"Daniel, do you have any idea where my son might be?" Mrs. McCawley stood in the doorway to the kitchen toweling the lunch dishes.
"No ma'am, he was gone before I even woke up with morning." Danny lied through his teeth, he knew exactly where Rafe was. At Huddy's drowning his sorrow in whiskey or a beer. It's where he went every time some didn't go right, which a thing because he a rotten drunk.
"I recon he's still shook up and shaken about that Sara Larson girl, not that I understand why. She wasn't right for him anyway. He needs a simple girl, someone like… well like Rosie I'd say." Danny smiled as the women went into her rants, but completely agreeing with her.
"Noreen, I'm fixin' to go look for Rafe." Edward stuck his head in the kitchen door and took the key to his truck off the hook.
'Oh no,' Danny thought 'if he finds him, Rafe'll be grounded till he's ninety.'
"No, uh Edward you've got to dust the Rayson's corn. I'll go look for him." Danny offered, but gave them no time to argue as he dashed out of the house.
Just as he expected Rafe was sitting at the bar with a shot glass in his hand and a bottle of tequila in front of him. The contents of the bottle appeared to be more then half gone and he knew there was going to be a scene very shortly. There always was, it was a vicious cycle.
"Hey there Danny, how about a drink?" Rafe gestured to Marty, one of the bartenders for another glass.
"You're parents are lookin' for ya." Danny informed his best friend lowering himself onto the stool near Rafe.
"Well, I've been right here." Rafe lifted his glass to his lips and gulped down more of the strong liquor.
"You know there's no reason for you to be drinking like this. Sara wasn't all that nice of a girl anyway."
"Keep on preaching Danny. What do you know, the girl you're in love with, loves you back." Rafe groaned filling the glass for another shot
"Oh come on Rafe, knock it off, you know as well as I do that you're not in love with Sara Larson and you never were."
"What are you talking about? Of course I am."
Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair
"Rafe, we both know who you're in love with. It's the same girl you've been crazy about since you were six. So why don't you just grow up and admit it to yourself? So what if Rosie's not like any other girl in the town, that's what you used to love about her. So swallow your pride and tell her."
"Oh what do you know about it?"
"I know that she likes you just as much as you like her, maybe more. I mean haven't you ever realized how she went from being you best friend to avoiding you like you got rabies, when you started dating other girls?"
"I don't wanna talk about it." The older boy mumbled
"Of course not, you'd rather sit here and throw yourself a pity party. You know what Rafe, it's time to be a man." With that Danny hopped off his stool, sucked down his drink and stalked off angrily. Sometimes Rafe McCawley was to stubborn for his own good.
The next day Rosie was sitting one rocking chair on the front porch, when she heard the phone inside ringing. She set down the carburetor she was tinkering with and set inside to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ro." The voice on the other end responded
"Oh hi Rafe." Rosanna knew instantly who it was, only one person in the world called her Ro.
"Hey, um are busy today? Danny's out with Beth, havin' a picnic or something and my dad wants me to do some work on one of the dusters, I could really use your help."
"I gotta be at the garage at two, I can help ya for about three hours." There really wasn't much that Rosie liked more then helping Rafe fix the plane, other then maybe flying in it.
"Alright, I see ya later then."
A HALF HOUR LATER
"Can I have a Philip's head screwdriver? So how are you doin' today Rafe, you didn't seem to happy after prom." Rosie called from under the crop duster.
"Long or short?" Rafe asked digging in the toolbox.
"Long, you didn't answer my question. How are you?" Rosie rolled out from under the plane and gave him an annoyed look. Being ignored was one thing that drove Rosanna Marie Gadry crazy.
"I dunno Ro, I'm just a little tired of being played with. I mean why is it every girl in this damn town feels the need to hurt me in someway or another."
Rosie wiped a bead of sweat off of her face, smearing oil over it in the process. She walked toward Rafe and looked him deeply in his large hazel eyes.
"I'd never hurt you Rafe." She whispered
"I know." He murmured back leaning down and brushing his lips against hers. His strong hands come round her slim waist as hers arms reached up around his neck.
"Be my girl?" Rafe pulled his mouth away from hers, this time he was staring into her eyes.
Rosie only nodded, tears stinging and burning against her lashes, before she stood on her tip toes and pushed a passionate kiss on him. Her whole body flooded warm at his touch.
"I love you Rosanna Gadry." Rafe proclaimed picking up the petite mechanic and whirling her around.
"I love you too." Rosie replied and then they kissed again.
"No ma'am, he was gone before I even woke up with morning." Danny lied through his teeth, he knew exactly where Rafe was. At Huddy's drowning his sorrow in whiskey or a beer. It's where he went every time some didn't go right, which a thing because he a rotten drunk.
"I recon he's still shook up and shaken about that Sara Larson girl, not that I understand why. She wasn't right for him anyway. He needs a simple girl, someone like… well like Rosie I'd say." Danny smiled as the women went into her rants, but completely agreeing with her.
"Noreen, I'm fixin' to go look for Rafe." Edward stuck his head in the kitchen door and took the key to his truck off the hook.
'Oh no,' Danny thought 'if he finds him, Rafe'll be grounded till he's ninety.'
"No, uh Edward you've got to dust the Rayson's corn. I'll go look for him." Danny offered, but gave them no time to argue as he dashed out of the house.
Just as he expected Rafe was sitting at the bar with a shot glass in his hand and a bottle of tequila in front of him. The contents of the bottle appeared to be more then half gone and he knew there was going to be a scene very shortly. There always was, it was a vicious cycle.
"Hey there Danny, how about a drink?" Rafe gestured to Marty, one of the bartenders for another glass.
"You're parents are lookin' for ya." Danny informed his best friend lowering himself onto the stool near Rafe.
"Well, I've been right here." Rafe lifted his glass to his lips and gulped down more of the strong liquor.
"You know there's no reason for you to be drinking like this. Sara wasn't all that nice of a girl anyway."
"Keep on preaching Danny. What do you know, the girl you're in love with, loves you back." Rafe groaned filling the glass for another shot
"Oh come on Rafe, knock it off, you know as well as I do that you're not in love with Sara Larson and you never were."
"What are you talking about? Of course I am."
Danny sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair
"Rafe, we both know who you're in love with. It's the same girl you've been crazy about since you were six. So why don't you just grow up and admit it to yourself? So what if Rosie's not like any other girl in the town, that's what you used to love about her. So swallow your pride and tell her."
"Oh what do you know about it?"
"I know that she likes you just as much as you like her, maybe more. I mean haven't you ever realized how she went from being you best friend to avoiding you like you got rabies, when you started dating other girls?"
"I don't wanna talk about it." The older boy mumbled
"Of course not, you'd rather sit here and throw yourself a pity party. You know what Rafe, it's time to be a man." With that Danny hopped off his stool, sucked down his drink and stalked off angrily. Sometimes Rafe McCawley was to stubborn for his own good.
The next day Rosie was sitting one rocking chair on the front porch, when she heard the phone inside ringing. She set down the carburetor she was tinkering with and set inside to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Ro." The voice on the other end responded
"Oh hi Rafe." Rosanna knew instantly who it was, only one person in the world called her Ro.
"Hey, um are busy today? Danny's out with Beth, havin' a picnic or something and my dad wants me to do some work on one of the dusters, I could really use your help."
"I gotta be at the garage at two, I can help ya for about three hours." There really wasn't much that Rosie liked more then helping Rafe fix the plane, other then maybe flying in it.
"Alright, I see ya later then."
A HALF HOUR LATER
"Can I have a Philip's head screwdriver? So how are you doin' today Rafe, you didn't seem to happy after prom." Rosie called from under the crop duster.
"Long or short?" Rafe asked digging in the toolbox.
"Long, you didn't answer my question. How are you?" Rosie rolled out from under the plane and gave him an annoyed look. Being ignored was one thing that drove Rosanna Marie Gadry crazy.
"I dunno Ro, I'm just a little tired of being played with. I mean why is it every girl in this damn town feels the need to hurt me in someway or another."
Rosie wiped a bead of sweat off of her face, smearing oil over it in the process. She walked toward Rafe and looked him deeply in his large hazel eyes.
"I'd never hurt you Rafe." She whispered
"I know." He murmured back leaning down and brushing his lips against hers. His strong hands come round her slim waist as hers arms reached up around his neck.
"Be my girl?" Rafe pulled his mouth away from hers, this time he was staring into her eyes.
Rosie only nodded, tears stinging and burning against her lashes, before she stood on her tip toes and pushed a passionate kiss on him. Her whole body flooded warm at his touch.
"I love you Rosanna Gadry." Rafe proclaimed picking up the petite mechanic and whirling her around.
"I love you too." Rosie replied and then they kissed again.