Risking Heartbreak

Early Sunday afternoon Melanie strolled into her father’s garage. Since they hadn’t gotten the chance to talk the day before she wanted to get that out of the way so she’d called him that morning. Michael told her that he was planning on spending the afternoon at the shop going over the Mustang so she told him she’d meet him there.

As she walked through the shop door the first thing she saw was two figures looking under the hood of the car. She hadn’t known that Richard was going to be there yet at the same time she wasn’t surprised. Melanie remembered being ten years old and spending Saturday afternoons with her brothers watching Michael and Richard work on cars in the shop. She also remembered that she and her brothers had tried to help but was now sure they were more of a hinderance than they were a help.

“Is it everything you dreamed it would be, Dad?” Melanie walked up beside her father.

Michael looked over and smiled. “Yeah. Pretty much everything is probably going to end up coming out of it though. I’m thinking its going to be a complete restoration and I already have a few buyers interested.”

“Not surprising for a car this awesome. Hey, Richard.”

Richard smiled at Melanie. “Hey. Looks better after some sleep huh?”

Melanie laughed. “Yeah. I’d already been up like eighteen hours when we looked at it last night.”

“You want to start it up? I want to see how this forty plus year old engine sounds.” Michael interrupted.

“Do I want to start it up? Do you really need to ask that question?”

Melanie spent the next three hours going over the car with Michael and Richard. Michael wanted to know what kind of condition everything on the car was in and that required a lot of time. By five o’clock Michael decided that he needed to talk to Melanie before it got any later. “Rich, if you wanna get outta here go ahead. I need to talk to Melanie and get home for dinner or Cath will be pissed. You’re more than welcome to come over for dinner if you want.”

Richard laughed. “Yeah you don’t want to be in the doghouse with the wife. Nah, I’ve got a date tonight.”

“Speaking of mom, I’ve got to go get that disc for her!” Melanie did need to get a disc with pictures on it out of her car for her mother but she also wanted to talk to Richard in private for a moment.

“Yes please do. She told me to be sure and get that from you today. Then we’ll get around to talking about what I wanted to talk to you about yesterday,” Michael’s voice sounded happy and calm which led Melanie to believe he didn’t suspect anything.

Melanie walked out the door a few seconds after Richard had so she saw where he was going. He’d parked in the shop’s yard instead of in the parking lot in front of the building which was why she hadn’t seen his truck. “I’ve gotta start looking around back here before I walk into this shop. This is the second day in a row I’ve walked in there to unexpectedly find you.” Melanie walked up beside Richard.

He chuckled. “Yeah it is. You planning on telling your Dad about us yet? I didn’t want to say anything if you didn’t want me to.”

“No, I’ll tell him after it actually happens. I haven’t figured out how to go there just yet. I was wondering what I need to wear though.”

“I was going to call you and ask you where you wanted to go. Do you want fancy or casual? What would you be more comfortable with?”

“Casual. Definitely casual. Should I still be ready about seven?”

“Yeah that sounds good.”

Melanie kissed his cheek. “See you then.”

Michael was sitting in his office, flipping through the pages of a parts catalogue, when Melanie returned. She handed him the disc and sank into one of the chairs across from him. “So what all is on this important disc?”

“Mom said she wanted some pictures I had of the family for some scrapbook project she’s working on. So what’d you want to talk about?”

“Is there any reason you’ve been avoiding your mother and I?”

“That’s what you want to talk about? Dad, I haven’t been avoiding you guys. I’ve been busy.” It was a half-truth. Melanie hadn’t been avoiding her parents. She’d been avoiding Richard.

“Alright. What have you been so busy doing then?”

“Work, friends, packing.” Melanie saw that Michael’s didn’t fully buy it. “And dating.”

“Oh, that’s it. You’re dating again. Anyone you’re serious about?”

“No, just a string of dates the girls have set me up on. When I get serious about someone you’ll be the first to know.”

“Okay. Are you coming to dinner tonight?”

“Can’t.”

“Why?”

“I have a date.”

Michael laughed. “Okay then, that’s that. What time is this guy picking you up?”

“Seven.”

Michael glanced at the clock on his wall. “You better go then.”

***

“Just tea huh?” Richard asked as he watched Melanie stir a packet of sweetener into her glass of tea. She’d been adamantly opposed to even looking at the restaurant’s drink menu.

“Yeah and I think you know why. Drinking around you last time led to this little situation we’re in now.” She saw noticed Richard struggling to keep himself from saying something and couldn’t stop herself. “Just say it.”

“We’re already out on a date. What are you afraid is going to happen? You’ll get drunk and crawl into bed with me?” Richard groaned and ran his hand down his face. “I can not believe I just said that to you.”

Laughter escaped Melanie's lips. “Why? And to be perfectly honest yes that is exactly what I’m afraid would happen.”

“I’m not even sure how to respond to that. With one drink though? What are you unable to stop yourself?”

“I’m half tempted to kick you under this table right now, just so you know. I could stop but I don’t want to even think about going there tonight.” She looked to her right and admired the view.

“I’m guessing I did good?”

Melanie turned her head back to Richard with a smile. “You did. I have to say, I was not expecting the river walk.”

“I was not expecting to ever find myself on a date with you.”

“If it was anyone else who’d just said that I’d be a little offended.”

Richard laughed and watched the smile spread across Melanie’s face. He was still waiting for things to start feeling awkward. He still wasn’t sure why this didn’t feel awkward given the situation they were in. The entire situation didn’t make any sense to him but he was still glad to be where they were.

After dinner the walked along the river walk as they attempted to figure things out. Neither of them were sure exactly what had happened. Melanie had begun to wonder if something had been brewing for a while and neither of them had realized it but she decided it wasn’t a good time to suggest that.

“You were never the babysitter for me and James when we were little were you?” Melanie asked in an attempt to take both their minds off of trying to figure out what have changed.

Richard laughed. “Not a chance. I did my best to avoid being in the same room as both of you and Kevin when you guys were little.”

“Why? Were we that bad?”

“No but I was young and kids terrified me.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Melanie’s lips. “And now look at where you are. Out on a date we me. I guess it’s a good thing I don’t still terrify you.”

“Its probably a good thing I didn’t babysit for your parents given where we are too.”

It took a second for Melanie’s mind to fully process that thought but when it did she looked over at Richard. “Had you acted as a babysitter do you honestly think we’d be here right now?”

“No because I’d feel like a pedophile. The plus side in all of this was I never really spent any time alone with you until you were already in your twenties. This should still be awkward though and it isn’t.”

“The most awkward part about this for me is that when James was like sixteen he wanted to be you.”

“Why?”

“Because in his eyes you were this guy who was just effortlessly cool. Not to mention he had the biggest crush on your girlfriend at the time.”

Richard fought the urge to cringe. “Tammy?”

“Yeah. What’s up with your reaction to her name?”

“Things did not end well between her and I.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I had to change my phone number, the locks on my house, and the license plate number on my truck.”

Melanie’s eyes grew wide. “You’re kidding.”

“No. She seemed perfectly sane until the night I broke things off with her then she went crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever been as relieved as I was when I heard she was moving out to California.”

Melanie had a few distinct memories of Tammy from the time she was eight until shortly after her seventeenth birthday. She's never known a ton about the woman or spent that much time around her but she still remembered her clearly. “Whatever happened with you two anyway? I remember you guys were together for what felt like forever and I remember Dad telling you to marry her but that’s it.”

“She was screwing around with some guy behind my back for about the last year. Unfortunately I clearly remember your dad telling me to do that. Now I’m really glad I didn’t.”

There was an entire list of questions that Melanie wanted to ask him. A part of her was tempted to ask him everything that was on her mind just to get it out of the way. The more logical part of her mind knew it was better to wait a while for some of the questions.

When Richard pulled up to Melanie’s apartment complex later that night, Melanie’s heart sped up. As soon as he parked he went to kill the engine and she found her voice. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

“Because you really shouldn’t get out of this truck.”

Richard raised one eyebrow. “Why not?”

“You see that apartment right across from mine? The one with the light one?” Melanie waited until Richard had nodded his head. “Helen lives there and if she sees us she will call my parents and tell them before we get the chance to.”

Helen Townsend was another of her parent's friends. Melanie could remember being around Helen as young as five but most of the memories where just of being around the woman. Helen didn't like Melanie much and that feeling was mutual. In Melanie's eyes the only thing that came from Helen's mouth was a constant stream of criticism of other peoples' lives.

“She could have seen when I came to pick you up.”

“There wasn’t a kiss then.” She leaned over and pressed her lips against Richard’s.

“That was unexpected and fantastic,” Richard said when she pulled away. “What are you doing Friday night?”

“Absolutely nothing.”

“How about dinner then?”

“I’d love that. See you then.” Melanie climbed out of the truck with a smile on her face and headed towards her door. Once inside she closed the door and leaned against it. A fluttering feeling that she hadn't felt in years spread in the pit of her stomach.