"And I can’t take Candace to the Prom — or Beth — or Louise…"
"I know, Son, but…"
"I know better than to blow this, okay? It’s totally separate!" Rick insisted.
"Well, it is until she doesn’t put out one day and you go to see one of us … Women sense that kind of thing, Dear." Jean argued.
"Well, she’s not putting out right now, and I haven’t stepped in it…"
"The time will come, Dear — and after she does, she’ll be VERY sensitive…"
"Yeah, I know…" Rick’s glance condemned her.
"What do you want to do then, Dear?" Jean sighed.
"I thought I’d invite her here — maybe go swimming. It probably wouldn’t hurt if you were here…" Rick eyed his mother sidelong.
"Why?"
"She’s afraid we’ll do our own version of Little Red Riding Hood — with me as the wolf!" Rick grinned at his own wit.
"I see…" Jean grinned back. "What if she decides that she WANTS to be eaten?"
"Well…" Rick rolled his eyes.
Jean ran her hand through her son’s curls and said, "In the afternoon, okay?" Then she got up and walked out, saddened. This thing hadn’t lasted very long — was Toby asking Beth the same question? Would it end quickly, or drag on forever, but be gone, anyway? She needed him more than ever — but did he need her?
"Sally?"
"Lon?" Surprise caused Sally’s voice to climb to a squeak. It was silly, actually — if Teela was talking to her, Rick was talking to him. Why was she surprised?
"Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"Well, no, not much…"
"Want to come up to my place and go swimming? My Mama will be here," he added hurriedly.
"Are you sure? My Mom…" Sally began.
"No, I’m sure — want me to have her tell you?"
"Uh, no, that’s okay." Sally felt a little foolish — did she really WANT that kind of protection?
"So it’s okay?"
"Yeah."
"I’ll come by about one, okay?"
"Sure."
"See you then."
"Okay. Bye!" Sally started digging in drawers, then headed down to the laundry room.
Her mother watched her breeze through from the kitchen. "What are you looking for?"
"My swimsuits, Mom. Have you seen them?"
"You’re going swimming?"
"Well, yes…" Sally rolled her eyes. "That’s what you usually wear swimsuits for — that and beauty contests…"
"If you’re going to be nasty, Dear, I’ll not tell you where I put them!" Eleanor Harkness told her daughter.
"All right! Yes! I’ve been invited swimming!"
"Which suit do you want?"
"Well, not the one with the skirt … The blue — no, maybe not that one…"
"So, what’s the name of that blond boy?"
"Er, what?"
"Dear, there is a boy in this, or you’d have asked for your black one-piece and been done with it! Do you think I’m an idiot?"
Sally opened her mouth, closed it, looked disgusted. "Well…"
"Am I right, or am I right?"
"Okay, okay!"
"Where are you going to be swimming, then?"
Sally hung her head. "His house. His mother will be there! He swore to me!"
"Do you trust him?"
"Yeah, pretty much. He’s passed the Teela test…"
"What is he, a eunuch?" Eleanor laughed.
"No, but he has this friend … The friend thinks he’s nuts to want to go out with me…"
"That’s not nice…" Eleanor frowned. "And how is it a reference?"
"Well, the other guy sort of indicated that he was really interested in me, not just…" Sally dropped her eyes. "Part of it was the guy telling Teela that he thinks it’s just insane — I’m not his type."
"Not the blond boy’s type?"
"No, the other guy." Sally grinned. "But then, HE’S got Teela on the run!"
"Teela? Some boy is chasing Teela? HE needs to have his head examined!" Eleanor chortled.
"Oh, Mom, they’re so cute! You should see them! He sets her off and then trips her up — it’s a sight!" Sally’s eyes shone.
"It’s hard to imagine…" Eleanor shook her head. "So what’s with the blond boy? You were pretty shaky the other day…"
"I … think he’s being honest with me," Sally murmured hesitantly. "He just says he likes me and he’s been pretty cool…"
"They generally start out that way," Eleanor sighed. Sally was going to get hurt sometime — probably several times, in Eleanor’s opinion. But she didn’t have to stand around and watch…
"Well, he’s taking his time."
"Is he really interested?"
"He says he is. His friend says he is…"
Eleanor grimaced. "Has sex come up?"
"Well, yeah."
"Uh huh. Tell me."
"Well, I asked him, flat out, what he was up to, and told him I’m not easy. He said … He said that he wasn’t ruling it out — and that basically, if he did, what would that say about where he was going? You don’t get serious about a girl you’re not thinking about having sex with." Sally shrugged. "I figure he’s right — if I’m not desirable, what is he up to? Like he said — if he didn’t find me sexually attractive, wouldn’t that be kind of an insult?"
"He sounds pretty slick to me…"
"Well, when I pressed him about it, he said, I thought we were going to a movie? and that was kind of the end of it."
Eleanor blinked. "Well, he’s patient, I guess. But — forgive me, Dear — why you?"
Sally sighed. "I asked. He said a couple of strange things. First, he said experience had shifted his perspective. Later, I asked him what that meant and he said he wasn’t into Barbie dolls. Odd, huh?"
Eleanor frowned. "Very. Somewhat reassuring, though. Has he had any girlfriends you’re aware of?"
"No."
"Hmmm. Well … So how many other kids are going to be at this pool party?"
"I don’t know."
"One?" Her mother eyed her over her eyeglasses.
"Maybe." Sally looked away.
"Do you feel that safe?" her mother asked.
"He swore to me…" Sally insisted. "He said I could talk to her!"
"Dear," Eleanor sighed, "Don’t sell yourself short…"
"No, of course not!"
Eleanor eyed her daughter. "The blue bikini is in the bathroom closet."
"Thanks, Mom!" Sally kissed her mother on the cheek and dashed upstairs to see if the bikini still fit.
"Hey, Munchkin!"
"Rick?"
"Who else has your crypt code?"
"Awright, Smartass!" Teela growled.
"Ooooo! Elvira wants to bite!" Rick taunted. "But to do that you have to come within reach…"
"Lucky you — you’re on the other end of the phone!"
"Well, I don’t have to be. Why don’t you come up to my house tomorrow and we’ll swim in my pool for a while? I can show you my crypt, and we can hang out for a while in an empty closet…"
"Are you serious?" Teela asked, incredulous.
"Where ELSE am I gonna get blood that fresh?"
"Awright, I’m not a vampire!"
"You sure aren’t!" Rick chuckled, "but you make a seriously fine victim! I put my lips on your neck and…"
"Okay, okay!" The collapse of her defenses that occurred every time he did that was embarrassing.
"So come swimming. Seriously, my mom will be around to make sure I don’t drain you dry."
"I dunno…"
"What’s the problem?" Rick’s voice turned serious.
"Poppa…" Teela lived with her dad; Momma had been prone to depression. Whether that day when she was ten had been an accident or suicide wasn’t clear, but officially, she’d fallen…