I was nervous because how could we do anything fun with all his siblings?He must have known I was getting angsty because he said, “I know I promised you the perfect day, but I have to babysit, so I have a win-win solution.We are going to swim at the creek!”
Doreen jumped up and down and screamed, “Swimming!Beach Day!Oh yeah!” Going to the creek wasn’t exactly like going to a beach.To Doreen, a beach day was swimming in a rocky tunnel filled with water.It had all the elements a beach does, except the hot, sticky sand.
“It’s a good thing I came prepared.I’m already wearing my swimsuit.How will we get there?”
He scratched his head.“You can ride on the pegs of my bike like you used to.”
Doreen skipped up the stairs, hollering at everyone to put on their bathing suits.
Darren had to help the littles get ready, so I went to the kitchen to prepare lunches for them to bring.Most people would feel weird taking over their friend’s kitchen, yet I didn’t.Darren’s parents trusted me, since I grew up eating dinner at their house every Sunday night.Darren’s parents were decent people, but they could only give so much attention with seven children.Their love was spread thin, like trying to get peanut butter from the sides of an empty jar.Darren’s parents criticized him more than his siblings because he was the oldest.Any way I could take the pressure off of him, I did.
I packed eight sandwiches, some grapes, and a box of ding dongs in an old tote bag I found.Darren was able to round up all his siblings at the door.I smiled at him.“Does this mean we are ready to go?”
He nodded and then paused.“Wait!One more thing.”He ran into his bedroom and came back with his portable 8-track.
“Perfect.”
The kids went to the side yard and got on their bikes.I made sure Fawn was okay before I went outside.One of Darren’s brother, Benjamin, set her up with a bowl of water and food.Benji was only ten and liked to play Dungeons and Dragons with his friends.Gabriel, Darren’s father, thought it was satanic, so Benji secretly played at other people’s houses.The Lawrences were forced to sneak around if they wanted to do anything they liked that wasn’t related to the church.I thanked him for taking care of Fawn and placed the tote of food in one of the girls’ bike baskets.Then, I hopped on Darren's silver metal pegs.He turned his head over his shoulder, and said, “You better grab onto me, or you will fall off and scrape yourself up.”
I gripped the top of his shoulders like I did as a kid, feeling his meaty arms.His shoulders were warm, and his biceps pushed out of his old shirt.When we flew down the hill at Moose Drive, the breeze blew my hair in every direction, making me unbalanced.I grasped his shoulders tighter as he shouted, “Hold on, Copper!”
After a couple of minutes, we reached the creek.I laid our lunches and towels on the bank’s side.Darren’s siblings were jumping off their bikes and racing toward the water.He propped his bike against a powerline pole and took off his shirt in one swift motion.He looked at me as if to say, “What are you waiting for?”
I shimmied off my jean shorts and turned away from him when I unbuttoned my shirt and threw it on the ground.I sat on the side of the grassy bank, dipping my big toe into the water.I shivered.
“Is it too cold for you?”he asked.
I smirked and said, “Never.”Pushing myself off the bank, I submerged my body in the piercing water.I couldn’t help but prove to Darren I wasn’t afraid.
Darren ran and jumped into the creek with force, causing water to fly into the air.His body made a hole in the creek’s reflective surface.
He rose out of the water, shaking.“Geez.It is cold.”As water droplets ran down his face, he brushed them away with his palm.He began to splash me.I held my breath and dove under the murky water to avoid his hits.The rocks were smooth on the soles of my bare feet.I pushed myself to the bottom and grabbed a handful of pebbles, keeping my eyes closed.I then laid my towel down on the uneven bank to inspect the nuggets.Some of the rocks I identified as mica.Mica looks like a rock with chunks of tinfoil in it.Sometimes, mica could look like a beautiful silver ring; other times, it looked like trashy leftovers wrapped in the fridge.
“Turn on the 8-track!”Darren yelled.I dried my hands on the fibered towel, then placed his Jesse Young and the Matches tape in the machine and turned it up as loud as possible.Jesse Young and the Matches was Darren, my stepdad, and I’s favorite band.Darren and I sang along with the chorus.“You need to see that I am right in front of you.It’s always been me.We are like fire when we ignite, baby together, we are bright.”
Darren played with his siblings as I tanned, found pretty rocks, and listened to the album.A van full of out-of-towners pulled up next to me.The sun glared into my eyes.I blocked the sunbeams with my hand to see who they were.I could make out a teenage girl, her mother, and her younger brother.The girl advanced toward me.
I sat up slightly, causing my muscles to contract.
The girl asked, “Hey, do you guys mind if we join you?”
Darren was too busy splashing his siblings to notice them.
“I don’t see why not.”
The girl introduced herself and placed her fancy beach towel beside me.She had on bright red lipstick and a navy-blue one-piece swimsuit.Her hair was brown, long, and straight.She was very pretty and knew how to present herself.I asked her where she was from, and of course, she was in Moose Creek on a weekend getaway.We talked back and forth for a while.I did not care much for talking to strangers.I had my friends, and they were enough for me.
The city girl was looking at Darren a lot, making my face grow uneasily warm.
Eventually, she leaned into me and smacked her lips, gaining the courage to ask, “Are you with that boy?He is super hot!If you aren’t, I am going to hit on him.There’s nothing like a vacation to hook up with boys you will never see again.”
I was dumbfounded.I was not with Darren.Darren was my best friend, but he was special.He deserved someone great, not some random girl.“No, I am not with him, but he’s the preacher’s son, so he won’t mess around with anyone.”
Her jaw dropped.“Yeah, not worth it.Good luck.”She picked up her towel and got up.Her family was hanging out by the back of their van.She approached them and whispered, “The water looks gross.I think it has fish pee in it or some sort of chemicals.I don’t think it’s safe to swim in.”She wanted to leave, and her family accepted her weak excuse.She gave me a fake wave goodbye as they hauled back into their van.
Darren got out of the water, dripping.He shook his soaking hair on me like a wet dog attempting to dry off.I hit him with one of the towels, and he laughed.“Okay, okay!Sorry!”he said, sitting next to me.“What did that family want?”
“They asked me for directions,” I said, not wanting to talk about what actually occurred.
