CHAPTER 4 -- AMY'S SPECIAL DAY

"Amy. Amy. Wake up, Amy." Elizabeth Wainwright's voice woke Amy early on the last Saturday in July.

"Mo-oommm…..no," Amy said, rolling over to face her mom and opening one very sleepy eye.

Amy's mom was standing next to the bed holding a tray. On the tray was a cup of vanilla yogurt, a bowl of fresh peaches, a cup of coffee and a single red rose in a vase.

"Sit up now. Time to eat. You've got a busy day ahead of you," she said, placing the tray over Amy's lap.

"Why are you bringing me breakfast in bed," Amy asked. "It isn't my birthday, I'm not sick. We're not moving again, are we?" Amy looked sideways at her mother. "The last time you brought me breakfast in bed it was to tell me we were moving."

"I remember, and no, we're not moving. You're Dad is planning on being here for a while. No, I'm not the person responsible for your getting breakfast in bed. Eat up and get dressed. Oh, and don't forget to read the note on the tray. Enjoy!" Elizabeth waved at Amy with a big smile as she left the room.

Amy loved fresh peaches and as she sank her teeth into one of the juice wedges, she opened the note. "My favorite lady's favorite breakfast. Find out more downstairs," the unsigned note read. Hmmm, Amy thought. Who knows peaches and vanilla yogurt are my favorite breakfast?

Amy's eyes moved to the single red rose in the vase on the tray. I wonder….she thought to herself. I guess I'd better eat up and get downstairs.

Amy could hear her parents talking and moving around in the kitchen when she got downstairs. She carried her tray into the kitchen and set it on the counter next to the sink, and pulled the rose out of the vase.

"Dad? Is this from you," she asked her dad, going over to give him a hug.

"Nope, not from me," he answered her with a big smile. "This note is also for you. You're supposed to read it and tell me where to take you. I have a job today, and that is to drive you wherever you need to go."

Amy gave her dad a quizzical look as she took the note from him. "Do you know what's going on," she asked him.

"Yes, your mom and I both know at least part of it, but we're sworn to secrecy. Go on, read the note. I'm eager to find out what's next."

"This is a scavenger hunt. You are to figure out each clue and allow your father to drive you from location to location. There will be items for you to pick up at each location along with a note containing the clue to the next location. Start by going to where you work. Private Dutton will have your first item and your next clue." The note was unsigned.

A bewildered Amy looked up at her father. "You know who's behind this? And you're OK with helping?" Her dad nodded in answer to both questions.

"Well, OK. Let me grab my purse and we'll be off. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Amy. Bye, AJ. Remember, it's a secret." Elizabeth gave Amy and AJ each a hug and smile.

AJ led Amy out the door and around to the driveway. There was a cute red German sports car, a convertible, its top down, beckoning them to hop in and go for a drive.

"Your carriage awaits, milady," said AJ, as he opened the passenger door and waved Amy inside. "You are to scavenge in style, my dear."

"Oh, wow! I've always wanted to have a car like this! Dad, are you sure you're not behind this?"

"Absolutely," AJ said. "Amy, you have nothing to worry about. The person behind this just wants you to have a fun relaxing day before you have to leave for school. Trust me, if I wasn't comfortable, would I be willing to drive you around?"

Her dad had a point, Amy had to admit to herself. She wondered who could be behind all this and why as they drove across the post to the PX.

Private Dutton was waiting by the door as they pulled up in front of the building that housed the PX. He was holding a single red rose and a note in one hand, and a large, brown paper bag in the other.

"Here you go, ma'am," he said to Amy as he handed her the items. "My instructions are to tell you to please leave the bag closed, and to have a great day. General." Private Dutton came to attention and saluted as he acknowledged AJ sitting in the driver's seat.

"At ease, son," AJ replied as he returned the salute. "Thank you for your help."

Amy did as she was instructed and read the note after she got back into her seat. "2 roses, 2 clues, and the start of something really fun. Stop by Susan's house next."

Susan's house was followed by Kelly's, each girl having a rose, a note and another brown paper bag. The back seat was starting to get full, and Amy and AJ were starting to get very curious.

"Dad, are you sure you know nothing more than just to drive me around? Can you please give me any sort of a hint as to who's behind this?"

"You know the person, I can tell you that much. You're mother and I know this person as well, and we are perfectly OK with all this."

Amy could tell by her father's tone of voice that no more information on the subject would be forthcoming, so she turned on the radio while they headed to their next destination. Three more stops followed, and finally Amy began to get some much needed answers to her questions.

"Please go to where we had our first date," she read. "Bobby! Is Bobby behind this," she asked her dad.

"Now, that is a question I can answer. Yes, he is. I'm only allowed to say that because you figured that much out. Where do we go from here," AJ asked her.

"The movie theater, the one downtown," Amy was really getting excited now. "Bobby planned this." She sat back in her seat in wonder at his thoughtfulness and marveled at all the trouble he went to just for her.

There was a boom box waiting for Amy at the movie theater, along with a rose and another note. "Please have AJ drive you to where we first met. Dad, we met at a USO dance, so I guess we go to the USO hall."

When they pulled up at the USO building, there was an open door with a chair sitting next to it. On the chair were a rose and a note. Amy got out and picked up the note. "Please take this rose and come inside."

Amy entered the building and looked around. She thought she heard music coming from the main hall where the dances were held, so she moved in that direction. Amy began to smile as she entered the hall and recognized the music. It was the song they had first danced to the night they met, and there was Bobby, standing in the middle of the dance floor.

"Will you dance with me," he asked her as she came near. She giggled and said, "I would love to."

As they danced, Amy looked up at Bobby. "What is all this for? I'm really curious about all the stuff out in the car, and the roses, and this…."

"I just wanted to make your last weekend in Germany a special one. I don't want you to forget about me once you get back to school and get around all those college guys again. I want to give you a reason to come back over Christmas break. Other than just to see your family, I mean."

Amy was floored. "I've never had anyone do anything like this for me before. This was a lot of hard work. When did you find time for all this?"

"I made time for you Amy. I'm serious when I tell you I want you to come back at Christmas. I really want to see you beyond just this summer. I know you've had your heart broken and you're not interested in a serious relationship just yet, but you've become someone very special to me and I want to keep seeing you. If you're interested……." Bobby's voice trailed off.

"Can I think about it? I mean, I plan on coming back at Christmas, but I don't know what's going to happen between now and then. I'll write and we can call on the phone….I want to keep in touch with you; you're special to me, too….can we leave it at that for now?"

"For now," Bobby replied. "We're still not done with your special day, though. Would you like to know what's out in the car?"

"Oh, my goodness! The car! My dad's out there," Amy exclaimed. She grabbed Bobby's hand and pulled him out to the parking lot.

The red car was still in the parking lot, where her dad had left it, but AJ was gone.

"Where's my dad," Amy wondered.

"Your mom came and picked him up. All part of my plan," Bobby told her. "I rented the car for us for the day. Do you remember what you told me when you saw one just like this in town a while back?"

Amy just stared at Bobby as he continued. "You told me you would love to ride around Germany in a car just like that one. So, let's go." Bobby handed her the keys and opened the driver's door for her. Amy was still stunned as she slid into the driver's seat and ran her hands over the leather-

covered steering wheel. Bobby moved around to the passenger side and got in. He looked over at her and grinned.

"Sweet, isn't she? I picked her up yesterday and it was all I could do not to drive over to your house right then." He reached into the back seat and picked up one of the paper bags and looked inside. After looking through all of them, he placed one in her lap. "Look inside."

Amy peered into the bag and saw a map. She took it out and saw a route drawn on the map with yellow highlighter. The route led from Heidelberg up into the mountains. "The mountains," Amy gasped. "I wanted to see the mountains before I left and thought I was going to run out of time. Oh, Bobby, you remembered that, too!"

"I've remembered lots of things you've told me, Amy," Bobby said softly.

Amy looked over at Bobby and smiled. "Thank you, Bobby. This is so nice, and so much fun."

Bobby watched Amy relax as she pulled the car out of the parking lot and headed towards the mountains. His eyes took in her beauty and the joy she was having driving the car. Amy, you're killing me, he thought to himself. You're killing me and you don't even realize it.

Bobby had been planning this day for the last two weeks. He knew Amy's summer was quickly coming to an end and he wanted her to have one last special memory to take back to college with her. But it was also more than that. For weeks now, Bobby had been determined to get Amy to kiss him. He understood she wasn't ready to rush into another serious long term relationship. He could respect a broken heart and its need for time to heal. He just couldn't understand the whole no kissing thing that Amy had going on, and was hoping that something really special would make her so happy with him she'd kiss him in appreciation.

His attraction to Amy had been growing exponentially with every date. They had wonderful conversations; both loved books and had read many of the same and enjoyed discussing and picking them apart together. She enjoyed listening to him share about his day and his work and they laughed together over the crazy things that went on at her job at the PX.

Amy loved dancing as much as Bobby did, so they had had several enjoyable dates at nightclubs. Bobby wasn't sure how much more dancing with Amy he could tolerate. Holding her close to him, knowing she didn't want a physical relationship right now, was driving him insane. He was at the breaking point in his resolve to respect her wishes and wasn't sure how much longer he could restrain himself.

"Amy?" She looked over at him and smiled.

Inwardly, Bobby groaned as he was hit by the full force of her smile.

Amy, what's it gonna take for me to be able to kiss you, he thought to himself, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and looking down at his lap, not realizing he had just spoken loud enough for Amy to hear him.

"WHAT??" Amy yelled, pulling over onto the side of the road and slamming on the breaks. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing, I was thinking to myself, not talking out loud," Bobby responded, his heart still pounding in his chest from her yelling and slamming on the breaks. "Why did you pull o-"



He was unable to finish as he suddenly found Amy's mouth on his, and her sitting in his lap. He moaned and wove his fingers through her long dark hair, holding her to him. She wrapped her left arm around his neck and curled her fingers through his hair and moaned back. Time seemed to stop. She placed her right hand on his chest, moved it up slowly to his shoulder and down his arm, taking his hand in hers.

He squeezed her hand, released it gently, and placed his left hand on her knee. His hand slowly slid up her thigh, his fingers applying gentle squeezes and slipping up under the hem of her shorts to trace circles on her inner thigh. She inhaled sharply and squirmed on his lap, deepening their kiss even more.

He groaned and melted into the seat. He moved his hand to her hip, and slowly slid it up her side, his thumb coming to rest under her breast. When Amy shifted slightly, raising her right arm to place her hand on the side of his face, he began to trace her nipple with his thumb. She gasped in pleasure and nipped his lower lip, then pulled it into her mouth and suckled it. Bobby thought he was going to die. None of the girls he had been with ever made him feel the way Amy did right now.

He shifted her on his lap, continuing to caress her breast until she was making little yelping sounds in the back of her throat and arching into his hand. Slowly he slid his hand down to the waistband of her shorts. When she made no move to stop him, he undid them and slipped his hand inside, caressing the soft skin of her belly. Amy arched her back and groaned. Bobby began to kiss the side of her neck as his hand continued to work its magic, slowly slipping under the waistband of her panties.

Other men had caressed and nuzzled her before, but Amy didn't remember any of them ever making her feel this wanton, this wild, this on fire, and she found herself not wanting him to stop. She turned on his lap, giving him full access to her body, her back pressed against his chest, her head on his shoulder. As his hand dipped lower still, she reached out and grabbed the door handle with her right hand, and wrapped her left up and around his head, her fingers searching out his dark curls.

When he found her most intimate place, she cried out in passion and gripped the handle even tighter. Bobby carried her higher and higher, delighting in the feelings he was giving her and pleased by her reaction. He shifted his head and watched the passion building on her face, and when she finally exploded from his caresses, he captured her mouth and kept her there, bringing her heaving body down slowly, holding her as she shook with release, hugging her to him afterwards.

She buried her face in his neck and curled up into his chest, allowing him to stroke her back, listening to his breathing, amazed by her reaction to him.