Pat’s Story

We had been in the water for a while when Justin suddenly clutched his chest. “Help! I’m drowning!”

Since he was standing and smiling, I knew he wasn’t serious. I followed his gaze back to the shore, where I saw four lifeguards walking along the beach. They had new uniforms this year. Their red tops barely covered their voluptuous chests, and their black shorts were as short as the bathing suit bottoms I assumed were underneath them.

They glanced at us and smiled, but kept walking without stopping. I turned back to Justin.

“Dude, don’t you have a girlfriend?”

He shrugged. “So? That make me a monk?”

Austin nodded to him. “Dude. You should totally go say hi.”

Justin grinned. “Yeah?”

Austin nodded. “Totally.”

I shook my head. It was one thing to acknowledge a girl was good-looking, but he shouldn’t be hitting on other girls. That was crossing a line. And his girlfriend was right there, too!

The lifeguards were already pretty far along the beach, though, heading to the next tower. Justin shrugged. “Oh well. Probably better anyway. Paige gets mad when she sees me with other girls.”

Austin nodded knowingly. “Kayla’s like that, too.”

They both looked at me expectantly. I shrugged. Unlike these guys, my girlfriend had no reason not to trust me. “Mae doesn’t have that problem.”

Austin smirked. “We should go ask her.”

Before I could object, he and Justin raced back to the girls. I chased after them, but Justin held me back.

Austin ran right up to the blanket, accidentally kicking sand on my girlfriend. “Mae!”

Melinda shielded her eyes from the sun as she sent him an expectant look.

“Patrick says you don’t get jealous when he talks to other girls.”

Melinda sent me a sweet smile. “Of course I do.”

Justin released me, going to hold his girlfriend instead. I pulled Melinda into my arms, whispering in her ear. “Really?”

She glanced at my friends before turning to me. I was a little surprised when she signed her response. “No. I j-u-s-t thought—” She groaned, speaking aloud. “I really need to learn more signs.”

I kissed the top of her head. “It’s fine. I think I know what you’re trying to say. And thank you.”

I was going to ask Melinda if she wanted to go for a walk in the surf, but Justin beat me to it. Well, he asked Paige. Since I didn’t want to look like a copycat, I settled for sitting with Kayla and Austin.

His hands were all over her, but she didn’t seem to mind. She wasn’t even paying him that much attention. She and Melinda were discussing nail polish colors. I had to admit, it was a little odd to hear Melinda having such an inane conversation. I wasn’t even part of it and I was losing brain cells.

Before I could try to change the subject, however, “She Bugs Me” sang from my bag.

Muttering to myself, I checked the text. “Oh, man. My mother is such a killjoy.”

Melinda ran a hand along my arm. “Everything okay?”

“She wants us to come home. Says we have plans as a family tonight.” Would have been nice if someone had mentioned them this morning.

Kayla made a face. “Eww. I hate family night.”

I turned to Melinda. “I guess we better head out.”

We packed up and said our goodbyes. As we pulled out of the parking lot, Melinda sighed. “I know you were having fun, but I’m glad your mom said we had to come home. Honestly, I was getting kind of bored.”

I sent her a look of concern. “You didn’t have fun?”

She shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong. I liked hanging out with your friends and all. But those girls are just so shallow. It was like talking to my younger cousin. Plus, I mean, I had fun and all, but I just don’t really like the beach. I’ve got sand in places that should not have sand.”

My mind immediately started thinking about where those places might be. I tried not to smile. “Well, if you went in the water, you wouldn’t.”

“You’re covered in sand. How did you even get your shoes on?”

Seriously? Had she never been to the beach before? “I wiped off most of the sand. I’ll take a quick shower when we get home.”

Melinda made a face. “Well, I feel icky from all that sunscreen. I’m taking my time getting clean.”

She didn’t need to. She already looked adorable. But it didn’t matter. “You don’t have time. When we get home, we’ll have just enough time to hop in Dad’s car and head to church.”

“Eww. I can’t go to church like this. Can we skip it and go in the morning?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Mom is looking forward to going as a family.”

I barely had a chance to pull into the garage before Melinda hopped out of the car. By the time I reached the kitchen, she was long gone. Dad raised his eyebrows at me.

“Is Melinda okay?”

I shrugged. “She wanted to shower before church. I told her we didn’t have time, but you know girls.”

Mom entered the kitchen with pursed lips. “You better think twice about what you say next.”

I was done anyway, so I just pointed at the ceiling. “I need to change for church.”

Melinda had made a good point. I wasn’t really in the mood to go to church full of sand, either. My shower was quick, just enough to get the sand out of my hair. After pulling on my khaki shorts and a polo, I hurried downstairs. I reached the car only seconds before my girlfriend.

---

After Mass, we went to Porter’s House of Steak, one of Mom’s favorite restaurants. I was pretty sure she liked it because we always ran into people we knew.

As the hostess led us to the table, a man held out his hand to Mom. “Kara! How great to see you!”

She smiled. “Darren. You look fantastic!”

While she bent to kiss her former co-star, Dad continued to a table not far away, talking to a record producer whose name I always forgot.

I was trying to follow my girlfriend, but was waylaid. Jeff Kurat waved to me and Walter. We detoured to him, leaning down to kiss Penelope Tracy’s cheek before greeting Jeff with fist bumps.

“How goes it, McGregors?”

I shrugged. “Can’t complain.”

Penelope smiled at us. “Hey. Did you hear about Jarrod? Rumor has it, at the party last night, someone pushed him in the pool.”

Walter shook his head. “No, I didn’t hear about that.” He turned to me. “Did you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It was all anyone outside was talking about.”

Walter glared at me before shrugging off my subtle reproach. “Sorry I missed it.”

Logan nodded at me. “So, word is you and Natasha are starring in a new movie.”

I shook my head with a sigh of exasperation. “No. We both auditioned for a new movie. I doubt we’ll both get it.”

Penelope rolled her eyes, but I had no idea what she was saying about me. “That girl is so yesterday. I mean, she’s doing soap operas. Can you imagine? I’d rather not work that do a soap opera.”

Walter shook his head. “I don’t know. I think they’re harder than movies. You only have one day to learn your lines?”

The look on Penelope’s face suggested she didn’t like Walter disagreeing with her. I pointed to the back of the restaurant. “Oh, Wally. I think Mae’s looking for us.” I smiled at Jeff. “It was good seeing you, man. Enjoy your supper.”

I didn’t wait for a response. With a small wave, I made my way to my girlfriend.

Walter sat beside me with a smile. “Thanks for getting me out of that. Penelope looked like she wanted to kill me.”

Melinda’s Story

I was just remembering all the things I hated about the beach when Pat’s phone started singing “She Bugs Me.” Grumbling, he checked the readout.

“Oh, man. My mother is such a killjoy.”

Frowning, I ran my hand along his arm. “Everything okay?”

He shrugged. “She wants us to come home. Says we have plans as a family tonight.”

Kayla made a face. “Eww. I hate family night.”

Pat turned to me. “I guess we better head out.”

Kayla helped us fold the blanket while Austin put away our snacks. Justin and Paige had gone for a walk along the surf. Since they had disappeared nearly an hour ago, I figured they had either gotten lost or been swept out to sea. Then again, based on our earlier conversations, it was equally likely they were enjoying the backseat of Justin’s car.

I hugged Kayla and Austin, kissing their cheeks and telling them I had an excellent time. After Pat said his goodbyes, we collected our stuff and headed to the car.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, I turned to Pat with a sigh. “I know you were having fun, but I’m glad your mom said we had to come home. Honestly, I was getting kind of bored.”

Pat frowned. “You didn’t have fun?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I liked hanging out with your friends and all. But those girls are just so shallow. It was like talking to my younger cousin. Plus, I mean, I had fun and all, but I just don’t really like the beach. I’ve got sand in places that should not have sand.”

Pat smirked. “Well, if you went in the water, you wouldn’t.”

I pointed to his legs. “You’re covered in sand. How did you even get your shoes on?”

He shrugged. “I wiped off most of the sand. I’ll take a quick shower when we get home.”

“Well, I feel icky from all that sunscreen. I’m taking my time getting clean.”

Pat smirked. “You don’t have time. When we get home, we’ll have just enough time to hop in Dad’s car and head to church.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Eww. I can’t go to church like this. Can we skip it and go in the morning?”

Pat shook his head. “Nope. Mom is looking forward to going as a family.”

I didn’t care how scary Miss Kara could be when she was mad. There was no way I was going to church full of sand. As soon as we got home, I raced up to my room and jumped into the shower.

Careful not to let the water touch my hair, I scrubbed my body until I felt clean, then threw on a sundress that was not caked in sand. I was back in the garage before Miss Kara could call for me.

She smiled as we climbed into the car. “You look nice. I love your hair today.”

“Thanks.”

Walter slid into the seat beside me with a whine. “I’m hungry. Can we grab food after church?”

His mother turned to face him. “Yes. We’re going to have supper and go out as a family. Think about where you’d like to eat and what you’d like to do. We’ll discuss it after Mass.”

I had only been to a few churches in my life. Since they all looked alike, I had assumed there was some sort of template required for all Catholic churches. Dark wood interior. Crucifix behind the altar. Marble baptismal font in the front. Hard wooden pews with vinyl kneelers.

So I was very surprised when we pulled up in front of Holy Infant Church a short time later. It wasn’t made of red brick but a cream-colored stucco. It was so much more modern and inviting than other churches I had visited.

And inside was so bright. There were skylights and the wall behind the altar was all glass. The baptismal font wasn’t a little marble pedestal near the altar but a large fountain in the vestibule the size of a garden fountain. People weren’t sitting on hard pews, but padded chairs with attached kneelers.

As we took our seats, I noticed the biggest difference. I leaned over to whisper to my confirmation mentor. “Where’s the crucifix?”

Walter shrugged. “This church doesn’t have one on the wall. The altar server will carry it in.”

Despite the décor, the service was nearly identical to the Mass at home. I was sandwiched between Pat and Walter. The music was similar. The homily was just as boring.

An hour later, we were back in the car and Walter was again whining about food. While Mr. Adam waited in the line of cars trying to leave the parking lot at the same time, Miss Kara turned to the backseat.

“So, your father and I were thinking we’d like to play minigolf as a family.”

Walter shrugged. “I’m game.”

On my other side, Pat nodded. “What about Pete’s Putt Putt?”

Walter shook his head. “Nah. That place shut down last summer.” He played around on his phone for a minute. “Looks like the closest place is the castle.”

Miss Kara’s face lit up. “Oh, I love that place. Let’s go there.” She turned to her husband. “What are your thoughts about the steakhouse for supper?”

Walter smiled. “Sounds fantastic.”

I turned to him. “What’s the castle?”

Walter passed me his phone. “It’s kind of like that place we went to with you back home, but not as big. But it’s got this wooden maze thing.”

Pat frowned. “I hate that maze.”

“That’s just because you got lost that one time.”

“I did not get lost. I got out five times. I just couldn’t find that stupid frog stamp.”

“I offered to help you.”

“No you didn’t. You—”

Miss Kara turned around. “If you boys don’t stop, you can continue your argument in the car and Melinda can join me and your father.”

“Oh, like she would have any fun,” Walter muttered under his breath.

I bit back a laugh. Thankfully, his mother hadn’t heard him.

---

Although I had eaten out with Walter and Pat many times, I had never been to a restaurant with their parents before. I had heard stories, though. As Mr. Adam pulled into the crowded parking lot, part of me wondered if we would have time to enjoy our meal before screaming fans attacked us.

The hostess smiled when we entered, leading us to a table in the back of the room. Pat gestured for me to go first, so I followed her diligently. When I reached the table, I turned to ask if anyone had a preference where they sat.

No one was behind me. The members of the Evans family were talking to random people.

Miss Kara was speaking to a man I thought might have been one of her costars recently, though it was hard to tell with his scruffy goatee. At a nearby table, Mr. Adam was talking to a couple old enough to be his parents. Since they weren’t fawning over him, I got the impression he knew them.

The boys were at another table, talking to a couple I had met at last night’s party. I couldn’t remember their names.

Since no one was looking for me, I sat facing everyone and grabbed a menu. I wasn’t a huge fan of steak, but some of the other options sounded good. By the time Pat and Walter settled beside me, I had decided on the barbecue chicken.

Eventually, Miss Kara and Mr. Adam joined us, and we placed our orders. As we waited for our food, a few more people stopped by the table to visit. Some were people I recognized from movies and television. Others, Pat would whisper their names in my ear. No one introduced me, but I didn’t mind. Somehow, it made me feel like one of the family.

After our salads arrived, people stopped visiting. I frowned at mine before turning to Walter. “Hey, Gourmand? Do you want my tomatoes?”

He shrugged. “Sure.”

I had intended to use a fork to transfer the small globes onto his salad, but he reached onto my plate and grabbed them with his fingers.

His mother yelled at him before I could. “Walter! You are in a restaurant. Use some manners.”

Walter sent her a sheepish look. “Sorry. I forgot.”

Miss Kara looked at me. “Does he do this at school?”

Yes, but I didn’t want to get my friend in trouble. With a shrug, I shoved a huge forkful of lettuce in my mouth to avoid answering. Pursing her lips, Miss Kara returned to her meal.

My chicken turned out to be several thin breasts covered in a red sauce the color of a ripe cherry. I poked at it cautiously. “This doesn’t look like barbecue sauce.”

Miss Kara smiled. “That’s because it’s made here in the restaurant. Go ahead and try it. It’s delicious. And if you don’t like it, we can always get you something else.”

Biting my lip, I picked up my knife and cut myself a small piece. Miss Kara was right. The sauce was amazing. I loved it so much that I took one of my baby carrots and slid it through the extra sauce on the plate before eating it.

Pat noticed, pointing to my plate. “Hey. You let your foods touch.”

I smiled. “This sauce is sooo good.”

Miss Kara smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.