CHAPTER 3 UNDERSTANDING AMY

It didn't take long for word to pass through the Heidelberg military community that Amy Wainwright had a suitor. Working at the PX was a high visibility job, and as she good-naturedly turned down the many requests for dates from eager, love-struck soldiers, word spread that the general's daughter was off the market. Turning up on post with the same date several times had only solidified that opinion, and eventually the requests quit coming.

Kelly and Susan thought all this quite funny, as they knew Amy and Bobby were still not terribly serious about each other. At least Amy wasn't, insisting that Bobby was merely someone fun and safe to be with while she sorted out her feelings regarding the whole Roger debacle.

After about a month, Bobby pressed Amy hard as to why she was keeping him at arm's length while being willing to go out with him as much as their schedules allowed. He had never dated someone who seemed uninterested in anything more than a hug at the end of a date, and he was quite puzzled by her behavior. Bobby had a desperate longing to pull Amy into his arms and kiss her senseless at the end of their next date, but wasn't sure he wouldn't get his face slapped. He decided he had to ask her what was going on.

"Is it me," Bobby questioned her at lunch one day. She had driven over to Mannheim to join him for lunch and do some shopping on her day off.

Amy knew eventually he'd asked. She'd allow him to hug her after their dates, but nothing more.

"No."

"Are you sure? We've been seeing each other for a month now and you won't let me kiss you. I think I deserve to know if I've done something wrong."

"You haven't done anything wrong. Really," Amy said, looking down at her lunch.

Bobby tilted his head to the side, leaning forward to catch her eyes, and looked at her silently.

If this is how he interrogates suspects, no wonder he's so good. One look from him, and they must all willingly confess, she thought to herself, feeling her composure wilt under his solid look.

"There was a guy, back at school……" Amy began. Bobby remained silent, his gaze steady and understanding.

Amy took a deep breath and went on. "We met the first day of classes at A&M. Literature 101. We hit it off as friends, drinking buds actually, and it just went from there. Studying together led to football game dates, and eventually we weren't interested in dating other people. I was swept away by a handsome young man who loved history and literature as much as I did. By the time Christmas rolled around last year, everyone we knew had us all but married off. We went to the same church, had the same beliefs, both wanted jobs and kids…..it seemed so perfect……." Amy let her voice trail off and her gaze shifted away from Bobby.

"What happened, Amy," Bobby asked softly. "What did he do?"

Amy didn't answer, but sat staring into space, fighting back the tears.

"Amy?"



" Wh-when Christmas came and went last year with no hint of an engagement ring, or promise ring, I finally managed to get him to tell me that he wanted to wait until our senior year. I wasn't too happy at first, but he quickly re-assured me that he had it all planned out and to just be patient."

"Were you?"

"Yes. He had quite a way with words," Amy replied. That's not all he had quite a way with she remembered.

Bobby watched the emotions play over her face before he softly asked, "What did he do to you, Amy?"

"He cheated on me," she intoned.

Amy remembered it as though it was yesterday. Roger becoming more evasive, begging off studying together, even hinting that he needed time and space away from her. She had understood, as they had been exclusive for two years at that point and seeing other people could only help them solidify their feelings towards each other.

Then she had showed up at his apartment unannounced that fateful February day. She let herself in as she usually did, and headed to the kitchen. Her plan was to surprise him after his classes with his favorite meal, in hopes that they could get their relationship back on track and have a long over-due talk over steaks and a good bottle of red wine.

Noises from Kenneth's bedroom caused her to stop and turn in that direction. She checked her watch, the time indicating that neither Roger nor his roommate Kenneth should be home, but still on campus. The noises became voices, and froze her in her tracks. She recognized Roger's voice, followed by Kenneth's. The blood drained from her face as the realization of what she was hearing began to sweep over her. Anxiety filled her every pore and she began to shake, dropping the bag of groceries on the floor.

She was still standing there, shaking uncontrollably and sobbing as the bedroom door opened and Roger, wrapped in a sheet, stared stunned at her.

"Amy? Amy, wh-what are you doing here," he asked her.

"Me?! What are YOU doing here," she whispered back. "And with HIM? Is this why you needed space? When were you going to tell me?"

Eventually the whole sordid truth had come out. Explanations were given, feelings discussed, tears shed. Amy was devastated, and left with a broken heart. Her parents had been surprisingly understanding, offering to help her drop out and move to Germany right then, but common sense prevailed, and Amy had managed to salvage the rest of her semester.

As Amy shared all this with Bobby, the reasons for her behavior became clear. Bobby reassured her that he could handle taking things at her pace, just having fun and enjoying each other's company. He liked Amy a lot, and found himself unwilling to add any more hurt to her heart right now. For someone who chased skirts for a hobby, this was uncharted territory, and Bobby found himself enjoying the experience.

Neither one should have been too worried about their relationship moving too fast. Work kept both of them quite busy. Bobby's job with the CID had him conducting investigations at Army posts all over Germany, sometimes keeping him out of town for days at a time. Amy was quickly promoted to a 

swing-shift management position at the PX and welcomed the extra hours, as they kept her busy while Bobby was working.

Susan and Kelly insisted that Amy continue meeting them for their traditional Saturday lunch in town. There the three girls chatted about work and boys and discussed all the latest post gossip. Since all three now had boyfriends, plans were made to all go out together. That first evening had been so much fun, the three couples had been out several times together since. The summer was shaping up to be just what Amy had wanted: fun and relaxation; no pressures, no worries.

July edged closer to August; no one wanted to bring up Amy needing to go back to the States for her senior year.