Gahenna, Texas

Gahenna, Texas Section 2

2

Lance and Erica had met in college.  He had been a cocky junior back in those days and she was a nervous little freshman.  Lance had joined the best fraternity on campus as a freshman and had progressed through the ranks over the years, but no matter how high he climbed, his frat brothers always seemed to enjoy daring him to do the stupidest things.  Lance never backed down from a challenge back then.  He was convinced that no matter how stupid or dangerous the challenge was he had to accept it in order to be considered a man.  Everyone knew who Lance was and that he was, if not brave, stupid, but he would do anything.  He had to prove that he had balls and that no one could top him. 
Erica was one hell of a good looking young woman back then, not that she wasn’t a knockout now, but she drew a lot of attention from the guys on campus and she had developed a hick skin very quickly.  One afternoon one of Lance’s brothers, Martin Vance, had approached her in the library and tried every cheesy pick up line in his repertoire and was continuously shot down.  This little event, along with the two months that she had spent defending her own honor had earned her the nick name, “The Ice Bitch” or “Queen Glacier.”  She was a running joke amongst the guys but also a target.
Lance caught wind of this little incident and that night at a party Lance began picking on Martin brutally.  He laughed and prodded and poked fun until Martin was furious.  Martin decided to get even, knowing that “The Ice Bitch” was an impossible trophy he challenged Lance.
“I dare you to get her to go out with you.  You and I both know that she never will, but if you get her to you have to then destroy her by telling everyone how easy she is and what a bad lay she is.”
Lance stood there for the first time a little afraid of the challenge.  He would do anything, but he wasn’t one to bring harm to another in any way.  He did have a very active conscience and it was constantly chiming with little remarks about what he was doing at the time.  Lance knew that he would regret this, but he accepted the challenge.
He spent the next few days doing a bit of recon work.  He knew that in order to pull this off he would need to gather as much information about this girl as he could.  His recon work was also part of the master plan.  He knew that he wasn’t well known for dating and that his poking around would give the impression of genuine interest, especially when he began talking to people that knew her as a friend.  He knew that once he had them convinced of his “pure” intentions Erica would be much easier to get over on.
He had heard from a few people that she was a psychology major and was heavy into research for that major, so h knew that there was a good chance he could meet her whenever he chose in the library among the must stacks with nothing but the sound of whispers and pages turning to disturb them. 
It took Lance about a week, but he soon weaseled his way in to her little click and had successfully convinced the majority of her friends that he was harmless and genuinely interested in meeting Erica and possibly dating her.  He did such a good job in this that one of her best friends and her room mate decided to help him out.  Jamie Fitz was her name and it is because of her that Lance was finally able to get Erica to meet with him and ultimately to marry him. 
When Lance started out planning how he would go about accomplishing this dare he never expected that he would be so taken by Erica, but that is what was happening.  The more he learned about her through her friends and by following her around the more he became infatuated with her and the more impossible it became for him to tarnish her reputation.  He saw how sweet she was to everyone around her, save for those that hit on her, and how she always had a kind word or some helpful insight for her fellow students.  It was very obvious that she had absolutely no interest in partying or becoming popular.  She was here to earn a degree and start a successful life and even Lance knew that morals like that were rare and almost impossible to tarnish or change.
Lance hated the thought of harming her reputation, but the thought of being laughed at or called a coward because he didn’t follow through with the dare scared him more, so he continued pursuing her.  Finally, he was ready to make his move, so he approached Jamie and asked her if she would set up that meeting between him and Erica.  She agreed and the following Wednesday Lance was to meet Erica face to face for the first time.  He was to happen upon her and Jamie as they sat and studied in the main quad of the college.
As planned, Jamie and Erica were sitting on a hideous plaid blanket that they had spread out in the middle of the quad studying.  Lance came casually walking up and said hi to Jamie, only giving Erica a gentle smile and nod.  Jamie got up and gave him a hug, asking how class was going and making just a little chit chat, then interrupting his answer to introduce him to Erica.
“Oh, how rude of me.  Lance, this is my room mate Erica Roberts, Erica, this is Lance Stevens.”
Erica stood and shook Lance’s hand with a smile.
“So, why don’t you sit down for a minute Lance?”  Jamie asked.  She was working this perfectly.  Erica didn’t have a clue about Lance.
“Well, it looks like you two are studying.  I would hate to interrupt.”
“Please, interrupt.  I am going mad reading this stuff.”  Erica said with a laugh.
It was subtle, but Lance caught it.  She was interested.  He hadn’t seemed remotely interested in her and she made the first move, and she didn’t know it herself.  It was a done deal, Lance had his opening and he immediately began exploiting it.
“Okay, thanks.” Lance said as he sat down with the two ladies.
He and Jamie chatted about their professors and the things that they were doing in class, leaving Erica out just a bit, but as Lance began to feel her total withdraw from the two part conversation he jumped to include her.
“So, Erica.  What is it that you are majoring in?”
“Oh, Psychology.”
“Really?  To deep for me, just promise not to use me as a test subject.”
“I’m not promising anything.”  Erica said with a chuckle.
For the next few hours the three of them talked and laughed, then Jamie excused herself, leaving Lance and Erica to be alone.  Lance honestly figured that Erica would leave as too, but to his surprise, she didn’t.  Erica stayed behind and she and Lance talked until the sun went down.  It was over and Lance knew that he couldn’t hurt this girl.  He genuinely liked her.  The problem was, Lance had spent all afternoon convincing Erica that he was an intellectual along with the week that he had spent convincing her friends of the same thing, when he knew that he was nothing more than a beer swilling frat guy that had been looking to devastate her.  As the two of them said their goodbyes Lance decided to take a chance and ask her to dinner.
“Erica, look, I know you aren’t here to meet guys or get married or anything like that.”
“Yeah, but…”  she was being coy.
“Well, I have really enjoyed this afternoon.  It has been the best time that I have had in a long time and I would hate for that to end here.  I was wondering if maybe you would like to have dinner with me some evening.”
Erica looked shocked.  She paused and appeared to be thinking about it then she looked up at him, her blanket folded under her arm and her backpack over her shoulder.
“You know, I get asked out all the time and I am forever running guys off.  I am just not interested in parties and sex and all the other college past times…”
Lance interrupted.  “I understand.  I didn’t mean to..”
Erica interrupted him.  “But…  You seem to be different.  I would love to.  When?”
Lance was stumped.  He thought that he was being shot down.  “Um.  How about Friday night?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay, then Friday.  Have a good night.”  Lance stumbled over his words a bit.
“Uh, Lance?”
Lance had started to walk away but stopped when she called.
“Yeah?”
“What time on Friday?”
“Oh, I guess that would help huh.  How does eight sound to you?”
“Eight sounds fine.  See you then?”
“Looking forward to it.”  Lance smiled and blushed just a little as he said this, then the two of them went their separate ways.
This was new to Lance.  For the first time he was having feelings for a girl that went beyond hormones.  He truly wanted to spend time with Erica, not just get her into his bed.  The next day went by painfully slow, as did Friday, but when Friday night rolled around Lance was as jittery as a June bug.  He had never been so scared of a woman in his life.  He tried to pretend that he didn’t know why, but he knew.  He knew that there was something special about Erica, something that made her different. 
For the next two years Lance and Erica were inseparable.  Lance had been teased brutally about his failing the dare for months after, but he didn’t care.  He had fallen in love with Erica on that Friday night of their first date.  Eventually his frat brothers moved on to other things and he had since graduated and gotten a job in Corpus Christi, Texas as a teacher, but every weekend he drove out to see Erica until she graduated.
The day that she graduated he had made reservations for her and her family to meet him at a restaurant just up the road from campus.  It was a very nice Italian place and he couldn’t have thought of a better setting for a proposal.  He had spoken with Erica’s father several weeks prior and asked his permission to marry her.  Her father proudly agreed and gave Lance his blessing, so when they all sat down at the reserved table in the back of this restaurant it was all set and Lance couldn’t have been more nervous.
He was sweating just sitting there next to her.  He had a one and a half carat diamond ring sitting securely in a black velvet covered box in his jacket pocket.  He had ordered the finest wines that he could afford and went all out on dinner.  He forced himself to eat when his meal was brought to him, but he didn’t want to.  He kept seeing himself throwing up on Erica’s shoes as he opened his mouth to propose.
Finally dessert arrived and the moment was upon him.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box, shaking nervously.  He clapped it tightly under the table and waited for a brief lull in the conversation before standing to push his chair back.
“Where are you going Baby?”  Erica asked.
“Just stretching.”  He answered as he slid his chair out of the way, then he knelt on one knee and opened the ring box so that she could see the diamond glinting in the csoft light of the candles on the table.
Tears immediately filled her eyes as did her mother’s. 
“Erica.  We have been together for a long while now and everyday my love for you has grown stronger.  I don’t want that to stop, ever.  So, here I am.  Kneeling before you in front of those you hold most dear asking you to spend forever with me.  Will you marry me?”
The room fell silent as other tables noticed what was happening.  For Lance a second seemed an eternity and for Erica time stood still.  Lance looked up at her pained from the suspense as Erica starred at the ring in disbelief.  Finally, after what seemed to be hours, she opened her mouth to answer.
“You know I will.”  She whispered as she pulled Lance to his feet and hugged him. 
Tears streaked her face as she kissed him and allowed him to slip the ring onto her left hand.  She admired it for a moment as her parents stood to congratulate them and the entire restaurant applauded as they watched this young couple pledge their lives to one another.


Collin K. McKnight
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www.http://writing.com/authors/collinmcknight