The Day She Returned

[macmillian]

The sun had been up now for about an hour. Two cups of coffee hadn't taken the edge off my hunger. Right now it was turning towards food as I realized that I had skipped dinner and only had a light snack before retiring.

I looked over, for what must have been the hundreth time in the last hour, at the Johnson's house and saw that the car was still parked in the driveway. I hoped it was her car, Alana's, for I was hoping on seeing her today. I folded up the newspaper, picked up my empty cup and went back inside. I glanced over one last time before sliding the door closed.

Upstairs I disrobed and stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over me. It felt good and after about ten minutes I stepped out and towled myself off and quickly dressed. Dark Charcoal gray slacks and a light blue golf shirt and a white sweater.

I picked up my keys and wallet and walked out into the garage and hit the door opener. I backed out my restored '56 Chevy Nomad, my pride and joy, and clicked the garage door control and waited until it was closed and secured.

I backed slowly out into the street and turned to head towards downtown.

"Should I stop next door first or wait untill after breakfast.............Damn!............I Turned the Nomad into her driveway and parked behind the car that was already there." BOY! What was I thinking as I got out of the and walked up to the front door.

I stood there for what seem like an eternity before I rang the door bell.

...............Bong...Bong....Bong..........!

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana walked out into the living room, having heard Joe moving around some. " Hey.........I'm sorry. I keep giving you excuses about why I did what I did but I haven't given you a chance to respond to them. Please, don't go Joe. Besides where are you going to go, your truck is at the bar." She smiled at him then made her way to the couch with two plates of eggs and bacon.

Just as she was about to sit down on the couch and have a serious talk with Joe, the doorbell rang. " Who the.............That better not be Hayden." She mumbled some then went to the door and opened it a little. To her surprise, it was her old neighboor, Cliff! She instantly hugged him tightly and looked at him, " Oh my gosh! Its been too long!! How have you been?! Please come in. I made you an omelet." Alana practically pulled Cliff in then looked back at Joe with a small smile. " Joe, remember my old neighboor Cliff? "

 

[gagonthis]

Joe nearly swore out loud as the doorbell rang. This was becoming frustrating for him. He didn't know what to make of everything that had been happening and it seemed like she was distracted by something else every five minutes. Well I guess I can't have her all to myself when she just came back into town he thought as he sighed, reaching down to take a bite of his bacon. Still just the way I like it he thought nice and crispy.

Joe laughed as Alana asked if he remembered Cliff. "YOU'RE the one who's been gone for five years remember? Not me." He smiled as he shook Cliff's hand. "How you doing today Cliff? That transmission still working out well on your old Nomad? I told you we'd be able to find the part, hope it wasn't too much trouble getting it installed." He liked Cliff, the old retired football player had always sort of been a second coach to him, taught him a lot of what he knew about the finer points of the game. Any other time he'd have gladly chatted up Cliff for hour's about who he thought was going to take the big one home, especially since the NFL season started last Thursday. But right now, though he was polite, Joe was a little frustrated to see Cliff and he felt he was never going to get a chance to really talk things out with Alana.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana looked at Joe and noted the frustration in his face then she looked back at Cliff with a smile. " Hey Cliff, we were actually just about to eat breakfast. I'll bring you by some good breakfast in an hour or so. It was good to see you again." She smiled and hugged Cliff again then shut the door quietly once he left. Alana had to work things out with Joe, she just had too.

She looked at Joe then forced a smile at him as she sat down on the couch. She knew Joe was going to say some things that were going to be hurtful to her but she was ready for it. Alana needed to hear exactly how he felt. She took a small bite of her eggs as she waited for him to sit back down.

 

[gagonthis]

Joe said his goodbyes to Cliff, happy that it seemed ALana was finally going to give him some time to talk to her and understand everything that was going on. Joe also dreaded being alone with her again, afraid of what he might say or not say to her. How did he really feel... he wasn't sure, he knew he still loved her, but could he trust her? He wanted to believe she was back for good, but what if she'd changed? She didn't seem to have, but five years makes a person a lot different. Especially after highschool. Maybe she'd moved beyond Joe. He sighed osftly as he thought of that because he had never moved beyond her. He knew he'd take her back in a heartbeat if she were sincere, but he didn't know if she could be...
He sat back down o nthe couch, and took another bite of his breakfast while staring at her. Finally he opened his mouth to try and talk, but couldn't think of anything to say. He closed his mouth and thought hard for a minute, nothing coming to mind. "Sooo...." He said, having nothing else his brain could put together coherently.

 

[macmillian]

"ohhh! HI Joe," I responded as I gave Alana a hug. "The Nomads doing just fine. It's out in the drieway now. Taking her out for a spin ." Sorry didn't mean to bust in .........."Yahhh.....OHhh... OK, No breakfast, Have to run into town for awhile. See you this afternoon."

Bye Joe, bye Alana, See you later as the door closed.

Damn, Didn't expect that. Joe was a surprise. But not really. I should have figured. I walked back to the Nomad and headed into town. Breakfast first and then a stop by the office. Maybe a stop by Betty's for one of her famous burgers and fries. Another boring day......But I'll see her, Alana, later and then things may get better.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana looked at him and nodded a little then slid her plate away from her having only taken a few bites. She didn't have much of an appetite this morning but she had expected that. " Joe we need to talk. Please tell me how you feel. I'm the same Alana, talk to me." Her eyes looked at him as if she was begging for him to open up his heart to her.

She hadn't changed at in the 5 years that she had been. She was still the same Alana, just older and wiser. While she was in the city, she had dated other guys of course but none of them compared to the way Joe use to treat her. Alana had missed Joe more and more as the days went on but she had become to scared to come back and visit him. Too scared of what he might say and to scared that he may have been married and forgotten about her. She sighed softly and looked at him sadly.

 

[gagonthis]

Joe finally found his words. "Alright. I'll tell you." He tried to keep his voice level, he wasn't going to lose his emotions for this. He wouldn't get mad. He wouldn't end up blubbering again. He took a deep breathe. "I still love you Alana. You're still the only girl who has ever had a place in my heart. For five long years I've sat around wondering what became of you, what I did to drive you away. I know you say you didn't want me to see you broken, but that's not what I felt. I felt like I had done something wrong, that made you see you were not happy with me, like I wasn't supportive enough after the horrible accident." He sighed as he remembered how broken up she had been. "I know it was a tough time for you, and I understand, hell I could even understand running away. But to not contact me for five years? That's a long time to leave me wondering if you're even still alive. Then you roll back into town and tell me you still care about me. And I believe you. I believe you still care, and I believe you still love me and still want me to be part of your life, broken or not." He glared at his prosthetic leg. "And I want to be with you again. Even if you hurt me, I know you're the only girl I'll ever feel this way about. But I can't be with you if I can't trust you. I need to know that you're never going to do this again. I need to know that you really truly want me in your life and that you aren't going to run out on me when things get tough. Because I can't allow myself to be setup for hurt again. I signed up for hte military because I felt I had something to prove, I had to prove I still had self-worth because I needed something to fill the void that you felt when you ran out on me. I need to know that it's not going to happen again, and I need to know that you really do still love me." He took a deep breathe. There. He'd said it. He felt a bit better and stared into her eyes, awaiting her response.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana nodded as he told exactly how he felt about what she did then she cringed as he glared at his prosthetic leg. She didn't cringe because it bothered her, she cringed because she felt that his prosthetic leg was her fault but she would love him no matter what.

Then as Joe went on about how he would take her back and how much he did in fact love her, her heart nearly stopped. She couldn't believe it! Even after what she had done to him, he still loved her and she still loved him. It was from that point on, that she made a silent promise to herself to never leave his side again and never hurt him in any way.

"Joe...............I'm not leaving again. I don't want to go anywhere else but here. Everything I love is here, you are here. I want you to see me broken and vulnerable because I know now, that no matter what, you will be there to help hold me up. You were there then and I was to blind to see it. I love you Joe, with all my heart. I'm not me without you. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere ever again unless you're by myside." She looked at him, wanting to reach out and hug him tightly, wanting to kiss him but she didn't want to move to fast with him. She was still unsure about whether or not he would believe her. She could only pray that he would.

 

[gagonthis]

Joe sighed, he'd gotten all his feeling out on the table and she hadn't gotten upset at what he had to say, and she hadn't tried to defend her actions. That was good, that she was willing to accept what he had to say. Joe was sighing though because he was at an impasse now. He had told her everything he had to say but he still didn't know whether or he could trust her. He wanted to believe she wouldn't leave him again, and he even felt deep inside that he could trust her, but he was too tired and hungover to really explore that feeling, instead he sat there trying to figure out what to do next.
She looked at him lovingly and he stared back at her, his brow narrowed in thought. He looked at his watch quickly, seeing he needed to get back home if he was going to make it into the shop on time. He was sure his dad wouldn't mind if he was late if he said he had been working things out with Alana, but at the same time Joe wanted a little more time to think about all the things that had happened. He knew that he wanted Alana back. You don't suffer for five years over a girl and then just let the chance to have her back in your life pass by because you were scared. He got up, pretending to stumble over his prosthetic leg so she'd come offer her help. When she got near he drew her into a hug, and kissed her on the cheek. "I've got to go home to get ready for work." He read the disappointment and hurt in her eyes, she probably thought he was turning her away. "But I will be back here, after work, to pick you up. We're going to go to Betty's and then I'm taking you dancing. Just like all those years ago."

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana sighed contently when he pulled her into her arms then she smiled and kissed his cheek back. " Feels like home in your arms. I've missed you so much Joe. I don't think you'll ever know how sorry I am for hurting you. The only person I truly gave my heart to, I hurt more then I could realize. I'm not leaving again. I swear." She looked at him and smiled slightly as he mentioned Bettys then going dancing, just like they use to do when they were crazy kids. " Let me drive you to Travis'. Your truck is there remember?" She laughed then grabbed her car keys and headed out the front door with him.

 

[gagonthis]

"I was just going to take a cab." He smiled, happy she wanted to spend some more time with him, He almost felt like he was making a list in his head of all the things she was doing to look over later and decide if she truly wanted to be back in his life again. He chuckled at the thought, a lot of them have been in the good category he noted happily. He found his boots and tugged them on and trudged out to her car. It was surprisingly chill outside and he regretted not having something warm to wear. He'd grab something back at his place before he went to the shop. He looked over her car, not really having noticed it yesterday. "You say you're the same Alana you were before, but that Alana would never have been caught dead riding in this junker." He smiled playfully at her. "If you want I could take it in to the shop and lend you my truck for the day? I could give her a good looking over on the house?" He climbed inside, turned the heat up and sat back, relaxing his eyes as she drove out of the driveway.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana laughed as he made comments about her car then she looked over at him with a smile. " You're right. I wouldn't drive this car but its a rental. My car is in the dealership back in city having some work done on it. I got to get it tomorrow. You should come with me. I got to pick up some things from my job. I'm going to be working out of my parents house from now on." She smiled over at him then forced herself to look away from him. He was making her so much happier than she deserved to be right now.

After about 10 minutes, she pulled into the bar and parked next to his truck. " Now go home and take a shower cause you stink. Hey Joe, want to meet me somewhere for lunch?" She hoped he would say yes but she wasn't planning on it. Alana wanted to spend as much with him as possible but she also knew he wanted to be alone

 

[gagonthis]

Joe looked at the car and laughed. "This is a rental? Geez they must have seen you coming from a ways off." He smiled at her, feeling much happier than he did an hour ago. "I'm just kidding, I'm glad you haven't been driving this thing around, my dad would never forgive you." He smiled and tried his best to make a face like his dad did when he was upset. "No son of mine is gonna be fraternizing with a woman who drives an import!" He laughed again. He was a little surprised when she asked him to accompany her into the city. "Well I'll see if I can get the time off, but I should be able to, that is if you really want me to come with you." He felt pangs of insecurity again, but was luckily able to hide them as they pulled into Travis' as that moment. He was glad to see his truck was still there and none the worse for wear. Even in this town he never felt entirely comfortable leaving his truck anywhere.

He put on a fake angry face when she told he stunk. "It's not my fault! That couch was stinky and it just rubbed off on me!" He stuck his tongue out at her then winked at her. "Lunch? Yeah I don't get lunch till like 1 today, does that work alright for you? In any case, I'd love to spend some more time with you today, so just swing by the shop a little before 1 and we can go." With that he leaned over and kissed her cheek again before hopping out and going into the bar to settle his tab from the night before. He walked in and saw Travis was working again. "Jesus, don't you ever take a day off?" Joe asked him, smiling big as he reached into his pants to pull out his wallet. "Well, we been working hard to get this whole restaurant during the day thing open so I've been having to pull a lot of double shifts." Travis said, taking Joe's preoffered cash. "Even though you're the boss?" Joe asked increduously. "Especially since I'm the boss." Travis responded. "So you have an alright night of it last night then?"
"Actually the night wasn't that great, mostly just confused and a felt a little sick. The morning however, different story, despite a killer hangover it's one of hte best I've had in a while, I'll tell you more later, I gotta get home and get ready for work. If Barney stops in tell him his truck should be all set to pick up today will ya?" Joe asked as he hurriedly headed towards the door waving goodbye to Travis. She wants to take me to the city and have lunch with me. He nearly skipped to his truck and quickly pulled out, driving fast for home.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

"Of course I want you to go with me!" She laughed slight as he faked an angry face with her. Alana knew Joe to well. She knew when he was bullshiting with her and he was definitely bullshiting. " I remember your dad always being against Imports. I remember when my parents brought me the Honda Civic for my 16th birthday. Your dad almost had a heartattack when we showed up together in that." She laughed some then kissed his cheek back as he got out of the car. Alana watched him for a minute then smiled to herself and pulled out of the bar parking lot then headed back to her parents house.

Alana pulled into the driveway of her parents house then headed inside with a smile. She cleaned up their plates from the coffee table and headed into the kitchen with them. After cleaning up the kitchen, she jogged upstairs to get ready for lunch with Joe even though it was hours away. She wanted to look her best for him but she was dreading going to the garage. Alana didn't know how his dad would react to her coming back. His dad had always loved her but she had also broken his sons heart.

 

[gagonthis]

Joe made it home and changed into his work clothing, a pair of oil stained carhartt's and a dark blue dickie's jacket. He arrived at work a little bit later, hobbling in trying to find his dad to apologize. "Sorry I'm late Dad, it's just...." he started to say "Don't worry about it Joe, Barney came in earlier to get his truck and told me all about it. So you ran into Alana eh?" His dad asked, searching his son's face for an emotional reaction. "Yeah... yeah I did. It really was a shock. I didn't handle it too well, I sort of broke down and left Betty's in a hurry, ended up on the football field, where she caught up to me. We had a little heart to heart, but she had to leave in a hurry. I guess I wasn't prepared for everything so I went and got a little drunk." Joe blushed slightly. "A little drunk??" His dad laughed at him. "Barney told me he'd never seen anyone put down so many drinks so quickly. And he also said Alana came and took you home?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. "Yeah, we had it out a little last night, but this morning we sat down and talked about everything and well... she's coming to take me to lunch today, She told me she wants me back, I just don't know if I could stand being hurt again." His father nodded understanding. "I always liked Alana, you know that, and I was crushed when she left you, she was practically a part of this family, but I trust you to make the right decision son, you know I'll stand behind you no matter what." He smiled at Joe. "Oh I almost forgot," Joe said, turning back to his dad, "Could I get tomorrow off? I need to go into the city with Alana and help her get her things in order to move back here." Joe's dad laughed, it was a laugh Joe hadn't heard very much recently, the warm laugh of a father pleased with his child. "Well it looks like you've practically already made your decision about Alana," He said and Joe blushed again. "Yeah I can probably get Virgil to come in tomorrow, hasn't been very busy lately anyhow. Now get to work." He clapped Joe on the back and sent him off.

The day couldn't possibly go by any slower for Joe. Every few minutes he'd lose himself in memories of something or other about Alana and have to shake himself back to reality. Not that it was that big an issue, as there was almost no work to be done today. Joe spent a lot of time polishing tools and cleaning up the garage, willing the clock to go faster, THe clock hit 9:30 AM then five hours later it seemed it was 10:30 AM, finally Joe came up from doing an oil change on Mrs. Sanford's old buick and saw it was 12:30. He smiled, knowing Alana would be here soon.

 

[BRIGHTWELL]

The Day She Returuned

Andy returned home and saw Alana's car was in the drive. I wonder? We never really had hung out when we were younger, she allways had a steady.
I wonder if Alana would like to go to the game this weekend? I could check with Cliff they were close, as I remember. And he was a football coach, maybe he can give me some pointers I may have missed....SMU was a long time ago.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana smiled widely as she walked out of her parents house and over to the car that the dealership had given her as a rental. It was a little Nissan Sentra but it was no comparison to her 2006 Nissan Maxima that was currently at the dealership having some work done on it. She was dressed in a light pink halter top, tight blue jean pants and some light pink stilhettos to match. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was down for a change.

She climbed into her car and headed for the garage that Joe's dad owned. Within 15 minutes, she was walking inside the main office of the garage and looking around some. She stepped into the garage and spotted Joe with a smile, his back was facing her. Alana walked up behind him quietly then covered his eyes with her hands and leaned in close to him. " Guess who Joe?"

 

[gagonthis]

Joe had turned back to finish up Mrs. Sanfrod's car, checking the dipstick to make sure the right amount of oil was in. He heard Virgil drop something heavy across the garage and laughed as he wiped the dipstick off. Virgil had a tendancy to be clumsy. Joe also heard the click of heels coming into the garage and figured his dad must have told Mrs. Sanford her car was done. He hurried to screw the cap back on the oil repositary and quickl wiped his hands off on a shammy cloth he had sitting on the other side of the engine bay. He straightened, prepared to tell Mrs. Sanford what had been done to her car when he felt a pair of hands on his eyes, he was momentarily startled but then chuckled deeply.
" Guess who Joe?"
"Why Mrs. Sanford, I never knew you felt this way about me." He said smiling. "And might I add you smell ravishing Mrs. Sanford, much better than I would have expected a 45 year old schoolteacher to smell." He laughed as he pulled Alana's hands off his eyes and took in the sight of her. "Holy Cow! I can see why Virgil over there is getting all butterfingers." He laughed as Virgil flipped him off, faking mock rage. "Baby, you just can't come waltzing into a garage dressed like that, you'll distract all these busy people from their important tasks." He blushed a little when he realized he had just called her baby. "Though I'll let you have a free pass today since you're going to take me out to lunch and we're not exactly busy at the moment." He gazed across the mostly empty garage and shrugged. "Come on, I need to get washed up and change." He smiled adoringly at her as his eyes took her in, noting, not for the first time since she came back, that was still just as beautiful as always.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana laughed and rolled her eyes, " You can't blame his clumsiness on me. Thats just not fair." She smiled and looked at Virgil then waved a little before looking back at Joe. A small smile crept across her lips as he called her baby, it was always such a cute pet name coming from his lips and no one elses. " Yeah hurry and cleaned up. You look like you went swimming in grease. "

She headed inside with him then waved at Virgil again, "Bye Virgil. See you later. I won't have him out to late, I promise." Alana rolled her eyes slightly at the comment that Virgil made but thankfully Joe didn't hear it. Virgil had always been a little over playful but never meant any harm. " Come on Joe, I'm starving. I'm about to go by myself." She laughed and sat down on a chair in the waiting room.

 

[gagonthis]

Joe's Dad

Joe turned and headed for the men's room, determined to clean his hands and face off as much as possible. He grabbed his bag from his locker and unpacked the change of clothes he'd brought, trying to hurriedly change into the polo shirt and faded old blue jeans he'd had for since Alana and Joe first started going out.

Meanwhile while Alana sat in the waiting room with Mrs. Sanford, Joe's dad came back from his own lunch. Mrs. Sanford waved him over and asked if her car was rady. Joe's Dad indicated it was, but asked her to wait a moment as he walked over to Alana. He stood and looked down at her, smiling. "Alana, it's good to see you're still all in one piece." He made small talk with her for a little bit before getting to the point. "Alana, all I wanted to tell you was that when you left this town you ran out on a lot of good people who cared about you. It broke my son's heart, and I can tell you it didn't make us feel too good either. It was almost like losing a member of our own family. So I just wanted to say that while I'm glad to see you back in town, I don't want to see my son hurt again. He says you two have had a long conversation about this, so I trust my son to make the right decisions, I always have, and I trust you to treat him right. He's been lost since you left, so maybe it'll do him good to have you back." He pulled her to her feet and gave her a hug. "It's good that you're back in town. Your parents would be glad you're back. Just make sure to treat my son well. Oh, and get rid of that trashheap you're driving soon." He smiled at her as he went over to help Mrs. Sanford get squared away.

Joe came hurrying out of the bathroom nearly tripping and falling on his face as he worked his pants on the rest of the way and checked the collar on his shirt. "All ready." He announced, moving to stand beside her and waving bye to his dad. "So did he have anything to say?" Joe asked nervously indictating his father.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

Alana listened to the semi-harsh words from his father but they were all true and she knew they were. She hugged him back tightly and nodded slightly, " I know I messed up before but I was young and stupid. I've realized what I did to everyone I care about and I am truly sorry for hurting everyone, especially Joe. But this town is stuck with me now. So is your son. I'm not going to hurt him again. I couldn't bring myself to do it again. I'll see you later." She smiled and hugged his dad once more before he walked off with Mrs. Sanford.

She looked to Joe and smiled then looked up at Joe with a shake of her head, "Nope, nothing. Just small talk and a hug. The usual from your dad. Now lets go. I'm so hungry." Alana looked at Joe then walked out of the garage waiting room with Joe behind her. She climbed inside the car then drove away once he was situated on the passenger seat. " Where do you want to eat?"

 

[gagonthis]

Joe kept getting distracted. He'd look over, to say something or other and would find himself rendered speechless when he'd look at her. She's just like he remembered, even more sexy maybe he thought to himself. "Hmmmm eat, I don't know, I'd normally just go to Betty's but we're going to be going there tonight." He laughed. "How about Travis'? He's been working really hard the past few weeks to get a restaurant off the ground during the day to bring in some extra cash and I'm a little curious to see how he's done. Plus having a beer sounds good right now. Don't worry I'll just have one." He chuckled. "I really like your hair like that. You look really good."

He was a little nervous inside. He realized that he was falling again. And hard. His walls were completely down now, and there was nothing he could do to put them back up. And she had gotten more beautiful with each passing year, which also made him a little insecure. Joe knew he wasn't bad looking, but looking down at his prosthetic leg he knew he also hadn't kept the same looks since highschool as she had, his leg making him feel like a completely different person.

 

[ChaosDAmore]

She smiled and laughed, " Yeah only one. I am so not picking you up again at 2 in the morning. So Travis has opened a restaurant as well. This should be interesting but I'm sure it'll be delicious." Alana ran her fingers through her hair and looked at it some as she pulled into the parking lot of Travis'. " You really like my hair like this? I just blow dried it this morning. Nothing special. Maybe I'll do it more often for you."

Alana sighed softly as she caught him staring at his prosthetic leg again then she leaned over and placed her hand on his cheek. " Joe, look at me." She waited for his eyes to meet hers then she simply smiled, " I love you Joe. No matter what. I love you." She kissed his cheek then climbed out of the car with a smile on her face. Alana walked over to the passenger side of the car and waited for Joe to get out of the car. " Did you get tomorrow off by the way? It'll be so much fun if you did. I can't wait to spend the whole day with you tomorrow. It'll be the best."

 

[gagonthis]

<double posted, sorry>