Frances lay on her bed, her arms folded behind her, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure how long she lay there, deep in thought, but suddenly she was on her
feet, sorting through her 45's that were stacked haphazardly beside her record player. It didn't take long to find the song she wanted, for she'd listened to it
often in the past year. The act of slipping the record from its sleeve and placing it on the turntable was strangely seductive. Within seconds, the opening strands
of Otis Redding's "These Arms Of Mine" filled the room and her senses.
She climbed back onto her bed and lay in the same position as before; arms folded behind her, staring at the ceiling. When she closed her eyes, it all came back
to her; his broad shoulders, muscular stomach, slender hips, strong legs, his handsome face. A feeling-a wonderful, wonderful feeling rushed through her like
water. Oh God, it was almost too much. Suddenly she was consumed by thoughts of the man to who, in one much-too-short summer, she gave her heart, her
body and her soul. At that moment she wanted Johnny Castle so much that she almost couldn't breathe.
Tears pricked her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, but she made no effort to brush them away. Why, oh why did her dad have to bring up Kellerman's? Why
were they going there again? Hawaii would have been much better. Who cared how much it cost? Kellerman's was…
A knock on her door followed by a familiar voice jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Baby?"
She sat upright, her heart pounding. Her mother! Quickly she sprang from her bed and rushed over to the record player, scratching the record slightly as she
lifted the needle, instantly stopping the song.
"Um, yes?"
The door opened without warning. Frances feigned a smile. "Did you need something?"
Her mother stood there with her arms crossed in front of her body. "An explanation would be nice."
"Explanation?"
"Yes, Baby. An explanation as to why you felt it was proper to run out of the room during a family discussion! What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing, I just- I needed to be alone."
"You can be alone later, but when we're having a family discussion I expect you to remain present for the duration!"
Frances rolled her eyes. "Mom, it wasn't a family discussion! It was breakfast! And you know as well as I do-."
"Frances Houseman, don't ever speak to me that way again, do you understand?"
"I'm sorry, Mom. I just-."
"I certainly hope that when you come home for summer break, your attitude is a lot better."
"But Mom-."
"We're going to Kellerman's and that's final. Your father is making the arrangements right now."
Frances let out a sigh. There was no winning this argument. "All right, fine. But don't expect me to have fun."
"As long as it pleases your father, that's all that matters."
"I guess."
"Go into the kitchen right now and apologize to your father."
"I-."
"GO, Baby!"
Reluctantly she trudged down the hallway until she reached the kitchen. Lisa was nowhere in sight, but her father sat at the table, reading the paper; a steaming
cup of coffee beside him.
"Dad?"
He turned in surprise. "Oh, Baby. I didn't see you there. Have you been standing there long?"
"No, I-I just got here."
"What's on your mind?"
The fact that he didn't seem to expect an apology told her that it had been her mother's idea. "Dad, I-."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry I walked out like that during the meeting."
"What meeting?"
"The family meeting."
Surprisingly her father laughed. "That was hardly what I'd call a meeting. Breakfast was more like it. Speaking of, you didn't eat much. Did you want something
else?"
"No, I'm fine. I just… well I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and that if you want to go to Kellerman's, it's okay."
Her father put down his newspaper and smiled. He rose from the table to hug her tightly. "Thank you Baby. That's a nice thing to hear. I know that you and Lisa
are disappointed and yes, Hawaii would be wonderful. but we just don't have the money right now. I owe it to Max to come to Kellerman's again. Like I said, he
won't be around forever."
"Dad, about last summer-."
A long silence fell between them but they were both thinking the same thing.
"It's history." He said. "Look, I was wrong to want to leave early. I was just-."
"Angry and hurt. I know." Baby finished.
"You're a woman now, and you're old enough to make your own choices. I'm proud of you. You're doing so well at school and I know you're going to come home
with a high GPA."
"Dad-."
"No pressure, of course. But I know you can do it."
"I hope so. College is a lot harder than I thought."
"Well, if you need any help, I'm sure Lisa-."
"Lisa's too caught up in her own world to bother with helping her little sister."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that. Give it a try. She may just surprise you."
Baby smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."
"I love you, too."
He kissed her forehead. "Okay, I need to get started on a few projects around the house or your mother will kill me."
"Oh, do you need any help?"
"Don't be silly. This is your Spring Break. Enjoy it!"
"You know, I think I will talk to Lisa."
"Good girl."
Baby laughed as she headed to her sister's room. Her father had called her a woman but he'd always think of her as a little girl. And truth be told, that was okay.