Not only were her parents understanding about her getting home so late, but they also entered into the adventure. Mom scooped up bowls of ice cream, and the three of them sat around the kitchen table while Christy described every detail of the great snake escape.
She hadn’t noticed it at the time of her tumble, but Mom pointed out a big bruise already blackening above her right elbow. Christy also guessed her knee was bruised from the way it was throbbing.
“Too bad you’re not going to work tomorrow,” Mom said. “Your boss might have more sympathy if he saw your bruises.”
“Why aren’t you working tomorrow?” Dad asked.
“I’m going to the beach with Rick to fly kites, remember? You said it was okay.”
“Oh, right,” Dad said. “I forgot. Flying kites, huh? Where does this guy come up with all these creative ideas?”
Christy explained about Rick’s list and how he had wanted to ask her out for almost a year. It felt good telling Mom and Dad about this side of Rick. They couldn’t help but think more highly of him for his persistence.
“Is this the same guy who called here on your birthday when you were in Hawaii and wanted your phone number?” Dad asked.
“Yes, that was Rick.”
“Where was the kid calling from? Sounded like he was at the end of a long tunnel.”
“He was in Italy.”
“You mean he called you in Maui, all the way from Italy?” Dad’s bushy red-brown eyebrows pushed up. “Maybe we’ve underestimated this guy.”
The next morning Rick called at 11:10 to tell Christy he was running late. She had been ready since 10:30 and didn’t feel like waiting around for him much longer.
“When do you think you’ll be here?” she asked.
“As soon as I can. Some people dropped by. I can’t leave yet, but I’ll be over soon.”
His “soon” turned out to be after one o’clock. Christy had cleaned her room while waiting, her stomach gurgling its nervous anticipation the whole time. When she heard the doorbell ring, she felt like jerking open the door and ripping into Rick for being so late.
Mom let Rick in, and when Christy joined them, she masked her angry feelings and smiled at him as if nothing were wrong.
“The weather has certainly taken a turn today,” Mom said. “Do you still think it’s a good idea to go to the beach? It looks like it might rain.”
“This is the best time to fly kites,” Rick answered, acting cool and confident. “I have a jacket in the car. Did you bring one, Christy?”
“No, I’ll go get it.”
How can he be so calm after making me wait for hours? I’d better relax or else I’m going to blow this whole day. He’s here now, and that’s all that matters.
She returned with a jacket and a smile, determined not to let anything ruin their time together. Her dad was now talking with Rick and her mom. Dad acted and sounded like maybe he was warming up to Rick.
“Do you two want something to eat?” Mom asked.
“I thought we’d pick up some sandwiches for lunch, and then I told Christy I’d take her to Felicidades for dinner. They have the best Mexican food in Carlsbad. Have you ever been there?”
“No,” Mom answered, “we’ll have to try it sometime.”
Christy had to admit she felt proud of the way Rick was nice to her parents after they had been so strict about her dating. In her opinion, they had also been downright rude to Rick.
“Have a great time, and we’ll see you when you get home,” Mom added.
“At ten o’clock,” Rick added.
“Or even before ten,” Christy’s dad said. He was smiling.
It made Christy think of something Dad said last night after their ice cream. He told her that if being a teenager sometimes seemed difficult for her and she felt her parents were too strict, she should remember that they had never before been parents of a teen who could drive and date. Dad said he thought some things were scarier for him than they were for her. It wasn’t like he was experienced at all this and had the instant right answers.
As Rick and Christy got into the Mustang, David pedaled his bike to the side of the car. Before Rick could start the motor, David asked, “Where are you going? Can I go?”
Christy was used to David tagging along whenever she and Todd did things together since she wasn’t technically old enough to date then. Having David along tended to keep it from being a date. Things were different now. She was on a date with her boyfriend and was about to say, “Sorry, David. Not this time,” when Rick answered for her.
“In your dreams, dog breath! Get your own life!” He revved up the engine and screeched down the street.
Christy felt like scolding Rick and telling him he couldn’t talk to her brother like that. She also wanted to let him have it for being so late. But she resisted the urge, not wanting to start off their special day with an argument.
Rick opened the conversation. “I should have stayed with you at the pet store last night instead of going to the football game. Vista High beat us again.”
“Did you go out afterward or anything?” Christy asked.
“Yeah. The usual place, the usual gang. Not much has changed since last year. Oh, and Renee was all over me until I told her we were going out. She’ll probably look you up on Monday.” He added in a mumble, “And by then you’ll have proof.”
Renee and Christy had had major conflicts last spring at cheerleading tryouts, but this year their paths hadn’t crossed much yet. Christy had to admit, hearing that Rick had called her his girlfriend in front of Renee felt satisfying.
“You like turkey?” Rick asked, parking in front of a sandwich shop and opening Christy’s door for her.
“I like you, don’t I?” she teased, taking his hand and stepping out of the car.
“Oh, cute. Very cute,” Rick said, squeezing her hand and pulling it until her arm was around his middle. He wrapped his arm around her waist. “So you think you’re funny, huh?” And he proceeded to tickle her mercilessly.
The laughing spell made her glad to be with Rick. They had the rest of the day together, and she wanted to cherish every minute of it. She could forgive him for being so late. After all, he did call and tell her he was running late.
They ate their sandwiches in the car on the way to the beach. As they drove, the sky became more overcast. It definitely did not look like a good day to go to the beach.
Rick parked in a dirt clearing near a precarious cliff that dropped off to the sand below. They put on their jackets and carried their kites down a path to the practically deserted beach.
“This is pretty,” Christy said, surveying the long, narrow stretch of sand. “It’s so different from Newport Beach. I’ve never been here before.”
“You think we have enough wind for the kites?” Rick fastened the string to the back of his.
The air felt thick and padded. A sliver of sun broke through the heavy clouds and struck the ocean like an iridescent javelin.
Rick handed Christy her kite. “Follow me. We’re going to have to give these guys a running start.”
Rick held his kite over his head and took off running down the beach. On the second try, his kite was airborne.
Christy followed Rick, and after six attempts, her kite took off. She let the string reel itself all the way out until the kite was only a colorful little triangle against the gray cotton-ball ceiling.
“That’s us,” Rick said, looking up. “Two wild kites dancing in the wind.”
For a long time they stood side by side, tugging on their strings and watching their kites whip and twist in the air. A few times their strings almost tangled together as the kites lunged toward each other and then pulled away.
“I don’t think I’ve ever flown a kite before,” Christy said, trying to link the present with some kind of memory from the past. “I probably did when I was little, but I don’t remember. This is really fun.”
“So, you think number four was a good choice for today?” Rick said with a grin, referring to his date list.
“A very good choice. Although my arms are starting to feel tired.”
“Here,” Rick offered, taking her string. “Find us a couple of good rocks, and we’ll anchor these guys down.”
Christy had plenty of rocks to choose from. She lugged the closest two over to Rick’s feet, where he secured the kite strings in the sand.
“That ought to hold them. You want to go for a walk?” Rick offered Christy his hand, and they started down the endless beach.
Feeling secure with her hand in Rick’s, Christy opened up more than she had all day and began to tell him about the adventure with Walter the night before.
“Boy, am I sorry I missed all the excitement!” Rick said. “Wish I would have stuck around.”
“Me too.”
Rick squeezed her hand. “It’s been hard seeing you only once a week. I wish we could be together more. You don’t have any idea what it means to me to be with you, Christy. I’ve waited so long to spend moments like this with you.”
Rick stopped walking and looked at Christy with his warm brown eyes. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re finally mine.”
Then he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
Christy pulled away slightly, before he had a chance to kiss her again, hoping to catch her breath. As always, Rick came on too fast and too strong for her.
“Oh no, look!” She pointed over his shoulder. “Our kites are taking a dive into the water.”
Down the beach, the wind had changed, and both kites were losing altitude rapidly. They took crazy, gyrating swoops toward the incoming surf.
“They’re okay.” Rick pulled Christy toward him.
“Come on,” Christy urged, “we have to save them.” She pulled away and started to run down the beach with Rick soon right beside her.
He’s mad. I know it. He’s mad that I pulled away. I’m still not used to him coming on to me like that. Does he really care about me, or is Katie and everyone else right? Is he going to use me until he’s bored and then toss me away?
They reached the kites about the same time, but it was too late. The strings had become entangled, with both kites losing their momentum in the wind. Together they fell to earth at the edge of the shoreline, where the foamy waves rushed up to lick their paper wounds.
Christy examined the ruined bundle and wondered if they could be untangled and repaired. It didn’t look too promising. They had crashed pretty hard.
“Well,” Rick said lightheartedly, “so much for wild kites dancing in the wind.” He gathered them up and wadded them into a crumpled ball.
An unexpected tear slid down Christy’s cheek as she watched Rick toss the fragile kites into the metal trash can.