Summer Love

She was tall, like me, 5’9” thin, thin long dirty blond hair, with a nice curvy body, just what I was looking for. She looked like Peggy Lipton from “The Mod Squad”. I was attracted to her the moment I saw her and I knew that I wanted her. I didn’t know her name, I had seen her, perhaps last summer, around…., by the beach….? -Couldn’t tell.

That morning I walked to the boat house as always with my orange bag with the sails and sheets, I liked to be there early to have a good day sailing.  As I was passing by Henry’s house and I stop to say hi and see if he wanted to come out sailing with me that day.  The day was pleasant, the sun was shy through a thin layer of clouds. 

As I was walking in, I saw her, my heart stumbled, my blood rushed all over my body that I could feel it.  I could smell the little bushes that grow around the ocean mixed with the salty humid morning breeze, it was a mixed if sweet and salty smell.

“Hi”- I said. As Henry noticed that I was coming.  She turned to me and smiled, “Hi, are you going sailing today?”she asked.  “Teddy this is Fran” –said Henry. She was pretty, exactly how I had remembered…. or imagine? –I though.  Ferdy was coming out of the house and said Hi too.  Wow -I thought, Henry and Ferdy are Fran’s friends and I didn’t know, lucky guys, they sure have an advantage over me, darn… How do they know her…?

“Can I come sailing with you?” –she said as she turned to the guys.  “I’ll come too” -said Ferdy. “I can’t come today” –said Henry.  We say bye to Henry as we started walking to the boat house.

Soon after we were sailing, Ferdy, Fran and me. Sailing was uneventful the breeze was gentle and pushed the boat without effort.  Ferdy and Fran were engaged in a light conversation most of the time and I limited to sail. We sailed for most of the day. I wondered how could I, find something to talk to Fran all day, like Ferdy…. I was puzzled.

Back in the land, we started walking home.  Happy and excited I grabbed the orange bag and swing it to my shoulder.  We said bye to Ferdy that was going in a different direction.  Shortly Fran said, “can we go sailing tomorrow?” as she pointed me the house her mother has rented for the summer.

Horseshoe Bay was not big, the walk from the boat house to my parents place was short 15 minutes, the road was narrow and you had to watch for the scattered traffic.

We chatted about her mother and three brothers, about their interests until we reached her house that was up in a small hill.  She was 14 and I 16……  I wondered how come was she interested in talking to me, she was so good looking to hang out with a guy like me, I thought.

We said bye and agree to come by tomorrow morning to get her for sailing.

Same time next morning, grabbed the orange bag and head to Fran’s.  Knock at the door.  There she was, pretty as the day before, I took a good look at her face, her eyes were honey and her smile was broad but proportionate, her ears were poking through her thin hair, perfect -I thought.

After meeting her Mom and brothers we head to the boat house, I didn’t know when we started talking and how it began, I felt at ease, excited but not overly excited.  We jumped in the boat and started sailing, we talked about my family and hers, about school. The time flew, we were returning home same as the day before, I still felt great, more at ease, I felt that we were buddies.

In the way to her house, we kept on talking and talking.  At her door she told me, “see you tomorrow at the same time for sailing”…. “of course” –I said.  I’ll come by.

That is how all started, we spend every day together, inseparable. We would meet with the rest of the guys, but always together, without needing to ask each other.  One night there was a party that we were invited, I came by her house that evening to go to into town, her house was in the fringe of Horseshoe Bay and mine was in an adjacent farm.

It was the 70’s and I wore longer curly hair and I wore bell bottoms, a hippie shirt and belt.  I was a hippie! 

At the party there was a bunch of people that we often met at the beach and hang out.  There were a couple of “popular” guys that, since Fran was the most attractive girl from the bunch, were interested in her.  I fear that I could lose Fran to these guys, and I didn’t know what to do.  In those days when I didn’t know something I just waited and see what happened.

The music was awesome, The Boxer was playing as I was dancing with her, close.  She was light, easy to dance with, her smell was heaven, nothing special, just heaven!  She stayed by me the whole night, we talked to everybody, we laugh, we enjoy the evening like best friends that we were.

The summer flew by and the time for her to return to the City came.  From our daily conversations I pictured her house in the City, her schools, her friends.  I kept the smells we smelled, the sounds we heard, the sun, the beach, everything.

She left one day and I was left lonely, the days seemed to be greyer than ever, I felt cold.  Most of the guys had left to the City too and there was a whole month before we were returning.  I was pushing myself to go sailing and swimming every day, it was not the same.  I was looking for somebody or something fun to do, nothing seemed fun anymore. I missed her! I terrible missed her! What was that.....? I wondered.

My mother used to drive to the closest town every morning to get fresh bread and groceries.  One day, two weeks after Fran had left, my mother returned from the town and handed me a letter.  A letter....?  from who? My heart jumped.  My eyes couldn’t focus on the sender, I didn’t recognize the writing…

I opened the envelope when I found a safe place to read, I was sitting in a rock facing the ocean.  The wind was caressing my face.  My heart was running fast.  She said that she missed me, and she asked how was Nico, one of our friends.  Unsure of the significance of the letter I was confused.  My head was spinning, nervous, exited and mix of everything.  My sisters were making fun of me, they were saying that I was in love, and singing sons.

I prepared myself to answer the letter, I was confused, and I didn’t know what to say. More than anything I didn’t want to look like a fool. 

Finally.... I wrote her back and told her that nothing was like when she was here and that I couldn’t wait to see her at the end of the summer and that I missed her too.....