The Summer of 1981, Part 25: The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)

[Padraig]

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

Part 1: The Best of Times
Part 2: Wasn't That A Party
Part 3: The Boy From New York City
Part 4: The Voice
Part 5: Feels So Right
Part 6: Sausalito Summernight
Part 7: The Waiting
Part 8: All I Have To Do Is Dream
Part 9: Urgent
Part 10: The Theme From The Greatest American Hero
Part 11: Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
Part 12: Life of Illusion
Part 13: America
Part 14: Deep Inside My Heart
Part 15: Mister Sandman
Part 16: Hard To Say
Part 17: Bette Davis Eyes
Part 18: Limelight
Part 19: Cool Love
Part 20: Don't Let Him Go
Part 21: Physical
Part 22: Hold On Tight
Part 23: Medley
Part 24: I Love You


Any feedback is very much appreciated - I would love to hear from those of you who have been reading. Or if you just want to reminisce about some of your favorite music or memories from 1981, please feel free to share. Thanks!!


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Over the next few weeks, Ben and Tug spent as much time as they could together on the island – in the backs on their minds, they knew the day would come that Ben would have to return to the East Coast, but both tried to avoid the discussion as much as possible. They carried on with their friendship, their workouts, and their activities as if the summer was going to last forever.

They boys did talk about a lot of other subjects, however. They constantly told each other stories from their childhoods, and they talked about their schools, their friends, and their parents. They reminisced about favorite vacations, favorite movies, and favorite songs. They even had deeper discussions about their fears, worries, and personal obstacles, with Tug admitting that he had probably used being fat as an excuse to avoid dating, and Ben realizing he had used the excuse, “I’m too busy with sports,” to avoid it as well.

And for an island that some might say had nothing to do, Tug and Ben always found an amusing pastime when their tongues grew tired. One afternoon they got out Tug’s brother’s old whiffleball set and played according to an ever-changing set of rules for over four hours. The next day they found a set of marbles that Tug had received as a 6th birthday present and played with them all through the evening.

The boys took bike rides down to the cove and hikes into the forest. Setting up a small table between the recliners under the maple tree, they taught each other every card game they knew. Mrs. Yates brought home some new books from the Everett library, which they devoured as quickly as they could. Stone skipping on the sound, shell collecting, swimming competitions, and even mumblety-peg eventually made it on their agenda.

One particularly warm evening, just as the month of August was beginning to wind down, they decided it would be fun to take advantage of the last of the warm weather and camp out on the beach overnight. Ben offered to set up the campsite, while Tug said he would buy marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers so they could make s’mores.

He quickly drove to the island market and, arriving just before closing time, hustled into the shop. He was looking at the directory in the front of the store when a male voice behind him asked, “Excuse me, sir, can you tell me what time it is?”

Tug looked down at his watch, noting it was 7:50pm. He turned toward the speaker to say the time, but the voice spoke again before he could. “Tug! Is that you?”

Tug glanced up from his watch and saw that Don Haney was standing in front of him, looking exactly the same as he had the last time they had been together at the Burger Palace. He was even wearing the same outfit as he had worn that day back in June – a green torso-hugging tank top and a pair of blue OP shorts that came down to his mid-thigh – and, of course, Don still had muscles to spare. He had clearly spent time on his lifting regimen during the summer, because every part of him was well-muscled and fat-free.

Tug, of course, had changed considerably from that day. No longer wearing oversized clothes to hide his fat, he was clad in the tight blue half-shirt and a pair of white athletic shorts that he had bought on his trip to the mall with Ben. His body was lean, muscled, and very tan, and he had a close-cropped haircut.

“Hey, Don. How are you?” asked Tug.

“I’m great, but what the heck happened? I hardly recognized you.”

“Well, I’ve been eating better this summer and working out a little.”

“A little! You look totally different – and check out those abs!” Don reached out and pulled the bottom of Tug’s shirt out of the way so he could get a better look. “You’re totally getting shredded.”

Embarrassed that the handful of other shoppers were noticing their conversation, Tug’s first reaction was to push Don’s hand out of the way and pull the shirt down as far as possible. But before he could, Don reached over with his other hand and knocked on Tug’s mid-section. “Solid as a rock, Tugman. Very nice!”

I guess they are pretty decent-looking these days…and I have worked really hard on them, especially these last few weeks…maybe a quick flex….

Tug contracted his abs as Ben had taught him, and the clarity between the muscles greatly increased.

Don’s eyes grew wide at the display. “Holy smokes, you’re getting better definition than me.”

“Thanks, Don. I really appreciate the compliment. What have you been up to lately?”

Don ignored the question, let go of Tug’s shirt, and responded with a command. “Flex your arms for me.”

“Right here? In the store?”

Don took a half step closer. “Come on now. Let’s see what you’re hiding under those sleeves.”

Tug obliged and raised his arms. He flexed as hard as he could and turned his hands forward, again as Ben had taught him, to achieve the maximum amount of size. His biceps sprung to life, bulging under the sleeves and stretching the thin cotton, and Ben quickly cupped them in his hands.

“Da-amn, boy, I am going to have to work harder than ever if I’m gonna stay ahead of you. You must have put on several inches here over the summer.”

Tug was enjoying the feeling on Don’s hands resting on his biceps. “It was hard to tell. They were bigger at first because I was overweight. But as the rest of me shrunk, they ended up staying about the same size because I lost fat but put on muscle.”

Don squeezed the biceps one last time and then moved his hands on to Tug’s shoulders. “And check out these deltoids and traps – they’re so thick and meaty. You must be able to do tons of chin-ups.”

“I’m up to 20 right now. My goal is to be able to do 30 before school starts.”

“Seriously? I can only do 40 in one set,” said Don as he finally took his hands off Tug’s body. “I am totally impressed, and let me say that all this muscle looks really great on you. And I dig the summer haircut. I heard it got pretty hot here on the island th last few months, so I bet that kept you nice and cool.”

Tug decided not to tell the real story behind the haircut, so he just ran his hand over the top of his head and said, “Yep, it did.” As he did so, he conspicuously flexed his left bicep again, just to see if Don’s eyes would look up.

A few seconds later, Don looked right at it.

Pretty cool…

“So Don, what have you been up to? I thought you were staying in LA until Labor Day?”

Don broke his gaze on Tug’s bicep and moved it back to Tug’s eyes. “Oh, big news. Debra and I are getting married!”

Tug’s eyes grew as wide as Don’s had been a minute ago. “Married? Seriously?”

“Yes, indeed. We came back early to start making plans as soon as possible. We’re hoping to have it at the church here on the island on September 26.

“September? As in next month?”

“Yeah,” said Don. “Pretty cool, huh? We’re going to stay in the guest house on her mom’s property until we both get jobs. I think I’m going to work for my uncle’s construction company, and Debra wants to find something here on the island.”

Tug did his best to overcome disbelief. “Well, congratulations to both of you. I’m sure you and Debra will be very happy together.”

Don smiled. “Thanks, man. Some of my other friends tried to convince me to hold off and play the field. You know, make sure Debra was the right one. But we both know deep down that we want to spend the rest of our lives together, and since life is too short, why waste precious time, right?”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me.”

“Well, Debra is the sweetest thing I have ever known, and all the heartaches and temptations only make me love her more. I can’t imagine living my life without her.”

“And I’m sure she feels the same way about you, Don.”

“Thanks, Tug. Look, I gotta grab a few things before the store closes. Once they finish the remodel on the school gym, you and I have got to work out, OK? I want to see those muscles of yours in action.”

“You got it, Don. Take care.”

“See you, man.” Don hit a quick salute-type wave and disappeared into the store. Tug continued reading the directory until he knew where the items he needed were located, and then headed off to find them.


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A short time later, Tug returned to the beach to find Ben tending to a small campfire. He had also gotten two sleeping bags and two pillows and had laid them next to each other about 15 feet away from the fire. They began toasting their marshmallows and assembling their s’mores, and Tug was surprised that he had the self-control to stop at three, instead of his customary ten or fifteen.

After finishing their dessert, both boys took turns telling ghost stories to the other – neither really knew any particularly scary tales, however, so they just made up the scenarios on the spot. With each trying to top the other round after round, the plots became so ridiculous that neither Tug nor Ben could make it halfway through without busting up laughing.

Eventually the fire died down and the temperature on the beach dipped into the upper 50’s, so the boys climbed into the sleeping bags and donned stocking caps to keep their shaved heads warm. While doing so, Tug suddenly remembered the encounter with Don and related the story to his bunkmate.

“They’re getting married? In a month?” asked Ben.

“Crazy, right?”

“Wow! They must really be in love.”

“They have always been pretty lovey-dovey, but it’s still hard to believe they would be ready to get married,” said Tug.

“Or have time to plan a wedding.”

“Yeah, and I think Debra’s birthday is right around now. She’ll only just be 18.”

“I wonder where she’ll get a dress that quick?” asked Ben.

Tug rolled on his side to look at his friend. Even though it was dark outside, he could still see Ben, thanks to the dim glow of their campfire and the moonlight from above. “Aren’t you concerned that they are too young to get married, because it sounds like you’re more worried that they won’t have time to plan all the details?”

Ben leaned over in his sleeping bag to face Tug. “Well, who am I to judge the depth of their love? I’ve never even met Don and Debra – maybe they honesty believe they have found their soul mate in each other.”

“So the only mistake you think they’re making is the wedding date?”

“No, I just mean….look, if it were me, I’d want to plan ahead and pick a date when all my friends and family could be there. With Don and Debra getting married in a month, many of their friends are going to be away for college and probably won’t be able to attend. If I ever have a wedding, I’d like it to be a giant celebration, and I’d really want everyone who has been a big part of my life to be there.”

“I see. Sounds like you’ve thought about your future a bit.”

“A little, I guess.”

Tug looked right into Ben’s eyes, watching for a reaction. “Do you ever think about where you’d like to live? I mean, do you think you’ll always want to be in Manhattan?”

Been looked up for a quick moment, and then looked back at Tug. “Before this summer, I would have said yes. I honestly thought I was going to be so bored out here, but we’ve stayed pretty busy, haven’t we?”

Tug smiled at his response. “Like my dad said, ‘summers on the island are what you make of them.’”

“So yeah, I could probably see myself living almost anywhere now. I guess I’ve realized that it’s not about the place, but rather the people you have around you that make it your home. How about you? Think you could stand to live in New York City?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never lived around millions of people before, and I’ve struggled to fit in with just dozens of them," said Tug, now smirking.

Ben laughed at his friend’s answer. “It doesn’t always feel like millions, but it can be tough to find solitude sometimes.”

“But yes, to answer your question, I’m sure that with the right people around me, Manhattan Island would feel just as much like home as this island,” Tug said as he turned back to look at the sky. “But I sure would miss all this. I mean, look at all the stars. And the moon – isn’t it beautiful?”

Ben rolled onto his back as well, but kept his gaze fixed squarely on Tug. “It sure is beautiful, but we do have the same moon back in New York, you know?"

Tug didn’t respond right away, but Ben could see his head moving slightly. He waited another thirty seconds before speaking again. “Tug, are you OK?”

“I-I-I’m OK. Yeah.” Ben watched as Tug reached up with his left hand and wiped his face. “I’m just sad that it has to end. The whole summer’s been so great, and you’ve been so great. I just want it to stay like this forever, you know? I don’t want you to leave me, and the beach, and this moon and go back to New York City.”

“Oh, Tug, are you crying?” asked Ben. He scooted his sleeping bag over so he was right next to his friend. “Tug, don’t think it about that now, OK. Let’s just enjoy our time together. We can figure the rest out later, OK?”

“I’m sorry, Ben. It’s just that I’ve gotten closer to you than almost anyone else I've ever known. I love being able to share so much with you.”

“And we’ll still be able to share things, even if we’re not in the same town. AT&T will help us out anytime we need to get in touch with the other. And we can always write letters.”

“Yeah, but it just won’t be the same as this summer,” said Tug, his tears subsiding. “And I want it to be the same. I wish I could freeze everything the way it is.”

Been took his Tug’s hand to comfort him. “Listen, Tug, we’ll just have to figure out a way to make it better, OK. I may leave you physically, but I’m not going to leave you spiritually. I’ll always be with you somehow, OK?”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise, Tug. I’m going to be with you, one way or another, until the day I die.”

Tug wiped his face one more time and looked over at his friend. “Thanks, Ben.”


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The boys stayed awake for a little while longer, talking about happier subjects, before eventually drifting off to sleep.

Several hours later, Ben awoke and looked at his watch to see that it was 4:07 in the morning. He knew that the sun wouldn’t rise for a few more hours, so he tried to fall back asleep, but he gave up after about thirty minutes of restlessness. He sat up in his sleeping bag and watched the waves for a few minutes, and then turned his attention to Tug, still sound asleep.

“Tug?” he whispered. “Are you awake?”

Tug didn’t respond, so Ben lay his head back down on his pillow and continued to gaze at his friend. The scene reminded him of a song on the Juice Newton album that he had recently bought, and he began to softly sing the lyrics:

When I see you in the morning
With that old sleep still in your eyes
I remember all the laughter
And the tears we shared last night

And as we lie here, just two shadows
In the light before the dawn
The sweetest thing I've ever known
Is lovin' you

And I have never been afraid of losin'
And I have never wanted love to be a chain
I only know that when I'm with you
You're my sunshine, you're my rain

The sweetest thing I've ever known
Is lovin' you

Ben finished singing the chorus, leaned his head in toward Tug’s head, and gently kissed him on the forehead.

About two seconds later, Tug opened his eyes.

[Padraig]

Today's song, by Juice Newton. Enjoy!!

The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)

[redroger11]

I hope that you have more together time planned for them. Keep Writing.

redroger11

[Padraig]

Thanks, Roger. Coming up: A couple of chapters of Tug and Ben mostly apart, but then a string of them together.

[philat99]

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" as the saying goes. Looking forward, as always, to your next chapter!
Mike

[Padraig]

I can honestly say that the last 15 chapters of the series were 1,000 times more challenging to write than the first 25 chapters. I found the process to be challenging, frustrating, and exhilarating all at once.

That being said, Part 26 will be posted either tomorrow or Wednesday.