Chapter 4

The third day that Robbie showed up on the beach without Rachel spoke volumes. To interested girls, Robbie was now available again. It was an interesting dynamic, understandable in a certain way, but wholly predictable in another. Girls in his class year who wanted Robbie's attention were determined not to let some young girl run off with him again, and they used their prior dating experience and maturity, if you could call it that, along with old fashioned feminine guile to capture his attention and eventually his heart. Quite the opposite tactics were employed by the new class girls. They had no dating experience, most were barely fourteen years old, and some not even that yet. But they were cute, and were full of energy and exuberance, and to Robbie's thinking, they didn't come with baggage.

He was convinced that the things that he had told Rachel were accurate and truthful representations of how he viewed dating in high school, and how sex played a big part of a relationship. He was quite certain that he could convince another girl of the validity of his position. Of course his charm and the sincerity in the tone of his voice in just common conversation went a long way in helping his cause. Being one of the more handsome guys in the school didn't hurt either.

The first three girls that attracted his attention each brought up the subject of Rachel and her apparent refusal to have sex. This really made Robbie mad, because he had not told anyone of their discussion, or anything about what had happened on that rainy afternoon. He reacted equally poorly to each of the three, not mincing any words as he chastised them for presuming to know anything about her or them.

"I don't ever talk about the girls that I date! EVER!" he said very angrily to each girl. Word of those conversations spread up and down the beach, and the effect differed. Some girls openly declared that to be confirmation that Rachel said no, while other girls were more circumspect and considered his confidentiality a big plus.

The beach competition among the girls was put on hold temporarily while Robbie experienced a life changing event. Apparently, to most men, turning sixteen is as important a milestone in their lives as is anything else, because it is the day when they can first obtain a license to drive a car. While that is technically a privilege offered by the state, it is so much more than that to the young man. It represents the very first indisputable sign of freedom. When he drives a car, he is his own person, responsible for himself, by himself and without parental supervision. Robbie's sixteenth birthday was on Saturday, and five minutes after the testing station opened, Robbie was in line to take the final exam. Thirty minutes later, he drove his father home. He told his mother not to expect him home for supper that evening, that he and Bill would find something somewhere. By noon, they were headed out of town with no real destination in mind. They drove here, there and everywhere and Robbie pulled back into the driveway about midnight, still full of the exhilaration that he had enjoyed all day.

There was a note from his mom, taped to his bed room door. "Please plan on being home tomorrow evening for dinner. We have company coming."

At breakfast the next morning, he asked who was coming for dinner, but was told that it would be a surprise. He was to dress appropriately and act responsibly, strange comments from his mother, Robbie thought.

Just before seven, he heard a car pull into the drive and peeked out the window, recognizing it as belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson who he knew from their church. Immediately he wondered what the mystery of having the Samuelsons for dinner was all about. He knew they were friendly people. They had a son who Robbie thought was probably in the fourth grade, and he was a nice kid as well. So what was the big deal?

The question was answered when she stepped into the room. She was introduced as Kristen Ribbing, an exchange student from Sweden who would be staying with the Samuelson family for one year. She was almost as tall as Robbie, had blond hair that fell just below her shoulders, and was very pretty. She had a beautiful smile, and very light complexion, and her figure was just perfect for a girl as tall as she. But it was her eyes that captured his attention. They were silvery blue, unlike any he had ever seen, and he just could not look away. Whatever macho supremacy he might have felt over the girls on the beach disappeared at that very moment. They had not spoken but a dozen words and he knew that this was the girl that he would spend the next twelve months beside, if she would have him.

Of course she was the center of the conversation at the dinner table and at some point, Robbie began to wonder why they had come to dinner here as their first stop with Kristen, who had only arrived early that morning. Mr. Samuelson answered that question. "Robbie, now that you have your driver's license, we were wondering if you would be willing to take Kristen out tomorrow and show her around town, maybe introduce her to some of your friends and help her feel welcome."

"Just tell me what time you want me to pick you up in the morning, and I will be there," he replied excitedly.

He drove her around the city the next morning, showing her the historic buildings as well as the shopping areas and most importantly, where all the kids hung out. He explained that during the summer, many of his classmates spent the afternoons at the beach, either playing volleyball in the sand or just laying there soaking up the sun. When he asked her if she could swim, she looked at him as if he were daft. "Every child in Sweden can swim by the end of his first year in school." After lunch, he took her home to get her swimsuit.

It would not be accurate or truthful to say that the beach actually stopped when Robbie escorted her across the sand, but one could say that virtually every activity came to a halt and the eyes of every teenager were focused on them. His friend Bill awkwardly attempted to standup from his towel to be first in line to be introduced. Who was this blond goddess walking down the beach? To make things easier, Robbie called all of his friends over to introduce Kristen. When it was her turn to say a few things, she told them how excited she was about being able to spend a year with them, and how she looked forward to making friends with all of them. It was one of those introductory meetings that never seem to end up as warm and friendly as they should. They did invite her join in the volleyball game, and her height gave her the ability to block and slam balls back at the opponents unlike any other girl on either team. She was a fierce competitor, to be sure, quite confident of her athletic ability and certainly not awkward in any way. When they swam, her stroke was powerful, and when she dove, it was never a simple swan dive, always something much more complex, and always perfectly executed. As it neared the dinner hour, the group began to disperse and Robbie drove Kristen to the Samuelson house.

"I don't think I have ever known a girl with such athletic skills and who is as graceful and poised as you are. I think you intimidated the other girls. Maybe they'll try harder now." He chuckled after his last comment.

"I hope that I did not offend anyone. I just played to my ability."

"You did just fine, and looked even better. And your diving ... how did you learn to dive like that?"

"Like every other child in Sweden, we learn to swim in the first year of school. Then, depending upon your own interest, you may continue with instruction in diving, and when you are older, scuba diving and underwater activities too. I always thought that diving appeared to be a graceful event and I wanted to learn how to do it, so I continued with the instruction."

"I don't think I have seen anyone, kid or adult, on this beach who can dive as well as you do."

Over the next several weeks, they spent several mornings together, touring more of the area, stopping by the high school to check on getting her registered and stuff, and generally just making sure that everything she needed was available to her. The afternoons were spent on the beach, usually just swimming or lying on towels until enough kids arrived to play volleyball. One evening, Robbie took her to a movie and afterwards to the pizza shack. As they sat at the long table, Robbie sensed that Kristen was unhappy and was being more reserved when they were with "the group"; something just didn't feel right. As he had every evening that they had been together, Robbie drove her home and walked her to the front door. He wanted to ask her if there was a problem about something, but he delayed saying anything immediately and when he began to ask, she spoke first. "Tomorrow, let's go on a picnic, just the two of us," she said. "I will prepare all the food, you decide the place. Pick me up about two o'clock, please." She did not wait for his response but turned immediately and entered the house.

Once back in his car, he immediately called his friend Bill. "I just dropped Kristen off at home, and she is pissed about something. Do you know what's up? Did somebody say something that upset her?"

"I don't think so. I was sitting right across from her at the shack and I never heard anything. She just seemed rather cool towards everybody, as if she is mad about something. I figured you two had a fight."

"Well, something's the matter, and I have to figure it out soon."

Robbie racked his brain trying to decide the perfect location for the picnic. He initially thought about a very private beach to which he had access, but instead chose a tiny park about twenty miles away. It was a county park, but it was so small that very few people ever went there. The park itself was not much more than two acres in size, and most of that was land occupied by trees. The previous land owner had donated the property to the county to prevent it from ever being developed for anything other than its natural scene. Bordered on two sides by a large bend in a river, the only grassy area was about one hundred feet downstream from a modest waterfall. As a setting for a photograph, it was picture perfect.

Kristen was wearing shorts and a summer weight fitted top and looked terrific. She had put her hair up into a ponytail and wore little makeup that Robbie could see. He just could not get over how absolutely attractive this girl was, and wondered how he had been so lucky for her to be in his life. As he drove into the park, she noticed that there were no other cars in the lot.

"It's a gorgeous day. Where is everybody? When she saw the waterfall, she asked the same question. Why isn't this place overflowing with people? In Sweden, on a day like today, we would have to scrunch in next to someone else, just to put a blanket down. Are you sure this place is open today?"

"Yes, it's open, but it is also the middle of the week, and most people have to work. This place isn't well known because it is so small, and the only real activity here is looking at the waterfall and river. There isn't enough room to play ball or do any sports, so not many families come here. But I think the setting is neat, and figured it was something a little different for you."