While Jess ate breakfast the next morning, she chatted with Annie who was sorting laundry.  Jess thought it was going to be a good morning.  She was fairly certain she was going to see Marty, but even if she didn't, she wasn't too worried.  He wasn't going to stop visiting the cabin just because she might be there, she was sure of it.

"What on earth?" Annie exclaimed.  Jess looked over and her heart leapt in her throat.  Annie was holding up her dirty dress, the one she'd worn the day she'd gathered firewood with Marty.  "What were you doing that got your dress so dirty?"

While Annie looked at her expectantly, Jess tried desperately to think of something.  She couldn't tell her the truth, but she didn't want to lie to her again.  She already felt guilty for how many lies she'd told Annie so far.  Then Annie's face softened.  "I'm not mad, pumpkin," she said gently.  "I was just wondering, that's all."  It didn't make Jess feel any better.  She swallowed and took a deep breath.

"I – was in the woods, and – I was gathering wood – big pieces of wood," she added quickly.  "To – build a fort."  She'd decided to stick as close to the truth as she could, hoping the guilt wouldn't be as bad for this new lie.

"Oh, is that it.  I used to do that all the time in the woods behind my house with my sister and –."  Her face darkened and she turned back to sort laundry.  "I'm glad to see you're out doing things like other kids, but I wish you had better clothes to do it in," she said with her back to Jess.  "Maybe I should ask your uncle about getting you some play clothes so you don't ruin your dresses."

"Oh, okay," Jess said, relieved the subject had been changed, but she still felt guilty that Annie had believed her. 

Trying to distract herself, she looked out the window and thought about today's visit with Marty.  She wondered what they might do.  Would she get dirty?  She better have a good excuse if she did.  Then she thought about how every time she'd seen him, she'd had to cut her visit short because it got so late in the afternoon and she was starving.  A wonderful idea suddenly occurred to her.

"Uh, Annie," she said, interrupting Annie who was talking about the latest romantic movie she'd seen.  "Do you think I could pack a lunch to take with me when I go outside?  Sometimes I get so busy I forget about lunch."

"Of course!" she replied smiling. 

"Do you think – do you think I could have – two sandwiches?" she asked hesitantly, fearing Annie might catch on.  "I get really hungry," she added lamely. 

"I bet you do!  You don't eat enough already without being gone most of the day with nothing to eat.  I'll pack you a good lunch, but you have to help me hang the sheets.  Deal?"

"Deal," Jess said, smiling.  Now all she had to figure out was how to offer the extra sandwich to Marty, and get him to accept it, without letting him know she knew he went hungry.

Once she'd helped Annie get the sheets hung on the clothesline, she went back in the kitchen to collect the basket that held her and Marty's lunch.  She looked out the kitchen window and was delighted the garage doors were closed.  Going out the front door, she quickly went to the path and then slowed her pace, not wanting to rush off to the cabin.  If Marty wasn't there, she was determined not to be upset about it, but even so, when she entered the clearing and saw the door to the cabin open, a wave of relief washed through her.

When she reached the entrance, she saw Marty at the sink in the kitchen with his head down, washing something as his golden brown hair fell over his eyes.  She knocked softly on the door frame and he startled, turning towards her with wide eyes, a soapy mug nearly slipping out of his hands.  She immediately felt bad she'd scared him. 

"Hi, Marty," she said with a smile, pretending not to notice his reaction.  "Is it okay if I come in?"

His eyes narrowed, but a look of resignation crossed his face.  He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to pump the handle for clean water to rinse his mug.  She took that as a yes, and joined him in the kitchen.  From what she could see through his hair, the bruising under his eye had gone down, and the purple parts were beginning to turn yellow.  It still looked bad but at least it wasn't nearly as bad as the day before. 

There was a battered brown paper bag on the counter next to the sink with the top twisted so that it resembled a Hershey's Kiss.  She wondered what was in it, but decided not to ask as she set her basket down next to it.  Marty eyed the basket out of the corner of his battered eye but said nothing as well. 

"How are you?" she asked. 

"Peachy," he muttered, shaking the excess water out of his mug.  He stepped sideways towards her as he reached for the cupboard door in front of her and she quickly moved out of his way.

"I'm doing good too," she said, trying to mask the awkwardness with a cheery voice.  "It's nice weather today – not too hot."  He didn't say anything as he reached under the sink to pull out a large pail. 

Stepping out the back door, he headed to the tree line and after a hesitation, she followed him.  He entered the woods and after walking a few feet, he stopped.  Kneeling in the leaves, he pulled his pen knife out of his pocket and began digging in the ground with it, turning up dirt.  He sorted through it before taking handfuls and dropping it in the pail. 

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like?  Finding worms," he muttered, and stood up, slipping his knife back in his pocket. 

"Why do you need worms?" she asked, leaning forward to look in the pail, but he started walking back to the cabin.

"If you must know, I'm going fishing."

"Really?  You fish?" she asked excitedly as she followed him into the clearing.  "I've never seen anyone fish before.  Can I come watch?"

"What?  No!" he bellowed with indignation. 

"Why not?"

"You talk too much!  You'll scare all the fish away."

"I'll stay quiet.  I promise."  He stopped abruptly and turned around.

"For hours?" he sneered.  "I don't think it's possible for you to be quiet for five minutes." 

She could tell he wasn't going to let her to go, and felt a desperation take hold.  She didn't want to be left behind at the cabin, sitting alone for hours waiting for him.  Not knowing what else to do, she made a motion like she was zipping her lips closed and then clasped her hands in front of her chest, beseeching him with her eyes.  He scowled at her, and she started shaking her clasped hands in front of her chest, begging him until finally, his shoulders slumped with defeat. 

"Okay!  Okay!" he muttered loudly, turning to go inside the kitchen.

"Thank you, Marty!  I promise you won't regret it!"

He got his fishing pole, and then left the cabin through the front door, leading her to a different spot at the edge of the clearing.  Once they'd pushed through the initial thick growth, Jess realized they were on a path that had been hidden from view, just like the path behind the garage, and her heart swelled with joy and excitement, wondering where they were going. 

Watching Marty's back as she followed him, his body looked relaxed as he walked with an easy grace, the fishing pole leaned against one shoulder.  It was like he belonged there, like he was one with the surroundings.  She tried to match his walk, wanting to appear like she was just at ease in the woods as he was.   She didn't mind silence while they walked.  It felt comfortable. 

Noticing the tree tops were thinning out, the excitement of what she might see rose inside her.  There was another patch of undergrowth to push through, and when she reached the other side, she gasped and then covered her mouth, not wanting to make any noise so Marty would have an excuse to send her back. 

In front of her was a vast field of tall grasses ringed by the forest.  It was nearly as large as the yard surrounding her house.  Marty continued on the path as it wove through the grass that reached his waist, and she hurried to catch up with him.  They were headed to a stand of willow trees and as they got closer, she spied cattails and rushes surrounding a very large pond. 

When they reached the water's edge, she was astonished by how beautiful it was.  The branches of the willow trees trailed in the water, tall rushes gently swayed, and a slight breeze made the water's surface ripple and glitter in the sunlight. 

She turned towards Marty, grinning with delight, wanting to let him know how much she liked it, but he scowled and turned away, setting his bucket down.  He rummaged through the dirt to locate a worm. 

Jess was both disgusted and fascinated, watching him pierce its body several times as he threaded it onto the fish hook, then he made a motion for her to stand on his left side.  With his right hand, he tipped the fishing pole back behind him, then cast the line out with a fast, fluid motion, sending the hook to the center of the pond where it landed with a plop.  Larger and larger circles spread from the spot where the only thing visible was a red ball floating on the surface. 

He stepped over to a large fallen tree trunk that was lying half out of the water, and sat on it, watching the spot where the bobber was.  Jess took his lead and joined him.  Even though he'd made a big deal about keeping quiet, she didn't mind not saying anything when there was so much beauty surrounding her.  She took it all in, enjoying the peace she felt just being there, and that she was able to share it with someone.

They'd been sitting for quite a while when Marty started moving the pole and she noticed the red bobber had disappeared.  Sitting up straighter with excitement, she realized Marty was about to catch a real live fish right in front of her. 

He stood and went to the water's edge, and she followed, watching the line jerking in the water.  He started reeling in the fish but the line suddenly went taught.  After a hesitation, he gently pulled on the rod, but nothing happened.  She glanced up at him, and from the look on his face, she knew something was wrong.  He tried to turn the reel and pulled the rod some more, but it didn't seem to help, and he stopped, letting the line go slack.  She looked at the place where the excess line laid on the surface of the pond with him.

"Damn it!" he muttered loudly.  The swearing shocked her and she covered her cheek with her hand so he wouldn't see her blush.  When he didn't say anything else, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"What's wrong?"

"The fish must have dropped the hook and now it's caught on something," he said angrily. 

"Oh." 

"Here," he said, surprising her by handing her the rod and then began unlacing his boots. 

"What are you doing?"

"I gotta see if I can free it.  I need you to let the line get a little slack, but not too slack.  Do you think you can handle that?" he asked, pulling off his socks and stuffing them in his boots.

"Sure, Marty," she said quickly, trying not to smile too widely.  She didn't want him to think she didn't take the job he'd given her seriously, but her heart was leaping in her chest that he actually wanted her to help.

The next thing she knew, he pulled his t-shirt off with no warning at all, and she stared at his exposed skin with shock.  She'd seen boys with their shirts off before, but never one as old as Marty, at least not right in front of her like this.  Her eyes traveled up from the waist band of his jeans, which were shockingly low, well below his waist, showing his belly button, over the tanned muscles of his stomach, to his chest – and nipples.  She didn't think it was possible for someone who was so slim, could be so muscular and strong looking at the same time.

"Turn around!" he barked, with his fingers at the button of his jeans, and she quickly turned her back to him, covering her flaming face with her hands.  Feeling her mouth hanging open, she closed it, feeling even more embarrassed.

She couldn't believe a boy was taking his clothes off right behind her, and she could hear it happening.  He wouldn't get all the way naked, would he, she wondered with horror, and then she heard water splashing.  She couldn't stop from peaking through her fingers, and was tremendously relieved to see Marty wading into the water in his underpants.  She quickly closed her eyes, knowing it was wrong to look, then opened them again.  He did a belly flop and began dog paddling out to where the line went in.

Knowing this was when she was supposed to be helping him, Jess let the line go a little bit slack like he'd said.  When he reached the spot, he tread water for a few moments, then he took an audible breath of air and held his nose before he went under water.  There was a tremendous amount of splashing as he dived down but he came up nearly almost right away.  He shook his hair out of his eyes as he tread water, then he took another deep breath and held his nose before he went under again with a lot more splashing from his kicking legs.

This time he was underwater for a few seconds longer and his feet even disappeared from the surface, but then he came right back up.  He tried it one more time, but only staying under for a few seconds.  He shook his hair out of his eyes and tread water for a minute before he began dog paddling back to Jess.  From the grim look on his face, she knew he was upset.  When he was close enough, he stood with his chest half out of the water, breathing heavily with water dripping out of darkened sections of his hair.

"Couldn't you find the hook?" she asked quietly.

"It's too deep," he muttered bitterly, still looking out at the water, his face grim and angry.

"Do you have another hook?"

"No!" he snapped, and began coming out of the water. 

He stood beside her while water dripped off his body and the two of them looked out at the spot where the fishing line was completely still in the water.  He probably didn't have the money to buy more hooks, she thought, feeling terrible.  She couldn't let him lose his one hook, she thought, making a sudden decision.  Not if she could do something about it.

"Here," she said, handing him the rod, then bent down and began unbuckling her mary jane shoes.  As soon as she had them off along with her ankle socks, she straightened up and began unbuttoning her dress.  A look of shock crossed his face.

"Turn around," she commanded.  He quickly turned away, looking embarrassed. 

Seeing his slim shoulders and bare tanned back reminded her he was in his underwear, and she turned away as well.  Slipping the dress off over her head, leaving her in her undershirt and panties, she walked into the water.   Disgusted by the way the mud squished between her toes, she tried to ignore it and quickened her pace, eager to start swimming so she wouldn't feel it. 

She dove under the surface and came up, swimming the breast stroke over to the fishing line.  When she reached it, she tread water while she took three breaths, each one deeper than the last, until she had a lung full of air, then grasped the line and went under. 

The water was surprisingly clear and she could see the line went down to the branches of a fallen tree.  Then a flash of movement caught her eye, and when she focused on it, she nearly gagged.  A small fish with the hook piercing its mouth had wrapped the line around one of the branches.  It wriggled violently, trying to free itself, its skin flashing as it caught the light.  She immediately swam back to the surface and tread water, taking deep breaths and trying to come to terms with what she'd just seen. 

"What happened!  Are you alright?" Marty shouted.  He sounded alarmed and she looked over at him. 

"I'm okay!" she shouted back to him, wanting to reassure him.

"Did you see where the hook is?"

"Yes!  It's in a fish's mouth – the line is caught on some wood and it's trapped." 

His shoulders slumped and his head hung as he looked at the ground.  Seeing him look so defeated broke her heart, and then she was filled with determination.  She had to at least try, even if there was a fish down there.

She took three more breaths to get her lungs full of air and then dove down.  She went right to the fish, intending to grab onto its tail, but it was moving so fast, it was impossible.  Then she took hold of the branch the line was wrapped around, intending to hold onto it while she untangled the line with her other hand, but to her shock, it broke off in her hand.  She swam to the surface and as soon as she came up, she straightened her arm, lifting the fish out of the water.

"I got it!" she shouted triumphantly.

As soon as the fish felt the air hit it, it began whipping its tail furiously in an attempt to break free, hitting her arm and splashing water on her face.  She dropped the branch, shrieking with laughter, partly from surprise and partly from fear.  As soon as the fish hit the water, Marty lifted the rod and began reeling it in, and she followed, grinning like mad. 

By time he had the fish close enough he could grab onto it, Jess was running out of the water to stand next to him.  She bent her head close, watching him carefully work the hook out of its mouth while it gasped for air and whipped its tail back and forth furiously.  Then he picked up the bucket, dumped the worms and dirt on the ground, and filled it with water.  He put the fish in it and they watched it swim in quick circles. 

"It's too small," he said disappointedly.  "I really should let it go." 

"Oh, okay," she said, feeling relieved.  She didn't know if Marty had intended to eat the fish or not, but she didn't want it to die.

He stepped into the water and gently tipped the bucket.  The fish didn't waste any time swimming away as fast as it could.  Jess imagined it going back to live with its family, and couldn't help smiling. 

"Are you going to try for another one, Marty?" she asked as he came out.

"Nah.  All the fish are scared away by now.  Awe, jeez," he said, quickly turning his head away from her, his neck flushing with color.  She looked down and was horrified.  Her wet undershirt was practically see-through as it clung to her body. 

She ran into the water and did a shallow dive to get covered as quickly as possible.  She swam under the water for as long as her breath held out, then surfaced, laughing with embarrassment. Turning around while still laughing, she saw Marty standing on the shore in his underpants, the extra layers of cloth providing him with a much needed barrier from her eyes.  Then he covered himself with his hands, making her laugh even harder.

"C'mon in, Marty!" she laughed.  "Come swim with me!"  When he didn't move, she swam lazily back and forth.  "The water is really nice.  It's so warm."

He considered it for moment, then shrugged his shoulders and came in the water, still keeping himself covered.  As soon as he was deep enough, he jumped forward and dog paddled towards her.  She swam towards him and when she was close enough, she pushed her hands across the surface, throwing water in his face. He looked startled as he shook water and hair out of his eyes, then his expression changed to a wily grin.  He swept his arms across the surface, continuously splashing her with wave after wave of water. 

She shrieked and swam away from him as fast as she could while he chased her, still splashing her.  Once he stopped, she turned and splashed him again.  He dog paddled away from her and she chased him back towards shore.  When she got close enough, she leapt forward, landing on his back, and he rolled, pulling her under with him. 

Underneath him in the water, she let go and tried to swim away but he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up as he stood.  She came out of the water, shrieking with laughter, and he tossed her.  She landed in the water in partial cannon ball position, making a huge splash.  When she came up, laughing, she yelled, "Do that again!"

She swam back to him and he obliged, this time scooping her up under her back and knees, propelling himself up with his legs so he could toss her even further.  She insisted he do it again and he did it a few more times before he complained he was too tired to lift her any more.  They lazily swam in the shallow water, circling each other and catching their breath. 

"You swim good," Marty said grudgingly.

"Thanks!  I took lessons at the Y."

"The what?"

"That's what we called it - the Y," she said quietly, turning away to hide her face as a memory overwhelmed her.  Her mom was holding her hand as they walked up the front steps, past a pair of impressive Greek columns, taking her to her swimming lessons in the beautiful, one hundred year old red brick and stone building.  "Hey, uh, you know," she said, turning around to face Marty.  "I should teach you to how to swim."

"I already know how to swim," he muttered angrily, his eyes suddenly guarded, and her heart sank.  In her rush to distract herself from thinking about her mom, she hadn't thought about how it would sound.

"I know you can swim," she said quickly, trying to contain the damage.  "You swim really well.  I meant I could teach you a different way to swim."

"I – don't think so," he said turning to dog paddle away from her.

"C'mon, Marty!" she said, easily catching up to him with a few strokes and circling around to face him.  "It'll be fun!  Please?" she pleaded. 

"Okay!  Okay!" he said with exasperation.

"Great!  Let's go where it's shallow," she said, diving into the water and swimming as fast as she could to where it was just below her shoulders.

Marty took his time dog paddling to her, refusing to look at her.  When he reached her, she said, "You have to learn the right movements.  First, you need to be on your stomach with your legs out behind you."

"I'll drown if I do that!" he exclaimed, sounding disgruntled.

"No you won't.  I won't let you."  He looked away with disgust.  "Now listen!  You need to straighten your legs out and kick them like this."  She held her arms out in front of her straight and mimicked the motion of kicking legs.  "Don't bend your knees and keep your toes pointed."  He scowled. 

"Put your hands on my shoulders," she commanded, and after a moment he grudgingly complied.  "Now straighten your body out and when you're flat, start kicking your legs." 

She was delighted when he did exactly as she said and began slowly kicking his legs.  "Good job, Marty!" she exclaimed as she pushed forward to offset his momentum.  As he got used to the motions, he sped up his legs and she had to put one foot behind to brace herself so he wouldn't push her over.

"Okay, good," she said, and he stopped.  "Now the arms.  While you're kicking your legs, you put your face in the water and –." 

"I can't," he said, interrupting her.

"What?"

"I can't put my face in the water," he muttered.  "Water goes up my nose when I do."

"It does?"

"Yeah.  Doesn't it go up your nose?"

"No."

"How do you keep it from doing that?"

"I don't know," she said shrugging her shoulders.  "It just never happens."

"Well, I can't do it," he said firmly, looking away angrily, and her happy feeling deflated.  She thought fast, trying to think of something.

"Okay, don't put your face in the water.  You don't need to when you do this stroke.  It's perfectly acceptable to do it with your head out of the water," she lied.  She bent over so her chest was in the water.  "So while you're kicking, you move your arms like this."  She began making the strokes through the water, keeping her head up and turning it back and forth with each stroke. 

"Try it, Marty."  After a moment, he complied, putting his chest in the water and mimicking her movements.  "Just like that!" she said excitedly.  "I think you're ready to do them together!"

"If you think so," he grumbled, refusing to meet her eyes. 

"C'mon!  You can do it!  Watch me!"  As soon as she was sure she had his attention, she pushed off and began swimming like she'd showed him, keeping her head out of the water and moving more slowly than she normally would so he could see how the movements looked together. 

Then she heard splashing and stopped to turn around.  To her delight, Marty was swimming towards her.  His movements were jerky and awkward, and he was splashing much more than he needed to, but he was actually swimming the breast stroke. 

"You're doing it, Marty!  You're swimming!" she shrieked. 

He flashed a huge grin as he passed her, and she followed to swim alongside him.  When he stopped and turned to go back towards the shore, she turned with him and kept pace in case he needed her.  They swam back and forth a few times until they got too tired and then relaxed in the warm shallows. 

"I wish I'd kept that fish," Marty said.  "I'm hungry."

"Oh!  But I brought a lunch.  It's at the cabin.  I – I can – share it," she said, stumbling over the words as he eyed her sideways.  After he moment, he looked away and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I brought a lunch too.  I'm just too lazy to get it," he said, examining his puckered fingers. 

"I can get it!  I don't mind.  We can have a picnic!"  He scowled at her.

"You remember the way?" he asked skeptically.

"Of course I do!" she said happily, jumping up and splashing her way out of the pond.  He sat in the water with his back to her and she quickly peeled off her wet underwear and pulled on her dress, shoes, and socks.

"I'll be right back, Marty," she said cheerily, and began running down the path, excited about their picnic.  As she pushed through the brush and entered the woods, she thought that maybe now he might be relaxed enough to answer some questions. 

****

Finally(!) Marty seems to be warming up to Jess.  Will his guard remain down with her?  And will she be able to get some information out of him?  What did you think of their time together - especially the little awkward moments?  I can't wait to hear what you think!

If you liked this fun chapter, please consider giving it a vote.  Thank you to everyone who is reading, voting, and commenting so far!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support!  The video is It's Just a Matter of Time by Brook Benton.