“Maybe I could be a nurse. That might get Bob off my back,” she said.
“You should do what you want. Go to school for art,” he encouraged.
“I know, but he’s only going to support me through college if I go into a field he
thinks is respectable,” she confided.
William shifted onto his side to face her. “Well, why not tell him you want to be
an art teacher? You’d probably get to take all the art classes you want. Teaching
should be a respectable enough career,” he suggested.
Casey pondered his suggestion for a moment, considering his words. Then, looking at
him, she pulled his head down to kiss him.
“That’s brilliant, Will.”
“I do have my moments,” he assured her. He gazed into her blue eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Casey whispered, kissing him again. “I know you’ve been pressured
into picking a career and going to college, but I want you to do whatever makes you
happy. If you want to work at the video store until you’re ninety, I would still
love you.”
William kissed her back. “I don’t know if I could rewind videos for the rest of my
life, but thank you.”
He lay back, staring up at the sky, and Casey nestled against him, resting her head
on his chest.
They remained there for what felt like hours. William wished they could stay all
night.
But then, thoughts of the future crept in. Once they graduated, Casey’s father may
not be as strict. Maybe they could get a place of their own, and he’d be able to
fall asleep beside her every night.
The quiet thump of bass from the dance had faded, replaced by the sound of cars