Chapter Three

July 1997

He finally found her in the back garden. She was sitting there alone in a comfortable lounge chair facing the lush valley beyond the property and a spectacular sundown.

"There you are!" he exclaimed as he handed her the beverage and claimed the lounger beside her. "I brought you an iced tea."

"Thanks Will," she gave him one of her wonderful smiles.

"The guys are noticing that you went AWOL and I thought I'd look for you."

"You're sure that it wasn't David, who asked for me?" She innocently looked up at him from under her lashes taking a sip of her drink.

Smirking, he sank back onto the beach lounger. "Mike, I have to say you didn't exaggerate when you told us about the house in Mexico. It's wonderful. The house, this garden, the beach. It's just beautiful. I can understand why your family spent most of their holidays here. It's an amazing spot."

"I'm glad, that you guys like it! I was a bit worried that it would be too lonely and boring for you. That you preferred the party mile of Cancún. Here, there's just a handful of vacation houses, the nearest one mile down the beach. It's just us here and mother nature."

"Not at all! You gave us a very good description of where we'd be going. Between the six of us, I don't think that we'll get bored in the three weeks of our stay... Besides, your mother would never in a million years have agreed if we stayed in the devil's pit of Cancún. I still cannot grasp that we persuaded Elizabeth."

Michaela laughed dryly. "Yeah, we have to thank Charlotte for that. When she said she would come along, Mom was a little easier to talk to. Then again, it helped when Marjorie and Everett said they would join us next week. And Becca with little Sammy after that. So we're all properly chaperoned. Mom had to see reason in this. Before that it was only 'frat house and young men full of sperm'!"

"Sorry!" she exclaimed when Will sputtered his Coke. She took the glass from his hands when he had to cough to get his pipes free.

"I'm sorry," she reiterated when he calmed again, handing him his glass back. "I know, I'm too direct sometimes. Mom always says I should grow up and act more like a lady."

"Sheesh, Mike. You know I love both of your parents. But in this case I don't agree and don't think you should listen to Elizabeth. I think, you're one of the most ladylike and most mature people I know. Why else would we be celebrating your going to College at only sixteen with this vacation?" After a pause, he added. "I think, you're great just the way you are. You being you is why we all love you."

Before she saw the area around his nose turn pink, he took a huge sip of his coke. They fell silent again, watching the sky turn into the most vivid shades of blue, pink, yellow, purple and red.

Michaela sighed.

Noticing, he surreptitiously looked at her from the side. "You still think of him, don't you?"

"I don't know who you mean." Impatiently, she tried to shoo away an insect in front of her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Mike. I know you better than anyone, besides Charlotte and Rob maybe... I know that you still think of him. Your 'knight in shining armor'... .. The Mexican boy who rescued you from sure death."

"Don't make fun of me, William Burke! Besides, I know that I wouldn't have died from being hit by a palm frond. But still... ..."

"You're right," he acquiesced. "You would have been at least seriously injured. And what that boy did was great. I get that you would have wanted to meet him and thank him properly. But are you sure that it was only gratitude you felt?... Mike, you've been going to this beach every summer since it happened three years ago, hoping to see him again. And every time you come back, you're disappointed and I have to build you up."

"Is that why you brought David along? To build me up? To remind me that even I could finally get a boyfriend?"

Will sobered. "No, honestly. I didn't know that David would take a liking to you... that fast... .. I mean I've known my roommate for two years now. Two years of College I never saw him take particular interest in any girl. And believe me, he could have his pick... .. Still, he's a great guy. Decent, smart, socially minded... You could do a lot worse... ..."

"Ya talkin' about me?!" Rob had sneaked up on them and shamelessly eavesdropped in on Will's last sentence.

Michaela shrieked, when he suddenly hovered over her and began to tickle her. "Rob!... .. Stop it!"

"Robert E! Only when ya say Robert Eeee ta meeee...," he drawled in a mock western slang.

"Oh, get a grip on yourself!" She swatted at him. "And stop that fake accent. You're from Beacon Hill!"

"Yeah, maybe." He pulled down the worn-out cowboy hat he had found in the house, shading his eyes mysteriously. "But maybe I'm gonna git meself a western sweetheart one of these days and we'll be livin' on our ranch peachy ever after."

Will and Michaela rolled their eyes at him.

"Seriously," their friend inquired. "What's going on with you? It's our first night out here and you two are already sitting here all by yourselves. Did we do something?" Not really expecting an answer, he rambled on. "Charlotte and Dotty already asked for you."

"That's Rory for you!" Will chimed in. "Dorothy will wring your neck if she catches you calling her 'Dotty'."

"Aww, Rory and I are as thick as thieves." He made the appropriate gesture. "But I guess not as thick as she wants to be with David... .. The girls are already drooling all over the guy! It was so pathetic I had to leave."

"See?!" Will threw at Michaela.

Good-naturedly Rob sat beside Michaela in her lounge chair, scooping her into his lap. "Why the sad face, gorgeous? You're back in your favorite place on earth and you've got excellent company... ... Which is me!" He swatted Wills hand away. "Come on, tell Grandpa E. What's getting you so blue? Is it the Mexican boy...?"

Michaela blushed that her best friend knew her so well.

Rob gazed at her sympathetically. "Mike, I'm not saying that to hurt you. But maybe it's time to let it go? I mean how old were you, twelve?"

"Thirteen," she corrected squirming on his lap and finally standing up. "I almost regret that I told the both of you. You and Charlotte are the only ones who know and I prefer that it stays that way. I did not tell you so that you can mock me. Or worse, pity me."

She raised her hand when both boys wanted to defend themselves.

"I'm sorry. That came out the wrong way. I know that I can tell you anything and that you try to understand. And I know that maybe this was a little girl's crush... ... But I really felt like I had a kind of connection to that boy. A bond which somehow tied us together, not caring about time, age... .. or language."

She sat down on the garden-wall bordering on the newly-added swimming pool. Pensively, she picked at her faded blue t-shirt and brushed a crumb off her jeans.

"Listening to myself, I realize that I sound like a total dork... You know what? Maybe it's truly time to move on. I mean, really! Who finds anything deep at thirteen with someone she doesn't know squat about, right? It's time to stop that childish nonsense. I am a College girl now!"

Trying to lighten the mood, Michaela grinned at her friends. Both nodded their agreement.

Robert E picked up his fake accent again. "You go girl! Ya know what? Robert E just knows what ya need."

In a swift motion, he stood up, grabbed Michaela by the waist and hoisted her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Ignoring her shrieks and yells, he walked up to the edge of the salt-water pool. "If ya have the hots, ya should cool it off!"

Unceremoniously, he disposed of her into the pool. Coming up, Michaela sputtered and shrieked, managing to pull Rob into the water.

"Pool party everyone!" Will hollered, rousing the friends in the house.

Already in their bathing suits and trunks, Charlotte, Rory and David emerged from the inside and joined their friends in the pool.

Hank Lawson was having the time of his life! Soaking in the sun, cooling off in the waves, some friendly company and a cool beer in his hand. This Corona brew was some good stuff. Grinning, he opened the cooler and handed one to his buddy Jake, who also appreciated the casual drinking laws of Mexico.

"One, but that's it for today." Jake cautioned. "I don't want to get a drinking problem like my old man's got."

"Understandably," the blond young man drawled, enjoying his beverage none the less. "But I think you're right. I should stop at one myself. One more and my head always gets fuzzy. And I don't wanna make an ass of myself here."

"Hey, HB!" he yelled at the nerdy-looking youth with the glasses. "Ya want one?"

Horace looked up from his task of rubbing a rather thick layer of sun lotion on his body and replied good-humored. "No thanks, Hank. You go ahead! I've tried it and came to realize that it does nothing for me."

"Suit yourself!" Hank got back to his friend.

Turning to Jake, he said. "So it's just you and me. The girls don't drink. Daniel, if anything, is more of an occasional-red-wine-person. CD and Sully prefer their Cheyenne teas and Wills is way under age. That way, with one to each per day, we'll last till the end of our holidays in three weeks."

Nodding, sandy-haired Jake Slicker pulled a baseball cap on his head. Raising his voice over the sound of the crashing waves, Jake asked the lovely ebony-skinned girl, tanning on a beach lounger under her parasol. "Hey, Grace! What's for dinner today?"

Grace drawled back, the sound of her hometown of New Orleans still detectable in her voice even after more than ten years of living in Colorado Springs. "Whatever you guys will cook up for us. It was our turn last night."

Jake's face fell.

"So it's gonna be cardboard... with cardboard tonight! Yummy!" blond-haired, green-eyed Daniel threw in.

Chuckling, Grace responded "Don't ya worry. I already prepared something good and Abby's peelin' the potatoes right now."

"Sully!" she hollered at her friend. "When's the sun gonna go down? I'd like ta eat before it's pitch black outside."

Sully turned around from waxing his surf-board. "No worries, Grace. Not before half eight this time of year."

Smiling, he went back to his board. That was the way he had imagined it would be when he brought his friends out here. His closest friend CD caught his content smile and gazed back at the waves, where Sully's little brother Wills already showed off his skills as a talented surfer.

Skeptically, CD measured the height of the waves. "When you told me that there were some great spots for surfing on your beach, I imagined them to be a little tamer."

"Don't you worry. Ya showed me the safe way ta ride a horse, I'll show you ta safely ride the waves. Ya did very well on your dry practice. Let's get ya on the board."

Jake fumbled on the old transistor-radio they had brought along, searching for a station with some music they could listen to.

"Oh, crap! I only find sappy music!"

He moved to change channels but Grace, who already sang along happily, interrupted him.

".. ...cause' losing everything is like the sun going down on me. Don't let the sun go down on me. Although I search... .. Hey! What do ya think you're doin', Jake? I love those British guys! They're the best!"

"Pfff, British guys," he mocked her but still went back to the channel.

Amused, Hank watched the scenes around him. What a bunch of mismatched, lovely outcasts they were!

Nonetheless they all were best friends, most of them since kindergarten. They all were very different kinds of characters but miraculously, they all went along fine. That way, it had taken none of them a lot of mulling over when Sully had brought up the idea that they rent the little cabin in Mexico his family always went to during the summer holidays. Granted, the house was a bit crowded housing nine people in three bedrooms and a dining room, but as everyone loved the idea of spending three weeks on a secluded beach and as everyone was known to be considerate of the others, they had happily agreed. Hank was very glad for the chance to spend this holiday with his friends, which could turn out to be the last time they were together like this. Before everyone scattered to God-knows-where to pursue their careers and dreams. Except Wills, they were all at an age to do so. And that was harder for some than it was for others.

Take Jake for example. Ever since growing up, Jake had wanted to be a hairdresser. He took pride in maintaining his own hair and he enjoyed giving his friends a free cut and chatting them up. But Jake's Dad was a close-minded bastard in Hank's opinion and had always tried to sway his son from his dream, thinking that being a hairdresser was seemingly 'too gay for any son of his'. Standing under his father's influence, Jake had relented and worked as a clerk in higher office at town hall, aspiring to be mayor one day. Hank had still hopes for his friend that he would outgrow his Dad's shadow before it was too late. He was a good guy.

Hank gazed around at his friends.

Then there was Grace. She was a nice, beautiful girl. Sassy and sweet at the same time. Her parents had a restaurant in Colorado Springs where one got the best Creole food in the state. Learning from her Mom, who was the restaurant's Chef, Grace was a great cook as well. They all appreciated her coming along for the trip not only for her bubbling personality.

CD was short for Cloud Dancing. That was the actual Cheyenne name of their friend Larry. Being forced to have an official English name, Larry still preferred to be called by the name, his parents had given him and would have been allowed to name him, if the laws were not still oppressive and unfair against the indigenous people. CD was a great guy in Hank's opinion and one of his best friends. He was wise beyond his twenty years, humble and generous. He was training to be an osteopath with specialty in combining western medicine and Cheyenne homeopathic therapies. Everyone in their circle of friends had profited from CD's methods at one time or another.

Horace Bing, or HB as everyone called him, was a another, different kind of character. He was even-tempered and sweet, almost painfully shy and studious. His friends appreciated him for his kindness and discretion. One could tell HB anything. He always kept mum. It was almost like he had taken an oath on secrecy. Hank was glad to see HB growing into his character in the last years. Finally accepting his nerdyness as something good. He would begin College specializing in Computer Technologies and Communication next year when he was turning eighteen.

Daniel liked everyone and was loved by everyone. Daniel seemed like the all-American golden boy. He was good-looking, nice, athletic and he could hold a tune, entertaining their nights on a campfire with only his guitar and his voice. But he had had one of the roughest starts in life among their friends. Not knowing his father, he had watched his single-parent Mom fade away from cancer when he was six. Luckily, he had been taken in after her death by their good neighbors, the Brays. Loren and Maude Bray owned the biggest convenience store in the old town of Colorado Springs and they had wished for another sibling for their only daughter Abigail. So Daniel and Abby were brother and sister except in blood and name.

Abby was a good-hearted darling. Everyone liked her as the dark-brown-haired girl always brought peace and serenity into the group. She liked flowers, home-making and children and aspired to be a social worker, a training she would start in September. Hank felt for his good friend because besides loving her choice of profession, the girl had a huge crush on Sully.

Sully sometimes was an enigma to Hank but most of all, he was one of his closest friends among the group. Hank thought the world of Sully. They knew each other since they were really little and Sully had always been there for him, lending an ear when Hank complained about his busy, ever-absent parents. Sully, Wills and their parents Aidan and Kate had given him shelter, a place to crash, a home when his own parents were abroad on hotel business on more occasions than Hank could count. Hank did not know what would have become of him if they had not given him a safe haven whenever his parents had left him on his own. Most probably an insensitive, egotistical jerk like his Dad. He loved the Sully's for being so generous towards him. Each and everyone. Sully's parents would join them here by the end of their holidays. They were currently in Brazil where they had worked on a environmental study for on and off for the last thirteen years. 'Hippies!' Hank thought benevolently. Aidan and Kate drove a battered old Volkswagen minibus and would pick them up on their way home. Looking at Wills riding the waves, Hank grinned. That little devil! He was way too smart-assed for his thirteen years but he always got away with it, especially with the girls, as he was a nice, good-looking smooth-talker. Where Wills was outgoing and reckless, Sully was a bit more reserved. Friendly and fiercely loyal nonetheless. He shared the good looks of his parents, even more so than his younger brother. But Sully had another side, too. One, where he could shed his polite manners and fight if anyone he cared for was being slighted. Hank had occasionally seen that side. Last time he was saw it, was when some bullies had bothered Abby. Their jealousies had caused them to make deep scratches with their keys in her new, expensive car. Not giving in to promise to pay for the damage and apologize had not paid off for the guys when Sully had shown up and one got away with a bloody nose and a police report. Hank did not know if that was the moment Abby fell for Sully but from that day on, it was hard for Hank not to notice that she had a crush on her friend. Sadly, Hank knew from Sully himself that he did not return those feelings as he had lost his heart to a mysterious girl some years ago.

Starting to get sleepy, Hank reclined in his beach lounger and put on his shades. That was when something caught his eye on his far right side. At first, it was only a red glimpse behind the bushes. Then he could see some flickers of soft, youthful skin and some shapely, tanned legs. Hank leaned back a little to catch the whole picture of this creation behind the trees. It was a beautiful girl in a red bikini and a modest white sarong draped over her hips. Her hair was long and shiny of a color he could not really commit to. Was it caramel, chestnut oder honey? Hank could not tell. When the girl came nearer with a surprised expression over their appearance on 'her' beach, Hank could tell she was not only beautiful, she was magnificent. And she was not alone. One by one, an entourage of hers emerged out of the shrubs behind the beach. All in all, three lovely girls and three young men. They looked friendly.

The most-outgoing boy of their group, a tall, blond man made the first move. "I'm taking a wild guess here, but are you from the States, too?"

"You betcha!" Daniel replied good-naturally. "We thought we were the only ones in this back-in-the-woods! Watcha doin' here?"

"We're staying in this quaint little house a few yards down the pathway. Vacation. Three weeks... I'm Robert E, by the way," a young African-American introduced himself.

He shook hands with Daniel. "Daniel Simon. And this is Grace, HB, Hank and Jake."

Robert E gazed at Grace. She was lovely and she smiled up at him.

"Those are our friends, too." Hank motioned at CD and the Sully's. "I guess they can't hear us over the waves."

Not being able to look away, Hank kind of stared at the stunning, brunette girl. When he noticed her cheeks blush, he turned his head not wanting to make her uncomfortable. As Hank fancied himself a lady's man, he figured, he let her warm up to him before he made a move.

Will noticed and chimed in. "It's really nice to meet you. I'm Will. This is David. Mike. Rory and Charlotte."

Daniel looked everyone in the eyes in greeting. They all seemed very nice. But when Daniel's eyes settled on the girl named Mike, he had almost the same reaction Hank had shown. She seemed younger than the rest of them. Seventeen, he guessed. She had the face of a girl who finally grew into her features, high cheekbones, huge eyes. Were they of two different colors? The rest of her body, modestly covered by a sarong, was already all woman. Daniel tried not to gawk. He made sure to give the other girls the same amount of eye contact. The red-haired girl was a sight as well. And Charlotte seemed very warm and sweet, too.

Noticing that a friendly conversation was already starting and feeling just a little uncomfortable under the gaze of two of the young men, Michaela dragged Charlotte along with her, trying to integrate the other boys who were preparing their surfboards.

Not being used and surely not bold enough to chat up someone she did not know, Michaela preferred to talk to Charlotte of something she knew a bit about. "This is a good surfing spot for a beginner. The waves break evenly near the shore, making it a little easier to stand up on the board. The most difficult part is standing up at first. It took me ages before I managed. You might want to tie a leach to your leg as you're chasing after your board all the time on your first day."

Seeing a leach lying in the sand a few feet away from the boys, she picked it up. She walked up to the young man, who was kneeling in the sand in front of his board. The dry surfer on the board smiled at them in a warm greeting. The other boy crouched before his friend with his back to them. It was an athletic and lean back with muscles in all the right places. His bronze tan stood out against his dark blue swimming trunks. His hair was dark brown, a little bit longer than the average cut, tending to curl at the base of his neck.

Noticing what he was searching for, she dangled the leash over his left shoulder. "Excuse me, are you looking for this?"

Sully had spent the last hour teaching CD the basics of surfing. Dry practicing standing up over and over. Now it was time to have contact with the water. All he had to do was tying the leach to the board and CD's calf. If only he could find it.

All of a sudden the sweetest voice rang next to his ear. "Excuse me, are you looking for this?"

His whole world came to a stop right at this moment.

Like in a dream, he stood up and faced her.

When the surfer boy got up from his crouching position and turned around time stood still for Michaela.

"Is it you?" she cried.

"It's you!" he exclaimed.

AN: I encourage you to look up pictures of the DQMW actors in their youth. They inspired me to write this piece and I think it's much fun to picture them like that. Of course, there are tons of Jane, but I also had a blast, looking at fotos from Joe, Miss J. Allen, William Shockley, Eddie Albert, Henry G., BB and Maxwell Caulfield in his Grease days.

As for those who have noticed that some people in my story seem to experience a character change: I'm a firm believer in social environment shaping the emotional development of children. Therefore, I imagine what kind of character guys like Hank and Jake would have if they had been influenced differently when growing up.