19. Seaside Rendezvous

"What are you doing?" Chip asked, watching as Lettie blew up a beach ball while sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"I'm inflating this beach ball."

Chip rolled his eyes. "What for?"

"We're going to the beach Friday."

"Who's 'we'?"

"Tina, Priya, Mary, Freddie, Brian, Roger, Tim and me."

"Oh nice." He paused before asking, "Can I come?"

"Chip, these are your sister's friends," Valerie reminded him, calling from the kitchen.

"Yeah, but I know them all."

"Call Benny and arrange a beach day with him and the boys," Lettie suggested.

Chip just mumbled to this. "Why are you blowing it up now?" he then asked. "Why not just wait until you're at the beach?"

"Cause, it saves time. And it's more fun this way-" Lettie smacked the now inflated ball at him, he swatting it back.

"Oi, not inside please, you two," called their mother. "I can just see it go smashing into my framed photographs."

"The family ones - that's okay, I hate the way I look in those photos," said Chip.

"No beach ball in the house!"

When Friday arrived, Roger's big ugly old van pulled up in front of the Evans' house to collect Lettie, Tina, and Priya. "To the beach we go!" he called as the ladies climbed into the back of the van with their beach bags, and everyone cheered. "Oi - Brian, put your stupidly huge textbook away! This is supposed to be a fun day - no school work allowed!"

Brian looked up from said 'stupidly huge' book. "But I have a test coming up."

"You're not going to study once we get to the beach, are you?"

"Are you kidding? I'm not getting this thing close to the water! That's just a disaster waiting to happen!"

"You're like the smartest person I know, you can afford not to study for one day. Besides, all our friends are here - including your special lady friend." Roger winked. "So put the damn book away!"

Brian complied and they were on their way.

Having picked a weekday for their beach adventure, the beach wasn't overly crowded. They got themselves a spot on the sand, setting up their towels and umbrellas and coolers filled with drinks.

The ladies lay on the towels, beneath an umbrella, chatting while the boys ran around, kicking two different beach balls.

Tina slid her sunglasses down her nose, checking out the shirtless boys in their swim shorts.

"Real subtle Teen, as always," said Lettie, sipping her iced tea.

"Well I'm being much more subtle than them looking at us in our swimsuits!" Tina countered.
"Look at the lot of them, 'sneaking' glances over our way."

Lettie turned to see that the boys indeed were looking over at the ladies. She waved; Brian waved back, before a gust of wind blew his long curls into his face, making her laugh.

"You two are adorable - I just don't know why you didn't kiss." Tina still couldn't fathom Brian and Lettie's lack of public affection.

"Teen, stop nagging her!"

"Thank you, Priya! Yeah, just because you and Tim are snogging in front of everyone all the time, doesn't mean that everyone else is. We're taking things slow."

Again, she was glad for the distraction and end of the conversation, as the boys chose that moment to run over to join the ladies on the towels.

"I don't mean to be rude," Freddie said from where he was sunning himself on their spread of towels, recalling his last shift at the stall. "But that jacket just looked hideous on the poor man! Not like I could say anything though, for you know what they say, 'the customer is always right'. And he was so excited about it, so who was I to crush his happiness? It just did not suit him at all. The style was all right, but the colour especially didn't suit him."

"But you sold it to him anyway?" said Brian.

"Well yes, he paid good money for it, Darling. I just smiled and nodded as he tried it on. Whatever - he's happy about it, so that makes me happy." He sat up and clapped his hands.
"How about a song? Brian, you brought your guitar, yes?"

"Sure did." Brian flipped open the case and withdrew the instrument.

"Wasn't sure it would've fit in the van along with that huge textbook."

"Piss off, Rog."

"Now this is just a little something I've been working away at lately," Freddie explained. "I call it 'Seaside Rendezvous'. Just a simple riff for now, please Bri. I imagine piano accompanying it, of course." He cleared his throat and began to sing.

"'Seaside whenever you stroll along with me

I'm merely contemplating what you feel inside

Meanwhile I ask you to be my Clementine

You say you will if you could but you can't

I love you madly

Let my imagination run away with you gladly

A brand new angle highly commendable

Seaside rendezvous...'"

The rest of the group broke into applause as soon as the song ended.

"Fred, that was brilliant!" cried Tim.

"It's just the bare bones." Freddie shrugged.

"Screw that, Fred. It's a whole bloody song!" cried Rog.

"I like to write songs," Freddie said, smiling widely. "Just for fun."

"Well keep it up. We'll come to you next time we have writer's block," Tim said.

"Very well, Darling, but if you're using my songs in your performances you have to let me sing at least a few!"

"Deal."

"Speaking of your band, there's an opening in the uni newspaper on arts and culture, and I thought I might submit a piece reviewing one of your shows," Priya told them.

"Only as long as you give us a good review."

"Rog!"

"Just kidding. Say whatever you want, Love. Just so long as you mention what a charming and handsome chap the drummer is." He winked.

"That's a matter of opinion," Priya said, making the ladies laugh.

"Hey!"

"Well, lucky for you, I enjoyed your show, so I will say lots of good things. Who knows, might even help you get more exposure."

"That would be brilliant. We've got a good following so far," said Tim.

"Think big, Darling," said Freddie.

"Maybe I could come and sit in on some of your rehearsals, so I can add a bit on your rehearsal process."

"Definitely. Come by anytime."

"Anytime," added Roger with a wink.

"Right, thanks, I will. But first-" Priya jumped to her feet, dusting the sand off her legs. "Who's going to race me to the water?"

"I will!" Roger was instantly on his feet.

"All right - go!"

"Hey, no fair!" Roger chased after her down the beach.

The others quickly joined. "I can't see!" Brian mopped his thick curls, now all wet, from his eyes.

Tina squealed as she and Tim ran through the water, Tim splashing her. Lettie slipped on the slick sand and fell right into the water, shrieking at the cold shock.

When she was dropped off back home that evening, Lettie found Chip in front of the telly, lazily flipping through the channels.

"Hi."

"Hi. Anything good on?"

"Not really."

"Too bad. Where're Mum and Dad?"

"At the shop checking stock. How was the beach?"

"Really fun, yeah, we had a good time. Did you call Benny and arrange something?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Cause I don't think him and the boys would like a beach day."

"Well you can always do something else, can't you?"

Chip just shrugged.

"Well, I'm exhausted, and I'm opening the stall tomorrow with Fred. I'm going to shower and go to bed. Night."

"Night."

She was halfway up the stairs when she paused. "Chip, are you all right?"

"Yeah." He shrugged again.

"Okay, just checking."

Now I know that 'Seaside Rendezvous' didn't come out until 'A Night at the Opera', but I just had a vision of Freddie singing the song while the gang was enjoying a day at the beach! :)

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)