>

Taylor and Jamie walked down almost all of the car lots in town not finding anything Taylor was goo crazy about.

"Taylor you better find a car soon. I have to be home before my dad gets there." Jamie looked inside a nice Jeep Cherokee.

"I’m so sick of looking at cars. I could pick anyone and I wouldn’t care."

"Ahh cool." Jamie went running down the lot.

"What?"

"Only the best car in the world. My Ford Mustang. And its a 69’." Jamie went and tried to open the doors.

"There all locked." Taylor pointed out to her.

"Dang." Jamie went to all the windows and took in all that she could of her favorite car in the whole world.

"Would you like to take it for a ride?" A sales man asked looking at Taylor.

"Actually Jamie here is looking to buy a car. I’m sure she’d love to test it out." Taylor pointed and smiled at Jamie.

Jamie put on the biggest smile he had ever seen. There was no way she could ever afford to buy this car. It was the closest she would come to owning it. Besides she had no use for it her father let her drive his car all the time. "I’d love to."

"OK you two sit tight here and I’ll go get the keys." The sales man took off to towards his office.

"This is just totally cool. I never drove one of these puppies before."

"Its actually pretty cool. My favorite color, big engine, lots of power. Might just have to take this under consideration."

"That would be so cool."

The sales man came back. "OK why don’t you take the drivers seat." The sales man gave Jamie the keys. "And you take the passenger seat." He pointed to Taylor. "And I’ll sit in the back."

They all piled into the car and went zooming down the street. The sales man jabbered threw the whole ride about payments and this and that. Jamie and Taylor just shined him on.

Jamie pulled back into the car lot and parked the car where they found it. "Oh no what time is it?" She questioned.

"Its 6:30 p.m. Do you need some time to think the car over?" The sales man that now went by Dennis asked.

"I have to get home." Jamie panicked

"I think were going to go home and think about it. We might be back tomorrow." Taylor shut and locked his door.

"OK well here is my card it has my name and number you can reach me at. And I’ll be her tomorrow."

"Thanks." Taylor shook hands with Dennis.

Taylor and Jamie made their way to the bus stop and waited for the next bus.

"So you like that one?" Taylor asked about the car.

"Yeah." Jamie said looking down the street at the bus that was slowly making its way to their stop. "Come on, come on." She taped her foot on the ground as if that would make the bus go faster.

"Why do you need to get home so soon?" Taylor asked as he threw some money into the buses money changer.

"Cuz my father."

"Just tell him you were looking at cars with me and we lost track of the time. No big deal." Taylor took a seat in the front and Jamie sat beside him.

"You don’t understand."

"Fine. So you going to come with me tomorrow and look at some more cars?"

"Sure, what time and where should I meet you?"

"I think I can use my moms car tomorrow so I’ll pick you up. How about around 3:00 p.m.?"

"Thats good for me."

"K."

The bus soon came to Jamies stop and she got off and walked a block to her house. Then Taylor to his house.


The next day Taylor picked Jamie up in his mothers car and they went driving around at more car lots new and used. At around 5:00 they found themselves at the some car lot with the 68’ Ford Mustang.

"So your back." Dennis came walking up to Taylor and Jamie.

"Yep, I was wondering if I could take it for a little cruse? I’m shopping too." Taylor asked.

"Sure let me go get the keys."

It was in the middle of September and it was really hot. So hot that Taylor and Jamie were sweating from just standing in place. Jamie wiped off the sweat on her forehead.

"Whats happened to your eye?" Taylor questioned Jamie.

"What?"

"Is that a bruise?" Taylor got closer to her and peered at her eye.

"Oh that yeah my brother accidentally elbowed me in the pool the other day. I thought I covered it pretty good. Is the make-up coming off?"

"Attack of the killer elbow. Yeah its coming off, but you can’t tell illness you really look."

"Well to bad. Now I look tough."

"No you don’t, you look like you’ve been beat up."

Jamie shied away from the conversation and looked into another cars window.

"OK I’m back, you know the procedure. Hop in."

"Actually can I sit in the back? I want to check it out." Jamie asked

"Yeah sure." Dennis hoped into the passenger seat.

Taylor took off. "Man this suckers got some get up and go."

Today Dennis didn’t go on about payments but explained the car and all its cool parts. "Yeah its got a big V8 engine."

Jamie sat in the back snooping around at anything she could. Ash tray, they would never need that, Speakers, defiantly going to use those. She even check out the carpets and seat cushions. Taylor looked at her from the rearview mirror. "You having fun back there James?"

"Yes I am, thank you very much." Jamie now focused her attention out the window.

"You know what? Were going to have to go to the gas station and fill her up. Hope you two don’t mind. But we’ll never make it back if we don’t." Dennis said.

"No its no problem. Which station?" Taylor searched around for a gas station.

"That one." Dennis pointed to a Shell Station.

"Oh no can we go to a different one?" Jamie asked.

"Sorry I only have a Shell card."

"Why don’t you have to go here? Afraid of the gas pumps here?" Taylor teased.

"Uh..No. My brother works here."

"So go say hi." Dennis got out of the car and started pumping the gas.

Jamie just stayed in the car looking away from the station and leaning on the car door hoping her brother didn’t notice her. Taylor got out with Dennis to talk about the car.

Nobody noticed a man come up to the car opening the back door Jamie was leaning against until there was a scream and a thump. They all looked at the man. The man quickly grabbed Jamie by the arm and pulled her up off the ground. Jamie winced at the pain that he was inflicting her with. "Mickey let go of me." Jamie whispered.

Mickey it was her brother.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him." Mickey pointed to Taylor.

"Mickey he’s just a friend. And I thought you didn’t drink when you worked. Your drunk as a skunk." Jamie told him.

Mickey shock Jamie making her yelp. Everyone around was now looking.

"Why don’t you just let her go and you can talk about this. Your hurting her." Dennis shouldn’t have entered the argument.

"And who is this?" Mickey pointed to Dennis. "You messing around with him too?"

"I’m not messing around with anyone." Jamie tried to keep the sales man out of this.

"Oh don’t give me that. I know how you are. Your staying here with me the rest of the day so I can keep an eye on you."

"Taylor just go. I’ll be fine." Jamie was stopped by a hard tug on her arm.

"Your lucky I don’t kill you both." Mickey took Jamie to the back of the station.

"Was that her brother?" Dennis asked Taylor.

"I’ve never seen him before but she said his name was Mickey and thats what she was calling him so I guess so."

Right before Taylor pulled out of the gas station he saw Jamie running towards the car. "Taylor wait, wait for me." She yelled to him. Taylor stopped the car at the drive way and Jamie jumped in. "Go, go, go hurry." Jamie still hadn’t closed the door when she yelled.

"You’ll have to come home soon. I’ll be waiting." Mickey came running after the car.

Jamie stared back at her brother when they speed out. "He’s usually not like that. Its just when he drinks and lately thats been allot." Jamie looked at Taylor through the rearview mirror and Taylor at her.

"Are you going to go back home?" Taylor asked.

"I have to."

"You can all ways stay at my house."

"I don’t think thats wise. He’ll just get madder and come after you.

"You can’t go back if he’s going to hurt you." Dennis pointed out.

"Does your dad know about this?" Taylor asked.

"He doesn’t know how bad its getting. He just knows that he drinks sometimes and gets nasty." They pulled into the car lot and everyone got out.

"You know I’m sorry but I’m going to have to think about the car. I have other things on my mind and can’t think properly." Taylor told Dennis.

"Oh I understand. No problem. You got my card right?"

"Sure do."

"OK hope to see you two again and hope everything goes all right." Dennis walked off.

Jamie and Taylor walked to his mothers car and got in. "I can’t take you home until we do something about your brother." Taylor started to drive to his house.

"Taylor this is only going to make it worse." Jamie looked at the window hoping Taylor didn’t see her eyes filled with tears.

"Jamie?"

No answer.

"Jamie?"

"What?" Jamie said with tears in her voice.

"OK thats it I’m taking you to my house."

Jamie didn’t complain she just kept her gaze out the window.

"Now are you going to call your dad and tell him or do you want to do it face to face?" Taylor asked still driving the car.

"Mickey shouldn’t be home yet. Just drive me home and I’ll talk to him.


Week Later

Taylor and Jamie rode the bus to Dennis’ car lot.

"Well, well, well if it isn’t Taylor and Jamie."

"Hi Dennis. You been waiting for us?"

"Sure have, even saved you the 68’ read convertible mustang you been dreaming about."

"Well then I think were going to have to make a purchase today." Taylor said.

"Well why don’t you come into my office this way and we’ll get all the paper work set up." Dennis lead them to his office.

After finishing all the paper work and handing over the hard earned cash they all walked to Taylors new car.

"So hows the brother situation? If you don’t mind me asking." Dennis questioned.

"Well Mickey is in Valley the alcoholic institute thing. He’s going to be gone for a couple of months. So thats good. Everything’s pretty much back to normal." Jamie stated and grabbed Taylors hand. Dennis’ eyes drifted to their hands.

"Oh and we got a relationship out of it." Taylor brought their hands up to his chest.

Dennis smiled. "You could tell that was going to happen a mile away. Have fun with the car." Dennis walked away.

"Thank you." Taylor called after him.

"Welcome."

Jamie and Taylor hoped in his new car and speed off.


Our Short Stories

Green Eggs And Hanson