I've been a book lover since I first learned to read as a child, so it wasn't unusual for me to spend hours in Dilts' Bookstore in my hometown, wandering the aisles, oblivious to everything around me. On this particular occasion, I was roused immediately from my reverie upon reaching the checkout with my purchases when I realized that the cashier was Biz. Her name was actually Elizabeth, but everyone called her Biz and we'd gone to high school together. Although she'd been two years behind me, I knew who she was because our high school wasn't that big and she also lived down the street from my good friend, Jim. Interestingly, and part of the reason for the sudden awakening from my near-catatonic state, I had learned in just the past couple of months that Biz had a major crush on me in high school. Last I'd heard, though, she'd started dating Stephen after I'd graduated and, as far as I knew, they were still an item despite having just finished their freshman year at different colleges. I didn't let that stop me from greeting her enthusiastically; in a serious relationship or not, I wanted to make sure that she knew that I was into her without letting on that I finally knew about the crush.
She returned my greeting with equal enthusiasm and a broad smile. Since no one else was in line, I encouraged her to come around the counter and give me a hug. She'd been, let's say, a "solidly-built" girl in high school, but cute and with an amazing rack. She looked as though she might have put on a little bit of weight, but nowhere near the dreaded "freshman fifteen." I held her against me long enough to let her know that I was feeling more than just platonic about her, but not long enough to be creepy or to get aroused. As she stepped back, I told her she looked great, making sure I sounded matter-of-fact, not overly enthusiastic. She rolled her eyes, of course, clearly not feeling the same way.
"Do I need to ask how you're spending your summer?" I asked, going for broke, "Let me guess: working here and hanging out with Stephen." She made a face which simultaneously brought me both joy and pain. It was obvious that Stephen was a sore subject, which was good news from the perspective of a potential hook-up. However, her reaction made me feel sympathetic and I did not want cause her any pain. She revealed that she and Stephen had, in fact, broken up, going on to say that technically Stephen had done the breaking up. I apologized profusely and verbally kicked myself for rubbing salt in an obviously raw wound. She told me not to worry about it and not to be so hard on myself because there's no way I could have known, anyway. I asked her if there was a way I could make it up to her, maybe take her out for a drink to help her numb the pain. She replied that she would actually love to take me up on that offer, but reminded me that even though she was in college, she still was under 21.
I thought for a second while she rang up my purchases then told her that I had a better idea. I told her that there was a place that I liked to go when I needed to think or clear my head or just to be reminded that life was still beautiful even if it didn't feel like it at the moment. I asked her if she'd let me take her there and promised that I'd also make sure that she got a drink if she still felt that she needed it. I also promised her that she couldn't leave there without feeling better. She looked at me as though trying to gauge my sincerity, then said, "Okay, let's go tonight."
She gave me her phone number and told me when she'd be home from work then I headed out the door trying to suppress the spring in my step. I hadn't thought to ask her what she liked to drink but, since we'd have to be surreptitious about it anyway, I just decided to add some Southern Comfort to a couple bottles of 7-Up. I didn't make them too strong, since I didn't want her to think I was trying to get her drunk and I would still have to drive us safely home anyway. With the drinks in a cooler and my car ready to go, I gave Biz a call to let her know I was on my way. She asked where we were going and I told her it was a surprise, but that I knew she was going to love it. I hung up, jumped in my car and headed up to her house to pick her up.
She looked cute as she opened the front door and stepped out. She'd obviously dolled herself up just a bit and had changed into a flowery skirt. The shirt she'd selected didn't necessarily enhance her big boobs, but certainly showed them off more than the apron she'd been wearing at the bookstore. To put it simply, she was a vision and I couldn't help but smile. I opened the car door for her and admired her smooth legs as she swung them in, then jumped into the driver's seat. She asked again, but I still wouldn't tell her where we were going because I wanted her to get the full visual impact as we arrived.
Bigham Reservoir was less than ten miles from Biz's house and was popular for swimming, fishing and other water sports. On the dam side, however, there was an overlook that was very scenic and rarely used; I'd guess that not too many people even knew about it. The route to the overlook was a bit more indirect than the roads to the recreation areas so, while I'm sure she knew about where we were, I doubt she could have figured out our destination. The great thing about the road to the overlook was that when you reached the reservoir, you came around a bend and got an immediate sweeping view. As I expected, Biz was awestruck, much as I still was just about every time I drove up there. Not much further, I pulled into the overlook and maneuvered my car into a space backward so we'd be able to sit on my trunk and enjoy the view.
