Independence Is Sexy

“You scare me too.” Ricky laughed a little. “God, you’re fucking terrifying, you know that?” The feelings Ricky had for Madelyn were like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He knew he was good looking and could wrangle just about any girl into bed but he was definitely not known for having actual relationships that lasted more than a few weeks, sometimes even just a few days. But with Madelyn, he wanted so much more. “You told me once that I felt like home to you.” Ricky’s gruff voice spoke strongly, his hand coming forward to take Madelyn’s. “I don’t want that to change. I thought being stabbed in the back was the worst pain I’ve even endured but the thought of this ending feels like death.”

Ending this would mean ripping out her heart and Ricky’s.  In this moment, she was so close to giving up everything for him.  “You are my home.  I have never felt so safe than when I’m with you.  I don’t know what the future holds for us but I want to see this through to the end.  Whatever the end that may be.  Because I love you.  I. love. you.”  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in for a kiss.

I never expected this to last and if this is the end, then fine.

Hearing those words hurt him far more than he ever thought it could. Ricky didn’t know what their future held but he at least thought it could be a possibility, had some sense of hope that things could actually work out in the end, somehow. Ricky kept his features neutral, however as he stood in front of her even though his heart was pounding in his chest.  “I never expected you to walk away from everything you’ve ever known for me. I wouldn’t ask that of you. I guess I don’t know what I expected… just not this.” Ricky reached up to brush the hair away from her face. “What do you want from me? I want you to tell me.”

Her mentioning Tre spoiled the mood as they sat parked in front of her private spot. Ricky shifted slightly in an uncomfortable manner, his eyes on the hilltop before he looked back to Madelyn. Silently, Ricky unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, moving around it to take her hand in his. He tugged her close and just smiled down while gazing into her eyes but something was definitely wrong. He swallowed thickly.  “I don’t know if I can do this anymore…” Ricky kept his eyes on hers as he clarified, “be with you…. without really being with you. It kills me knowing that you go home to him every night, while I just go off to the other side of the tracks until the next time we’re together.”

At his words, Madelyn broke away and got out of the car.  She took a few breaths as she tried to figure out what to say.  “I don’t do romance,” she spoke as she turned back towards him.  “I never meant to fall in love again.  My plan was to marry Tre.  Live my life the way I have since I was 16.  I never expected this to last and if this is the end, then fine.  Because I can’t just leave my life on the spot but I won’t expect you to stay.”

It was almost painful to have to pull himself away from her as they drove off to her ‘perfect place’ but he also didn’t want them to get into an accident either. He thought back to his own accident and smirked a little thinking about how she was the last thought he had just before it happened. Ricky’s hand moved up her thigh a little as they drove out of the neighborhood. “I really hope this perfect place of yours isn’t too far away.” He laughed a little.

Leaning over, her eyes stayed shifted towards the road before looking at him at the last second to make sure she kissed the right place.  Her lips moved against his for a few moments with her car driving into the middle of a, luckily, empty road.  Pulling away when she realized, she corrected the car with a smirk and a glance at him.  As she parked, she pointed towards the small hilltop.  There weren’t many trees and the grass was overgrown.  “Tre bought this land a few months before he was arrested.  He is fighting for it back but right now it belongs to the city until they build something on it.  It is the perfect place to hide while not hiding.  Have sex with me til the sun sets.”

“I love you, too.” Ricky whispered back, his eyes meeting hers. He couldn’t see himself with anyone but her and that both scared him and made him happy. “Now move this damn car so I can have my way with you.” He laughed, pulling away from her but keeping a hand on her thigh, as always. “I mean, what would the neighbors think?” He threw his head back, laughing. 

“You aren’t just saying that to get in my pants, right?  I am a proper lady, you know,” she teased.  She knew a long time ago that he loved her but she still loved hear him say it.  Maybe that’s why she tried to get him to repeat it.  She was feeling so rebellious after the tea party with her mother that she almost didn’t mind doing it right here and now.  If she wasn’t still in a relationship with another man, she would have.  “I have the perfect place,” she told him as she adjusted herself properly on the seat to drive them away from the prying eyes of prudish housewives.

“I really don’t want to talk about your mom and her friends when you’re giving me a raging boner, Mad.” Ricky laughed against her mouth, his hands all over her. He kissed her again, sucking lightly on her bottom lip. “Did you mean it?” He panted, hands up her shirt now. “Do you love me?”

Madelyn laughed, her hand moving to rub against the front of his pants.  She pulled away from his lips for a moment to look him in the eyes.  She slowly nodded with a soft smile.  “I love you,” she repeated her earlier statement with even more feeling.

Ricky pretended to look disappointed at the mention of missing out on their games. “I really wish I could stay. I’m quite proficient at gin rummy but we really do have to go. Very, very badly, in fact.” Ricky shot a smirk at Madelyn. “Thank you again, ladies.” Ricky gave a little wave as he started to walk away toward the front door.

Madelyn had her hand on his back, pushing him forward as if he needed the encouragement.  “Thank you, Mama.  Ladies, it was lovely to see you again.  I wish we could have stayed long.  Tre runs a tight ship.”  She laughed goodheartedly like a proper Soc girl.  Pausing, she kissed her mother on the cheek for show.  

As soon as they got on the car, she barely managed to put the keys into the ignition before her lips were on his.  “Thank you for being nice to them.  I know they are not easy to tolerate,” she spoke between kisses.

Ricky ate his sandwich delicately while sipping his tea. He nearly choked when Madelyn whispered in his ear. Her saying those words to him completely made his heart swell. He wanted nothing more than to throw Madelyn up on the table and make love to her. Clearly, they couldn’t do that so he did the next best thing. Without missing a beat, he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin before folding it and placing it on the table. He stood up. “Ladies, it’s been a pleasure but I do believe our time is up. Busy, busy schedule like I said.” He started to pull back Madelyn’s chair.  “ Thank you so much for your hospitality.”

Madelyn got a perfect reaction from her three words.  She tried not to laugh at how quick he was to leave now.  And she knew why.  

“Aww, we were going to play games next.  You seem like a smart boy.  You might actually have fun.”

Ricky couldn’t help grinning back at Madelyn. His eyes moved to the other people in the room as he sipped his tea. “Ya know, oolong tea has a beneficial effect on diabetes, allergies, bacterial infections, and even cancer. It helps with weight loss as well. It’s really quite amazing and it tastes pretty great too.” He perked up when the cucumber sandwiches were brought out. “Did you ladies know that cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day.” He was on a roll. 

She looked at him with an amused and curious look as he listed off the benefits like he was reading from an encyclopedia.  She had no idea he knew so much about tea and food in general.  Learning new things every day.  It made her think about the future and all she had to learn about him.  The ladies were eating it all up.  They liked to feel good about themselves and this was likely to repeated like their own knowledge later but now they were all beaming like the benefits were already taking effect.

Ricky glanced over at Madelyn with a smirk. If it hadn’t been for all the passive aggressive put downs, it would be a great day. Somehow, Ricky had a feeling that Rodney would love being called a menace by these women and he would definitely be jazzed over being compared to his dad. The man was a legend. “Well I’m glad I could share my talent with you lovely ladies today.” Ricky winked over at Madelyn as he sipped his tea with his pinky sticking out, hoping to make her laugh. 

Madelyn did not have a high regard for the Greaser leader but she knew Ricky did.  Again, she looked for a reaction and instead, he just passed over the comments.  He was killing them with kindness.  As she saw his pinky stick out, she laughed.  “You’re learning,” she teased with a light in her eyes that didn’t show itself with her actual boyfriend.  For a moment, everyone was quiet and just watched the two play in their own little way.

“I’d love tea and sandwiches, ma’am.” Ricky smiled back to Madelyn’s mother. He wasn’t giving up that easily. These woman would not break him. He moved back to the table and pulled a chair out for Madelyn to sit down. “Just one cup is all we can stay for, I’m afraid. We’ve got a busy schedule to keep.” Ricky shook out a napkin and laid it over his lap after he sat down. He reached for the tea and poured a cup for Madelyn first, then one for himself. “How do you ladies like the tea?”

Madelyn covered her smile with her hand, remembering their earlier conversation about sandwiches.  “Mama, do you have any of the cucumber ones?  They are his favorite,” she spoke as she sat down.  The ladies exchanged a look among them as Madelyn looked to Ricky.  

“The tea is delicious.  You have a talent.”

“So much talent goes to waste on that side of town.  Those poor children.”

“It’s the parents’ fault.  Like that Rodney Dodger.  Such a menace just like his father was.”

His mother being brought up in such a crass way was almost enough to make Ricky’s carefully forced persona crack in front of these women but he kept it in check. Now was not the time. “I had one but no, she didn’t teach me. I read a lot of books about tea and herbal remedies.” Ricky went around carefully pouring each cup of tea with a pleasant smile on his face. His eyes darted to Madelyn every now and again as he did so. When he was finished, he placed the kettle onto the table and stood off to the side to keep out of the way. He really didn’t know what to do with himself now.

Madelyn narrowed her eyes.  She was surprised at how calm Ricky had managed to stay.  She wanted to give them a piece of her mind and all she needed was a cue from Ricky to do so.  But he just played their little game and kept a smile on his face.  As he stepped away from the ladies, she went up to him to squeeze his hand gently (and subtly).  “Mama, we’re going to go.” she spoke, desperate to leave.  Her mother, however, looked at Ricky.  “Leaving so soon?  You don’t want to have tea and sandwiches?”

“Baby panda cute?” she repeated after him with an endearing laugh.  Her eyes answering his statement for him.  However, she pulled back slightly at the use of her old nickname.  “Don’t call me that.  I hate it.”  The Maddie persona was behind her and she didn’t like having very many reminders of it.  “So what other tricks up your sleeve do I not know about?”

“Have you never seen a baby panda before? They’re adorable.” Ricky said with a mock straight face. His eyes though were practically sparkling with glee. He loved to make Madelyn laugh. “And I won’t call you that. I just heard one of those hens in there say it.” He kept his eyes on the teakettle, steeping for a few more moments before he turned off the stove. “Wouldn’t it be funny if I literally pulled one of those fake bouquet of flowers out of my sleeve?” He paused. “I can’t actually do that, though.” Ricky glanced over to make sure the coast was clear before he kissed her cheek. “You keep me around and you’ll find out what else I can do. But for now, I gotta give those ladies their tea.” He carefully picked up the kettle and went back into the room. “Here we are ladies. Nice and hot, perfectly brewed.”

“They are.  I’ve just never been compared to one before,” she replied back, amused.  She loved how often he made her laugh.  “I heard them too.  They still see me as that little girl with pigtails.  So see, they annoy me too.”  Her eyebrows raised at his magic trick comment, wondering if he could actually do that.  An answer came shortly afterwards and she laughed again softly.  Her eyes lingered closed just briefly as he kissed her cheek.  She wanted to kiss him deeper on the lips but there was no time.  She didn’t respond to his statement but the way she looked at him said all that was needed.  She had every intention to keep him around.  

 “We might just have to steal you away from Tre.  Did you mother teach you?”

            “Oh don’t be so assumptuous.  Do you still have a mother?”

“They don’t know what I really do, either.” Ricky shrugged nonchalantly as he added the tea leaves carefully. He turned to Madelyn. “They just think they know me because of where I’m from. You don’t have to apologize for what they said but I think it’s baby panda cute that you did.” His lip curled into a grin. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were sweet on me, Little Maddie.”

Being looked down on or even just talked to condescendingly was nothing new for Ricky. Being treated like literal dirt or human trash was just how he grew up in their town and it was sad how easily he let it roll off his back when needed. Like now with Madelyn’s mother’s friends. He kept the smile on his face but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He nodded to Madelyn’s mother and followed her into the kitchen. He moved over to their teakettle and filled it up with water. “The trick for great tea is knowing the appropriate temperature of the water and the right time for steeping.” He spoke confidently as he moved over to the stove. He glanced back at Madelyn and smirked. “Also having great a brewing gear. This teakettle probably cost more than my car.”

She could hear the laughter from the gaggle of geese in the living room as they left the room.  More comments bleeding through.

“Little Maddie has grown up.”

         “He makes tea?  Does he clean pools?”  

                              I might replace my maid. He is not bad to look at.”

Madelyn focused hard on Ricky so she didn’t hear anymore.  The way he spoke had a calming effect on her.  Her mother as well since she didn’t say whatever it was she brought them in here to say.  

“You know a lot about tea,” her mother commented as she went back into the living room for a brief moment.

Ricky smiled broadly. He knew he good looking and had natural charm up the wazoo so now was the time to really put them to good use. “Mrs. Strickler, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Ricky didn’t even bother to offer his hand to her to give her the option, he just reached out and gently took her hand, sandwiching it between his warm hands for a moment as he smiled easily. “You’ve got a beautiful home here, ma’am and a lovely daughter. Do you ladies need my services for anything? I make a mean oolong tea.”

Madelyn was all smiles but it faltered slightly in surprise when Ricky put on his charming performance.  Looking at him then her mother and the other guests, she gave a shrug.  These ladies had never learned the art of a true whisper.  Maybe it was because they thought every word out of their mouths dripped gold.  

“I’ve always thought that Tre should open up a center for those poor kids.  He has clearly been such a good influence on the ones that work for him.” 

Madelyn cleared her throat to prevent herself from jumping down the elder woman’s.  Her mother also had that dark, angered look about her.  Their reasons, however, were different.  “Ricky, I think we would love some of that tea,” her mother said as she brought both of them into the kitchen.