Episode 9: From Sparks to Chuck
Neither of us spoke. I looked at her and she looked at me. Slowly our hands extended out onto the table top until they touched. Electricity shot up my arms again. Sally jumped. “What was that?” she said.
“Sparks,” I answered.
She stared at me. “Sparks, you felt sparks?”
“Yes, right up my arm and into my heart.”
“Slow down, Jack. This is all new to me. I’ve never…you know… never felt sparks before and I don’t think I ever caused any sparks. What Chuck felt was more in the vein of pure lust. I admit to liking him for a while, but there were no sparks.”
“What do you want me to do, Sally?” I said and withdrew my hands from her grasp. “I never felt this kind of thing before either and I don’t know what it is but I know I am very much attracted to you. Smitten, as they say in Alabama.”
“Let’s finish our drinks and you take me home. I need to think about this and I need to talk to my mother.”
“Alright. Will you be at Ray’s Monday morning?”
“No, I’ll be in classes all day Monday. I’ll work the lunch shift Tuesday.”
“I’ll have lunch at Ray’s on Tuesday, then.”
Sally quickly changed the subject to college and whether I should entertain the idea of enrolling for the summer session and start my goal of teaching and coaching. The drinks ran out and so did the conversation. Reluctantly, I paid the check and helped Sally put her coat on. The ride to her house was strangely subdued compared to what it had been previously. Sally pointed out various landmarks with a few historical facts thrown in as we drove through town. There was an obvious elephant in the car with us.
I walked her to the front door and we stood under a bright porch light. I wanted to touch her, hold her. Truth be told, I wanted to kiss her. She kept her palms between us and kept the conversation brief, though pleasant. I knew she was in turmoil just as I was. That electricity that passed between us was neither fake nor put on. We obviously made good chemistry together. Why was it scaring her?
She opened the door and went inside. Nothing was said about church so I forgot it. I stood there for a minute, frozen in mind and body. I looked at my watch. We were back half an hour early. But what a night it had turned out to be.
I felt the start of a new snow fall. It was coming down pretty hard. I started back to my Chevy and after a few feet the porch light went out. Turned out I didn’t need the light as suddenly my car and the sidewalk were lit up by a set of headlights. I stepped onto the street and reached for the car door. The car stopped and a figure climbed out of the vehicle. I didn’t need spotlights to recognize Chuck’s bright yellow street rod.
Chuck stepped in front of his headlights which gave me a clear view of his body outline. The falling snow had picked up in intensity. I was happy for my new hat but decided to toss it into the car. I turned the car door loose and took a couple of steps towards Chuck so as to give myself some room and to meet him head on. I had no doubts as to why he was there. I had been expecting to see Chuck and to be confronted by him over Sally. I had thought his pride would keep it between the two of us and sure enough he was alone.
We were about the same size and both of us were in good physical shape. I had wrestled in high school but I didn’t know about him. Was he just a football jock or an all-around athlete like me? Maybe I could talk him out of a confrontation. He came closer and I could smell the beer. Not a good sign, for sure.
“This isn’t necessary, Chuck. One or both of us could get hurt and either way it won’t change the fact that Sally doesn’t want anything to do with you. I’m not sure she wants anything to do with either of us.”
“I told you to stay away from her, you and your southern drawl. That’s all I’ve heard since you came here. You’ve got Sally and Madeline all gog-eyed and probably half the other girls who’ve heard you talk.”
“I’m only interested in one of those girls. You can forget about any interest in the rest as far as I’m concerned.”
“I don’t care who you are interested in as long as it isn’t Sally. I going to warn you one last time. Will you leave her alone or will I have to stop you?”
“I’ll let her decide, and now I’m going to warn you. You leave me alone or you’ll regret it.”
The two of us stood there in the cold, neither moving and the conversation died. Snow blew in thin, needling sheets across the quiet street, settling on the shoulders of our heavy winter coats. The streetlamp above us flickered, throwing long shadows on the pavement as the two of us squared off, breath steaming in the cold.
Without warning, Chuck stepped in fast, swinging a punch born more of anger than technique. I barely got my arm up in time. Chuck’s gloved fist glanced off my cheekbone, but it was enough to sting and cut and leave a bruise blooming under my skin. Then he staggered a half‑step, boots slipping on the icy pavement.
That was all the invitation I needed.
I lunged forward, grabbing the front of Chuck’s coat and driving him backward. We slammed together, shoulders cracking, boots scraping for traction. Snow crunched under us as we wrestled, each trying to muscle the other down. Our coats made everything clumsy—fabric tearing at seams, collars twisting, fists gripping whatever they could catch.
A misstep on the slick pavement sent us both crashing to the ground. The impact temporarily knocked the wind out of the two of us, and we rolled through the thin layer of snow, scattering it in messy whirls. I felt the sting of pavement scrape across my knuckles and cheek, sharp enough to leave red marks beneath the cold. There were red spots on the snow but it was impossible to tell whose blood it might be.
We grappled hard—no finesse now, just stubborn strength and raw determination not to be the one who yielded. Our breaths came in harsh bursts, fogging the air between us.
Then the tide shifted.
I managed to slip an arm under Chuck’s chin, using leverage rather than force. I rolled my arm planting my weight across Chuck’s back and pinning him to the cold pavement. My forearm pressed across Chuck’s throat—not crushing, but tight enough to restrict his movement and make his breathing shallow. Snowflakes melted on our faces as the struggle between us narrowed to small, desperate motions.
Chuck’s boots scraped uselessly against the pavement. His gloved hands clawed at my coat sleeve that was holding him down. His breath hitched, caught between the pressure I was applying and the sharp cold.
Finally, he slapped the pavement with his palm—a sharp, unmistakable signal.
I eased the pressure a little. “If I let you up will you leave?”
Chuck let out a low groan. “I’ll leave, Jack, but this isn’t the end of this. Sally is still my girl and you are in the way. Leave her alone and I’ll leave you alone, otherwise I’ll be back.”
“The situation with Sally is hers to decide. Not mine and certainly not yours. You bother me again and you won’t be able to leave. I won’t stop, do I make myself clear?”
“I hear you southern boy, but did you hear me?”
“You don’t scare me, Chuck. Just get up and go. Leave Sally and me alone. Find another girl. By the way, I think Madeline likes you.”
Leave a comment