"Hi Charlie!" Kate says as she rushes up towards me.
It was late Monday afternoon. Sam and I had just been parasailing and jet skiing all morning and early afternoon. In fact, I was still wearing my blue swim trunks and a white SHS shirt.
I turned around and smiled. Kate's cheeks were flushed and her face looked like she was in the sun today. She was wearing a white sundress with bright yellow sandals.
"Hey Kate. What are you up to?" I asked as I guided her out of the sun and under the shade of a tree.
"I, uh, was actually looking for you," she said, batting her eyelashes. "Are you hungry?" she asked. I shrugged.
"Kind of, but I'm gonna eat dinner with my family in about an hour," I said. She nodded.
"Well, do you want to grab a Coke or something at the lodge?" she asked.
"Sure, only if I pay," I said. She beamed. We walked the couple of blocks to the lodge. We walked in silence, and I found myself not worrying about making conversation. It was a very comfortable silence. No talking—just sounds of the lake, birds chirping and a dog barking in the distance.
As we walked up to the lodge, I saw Stacey standing near the side entrance. She was alone. She saw us approach.
"Hey Charlie," she said smiling. I smiled back at her. Stacey looked at me, then to Kate, and back to me. Oh.
"Kate, this is Stacey, one of my sister's friends. Stacey, this is Kate," I said gesturing with my hand. They smiled at each other and said hello.
More silence—only this time, it was uncomfortable silence.
"Well…" I started. Should I invite Stacey with Kate and me? She was alone. "We're about to grab a Coke, do you want to join us?" I asked Stacey. I turned to Kate and shrugged my shoulders.
"Oh…no, thanks. I'm headed back. I should find Dawn. She's probably looking for me, but I was trying to hide from…" Stacey said, trailing off. She looked a little guilty. I laughed.
"From my idiot brother?" I asked laughing. Stacey laughed back and nodded. She said good-bye and walked away. I watched saunter away…only for a second though.
I turned to Kate and apologized.
"Sorry about that. I felt like I should invite her," I said. She smiled.
"That's OK…and was very sweet of you," she said. I opened the door for her and followed her in the lodge. We walked up to a snack stand at the lodge. Kate ordered a Diet Coke, I ordered a Coke. We walked over to an open area of the lodge and sat down on a overstuffed couch.
I was enjoying being with Kate. The lodge was quiet since it was still another hour until supper time. We pretty much had the entire lobby to ourselves. I had already downed half of my Coke and was about to ask her if she was ready to get going when...
"So, Charlie, tell me more about yourself," Kate said as she sipped coyly from her bottle.
I decided to answer with a witty, smart-ass response. It's part of my charm.
"Seventeen-year old with pent up rage issues. I have several tattoos, and I can't pick a favorite. Womanizer, kleptomaniac and straight-A student," I replied. She laughed loudly. I smiled at her. The "tell me about yourself" questions are so lame. How can one answer without sounding like a personal ad?
"I know, it's a lame question," Kate admitted. She shrugged. "I just want to learn more about you." She looked kind of serious—tucking her long hair behind her ears and leaning forward toward me.
"Don't you like what you see?" I asked, teasing. She laughed.
"Your good looks could be massively deceiving," she replied smiling. She tucked her knees up to her chin and looked at me. She was waiting for me to describe myself.
"OK," I shrugged. "I'm from a small town in Connecticut. Uh, I've got two brothers, two sisters and a step-brother and step-sister. I'm the oldest. I play football and baseball. I'll be off to NYU in a few weeks," I said. "And, you?"
"I'm an only child. I like to play tennis. I'll be a senior in high school in the fall. And, I'm from Boston," she said. "Do you live with your mom or dad?" she asked quickly.
I was a bit taken back. How did she…oh right, my step-siblings.
"With my mom and step-father," I said, hoping she wouldn't ask about my father. I cleared my throat and stared out the window at the lake. An impressive yacht cruised by. It was all white with massive windows. Maybe Watson should get one. It was getting close to dusk, and the sky was turning pink.
"Are your parents divorced, or is your dad de…" sheasked cautiously. I cleared my throat.
"No, no. My parents are divorced," I said. "And, no, I don't see my father at all," I added. Kate looked a little wounded. I sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just something I don't like to talk about."
"I understand, and I'm sorry I intruded," she said softly. She sipped at her drink. I sighed and stood up. I grabbed her hand.
"Come on, I'll walk you back to your cabin," I said. She smiled. We threw our bottles in the trash can and headed for the door. She reached for my hand.
We walked back to our cabins, hand in hand. Neither of us said a word.