Jūsų dėmesiui tęsiu pirmąjį savo parašytą romaną, kuris yra išleistas pavadinimu „Raudonos Rožės“, o čia nuskambėjo kaip Tikra meilė.

….TĘSINYS….

            She was a little scared. It‘s all right, I‘ll persuade her to relax, Larry thought. We are planning to get married, after all… I don‘t think we are going to sleep even without embracing each other…

            „Sure, Eva,” he said, “take your time, I‘ll come back in ten minutes.”

 ●○●

            Eva was lying on the edge, with her blanket drawn up high. Larry turned off the light and slipped under the blanket. He moved closer to the girl, but Eva did not wiggle. 

           „Are you asleep?”

           She did not answer. It‘s a pity, Larry thought, she fell asleep before I came… He gave a deep sigh. It‘s a shame that will not be able to hug you so tight.

           He backed up and lied down on his back comfortably, put his arms under his head. Let her take a rest, he thought. Perhaps she will wake up later? And then… She will definitely not get away from my arms… I‘ll give it a hard try. What is she afraid of? Just think of it… He smiled. The further it goes, the more her special trays are evident. She is just a piece of gold.

          He rested and listened to crepitating grasshoppers. That night was full of sounds. His friends were in deep dreams and Larry stayed silently in bed and could not fall asleep yet. How can you sleep peacefully when the girl you love so much is next to you? That black-haired beauty…She so simple and exiting at the same time… Larry did not even give it a try to fall asleep. Eva lay on her back; her nice face turned to Larry. He gloated over Eva in her sweet sleep; he wanted to touch her, kiss her red lips, but he did not want to wake her up.

          May be I could cuddle to her somehow, he was thinking. I am not going to torture myself like this for the whole night, am I? He gave it a try. He put aside his blanket and carefully, so not to disturb her, got closer. She did not move. Good, he thought, I‘m half way through. And what is now? Yes… Now I should try to place my arm above her head and wait for her to turn. 

          Larry waited for a good while, but finally he attained his aim – when she turned on another side she got in his embrace. She mumbled something and dropped her arm on Larry‘s body. She was in deep sleep.  Larry carefully straightened up and relaxed.   

           It was worth waiting, he thought. Now I can have a nap. It’s high time for a sleep now. Larry closed his eyes. He could feel Eva‘s even and light breathing at his chest. It gave a soothing effect. Thoughts were scattering away… Then Larry felt that was falling asleep.

           Something stirred in his arms. Still sleeping the guy understood that it was Eva.

          “Are you awake?” he asked still drowsing. Larry did not expect to hear a reply, he intended to have some more sleep.

           “Yes,” she answered. “You are not asleep, are you?”

            Then he was fully awakened. He opened his eyes and looked up to Eva. She was looking straight in his eyes. The look was shameful. Larry smiled. “How can I be asleep when I‘ve got you in my arms?”

           “But how did I get…”

           “I know how to get what I want, and now you owe me a kiss.”

           “I was waiting for you last night, but my weariness took over me. Sorry.”

            “Never mind, perhaps, it had to be like this. I love you…”

            She kept silent. She looked thoughtful, and her face was clouded with sadness.

            “What is it?” Larry inquired. “What does upset you?”

             “I remembered of my mother… She thinks that I am with Paula and if only she knew…”

              “Cheer up, Eva… You gave her a call and she bought Edna’s story.”

             “That‘s what bothers me. Not all of fairy tales have happy ends…”

              “Please, don‘t worry,” Larry stroke through her hair, “I hope you will get away with it this time as well. Let‘s not spoil this first morning of ours. Your kiss is my greatest desire now, Eva. Give me a smile, darling… You are not mad at me that you woke up in my embrace this morning, are you?”

              “No, I‘m not! Not at all… Perhaps, I didn‘t have to let you get close to me last night. But I‘m not angry now. You know what,” her eyes sparkled with happiness, “it‘s so wonderful to get up in the arms of your sweetheart.”

              “See? Didn‘t I tell you that? Let‘s enjoy this, Eva. I hope everything will be all right with your mother.”

             Her face became cloudy again. She loosened herself from Larry‘s arms. “I feel worried, Larry.”

            Larry realized that she felt sore about it. “What is bothering you,” Larry became disappointed. “I have got a feeling that you are not going to give me a kiss.”

            Eva looked at Larry and frowned. “You are, in a way,” she replied. 

            “Eva, darling,” Larry sat up and fixed his look at her without a clue what she was talking about. “Me? What have I done wrong?”

            “Nothing, but I cannot forget Arnold‘s jokes about somebody called Laura. Who is she?”

            Larry almost got in shock. Here it is again, he thought. We cleared everything up yesterday and she… “Come on, Eva, stop kidding,” Larry got a little angry and dropped back to his side of bed. He stared at the lamp. “I don‘t know any Laura…”

            “But Larry, since Arnold has mentioned her, it means there must be something,” she nodded her head. “He never speaks without any reason, even if he jokes.”

            Larry did not know what to do. Should he tell her all the truth, or keep silent. It’s all Arnold‘s big mouth. I have to do something about making her to forget this. Laura cannot shade our future. 

             “Sweetheart,” he said softly. His face was so close that Eva even got rattled. Larry was stroking her hair. “There is nothing else I can think of, just you. I want you to marry me. Don‘t you believe me? I want to grow old together with you, dear. I want to have a flock of kids. If not a flock of them, then a little Eva and a little Larry at least. Eva, the only thing I can think of is just we and just we. My little tiger, I burn with love to you, trust me…” 

             Right away, he decided to prove his love to her. He wanted to kiss her. His lips were looking for hers, though Eva tried to escape it. When their lips met, she still tried to get away, but the passion took over her. The girl twined around his neck and sucked into his lips, stroking his hair.  

             There was a door opened on the second floor. Steps and voices of Arnold with Edna could be heard.

             “I do love you, Eva. Do you understand? If Arnold‘s words about Laura bothers you, this means that you love me too.” In a short moment, he found his blanked and slipped under it. “Pretend that you are asleep,” Larry gave her a wink, “before they spotted us.”

               It took them a moment to get to the different sides of their sofa and closed their eyes. 

               “Good morning, sleepyheads,” Edna greeted them. “Are you still in bed?”

              “We have not agreed on the time when to get up,” Larry answered, still dizzy of the passionate kiss.

              “Then hurry up, I could eat a horse,” Arnold urged on yawning. “Just have a look at this beautiful morning…”

               “Eva, you look indefinite somehow,” Edna said, “Didn‘t you play Romeo and Juliet last night?”

                “Are you kidding,” Eva got embarrassed, “we slept the sleep of the just.”

               “Well, well, I doubt it, since they are still in bed,” Arnold cut in, “you can never be sure…”

              “We are good kids,” Larry objected to it and looked at Eva. She looked tempting. She was hot, and her eyes shined… If Edna and Arnold were not here, he automatically found himself thinking, who knows if it would have ended just with kisses…?

              “Enough of suspicions!” Eva cut it down.

               Everybody stared at her with surprise, but Eva could not keep it up any longer. She burst out into a loud laugh.

              “What are you staring at? Do you think I‘ve got angry? I‘m just kidding.” She looked at Larry. “See, what kind of humorless friend you‘ve got… He does not understand jokes…”

              Larry understood that it was a stone cast at Arnold.

             “What an actress,” Arnold wondered. “I truly believed that you had got angry… You should star in movies…”

              “We both could do this,” Eva shot back.

              “Come on,” Edna cut in, “we are going outside and you can get dressed.”

               “And hurry up,” Arnold tried to say it in an ordering tone, still recovering after Eva‘s trick. He gave a hug to Edna. “She is a good actress, I really believed in her anger…See, Edna, even I can get cheated… I cannot believe it…”

              Larry and Eva were left alone.  

             “Well, Larry, what do you say?”

              “It was very assuredly, did you pretended indeed?”

            “I was kind of angry at first, but then I applied his own method… Didn‘t you get it too?”

            “I‘m proud of you. One has to fight for his love, and not to listen to somebody‘s abuses.”

            “That‘s exactly what I did, Larry.”

 

●○●

              The yard was swimming in the morning light. The sky was shining like illuminated. It seemed that only that spot of the sky had that wonderful shine of porcelain. The four got in the red sports car and in an hour, they were driving along the central street of the town.  

             “So, when is the christening taking place?” Eva recalled yesterday’s topic. 

            “Indeed, we totally forgot about it for all that merry-making,” Larry added. “Moreover, we haven’t seen the little…”

           “Barbara,” Arnold refreshed his memory.

           “I miss my baby,” Edna got exited. “This is the first time I left her behind.”           

           “Really?” Eva could not believe it. “Do you spend all the days together?”

             “Yes, I do, and Arnold has other things to do: rehearsals, training.”

            “Barbara is my pride,” Arnold gave a proud statement, “she’s daddy’s picture. When you see her, Larry, you will make sure. She is with my parents now.”

           “Where do your parents live, Edna?”

           There was a silence. Edna did not answer it.

           “They are gone,” Arnold said. “They died in a car accident when Edna was eleven.”  

            “Oh, I’m sorry, Edna,” Eva apologized, “I didn’t know…” 

            “Neither did I. Arnold did never mention about it,” Larry tried to explain. “We apologize for our flub.”  

             “Listen here,” Arnold started, “if you are not in a hurry, and we could stop somewhere for a bite. Then we could discuss things.” 

              “I’m not in a hurry,” Larry replied. “How about you, Eva?”

              “I don’t thing something would happen, if my stay at my cousin’s place takes a little longer. I can go with my cousin shopping, can’t I?”

            “Aren’t you afraid that your parents may call Paula and get things straightened up?” Edna warned.

            “Sometimes mother tries to give me a fright, but she never takes over any actions.”

            “Then she trusts you, doesn’t she?”

            “I guess so…”

            “Very well, Larry,” Arnold cut in. “Turn to the right. They have good pizzas here.”

            Larry knew the pizzeria very well. He used to go there with Laura very often. Just nobody knew about it. He had never met any friends there, not even Arnold.    

            “Do you often come here?” Larry asked.

            “I’ve never been here before, but I‘ve heard they have good pizzas here and they offer quite a selection of them. Moreover, it’s not so expensive.”

            Larry did not want to go there. He was afraid of meeting Laura there; therefore, he tried to talk his friends out of their intention. “But there may be quite a lot of people,” he said, “at this time of the day.”

             “Then we would go to some other place.” Edna was optimistic. “It’s worth while going there, we wouldn’t refuse to give a try to a good pizza, would we?” 

            There were only three cars were parked at the pizzeria. Larry parked next to them. Damn it, he thought. Since the parking is empty, the same will be inside pizzeria. We have come here needlessly. There are many other nice places. Damn it!

             “Larry, hurry up,” Arnold urged.

            “Go ahead, I’ll catch up with you.”

            Larry wanted to enter the pizzeria alone. If Laura would be there, he would avoid unnecessary talking. She herself had brought Larry to this place. A few girls that he knew had been working there. Larry’s heart was beating wild. Damn it, damn it… I can feel she is here. If that’s really so, I’m not going inside. I’ll simply kind of vanish.

           “Larry, I’m waiting,” he heard a soft voice. “What are you looking for?” 

            He was riveted to the spot as if having set an eye on a ghost.

          “Larry, come on, hurry up. How long should they wait for us?”

           Only then did he realize that it was Eva’s voice. Is it her waiting for me? Thank God! I thought it was Laura. No, its no go, Larry thought, I have to relax! He stepped off the car and looked straight into Eva’s eyes.

            “Eva, what would I do without you,” he started flattering.

            “What? What’s wrong with you, Larry?” Eva could not understand Larry’s excitement. 

            “I don’t know. I guess I was looking for something, but I’m not sure what. Perhaps, it’s because I’m in love with you that I don’t know what I’m doing. I hope it will pass off and now we should catch up with them. What do you think?”

            Eva looked at him with her eyes wide open, still unable to understand his behavior. Larry took her by hand and pulled slightly. 

            “Eva, do you hear me? Let’s overtake them!”

            “Overtake?” She finally came back to reality. “Ah… Yes, of course, Larry, let’s run!”

            They ran like two lovers. Larry stopped at the door. “Wait, Eva, I want to kiss you.”

            “Go ahead,” the girl closed her eyes and exposed her lips playfully.

            Larry smacked her on her snub nose and then gave her a kiss holding her tight in his arms. “Now we can go in, darling.”

            When he got inside, Larry searched over the tables. He could not spot Laura anywhere. Some tables were occupied, one by Arnold and his wife among them.

             “Well, you don’t seem wasting your time,“ Arnold was teasing. “I bet you were smooching round the corner”.

            Eva blushed. She did not say a word.

            “Arnold, stop terrorizing them,” Edna interfered in discontent. “Leave them alone!” 

             “All right, all right, I was just kidding,” he was excusing himself. “Eva can understand jokes… Get seated comfortably, the pizza is on the way – with ham and cheese. Will it be okay for you?”

            “Very good choice,” Larry agreed, rubbing his hands. “We’ll get to the job right now!”  

            The pizza was very delicious. Everybody liked it. While they were eating food, the girls chatted like two foxes, just rarely joining the friends’ conversation. Arnold was telling Larry about his daughter. Now, when the secret was disclosed, he wanted to tell more about it. Obviously, he was very proud of his little daughter.  

            “You know, Larry, when Barbara will be eighteen, I’m going to be forty-one and her mammy is going to be thirty-five.”

            Edna heard Arnold’s words. “It’s very good. We will go to dancing together,” she added smiling. “Nobody will tell the difference, which one is the daughter and which one is the mother.”

            “Don’t worry, she won’t bother about dancing,” Arnold replied, “she will be an artist. She cannot live a day without a pencil and a piece of paper.”

           “That’s true,” Edna confirmed, “but may be we should be going, or are we going to order anything else?”

             “Let’s move,” Larry stirred up. He looked around when he remembered of his fear. 

             Almost all of the tables were occupied. Suddenly shivers went down his back. He stopped his attentive look at the girl sitting in the distant corner. No, it‘s not her, he thought. Larry felt a relief and got up from his place. Larry wanted to leave that place as soon as possible, because the environment raised unpleasant recollections about Laura. Perhaps Eva would never forgive him, if she would make sure that Laura existed in reality.   

 

●○●

            Overcast midday was floating above the houses. Smiling, all four left the pizzeria. Larry grabbed Eva and put his arms around her after he had kissed her. Chatting cheerfully, they went towards the car. Arnold and Edna were going in front.

             Suddenly Arnold stopped and turned around. “Listen, Larry,” a question flashed on his face.

            “What is it? You‘ve turned pale.”

            “Listen,” he came up closer and took Larry further from the girls, who had started discussing something. “Who is sitting in your car there?”

            Larry suddenly turned back to check. “I thought so, that this had to happen some time,” he said facing his friend. He seemed to be very scared. “Damn it, what on earth brought us here? What am I supposed to tell Eva now?” Larry got into panic. He was squeezing his fingers. He seemed to be about to burst into tears.   

            “But who is sitting there?”

            “Laura,“ Larry mumbled angrily, “I must have left the door unlocked and she made use of it. I guess she wanted to make a surprise for me. Damn her…”

            “Trust me,” Arnold said in his patter, “I‘ll take the girls somewhere and you get rid of that Laura at last.” Having explained the plan quickly, Arnold called out. “Girls!“  

             “What happened, Arnold?” Edna asked.

             “Have you got any new ideas?” Eva cheered up.

            “Yes, dear,” Larry squeezed a humble smile.

              “You know, I‘ve got something for you,” Arnold burst out into talking with inspiration. “Let‘s go quicker.” Arnold took both girls by their waists and hurried back to the pizzeria. 

            “Larry, come,” Eva called and waved to Larry without turning her face to him. Probably Arnold was holding her so tight that she even couldn‘t turn around. 

             “Coming, coming,” Larry called out, but he stayed on the same spot until they disappeared behind the door. Everything goes well, he thought. Soon I‘ll get rid of this pretender for ever. Larry was furious. 

            “Laura, get lost from here right now,” Larry snapped out with anger as soon as he opened the driver‘s door.

             “You want to get rid of me,” she said in a depressed voice. “I saw you… You have another girlfriend. Why, Larry?”

              He was shocked by Laura‘s words. I won‘t let you sneer at me, he thought. I never want of excuses. He got in to the car. “Listen to me,” he started in a vicious voice.

            But Laura did not let him do the talking. “Why did you leave me?”

            She was looking at him with her tearful eyes without a movement. Now, here it starts again, Larry thought. She is going to burst into tears and lie again.

            “Who is this girl, Larry?”

            “What is your concern about this?” he asked roughly in his turn.

             “Why do you say so? I saw you… One could think you are in love with her.”

              “Mind your own business, damn it. Why are you spying me?”

               “Larry, you promised to come and see me, remember? But you never showed up. I‘ve been waiting for you for days, weeks, months…”

              Larry started laughing. She is so weird, he thought. She was waiting for me… Obviously, all her suitors must have abandoned her already, so she decided to come back to me. I guess I was the one she nose-led for the longest time, since she remembered me again. He shook his head, because it was still impossible for him to realize that he once had been so played off. Larry’s face clouded over. It’ll never work, he said to himself. You’ll never succeed in splitting us apart. “It was just a promise. Didn’t you understand that?”

             “But why, Larry? I thought you love me?”

            Larry was silent. What does she understand about love? She looked into my eyes and talked about love, but the next moment she gave herself to another man. It‘s a game, a chess game. Why did she try to make a scene? Larry thought. “I did love you, I‘m not going to hide it away…”

             “So, you did love me?” she cheered up. Her face brightened up. “What has changed? Larry, I don‘t want to loose you.”

             No, Larry thought. You don‘t. I wonder, why?

             “Why are you keeping silent, Larry?”

             “You don‘t want to loose me?” Larry smiled. But the smile was too far away from a joyful one. “You have, already,” he snapped out scornfully. “You have lost me long ago… I grasped you. You are not created for a stable life…”

            She gave a look of despair again. “Who is she? Who is that girl?”

            Curious, he thought. At last… You‘ve become worried only after you have suspected of some alert… “She is mine,” he stressed it with his greatest boast and glee, “and soon we‘ll get married.”

            “So soon…” She turned away to the window. She took her time.

             Larry got the impression that she waited for him to comfort her. No, Larry decided, no way. I‘d better wait for a while.

              Finally Laura turned back her face and put her hand on his knee. She looked at him with a scared sight. “I‘ve been thinking a lot about us,” she went on. “You had never wanted to have me all. I failed to understand you, though I tried very hard…” 

             You are saying truth, Larry thought. You wanted to have me under your thumb. And you almost succeeded. Thank Arnold, he prevented me from this and opened my eyes. “There‘s no need to lie, Laura. Do you thing I‘m a fool?”

             “What are you talking about?”

              “Never mind,” he answered in short. “We‘d better leave it as it is. Please understand once and forever – it‘s all over… Be reasonable, Laura. Nothing is going to work out between us. You go your own way. You will be okay. You will manage.”

             “But I cannot forget about our love…”

            Larry lost his temper. He could no longer stand all of her twaddle. “And could you forget about other lovers?”

            “What are you talking about here?”

             Larry noticed her surprise. She is a good actress, he thought. Now I‘m going to tell her something She asked for this herself… “Laura,” he started, “I know a lot about you, but I don‘t want to stir up trouble. Get this into your pretty head that nobody can change my mind. Do you understand? I have made a decision. You are free since long ago, Laura. Find another one for yourself, if that one has abandoned you, and don‘t try to get me tangled back in your traps.” Larry told her all he wanted to. He got off the car and opened the door on Laura‘s side. “Please, Laura,” he said in a strict tone. “Get off and get away from here. My feelings to you died long ago. Leave us in peace, Eva and me.”

            Laura got off. She was upset. She couldn‘t look at Larry. She was still there and waited for something… He was also patient waiting for her to go away. Suddenly the girl turned to him and looked up in Larry‘s eyes.  She did not seem to be angry. May be more oppressed. Lie and truth oppressed her.

             “Good bye, Larry,” she said silently. Then she turned away her sight. She was still waiting. Larry didn‘t say a word.  And then she left, without a look cast at him. She never turned around.

 ●○●

              Larry locked the door and returned to the pizzeria.  When he saw his friends, he insensibly felt a thrill of cold. He stopped. Eva was sitting face to him, but she was holding her head down. Something is wrong, he thought. His heart was pierced with a bad pain.

             “What happened, Eva?”

            She looked at him with her eyes full of scare and got up sprightly. “Larry,” she cried out and put her arms around his neck.

            Larry was holding her tight. He looked at Arnold misunderstanding the situation. He just shrugged his shoulders and swayed his head. He looked very serious. So did Edna.

             “Larry, where is she? Why didn’t you tell me about that?”

            Then Larry realized that Arnold did not have another choice but to disclose everything. He did not notice it, but he turned pale of scare. Obviously, it took me too long to talk to Laura, he thought. Eva will never forgive me for the lie.

            “So, you know everything,” Larry could hardly say a word. 

            “Yes, darling, Arnold told me everything.”

            “Everything is all right now, she will never disturb me,” Larry was stroking her head. “I didn’t want to cause you any pain, so I preferred not to tell you about it. I’m sorry.”

            She leaned back from Larry’s shoulder and kissed him on the lips. She looked at him with her eyes full of hope. “You thought, I would not understand it, didn’t you?”

             “Yes, Eva, I had that thought. I thought you would become and at me and leave me alone. I didn’t want to loose you. What would I have done without you?” Larry noticed her upset.

            “There was no need to, Larry,” she said in discontent and gave a deep breath. “I never thought you might doubt my love to you. I see, that I was wrong…” 

             “No, Eva, you are getting it wrong…I never doubted your love,” Larry hurried up to explain, “but I was afraid you might get doubts about my feelings… Do you understand?”

              “But…“ Eva suddenly stopped. She was in tension for a second and then relaxed again. “Indeed…When Arnold said that you have left to see her, I was just praying for you to come back.”

              “You see, Eva,” he said in a better mood, “you have also doubted my love. It is obvious that it is love and not doubts…“ He slightly touched her chin. “What would you say to it, Eva?”

              “Well, let’s get out of here,” Arnold decisively cut off their gibbering. “It takes you too long to stand hugging each other in public. You don’t need us, I guess. You’ll be able to talk on your own.” 

 

●○●

            Having delivered his friend with his wife to their home, Larry drove off with Eva. He stopped a little further away, so that her parents would not see them. “Now you know everything, Eva.”

             “Yes… That Laura has a double face. But how could you miss those weak points of her?”

              “I don’t know, baby…” Larry paused upon it. Laura was very pretty, but strange. Her feelings were strange… You would never know what was on her mind… “And why do we talking about her? She is not worth it. We’d better talk about us.”

               “I agree, Larry,” the girl smiled, “go ahead, and strew you compliments.”

              “What?”

            “Do you want to tell me that you don’t know how it is done?”

            “No, Eva, you know that I’m not this kind of person. You have really charmed me. I’m so glad that we’ve met. It wouldn’t be worth wile living without you. Now I’m the happiest man of all! Can you believe this?”

            “Really, Larry?”

            “I’d like to do something to please you, but I don’t know what.”

              “Well, I hope you are not going to jump down from a scarp, are you?” Eva was in a cheerful mood.

            “And to loose you? Come on, sweetheart, I want you to be happy all the time.” 

            “I am happy, indeed. Am very happy to have you with me, though, I did not have much trust in your words when we met for the first time.”

            “Trust in my words or in me?”

            “In you…” Eva whispered and crouched expecting for a trick from Larry. 

            “Come here, you, naughty girl…Where is my sweet neck,” Larry reached out for Eva’s neck softly searching for the sensible spot. “Yes, here it is… It’s so tiny…”

            “Ah, stop it, Larry, I’ve got chills all over my body already,” Eva was screaming.

            “I don’t want to stop,” Larry was purring, “I’m a gentle cat… I’m looking for my little neck…”

            “Okay, okay, I give up… I never doubted in you… Just, please, stop, tormenting me…”

            “Am I tormenting you?” he asked and finally withdrew from Eva’s neck. “I know you like it.”

             “Yes, but not for too long,” she answered breathless and stretched out her arm, “See this? I didn’t lie. You gave me a goose skin all over.”

               “I’ve got an idea,” he said taking out his wallet, “here, take it. Buy to yourself anything you like. It’s going to be my present for your birthday.”

              “But it’s too early, Larry. My birthday will be just in three days,” Eva tried to joke, but she was upset at the same time. This was for the first time that she received a present from her boyfriend. 

            “It doesn’t matter. I want to congratulate you now. Make me happy, Eva.”

            “Well, okay,” she said silently and gave Larry a kiss. “Thanks, Larry. You are so sweet.” She looked at the money and considered what she could spend it on. At last, her eyes sparkled with joy. “I’ll get a few dresses for myself.”

            “Why don’t I take you to a shop?”

            “Right now? May be, I should get home first?”

             “What if you are not able to get out? Let’s go now… We’ll stay together a little longer, I don’t want to part with you.”

            It did not take long for Eva to make a decision, and there was nothing to consider. There were just a few fashionable dresses in her wardrobe. Therefore, the girl could not refuse such a tentative proposal. She smiled. “Okay, Larry, let’s go,” she said cheerfully and shook her finger, “but I’m going to try them on by myself…”

            She is so shy, Larry thought, but he did not ask her why.  He understood that she felt uncomfortable. Larry pouted his lips playfully. “Nobody likes me…”

               “Cut it out, Larry,” Eva laughed, “you behave like a small kid.”

               “I learned it from you…”

              “I know…” Now she became serious. “So, do you promise to stay in your car?”

               “All right, you win. I will have to meet your fancies. I promise to wait in the car.”

               Eva asked Larry to take her to a small store, where she always used to shop. She never liked super markets. She could feel at home in her favorite store. 

             The store was almost empty, so Eva was able to choose whatever she liked. What a variety of colors they had! A few dresses attracted her eye at once, which she selected to try for size. She put on the one she liked most and was walking to and from in the fit room, turning to one side or the other, enjoying it very much. Eva watched herself in the mirror. The new dress pointed out her figure and distinctiveness of her face.  She noted herself that she was very beautiful in that dress and even more attractive. She could not resist the temptation and she stepped out of the cabin and walked around in the store hall. There were no customers, so she felt brave.  

              “That‘s a good choice,” the shop assistant complimented. “It‘s exactly your size. Many people buy clothes, which they like, and you pick up what fits you.”   

              “Do you think so?” Eva asked, still circling around, throwing a glimpse to the mirrors and enjoying the view. Eva was very happy. Her face was shining with joy. The fashions show just started. She whirled around the hall with other dresses she had picked up. The shop lady praised her good taste and Eva enjoyed posing. “I‘ll take all of them,” she stated finally and went to change.

              She paid for the purchase, left that wonderful world of clothes and returned to Larry. Her tiny face was decorated with a wide smile. Eva was as if radiating with happiness and she could not wait till she could make boost of her purchase.  

              “Well, as far as I can tell you are a success, aren‘t you?” Larry inquired.

            “How do you know?”

              “It‘s written on your face…”

              “Thank you, Larry… Thank you very much for your present.”

               Larry was very pleased that Eva enjoyed her purchase so much. He could feel the way that he would be able to buy a hundred of such dresses. 

              “When we’ll meet tomorrow, I‘ll be wearing one of these dresses.”

              “Oh, Eva…”

              “What is it, darling?”

              “As soon as you said ‘tomorrow’, I drooped at once. I don‘t want to be apart from you!” Larry gave her a hug and caressed her shoulders trying to get relaxed.

              “I have to go back home now,” Eva tried to persuade him still reluctant to leave Larry‘s shoulder. “Otherwise my parents would become suspicious indeed… Really, they may call Paula and ask me to return… And she would not even have an idea what they would be talking about. Larry, I become nervous when I start thinking of it. Let’s not delay.”

            “I‘ll have to let you go…”

            “It‘s not for long, Larry… We‘ll meet tomorrow again.”

            Larry kissed her strongly on her puffy lips. The kiss was rather long.

           When they getting free, Eva joked, “It seems that we have met for the last time. You still don‘t want to let me go.”

            “No, I don‘t,” he said. “I love you so much…”

            “Just don‘t get reduced by love,” Eva was kidding. “Tomorrow I want you to be the same charming and loving Larry like you are today! Promise?”

            At last, he started the engine. “I‘ll try my best, Eva,” he said sincerely.

          Soon Larry‘s car disappeared in the horizon.

… bus daugiau …