bench and,
grasping her wrist, brought her up with him.
“I
think we’d better go and take a look at those foals, like Adam said. I
wanted to show them to you anyway. They really are just about the
prettiest things you ever laid your eyes on.”
“I’d
love that,” Lindy replied with a smile. As they started to move away from
the bench she held him back for a second. “Joe,” she said shyly, “I just
wanted to thank you for the kiss. It was really special. I’ll
always remember it.”
“So
will I, Lindy,” Joe answered seriously. “We’ll have to do it again
sometime...when Adam isn’t anywhere around!,” he added more lightly.
Lindy
giggled again as she nodded her agreement. Then the two of them
disappeared in the same direction Adam had gone.
And
the old bench behind the barn was left there vacant, it’s worn surface bathed
in the light of the moon. Left there to wait patiently until the next
time it would be called on to play a part in the lives of the Cartwright boys.
THE
END