Rock Radio - By Lisa Wainland Page 0,33

he had the perfect message. Carefully he wrote his inscription inside the card, taking time to make sure each letter was even with the last.

Dearest Dana,

Roses are red

Violets are blue

You were meant for me

And I was meant for you

Love,

Larry

He was impressed at his own heartfelt creativity. Beneath the last line he printed his phone number, then he placed the picture inside the card and put it in a bright red envelope. He wanted to catch her attention. With a thin black marker he addressed the card to Miss Dana Drew care of the radio station, placed a stamp on the envelope so it made a perfect right angle with the corner and drove to the post office to mail it.

Romance was definitely in the air.

Chapter 19

Jonny and his wife actually had a romantic Friday night.

Jonny arrived home to find a candlelit dinner and soft music. Jill was dressed in a short black silk nightgown.

She looked good.

Jonny and Jill ate dinner and had the comfortable conversation that only comes from years together. They laughed over wine, flirted and ended up in bed.

It was nice for Jonny to be with his wife. They shared an intimacy that wasn’t easily duplicated. He did truly love her. It felt good to fall asleep in her arms.

At three-twenty four a.m. the phone rang.

“Hello,” Jill answered sleepily.

“Hey I’m looking for Jonny,” a woman’s voice said.

Jill was instantly awake. “And you are?”

“Heather, I’m on the air and I’m having a problem. Is Jonny there?”

“Oh, hang on.” Jill was used to problem calls from the new overnighters. She shook Jonny. “Hey, wake up. It’s someone named Heather from the station.”

Jonny jumped awake, sleep making him forget she was on the air tonight. “Why is she calling here...?” he said without thinking.

“She says she’s having a problem on the air.”

“Oh, yeah,” he said quickly, grabbing the phone from Jill.

“This is Jonny, what’s up?”

“Jonny, it’s Heather...did you hear my last break? The guy I was talking about was you.”

“So the computer isn’t loading the next song on the log?” he replied. Jonny couldn’t believe this. It was the middle of the night. He was in bed with his wife. Where was her discretion? Then again, what did he expect? She was so young.

“Oh, you can’t talk,” she said, catching on slowly.

“Yeah, just locate the song in the computer and drag it over.”

“Listen to my next break, I’m thinking of you.”

“Keep it professional,” he warned.

“I will baby, thanks.”

Jonny gave the phone back to Jill who he knew heard the whole conversation. Well, just his half he hoped.

“Inexperience, huh?” she said rolling on top of Jonny.

“Yeah,” he answered, distracted. Jill tried to start something, but he didn’t want to. Heather was starting to make him nervous and when he was afraid, he had no desire.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you want me?”

“I’m tired Jill, sorry.” Jonny rolled over.

Jill breathed heavily. Frustrated.

*

Jonny woke up Saturday morning knowing he had to talk to Heather. She wasn’t going to the station today, he wasn’t due there either, but he knew he needed to see her to cool things off.

“Jill, I’m going to take a quick ride to the store to get bagels. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay.”

Jonny got in his car and called Heather immediately. It was nine in the morning, she got off the air just three hours ago so she was still asleep.

“Hello.” She sounded groggy.

“Heather it’s Jonny. We need to talk. Meet me at the station at noon.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, so it’s something good,” she said.

“Uh, yeah, just meet me there. And bring your air check tape.” He hung up the phone abruptly, throwing in the line about the air check tape to give some credence to their meeting in case it was ever questioned. The station was open twenty-four hours a day, seven day a week with people working there all the time - on air personalities and sometimes even salespeople who needed the quiet of the weekend to get things done. While the weekends were significantly less busy than the weekdays, they would still be seen. He thought of meeting her someplace out of Miami, but that, he felt, was even more dangerous. At the station they could be there for a legitimate reason, any place else was suspect.

Jonny got the bagels and returned home.

“Jilly,” he said sweetly using his pet name for her, “I gotta go to the station this afternoon for a few hours.”

“Really?” she said dejectedly.

“Yeah, I won’t be long, I promise.” He kissed her forehead.

Jonny ate breakfast, did a