Chapter 11

When we got back to the house, Angie announced that we would leave the house about 8 PM. Then the girls commandeered the bathroom. I flopped down on my bed and crashed for a couple of hours. When I woke up, the girls were in their room. I took a shower and shaved — early this month but I wanted to look fresh. I splashed on a little Brut then went back to my room to dress. I hadn't asked anyone about the dress code for an outdoor concert, but I assumed it would be a little bit better than beach wear. I had a pair of dress slacks and a dressy shirt that would do for an occasion like this, I thought.

I could hear the girls still in their room. I went downstairs and raided the fridge. There was some of Aunt Marge's roast beef so I sliced some for a sandwich. Jack came upstairs and I was glad to see he was dressed about the same as I was. He made himself a sandwich too and we talked for a few minutes. It was about quarter to 8 when we were cleaning up in the kitchen and the girls walked in.

Both were dressed in sleeveless summer dresses that came just to their knees. Sandy's was a sort of aqua blue color. Angie's was a floral design with red and yellow flowers. Both were cut pretty low in the front. With Angie's larger boobs, she showed a lot more cleavage than Sandy, but both were pleasing to the eye. They had spent a lot of time on hair and makeup. As Jack said later, they were both in full battle dress.

"You girls look great" I said. Jack whistled and agreed. The girls had sweaters and purses with them, and said they were ready to go. Angie grabbed a couple of blankets, then we went out to the garage and took Aunt Marge's car down to the park.

Angie led us to a large tree at the edge of the park and Will was pacing back and forth. He dropped his cigarette in the grass and stepped on it when he saw us. His eyes went immediately to Angie's boobs and he whistled. "Wow! You look fantastic" he said. They gave each other a little air kiss and we all said hello. We went over closer to the band shell and spread the blankets out on the grass.

"I was afraid you weren't going to show up" Will said to Angie. "I'm glad you decided to come." They made small talk and googly eyes at each other for a few minutes.

Sandy leaned over and said "Why don't you go get us some cokes?"

Jack heard her and said he would go with me. It was a good thing, because I only had about ten dollars to my name. On the way to the concession stand I told Jack that I wasn't too flush with cash and asked if he thought if the night was going to get expensive.

"Don't worry about it. I'll look after this. And there's really nothing else to spend money on. Will is the original cheapskate. He won't want to do anything that costs money."

We got the cokes and made our way back to the blanket. The band had started. I wouldn't call it a Jazz band. More big band, I thought. I mean, they were playing a Glen Miller tune.

When we got to the blanket, Angie was leaning up against Will and he had his arms around her. It looked like he was primed to grab a feel of her boobs. I handed Cokes to them and plopped down beside Sandy. Angie reached into her purse and pulled out a mickey of rum. Sheesh. I mean, she was sitting right next to a cop! But obviously she knew him well. He took a deep pull of Coke then filled it up with rum and handed the bottle back to me. Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans. Sandy and I created the rum and Coke drink and turned the bottle over to Jack who did the same. Then the bottle went back into Angie's purse.

The band swung into One O'clock Jump and Sandy hopped to her feet. "C'mon, let's dance" she said. I got up and followed her to the area in front of the band shell where there was actually a dance floor. Fortunately, I had some dance skills. We had a dance class in seventh grade, and while most guys grumbled about having to touch girls, I was approached by Gail Baldwin who wanted to seriously learn to dance. She asked if I would be her partner and not be a jackass. In other words, not whine and moan about having to hold a girl and actually try to learn something. I agreed and although we both took a bit of teasing we learned a lot of basic dances and some swing dance moves.

So when Sandy and I hit the dance floor, I wasn't the worst dancer there. We swung through the last part of One O'clock Jump then stayed for In The Mood. When that finished, the band slipped into a slow tune, Always, and Sandy slid into my arms. We held each other close and did a little waltz step. Then Sandy looked up at me and said "We have to talk."

It sounded ominous. "What about?" I asked.

"Us." She put her head on my shoulder and was quiet. It didn't sound good.

"What about us?" I asked. I hoped she wasn't going to make me drag this out of her.

She looked up at me again. "You know, I really like you. And the last week has been a lot of fun. But there's no future for us."

I thought I was going to laugh but had the good sense not to even smile. "Why is that?" I asked.

She sighed. "I just don't think long distance relationships work. I mean, you're in Calgary and I'm in Vancouver. And we're both busy with school. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't think I can sustain a long distance relationship. Can you?"

"Sandy" I said. "Are you suggesting that this is just a summer fling?" I tried to say it like I was teasing but she didn't catch on.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I really don't want to hurt you. And I love what we've been doing. I mean, the sex has been great" she whispered, looking around to make sure no one heard her. "But, I just don't know how..."

I guided her head back to my shoulder. "Shhh" I comforted her. "Don't worry about it. I think you're right. This week has been incredible but I don't think either of us is ready for anything steady or permanent. We've got a few more days together. Let's just enjoy each other and see what happens." And let me get out of here before you find out how old I am, I thought.

Sandy hugged me close to her. "Thank you. I'm so glad you understand. You are such a great guy."

Well, I can't argue that. Still, I was a little worried the way the conversation was going. Fortunately the dance came to an end and we left the floor to rejoin our party. Jack had gone for more cokes and Angie's rum bottle was emptied into the bottles. We talked and drank for a while and then Jack announced that he was going for a walk to see who else was at the park. Angie and Will got up to go dance and Sandy and I went with them. We danced through five or six songs, changing partners for a couple of dances. I saw Jack sitting on a bench near the dance floor watching us and he waved when he saw me. Sandy and I went over to him.

"What's up?" I asked.

"The show's over in about ten minutes. What are you guys doing next?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling all that great" Sandy said. She turned to me. "Would you mind if we went home after this? I think Will and Angie are probably going out somewhere."

"That's fine with me" I said. "Are you ready to go now?"

"Yeah. Let's just let Angie know what we're doing."

Sandy caught their eye and waved them over. It was decided that Sandy and I would catch a ride back with Jack, and Will would give Angie a ride home later. Will seemed happy to be left with Angie but Angie didn't seem all that excited.

In the car, I asked Sandy if she was OK. She smiled and nodded yes but didn't say anything. We rode home in silence. Jack dropped us off and then took off again. I guessed that he had a date with his lady friend. Sandy and I went inside. Aunt Marge and Uncle Jack were staying out at the cabin tonight, so we had the house to ourselves. But Sandy was acting a little strange, and I wasn't sure what I should do.

When we got inside the house and locked the doors, Sandy smiled at me and said "I'll see you in a bit. Go get into bed and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Anything I can do for you?" I asked.

"No. I'm fine. I'll be there in a few minutes."

I did as I was told. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then got undressed and into bed. I left the small bedside light on.

Sandy came in a few minutes later. She had something in her hand that she set on the end of the bed but I couldn't see what it was. A piece of cloth and a tube of something. She smiled and said "Well, I've got good news, and I've got bad news. Which would you like first?"