“Fair enough. Which girl are you interested in?”
He didn’t hesitate.
“Tracy.”
“Are you guys are going out?”
“No, but our families have been close for years, and this is the first time we’ve both been free. It’s time we got together. Plus it’s her birthday, and I plan on giving her some Darryl loving.”
Well, so much for liking the guy. Seriously, ‘Darryl loving’? I really did like Tracy, but we had no claim on each other. I didn’t think she’d asked Darryl to come in order to hook up with him, but she had to know he had a crush on her. Girls were much better at noticing those things than guys are.
Before I got a chance to watch Darryl put the moves on in the pool, Mrs. Dole called us to dinner. They had a large outdoor table set up. Tracy sat down next to her dad and I think she expected me to sit on her other side, but Darryl slid into that seat. She had a funny look on her face, glanced at me and I just shrugged. I wasn’t suffering because Mona and Robbie grabbed me and put me between them.
Mr. Dole looked at me and gave me a wink.
“Hey, David, help me get the steaks.”
I got up to help him.
“So, Darryl is cockblocking you?” Mr. Dole asked when we got to the grill.
I burst out laughing and everyone turned to see Tom and me cracking up.
“Daddy, you be nice to David,” Tracy said.
“We’re fine, honey.” He then lowered his voice so only I could hear. “You want to trade seats?”
“Thanks, Tom, but I think I have a great seat to watch this show. Darryl has a serious crush, and only Tracy can decide what to do about it.”
He looked surprised.
“You’re not worried?”
“Not really. I don’t think he’s as smooth as he thinks he is. Tracy’s been hit on by the best of them. She’ll eat him up.”
“You know, I think you’re right. Okay, you’re going to play waiter.”
He started loading up plates of fish, chicken or steak with him telling me who got what. Tom was great, for a parental unit. Over dinner, I decided I liked Mrs. Dole even better. Man, could she cook. Mrs. Dole had a garden and most everything came from that. We had corn on the cob, green beans with new potatoes, sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, and a zucchini casserole. For dessert, we had layered butter pecan cake with fresh sliced strawberries between the layers and a buttercream frosting. Everyone sang happy 16th birthday to Tracy.
I will give Darryl credit for trying. All during dinner, he worked to get Tracy to talk to him. At one point it looked like he tried to touch her knee, but she snatched his wrist and put his hand back on the table. To her credit, she didn’t embarrass him. He gave it one more shot after we sang ‘Happy Birthday’ when he leaned in to give her a kiss. She deftly turned and all he got was her cheek.
After dinner, I helped Mr. and Mrs. Dole clear all the plates. We then brought out her presents. While gathering them up, Mrs. Dole took me aside.
“Thanks for allowing Tracy to handle Darryl’s advances. Tom and I talked about what you told him. Darryl and Robbie’s parents are dear friends of ours. It has always been a pipe dream that Darryl and Tracy eventually would get together to join our families closer. But it’s obvious Tracy doesn’t have the same feelings for Darryl.”
“I had an idea there was more to their relationship, so I wanted to give Tracy a chance to figure out what she wants. I’ll have a quiet word with him and see if it’s okay if Tracy and I show each other some affection. If he’s not comfortable, can I give you a wink and you let Tracy know so she doesn’t think I’m acting weird?”
“You’re a very considerate young man. You have no idea how happy Tom and I are. Just knowing you two are getting to know each other is a relief. Some of her recent boyfriends had us worried.”
“I know what you mean.”
There was an outdoor fireplace by the pool. Tracy had started a fire and gathered everyone around so she could open her presents. Everyone seemed to have a good time except for Darryl. He drifted to the back of the crowd. I saw Robbie look over at him with concern, and she started to get up. I caught her eye and indicated I would take care of it. I edged up to Darryl.
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” he said, as he gave me a dirty look.
“Yeah, right. You don’t look like everything’s fine.”
He shook his head and looked down.
“Tracy and I aren’t going to get together.”
“Sorry to hear that. Are you mad at her?”
That surprised him. I think he was just thinking about himself.
“No, I think I’m feeling more like a fool.”
“Did she give you any indication before today that she might be interested in being more than good friends?”
He took a while to answer.
“You know, no, not really. Sure, when we were much younger we played some of the games like you-show-me-yours-and-I’ll-show-you-mine, but that was just curiosity between friends. Over the summer, she was going out with some real jerk and both our families were concerned. I think it was just assumed I’d step in at some point.”
“Sounds like a lot of pressure.”
“It is. Now that we’re talking about it, I think I’m somewhat relieved, but I’m disappointed. Every girl I date I compare to her, and frankly they come up short.”
“Yes, she is lovely, and fun to be around.”
He gave me a funny look.
“Can I ask you something?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“Are you and she...?”
I thought for a minute and smiled.
“Yes. Are you okay with that?”
“Actually, I am.”
I looked over at Mrs. Dole and smiled. Robbie had been watching and I could see her relax. Tracy caught my eye and I winked at her. She mouthed, ‘Thank you.’
Darryl caught it all and he smiled at me.
“I want to thank you also. I see you were concerned about not only Tracy but also everyone else.”
“I learned a valuable lesson the hard way recently. When you have people that care about you, if something happens to you it affects them also. You have people here who care about you.”
“Things turned out bad?”
“Yeah, my best friend didn’t speak to me for months. All our friends have had to choose sides like in a bad divorce. I found out they liked her better.”
“Do you think you’ll get it worked out?”
“Yes. We’ve made a good start.”
“Well, give it time. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
“Darryl, seriously, will it be okay if you see me with Tracy later tonight?”
“I’m never comfortable thinking about Tracy with another guy, but with you I’m fine. To be honest, all I ever wanted is for her to be happy. David, be it today or two years from now, I’ll have to see it and work through it. I would just as soon get it over with.”
“Okay, but promise me you’ll have some fun tonight. Did you see Mona in that swimsuit?”
Darryl’s eyes lit up.
“Unbelievable!”
Mona turned around and gave Darryl an appraising look.
“Shit! I think she heard us,” he said.
Everyone broke up. I think they all heard the whole conversation. I just threw my hands up in surrender when Mona gave me a dirty look. Then she broke into a big smile, so I figured I was safe. Girls really do like hearing they have a nice body. They just don’t want to admit it to the jerk brave enough to state it publicly.
Tracy made quite a haul on presents. Her dad was tackled when he gave her a set of Mustang keys and told her they’d go down on Saturday to either pick it out or order what she wanted. Shortly thereafter, the party broke up. Tracy and I didn’t rub our relationship in Darryl’s face. I think he appreciated it. Tracy told me not to leave.
We went out by the fire and found Tom and Mary lounging in a large recliner made for two. Tracy and I claimed a love seat. I put my arm around her, and she pulled her legs up and folded her body into my embrace as she put her head on my shoulder. It was so natural and comfortable; it felt like we’d been doing this for years. She smiled at her parents.