Maude Ch. 01
Keywords: Maude, 01, Ch.,
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" she rang up the total, "That's £19 for the clothes, and let's say another £10 for the donation."
"Are you listening to me?" He asked.
The girls walked up to them. For once Izzy looked shy while Chrissy stood authoritative with her arms crossed. "Who's this?" Chrissy wanted to know.
"This is Command Sergeant Oliver Wicks, he's one of my bosses down at the base."
"What's he doing here?" Izzy asked.
"Your dad asked him to help me study for my classes."
They both studied at him for awhile.
"Hello ladies." Oliver said. "You must be Izzy." He reached out his hand to shake her tiny one.
"How'd you know?" Izzy asked, more amazed than she should've been.
"Because you're littler than Chrissy." He then took the older girl's hand who smirked a little as he shook her hand and said, "Pleased to meet you."
"Ditto." Chrissy said. She seemed satisfied with the whole explanation. Meanwhile Izzy had already torn away running through the sprinklers like a mad woman.
"Can you keep an eye out..." Leese asked.
"I always do." Chrissy sighed and then wandered off.
Oliver flashed one of his sparkling smiles, "You get along with them okay?"
"So far, so good." Leese said. "Okay, now I'm ready to listen to you."
As embarrassing and surprising as his presence was Leese enjoyed Oliver's company. He broke things down in a way that made perfect sense to her. It was almost ridiculous that her so-called teachers couldn't even do the same thing—or, rather that she couldn't understand the way they taught when things were apparently easier than she thought.
Oliver was patient and nice, so nice that it almost embarrassed her.
"You want something to eat or drink?" Leese offered after about an hour and a half of intense study.
"Well I am hungry kinda."
"I'll make you a sandwich," Leese said standing up. "I'll be right back."
It took her awhile because she had made the sandwiches the way she'd seen Rita make them for Jeffrey. She took some Italian bread and put turkey, ham, provolone, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, peppers, mustard, mayonnaise and an oil and vinegar dressing. She paired that with some chips and made a couple of smaller sandwiches for the kids. She brought them out on a tray with a big pitcher of pink lemonade.
"Wow, now you're talking," Oliver's deep voice boomed when she brought out the food. "I thought you got lost in there."
She set down the food and went to get the kids.
In a few minutes they were all happily munching away at their sandwiches, the girls bantering between bites.
"Finished!" Izzy yelled, "Umm ummm yummy good!"
Leese smiled and shook her head, "You guys go on and wash your hands okay?"
"Then can we go to Jenny's house?" Izzy asked.
Leese looked at Chrissy for some guidance.
"Jenny's dog is having a birthday party. Mom said we could go yesterday. It's only right down the block." Chrissy explained.
"A dog party?" Oliver asked.
"Go wash your hands and faces and I'll walk you down there." She made an apologetic facial expression at Oliver who just nodded and waved her off. After she came back to the house she noticed that everything was cleaned up out back but Oliver wasn't out there. She went into the living room where she saw him sitting on the couch.
"Hey," she said as he watched a football game.
"Hey," he answered back, his eyes totally transfixed on the screen, "Sorry I just realized that this was on..."
"No, don't even worry about it," she said "I'll do the rest of my homework."
"Alone?"
"I think I can handle the rest."
"Call me if you need any help."
Before she went back outside she placed a cold tall beer on the coffee table in front of him. She didn't think he noticed but saw him pick it up as she left.
While out back she tried her hardest to work on some math problems but things were getting hairy fast. Her pride and guilt didn't want her to ask for his help knowing that his Saturday afternoon was already basically shot helping her with her work. After about ten minutes, she gave up.
"Oliver!" she yelled.
Moments later he was walking through the patio door, "You okay?"
She shook her head no.
He snickered and walked around behind her leaning over her. She felt the softness of his sweat shirt and smelled the musky scent of his cologne. His arms were practically wrapped around her as he was showing her where she went wrong with the problem.
"So that's the coefficient, so just plug this here in..." he scribbled something and she could feel him move so subtlety against her. He was so warm and smelled so good that she had tried to concentrate but she couldn't.
"What's wrong with me?" She thought to herself feeling this warm rush flow through her body as he hovered over here.
"There." He said, "You got it?"
She tried it. He still hovered over her to her surprise. She scribbled out the problem and finished it. "Right?"
"Yeah," he said. She could hear a smile on his face. "Very good."
He lingered a little longer and she just sat stock still until he said, "Your hair smells good." He finally pulled away, "what is it? I mean what do you use?"
She shrugged, "Conditioner?"
"I'm talking about the scent genius."
"No really, I don't know its like 'mountain' something or whatever."
"Smells really clean."
"Gee, thanks."
He laughed.
"I'm finished." She said, closing her books.
"Good, wanna watch the game with me?"
"Let's go." She grabbed her books and followed him into the house.
They sat on the couch and watched TV. Leese made sure that she sat far away from him on the other end of the couch. He went through the plays and the rules since Leese didn't know much about football, but she wasn't really listening. Her mind was somewhere else.
Jenny's mother brought the girls home a half-hour later and they ran around in the house playing while Oliver and Leese watched football.
Soon, Leese heard the door creaking open in the foyer. Her heart jumped, and then she realized that she wasn't the one who invited Oliver over, it was Jeffrey. When he and Rita walked into the living room with shopping bags there were greetings and handshakes and how do you do's.
"So how did the studying go?" Jeffrey asked as Rita took their bags upstairs.
"Great," Oliver said, his hands in his pockets, "She catches on quick."
Jeffrey nodded looking at Leese, "I'm glad."
He walked into the kitchen and left the two alone standing there in the living room.
"Well," he said "I guess I'll be going. Grab some food. I'll probably come over next Saturday and help you out."
"Oh," she said, "Well, why don't we go out...for dinner." She gulped surprised at her own boldness. "I mean, my treat. After all you've done for me and stuff."
"Well," he said, "Sure. I guess that'd be cool."
"Just give me a few minutes to get ready."
"You're fine like that." He said his eyes traveling quickly up and down her body.
She nearly brushed as she said, "I'll be right back."
She went into the kitchen where Jeffrey was. Turns out that he was cooking something, cutting vegetables while something simmered in the pot.
He looked behind him, "Leese, you've never had any of my chili before have you?"
She shook her head sheepishly.
"It's the best. Wicks's never head it either...he's staying for dinner right?"
"Ummm about that..." Leese began.
"Listen," Jeffrey said, "you know last night in the car?"
She lost her train of thought when he said this, "Yeah?"
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Steam billowed around his almond brown face as he said this and boiling water gurgled in the background.
She looked down.
"I just want you to...if you need help. Just come to me. That's all."
"Well," she said, "I sort of need some money." She shuffled her feet around looking away like a child. It was too late to take the question back even though she was so embarrassed.
He furrowed his brows, "Really?"
"I told Wicks I'd take him out for dinner. I guess I should've thought about the fact that I'm pretty much broke..."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out three twenties, pressing it into her hand.
"Thanks," she said, "I'll pay you back."
"For what?" he shrugged, "Go out, have some fun. Need the truck?"
She was almost speechless as she stuttered, "No license. I mean I can drive but...Wicks's got his car."
"We gotta take care of that..." he said now cutting green onions. "You need a license. Next weekend, I'll take you."
"That sounds good." She said, "Thanks."
A few minutes later she came downstairs in a pair of sand colored Capri cargos, an army fatigue t-shirt and a pair of white sneakers. She had let her hair out of the poof that was on her hair so that the frizzy ringlets were round, high and framing her face. Her hair had grown some and the ends were resting on her shoulders instead of merely skimming them. She had on a little sheer pink lip gloss and little rectangular metal earrings that glittered in the light.
"You look nice." Oliver said when he saw her.
She shrugged, trying to hide the fact that she liked his compliment.
When they got into his car Oliver said, "You know today you did something strange."
She looked alarmed as she asked, "What?"
"You called me 'Oliver' instead of 'Wicks'."
"I did? Damn..." she suddenly remembered when she did it, calling him to help her with her homework. "Sorry."
"No, I mean it's cool. I liked it."
A smile played on the corner of her lips as she tried to ignore the stupid butterflies she got in her stomach. What was her problem?
"So you want me to call you Oliver now?"
"It doesn't matter really I guess. It's up to you. But on the base you know, I guess it wouldn't be a good idea if you called me Oliver."
"Of course not." She interjected rapidly. "I wouldn't dare."
"I mean I like it though, so don't feel like..."
"No I get it."
"It's like...would you let me call you Elise?"
She thought about this, and the way her name sounded in his mouth. She sighed inwardly, unintentionally making her sigh sound like a moan when she said, "Sure, I guess.
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Keywords: Maude, 01, Ch.,