"Love in the Great Pine Woods" by Gratiana Lovelace (2015-2016) (Completed)

Ch. 12 (PG-13, S): Cars, Cummerbunds, and Christmas

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 12 (PG-13, S): Cars, Cummerbunds, and Christmas,
December 25, 2015 by Gratiana Lovelace (Post #848)

(An original story copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace; all rights reserved) [(1) story cover, left]

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story characters with: Richard Armitage as Sam Wakeforest, Marcia Gay Harden as Sam's older sister Tessa Wakeforest Shoop Delaney, and Emily Deschanel as Tessa's sister-in-law Olivia Delaney, Viola Davis as Pauletta Perkins, Cicely Tyson as Nellie Newton, and Anna Sophia Robb as Alice Trent, Kevin Spacey as Roger Delaney, Sam Heughan as Todd Wakeforest, Idris Elba as Dominic Perkins and others as noted.]

Authors Content Note: "Love in the Great Pine Woods" is a mature love story with dramatic themes of love and relationships. It will mostly be at the PG and PG-13 movie levels. Specific chapters or passages may have a further rating of: L for language, D for dramatic emotions, and S for sensual themes. And I will rate the chapters accordingly. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide for a chapter, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer. And as is my habit, I will summarize the previous chapter's events at the beginning of the next chapter.

Authors Recap from the Previous Chapter: With the revelation that a rumor had been started about her brother Sam Wakeforest and her sister-in-law Olivia Delaney were lovers before they are due to wed, Tessa Wakeforest Shoop Delaney went into overdrive to defend both of their honor against such slander. And Tessa would have tussled with the gossiping woman but for the refereeing presence of Mrs. Brent, the minister's wife. Then in finding out that the gossiping woman and her children were destitute needing food and proper shelter for their cold winter climate, Tessa offered to pay for her food, and then promptly hired her as the Wakeforest County Orphanage's new live in cook. The desperate lady, Mrs. Coffey, accepted gratefully. And when Mrs. Coffey met the kind and cheerful Olivia Delaney as she and her children were shown their lodgings at the Orphanage--and the friendly Sam Wakeforest who was there fixing a door hinge--Mrs. Coffey came to realize that what she had heard as gossip was untrue. These were good people, honorable people. And Mrs. Coffey felt shame for gossiping about them. And she resolved not to so besmirch anyone every again. Of course though Sam and Olivia are not lovers, they have lain abed with each other--albeit chastely. So with Sam eager to express his love for the shy virgin Olivia, their impending nuptials coming up Wednesday, December 30th, 1955 are coming none too soon for him.

"Love in the Great Pine Woods", Ch. 12 (PG-13, S): Cars, Cummerbunds, & Christmas

Sam Wakeforest loves Olivia Delaney dearly. But him not having a car of his own--since his burned up in his car accident--is driving him nuts. Olivia is a good driver, but Sam is accustomed to coming and going when he likes--not waiting for someone to drive him. So the week he returns to living back at his house--what is the Wakeforest family home that he and his siblings grew up in--Sam convinces Olivia to take him car shopping. Of course, Olivia's reward will be Sam helping with some wedding planning for their Dec.30th wedding--as well as Christmas shopping and such.

So on Saturday December 12th--after visiting their family XMAS Tree Farm and pulling their foster nephew eighteen month old baby Bobby delightedly around on a sled as promised--Sam and Olivia go car shopping. It is the first day after they spent a night apart--since Sam went home to sleep Friday night. And they both feel the loss of their tender but chaste intimacies now with the constraint of Sam living elsewhere until they are married. So, they hold hands since that is all they are permitted when they are out in public car shopping.

And shopping by men is different than shopping by women--and vice versa. You see, though men profess to be more technically oriented--wanting certain specifications or minimum standards met on any item that the purchase--it really boils down to what they like and want, logic need not apply. Whereas women freely admit that their shopping habits are born of wanting clothes, or furniture, or even cars that make a harmonious fit to their lives and bring them joy. And though men can sometimes be easily swayed with regard to the status symbolism of an item--be it a car, tractor plow, or house--they will never admit it.