“So what do you all have planned for today?” she asks, setting utensils down along with napkins and wooden disposable plates to eat from.
Parker shrugs. “Not sure yet. We will play it by ear, but I think we’ll take the pontoon boat out and cruise around the lake.” Parker looks at me, and I shrug.
“That sounds good to me. I’m game for whatever.”
Jasmine and Hadley also say the same thing. “I like to go swimming off the boat, too,” Jasmine says as she looks at me. “Did you bring a swimsuit, Nadia?” she asks.
“I came over-prepared for everything, and that,” I point toward my bag, “holds whatever I need.”
Parker laughs. “I bet it does. It weighed about one metric ton.”
I hit his arm. “Oh, stop, it wasn’t that heavy,” I say. “In my defense, I didn’t want to assume and brought my own towel and sunscreen, too. See?” I stick my tongue out at Parker. “Very prepared.”
Parker raises his hands against his torso. “Okay, yes, totally prepared,” he mimics.
“Food’s ready,” Bob announces loudly. Parker’s mother goes over to grab the tray of food covered in aluminum foil.
Bob is cleaning the grill and shutting things off when Marlene hands me a plate. “Guests first,” she says. “There are some drinks on that table.” She points to another table under the covered portion of the deck, which features an assortment of glass jugs with spouts. “We have lemonade and iced tea, along with an ice chest of seltzer water alongside it.”
Parker stands up. “What do you want?” he asks, walking backward toward the beverages.
“I’ll take an iced tea,” I tell him. He points at his brother, who asks Jasmine if she needs anything. He just gives a thumbs up, and Parker turns around and grabs our drinks. He jogs back with a seltzer water can and my iced tea in a mason jar. I notice it even has a lemon twist in it. “Thanks,” I tell him as he places the drink on my plate.
I scoop some potato salad, grab a hamburger and hot dog, and a spoonful of fruit. I rub my hands together in excitement. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while. I am about ready to tear this shit up. I watch Parker take a bite of his burger, and half of it is gone. My eyes widen, and a giggle escapes my lips as I notice his plate is loaded up with a couple of items of each, as is his brother’s. When I look over to Jasmine’s plate, she is eyeing my mine and watching me eat. I look at my plate and then at hers. She has a salad, which I passed on, and a hamburger patty without the bread on the side. A small scoop of fruit is also placed there, but not much.
I don’t know what to say, but I can’t help but feel a little self-conscious. Is she judging me? Her almond-shaped brown eyes assess me, but not maliciously. She speaks before I can ask, pointing at my food. “I wish I could eat all that. Sorry if I was staring.” Her boyfriend pats her hand reassuringly. I still don’t understand.
“I don’t eat like this much,” I tell her.
“Pfft, I would if I could. I’m just jealous,” she says, smiling kindly.
Parker leans over to explain, “Jasmine has Type 1 diabetes.” He looks over at her, lifting his chin.
“Oh. Since when?”
She takes a bite of her fruit. “Since I was like, five, I think. It was a scary time for my parents, I guess. I can’t say I remember it much, just the feeling of being around strangers.” Her boyfriendkisses her on the top of her head.
“That’s why Jasmine here is going to be a doctor. To help other kids with Type 1 diabetes. Right, babe?” Hadley states proudly.
“Wow, I am utterly in awe of you. Are you applying to medical school soon?” I ask now, interested.
She beams. “I’m in medical school now at Dartmouth,” she replies proudly. I pick up my napkin and dab at the area of mustard I can feel smeared on my cheek.
“That is such an accomplishment.”
She looks down at her salad, smiling bashfully. “Thanks.” She continues eating her food, and we all pass the time chatting.
Hadley and Parker’s parents went inside the house to let the “kids,” as they called us, eat and enjoy ourselves.
Once we finish eating, we clean up the mess and gather our belongings. I grab my bag to change into my bathing suit. “Here,” Parker says, opening the back door. “I’ll take you to the bathroom so you can change.” He leads me down the hall. I look around and notice that the house is enormous. It is a lot bigger than it looks when you drive up. He points to the door at the end. “You can change here, and then just meet me out in the kitchen when you’re ready. I will get us some beverages for the cruise around the lake on the boat.” He winks as he walks away toward the voices coming from the kitchen. I walk in, close the bathroom door, and place my bag on the vanity.
I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I opted for a more conservative approach. I grabbed the criss-cross pattern of cobalt blue and a vivid green color. The top is a sports bra fit to accompany the high-rise bottoms. I have a beach-white knit cover-up that I put on to walk out in, along with some flip-flops. I throw my hair into a high ponytail, grab my lip gloss, and apply one coat. Checking myself out in the mirror, I look over my shoulder. Satisfied with my appearance, I walk out toward the kitchen and see Parker placing two four-packs of beer in the small Yeti cooler.
He looks up at me. “Did you want me to make you a drink, or did you want wine, or…” He looks around.
I smile at his thoughtfulness. “I’m good with beer.”
His eyebrow lifts. “You sure? I have some wine, and I am makingJasmine a drink.” I notice he has a little decorative sippy cup to which he adds lime seltzer and one shot of Hendrick’s gin. He looks at me as he stirs it. “It’s something she can have without all the sugar,” he explains, and I nod in understanding.
