As Long As Love Lasts by Jea Hawkins

Author:Jea Hawkins [Hawkins, Jea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance
Publisher: Wicked Hearts Publishing
Published: 2018-07-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

June 10, 1941

They’d met two years ago on this very day. They’d lived together for almost a year. It was, no matter what attacks and invasions went on in the world around them, the best time of Marty’s life.

Vera came home that week with an unexpected gift – a butter-yellow roadster with bright red seats reminiscent of the lipstick Dorothy used to wear before she became a married woman. Marty stared at it, gaping as she tried to find the words to say.

“What do you think?” Vera asked, folding her arms, leaning against it, and grinning.

“It’s a... a car.” Marty had no problem with walking everywhere for her errands. Vera seemed content to do the shopping with the old farm truck, which left Marty to wonder why another vehicle was parked in her yard. “What’s it doing here?”

“Old man Schaeffer sold it to me. He bought it for his daughter, but ever since she got married, it’s been sitting, gathering dust for a good year. I guess her husband can buy her a new car every year, if she wants. So what do you think?”

Marty bit the inside of her cheek and considered the question. “It’s nice for when you don’t want to drive the truck,” she finally agreed. “If you’re all set with your new toy, maybe we can get on with what I had planned for the day.”

She didn’t want to sound impatient, but Marty had been on tenterhooks all morning, eager to celebrate the time they’d known each other.

A picnic in the same field the circus had set up in two years ago seemed appropriate. Fortunately, the traveling show hadn’t returned. Vera came home brandishing a newspaper one day, saying they’d folded. The end. The circus was no more, its remnants picked over by a larger, more profitable venture. She loved her newspapers, as Marty learned when Vera started bringing one home every day after her fertilizer deliveries.

So Marty had filled a basket with goodies and waited for Vera to come back from what she thought was just a walk. She hefted the basket and said, “Let’s get going.”

“Fine by me. Hop in.” Vera opened the driver’s side door and stepped aside with a grand gesture.

“You...” Drawing back, Marty clutched the basket handle so hard, it dug into her palms. “You aren’t serious.”

“Of course I am. You need to learn how to drive.”

A lady learning to drive? Marty barked out a laugh. “My mother would—”

“Your mother isn’t here, so get in.” Vera took the basket from her, settled it on the passenger seat, then took Marty by the arms and guided her to the car. “Take a deep breath, sit down, and put your hands on the wheel.”

Inch by reluctant inch, Marty trudged to the car and sank into the driver’s seat. Vera closed the door and scampered around to the passenger side, sitting down and placing the picnic basket on her lap. “Okay, here’s the ignition and shift. Now, this is a two-speed automatic, so you don’t have to fuss with a clutch or anything.

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