Pewter Angels (17 page)

“I know, David. I know how much you enjoy him. That is why I didn’t disturb you two out there.”

“Yes, he is a fine young man. Yesterday as I watched him work, I couldn’t get it out of my mind how capable he is for his age. You know, Anna, business has improved so much since Henry started working for us, I wonder if he wasn’t sent by the Lord as the answer to our prayers for help.”

“The Lord works in mysterious ways, David … in more ways than one.”

David looked at his wife with love. “Come, Borden’s Bakery brought some fresh sourdough bread this morning. I’ll cut some salami and a ripe Roma tomato, and we will sit down for a sandwich. What do you think, Anna?”

“How can I say no, David, when you say it so romantically?”

T
he bad news was
there were only two days of summer holidays left, the good, that it would be Henry’s first year in high school. Even better was that Jenny would be in the same grade as he was and going to the same high school. It sure would have been great if they’d been assigned to the same form, but the notices the school had sent out a week ago said otherwise. Both Henry and Jenny were very disappointed.

On this, the second-last day of summer holidays, Henry and Jenny planned to go to Wascana Park for the afternoon. They had talked about having a picnic, but neither of them wanted to ask their parents to pack them a lunch, considering the by now oft-mentioned concern that the teens were already spending too much time together.

Henry stocked shelves for two hours and delivered a grocery order, then asked Mr. Engelmann if he could have the afternoon off. It was a beautiful day, perfect for bike riding with Jenny before school started on Friday.

Mr. Engelmann peered over the top of his glasses and met Henry’s gaze. After studying him for a long moment, Mr. Engelmann nodded.

“Have a good time, Henry. You deserve it.”

The aroma of fried onions and potatoes filled Henry’s nostrils when he arrived home for lunch. It was the start of a perfect afternoon as far as he was concerned.

“Hi, Mom. Smells good.” He dragged out the last word and she smiled.

“How was work this morning?”

“Pretty good. We’re starting to get more and more deliveries and it’s helping our sales. Mr. Engelmann is very pleased.” After a short pause Henry casually said, “I think I’ll go out for a bike ride after lunch.” He didn’t say anything about Jenny.

“Oh, you’re not going back to work this afternoon?”

“No, there are only two days left before school starts and we thought we’d go out for a ride.” Henry cringed at his use of the word
we
, and hoped his mom wouldn’t pick up on it.

“Well, you and Jenny have a nice time,” she said approvingly, removing any guilt Henry had about not mentioning Jenny’s name.

He’d hoped she would be waiting for him on the step, but Jenny was nowhere in sight when he got to her house. He got off his bike, leaned it against the fence and waited for her to come out. After five minutes he decided to knock on the door. As he started up the steps, he heard Jenny and her mom arguing.

“…Yes, but your father and I feel you are seeing too much of that boy.”

“Mom, he’s a very good friend. I’d be lost without him.”

“As soon as school starts, we want you to make some new friends right away. It’s good to have a large circle of friends.”

“Oh, I will, Mom. Don’t worry.”

“Henry’s a nice boy, but you’re seeing far too much of him.”

They were arguing about him. Tension rooted him to the landing. He so wanted Jenny’s parents to like him.

“It’s just a bike ride, Mom.”

“But I still need your help with the last of the unpacking and putting things away. Besides with school starting, you should stay in during the week and only go out on Saturdays.”

“I’ve always been a good student. Trust me, Mom.”

A long silence followed. Henry didn’t know if Jenny was coming out or not. He hoped Mrs. Sarsky wouldn’t come to the door.

“Mom,
please
, we only have a couple of days of holidays left.”

“Well, be careful and not too long, now.”

“Oh, thank you, Mom!”

In his mind’s eye, Henry saw Jenny’s eyes brighten and the return of her bubbly self. With that, his tension melted away.

As Jenny came to the front door, he quickly backed down the front steps. He didn’t want her to know he’d been eavesdropping. Just as he reached the bottom step, Jenny appeared.

“Oh, Henry, you’re here.”

“Yeah, just got here.”

Jenny always looked lovely, but she was particularly radiant as she stood on the stoop, sunlight picking out bright glints in her hair. Usually when they went bike riding, Jenny wore jeans or slacks, but today she had on her black and white checked skirt and a white short-sleeved blouse. A white ribbon held back her hair. No matter what she wore, she always looked beautiful.

“It’s so sunny out today; I thought I’d wear my straw hat, too.” She brought it out from behind her and placed it firmly on her head with two hands, slanting it rakishly over one eye to cast a sharp shadow across her nose. She looked mysterious, sophisticated, like a movie star. And before Henry could think of who she reminded him of, she quickly thrust the rim of the straw hat up, her happy features instantly lit by the sun. Now she looked like a sailor, ready to pull up anchor. The straw hat seemed to capture Jenny’s mercurial personality. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile was teasing.

“Oh, Jenny …” Henry was speechless. He shook his head side to side, trying to convey what words at that moment couldn’t — how thoroughly he loved her. She had to feel his thoughts beaming at her like the light from a beacon.

“What’s going on out here?” Mrs. Sarsky asked stiffly, shattering Henry’s romantic reverie. It was as if the warmth of his tender feelings had been iced over with cold. He snapped to attention.

“Why aren’t you gone yet?” Mrs. Sarsky demanded, her tone irritating Henry’s raw nerves further.

“Oh, I was just showing Henry my straw hat.” Jenny responded, her soothing, measured voice coming to Henry’s rescue.

“Yeah, it sure looks cute on her.” Henry couldn’t think of what else to say. “Does it have a string, Jenny? It might blow off in the wind when you ride your bike.”

“I forgot about that. Guess I’d better leave it at home.”

Jenny took it off and handed it to her mom.

“I’ll get your bike, Jenny.” Finally, a reason to leave. Mrs. Sarsky looked so sternly at him that he began to feel guilty about taking her daughter out. Jenny was waiting for him at the gate when he came back with her bike. He caught Mrs. Sarsky looking at him through the screen door. Her penetrating glare sent a chill up his spine. He was really glad now that Jenny had wanted to keep quiet about the night those guys had grabbed her; how much more would Mrs. Sarsky hate him if she knew he hadn’t been able to protect her daughter?

“Let’s go.” Jenny got on her bike and sped down the block.

“’Bye, Mrs. Sarsky,” Henry called out as he hopped on his bike. She didn’t answer as he pedalled away, hard, and quickly caught up to Jenny. He found it difficult to keep his eyes off her as they rode along.

To get to Wascana Park, they headed down College Avenue to Albert Street. Jenny was impressed by the stately homes.

“Are those houses ever gorgeous! This must be an older part of the city. I’d sure like to live in one of them.”

When they turned into the park, the roadway was deserted. They rode past the Legislative Building and continued on through the park to the lakeshore. Jenny hadn’t talked about that night since it happened, brushing off Henry’s questions about how she felt the next day with, “I’m fine, Henry. Let’s just forget about it, okay?” Still, he hoped today would erase any lingering memories of the last time she’d been here. With its jewel-like lake, the park really was a beautiful place.

They turned off the road onto a wide sidewalk that created a boardwalk of sorts down by the water, circled around the bandstand, and weaved in and out of large groves of aspen and elm, willow and pine. Once again, they were alone. They came to a section of the path with only a few slight curves and hills.

“Follow me!” Jenny hollered over her shoulder, gathering speed to race down the path.

In no time, Henry caught up to her, and by the time they got to the end of the path near the water’s edge, they were both gasping from exertion. They got off their bikes and laid them on the grass. They walked along the edge of the lake, the embankment of which was elevated about three feet by a stone and concrete wall. Henry’s dad had told him the lake was man-made, dug out by hand as a make-work project during the Depression. After walking a while, the path ended in a secluded stand of trees. Jenny sat on the grass and Henry sank down beside her.

“That was fun,” Jenny said, catching her breath. “It’s very pretty here. And I love the way the Legislative Building is reflected in the water.”

It
was
pretty, Henry thought. Some of the trees had begun to change, their fall colours contrasting warmly against the tall, cool evergreens. A sailboat appeared further down the lake.

“Have you ever been in a sailboat?” Jenny asked him.

“No, have you?”

“Yes, when we lived in Vancouver, friends of ours had a huge sailboat with a cabin and all. I loved it when the wind caught the sail. It was exhilarating and scary all at once. At times I thought for sure the boat was going to tip into the ocean.”

A few clouds had formed, masking the bright sun. Jenny lay back on the embankment and looked up at the sky, Henry beside her. Their arms touched, and instead of just holding hands like they usually did, their fingers sort of played with each other, gradually intertwining. A tingly sensation zinged through Henry’s body, and the yearning he sometimes felt for Jenny when he lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep grew stronger by the second.

“Do you ever try and see things in the clouds?” she asked, breaking the silence and the growing tension.

“Yeah, lots of times,” Henry replied, though clouds were the last thing on his mind. His thoughts were consumed by how it felt to have Jenny’s lips under his, her body pressed close. The soft hint of lilacs and the scent of her own warm skin nearly drove him crazy. He rolled over on his side and propped himself up to look down at her. He watched the pulse beat at the base of her neck and imagined following the scoop of the silver chain she wore with his finger, shuddering eagerly at the thought. If only he were older and had a class ring she could wear on that necklace. He wanted her to belong to him. He wanted her more than anything in the world. They stared at each other for a long moment. He drew closer and their lips gently touched. It was a brief kiss. Henry pulled back slightly, only to be drawn back down to her tender smile, never wanting to leave her again.

Jenny’s tongue touched his closed mouth. He instinctively parted his lips and when their tongues met, electrifying pulses surged through him. Slowly, he trailed his hand up her torso, coming to rest on the soft mound of her blouse-covered breast. Jenny quivered as his right leg moved almost of its own accord over hers, working its way between her legs. Her skirt was rucked up slightly by the action and Henry could feel the answering swell in his groin. He wondered if Jenny could too. He pulled her in tight, pressing against her warm body. Jenny moaned softly and the sound made him drag his knee up, but she held firm, unwilling to part her legs further. He was sure Jenny wanted him as much as he did her by the way she was kissing and responding to him, but that slight hesitation jarred his senses.

Only an hour ago Jenny had told her mother that she could be trusted, and here he was trying to get her to break her promise. He also recalled the long look Mr. Engelmann had given him that morning before saying he could have the afternoon off. Then Mr. Engelmann’s words about Pavlov’s dogs came flooding back, along with his warning to think things through, to have a plan of action in the face of temptation and to be aware of the consequences of one’s actions.

Oh, but she was an assault on his senses, though; the sight, sound and scent of her made the blood thunder through his veins; the answering movements of her body fueling the desire in his own. He had to get closer, and he pressed his warm mouth to the tender spot on her neck beneath her ear, trying to breathe her in. Jenny gave a small, breathless sigh and her legs shifted, parting, signaling him to go on. His knee fell solidly between her legs and he pressed hard against her once more.

It was nearly his undoing. Henry leaned into her body, his breath coming fast, his entire body flushed and hot.

He felt like the sailboat in Jenny’s memory, swaying first this way and then that, caught between the rushing winds of desire and the waves of reason washing over his mind. He struggled for control. As Mr. Engelmann’s words pounded through his thoughts again, Henry knew he could go no further. He pulled back, and Jenny brought her legs together almost instinctively. She opened her eyes and looked at him, desire and hesitation warring within her. She seemed about to speak but didn’t.

He slid off and rolled onto his back next to her, neither of them saying a word. Their hands touched, and their fingers immediately laced together. Henry knew he would look back on this moment and wonder
what if
…; he knew there would be times he would regret this decision. He’d had the opportunity to make love to Jenny; she would have let him, he could tell.

Controlling his desire was probably one of the most unselfish things he had ever done, the beginning of a conscious effort to live a life based on values he would start to believe in, of putting into action Mr. Engelmann’s teachings.

Henry cleared his throat and tried to calm his body, still choked and swollen with need. “Uh, I see a two-storey house in that cloud. Do you see it, Jenny?” He pointed towards it with his free hand.

“Oh, sure,” she said, her voice a bit raspy too. “There’s the roof. And look, it has one of those dormers in the centre.”