Inspiration 42

janettaylorperry.com

In Biblical times, and even up until around the 1950s, it was not unusual for a girl to marry in her teens to a man a good bit older. In olden days, there was nothing perverted about it. It was a matter of life-expectancy and child-bearing years, as well as the man having time to become a good supporter of his family. If you'd like to read an interesting take on the subject, read Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. It's written from the perspective of a young teen whose father is trying to find her a husband in the 1300s. For a more modern take, watch Coal Miner's Daughter. As for age difference, I offer you my editor and her husband, 12 years her senior, who were happily married for 54 years before he passed. All of this being said, I by no means support child brides or forced marriage. This is simply a history lesson, although Lottie and Willard Boggan are real inspirations of true love.

April thinks Russell is her soulmate. She does not care about the 12-year age gap. But there might be a little competition for April's affection. Let's meet Zach Logan. 

Opening the door, the women were greeted by the rumble of large mowers. A handsome young man—six-two, two hundred pounds, sun-bleached blond hair, sky-blue eyes, bronze tan, expansive chest and shoulders—walked up the steps. He wore jeans and a tank top with the high school mascot on front. "Miss Chastain?" he asked.

Gawking, April replied, "Yes?"

"Zach Logan." He offered his hand. April shook it. Zach let the handshake linger. "Mr. Winchester said you needed us right away. School starts tomorrow, so I'll only be working weekends or maybe early or late until the time change, but I'll whip this out in no time."

"Can you do something about the flowerbeds?"

"After cutting and trimming, I'll fix 'em up." He surveyed the property and scowled lightly. "It'll take a little time, but I'm good at what I do."

"I'm sure you are." She absent-mindedly licked her lips.

"My dad'll be by later with some paperwork, but I'm supposed to get this crew busy."

"How old are you, Zach?"

"Eighteen."

April withdrew her hand from Zach's firm, yet gentle, grasp. "Call me April. I'm not old enough to be Miss Chastain."

"As you wish." Zach Logan flashed a million-dollar smile and set his crew to work with a hand signal. "I'll talk later." He dipped his head. "Miss Lanny." He descended the steps with purpose and cockiness and a backward glance.

"Nice looking young man," observed Lanelle.

"Boy," sighed April...

Stepping out her door brought her face-to-face with Zach Logan as he filled a gas edger to begin sculpting the walkway. "Good morning," she greeted.

"Wow!" His eyes roved. "You look…Wow! Where're you headed?"

"I have a job interview." She looked around to see the rest of his crew working in various areas and a roofing crew driving up. She asked, "Do you have enough water and such?"

"Yeah. We keep a cooler with water and Gatorade. What time do you think you'll be back?

"I don't know. Why?"

"Thought you might like to watch the sunset over the river."

She chuckled. "I'll think about it. No promises though."

"Right. Good luck."

"Thought school started today."

"It did. Basically, today was just pick up schedules."

"Okay."

Her steps were jaunty as she walked to her car. She waved as she drove down the driveway...

Half an hour later, April was back. She typed the three weddings and laid out page six with the stories and the photos. Page six also contained a fiftieth wedding anniversary that Chase had already written. The top half of page five, April spread with six photos of debutantes. She decided to write the stories the next day. The right bottom quadrant of page five contained the Garden Club story and a write-up of the Yard of the Month with a photo of the yard and Mrs. Norman (Molly Kay) Harris, eighty-one, the proud owner of the yard. The story lauded Zach Logan as her "conscientious and gorgeous young gardener." April had quoted the old lady...

and a tan sport shirt that showed the pectoral muscles and bulging biceps Lanny had admired. After he drove off, she read through the paper again before she dressed in jeans and a gold USM t-shirt. She tucked her first issue of The Bugle into a special file and left for work, waving to Zach as she drove by and he was getting into his truck to go to class...

April showered and changed into shorts and a tank top. She poured herself a glass of Sprite and walked outside. Several landscaping crewmembers worked around the edge of the property. The hedgerow of redtops looked like a hedge rather than a forest, as it had the first day she arrived. Zach Logan worked shirtless while replanting flowerbeds in April's yard, closer to the house. His ripped chest and arms glistened with perspiration.

"How was the game?" April asked as she sat on a bag of mulch.

Zach frowned. "We won."

"Did you get a touchdown?"

"Two."

"What's wrong?"

Zach patted the soil around the roots of the shrub as if he wanted to make sure it was cemented before he looked up. "Why didn't you just say you had a date with an old man?"

"Russell's not old."

"So, it was a date?"

"Yeah."

Zach worked without words. April fidgeted on her mulch seat. "Zach, what's wrong?"

"Nothin'. I guess you like older men."

"Zach." She huffed a breath "I never told you I was interested in you."

"No. I just hoped. I mean, well, you looked at me, well, lustfully. I misinterpreted." He stood. "It's my fault."

"I'm sorry. You're a nice guy, but…"

"I know." He held up a hand covered in work gloves. "I'm only eighteen. I'm in high school."

"It doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"You gonna watch me play?"

"Yes. Next home game." April held her hand up in oath. "I promise."

"Gonna have a date for it?"

"You mean Russell?"

"Yeah."

"I hope so, Zach."

"You really like him, huh?"

"Yes."

"You up to just hanging out with a friend?"

"How so?" April asked with deep, furrowed, skeptical eyebrows.

"You wanna ride some dirt bikes at The Dunes? We could roast hotdogs on the sand bar."

"A date?"

Zach shook his head. "No, just friends hanging out. The old guy won't get jealous."

"Russell is not old." April sprang to her feet in a snit.

"Okay. The mature gentleman with gray in his hair."

"Zach!"

"Come on, April. You need to have some fun. Where's Russell now?"

"Working." She looked down the driveway. "The Dunes, huh?"

"Yeah. That's where we ride."

"Anything unusual about 'em?"

"Naa. Down river is odd though."

"How?"

"Wilted magnolias."

"That is weird. Okay." April gave a little bouncy nod. "I'll go."

"Great! I'll finish up this bed, and we can go."

"What should I wear?"

"What you got on, but sneakers."

"I burn easily."

"Bring sunscreen."

April and Zach went to the sandbar along the river and the mounds of sand, which created the area of man-made sand dunes called "The Dunes" by the locals, where they spent an afternoon riding dirt bikes. April noticed the gypsum-colored sand looked clean, if well used. The contours provided peaks and dips behind which the motorized vehicles disappeared, often after leaping several feet in an aerial stunt.

When Zach brought her home, Russell waited on the porch swing. Zach waved and left.

"Hey!" said April, skipping up the stairs.

"Have fun?" Russell growled.

"Yes."

"Hmmm. Nice looking little stud."

"What? No. Zach's a friend," April assured with vigorous head shaking.

Russell laughed. "I guarantee within two hours every one of his friends on Facebook will know all about his date with you."

"It wasn't a date. We rode dirt bikes at The Dunes."

With a tight-lipped sneer, Russell said, "Just what someone your age should be doing."

"My age?"

"A kid."

"Russell!" April slapped the porch column. "I wanted to see The Dunes. It was a good way to do so without drawing attention to myself."

His interest piqued, Russell asked, "What did you see?"

"Sand, but Zach said down river is strange."

"How?"

"Wilted magnolias."

"Hmmm." A strained quiet fell between them. Russell broke with, "April, it's not safe out there, not even with a Greek god like Zach by your side."

"Were you jealous?"

"Of Zach?" Russell laughed. "No, I was concerned."

"What were you working on today?"

"Golf tournament."

"You play?"

"A little."

"Uh-huh." April's skepticism oozed.

"Drew Patterson was playing."

"The councilman?"

"Yeah. We're old friends. I wanted to see if zoning was coming up."

"And?"

"Try to interview him after the council meeting."

"Is that my boss talking?"

"Yes. Now, the jealous man." Russell patted the swing for April to sit beside him.

After she sat down, he continued. "Zach wants a date. He's young, good-looking, and athletic. So, do I feel threatened? Yes."

"No need. It was very innocent."

"This time."

"Are you really jealous, Russell?"

"April, you're young and beautiful. Why would you choose me over him?"

"He's eighteen. He's in high school."

"Do you like him?"

"Zach's a great kid." She splayed her hands in the air. "I told him straight up I'm interested in you."

"Are you? Or am I just a fantasy you've had since you were a little girl?"

April made a point of going to the high school to watch a football practice. When Zach loped to her at the end of drills, April could tell they were the topic of conversation as she watched various heads turn and a few fingers point. She gave Zach a withering look.

"Did you tell all your friends on Facebook we had a date?" she demanded

"No." Zach shook his head.

"Zach, don't play games with me, and don't lie to me."

"I didn't say we had a date. I told 'em we went riding."

"And let them assume?"

"I guess. Sorry."

April bumped the heel of her hand to her forehead. "What must they think with me here today?"

"Why are you here?" asked Zach.

"I want to go down river."

"Why?"

"Zach, I need to see those wilted magnolias."

"My dad says they've been poisoned."

"How?"

He sat beside April on the bleachers and leaned back on his elbows on the step above. "He thinks somebody's dumping and the toxin has poisoned the soil."

"Have any kids gotten sick?"

"Explain sick."

"Cancer?"

"A couple. They both lived down river of The Dunes."

"Will you take me down river?"

"Not a date again?"

"Can I be honest with you without you plastering it on Facebook?"

Zach nodded. "I swear."

"Okay. You can let your friends think we had a date, two dates. I'm investigating the dumping. I need people to think my presence at The Dunes or down river is coincidence."

"Would I be helping you, sort of?"

"Yes."

"You still gonna watch me play?"

"What did I tell you?"

"Next home game, maybe with a date." His body slumped.

"I'll ditch the date."

Zach sat up straight. "For a story?"

April shrugged. "I'm a reporter."

Zach scowled. "Is the story more important than your man?"

"I never said that, Zach."

"Am I a part of an elaborate scheme? Are you playing games with me?"

She dipped one side of her mouth. "Are you sure you're only eighteen, Zach?"

"Enough of a man to have a real date?" Zach grinned.

"Enough to be my investigating partner. I'll share a by-line with you."

"For real?"

"For real."

Zach nodded. "I'll pick you up in an hour on my motorcycle. We'll go down river and grab a bite to eat. It'll look more like a date if we eat. The Crawdad Hole okay?"

"Fine. Just don't expect a good night kiss."

Zach laughed and stole a quick kiss before he hit the shower.

April could not be sure the burn she felt in her cheeks was from anger or embarrassment, but the gleam in Zach's eyes was pure delight as he received back slaps and elbows to the ribs from a handful of teammates who had waited on the field for him. He threw April a triumphant grin over his shoulder. She flipped him the bird but laughed drspite herself. Zach strutted to the field house...

Zach roared up the driveway to April's home an hour later. She waited on the porch in jeans and a pastel yellow tank top. She marched down the steps and punched Zach as hard as she could in the arm.

"That was sneaky!" she yelled over the motor.

"Ouch! Chill! It was for show, and they bought it." Zach handed her a helmet. "Climb on. Hold on tight."

"One sec. Are you friends with Drew Patterson on Facebook?"

"Yeah. Drew is cool as heck."

"That explains it." She put on the helmet and climbed on the back of the motorcycle.

Zach flew down the two-lane road that ran parallel to the river. Scenery whizzed by in a blur.

"Slow down!" April hollered.

"Why? We're dead at sixty, so why not get the adrenaline rush?"

"You're insane!"

"Does the old guy drive his little toy slow?"

"Russell is not old!"

Zach gunned the Kawasaki, and April screamed.

Thirty-five miles into the county, Zach slowed and coasted into an area where the foliage was either dead or dying. He stopped and took off his helmet, hanging it over the handlebars. April followed his example. He took her hand. "Come on."

Her legs wobbled a moment after standing. Zach steadied her...

April walked up the porch steps where Russell waited in the porch swing again. "Hmmm," he grunted. "Should I be jealous?"

"Absolutely. He kissed me."

"What?" He sat forward.

April cracked up. "You should see your face. You're actually jealous."

"I thought I'd surprise you with dinner."

"I already ate."

"With Mr. Stud?"

"Yes, with Zach. We went down river. I got samples of soil, water, and leaves."

"Get 'em to Drew. He has connections. Did he really kiss you?"

"A peck so it looked real."

One of Russell's eyes twitched as he knitted his brow in concern. "Did you tell him?"

"Yes. He's my partner."

"Damn it, April!" Russell hit the porch swing with the palms of his hands. "Does he realize how dangerous this is?"

"Yes. I promised to share a by-line."

"Shit! One kid's enough. I don't need to babysit two."

"Kid?" April said, her eyebrows spiking toward her hairline.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"April, these people are ruthless."

"I have my gun."

"You're stubborn."

April gave a sharp nod. "Yes, I am."

Russell rose and stomped down the steps...

Mandy, in white chiffon, snagged her uncle as he took April's hand. "Uncle Russ, dance with me."

April waved him on when he hesitated. Zach appeared at April's elbow. "Miss Chastain, may I have this dance?"

"Sure, but you ought to ask Mandy instead."

"She's a snob," Zach said as they twirled around the dance floor to a waltz.

"Maybe you misjudged her."

"She doesn't even speak to me in the hallway at school."

"Do you speak to her?"

"Well, no, but…"

"Ask her."

"Twenty bucks says she turns me down."

"Stupid girl if she does. You're a good dancer, Zach"

He lifted an eyebrow. "April, if I were twenty-one rather than eighteen, would I stand a chance with you against the old guy?"

"Russell is not old," April huffed as she set her jaw in irritation.

Ignoring her demeanor, Zach asked again, "Would I stand a chance with you?"

She released a sharp breath. "Maybe. I like you, Zach."

"I like you, but you've got it bad for Russell."

"Sorry. That's the way it is." She swayed as she looked over her shoulder toward Mandy and Russell. Zach steadied her. "Ask Mandy to dance. She's cute," she suggested again.

"Not as hot as you," he blurted.

"What's hotter about me?"

Zach looked straight into April's cleavage.

"Zach! Eyes up!" She took her hand off his shoulder and clapped it over her neckline.

"You asked," he defended his actions in a slightly higher pitched voice than normal.

Bemused, April asked, "Are all men the same, no matter what age?"

"Are they real?" he asked, letting his eyes roll down.

"No, I paid thousands of dollars for future back problems."

Zach sniggered. "They're real. What size?"

"Zach!" April pinched his ribs.

"Ouch!"

"I…am…going…to…stomp… your…foot…with… my…heel." She emphasized each word.

"Answer, and I won't ask another question."

"Thirty-six D."

Zach peered over April's shoulder. "At least you're proportionate."

"Are you looking at my ass now?"

"Nope. Eyes are up." Zach rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and hummed to the music. "You ready to lose twenty bucks?"

"Are you?" April quipped. She saw Russell whisper something to Mandy as the dance ended.

Zach went over. "Mandy, how about a dance?"

"Sure."

"Really?" he asked, dismay dripping from his tongue,  his eyes wide.

"Yeah. If you don't step on my toes, maybe a second."

Zach looked back at April who grinned and rubbed her fingers together to show Zach owed her money...

Unpleasant dreams all night put April was in a testy mood the following day. When Russell told her it was time for target practice, she snarled, "Make sure you don't get in my way. I'll meet you there."

Russell arrived at the range a few minutes before April. He had the range operators run moving targets. April had a much harder time hitting them. She slammed the revolver down. "Maybe I need a shotgun. They spread." She fanned her hands in the air. "It would be hard for me to miss."

Russell took a deep breath. "Are you pouting because I have no desire to go mud riding with a bunch of Munchkins?"

"Munchkins?" April puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Zach is taller than you."

"Would you rather I say children?"

"Russell Dalton! I might be short, but I'm not a Munchkin. And, am not a child."

"You're acting like one. Or is it PMS?"

"Ooh!" April packed her .38, flipping the latch of the case up with force, breaking a fingernail to the quick. She sucked on her finger to stop the pain. "I see why your wife stabbed you. Be glad I have more self-control."

Russell packed his Glock carefully away before he stated, "April, you're acting like a spoiled little brat. You're proving you need to be with people your age."

April retaliated hotly, "You're acting like an old fogey, or as Zach calls you, 'The mature gentleman with gray in his hair.'" She delivered her declaration with a sneer on her lips.

A little half gasp, half chuckle escaped Russell's throat. "Are you angry because I'm not jealous of Zach?"

"You aren't?" April scrunched up her face. "Not even a little?"

"All right, maybe a little," Russell admitted, "but I still want you to have fun with your friends."

"I won't know anybody but Zach," she grumbled. "I like mud riding. It'll be fun. It would be more fun with you." She grinned with mischief. "We could wash mud off each other," she suggested.

Russell picked up his gun case and turned back to the young woman with him. "April, do you think having sex with me would settle anything? It would only complicate matters. Right now, you're a Munchkin, and I am not enjoying your company."

"You jackass!" April stormed out...

Zach picked April up and they went mud riding. They zoomed across the rolling manmade hills of white sand turned gray by two days of rain. From time to time their tires bogged and they slung mud onto anything in their path.

Once the sky began to darken, they roasted hotdogs and marshmallows and pigged out with a dozen other high school kids, among them, Mandy Stapleton, Russell's niece, who stared daggers at the odd couple during the entire evening.

April whispered to Zach, "Is that Mandy?"

"Yeah."

"You really don't think she'd go out with you?"

He shook his head.

"Oh, please." April laughed. "If looks could kill, I'd be dead." Or, maybe she's scowling like that because she thinks I'm cheating on Russell. April's heartrate sped up.

Zach stuck a marshmallow against April's lips. She deliberately bit his finger and ate the sweet treat, but she turned attention back to the moment. Zach sucked on his finger but grinned at his quasi date.

After dousing the bonfire, the crowd disbursed. As Zach loaded the four-wheeler, April pelted him with a mud pie.

"Oh!" Zach roared in surprise. "Payback!" He chased her down and rubbed mud over her, letting his hands linger on her breasts as he lay on top of her flat on the sand.

"Zach, hand check," said April.

"What would you do if I kissed you?" He looked over his shoulder. "Everyone else is gone. We're alone."

"Zach, stop," April said with a sad sigh and pushed against his shoulders.

"Russ didn't come with you. Did you even ask him?" The boy's voice took on a more mature, seductive resonance.

"Yes, I did."

"Yet, you came without him."

"We had a difference of opinion. He didn't want to come."

"Too old?"

"Zach! Russell is not old." She hit his shoulders with more force.

"Maybe you're right. You're young. That's all."

"Zach, get off me."

He sighed. "I'm a gentleman, too." He stood and helped April up. "Mmm. You look good in mud. I'm available if you need help washing it off."

"Zach Logan."

"I know." He held up his hands in surrender...

April looked up her steps as Zach drove off. "Did you have a good time?" asked Russell.

"Yes, Russell, I did. I put care aside for a little while. Is that so wrong?"

"No, but the fact that you can do it so easily defines our age difference."

"What are you saying Russell?"

"I'm not sure we would work."

"Damn you, Russell!" She hit the porch column. "Yesterday you suggested I have clothes at your place. Today, you're backing off. Who's acting like an immature child? I asked you to go with me."

Russell sighed. "Maybe I am too old for you. It's me. You're vibrant and alive. I don't want to squelch that. I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

Without further words, Russell got into his car and drove away. April sat on her porch and cried. Russell stopped at his favorite bar for a few shots of tequila and free counseling with the bartender. April showered and lay down beside her constant companion, Russell Bear. Russell got a busy signal when he dialed April's house phone and voice mail on her cell as April dialed Zach Logan on the cordless phone by her bed.

"April?" Zach asked, surprised by the call.

"Home game tomorrow night?"

"Yeah."

"What are you doing after the game?"

"You have a fight with Russell?"

"I think we broke up."

"So, you're on the rebound?"

"Do you want a real date with me or not?" April huffed.

"Yeah," he replied hastily. "Midnight Madness at the county fair?"

"Sounds like fun."

April put her head on Russell Bear's chest...

At the game April purchased a megaphone, pompoms, and a program. She thumbed through the booklet and took in Zach's picture: #81, wide receiver, Zachariah Dabney Logan, III. She sniggered, "No wonder he prefers Zach."

The game got underway with the home team on defense. April used her megaphone before Zach went onto the field. "Goooooooo, Zach!"

Zach looked around and waved as a huge grin lit up his face...

The game progressed with Zach's catching seven passes for a hundred three yards and two touchdowns to ensure a 21-10 victory.

April leaned over the rail as Zach trotted over before heading to the showers. "I'll pick you up in an hour," he told her.

"Okay. I'll be ready."

Zach was punctual, and they took off to the county fair. Just down the road, Zach asked, "Will you look in the CD case and find my Credence Clearwater Revival CD?"

"You like old stuff?" asked April.

"Yeah. 'Bad Moon Rising' is one of my favorites."

She leaned forward to pick up the case from the floorboard. She opened it and searched as Zach passed a silver Porsche Cayenne headed to her house.

"I don't see it, Zach," she said after flipping through the entire case.

He switched from the radio to the CD player. "Ah, blond moment. It's already in," he said with a roll of his eyes.

"No big deal," April laughed.

Zach checked his rearview mirror to make sure there was no silver Porsche behind him.

At the fair, they rode every daredevil ride there was. They hung up-side-down on The Ring of Fire, spun around on The Gravitron with G-forces experienced by astronauts, and did loops on a ride named The Kamikaze. They devoured exorbitant amounts of junk food after the rides. They took ridiculous pictures with funny faces at the photo booth. He won her a stuffed frog with the dart throw and a gold fish by landing a ping-pong ball in its fishbowl to the hawkers' astonishment.

On the ride home, April made Zach stop at Wal-Mart where she bought a small aquarium with accessories. As they drove home, she made funny faces at the fish by puffing out her cheeks and making googly eyes.

"You're silly," teased Zach.

"What should I name him?" she asked.

"How do you know it's a boy?"

"I don't."

"Name it 'Jaws'."

April laughed out loud.

Zach held all of April's stuff as she unlocked her door. She stepped on a plain white envelope that had been slid under the door. She picked it up and laid it on the coffee table to check later.

"Zach, put Jaws on the mantel for now," she requested. "You have to help me set up his home."

They set up the aquarium on a deserted plant stand. Once the pump was running, April transferred Jaws to his new home and fed him. By then, it was two A. M.

"I had a really good time, Zach," she said.

"Is that my cue that the date's over?"

"I've been up since six."

"Me, too. I'm glad it's Saturday and I don't have a job until afternoon."

She yawned behind her hand. "I'll have to go into the paper."

"Any chance of a second date?" he asked as they walked toward the door.

"Such as?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Four-wheeling. Sunday afternoon?"

"With all your friends?"

"No. Alone."

"Yeah. Sounds good to me."

Zach man grinned. "Any chance of a good-night kiss?" he asked.

"Possibly."

She walked her date onto the porch. She said again, "I really had a good time."

"Me, too, April."

He put his hands on her shoulders and bent to kiss her. She tiptoed to meet him. The kiss was soft and sweet and gentle. April found her arms slipping around Zach's waist.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "Mmm. Are you sure I have to go right this minute?"

"I think you can have one more kiss."

He kissed her more forcefully and pulled her into his arms as her hands slid up his back. The kiss lasted quite some time before he breathed, "Good night, April. I'll see you Sunday."

She closed the door and locked up as she heard Zach's truck pull away. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. She could see the lights of the football field and the fair. She sighed. "I could get used to Friday night lights. Damn! That boy can kiss."

Can that boy kiss well enough to make April forget Russell?

Cover by Christopher Chambers.

I always like finding actors/models that I think look like my characters. It's just fun. However, I'm having a hard time finding my Zach. I give you three possibilities. You vote. 1, 2, or 3? Or add one of your own.