Stolen Kisses

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter
2

Chapter
3

Chapter
4

Chapter
5

Chapter
6

Other
Books by Jennifer Grayson

           
JENNY LESTER’S FATHER
was the county court judge and a respected member
of the community of Oak Junction. He was on every committee and organization of
the town and county imaginable and with the long hours he worked he had no time
for Jenny. All he cared about was his work, his law practice and being one of
the most upstanding citizens of the community. She was lonely without him,
especially since her mother had died in a car accident four years previously.
It was this loneliness and the desire for respect and attention from him that
made her do what she did.

           
She didn’t totally blame herself for what happened, although in hindsight it
was all her fault. Nobody forced her to make the decision that caused so many
problems. But loneliness makes people do strange things like falling in love
and keeping it a secret. She couldn’t tell anyone about her illicit happiness. But
the guilt she felt by sneaking around behind her father’s back melted when she
was with the boy that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Being with
him was worth all the problems that it caused even though it was like stealing
love with stolen kisses.

           
On the day that it happened she had lunch at home with her father. He had
finished court duties for the day and was on his way to a council meeting. It
was a rare occasion for them to eat together – she couldn’t remember the last
time it had happened - and it made her happy for a while. It was almost like
being a family again. She enjoyed talking with her father, until he began
talking about the cases he had heard in the morning. Then her happiness
dissolved.

            
“I had another young lawbreaker in court today,” he said, “from that cheap
housing estate. Those young hooligans are all the same.”

            
“Oh no daddy,” Jenny said, “I don’t agree.”

            
“I’m right. Cheap living, that’s what causes it. That new factory they built on
the old Adams farm has attracted all kinds of trash to our town.”

            
“But you had plenty of young delinquents in your court before the factory was
built,” Jenny said as she cleared away the lunch dishes.

            
She went back to her studies, disappointed with her father’s attitude, but she
didn’t want to argue with him.  She could never win and she didn’t want to
upset him. She saw so little of him that she didn’t want it to be an unhappy
experience and she certainly didn’t want him to discover that she had been
disobeying him for the last few months.

             
“All the same Jenny,” he said. He stood behind her as she sat at the desk, “you
are not to mingle with those people. You have plenty of friends from old,
respectable families of the town. People who we know and can trust.”

             
“Yes, Father.” Jenny was resigned to never winning this argument with him. He
still blamed the people from the estate for her mother’s death. A drunk, under
age driver from the new housing estate had ploughed into her car. The driver
had survived, but her mother had died from her injuries two days later. Jenny
was only fourteen when it happened and had needed her father’s support, but he
had become withdrawn, throwing himself into his work and taking on more
responsibilities to fill his time. That’s when the loneliness began and it lasted
until she met Geoff.  

            
If only she could have told her Father then. If only she had shouted from the
rooftops that she was already involved with those people, those awful people
whose only crime was being poor. If only she had been brave enough to admit
that she had met Geoff and had fallen deeply in love with him. How much misery
would she have avoided?

            
Her father put his hand on her shoulder and his tone softened. “You will be
grown up soon, Jenny, ready to marry. I don’t want you to make any mistakes.”

             
“I won’t, Daddy, I promise.” But she had already made a mistake. She had
already fallen in love with a boy who had nothing - just love and hope. She
couldn’t look her father in the eye or he would see the tears. Tears for the hopelessness
of the situation she was in. How could she ever convince her father that he had
the wrong opinion of these people?

             
Her father collected his coat and papers and prepared to leave. “I won’t be
home for dinner, Jenny. Are you sure you will be all right?

             
“Sure, Daddy,” she said. She was used to spending days alone. “I have plenty of
study work to do. It will keep me busy.”

             
She waited a few minutes after her father had left. Then she left too. Sneaking
down the back streets so the neighbors couldn’t see her heading for the soda
store near the factory where she always met Geoff. Geoff was everything to her.
The ending of her loneliness and the beginning of all her hopes.

             
GEOFF HAD PROMISED
Jenny a surprise when they were together the day
before and she was excited as she made her way to meet him. She found him standing
beside a car – all smiles.

             
“Geoff, you bought the car you wanted.”

       
      “Yes, but to us it’s no second hand, used, beat up heap.” He gestured
with his hand, proud of his new acquisition. He opened the passenger door,
“please step into your limousine, Jenny.”

             
Geoff was handsome, with short brown hair, clean shaven and bluish, green eyes.
He had the build of a sportsman, but didn’t participate in any of the teams. He
was never quite good enough to get a scholarship through sport and he realized
that academic studies were his only way to attend college. He was ambitious
with his schooling and knew that education was the way to improve his life and
circumstances. But it was not just his good looks that had attracted Jenny to
him. It was also his kindness and thoughtfulness.  This had been evident at
their first meeting.

             
It had been in the school cafeteria. She wasn’t normally clumsy, but as she
carried her lunch tray she had noticed that he was looking at her. She had
admired him from afar for a long time, but had never had the courage to speak
to him and this sudden attention had caused her to trip. Her lunch tray was the
first casualty quickly followed by her own awkward fall and the cheers that
rang out from the other students didn’t make it any less embarrassing. Geoff
had been the first to come to her assistance. He carried her tray and her
ruined lunch to the table he had been sat at and invited her to join him.

             
“Thank you,” she said, “I’m not usually so clumsy.”

             
“Not a problem. Besides, I don’t think anyone noticed,” he lied as he smiled. “My
names Geoff, by the way.”

             
She already knew his name, but didn’t let on. “Hi Geoff, I’m . . . .”

             
“Jenny Lester,” he said surprising her.

             
“You know my name?” she asked.

          
   “Why would I not know the name of the most beautiful girl in here?”

             
It was the best lunchtime she had ever had, although she hadn’t eaten much. He
introduced her to his friends, shared his meal with her and they talked, but
before she knew it the bell went to call them all back to class. As they left
he asked her for a date and she accepted. How could she refuse?

            
The following months had been wonderful. They met every day and even though it
was difficult keeping the secret from her father she had never been happier
than when she was with Geoff. She fell in love with him almost immediately and
was sure that he felt the same even though he kept reminding her of their
social differences. The plans they made together had filled her with excitement.
Once they had finished college they would embark on a life together that would
be nothing short of incredible. What could possibly go wrong now that they had
found each other and were so much in love?

             
But now, as she stood beside the car she was worried. “It must have taken all
of your money that you saved for college to pay for it.”

             
“It did,” he said, “but I need a car to get to work at the factory. Without a
job there will be no college next year.”

     
        Jenny knew he was right. Only students with rich, well to do parents or
a scholarship could afford the privilege of college education. The country they
loved was supposed to be a classless society, but, like every other nation of
the world, money still created divisions between people. The only avenue open
to him was to pay his own way.

             
“It’s important I go to college,” Geoff said, “then we can tell your Dad that
we are in love. I’m sick of all this sneaking around.”

             
“Oh, Geoff, I hope so. I do love you.”

             
They drove along the road that ran parallel to the river, singing along to the
music on the radio, it seemed they had nothing to fear. They were so in love
and the worrying future seemed so far away. After a while Geoff stopped the car
by the side of the river. It was their favorite spot and where Jenny had fallen
in love with Geoff.

             
The sun was starting to dip behind the hills on the far side of the river and
the rays were bouncing off the ripples on the water. Jenny found it so romantic.
They laid a blanket on the grass riverbank and sat quietly, holding each other
as they enjoyed the last warmth of the day’s sun and the evening birdsong.

             
She suddenly asked. “Why do we have to wait so long to tell my father?”

             
“Because I know his kind,” Geoff said. “I know he’s you father and he is
probably the most kind-hearted person in the world to you, but he is known for
his dislike of people of my standing. Can’t you hear what he would say now? He
would forbid us to see each other.”