16 March 1985 – Lexington / Enfield, Massachusetts
Pauline and Jeff received a recommendation for an Italian restaurant in Lexington from the Garden staff. The young couple spent two hours there lingering over their meal, talking. They added those hours to their talks during the travel time from Enfield. Jeff did all of the things he learned were expected of a gentleman that night, such as holding doors and chairs. Jeff also offered to pay for the meal and offered Pauline gas money, both of which she declined.
Jeff’s parents and sister were not up when the high schoolers returned to his house, even though this was his first date. Both Pauline and Jeff knew that his mother and sister would grill him the next day. He and Pauline sat talking in the kitchen for another half hour. Jeff walked Pauline out to her car, held the driver’s door for her, and received another kiss.
“I had a wonderful time, Jeff,” she said after the kiss finished, holding him close.
“Would you like to do something next weekend?” he asked her once his synapses started firing again.
“I’d like that,” she answered before kissing him once again. “Unfortunately, we’re going away for a quick vacation now that the state tournament is over. We won’t be back until the afternoon of the twenty-fourth.”
“Figures,” Jeff muttered.
Pauline climbed into her car to head home. Jeff watched as she backed out of his driveway and drove away. He stood in his driveway in the cool night air. He reviewed the incredible night in his mind. Jeff finally shook his head in disbelief and headed inside.
Jeff walked into Thompkins nine days later. He still had a spring in his step from his night with Pauline the previous Saturday. He caught sight of Pauline at her locker and made his way over.
“Hi.”
Pauline turned, and then smiled when she saw that it was Jeff. “Hi.” She pulled him in for another long, steamy kiss, not worrying about who saw them. “I missed you.”
“I missed you, too. I wanted to say again that I had a great time last Saturday,” he said as they stepped back from each other.
“I did as well,” she replied, still smiling. “I’m looking forward to what this weekend may bring.”
“Do you have something specific you’d like to do?”
“I wouldn’t mind just going to a pizza place, so long as we can talk like we did Saturday. I really enjoyed that. I...”
Pauline stopped speaking and her eyes widened as Jeff felt a presence behind him. Jeff brought his arm up to shield his head. He felt a fist strike his forearm. Turning and shielding Pauline with his body, Jeff saw Bryan Cosgrove, the boy he’d had the cafeteria confrontation with last year. Cosgrove, stunned that he had missed, tried smacking Jeff in the head again but was again blocked.
“What’s your problem, Cosgrove?” Jeff asked angrily.
“You are, geek. You shouldn’t be talking to girls. You should be locked in the computer room or something.”
Cosgrove labeled Jeff a geek early in their freshman year during study hall. Jeff had been studying instead of messing around like Cosgrove.
“Well, I was being polite and thanking Pauline for our date last weekend, crapeaud.”
“What did you call me, geek?” Cosgrove asked, stepping closer.
“Crapeaud,” Jeff responded, standing his ground. “It’s French for toad, you jerk. I could have called you something else but crapeaud is easy to say and there’s a lady present. It also has the benefit of sounding cultured while having the word crap in it. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to discussing this coming weekend with Pauline before first period starts.”
Jeff turned his back to Cosgrove, dismissing and enraging him at the same time. Jeff felt Cosgrove’s hand on his shoulder pulling to spin him around. Jeff turned and raised his left arm to block the punch he knew Cosgrove would throw. Sure enough, Cosgrove’s fist was almost in his face. Jeff blocked the punch with ease and shoved him away. Cosgrove stumbled backward, and then landed on his ass.
Cosgrove sat stunned for a moment before picking himself up off the floor with anger visible on his face. Jeff stood his ground. He ducked back away from another punch and redirected it so that Cosgrove spun away. Jeff slid sideways to keep himself between Cosgrove and Pauline.
“Pauline, get a teacher!” Jeff yelled.
Cosgrove growled, spun around, and hurled himself at Jeff again. Students crowded around. Pauline and Mr. Fenniman, an English teacher, forced their way through. Jeff focused on the two-hundred-pound bully who charged at him like a bull. Jeff stepped aside at the last second, giving Cosgrove a firm shove as he passed. The shove caused Cosgrove to crunch into the row of lockers behind Jeff with a loud crash.
“You come at me again and I’ll drop you, Cosgrove!” Jeff warned.
“YOU’RE GONNA DIE, SPAZ!” Cosgrove yelled, seeing red.
Cosgrove launched himself at Jeff yet again. Jeff let Cosgrove close with him before stepping inside Cosgrove’s swing. Jeff hooked Cosgrove’s arm and used the bully’s momentum to pull him over his hip, and then used Cosgrove’s body weight to drive him to the floor. Cosgrove landed flat on his back, knocking the wind out of him.
Cosgrove lay on the floor gasping, trying to catch his breath. Mr. Fenniman moved to stand over him before hauling Cosgrove to his feet. The teacher dragged him away toward the school’s office.
The crowd was stunned. They’d always thought that Jeff was an easy-going guy up until today. No one had expected the confrontation. No one had expected anything but Jeff getting splattered by Bryan Cosgrove once it started, but Jeff was untouched!
Jeff turned back to Pauline. She stared at him in shock, her eyes wide. Jeff sighed in resignation, his shoulders slumping as a sorrowful look crossed his face. He thought he had blown the chance that she took on him the previous weekend. Who would want to date a violent person like him? He walked over to the young woman he had wanted to know so much better.
“I’m so sorry, Pauline,” Jeff said to her in a soft voice only she could hear. “I won’t bother you anymore.”
Jeff began to turn and walk away when Pauline grabbed the front of his shirt. She pulled him back to her and planted a deep, searing kiss on his lips. She left him breathless while the crowd hooted their approval. His sorrowful look turned to shock, and then to dopey by the time she released him.
“Everyone! Listen up!” she yelled to the crowd. “Jeff Knox is MY BOYFRIEND! Anyone who has a problem with that can get bent!”
“I’ll pick you up Friday at six,” she told him in a tone that brooked no argument. “Remember, I know where you live if you even THINK of standing me up.” Seeing his expression change from dopey to confused, Pauline explained.
“I’ve gotten to know you better since hockey season began last November, Jeff. I know I have nothing to fear from you. I know that I would never be on the receiving end of anything even close to that. I could also tell that you were keeping yourself between Cosgrove and me just now, protecting me.”
She stepped closer so she could whisper in his ear. “To tell you the truth, that’s got me a little hot and bothered. Expect to get a little further than first base, soon; maybe not all the way around the bases, but definitely past first.” She pulled him back in for another deep kiss before sashaying away. “See you at lunch!”
Brad Connolly walked over to stand by Jeff. Brad was a senior and someone not to be trifled with. Together, they watched Pauline strut down the hall.
“Dude,” Brad whispered to Jeff as they both kept their eyes on Pauline, “don’t take this the wrong way, but how did you get a total babe like Pauline Micklicz to go out with you?”
“I have no idea, Brad,” Jeff admitted, shrugging. “She asked me.”
“Fair enough,” Brad laughed. “I know we don’t run with the same crowds, and you look like you can handle yourself, but my friends and I will have your back if Cosgrove or his fellow maggots try something.” Jeff turned to face Brad and raised an eyebrow.
“Jeff, my locker is right across from Pauline’s. I heard you thanking her for going out with you two weekends ago. She had clearly enjoyed herself and that’s before she laid those kisses on you.” Jeff blushed. “You’re a lucky S.O.B., but from what I know of you, you deserve it. No one – NO ONE – is gonna try to take that away from you by force while I have anything to say about it. She’s the only one that can take it away from you at this point.”
Jeff held out his hand to Brad, which the other boy took. “I appreciate it, Brad. Let me know if there’s anything I can ever do for you or your friends.”
“Jeff, has anyone asked you to go to the Prom with them yet?” Pauline asked. They sat side-by-side sharing a table in the cafeteria a week after the confrontation.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No, why?”
“Pauline, I might be friendly with most people in the school, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into the interest in me you’ve shown,” he said. “Plus, I’m only a sophomore so a junior or senior would have to ask me. That narrows the field a bit.”
“Well, I’m asking you...”
Jeff was stunned to silence. “REALLY?” he asked in disbelief a moment later.
“Yes, really,” she confirmed. “Are you saying that you don’t want to go with me?”
“I may have my slow moments, but I try to limit my number of stupid moments! Pauline, are you really asking me if I would take you to the Prom?”
She sucked one of his earlobes into her mouth then dragged her teeth across it, causing him to shiver. “Yes,” she breathed into his ear in a sultry voice. “Jeff, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you over the last few months and learning who you are. I’m not worried about what you might do if my wishes don’t match yours. I can relax and be myself around you.”
“Pauline, you’ve been honest with me, so I’ll return the favor.” Jeff took a deep breath and let it back out. “I’m scared.” Her eyes widened, but he kept talking before she could say something.
“I’m scared I’m going to mess this up somehow. That I’m going to do something, or not do something I should have done, and I’ll make you mad at me. I’m scared that tomorrow I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream, that I never got up the courage to talk to you last fall. I’m scared that you’re going to wake up tomorrow and ask yourself what the hell you were thinking when you asked me out two weeks ago. All that being said, if you’re sure that you want me to take you to the Prom, then the answer is, of course, yes.” Pauline pressed herself into him for another searing kiss.
“I’m sure,” she answered when she released him, leaving him breathless yet again. She seemed to be good at doing that. “Jeff, I feel safe with you. I know you’re not all that experienced, but you have good instincts. I know we’re just starting our relationship, and that the other night might have seemed a little fast, but it also feels natural. Just relax.” She put her head down on his shoulder, and his arms came up to hold her.
Pauline and Jeff parked on the side of a dark fire road in Hardwick a week later. They explored each other’s bodies for close to an hour. He was intent on checking to see if Pauline still had her tonsils, and making sure certain parts of her anatomy didn’t have lumps. Jeff was sure the windows of Pauline’s car had fogged up, but he wasn’t going to stop what he was doing and check.
They were so intent on their studies that they didn’t notice when a Worcester County Sheriff’s Department cruiser drove up. The deputy knew what was going on inside the car, based on the fogged-up windows. Pauline had parked to leave more than enough room for a fire truck to pass on the fire road, so the deputy left them alone. He parked his cruiser to block the end of the fire road and watched over the car.
Pauline basked in the attention Jeff paid to her. He wanted to explore below her waist, and his jeans were getting uncomfortably tight, but she laid out the rules when the night began and he had no intention of violating her rules.
Pauline leaned back to break their kisses and snuggled into Jeff’s chest while he held her. She wasn’t that surprised that it was almost ten at night. She was happy that they still had two hours before she needed to drop him off at home. Jeff was amazed that he was in her back seat with his hands all over her.
“You have great hands, Jeff,” Pauline purred.
Not knowing how to respond to that comment, Jeff stroked her hair and said nothing. Shivering, Pauline sat up, leaned over the seat, and started the car to run its heater. Jeff eyed her butt and legs while she did so, but kept his hands to himself. She dropped back onto the back seat, shooting him an apologetic glance.
“Sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have teased you like that.”
“Oh, I was sorely tempted,” Jeff admitted. “You have great legs, and that skirt looks terrific on you, but you said nothing below the waist and I wasn’t about to violate your trust like that.” He received a megawatt smile and a warm kiss for his honesty and willpower.
She curled back up to him and the two remained quiet while the car warmed. Jeff reminded her of their curfews. They crawled back to the front seat and Pauline turned on the headlights. The reflective stripe and star on the side of the WCSD cruiser lit up under their glare. Jeff rolled down his window as they pulled alongside. The deputy rolled his window down also.
“Evening, Deputy,” Jeff offered.
“Evening to you kids as well,” the man replied. “Thanks for parking to keep the fire road open. That’s the main reason we have to roust people out of here at night. You’d obviously considered it, so I left you alone and blocked the road myself.”
“How long have you been here, Sir?” Jeff asked.
The deputy shrugged. “Half-hour?”
“We appreciate you watching out for us, and not asking us to leave.”
The officer shrugged again. “Hey, I was your age once. You kids have a good night.”
“Thank you, Sir. You as well.”
