Chapter 4

First period Monday, I was still stunned thinking about the weekend. I had just come into the classroom when Diane thanked me again, not for being on the beach but for talking for three hours. Damn, was it that long? It seemed like just a few minutes. This got a few strange looks from others in the class, because Diane had always been thought of as standoffish to everyone. She was Rick's girl, and that was all that was important to her. Also, moving into a small town at a late age meant that she never up, till then, had met any girls to be her best friend, the role she and Tammy were about to share with each other.

At noontime, when I got to the cafeteria, I found Tammy and Diane were standing just inside the door in deep conversation. I smiled at them and started to walk by them, when Tammy asked where I thought I was going. When I said to get lunch, she pointed out that they were waiting on me, and it would be rude to just walk by without escorting them to the line. Grinning sheepishly, I bowed and let them pass to, giggles from them and stares from others. We sat at a table, and thus began a daily ritual of eating together that cemented us forever friends. While we were eating, Diane asked where I had applied for college. I noticed Tammy lean forward a little, until I told Diane I was planning on staying home and going to a junior college in Newport News, at least for the first year. She had applied to a couple of schools in Northern California, because Rick was at Stanford. Tammy, who was a junior, said she wanted to go to a small school out in the countryside. It was not big talk, that stuff; it was just talk among friends, and, in a way all three of us needed that more than we knew. It was the basis of a friendship that saw us all through times good and bad, even though we had no idea what the future held.

As football season was now over, I was free after school, but Tammy's gymnastics was just starting. I started futzing around in the gym or library when the weather was bad, or going for walks when it was good. Most of the time I actually finished my home work before Tammy's practice was done, and we would walk home. Being in public most of the time put a damper on the mushy stuff and Pammy being home from dance practice when we got there took care of the rest. Wandering to my house for alone time was out of the question, as nine times out of ten my mom was there, so we made appearances there for appearances sake, and found out that we really liked ourselves. We were growing together, and liked each other more for it.

We were known more as the Blob and the Pole behind our backs, but for once neither of us cared about that. One day when I was in the bathroom, Steve happened to come in, and when one word could have destroyed the last visage of friendship left, he shocked me when he said he was glad to see me happy again. It stopped it from deteriorating more than it had, and slowly started to rebuild it. As far as that went, it never returned to the closeness it had once been.

With this as a background, we continued on till Christmas vacation was almost here, having survived the effect of Lee Harvey Oswald shattering the country by assassinating JFK, which we heard in the last class of the day. There honestly wasn't a dry eye in the town that day.

One day, Tammy dragged me to the car. She had driven it that day, and Diane was already in the back seat. Giving me the keys, she said "Drive," and pointed out the exit. We got on the interstate for a quick run to the airport. Rick was arriving.

I didn't know Rick at all. I mean, I knew who he was; I had seen him around. I was to find out that few people outside that car knew him. Though only two years older than me, he had skipped three grades, and was now in his junior year at Stanford, transferring there from local William and Mary this year when he was offered a fellowship at the Xerox Research Center.

He had hacked off about every male in town at least on the beach that day, when he performed his act of heroism for Diane. So, if not outright hatred, they felt animosity toward him, and southerners have long memories, especially in small towns. So he had become sort of a James Dean type, sullen and moody in public. That was all I knew then, except my two friends, who knew him well, couldn't wait to see him again. When we got to the gate, we had a half-hour to wait, so we got a drink and sat around talking. We did that a lot then; there was little on TV then but American Bandstand. After junior high, no one watched that, or at least admitted to it. The malls were not yet the in thing. There was downtown and a trip to Richmond or Newport News that meant their downtown. So we sort of hung out and talked at Rascals, the drive-in or someone's house.

Diane kept clinching her hands. It was as if they had forgotten what Rick felt like, and the constant squeezing would help them remember. Tammy just held my hand and looked out the window, as if it would make the plane come faster. Then it arrived, a National Airlines DC 7 from Washington, D.C. Both girls rose as one and rushed the gate, waiting for Rick. I didn't see him, but knew he was by the gate when Diane flew into the doorway with arms outstretched. A large figure emerged, carrying baggage and wearing Diane like a tie. (What a lovely tie that was!). As Tammy neared, he opened his arms, and she hugged Diane's back though nether of them seemed to notice. When he reached me, he stopped. Gave me a manly hug, which meant I got to hug Diane's back. (That girl was strong when it came to hugging Rick.) As we got to the stairs down, Diane finally let go, with tears of joy on her face and Rick firmly in her hand. After getting the luggage we headed for the car. I handed the keys to Rick. He let them dangle, and said, "Home, Tom," with a smile and a comment about making up for lost back seat time. It was almost self-defense when Tammy slid next to me, almost on my lap even, and just held me all the way home. I was in a happy daze. It had been a long time since Tammy and I had really been alone, given the circumstances, but we truly were alone with four people in the car.