Chapter 4

On the way to the car, Brad called Karen to tell her that he and Dan were going to have supper out and then come home. “Which restaurant would you like to go to?” Dan asked.†

“For some reason, I want to eat at the Harbourview.”†

“The Harbourview it is.” Dan let his Mustang push the speed limit in a lower gear on the way to Trenton. As Dan drove west, Brad continued to read the hockey rule book his dad had bought him. They enjoyed discussing several rules from the book.

Inside the restaurant, the hostess placed them at a sunlit booth that overlooked the harbour and said their waitress would be with them shortly. “I haven’t been in here in close to a year,” Dan remembered.

“Same here,” Brad added.

“I see that you’re getting quite a good growth of whiskers,” Dan commented, giving a few of his whiskers a little tug.

“Yeah, I shave twice a week, sometimes three now, and have pretty decent sideburns just like yours,” Brad said, rubbing the stubble on his chin.

“I remember that we liked to play golf together.”

“I still like golf.”

“Maybe we can play a few rounds this summer.”

“I’d like that, Dad. Mom can play too.”

“Oh yeah, can she ever play! But she always cheated,” Dan said, smiling.

“How would she cheat?”

“She’d wear low cut tops and no panties under her short skirts to distract me.” Brad laughed. “Do you still play the guitar and keyboard?”

“Yes, I do. I hated Mom for making me take piano lessons when I was five or six, but now I’m sure glad I did!”

“I remember too, you played a lousy ‘Chop Sticks’ on the piano,” Dan kidded.

“I sometimes play for a local rock band called ëDissention,’ when one of the guys is sick or something. I even try my hand at songwriting too.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No, I haven’t, but there is this girl I’ve seen at school. She started going to my school in September, with the opening of the new addition. I see her sometimes in the halls between classes and at lunch. She is so beautiful, but she is likely way out of my league.”

“What makes you say that?”

“She’s already probably the most popular girl at school, and likely has her choice of boys to date. All I know about her is that her name is Abby Kendall.”†

Then, the waitress came to their table. She was a very pretty, slim, brown-eyed brunette. Brad spotted her, and the sight of this beauty sent excited tingles up and down his spine. The name tag above her small right breast showed, ëAbby.’

Brad was dumbfounded, it was her! She was Abby from school! She set up their table and gave them each a menu, taking fleeting glances at Brad and smiling politely. Her glances grew longer and longer as she realized the boy sitting at her table was the same boy named Brad Miller from her school whom she liked very much.

Abby had liked Brad since first seeing him in September. Because of the number of other schoolgirls she’d seen always hanging around him, she assumed this handsome young man wasn’t interested in her.

Brad couldn’t take his eyes off Abby. She had perfect teeth and a perfect smile. She wanted to say something but shied away and said she’d be back to take their order.

“Okay, Romeo, eyes back in your head!” Dan teased Brad after seeing his reaction to her. Brad leaned closer to him.

“Dad, did you see her?” That’s her! She’s the one I mentioned I liked at school! She’s absolutely beautiful!” Brad exclaimed in a loud whisper. He watched her walk away to attend to other customers, her long brunette ponytail swaying side to side between her shoulder blades.

“Yes, I saw her; she is stunningly beautiful,” he replied, smiling back. “I thought guys your age would have said, ‘Man, I’d love to fuck her.’”

“No, I didn’t think that at all about her. I didn’t know she worked here!”

Out of sight, Brad didn’t know that Abby had stopped and peered around the corner at him. She stared and stared, her heart pounding hard in her chest.

Dan and Brad looked over their menus, deciding what to order. Brad knew what he wanted, he wanted to see more of Abby. “You can only eat burgers and fries for so long; besides, you should eat decently throughout the season,” Dan said, as he decided what he would like to eat.

Abby returned shortly to take their orders. Dan smiled and chuckled silently as he looked at Brad looking at Abby. She lightly rubbed the base of her throat, looking at this handsome young man named Brad.

“I’ll have the roast chicken breast with baked potatoes and a coffee, please, Abby,” Dan said. She glanced at Dan, smiling at him when he said her name.

“Not too many customers take the time and have the courtesy to call me by name. I like that, thank you,” she smiled.

“Even her voice is soft and beautiful!” Brad thought. “I’ll have the same as my dad, except for a glass of milk. And could I have an ice cube in my milk, please, Abby?”

Dan looked at them, exchanging glances and sensing that one was waiting for the other to say something. He nudged Brad’s foot with his, nodding his head in her direction.

† “You go to Forest Park High School, don’t you?” Brad finally asked. Stupid question because he knew she went there but had to start the conversation somehow. “I’ve seen you in the halls during class breaks and at lunch.” Brad looked into her deep brown eyes. “I’m in tenth grade.”

“Yes, I go to Forest Park,” Abby said, her hazel eyes meeting Brad’s. “I finally get to meet him!” She thought. “I thought I recognized you and had seen you in the hallways too. “I’m also in tenth grade,” she added with a smile.

“It’s such a big school, you can go weeks without seeing everyone that goes there,” he mentioned. “I’m Brad, Brad Miller,” he said, holding out his right hand to shake.

“Hi Brad, I’m Abby Kendall,” she beamed, taking his hand in hers.

“I know.”†

Abby smiled shyly, shaking his hand. Brad felt the softness of her hand and noticed her perfectly manicured nails. Electricity shot through Brad’s body as if he’d been struck by lightning. The sensation radiated out from Abby touching his hand, up to his head, and down to his toes. The hairs on his body stood up on end.

Abby felt a tingling sensation throughout her body at the same time as Brad, which she’d never experienced before when shaking hands with a boy.

In that very instant, their romantic fate was sealed for life.

“I’m glad to finally meet you, Brad,” Abby said with a growing smile.

“This is my dad, Dan Hayward,” Brad introduced.

“Hi, Mr. Hayward.”

“Hi Abby, it’s very nice to meet you.” They also shook hands.