Tara Road

“Andy!” Melissa shrilled when she saw Andy, waiting for her at the gate. “It’s so great to see you.” She kissed him while the other passengers passed by giving her and Andy dirty looks. Andy pulled away, saying that maybe they should wait till they were in a more private place. Melissa content at the moment with getting to see Andy went along with him to the cab waiting on them.

“So what are we doing?” Melissa asked as she slid her hand into Andy’s lap. Andy immediately grabbed her hand and held it while giving her details about sites they were passing. Melissa, using her other hand, turned Andy’s face toward her. She gave him a long kiss that made Andy turn a bright shade of red. Melissa slid across the seat until Andy was pushed against the door. She slowly began to kiss his neck, beginning at the ear and going downward. 

“Melissa maybe we can wait till later. The cabbie is staring at us.” 

“Why does it matter what he thinks? Don’t you want to kiss me?” she pouted as she moved back to her side of the seat. 

“Later. You know I want you but we can’t right now.” Andy tried to hold Melissa’s hand but she pulled it away, folding her hands against her chest. “Come on. Don’t be like that.” 

“So what are we going to do today? See some boring game between Harvard and Yale?” Melissa sighed, leaning her forehead against the window. She looked out at the trees that were now colored with shades of orange and red from the changing of the seasons. Andy talked about the game and dinner afterward with his parents. Before the game, they were going to meet up with some of his friends. They had just gotten to campus where she saw tents of blue and white set up all over. Students were roaming all about going from tent to tent with plates of food. They pulled up to the Duncan located just off campus. The hotel stood tall with three towers made of stone that had faded throughout the years. Andy paid the driver and took Melissa’s bag from the trunk. 

Melissa started to unpack her stuff while Andy sat on the edge of the bed. She got a brown paper sack out of her bag and threw it at Andy. “What do you think of that? I stole them from my mom’s drawer. She didn’t even notice.” Melissa snickered aloud. “Just like she didn’t notice I took this.” She pulled a bottle of bourbon out of her suitcase. 

“You shouldn’t have taken this stuff. If we get busted, it’s over.” Andy said grabbing the bottle out of her hands. 

“Well how about what was in the bag? How about using those?” she said as she straddled him on the bed, pushing him down. She slowly unbuttoned his shirt, kissing the skin that was exposed with each button. He pushed Melissa off of him and got off the bed, buttoning his shirt back. 

“We don’t have time for that right now. Why don’t you just freshen up? I’ll meet you downstairs in the lobby in five minutes.” Andy left the room, leaving lying on the bed. 

“Stupid Andy!” 

Melissa checked herself out in the mirror above the sink in the bathroom. Her hair was messed up and her lipstick was smeared from trying to get Andy to kiss her. Why can’t he just loosen up, she thought. He acts so prim and proper all the time. I’m going to show him a good time tonight. He’ll see what he’s missing in his proper little world, she thought to herself, adding a touch more lipstick than she normally wore. 

At the game she sat with him and his friends. They all wore Yale sweaters under their jackets with blue and while gloves. Melissa stood out wearing a red top cut deep in the front. Andy cheered with his friends when Yale won. Melissa sat while he talked with his friends after the game waiting for the crowd to leave. She felt like a doll on display at a toy store. Not even a doll that everyone liked; one of those dolls that didn’t sell very well and eventually was discontinued. Melissa though to herself, smiling as if she was really listening to whatever it was that they were saying. What was his problem? This was not the Andy that wrote her long letters with passion. This was the Andy that pleased people, doing whatever it was that made them happy. She wished she hadn’t come at all. 

She was awakened fro her thoughts when Andy shook her shoulder gently. “Are you ready to go? My parents are waiting in the car. I don’t want to keep them waiting.” 

“Of course you don’t. You don’t want to do anything that would disappoint your precious parents.,” she muttered under he breath as they walked to his parents’ car. After a long dinner with his parents will all the usual questions. What do you plan to do with your future, Melissa? How do you feel about Andy getting to attend such a great school? Melissa was ready to just go back to the hotel and sink into bed where she could push everyone, including Andy out of her mind. 

After dinner, she laid down on the bed. Andy came over and lay next to her. He put his hand on her stomach, tracing the design of her shirt. “So what you were talking about earlier? Do you still, you know, wanna do that?” He began to kiss her, moving his hand under her shirt, revealing bare skin. 

“What, you can’t say it ANDY? SEX, ANDY, SEX! And NO!” Melissa yelled. She got off the bed, took a cigarette out of the pack, lying on the dresser and lit it up. She started pacing back and forth in front of the bed. 

“What’s your problem? I bring you here because I thought we could spend time together that we normally wouldn’t get to. All you want to do is have sex or get drunk! Then when we get around to having sex, you tell me no. I don’t understand you.” 

“So you are finally reacting. Why don’t you react to your little friends?” 

“My friends don’t look down on me. You resent them because unlike you, they are actually doing something with their money. Instead of squandering it on cheap liquor and cigarettes.” Andy got up from the bed. He took his jacket from the back of the chair and headed for the door. 

“Oh run away like you always do. You never want to settle anything. You’re just too chicken.” She threw his gloves and hat at him, pushing him toward the door. 

“You know what, fine. I don’t wanna fight especially with you. Goodbye.” Andy walked out of the room, leaving Melissa alone.