Christy Miller Collection, Volume 1

by Robin Jones Gunn

  “Yeah, during the summer—with my dad.”

  “Where’s your mom?” Christy asked.

  “Tallahassee, Florida. My parents are divorced, and my mom lives in Tallahassee. I live with her during the school year and spend the summers and some holidays with my dad.”

  Just then Alissa and one of the surfers sauntered over. They looked as though they were getting along very well. He had his arm around Alissa’s waist, and they each held a beer bottle.

  “You want some?” the guy offered Christy.

  “No, that’s okay,” she answered, feeling caught off guard.

  “Oh.” He looked at Todd. “You must be one of his kind of friends.”

  “Well, actually, I brought some Cokes with me,” she stammered, not sure what he meant by “one of Todd’s friends.”

  “I’ve got two.” She turned toward Todd. “Do you want one?”

  “Sure.”

  Todd moved over next to Christy on her towel and then introduced the other surfer as Shawn. Christy introduced Alissa. Shawn moved Todd’s board off the towel and sat down with Alissa beside him.

  This is too wonderful to be true. She knew her aunt would be thrilled.

  For the next hour they sat and talked. Alissa pretty much carried the conversation. She had lots of stories about what life was like in Germany. Christy liked her accent, which must have been a combination of all the places Alissa had lived and all the languages she had been exposed to.

  “And the cars go so slow on the autobahns here,” Alissa said. “But that’s not the right word. What do you call them? Freeways?”

  “No,” said Christy.

  “Yeah,” said Todd at the same time.

  They looked at each other.

  “In California we call them freeways,” Todd explained.

  “In Wisconsin we call them interstates,” Christy said.

  “You still drive very slowly here,” Alissa said. “In Stuttgart it was nothing to drive at 120 kilometers an hour.”

  Todd and Alissa talked about cars, and Christy listened. She barely knew the difference between a Jag and a Jetta and was afraid she might say something foolish. Shawn seemed quiet too. He looked as though he wasn’t all there, and his eyes were glazed. Whenever he did focus his gaze on Christy, she felt uncomfortable.

  “Check it out,” Shawn suddenly exclaimed, waving an arm toward the water. “That dude can shred!”

  “What’s that mean?” Christy asked Todd quietly.

  “See that little kid out there on the white board? He’s only about eight years old, and he’s a really good surfer.”

  “How old are you?” Alissa asked Christy.

  Thinking she was probably the youngest of the four of them, Christy started to lie. “Fifteen.” But then she caught herself. “Well, actually, almost fifteen. My birthday is in a few weeks. How old are you, Alissa?”

  “Seventeen.”

  Christy wasn’t sure if she was lying or not. Alissa looked that old, but whenever she laughed she seemed like a junior higher. Plus, why would she be hanging around someone as young as Christy if she really were seventeen?

  “You guys haven’t said how old you are,” Alissa pointed out.

  “Ah, I forget,” Shawn said.

  “We’re both sixteen,” Todd said.

  “Thanks a lot,” Shawn said. “Now Alissa’s going to leave because she doesn’t go out with guys who are younger than her, do you?”

  “That all depends.” Alissa gave Shawn a look that embarrassed Christy.

  She wasn’t sure why, but she felt as though she were intruding on a private game. Shawn must have known all the rules to this game, because he leaned over and whispered something to Alissa. Christy turned to look down toward the jetty.

  “Waves are picking up,” Todd said. “Let’s go surfing, Shawn.”

  Shawn stood and offered Alissa his hand, pulling her up with him. “Naw. We’re taking off.”

  Alissa grabbed her towel and slipped her hand into Shawn’s. “See you guys later,” she said. “Nice meeting you both.” The couple moved quickly through the sand toward the row of beach houses.

  “Are they going to get some lunch or something?” Christy asked, confused by their sudden exit.

  Todd looked at her strangely. He didn’t answer.

  Christy wasn’t sure what she had missed, but she knew Todd wasn’t exactly thrilled about Shawn leaving. She didn’t mind. She would love to spend the rest of the day sitting here, talking to Todd, looking into his gorgeous blue eyes. She had never liked a guy as much as she liked Todd, and she only met him today! Did he like her? He seemed to, even though he hadn’t tried to hold her hand or anything like Shawn had done with Alissa.

  Actually, the thought terrified her. What if Todd tries to hold my hand? What if he tries to kiss me?

  “Well, do you want to?” Todd interrupted her thoughts.

  Christy’s heart skipped a beat. “Want to what?” Did he just read my thoughts?

  “Do you want to go surfing?”

  “Oh!” Christy laughed. “I don’t know. I’m not very coordinated in the water, as you may have noticed.”

  “I’ll teach you.”

  “What I really want to learn is how to bodysurf. That’s what Alissa was trying to teach me earlier.”

  “I’m not the best bodysurfer around, but I’ll teach you what I know.”

  They dove into the water, and Christy was met again by that fresh exhilaration. Only this time it was magnified by the excitement of having Todd beside her. Like a pair of dolphins they faced the waves together, talking and laughing. Patiently Todd tried to teach her to bodysurf, but she couldn’t get the timing right. Every wave rushed past her, taking Todd with it and leaving her behind, drenched.

  After a while another surfer paddled to where they were bobbing over the wave, and Todd introduced him as Doug. He was cute, and Christy thought he was much friendlier than Shawn and the other surfers she had encountered earlier.

  “Try this.” Doug offered Christy his body board.

  “How do you use it?” Christy asked, unsure of what to do with the soft, short, blue and white board he held out to her. It was much shorter than a surfboard and looked less threatening.

  “Well … you just hop on and, ah … I don’t know. You hold on and ride it to shore,” Doug said.

  “Here.” Todd strapped the Velcro end of a leash around his wrist. “I’ll show her.”

  As the next wave swelled behind them, Todd lay across the body board on his stomach and began kicking furiously to get ahead of the wave. Christy and Doug floated over the wave and watched Todd as the wave broke right behind him, lifting him and the body board, pushing them to shore.

  “Looks fun!” Christy exclaimed. “I think I can handle this.”

  “Sure you can!” Doug agreed. “Use it all you want.”

  “Thanks!”

  Todd paddled back out and handed the body board to Christy. “Here you go. Remember to kick yourself ahead of the wave and hold on once it begins to carry you.”

  Christy self-consciously lay on the board. Todd and Doug’s instructions and demonstrations suddenly eluded her. All she could think was, I hope my rear end isn’t sticking up!

  “Okay,” Todd called out, “start kicking!”

  Christy kicked and kicked and didn’t look behind her. Suddenly, the force of the wave caught her, starting at her feet and then lifting her, pushing her upward, forward. Before she realized what was happening, the wave had enveloped her. As she hung on to the board for dear life, she felt the force of the ocean tide rushing toward the shore. For one triumphant moment she felt as if she were flying. Then the belly of the body board slid onto the coarse sand at the shore, and immediately the wave receded.

  Christy stood up, unscathed, and waved to Todd and Doug, who were waving their congratulations to her.

  That was so fun! No wonder surfing is such a big deal. I can’t imagine how it would feel to do that standing on a board! Just lying on
the body board was enough to take my breath away.

  She fought the waves, getting back out to the calm swells where Todd and Doug were treading water.

  “Awesome!” Doug said when she joined them.

  “Awesome?” Todd echoed. “Nobody says awesome anymore.”

  “I do!” Doug laughed. “And, Christy, that was an awesome ride! Took you all the way to shore.” He had such a boyish look of joy on his tanned face that for a moment Doug reminded Christy of her little brother, David.

  “Hey, what time do you think it is?” Todd asked.

  Doug squinted up at the angle of the sun. “Probably close to three-thirty.”

  “That’s my guess too. I gotta jam,” Todd said. “I’m picking up Tracy from work.”

  Then he turned to Christy. “Will you be here tomorrow?”

  Christy nodded, shivering a little from the cool water.

  “Maybe you’ll be ready to try surfing tomorrow,” Todd said.

  “Hey, this looks like a good one.” Doug motioned toward the huge wave that was building behind them. “Let’s all take it in.”

  While Christy lay on the body board, Doug and Todd held on to the sides, and they all kicked together. As soon as the wave caught up with them, the force tore the three of them apart, pushing Christy the fastest. She gave a tiny scream as the powerful surge thrust her forward, yanking the body board out from under her. She tumbled just once under the wave and came up behind it. The leash around her wrist allowed her to pull the board back. Todd and Doug, both now ahead of her, were rising out of the water at the shoreline.

  Christy stretched back onto the board and let the wave behind her, a smaller and more tame one, nudge her to shore. She watched as Todd tilted his head back, shaking his sun-bleached hair so that all the salty droplets raced down his back.

  “See you tomorrow,” Doug called out as Todd headed up the beach toward where he left his surfboard in the sand.

  “Yeah, later!” Todd called after them.

  “You going back out in the water?” Doug asked Christy.

  She was still watching Todd, hoping he would turn around and give one last wave meant only for her.

  “No, I’m kind of cold.” She unstrapped the Velcro leash around her wrist. “I think I’ll lie out for a while. Thanks for letting me use your board. It was really fun!”

  “Sure,” Doug said, taking it from her. “Anytime.”

  Christy stretched out on her towel and let the sun warm her. The salt water dried in little spots on her legs, and she felt scratchy and dry and terribly thirsty. She lasted on the towel only about half an hour before deciding she couldn’t stand it any longer. Doug was still out in the water, riding his body board, and Todd wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day. Alissa was long gone. There was no reason to wait around, so she gathered her belongings and hurried back to the house.

  This whole day has been “awesome,” to use Doug’s word, she thought as she picked her way over the hot sand. My aunt is going to be so proud of me! She was right. All I needed was the right kind of bathing suit and hairstyle. I love being part of Todd’s group. Todd. Oh, man, Paula is never going to believe this!

  Early the next morning, Christy marched out to the beach. Her hair washed and styled, her eye makeup in place, she anxiously looked for Todd. Except for a few surfers she didn’t know, hardly anybody was on the beach. None of the group she had met the day before was there.

  Slipping back into the silent house, she checked the clock: 8:27. No wonder nobody was on the beach yet. Christy dropped into a chair and snapped on the TV. A children’s program was on. She sat there numbly watching the brightly colored puppets as a green one with shifty eyes tried to talk a big, fuzzy yellow bird puppet into buying a pickle and sardine ice cream cone. The bird kept saying he didn’t like it.

  “How do you know you don’t like it unless you try it?” The green puppet pressured his friend until he finally gave in, paid his quarter, and took a lick.

  “Yeech!” The bird squawked. “I tried it, and I don’t like it.”

  “Heh, heh, heh,” laughed the green fellow. “I knew you wouldn’t like it! But too bad for you because now I’ve got your quarter. Heh, heh, heh. You just made my day. Heh, heh, heh.”

  Oh, brother! Christy clicked off the TV. To think that that’s supposed to be educational for little kids! Sheesh!

  “I tried it, and I don’t like it,” she mimicked in her puppet voice.

  “Don’t like what?” Uncle Bob’s voice came from the doorway.

  “Oh! A pickle and sardine ice cream cone.”

  “Then how about a pickle and sardine and cheese omelet?”

  Christy laughed at her uncle’s humor. “Okay—if you skip the pickles and the sardines!”

  Over breakfast Christy talked with Uncle Bob about Todd. “He is the absolute cutest guy I’ve ever known, and I’m pretty sure he likes me.”

  “Any guy would be crazy not to like you, Christy.”

  Uncle Bob was so easy to talk to. Christy wished it could be the same way with her own dad, but he was a serious, hardworking farmer. Conversations with him consisted of him pondering a subject for hours, and then he’d tell Christy, “This is the way it is.” Not much room for free thought or discussion. He was the dad; she was the daughter. He said; she did. That was that. She liked this feeling of being able to give her opinions, to talk things through, to feel capable of making wise decisions.

  Her self-confidence lifted, she headed back out to the beach around eleven o’clock, ready for anything. She was so exuberant that when she saw Todd she ran to greet him, not realizing he was talking to another girl. A very cute girl.

  “Hey, Christy,” Todd called out. “How’s it going? This is Tracy.”

  “Hi,” Tracy said with a quick smile. Petite with shoulder-length, light brown hair, Tracy had a heart-shaped face that gave her a sweet, innocent look.

  Christy’s eyes darted from Todd to Tracy, then back to Todd. Had she intruded or what?

  “Do you guys mind if I put my towel down here?”

  “Of course not,” Tracy answered. “Todd told me that two new girls were out yesterday while I was at work. Is your friend coming?”

  “I don’t know. I just met her yesterday, and she took off with Shawn. I didn’t see her the rest of the day.”

  “I saw them both this morning,” Todd said in a low voice. “They’ll probably be down later.”

  “I don’t see how you can still be such tight friends with him,” Tracy said to Todd.

  “Shawn and I have been friends a long time.”

  “I know, but you guys don’t have anything in common anymore.”

  “I can’t just ignore him,” Todd defended.

  “Don’t get mad,” Tracy scolded. “I only wondered why you still do things with him, that’s all.”

  “Where do you work?” Christy interjected, trying to clear the air. She couldn’t quite tell if Todd and Tracy were talking to each other like brother and sister or like boyfriend and girlfriend.

  “At Hanson’s Parlor. It’s an ice cream shop down by the Pavilion. Do you need a job? They’re looking for someone else to work nights.”

  “No. But thanks anyway,” Christy answered, still trying to discern Todd and Tracy’s relationship. Todd and Tracy. Their names even went together! Did he like Tracy? Christy felt jittery, wanting to know where she stood with him.

  “What time do you work today?” Todd asked Tracy.

  “Noon to six. Can you still give me a ride?”

  “Sure. We probably should leave pretty soon. Hey, there’s Shawn and Alissa.”

  Now Christy definitely felt like a fifth wheel. Shawn and Alissa came up with their arms around each other, clearly orbiting in their own private galaxy.

  What am I doing here? Christy thought.

  “Are you all coming to the party tomorrow night?” Alissa asked.

  “What party?”

  “Shawn’s. His parents are going out of town for th
e weekend.”

  “Are you going, Tracy?” Christy asked.

  “No. I’m not much of a party person. Besides, I’ve got to work.”

  “What about you, Todd?”

  “I’ll probably stop by.”

  Christy’s interest rose. If Tracy wasn’t there, maybe she would have a better chance with Todd.

  “I guess I’ll go,” Christy said. “I’ll have my aunt drop me off.”

  “Oh, you don’t want to do that,” Alissa said with a light laugh. “Not for a party like this! It’s only a few blocks. You can walk over with me if you want.”

  “That would be great.” Christy cast a glance at Todd to see if he would offer to pick her up instead.

  “We have to go,” was all Todd said. “I’m taking Tracy to work, and I told my dad I’d finish painting the front deck today.”

  “Bye!” Christy called out as Todd and Tracy left. “See you later!” She tried not to sound too disappointed that Todd wasn’t going to spend the day with her.

  Alissa and Shawn decided to leave too and walked off with their arms around each other. Alissa’s bronzed body, like a magnet, drew glances from everyone she passed. Surely she knew everyone was watching, but she acted oblivious to the attention.

  Christy pulled out her paperback and tried not to get too depressed about being left alone so suddenly. As the afternoon sun slowly beat down on her back, she kept looking up every few minutes, hoping Todd would return.

  She couldn’t figure him out. Yesterday he acted as if he really liked her, and then today he and Tracy acted like a married couple—arguing, him giving her a ride to work.

  Where do I fit? she wondered. At least he’ll be at the party tomorrow night, and Tracy won’t be there. I wish I could act the way Alissa does around guys. Then I would have a better chance at getting a guy like Todd to be interested in me.

  After several hours of making little progress in the book, she gathered up her belongings and hopped through the burning sand, wondering how Alissa could manage to walk so gracefully. Everything Alissa did was perfect. If only Christy could be like her.

  The worst part about going back to her aunt and uncle’s beach house was that she knew Aunt Marti would want a full report on the day, and there wasn’t much to tell. Except about the party invitation. At least she had that to look forward to.