Rick Holmes was horrified. He had a very heavy date with Kara Tilson and he was out of protection. And he was supposed to pick her up in exactly twelve minutes. And she was the hottest girl in school. And she had the hots for him. He knew this because Bud Anderson had told him she had told his girlfriend Clarissa's best friend Mandy that she really thought he was gorgeous…or that he had great eyes…or maybe it was his hair…or something.

Anyway, it had come down through the grapevine that Kara wanted a date with him, and Rick was happy to oblige. Rumor had it that Kara was pretty easy, too. So, tonight, he had planned on taking her to a movie and then to Lookout Point. It was the local Lover's Lane, as the old fogeys called it. It wasn't scenic, you couldn't see a damned thing anywhere around it, and it didn't look out over anything. The local joke was that once the girls heard that was where they were headed, they would holler out the car windows to their friends, "Look out, girls!"

Rick considered his options. There weren't many. He didn't have time to head to the other side of town, where he usually shopped for essentials such as these, so he was stuck with the only other alternative…Old Man Carter. Great! He headed over to the drugstore, remembering to keep his speed down, and close his door quietly when he got out. No point in making the old guy mad. He needed to get in and out as quickly as possible. He glanced at his watch as he hurried in the door…Nine minutes.

Arliss was seated next to the woodstove in the drugstore, reading the paper. Andy had heard the bell and had headed up to the counter to take care of his customer. As he always did, Arliss eavesdropped on the action up front.

Rick strode in the front door, the annoying bell announcing his presence. The old man looked up from behind the counter and smiled. "How are you, Rick? How's your mom?"

Oh, my God, please do not bring Mother into this! Rick thought in exasperation. "Fine, Mr. Carter. We're all just fine."

He quickly grabbed the item he wanted and dropped it onto the counter, glancing at his watch. He smiled…7 minutes.

Andrew picked up the box, and started to ring it up before doing a double-take. His eyebrows shot up and he stared at the young man in front of him.

"Really, Richard?"

Rick's heart sank. "What? I'm in a hurry."

Andrew glanced at the box. "Obviously."

Rick flushed at the dry comment. "You don't understand!"

Andrew chuckled at that. "I'll tell you what. I'll sell the condoms to you on one condition."

Rick's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Great! What's that?" 4 minutes…he could still do this!

"You go get your dad, and bring him down here. Then, I will sell you as many boxes as you want. Deal?"

Rick's jaw dropped in disbelief. He sighed, and silently left the shop, the bell cheerfully signaling his exit.

Andrew picked up the box and returned it to the shelf and then headed back to his chair next to the stove. Arliss glanced around his paper.

"You are a cruel man, Andy Carter." He smirked. "Besides, you know he'll just get 'em someplace else."

Andy picked up his book. "I know. But he won't get 'em from me."

And Arliss knew the subject was closed. He shook his head and went back to his paper.