I would miss Kristen, but Patty picked me up in the morning. I didn’t give Patty a chance to stop her car when I came running out of the house.
“You look happy today, for a guy whose love of his life is a hundred miles away,” Patty observed.
I thought about this already. “Kristen’s trip to Austria made me realize that there are other things to life than having to have Kris with me every minute of every day,” I explained. “Today, I have the opportunity to maybe talk to you or Sherry in the lunchroom. I can also work on one of my pet projects that I most definitely can not work on at Kristen’s place.”
“Pet project?” Patty asked.
“It’s a surprise for Kristen,” I said. “So, of course, I cannot work on it over there.”
“Is it something for her birthday?”
“Hopefully,” I said, hoping that I could get it finished in time for a party.
“That sounds cool. Have you given any thought to throwing Kristen a party?”
I sighed. “What kind of a party do you give a millionaire who has everything?”
Patty stopped dead at an intersection and looked at me sternly. “Don’t you ever think that of Kristen! Until she met you, she told me she only had one other boyfriend in her life. She was lonely when she met you, you know.”
“She has me now,” I pointed out, a bit sheepishly.
“I don’t know much about that other boyfriend, but he made a hell of an impression on her,” Patty said, once again driving. “He must be a tough act to follow.”
“I met that guy,” I said, not knowing how much Patty knew about Kristen and her brother.
“I’m surprised she told you who it was. You’ve met him?”
“I met him a couple of months ago,” I said. “He’s a great guy, actually. They still like each other very much.”
“You don’t seem very jealous of him,” Patty said, narrowing her eyes.
“I’m not. We actually got along nicely. He doesn’t live around here any more.”
“I’ve never seen her dating,” Patty said. “Of course, until this year, we didn’t move through the same crowds.”
I didn’t add much and Patty continued to drive.
Patty said, “I know for a fact that Kristen really enjoys the simple things. Your fish-hook necklace really impressed her, you know. She also told me about the watch chain she made for you. That’s Kristen’s style. She doesn’t spend money just to impress people, and she isn’t impressed by money, either.”
I nodded. Patty pointed out something that I was avoiding trying to think about. “So, what do you think I should do for a birthday party?”
“I’m not sure, Jim,” Patty said, pulling into the school parking lot. “I suggest you trust your instincts. Almost everything you do for Kristen screams to her how much you love her. You come up with great ideas and you instinctively do the one thing that only you can do best.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said, smiling.
Camille was waiting at the front of the school in her regular spot. She smiled as Patty and I approached. “Poor baby. No Kristen today?”
“Nope. I got a ride with this ravishing red head instead,” I said with a grin.
Camille giggled in response. “He’s got a girl in every port!”
“Cut that out, you two!” Despite her protest, Patty was giggling as well.
“I think Jim is a real Romeo. How many other tenth graders have a bunch of senior co-eds who are willing to do things for him?” Camille asked.
Patty smiled. “I was just telling Romeo here that he has great romantic ideas. We were talking about what we could do for Kristen’s eighteenth birthday.”
I noticed the plural “we” in Patty’s sentence. Somehow, I felt better that Patty seemed willing to sign up to help out in whatever way she could.
“I would really like to do something on a grandiose scale,” I said. “Something that Kristen herself can’t do. I just don’t have any idea what I can do.”
“Well, count me in if you need any help,” Camille offered.
I moved over and kissed Camille on the cheek, a move that was noticed by a few students.
“Thank you, Romeo!” Camille quipped.
I sighed, bade farewell to the two seniors, and headed for home room. I heard the name “Romeo” being repeated behind me. I wondered which nickname was worse: Oogie or Romeo?
Lunch period consisted of Sherry and Patty offering me ideas on what we could possibly do for Kristen’s eighteenth birthday. Sherry seemed pleased as punch to be included in the deliberations. There were now three people who were willing to help me plan something.
“How about renting a hall and inviting, like, lots of people?” Sherry suggested.
I pointed out how much that sort of thing would cost. Unlike Kristen, spending money was a bit more difficult for me. I wanted extravagance, but I did have financial limitations.
“And what would you do for entertainment?” Patty pointed out. “A rock band costs money!”
I was thinking along the same lines, but now Patty’s remark hit home. Maybe a rock band would cost money, but there was already a band full of people who loved Kristen and might be able to provide at least a few song numbers. With a proper sound system, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a student deejay to play songs, either. How much could that cost?
Suddenly, ideas were starting to come to mind.
“Jim, are you there?” Patty asked, noticing my distraction.
“Patty, you’re a genius!”
“Huh? Me? That’s Camille’s department,” Patty said.
“A rock band!” I exclaimed, more possibilities coming to me now. “That’s a fucking great idea! Now, we just need a venue.”
“What rock band?” Sherry asked.
“Sherry, I’m the conductor of a kick-ass jazz band,” I said. “There’s no reason we can’t play rock and roll!”
“You still need a location… or are you thinking about using the school?” Patty asked.
“Hmmm,” I said, thinking. “Actually, the school might be a good idea,” I said. “I think we should consider that only as a last resort. I’m in good with Mr. Yank and Mr. Proilet, but I don’t want to wear out my welcome just yet.”
“So, where will you hold the party?” Sherry asked.
I smiled, the final piece of the puzzle finally fitting into place. “The big problem is money, right?”
The two girls nodded their heads.
“So we find somebody with money!”
“Who? Kristen?” Sherry asked.
“No. Kristen’s not a possibility,” I said, smiling broader now. “Her parents, on the other hand…”
“Ooh,” Patty said. “Her parents would help out in a second!”
“Cool!” Sherry said.
The subject changed, and the two girls were talking about something or other while my mind was working logistics.
I entered the school’s front office, having gotten an office pass from the substitute teacher in English class.
I smiled at the receptionist. “Is Mr. Yank available?”
“Mr. Crittenhouse,” the receptionist recognized me, smiling. “I hope this visit isn’t as disruptive as the one earlier this week.”
“I just need some information,” I answered, also smiling. “I’m trying to put together a birthday party for Kristen Swift, and I wondered if Mr. Yank has her father’s business phone number.”
The receptionist said, “A birthday party?”
“Her eighteenth,” I answered. “I figured her father might be planning something, and I was working on some ideas of my own, but I want to talk to him somewhere where I know that Kris won’t be around…”