* * *
"It's going to be so strange, starting a new job on Monday," Josie said as they packed the picnic basket. "I mean...so many huge changes all at once...my mind is reeling."
"It's a good thing I never committed to teaching summer school this year," Sam said. "We have a lot to do..."
"I know...I'm glad Gus was okay with me working from home. I'll miss the craziness of the bullpen, but I'll have a lot more flexibility in my schedule. Besides, most of the other columnists have home offices and I'll have to spend a lot of time interviewing the kids. Which reminds me, I've decided to do Aldys first..."
The telephone rang. Sam picked it up. "Hello."
"Oh...Coulson...Gus Strauss here...I need Geller," came Gus' grumbly voice.
Sam put a hand over the mouthpiece. "Gus..." he mouthed. "Is he ever happy?"
Josie laughed. "Not usually," she mouthed back as she took the phone.
"Hi Gus...have you forgotten I'm on vacation?"
"Geller...I need your help," he said, ignoring her question. "I know you don't start officially as a columnist until next week...but...Chicago is demanding a follow-up to your story...you saw the mail. I mentioned something to Anita about it and she just got this goofy grin on her face."
So Anita hadn't revealed their secret. Josie was quite proud of her. "Actually, Gus...I...we...have a lot we'd like to say. Oh, and the byline...it'll have to read by Josie Geller and Sam Coulson, okay?"
"I can't see why Rigfort would have a problem with that...you're his golden girl, you know."
Josie laughed. "Well...sending me back to high school was his inspiration..."
Gus laughed...something he did too rarely. "Listen, Geller...I need that story for Sunday's edition...I hate to put this kind of pressure on but..."
"I know...copy by five."
Josie hung up the phone and smiled at Sam. "So...how would you feel about a collaboration?"
Sam grinned. "An opportunity to work with my favorite writer? How could I turn that down?"
Josie grabbed her laptop and added it to the pile by the door. She frowned. "It looks like we're taking as much with us as we'll be bringing back."
Sam laughed. "I really don't need to pick up that much...just a few more clothes and other...essentials."
"Essentials?"
"Softball mitt and bat...in-line skates and hockey stick...and my guitar...I have this sudden strange urge to serenade you," he joked.
"Hey...I'm honored...I'm right up there with your sports equipment!"
At Sam's apartment, they quickly located the items that Sam wanted to take with him and placed the boxes by the door. "May as well wait to load them until we're ready to leave," he said. "So...do you want to swim first or write that story?"
"Swim, I think...then we can have lunch and write the story afterward. I'll just go change." She picked up her tote bag and headed into the bedroom.
"Need any help?" Sam asked wickedly.
"I think I can manage," Josie replied sweetly.
She returned a few minutes later wearing a simple black bikini with a short sarong skirt tied around her hips. It emphasized her small waist and her full breasts. "Yow!" Sam exclaimed.
Josie smiled, shyly. "Not something the old Josie would have bought, but Kirsten, Kristen and Gibby talked me into it on one of our many excursions to the mall."
"Remind me to thank them!" Sam said appreciatively. "I won't be long."
He quickly changed into a pair of dark green swim trunks. When he returned to the living room, he found Josie perched on his coffee table applying sunscreen to her legs.
"I burn pretty quickly," she explained. "One of the curses of having fair skin...the other of course...is my tendency to blush..."
Sam smiled crookedly at her. "I love it when you blush...it's one of the traits that's so uniquely you. And I certainly wouldn't want anything to mar that lovely, creamy skin of yours."
She'd finished lathering the lotion onto her legs. Sam watched as she massaged it onto her bare belly, her breasts, and her arms. She held the bottle out and turned her back to him. "Would you mind doing my back? I never seem to cover it completely."
"That would be my extreme pleasure," Sam said deeply. He squirted some lotion into his hand and slowly massaged it into Josie's smooth skin. She shivered.
"If you don't stop that we'll never make it to the pool," she said her voice husky.
"And that would be bad because..."
"Well...for one...your bed is in pieces..."
"Ah, Josie...you still have so much to learn," he teased. Reluctantly, he stood up and held out a hand to her. "Let's go."
The pool was crowded with kids on summer vacation; Sam and Josie were the only adults present. The kids all seemed to know Sam, though, and they invited them to join their game of Marco Polo. Josie hadn't played it since she was a child herself; she'd been far too self-conscious as a teenager to even wear a swimsuit.
Sam grinned as she cavorted with the kids, splashing them. He disappeared under the water and snuck up behind her, grabbing her waist. She spun in his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. His lips met hers as he pulled her, momentarily, beneath the water. They surfaced, breathless and laughing.
The kids were all staring at them. "Oops," said Sam, "I forgot we had an audience."
"You seem pretty fond of public displays of affection, Sam Coulson..."
"I can't seem to help myself...when I'm with you, I just lose my head."
They ate their lunch at a picnic table by the pool before heading back up to Sam's apartment. Josie quickly rinsed the chlorine from her hair and changed back into her clothes. While Sam changed, Josie cleared off a spot on the sofa and set up her laptop on the coffee table. She typed in a tentative title: About That Kiss...by Josie Geller and Sam Coulson. Sam rejoined her and they began telling the story of that fateful kiss and it's aftermath. As they wrote together, they found it difficult to believe how radically life had changed in just one short week. Josie told her side. Sam shared his. Then, they shared the news of the magical new life they planned together. Satisfied, Josie saved the file and shut her laptop.
They loaded Sam's boxes and their other things into his jeep and headed into the city.
Josie entered her old office to print out their story. "I suppose I'll have to pack all this up soon," she said a little sadly.
Sam glanced around the office, locating her diploma from Northwestern hanging on the wall. "Summa cum laude...I'm very impressed. You must have had straight A's."
Josie nodded. Without conceit she said, "I was number one in my class, actually."
Gus entered without knocking. "Got that story for me, Geller?"
"Just printing it now...I've already edited it..."
"I'm going to miss having you as a copy editor, you know...you really are my best."
Josie was touched by the unexpected compliment. She heard the soft whir of the printer as it spit out the last page. She pulled it off the printer and handed it to Gus with a smile.
Gus sat down and began to read.
ABOUT THAT KISS...
by Josie Geller and Sam Coulson
Josie's Story
A week ago I stood on the pitcher's mound at the state championship baseball game, hoping, praying that the man I loved would be able to forgive me, that maybe he cared for me, at least a little bit. I was terrified, because I knew how deeply I had hurt him with my deception. And yet, I had to take the risk.
So many of you were there with me in spirit. Waiting. Hoping. It meant a lot, knowing that I wasn't there alone.
I stood there, watching as the clock counted down to zero. Your cheers went silent. He hadn't come. I felt so many things in that instant: sadness, loneliness, despair. But I also felt stronger for having tried.
And then, in the greatest miracle of my life, he was there. Running towards me. Pulling me into his arms for my first real kiss.
It was an amazing kiss. The world went hazy. It was just us. Sam and I. Alone in the world. I knew that he was the only person I was supposed to kiss for the rest of my life. He took my hand and we walked off the field together. We haven't been apart since.
Sam's Story
I almost didn't make it at all. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to pick up the newspaper. Too busy trying to make myself hate her. But I couldn't hate her, no matter how hard I tried. So, I was running away rather than face her.
At the last possible moment, I found myself looking into her eyes, boring into me from the newspaper I had been using to pack my life away. Unable to help myself, I read her story, the one she had written for me.
I am an incredibly lucky man to be loved by someone that would put herself on the line like that. You probably aren't aware that Josie is a very shy person, but I was. I knew how high the cost might be for her.
So, I found myself fighting a traffic jam, being delivered to the stadium by one of Chicago's finest. (Thank you, Officer Flaherty, wherever you are!). I heard the buzzer as I was running into the stadium, heard the deafening silence of the crowd. Saw the woman I loved standing all alone on the pitcher's mound.
The next thing I knew, I had her in my arms at last. That kiss altered everything that I had ever known. I felt as if I had never been kissed before, either.
Josie once told a story about Adele penguins. They spend their entire lives searching for that one other penguin and when they find them, they know. And they spend the rest of their lives together.
In that kiss, I knew that I had found my penguin.
Our Story
The kiss, of course, was just the beginning. We've spent the last few days learning about each other, all the personal details we couldn't share before.
But we know each other in all the ways that count. That happens with soul mates.
Did we mention that we are engaged? Sam asked me the day after "the kiss" and I happily accepted.
We know it seems crazy but it's right for us. We're getting married on August 14th. (Yes, that is August 14th, 1999.)
We had our first date, too. We know that seems weird since we were already engaged, but we had to have something to tell our future children.
So, we'll be very busy over the next two months. Josie will be writing a weekly column for the Sunday Life and Style section. We'll be planning our wedding and, hopefully, moving into our dream home. (Keep your fingers crossed readers.)
Finally, we would like to sincerely thank the people of Chicago and the rest of the country for their warm wishes. We've received more cards and letters than you can imagine. It's wonderful to know that people want to believe in love and happy endings.
We plan on living happily ever after!
Gus looked up at Josie and Sam with a stunned look on his face. "Well, Geller looks like congratulations are in order. Rigfort's gonna be beside himself. He'll probably offer to pay for the whole damn thing."
"One thing, Gus," Josie asked. "I know you're a hard-boiled newsman...and you might be tempted to publish this before Sunday. Please, please just hold off. We haven't told Sam's family yet...we'd kind of like to do that in person."
"Before the rest of the world knows," added Sam.
Gus smiled at the couple. "It's gonna be hard...but okay, Geller, I promise no story until Sunday. I won't even tell Rigfort the news. And, by the way, there's an editorial staff meeting Monday at ten and Rigfort has requested your presence."
* * *
They chose a small, secluded French bistro out of the stack of free dinner invitations that they'd received. Josie wore her pretty blue and white flowered dress; her skin had acquired a soft pink glow from the sun. "You look very pretty," Sam said.
Josie's color deepened at the compliment. She raked her eyes appreciatively over Sam. He was wearing a black silk shirt and dress pants. He was tanned from their day at the pool, making his green eyes seem even greener. "You look pretty good, yourself."
Sam placed his hand at the small of her back as he guided her into the restaurant.
"Coulson, party of two," he told the maitre 'd.
Josie glanced around the restaurant. The lighting was low, with candles glowing on all the tables. It had an intimate, cozy atmosphere. An oak bar took up one corner of the room. Josie gasped as she recognized the bartender.
"Oh, my God!" Josie said frantically.
"What's wrong?" Sam asked.
"Behind the bar," she whispered, "that's...Billy Prince!"
Sam gazed intently at the bartender. So that was the boy who'd so cruelly treated Josie. He wanted to hurt him...badly. "Want me to beat him up for you? I think I'd get a lot of pleasure out of it."
Josie realized he was only half-serious. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."
"He has no power over you; you're too strong a person now," he whispered in her ear. "But...I think maybe we could play a little game with old Billy-boy, give him a taste of his own medicine. You interested?"
Josie was intrigued. "What did you have in mind?"
Sam whispered his plan into her ear. He asked the maitre d' to hold their table for a half-hour.
Josie walked to the bar and seated herself on a barstool. Sam followed at a distance, standing out of sight, but close enough to hear.
Josie smiled at Billy. Billy eyed her appreciatively.
"Pig," muttered Sam.
"So, beautiful, what can I get for you?"
Josie took a deep breath. She looked Billy in the eye and smiled. "I'd like Sex on the Beach."
Billy laughed. "Well...I do like a woman who gets straight to the point."
Sam was proud of her; she'd actually gotten that out without blushing.
Josie looked at Billy again, feigning sudden recognition. "You look really familiar."
"I'd recognize a babe like you."
"No...I'm sure of it. Did you go to Lincoln Park High?"
Billy looked surprised. "Class of '91..."
"I knew it. You're Billy Prince!"
Billy continued to look at Josie with a blank expression on his face. "Yes...I am Billy Prince..."
"Don't you remember me?"
"Of course...you're...give me a hint?"
"Oh, no...I don't think so."
"I knew every pretty girl at Lincoln Park...I dated most of them..."
"We had a date once."
Sam chose this moment to make his move. He embraced Josie from behind and kissed the nape of her neck. "Hi, sweetheart, sorry I'm late."
"Hi, baby, you won't believe who this is," she said indicating Billy. "It's Billy Prince, the hottest boy from my high school class. You remember? I told you all about him."
"Yep, I remember."
"He doesn't remember me, though," she said sadly.
"Maybe you should give him a little hint...put him out of his misery. Although I can't imagine how he could ever forget you."
"Okay." Josie began to recite a poem that she'd written a lifetime ago.
"Does he notice me? Does he hear my heart screaming his name? Sometimes it's so loud I think The gods can hear my pain. His voice is so mellifluous, Oh, to get just one small kiss."
Billy's head jerked up, recognizing the poem, but not the writer sitting before him. "That's the poem that geek, Josie Grossie, wrote about me. I sure got her back though..." he said proudly.
"By pelting eggs at her on prom night?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," said Billy. "How'd you know that?"
"Because I told him," said Josie quietly. "Hello, Billy. My name is Josie Geller..."
"Josie Grossie! It can't be..." he said with horror.
"But it is," said Josie with dignity. "Sometimes we ugly ducklings do turn into swans."
Billy looked very uncomfortable, aware that at six feet Sam had a few inches on him.
"I believe," Sam said in a quiet but menacing voice, "that you owe my fianc�e an apology. One that you actually mean, by the way. I can only hope that you've outgrown your infantile need to hurt others. Josie is the kindest, gentlest person I know. You don't even deserve to be in the same room with her."
"I..." Billy began.
The maitre 'd looked over, frowning at Billy.
"I'm sorry...okay...I was an ignorant jerk. Obviously, you've made something of yourself. You look successful...beautiful...happy. If it makes a difference, I haven't had any of that since high school."
Josie looked at him with pity.
The maitre 'd approached. "Is there a problem here?"
Sam glanced at Billy. He looked...pathetic. "No...no problem...just a couple of high school acquaintances reminiscing about old times."
Billy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your table is ready."
As they were seated, Sam remarked proudly, "You were incredible."
Josie laughed. "I guess I'm better at all of that disguise stuff than I thought. I sort of feel sorry for him now, though."
"He definitely peaked in high school."
"I used to worry that Rob would be like that...he was actually...but now...he seems more focused."
"I guess going back to high school was good for him, too. He actually asked me last night if I could pull some strings for him at Lakeshore Community College."
"He told me that he was seriously thinking about going, finally. He's great with the kids on the baseball team, he'll make a terrific coach."
"You know...I was actually jealous of him at first," Sam admitted.
"Really? Why?"
"The day after that fiasco at Delloser...you wouldn't talk to me no matter what I tried. I was really worried about you. Then...I saw you crying in his arms after school, saying how glad you were to have one person there who really cared about you. I wanted to be in his shoes in the worst way, to let you know how much I cared."
"I knew that you cared. You called out to me after class. I knew you wanted to help, but I was afraid. I thought that if I let you comfort me, I'd end up weeping in your arms and I knew I couldn't let that happen."
"How did you get so wise?"
Josie shrugged. "It's probably because I spent so much time watching the world go by but not actually living in it. I observed a lot."
"I'm delighted you decided to live life...especially that you decided to live it with me."
Josie smiled. "This time last week we were at the prom."
"Do you still have that dress or did you have to return it?"
"Yes...it's actually mine...I made it."
"You made it?" he asked, clearly impressed, "It's beautiful."
"Thanks...I wanted it to be perfect and the costume shops didn't have anything that looked right for Rosalind...so I designed what I wanted...combined a few patterns...and voila."
"Will you wear it for me again sometime? Tiara and all?"
Josie blushed. "Anytime you say."
"What sort of wedding do you want, Josie? What's your dream?"
"I've always wanted an outdoor wedding...in some lovely garden...simple...nothing too elaborate. The reception...I picture that as a fun party...nothing stuffy...maybe with a tent and a DJ."
"No band?"
"Do you want a band?"
"Honestly...I've never been too impressed with the groups that cater to weddings...a DJ would be great...plus...we have a ready made play list."
"Would it be okay if our first dance was to 'Heaven?' When we listened to it that day...the words reminded me of you. I know it's sort of old..."
"It's a classic...and it reminds me of you, too."
"So...what do you think?"
"The image of you surrounded by flowers...becoming my wife..." Sam's voice caught on the word, "it's breathtaking!"
"So...a garden wedding it is...I guess we need to make a list of gardens in the area and start checking availability. I'd imagine that most of them would have a tent for the reception."
"Probably. We can drive around tomorrow and check them out if you want."
"That's a great idea! Besides...we may as well take advantage of our moment of fame while it lasts," she teased.
Sam arched an eyebrow at her and smiled crookedly, "Nut. How would you feel about using the DJ from the prom? I still have his number somewhere..."
"That would be okay...I'm sure he'll remember me. Now...wedding party? I'm thinking Anita for maid of honor...Aldys...Abby...and Miranda, my college roommate."
"Hmmm...Jon for best man...Matt...Rob...Russ and Josh...hey I have one more...can you add someone."
"I actually thought of Kirsten, Kristen, and Gibby...but I can't ask one and not the others...and seven is too many."
"It is a lot...but I could live with it as long as the rest of it doesn't become a huge production...I can add Andy, another friend from high school...you'll probably meet him on Saturday...and...Adam Christiansen from South Glen...he's my closest friend on the faculty."
"My biology teacher? That's kind of weird."
"Josie...have you forgotten that you're marrying your English teacher?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Would you mind Emma as flower girl? I know she's a little young, but she'd love it."
"I was going to suggest it. How about including our new friend Justin, too? He was a big part of our first date."
"Perfect. You know...I heard part of the story you told him...it was wonderful."
"Because it was our story."
"You should consider writing it down...maybe try to get it published as a children's book."
"You thought it was that good?"
"I only heard a little bit, but yes, I do."
"I'll have to think about it..."
* * *