A NASCAR Summer

The beautiful white sand on the beach at Daytona was warm, but Florida sand is always warm in the summertime. The two girls clad in colorful bathing suits sat on a beach blanket enjoying the sun.

"Looks like the summer of '58 is going to be a scorcher," said Katy the slender red head, "at least this weekend is going to be."

"Not any worse than last year," said her friend Carol Anne. "You do remember last year, don't you?"

"Of course, we sat here on this very beach and did absolutely nothing. Just like we've done this time, we're going home on Sunday and still haven't done anything. I thought summer vacation was supposed to be fun."

"It is. It was; at least I had fun. Don't tell me you haven't."

"I have, but I wish we could have gone somewhere, or met some boys."

Carol Anne shook her head, a piece of light brown hair fell in her eyes. "Katy," she said brushing at the hair, "I thought you weren't interested in boys, that you wanted a man."

Katy snorted. "Either way, besides, I'm finally out of school; I can afford to have a steady boyfriend."

Carol Anne sighed, she knew her best friend was "boy-crazy" and had only gotten worse this past year. As for Carol Anne, she never had a boyfriend, and never really thought about it. She was just out of High School, and figured she had plenty of time. Her future plans did not include a man. Katy on the other hand, could not wait to get married and start a family.

The two friends picked up the blanket and made their way toward the motel where they were staying. A sign on the gate leading into the courtyard read:

NASCAR Weekend

Come meet the drivers - Party Tonight 8 PM

Miss NASCAR Beauty Pageant Tomorrow 10 AM

First Race Tomorrow Noon on the beach

Main Race Sunday 1:30 PM on the beach

"Hey," said Katy, indicating the sign; "look at that."

Carol Anne shrugged. "I don't know."

"Look, this is the first year our parents aren't here. We've got to go out and have some real fun. Besides, I want to enter that beauty pageant."

Carol Anne scowled and shook her head. "I don't think your mother would approve."

"My mother isn't here."

Carol Anne sighed. "I'll go, just to keep you in line."

"You sound like my mother."

Carol Anne sighed again.

***

That night the two girls dressed in identical sleeveless black and white polka dot dresses and attended the party in honor of the NASCAR drivers. The party was held at a tavern which had a bar and tables right on the beach. There was a large bonfire burning not far from the tables.

People were standing around everywhere, some with drinks, some enjoying hot dogs by the fire. There were people of all ages, sizes and means of dress, it was a total shock to Carol Anne, who was from a small town in Iowa and had never been to a party like this before. She noticed that there was a small knot of loud, tough looking men in the greasy baseball caps in one corner of the tavern. She wondered if they were the drivers.

Katy mingled with the crowd and talked to everyone. She was always more outgoing than Carol Anne, who sat properly at a table away from everyone, and sipped her cherry coke. She poked at the ice cubes with the straw, and watched as everyone else was having fun. She heard the men in the corner growing louder and thought that is so crude, what happened to proper etiquette? She sighed and sipped at her drink.

Then, from across the room a tall handsome dark haired man caught her eye. His blue eyes shined and his gentle smile dazzled as he talked to another man. He was dressed in a clean, pressed, plaid shirt and crisp chino pants. He winked at Carol Anne. She blushed and quickly looked at the glass in front of her. She sucked in a deep breath, egad, I'm a fool.I'm acting like Katy now.

"Hello, young lady," rumbled a deep voice, with a smooth southern drawl, from right beside her.

She could not look up; she shut her eyes. Oh no, what do I say?

The man drew nearer to her. "Young lady," he said, "excuse me, but is this seat taken?"

She opened her eyes slowly and found that she was looking directly into the face of the man she had seen across the room. Her heart sunk to her feet, she smiled and shook her head.

"A beautiful woman like you should not be sitting all alone."

She stared into his eyes, and blinked once.

"May I sit with you?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"My name is Gene," he said extending his hand, bowing slightly.

"I'm Carol Anne Baker," she said, and carefully took his hand. She felt a tingle surge through her body and she felt as though she were about to pass out.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Baker." He pulled a chair up along side her.

She smiled avoiding eye contact with the man. "You can call me Carol Anne."

"May I buy you a drink, Carol Anne?"

She nodded.

"What are you drinking?"

She looked into his eyes; the bright blueness of them seemed to engulf her. "Cherry coke," she said through a deep sigh.

He motioned to a nearby young man in a tuxedo. "Waiter, a cherry coke for the lady and a beer for me, please."

The waiter nodded.

He gazed out onto the crowd. "Are you enjoying the festivities?"

"This is the first thing we've done."

"We?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you here with someone?"

"Yes, I'm with the red haired girl over there in the polka dot dress."

He nodded. "You look better in that dress than she does."

Carol Anne blushed.

"Why aren't you out there dancing?"

She shrugged.

He stood and offered her his hand. "Please dance with me."

"I would be happy to," she said as she allowed him to escort her to the dance floor.

He held her close; she could feel his muscular body through the thin cotton shirt. For his size, over six feet tall and maybe 200 pounds, he was surprisingly graceful. As they danced around the floor, she gazed into his beautiful eyes. She had never seen such piercing, yet gentle blue eyes. All too soon the song ended and they returned to the table.

"That was wonderful," she said.

He smiled gently.

Just then the men in the corner broke out into a raucous chorus of "That'll Be the Day". Then someone threw a punch and several others joined in.

He cast the men a dirty look. "I hate it when the drivers fight like that. Let's take our drinks over by the fire."

Carol Anne nodded, and they made their way toward the circle of logs that surrounded the bonfire. They took up a seat far away from the noise of the party.

"It's a beautiful view," she said, looking out on the ocean.

"Yes," he said, though he was looking at Carol Anne, not the ocean, "it is."

She blushed. "I meant the ocean."

"I've seen the ocean before. I live about sixty miles up yonder."

"You're from Florida then?"

"Yes, what about you?"

"I'm from Greenville, Iowa. My parents send Katy and me here for a week every year. We usually stay with Katy's grandmother. This is the first year that we have been able to do what we want. Grandmother rented us a room on the beach for the weekend. She said we needed to do something different."

"You're a long way from home aren't you?"

"It's like another world here, at home the corn is just starting to come in real good. When we get home, they will start picking strawberries and cucumbers."

He frowned.

"We pick vegetables to get money for next year's school clothes. I'm not in school this year, so I won't be doing it."

"Are you going to miss it?"

"Well, I've been doing it since I was 10. Katy started when she was 8 because her brothers knew the farmer. But, seriously, no, I won't miss the work. It's hot and dirty."

He nodded. "Racing is hot and dirty. Have you ever been to a NASCAR race?"

"No, we don't have that sort of thing in Greenville."

"Then, I want you to come to the race tomorrow, as my guest."

A broad smile graced her face. "I would be honored."

"I'll get you a pit pass and then you can come and cheer me on."

"You're a driver?"

He shrugged. "That's what they tell me."

"You're funny," she said, gently squeezing his hand.

He pulled her close and gazed into her eyes, soon they were kissing. Her heart pounded, as she sunk into his arms. His strength and warmth wrapped itself around her. The scent of his after-shave made her feel lightheaded. Was it the after-shave, or was it just being with this intriguing man that made her giddy? "I don't know," she said into his ear.

Gene shook his head and pulled away slightly. "What?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking out loud."

"What were you thinking about?"

She shrugged and pulled him closer. "It doesn't matter," she said pressing her lips against his again.

He shrugged and returned the kiss.

*****

Carol Anne quietly unlocked the door to her motel room, and found that Katy was waiting up for her.

"Katy," she said, "what are you doing up so late?"

"Where have you been," she said through clenched teeth.

"I went for a walk with Gene, I guess time just got away from me."

"It's two in the morning!"

"Fine, I'm home now. What's the big deal?"

"Well, I've been invited to join the Miss NASCAR Pageant. I have to be at the race track in the morning for try outs."

"Great!" She said taking her friend in her arms and squeezing her. "That's wonderful! Oh, you'll win for sure."

Katy smiled broadly. "Thank you, but, what should I wear?"

Carol Anne shook her head. Then she helped her friend try on outfit after outfit before they finally settled on one that was flattering enough for the pageant. It was a pink sundress with an open back and bow tie at the back. She would pull her hair back into a pony tail and wear a puffy pink ribbon.

Carol Anne never told Katy that she too was going to the track in the morning; she figured Katy would find out soon enough.

*****

The track was part hard packed sand and part asphalt, with bleachers lining the asphalt portion and makeshift seating around the sand portion. The entire place was abuzz with excitement. Carol Anne had never seen anything like it; the cars were parked in the center of the oval, which ran a half mile down the beach before turning onto the asphalt.

She looked at the many different cars, there were Fords, and Chevy's and a Dodge or two. There were a couple of others that she had never heard of before. They were all painted in bright colors and had numbers affixed to the sides. Some had slogans, or advertising on the back or the sides, and they all had the drivers name painted on the door just under the window.

She gazed upon the site with awe, and tried very hard to find Gene's car. Unfortunately, she had neglected to ask which car was his and she didn't see any that said Gene was the driver.

"Come on," said Katy, "we need to be over there, by the main Grand Stand."

"No," said Carol Anne, "I want to go to the pit."

"Where?"

Carol Anne pointed toward the parking area for the racecars. "Over there, I think."

"Why do you want to go there? It looks dirty."

"It may be, but Gene invited me to meet him there."

"Oh, Gene," Katy nodded. "Good luck. Didn't you see the sign? It says 'Drivers Only'."

"If I can't get in, then I'll come back," Carol Anne said, as she hurried toward the gate. When she got there, she saw the sign that Katy mentioned; she pushed her way up to the guard. "Good morning," she said, "I'm here to see Gene. He invited me; he said he would have a pit pass for me."

The guard looked at her with a stern frown on his face. "I'm sorry little lady, you need to be over there. The beauty pageant contestants are under the Grand Stand."

"No, perhaps you didn't hear me. Gene invited me to see his racecar."

"Gene who?"

"I don't know," she said, "he didn't tell me his last name."

The guard smirked. "Because you're cute, I'll check and see if someone invited you. Wait right here."

Carol Anne watched as the burly guard wandered away. She could not see where he went, nor could she see whom he was talking to. She waited patiently.

Soon he returned. "I'm sorry, missy," he said. "There's no one here by the name of Gene. None of the drivers admit to inviting anyone."

She sighed. "I guess, I was wrong," she turned away from the fence, "I'm sorry."

The guard said nothing.

She began to walk toward the Grand Stand, where Katy was. Maybe I can still watch the race, she thought. Then she heard the gate squeak open and heavy footfalls came up behind her. She did not turn around, she was afraid the guard had called the police.

"Carol Anne," said a deep voice behind her.

"Gene," she said turning toward him.

"I'm sorry; I was under the car when the guard came by. Come on in."

She noted that he was covered in black grease; only his eyes shown through the grime. "You look terrible."

He smiled broadly. "I have to get the car ready for the race."

She sighed and followed him to a pale yellow car, a Mercury Comet, the name under the window read "Tommy 'the Flash' Thompson". "This is your car?"

He winked at her, a gesture that made her heart skip a beat. "Yes, it's mine."

"Who is Tommy?"

When he laughed it was a deep rumbling laugh that seemed to warm the air. "My given name is Eugene Thomas Thompson. Tommy the Flash is kind of a stage name."

"Why would you not use Gene? I think it suits you."

"So does the Law."

She frowned.

He looked around and made sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "You see," he lowered his voice to not much more than a whisper, "my Pappy makes Moonshine, and sometimes I help him."

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

"Moonshine is illegal; at least the way my Pappy does it."

"Why?"

"It is nasty stuff, very strong liquor that will take the chrome right off a bumper."

"You don't drink that stuff do you?"

"No, I don't like it. But there are plenty of people who do, and that's why Pappy keeps doing it." He sighed. "He got me into hauling the stuff, that's where I learned to drive." He smiled. "As well as work on cars."

She grinned in response to his inviting smile. "Okay, so do I call you Tommy or Flash?"

He winked. "Gene will be fine."

She nodded.

"So, let me show you my car." He stepped in front and opened the hood. "This is a 1958 Mercury Comet, with a 390 and 4 speed manual transmission."

She looked in and saw a tangle of metal that meant nothing to her, but smiled anyway.

He closed the hood and opened the driver side door. "As you can see this used to be a brand new Mercury right off the showroom floor."

She nodded.

"The NASCAR rules state that the cars have to be production cars. I picked this one up in Tallahassee back in December. Then Pappy and I, took out the back seat, and welded the passenger door shut." He touched his stomach. "I'm a wee bit too big to slide though that window, so we left the driver's door as is."

She smiled. "What are those metal pipes for?"

"The ones running across the door frames and in the back, where the seat used to be?"

"Yes."

"That's a roll cage; it keeps me safe if the car rolls over."

She shuddered. "Does that happen often?"

He sighed deeply as he looked out on the ocean. "Unfortunately, it happens way too often. People get killed racing."

Her eyes widened and she put both arms around Gene. "Please," she said placing her head on his broad chest, "don't get hurt out there."

He stroked her hair with his hand as gently as he could without getting her hair dirty. "Racing is not near as dangerous as hauling 'shine. I'll be fine." He patted the roof of the car. "Lightning here is a good car and hasn't let me down yet."

She raised her face to his and kissed him. He held her in his arms for a long moment.

An air horn blared, causing them both to jump and break their embrace.

"What is that," she said.

"It means you have to go and find a seat. The Officials are going to be coming around to make sure the cars are legal and safe. Then they will announce the winner of the Miss NASCAR Pageant." He looked at her. A smudge of grease clung to her cheek. "Why didn't you join?"

She blushed, making the grease almost glow. "I'm not pretty enough."

"I think you are. You could beat any of those women any day."

The blush deepened.

He touched the grease on her cheek and tried to brush it away, but it just smeared more. "I'm sorry," he said. "You have some grease."

She shrugged.

"Well, you have to go, or I'm going to get in trouble."

She nodded and walked away from the man and the cars. She could feel his eyes on her until she was way out of sight and somehow she felt he was watching even as she found a seat in the Grand Stand. But it may have been her imagination.

***

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said the voice on the loudspeaker, "I draw your attention to the stage that has been setup in the infield."

Carol Anne looked around and finally saw a small stage sitting just off the asphalt track and right in front of her seat. She had chosen a seat, near the chain link fence so she could see the cars as they came around. She wanted Gene to know she was there and watching.

"These lovely young ladies have all turned out this morning to compete for the title of Miss NASCAR."

She saw six girls in black and white string bikinis; one of them was Katy. Carol Anne knew Katy's mother would never approve of her showing so much skin to so many strangers; but for her sake she wished her friend well.

"And the winner is: Well, it seems we have a tie. This is unprecedented. Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a six way tie."

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause, mixed in with stomping on the metal bleachers and the assorted cat call.

There was an older man handing out roses to each of the girls on the stage, and banners proclaiming each one Miss NASCAR 1958. Then he placed a small crystal tiara on each of the girl's heads.

"May I present," said the loudspeaker, "Miss NASCAR 1958."

Each of the girls smiled and waved. Katy, though she looked happy, to Carol Anne, looked like she was about to be ill.

Quickly, the girls were hustled off the stage, and some burly men began disassembling it and throwing it into the back of a pickup truck.

"The race will begin momentarily. In the meantime, please visit the concession stand for an ice cold beer and autograph from one of our beautiful Miss NASCAR's."

Carol Anne stood up and made her way to the concession stand to congratulate Katy.

***

The concession stand was tucked up under the bleachers and smelled of stale beer and mustard. The crowd had not yet begun to gather at the small table where Katy and her five new friends sat.

"Hey," said Carol Anne, "congratulations."

Katy smiled. "Thanks, Carol Anne," she said.

"If you had turned out, you'd have won," said one of the girls next to Katy.

"No, I don't go for that sort of thing."

Katy smirked. "No, but you have grease on your face."

Carol Anne blushed.

"I bet she kissed one of the drivers," said the girl on the other side of Katy.

"More like one of the cars," said Katy.

Carol Anne sighed.

Katy looked at her. "You found him didn't you?"

She nodded.

Katy stood and patted her best friend on the back. "I should be congratulating you!"

The girl next to Katy looked at the exchange. "Why?"

"Because, my friend here has never had a boyfriend; ever."

"Never?"

Carol Anne blushed deeply and shook her head.

All six of the girls stood and congratulated Carol Anne, which made her feel even more embarrassed. "Look," she said, "I've got to go back. I want to watch the race."

"Is he a driver," asked a slightly older girl at the end of the table.

"Yes."

The girl sighed. "You may not want to watch the race then."

"I told him I would."

"You know it's a dangerous game, right?"

Carol Anne nodded.

"My ex-fiancé was a driver." The girl wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "He was killed two years ago out on the sand."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay; we had broken up before that. He'd taken up with one of the beauty pageant contestants. You know we get to kiss the winner of the race?"

Carol Anne shrugged. "Okay."

"Well, he liked it, and took this floozy home."

"I am not a floozy," said another girl at the table.

The first girl glared at her. "Anyway, we broke up. The next race, the Main Event that Sunday, he lost control of his car and spun into the car next to him; both cars caught on fire and both drivers were killed instantly."

"Wow," said Carol Anne.

"It caused NASCAR to tighten up the rules about the gasoline. Some of the cars were adding Moonshine to the gas to make them go faster. It's highly explosive. Now, they can only use gas from the pump and the gas tank has to be reinforced so it won't explode in an accident."

Carol Anne nodded. "So, Moonshine is explosive?"

The girls laughed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," said the loudspeaker, "please return to your seats for the start of the race."

***

Carol Anne returned to her seat and noticed that the Grand Stand was packed with people, more than had been there when she left. The man beside her had a large cooler full of beer and he wasn't wearing a shirt, instead he had a giant number 12 painted on his chest. The man next to him had the number 8 painted on his chest. She assumed that these numbers corresponded to the number on a car out on the track, because some of the football fans at home would show their support for their favorite football player by painting his number on their chest in a similar fashion. She thought it was stupid, but, the woman on the other side of her held a small pendant with the number 33 on it. Maybe I should get one of those with Gene's number on it, she thought.

"And sitting on the pole is the number 18," said the loudspeaker, "driven by Tommy, the Flash, Thompson."

Carol Anne felt her heart skip a beat as she looked out at the line up of the cars. There in the first row, on the 'inside', was the light yellow Mercury, and Gene standing by the door waving at the crowd. When his eyes met hers, he winked. She nearly fainted.

He smiled broadly and got into his car, just as all of the other drivers did. There were twelve cars on the track, and about the same amount in the pit.

"Why are there so few cars out there," Carol Anne asked the man beside her.

"This is just the preliminary race, the rest are racing at 4."

"Okay."

"The top 6 from each preliminary will race tomorrow."

"Yeah," said the man next to him, "the turnout was much bigger this year than in the past, so they are doing it this way."

"The new track isn't done yet, but when it is, next year, all of the cars can race at the same time."

Carol Anne nodded, but didn't really understand why only 12 cars could be on the track at one time. It looked plenty large enough to her. A quarter mile of asphalt, in front of her, a huge turn covered by sand that led to another quarter mile of packed sand and the final turn back onto the asphalt. She could see that there were tire marks running into what they called the infield, as well as out into the surf, and at one point on the sand, there was a large grease spot, and tire marks running in every direction.

"Yep," said the man beside her, "that was a bad accident out there on the back straight."

The man beside him took off his hat and placed it over his chest.

Carol Anne didn't ask, but she figured someone was killed out there. She was very glad it wasn't Gene. She glanced down at his car, and saw him sitting there wearing a helmet and coveralls. He was smiling so broadly, that she feared the top of his head would flip right off.

"Gentlemen," the loudspeaker said, "start your engines."

Gene reached down and instantly the noise was deafening. The roar of the engines was like a summer thunderstorm, only louder and closer. He looked up at Carol Anne and winked. Then he pressed on the gas and pulled up behind the pace car to begin the race.

She watched as the little blue Thunderbird, which they said was the pace car slowly drove around the track. All of the race cars followed politely at a distance; when Gene came around he waved at Carol Anne. She waved back, this time. Everyone else was doing the same thing so she figured it couldn't hurt.

The next lap the Thunderbird sped up, as did the other cars. This time around, the crowd was on its feet, screaming and a man right in front of Carol Anne, whom she had not noticed before, waved a giant green flag over the fence at the cars as the roared by. Somewhere, the Thunderbird had pulled off the track and all of the cars were speeding toward the sandy turn. Gene was the first one there and he slid around the turn sideways. Carol Anne held her breath until he righted the car and continued down the packed sand, barreling toward the next turn, which he took at a higher speed that sent him zipping by the Grand Stand at what the loudspeaker said, was over 125 miles an hour.

"They don't call him the Flash for nothing," said the loudspeaker. "Tommy Thompson is in the lead and setting a new track record with every lap."

"Hey," said the man beside Carol Anne, "that 18 is pretty good."

"Uh huh," she said not wanting to take her eyes off Gene's car.

"He looks up here every time he passes by."

"He's got a girl up here somewhere," said the man beside him.

"Probably more than one," said the woman next to Carol Anne. She jabbed Carol Anne in the ribs with her elbow. "You know how those stock car guys are."

Carol Anne just barely noticed the woman. She was transfixed on the race, well actually, on the yellow Mercury.

Suddenly, on the hard sand straight away, a blue Ford spun around in a big looping circle grazing two other cars before it shot off toward the surf. The man in front of Carol Anne was waving a giant yellow flag at the cars as they came around. As soon as the saw it, they all slowed down and Gene was able to smile and wink at Carol Anne as he passed by. She wondered if the woman was correct, that he had another girl or two somewhere around the track. She could feel a slight twinge of jealousy rising within her. But, she ignored it as just silliness, there was no one else. She hoped. She hadn't asked. When the green flag came out again, she decided that she would enjoy the race and the attention and not worry if he had someone else.

The race continued without another accident, until the last three laps. Gene had led the entire race, and on the third to the last lap was just about to begin his turn onto the asphalt, off the hard sand, when a white Chevrolet got so close to him that their doors tapped. The white car careened off Gene's car and slid into the infield. Gene made the turn too wide and plowed into the soft sand and hay bales that were setup around the corners just for that reason, to slow down errant cars. The Mercury stopped dead about three feet from the corner of the Grand Stand. Gene jumped out of the car, slammed the door and ripped off his helmet. He slammed the helmet on the ground and stomped over to the gate next to the Grand Stand. A fan handed a cup over the fence, which he dumped over his head while he waited for the security guard to unlock the gate.

Carol Anne pushed her way toward Gene, but everyone was crowding around the fence and she couldn't get close enough to see what was happening.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," the loudspeaker said, "please stay in your seats. The race officials can't get to The Flash. Please let the race officials through."

Carol Anne's heart sank. What's wrong with Gene? She pushed harder to get to a point where she could see him. Finally she could see over the fence and she saw two men in black suits having a heated conversation with Gene, right by the gate. The security guard was keeping people away, but Carol Anne was able to get to within a few feet of the conversation.

"Fine," Gene said, "if that's your ruling." He kicked the tire closest to him. "I'll pick up this heap in the morning." He tore off his coveralls, and threw them in the passenger window. He scanned the Grand Stand but did not find what he was looking for. He stomped over to the gate.

The men in the suits nodded at the security guard and he opened it, allowing him to pass through.

People were screaming, "Flash, Flash, what happened?"

Gene ignored all of them and pushed his way toward the nearest opening which lead to the concession stand.

"Tommy the Flash Thompson," said the loudspeaker, "has been disqualified from the race and will not compete in tomorrow's Main Event."

Carol Anne noticed which way he was headed and went a different way to get there before him. Her strategy worked and she was leaning against the high bar when he finally broke free of the crowd. "Hi, stranger," she said holding a cold beer and batting her eyelashes at him.

His sullen demeanor changed immediately. "Carol Anne! I thought you were lost in that mob." He scooped her up in his arms. "I really wanted to win that race," he buried his face in her hair, "for you."

She pulled away from him slightly. "Drink your beer."

He took a sip and nodded. Then he pulled her close to him again. "I thought about it," he said, "if I can win this race, I can open a mechanic shop somewhere and ... um ..."

She looked at him. "What?"

He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. "I, um, I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I know how I feel." He paused and took in a shallow breath. "I wanted to win the race and do this right, but that didn't work out."

"What are you talking about?"

"Carol Anne, I love you."

Her heart must have stopped, because she could feel the heat of the day beating down on her and the edges of her vision were going blurry. "What?"

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Her knees felt like water, and her vision shrunk to a small pinpoint.

"Carol Anne?"

She felt the gentle puff of the fine sand coming up around her as she toppled to the ground.

"Medic!"

***

The bed felt cool and the sheets were soft. She knew she wasn't in her motel room, but she liked the feel anyway. When Carol Anne opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Gene's gentle face staring back at her. She smiled. "What happened?"

He held her hand and stroked it carefully. "You passed out at the track and they brought you to the hospital. They said you had heat exhaustion."

"What does that mean?"

"You need to drink more water when you are out in the sun like this."

"Oh."

"You're going to be okay."

"Good, because I think I was hallucinating."

He looked like he had been shot through the heart with an arrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, I swear you said you loved me."

He nodded.

"And that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me."

He let out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding. "Yes, that's what I said, just before you passed out."

"Okay," she smiled.

He leaned slightly toward her, anticipation showed in his posture and expression.

She sighed; she couldn't let him squirm like that. "I love you too."

She could see him waver slightly. "But, I have to ask you something, before this goes any further."

He took in a deep breath, not knowing what she wanted to ask. "Go ahead."

"Do you have any other women in your life?"

He let out the breath and smiled. "Yes, two, well three."

Carol Anne nearly cried, but she kept her composure. "Then I can't...."

He touched her hand. "Let me explain. There is my Mother."

"Your mother doesn't count, and you know what I mean."

"I have a sister, Marie, you'd like her."

She gave him a level look.

He smiled and she could see the glint in his eyes, she knew he was teasing her, which put her immediately at ease. "Then of course there's Sadie." He sighed. "She was the love of my life. I don't know how she's going to take the news."

Carol Anne could feel that tinge of jealousy again. "Who is Sadie?"

He pulled out his wallet and produced a photo, which he handed to her; his head down, looking kind of sad, or embarrassed.

When she saw the picture she broke out laughing and smacked him on the arm. "I'm sure she'll be fine. I've always has a way with dogs!"

"She's the best dern coon dog in Northern Florida!"

"I look forward to meeting her." She sat up and put her arms around him, pulling him close to her and holding him tight. "Yes." She said into his ear.

"Yes?" He pushed her away slightly. "Yes."

She nodded.

"Yes!" He said as he pulled her close to his chest and began to kiss her.

Katy and her five friends stood outside the door, and waved at Gene.

"It looks like my fans are waiting for me." He kissed her hand. "I will be back in the morning to pick you up and take you to the airport."

"Are you going to go back home with me?"

He smiled. "Not just now. I have to sell my car and tell my Pappy." He kissed her deeply and then moved toward the door. "We can talk about it in the morning."

"I'll be waiting right here," she said.

"You rest."

"Yeah," she said as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

***

The next morning Carol Anne was released from the hospital, but no one, not Gene, not Katy were there to pick her up. She went back to the motel and found Katy there asleep, with a large six foot tall dark haired lump next to her.

"Katy," she said, "is that Gene? Did you sleep with Gene?"

Katy sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, she was naked. "Um, yeah. But be quiet, he's asleep. And what we did last night hardly qualified as sleeping."

Carole Anne could not see straight. She grabbed what she could of her clothes and jammed it into her suitcase. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was so mad she could not speak. "I'm outta here, when that two-timing liar wakes up, tell him we're through!"

She ran out of the room and slammed the door.

The man in the bed rose up. "What was that?"

Katy shrugged. "Is your name Gene?"

"No, it's Dan."

"Oh, oh."

***

Two weeks later.

"Carol Anne," her mother called from downstairs, "go get the mail. You haven't been out of the house for two weeks."

"Oh all right," she said from the top of the stairs. "Maybe I'll get hit by a car when I go out to the road."

Her mother shook her head as she watched her daughter trudge out of the door and up the long driveway toward the mailbox. She was worried about her; she hadn't eaten or slept very well in the past two weeks, ever since she got back from Florida. Sure she was dumped by a guy, but she didn't know him that well. Sure, her best friend slept with that guy, but, it wasn't the end of the world. She shook her head.

What Carol Anne didn't tell her mother was that Gene had asked her to marry him, and she said yes. It still hurt so bad, that she could barely function. She walked up to the mailbox and extracted the two letters that were lying inside. Both were for her. She opened the first one, from Gene.

Dearest Carol Anne;

I am so sorry about what happened. I meant to pick you up at the hospital, but was in jail at the time you were released. In fact I've been there for nearly ten days. Your friend Katy came by and told me the whole story, I guarantee I did not sleep with anyone that night or any night since. You see, I left the hospital with the girls, and as soon as we got outside, that slimy snake who ran me into the sand, and got me disqualified, started disrespecting the girls. My temper got the best of me and I beat him up. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, but I can't abide anyone doing that. Well, when they looked up my record, I got ten days for hauling moonshine, and NASCAR found out. They don't want any ruffians like me in their little club, so, well, I'm heading to sell my car now. My Pappy said that I should set things right with you, so ...

A Greyhound Bus passed by on the road.

I am taking a bus to find you and talk to you. I should be arriving on Thursday at 1 PM. I can't wait to see you. I truly love you and miss you.

Gene

Tears were streaming down her face. "Oh, Gene," she said, "I love you and miss you too." She looked up and saw that the bus had stopped just up the road and a tall man had gotten off. She noticed that he was carrying a duffle bag and was headed toward her. She shrugged and opened the next envelop. It was from Katy.

Dear Carol Anne,

Since you won't take my calls, I decided to write. I am so sorry. The guy that I was in bed with was Dan, not Gene. I'm so bad with names, especially when I'm hung over. Call me.

Katy

"Oh Katy," she sobbed. "I'll call you when I get in."

"Carol Anne," said a voice like the whisper of thunder.

She frowned and looked up at the man approaching from down the road. Is that Gene?

"Carol Anne," this time the voice was definitely Gene's and he was much closer.

"Gene," she said moving toward him. "Gene, is that you?"

"Carol Anne." He began to move faster toward her.

They ran to one another and embraced tightly.

"I missed you so much," she said through tears and heavy sobs.

"I've missed you too," he said as he scooped her up in his muscular arms. They fell into a deep passionate kiss.

As their embrace and the kiss deepened, she knew that everything truly was going to be just fine.