Unbroken Promises by Dianne Stevens Page A

bikes when we met up with Julie and Becky. We had just come from taking the travel trailer out to the campsite so nothing was set up yet because we got such a late start. Julie and Becky offered to go ahead and go with them to start setting things up so I volunteered to come pick you up. We’re going straight there and it’s only about 10 miles away.
    Just relax.”
    Beth sat there a minute and thought about everything he just said. His logic made sense but she still had a feeling she was being controlled. It was the same way at the New Year’s Eve party when she was left in the dark about what was really going to happen. It seemed too coincidental to her. It looked as if they were all trying to push Randy on her. She didn’t know what their motives were, but she had about all she was going to take. She was not a complete idiot.
    “Okay, Randy, I’ll go but I do not like being manipulated. If I had known it was only going to be the two of us in the car, I would have stayed home. This is not appropriate. I’ve only met you once; and, if you even remember, it wasn’t that great of a meeting. You were drunk and passed out. No, I do not like this one bit.”
    “Come on, Beth, this wasn’t done intentionally. I just thought I would be helping everyone out by offering to come get you. You make it sound as if we all conspired to get you alone with me. Just chill out, we’ll be with everyone in a few minutes and then you’ll feel much better.”
    “All right, Randy, maybe I am making too much of this. I’m a nervous wreck. I’ve never done anything quite this daring before.”
    Nevertheless, Beth still had a nagging feeling that Becky, Julie, Allen and Randy did indeed set this up. If they wanted or thought she was going to be promiscuous, they had another thought coming. She was going to make love to one man and one man only. She had told Becky this before. It was as if they did not hear or believe a word she said when she told them how much she loved Jesse. They would say, “Well, he’s sleeping with other girls so you might as well find a lover, too.”
    It hurt terribly when she thought about Jesse being with someone else. And Beth had to admit she could see the reasoning in their thinking; but, even though she knew what they said about Jesse were true, she still would not even think about being sexually involved with someone else. She believed with her whole heart that, when she became an adult, she would marry Jesse and he would never be with another woman.
    She decided to make it through this night, but she was never going to be set up again. That old saying came to her, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” at this moment, she felt it adequately applied to her. She had no one to blame but herself.
    Beth felt a little relieved when they got to the hunting lease. She could see the campfire burning and two motorcycle lights traveling over some small hills about a half mile away.
    As soon as they pulled off the gravel road and onto the rutted path, Randy turned off Julie’s car and turned off the headlights.
    “Why did you turn off the car?” Beth asked with a little fear in her voice.
    “Because I don’t believe the car can make it any closer. It’s real muddy and rutted from here to where they are. Besides, I wanted a chance to talk to you before we meet up with the others.”
    “Randy, you can talk to me after we meet up with the others; besides, I didn’t eat much dinner knowing we would probably roast hot dogs tonight.” Beth was hoping that if Randy thought she was hungry, he would start moving. It didn’t help in the least.
    “Wait a minute; I want you to hear a new tape I just bought. You aren’t going to starve in the next few minutes,” Randy said as he turned on the radio, and put in an Eagles tape. “Do you like the Eagles, Beth?” Randy asked as he slid out from under the wheel and scooted right up beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder much like he did