Laura and the others cheered as Max and the rest of his graduating class threw their caps into the air. Seconds later, they fought the crowds to run out onto the field to congratulate him.

"My baby finally graduated!" Elizabeth cried as she hugged him tight.

"I couldn't have made it without my best friend Stephen," Max replied. "He and I have been together all the way through school." He turned to the smiling young man at his side. "Stephen, this is my father, my mother, my sister Laura, my cousin Amon, and my little brother, Jakob."

Stephen was of average size and had light brown hair, blue eyes, and dimples. Laura thought he was very nice looking, and when he smiled and shook her hand, her heart did a flip flop.

"I'd like you all to meet my family," he said after he'd met all the Brimmers. "This is my father, my mother, my sister Sarah and her husband Hugh, my sister Susan, and my brother Samuel."

The other family, whose surname was Bishop, turned out to be a warm, friendly bunch. The father's name was Reuben, and he'd been a farmer in New York for many years. The mother's name was Martha, and she was a seamstress. The oldest daughter, Sarah, had been married to Hugh for two years and was pregnant with their first child. The second child, Susan, worked as a bookkeeper for an accountant. The third child, Samuel, was a mechanic, and the youngest, Stephen, planned to go to work for the Volkswagen company along with Max after graduation, at Max's Uncle Matthias's dealership.

Reuben and Martha invited the Brimmers over for a meal after the graduation ceremony ended, and Paul and Elizabeth accepted. The Bishop residence turned out to be a long, ranch-style home made of red bricks. It had a sloping roof, double windows, and a porch supported by white pillars.

Wow! thought Laura as she and her family entered the luxurious house. The living room contained a long, L-shaped sofa made of brown velvet. A large television set was in the center of the room, and a full bookshelf was in one corner. The other corner held a phonograph record player.

"Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable," Martha invited her guests. "Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

Laura sat down on the sofa in between Max and Amon. She looked across at Stephen who was sitting opposite her, and he gave her a smile.

"You have such a lovely home!" said Elizabeth.

"Thank you," Reuben replied. "I built it myself, with the help of Sam and Steve, of course."

"It must have taken a really long time!" said Max.

"Several years," said Reuben. "But we own it now, free and clear."

"He's such a little cutie!" said Susan as she watched Jakob toddle across the floor. "How old is he?"

"He'll be two in September," said Elizabeth. "He's our late in life surprise baby."

"Dinner's ready," said Martha as she walked into the living room.

The families sat together around the long white dinner table and, to Laura's surprise, there were enough seats for everyone. Since there wasn't a high chair, Elizabeth used a dish towel to tie Jakob to a chair.

Various subjects were discussed over dinner - the economy, President Johnson, Vietnam, the Reds (as always), and local issues. Stephen and Laura exchanged glaces across the table from time to time. She wondered what it would be like to go on a date with him. Her father had told her she couldn't date until she was sixteen, and to her, that seemed an awfully long time to have to wait.

After dinner, the crowd broke up into smaller groups. The adults sat in the living room talking about politics, Amon played with Jakob, and Stephen invited Laura to sit on the front porch swing with him.

"I finally have you all to myself," he said. "I've been wanting to talk to you ever since I met you."

Laura bit her bottom lip and looked down.

"Shy, huh?" He smiled. "You don't have to be shy around me. So you're Laura. Max has told me a lot about you."

"What did he say?" She couldn't wait to find out.

"He said you're a good kid who's occasionally scatterbrained and you're a huge Beatles fan."

Laura's smile faded. Was that all she was to him - a kid?

"They're a cool group. I dig them myself," Stephen went on. "Which one's your favorite?"

She beamed. "Paul!"

"Yeah, that's what all the girls say. Must be those puppy dog eyes of his."

She giggled.

"Max told me you and your friends went to see them on the Ed Sullivan show and got kind of carried away."

She felt her face grow hot.

"It's OK. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Hey, if I got to see them in person, I'd probably get a bit carried away, too."

She gave him a grateful smile.

"So how old are you, Laura?" he asked.

"I just turned fourteen." She prayed he wouldn't be put off by the four year difference in their ages.

"At the risk of being forward, I think you're very lovely," he told her.

"Thank you." She couldn't meet his eyes. "I think you're very nice looking, too."

"Aw, thanks." He grinned. "Well, I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you, Laura, and I hope to see you again soon."

All the way home, she re-played the conversation over and over again in her head.