The Summer of 1981, Part 3: The Boy From New York City

[Padraig]

For those of you who would like to catch up, here are links to the earlier chapters:

Part 1, The Best of Times: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16216
Part 2, Wasn't That A Party: http://www.musclegrowth.org/forum/sh...ad.php?t=16225


Any feedback is very much appreciated - I would love to hear from those of you who have been reading. Thanks!!

__________________________________________________






Fittingly, the sun finally showed up on Sunday. After weeks of overcast skies and rain, June 14 was going to be a hot one. It was almost 70 degrees by 9:00am, a rarity for the Puget Sound region, which even on hot days was still fairly cool in the mornings and evenings.

The entire Yates clan got up early to make the long drive to the Seattle airport to see Tim off. The made it to the terminal just after 11:00, by which time Mrs. Yates was a blubbering mess as she hugged her son goodbye, and even Mr. Yates became a little teary-eyed.

When they got back, both parents decided to take naps, exhausted from the heat and the emotion of the day. Tug had gotten some shuteye on the ride back to the island, however, and hopped into his own car, a 1978 Cutlass Supreme that used to belong to his mother, to drive into town for a bite to eat.

“Town” was a bit of an overstatement – the island on which they lived had a small group of businesses near the ferry dock that included a post office, a burger joint, a grocery store, and a hotel. The Burger Palace was a favorite among the young people living nearby, but adults usually ate at the restaurant in the hotel or took the ferry to the mainland for a night out.

Tug parked his Cutlass in the lot shared by some of the businesses and walked into the Burger Palace. He was immediately grateful for the air conditioning, as it was one of the few conveniences his parents refused to spring for in their home because they reasoned it wasn’t hot long enough each summer to justify it.

“Tug!”

He looked over and saw two classmates, Don Haney and Debra Coleman, sitting next to one another at one of the booths, both clad in torso-hugging tank tops and OP shorts. “D&D” had been the star couple during senior year – he was the square-jawed captain of all the sports teams, and she was a cheerleader who bore more than a passing resemblance to Kristy McNichol.

Don waved his well-muscled arm over to sit with them. Tug didn’t normally hang out with Don or Debra, but since their school district only had one grade school, one junior high, and one high school, all the students in each grade had gotten to know one another pretty well during their twelve years together. Tug strode over to the table and sat in the bench across from the couple.

“Hi guys. How’s it going?”

“Just getting ready to strap on the ol’ feedbag,” said Don with a flash of his toothy grin.

Debra was gazing at Don, looking a little lost in his smile, but then turned to face Tug. After a moment, she added, “Looks like you’ve recovered from graduation.”

“I had no choice. My parents had a bon voyage party yesterday for my brother, and I had to get up early to help them set up.”

“Yesterday? I thought his training camp didn’t start until next month?” asked Don.

“Well, he wanted to visit some buddies in Florida for a while, and you know how the island is during the summer. Practically all of my parents’ friends will be out of town for most of the season, so they decided to have it early.”

Debra agreed. “Yeah, this place does turn into a bit of a ghost town once school lets out. But chalk us up as deserters as well – I am leaving next week to visit my father in Los Angeles, and we almost have Don’s folks convinced to let him come down and stay through Labor Day.” She reached over and grabbed onto his plump bicep, as if to show that she wasn’t ever going to let him go.

“So you’ll spend the whole summer in LA?” asked Tug. He briefly considered looking at the menu, but decided he would probably just have his regular meal.

Don’s eyes lit up as he talked about the trip. “It’s going to be so much fun! We’re going to go to Hollywood, and Disneyland, and maybe even take a trip down to Mexico. And I’ve always wanted to work out on Venice Beach!”

When saying Venice Beach, Don instinctively raised up his right arm and flexed his bulging bicep while Debra continued to grasp it.

“It does sound like quite the adventure,” said Tug.

“What are you doing this summer?” Debra asked.

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I thought about looking for a job to earn some spending money for college.”

Marci the waitress arrived with food for Don and Debra, and then asked Tug if he wanted anything.

“I’ll just have a large chocolate shake, double bacon burger, and fries, please. No tomato.”

“You got it, darlin’,” said Marci, as she hustled back toward the kitchen.

The pace of the conversation dwindled as Don and Debra began to eat – in fact, the restaurant became more and more quiet as the lunch crowd began to empty out. Within a few minutes, the only sounds to be heard were the sizzle of Tug’s burger being cooked on the grill and the distinct voice of Kim Carnes faintly emanating from the kitchen radio.

Her hair is Harlow gold
Her lips a sweet surprise
Her hands are never cold
She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll turn the music on you
You won't have to think twice
She's pure as New York snow
She's got Bette Davis eyes

The stillness was finally broken when Kitty Baker, another classmate, dramatically entered the building. She was wearing a stylish form-fitting floral print dress that had probably cost her father a small fortune, and paused upon walking into the room, as if she were posing for a picture. She gazed around to make sure everyone had seen her come in, and then squealed something unintelligible after eyeing Debra and made a beeline for the booth.

“Hi guys. Deb, I have to tell you something – I saw the absolute most cutest boy today.” As she spoke, Tug politely scooted over and offered her some room to sit down, which she accepted.

"Other than your boyfriend?" asked a confused Debra.

"No, Jessie and I broke up earlier today. And this time, it's permanent!" replied Kitty.

Tug, Debra, and Don all smirked, knowing that Kitty and Jessie were destined to make-up and break-up another 1,000 times during the summer. “Well, then, do you mean my boyfriend?” joked Debra. She turned her gaze back to Don, then gently reached up and pushed a few locks of his blond wavy hair off of his forehead so she could smile right in his eyes.

“No, silly, he’s not from around here. I saw him at the market and I overheard him say he’s from New York City,” she said, aggrandizing the pronunciation of the last part to emphasize its importance.

The others laughed at her excitement. “OK, Kitty, be cool. Tell us about the boy from New York City,” said Debra repeating the exaggerated phrasing that Kitty had used.

Kitty took a moment and tried to regain her composure. “Well, he’s kind of tall. And he’s really fine. And someday I hope to make him…”

“Excuse me sweetie,” interrupted Marci, returning with Tug’s lunch. “Can I get you anything else, Tug?”

“This is perfect, Marci. Thanks.”

She nodded to Kitty. “How ‘bout you, girlie?”

“A Tab would be great.”

“Coming right up.”

Before Kitty could restart her train of thought, Debra suggested they visit the ladies room and continue the girl talk in private. They got up and left, leaving Don and Tug with their food.

After getting through most of his burger, Tug looked back up at Don and asked, “So what are you guys doing the rest of the day?”

“I’m going to work out this afternoon, and then Debra and I will probably meet up for something tonight. You want to pump some iron with me, Tug – it’s your last chance to see the school gym before they remodel it.”

Having had his fair share of gym embarrassment during four years of PE in high school, especially as the brother of a gifted athlete, Tug was not eager to return. He politely declined Don’s invitation by saying he needed to head back home and continue helping his parents clean up from last night’s party.

“OK, but trust me when I tell you that chicks dig it when you got a big pair of arms to flex for them. They’ll do practically anything to squeeze ‘em.” Don snickered after he said it, like a third grade boy would after hearing the word “Uranus.”

“I’m sure you could tell me some stories.”

“Well, here's the thing with Debra," said Don, as he lowered his voice and leaned in a little closer to Tug. "She's all about me getting bigger. She loves to get out the tape and measure my progress, and every time I hit a new goal, she does something special for me."

Tug also leaned in a little closer to respond. "Like what?" he asked.

"Well, when I got my chest up to 50 inches last summer, she let me get to first base and kiss her for the first time." Don smiled mischievously and began bouncing his pecs. "Debra couldn't keep her hand off of it, you know, and she decided I deserved something sweet for all my hard work."

Tug wasn't sure if he wanted to hear any more of the tale, but he didn't try to stop Don.

"And when I got my arms up to 18 inches last fall, she decided that I could use them to explore her body a little. So she let me get to second base." Don flexed his mighty arm for the second time in just a few minutes, just to make sure Tug was truly aware of its size.

"Then, last winter when I dropped down a weight class for wrestling and my eight-pack appeared, she went to third base with me. She really loved rubbing my abs, and then kept rubbing everywhere else - especially a little lower - if you catch my drift.

Tug wanted to laugh. Don was so subtle that a dead person could catch his drift.

Don leaned in a little closer to Tug to finish his story, lowering his voice even further to make sure nobody else heard. "And this spring, when I got my legs up to 25 inches, she finally let me go all..."

"We're back," announced Debra, as the girls returned to the table. Don whipped his head back from Tug's, then stood up to kiss his girlfriend. Kitty sid into her spot next to Tug again, just as Marci the waitress returned with her Tab.

The polite conversation resumed as everyone ate their meals, with Kitty jumping in every few minutes to exclaim how the stranger in town had swept her off her feet. Eventually, however, their drinks were empty, their tongues grew tired, and the group ran out of things to say. They paid their bills and left the Burger Palace, and as they did during the last few weeks of high school, vowed to stay in touch with one another during the summer.

Tug hopped back into his car, glad that he had parked it in the shade of a nearby building. He was about to pull out of the lot when he saw Don and Debra walking away, hand in hand and clearly in love.

If only…

He continued to watch as Debra jumped on Don’s back and forced him to give her a piggy back ride, her hands sliding down to massage Don's pecs as he walked. Eventually the couple rounded the corner and they, and their love, were no longer in sight.

Tug put his car in gear and drove back home. He shared a quiet afternoon with his parents in the house, cleaning up from the party, and then they went to “Reflections,” the restaurant in the nearby hotel, for dinner since Mrs. Yates didn’t feel like cooking.

After dinner, Tug called his friends Jay and Jim to see what they were doing, but there was no answer at either of their houses. With nothing better to do, he grabbed a package of Oreo cookies, slumped down in the big recliner in the family room, and watched reruns of “CHiPS” and “Trapper John” in between doing his laundry. He considered staying up later, but he was tired and decided to turn in.

Tug went up to his room, turned off the lights, took off his shirt and jeans, and then went to bed in his underwear and socks. He was asleep in less than 30 seconds.