Tommy
1976, The Motel, Fort Lauderdale
“You’ve got it. You’re doing fine, Kit!” Grunt grinned at her from the passenger seat. “Just let up on the gas a little bit. You don’t need to hit the brake to slow down. There’s not another car in sight. Ease your foot off the gas pedal, and the car will slow down on its own. And remember, don’t use your left foot at all. I can see you’re struggling with that. Believe me, you’ll get used to it, and you’re doing great.”
Ginny huffed out a breath. “I know. I know. It just seems like this car is so powerful. I’m not sure if I can drive something that seems so aggressive, Grunt. Of course, I’ve never driven, so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but it just seems maybe he could’ve given me something a little more my style. Maybe something more like Moe’s car.”
Grunt glanced at her. He wanted to tell her she had a style all her own, and he couldn’t think of any mold—or car, for that matter—that she would ever conform to. She looked so serious with her hands at the ten and two o’clock positions on the wheel.
“You need to relax,” he said. “You look too stiff and uncomfortable. There’s nobody around. Enjoy the ride.”
She smiled at that and chanced a quick glance to her right.
“It’ll be so nice being able to drive myself around, Grunt. I can’t wait to pick up Sarah Jo and just head to the mall or the movies or the beach, or even the library. Well, not really the mall. You know how much I hate shopping, but it’ll be fun to get out, you know?”
Grunt smiled back at her, but there was no sincerity behind it. He’d thought at first she would shun the over-the-top birthday present from Grizz. She wasn’t the type to be impressed with fast and fancy cars, and Grunt had been right about that. But she didn’t see the sparkling new Trans Am as a toy to be flaunted, to make herself feel good. She saw it as a means to return to some semblance of an average life. Having time with a girlfriend, doing what other girls her age were doing. And he didn’t like that one bit.
They were quiet as ABBA serenaded them with “Dancing Queen.” It was coming from a state-of-the-art stereo sound system that rivaled even his own.
“I hope you don’t think I forgot about your birthday, Kit,” he said after a few moments. “I ran out and got you something as soon as I realized that this,” he motioned with his hand around the interior of the car, “was a birthday present. It took me a couple of weeks because I was having it personalized, but I brought it with me and thought I could give it to you over lunch.”
He wasn’t being absolutely truthful. Of course, he knew when her birthday was. He just couldn’t let her or anybody else know, so he acted like he learned it for the first time when Grizz presented her with the car.
He reached down with his left hand and retrieved something from behind her seat. She peered over at the neatly wrapped package he held in his hand.
“You got me a birthday present?” She smiled as she moved her eyes back to the road and, without giving him time to answer, added, “I can’t believe you bought me a present. Thank you.”
“You don’t even know what it is, and you’re already thanking me?” His tone was light, teasing.
“It doesn’t matter what it is. Just the fact you thought to get me something and wrapped it means so much.” Then she added shyly, “I’ve never opened a present before.”
He felt a stab of pain in his heart for her. He knew what that felt like. He’d never opened a present before, either. He quickly regained his composure.
“Get over to the right so we can get on 95. How about we head down to Miami for some real Cuban food? Does that sound good for lunch?”
She hesitated for a second, and he knew what she was thinking.
“Don’t worry about Grizz, Kit. I told him I would spend the day giving you driving lessons. He knows I’m smart enough not to take you to familiar places. We’re heading far enough south. It’ll be fine.”
She nodded and smiled as she gave the car a little more gas. He could sense she was feeling a little giddy. Was it the sense of freedom that came with driving her very own car, the T-tops off and the air blowing her ponytail around? Or was it the anticipation of opening a present? It didn’t matter. He could tell it stemmed from a deep-rooted happiness or perhaps just a sense of belonging, and it warmed his heart to witness it.
Forty-five minutes later, they faced each other in the tiny booth at the little restaurant that offered the most authentic Cuban cuisine in all of South Florida. The tantalizing aromas teased their senses as the warm breeze caressed their faces through the open window. They could hear the drone of traffic through the window screen. They had just ordered their meals, and Grunt tried not to smile as Ginny practically bounced around in her seat. She was excited about his present, and it made his heart swell.
Kit, he corrected himself. He had to catch himself many times in the past several months when he’d started to call her Ginny and not Kit. He wasn’t supposed to know her real name, and he hated the nickname Grizz gave her. She wasn’t Kit. She was and always would be Ginny. He couldn’t wait for the day when he could call her by that name to her face. A day when they would be free from what he considered a barbaric lifestyle.
He shook the thoughts aside and reached for the package next to him.
“Well, I guess you’re ready to open this.” He grinned, handing the gift over.
She took it from him and held onto it, gazing at it with an expression he couldn’t read.
“Happy birthday, Kit. I hope you like it.”
She looked up at him, and he tried to decipher the expression on her face. She was turning red. Was she embarrassed?
“Open it!”
She didn’t say anything, just looked at him then at the package and back at him again. She was hesitant, and he quickly realized why. She was savoring the moment. He let her. He didn’t say anything for almost a full minute.
“It’s okay to open it, Kit,” he said finally. “I promise you, it won’t be the last one you’ll ever open.” He smiled at her then, a sincere and genuine smile that came from the heart. He wanted to give this woman the world. And one day he would.
He watched as she carefully undid the tape on each end and then in the middle. She did her best not to rip the actual wrapping paper. After gently removing her present, she just stared at it, tears welling up in her eyes.
“You shouldn’t have, Grunt, but I’m so glad you did.” Her voice was a whisper. “It’s beautiful, and I’ll treasure it forever.”
She lovingly stroked the dark leather cover. Clutching it tightly to her chest, she looked up at him with the most beautiful brown eyes he’d ever seen.
His breath caught in his throat as he imagined her looking at him that way for a different reason. Looking at him with eyes that cherished him as much as she cherished her gift. He cleared his throat and added in a voice gravelly with emotion.
“There’s something else. If you look closely at the bottom right, I had your initials embossed. I had them made small enough so they wouldn’t be noticeable unless you were looking for them.”
He immediately saw the question in her eyes.
“It wasn’t hard to figure out your real name, Kit. I’m not stupid, and Sarah Jo recognized you as the girl from her rival school that supposedly ran away. But,” he quickly added, “they goofed at the printers.”
She looked down at the Bible and squinted to see the letters.
“G.L.D,” she said quietly.
“I can send it back and get you another one. I just didn’t want to wait so long that you thought I forgot, so I chanced giving it to you now.”
He reached across the table as if to take it from her, but she pulled it out of his reach and held it to her chest again.
“I want to keep this one,” she told him.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Good. He wanted her to keep it. The printer hadn’t made a mistake when embossing the Bible. It had been his intention all along for it to have the initials that would represent her future name. Guinevere Love Dillon. He even imagined them laughing about the happy coincidence after they’d been blissfully married for years. Relief washed over him.
“Besides,” she added with a big grin. “It’s not what’s on the outside of this book that’s important.”
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s about what’s on the inside. Just like people. Don’t you think? It’s what’s on the inside that really counts.”