FRIDAY - MAY 28, 1976
Sam raced down the freeway, his Harley feeling like a purring tiger between his thighs. He kept his helmet off, needing to feel the rush of the wind through his long black hair, hoping to rid himself of the buzz that had been running through him.
He had left his parent's house in the Catskills early that morning, heading for the show in Cleveland, Sunday night. They were in their second month of the tour, having covered the Eastern states and had a couple days off. Since they were close to their homes, they decided to stop and visit their parents.
Sam loved the tour, the excitement, the rush that came from the crowds. And the parties afterward, especially the girls that were at those parties. There were always plenty to pick from.
But lately, Sam noticed that the energy he felt on stage didn't leave his body. Soon it became a buzz that he couldn't shake.
After one night with his family, he told Georgie he was going to take his bike and ride ahead. He thought maybe getting off the bus and being on his own during the tour could help him shake the restlessness. He hoped too, that he could get some ideas for some new songs.
Construction forced him to take a detour through Breezewood, New York. He saw the sign announcing the small town at the edge of road and slowed down to check it out.
He cruised down the residential area, appreciating the detailed craftsmanship of the Victorian homes. Sidewalks lined the street and ran up the middle of each yard, leading to porches that stretched the width of the house. Most of the porches had wooden swings on the end, some had trellises filled with flowers. The sun shone through the leaves of the tall oak trees in the yards, casting leafy shadows on the street.
Occasionally, he could see a glimpse of the glistening lake behind the homes on the right. In some places the shoreline curved away, and the ground between the lake and the backyards was filled with trees. The neighborhood had a settled-in feel about it, there was no doubt in his mind, this was an old town.
He drove past a town square with the obligatory cannon in the center, and then the main road widened and became the downtown district. He slowly cruised by, seeing a "mom and pops" grocery store, a restaurant, an ice cream parlor and a few antique stores on one side of the road.
On the opposite side was a hardware store, a pizza shop and an old theatre, the marquee displaying "The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea." Seeing that reminded Sam of the first time he met Kris, the guy was a really cool dude. They had partied together one night in a bar in New Orleans and it was an unforgettable night.
He slowed down to let a crowd go by on the crosswalk.The little beach town was bustling with vacationing tourists. The businesses got fewer and farther between, diminishing into grassy field after about 6 blocks.
The orange detour sign was at the edge of the town, directing him to turn left to catch up to the freeway again. He looked straight ahead instead; about 50 yards away on the right, he spotted a sign - BEACHSIDE CAMPGROUNDS.
He skidded to a stop, scattering the loose gravel..His front wheel was turned towards the left, but as he planted his feet on the road, Sam stared at the sign on his right. He absently revved the engine as he narrowed his eyes.
His decision made, he turned his bike to the right and gunned the engine.
The office was about 20 ft. down the drive, a small white hut. He read the plaque posted by the door that announced "Dave Wilkins, owner and manager", then under it was a smaller sign that said "David Wilkins Realty". Printed in smaller letters on the next line, "David Wilkins, Broker". As Sam was opening the door, a guy about his age stood up from the desk on the right. He introduced himself as the owner, and explained the way to the beach as he assigned Sam a campground.
Sam tucked the map in his pocket and thanked the guy, looking forward to his day of relaxing. After he set up his small tent, he changed into his cutoffs and smoked a joint, then grabbed a cooler with a couple beers in it and set out down the dusty road in the direction of the beach.
The path to the beach was off one of the side roads. Sam walked the narrow trail that ended in a rise, covered in tall beach grass, then paused at the top, looking out on Lake Erie.
The morning sun shone on the blue water, sending off sparkling flashes. He saw speed boats zipping around, their wakes joining the waves that came to shore. A sailboat drifted by, catching the breeze, and further out, a tanker slowly made its way, the distance from the shore made it look like a toy boat, bobbing in a huge bathtub.
The sand was warmed by the sun, burning the bottoms of his feet. He chose a spot away from the water, to the side of the beach. Far enough, he thought, to avoid the traffic of the growing number of sun bathers. He spread out his towel and dropped the cooler, then lay down, pulling out a book to read.
Then her feet appeared in his side vision......
***
Sarah pulled into the gravel parking lot and turned off the ignition. She sat and smoked her cigarette as she debated getting out of the car.
'This is it.' She thought. 'My last free summer is starting. And I will have fun, I will not let this past year get me down. What was that saying 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life.'? Yep, just keep telling myself that.'
She would be 21 this summer and had just finished her third year of college. One more year, and she was out into the real world.
This had been a rough year for her in the romance department. She had met Jeff in the first semester of this past year, and was swept off her feet by his good looks and charm.
They went to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break with a group of friends, including her best friends, Pete and Midgie. She and Jeff shared a motel room with her college roommate, Cassie and her boyfriend.
The second day there, Sarah had returned to her room, unexpectedly, and found Cassie and Jeff in bed, engaged in very vigorous sex. Sarah had quickly backed out of the room and closed the door, in complete shock at what she had just walked into. Her mind was trying to process what she had just seen.
She was still standing in front of the door, when it was thrown open, and she was face to face with Jeff. He was zipping up his jeans, and yelling at her at the same time, telling her to knock before she opened a door!
The blood was pounding through her head and before she knew it, she was yelling back, calling him every cuss word she could think of. Neither of them noticed the crowd that was gathering around them.
Sarah never saw it coming. One minute she was yelling at Jeff and the next, she felt the sting of his hand against her face, and the pain in her head as it bounced off the brick wall of the hotel. The pavement scraped her palms when she fell.
She was only vaguely aware of feet running towards her and Midgie helping her up, leading Sarah away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pete swing his arm and heard the crunch as his fist slammed into Jeff's face and a grunt when he hit the ground. As Midgie tried to soothe her, Sarah could hear Pete threatening Jeff with his life if he ever got near her again.
Sarah packed her bags and moved into Pete and Midgie's room. Her friends helped heal the hurt that Jeff had caused. The three of them hung out with all the other young college students. They played on the beach during the day and partied late into the night.
When spring break was over they each went back to their schools, Sarah to central Pennsylvania, Midgie to Cleveland, and Pete, back to their hometown where he went to the local university.
Sarah moved into another friend's dorm as soon as she got back. She refused to talk to Cassie, and avoided Jeff whenever she saw him coming her way. She was happy to see Jeff sporting a huge shiner, courtesy of Pete. She hoped it hurt like hell.
She made it through the rest of the school year and finished up with high grades. As soon as classes were over, she packed up and headed home to see her friends.
They were all looking forward to this summer, to let loose and party, before their last year of college. After graduation, they knew that they would be out in the adult world, chasing their careers. They wanted to make one more memorable summer to add to all the others they had.
Which brought her here, standing on the grassy rise by the parking lot, looking out over the beach on this gorgeous sunny day. Their usual spot was already taken, a lone guy spread out on his blanket, reading.
She walked over by his blanket and paused, surveying the beach. The sun beating down on the sand made it impossible to stand too long and she curled her toes against the heat. She decided on a spot in front of where they usually set up.
The beach was filling up fast with other sun bathers. When her friends got there she wanted them to be able to see her.
***
Sarah wanted to see the body that went with the sexy sounding voice that was offering to help. She glanced up, out of the corner of her eye and liked what she saw.
Sarah felt the hollow fluttering start in her belly as she feasted her eyes on his broad square shoulders, she followed the path of his collar bone and down over his well defined chest. The black hair that lightly covered it trailed down to a vee on his flat stomach, disappearing into his low hung cutoffs. She noticed his slim hips and long legs and she furtively looked under her lashes at his muscular thigh and calf that was near her face as she kneeled to place her towels on the errant corner. Even his feet looked perfect where they were settled in the sand. Long and narrow, the high arch on one was visible. Sarah wanted to reach forward and trace her finger along it.
She thanked him, looking up at his face. His eyes were what she focused on immediately. They were a bright blue, a sparkling in the sun - reflecting off the lake kind of blue, framed by long black eyelashes. His mouth was shaped perfect for kissing, full lower lip, and the top, curved with a dip in the middle. And when he smiled, as he was doing now, deep dimples appeared on each side. Deep enough to show, even through a stubble of black beard. His hair was black. "Blacker than black", she mused, and she searched her mind for the right color. Obsidian, that was the color, like the deep black volcanic glass she had seen once in a gift shop. It hung in thick, glossy waves, falling well past his shoulders.
He reached up, self consciously and tucked it behind his ears and she realized she was staring. Then she realized he was staring at her, also, and she gave a small, nervous laugh.
"Um, yeah," he paused and turned to go back to his blanket, then he turned back to her. "Would you like something to drink? I have beer, is that okay?" Sam nodded his head towards the other the beach, "I see others are drinking it, so I guess it's cool to do here?"
"Yeah, sure. The owner of this campground doesn't mind, as long as everyone is quiet and there's no trouble." Sarah sat down and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. She admired Sam's backside as he walked to his cooler.
He came back and handed her a beer, then he sat down, stretching his long legs out, and leaned back on one arm, his body angled towards hers.
"My name is Sam, by the way. And you are...?" He flashed her another smile and she felt her heart jump. Those dimples were so perfect!
"I'm Sarah." She wondered how she could sound so calm when it felt like electric shocks to her heart every time he smiled. She took a long drink of beer and felt it hit her empty stomach. Setting it down carefully in the sand, Sarah reached into her bag and pulled out her cigarettes and lighter. From the corner of her eye she saw Sam putting a cigarette in his mouth.
He laughed as he lit her cigarette, then his own. "I was just going to offer you a cigarette." He felt an attraction to this girl, something about her intrigued him. Never in his life had he been at a loss for words, but he was now.
His eyes followed the curve of her small, heart shaped face, her luminous amber eyes slanted at the corners, lashes curled up. Her nose was small and tipped up slightly, her pink tinted lips were lush and curved into a natural smile. Sam marveled at how beautiful she was.
He paused, faltering for something to say. "Do you come to this beach often?" He looked embarrassed as her eyes sparkled with merriment. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "God, that sounded like a pick up line. I'm sorry." He sounded so genuinely embarrassed.
Sarah held back her laughter as she saw a blush creep under the scruff on his cheeks. She bit her lip and smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do come here often. I live right up the road. What about you?"
"No, this is the first time I've been here. I was driving through town, on my way to Cleveland, and decided to check out the campground." He looked around the beach. "I didn't realize Lake Erie was so cool."
"So, since you've never seen Lake Erie, I'm guessing you're not from Cleveland?" Sarah was curious about where he was from.
"I live in the Catskills, well, I should say, that's where I grew up." Sam paused and looked sideways at Sarah. It felt strange to tell her that he was in a band. He didn't want her to think he was using it to pick her up. "I don't really live anywhere right now. I'm on the road a lot. My brother and I are in a band, Blood Brothers, and we've been touring."
Sarah looked at him, her eyes opened wide. "I've heard of you! Pete likes your music. Don't you have an album out? What instrument do you play?"
"I'm the singer. I do play guitar once in a while, but mostly I sing. We just released our first album." He tried to look casual as he asked, "Is Pete your boyfriend?"
Sarah laughed and shook her head. Sam watched her braid as it swayed against her back. "Pete and I are friends. We grew up together, Pete, Midgie and I. He and Midgie are supposed to be here now." She looked at the path that led from the trees on her right. "They're late."
"What's it like to grow up in a little town like this?" Sam took a swig of beer, trying not to stare where her braid tickled the dimple on her bottom.
Sarah looked at the sunbathers as she answered. "It's cool to be close to the lake. The town itself is another thing though. It's small and everyone knows your business. There aren't too many exciting things that happen around here. Although," she gave a small giggle. "The three of us kept the townspeople on their toes."
"Troublemakers, huh?" Sam's stomach flipped when he heard the girlish giggle. He liked how open and natural she was. She wasn't in awe of him, trying to impress him. He had been around the band followers so much, it was refreshing to meet someone who wasn't trying to jump his bones as soon as they met him. After every concert they had performed, there was always a group of girls for him to choose from. They were always eager to go back to his room, just to say they had fucked the lead singer. There was never too much talking involved. It felt good to just sit and have a conversation with her.
Sarah laughed as she explained. "The three of us have had run of the town since we could walk. Everyone knows us here, so our parents never had to keep a close watch on us. Midgie and I go away to colleges elsewhere, but Pete still lives here all year." She looked at him. "Do you party?"
Sam laughed at her directness. "Yeah, do you?"
"Yeah, would you like to go smoke a joint?" She tipped her head towards the trees that circled the beach to their right. "We can go over there."
He followed her as she led him into a path and then stepped off of it, into the taller bushes. She pulled a joint out of her cigarette case and lit it, inhaling deeply. Holding in the smoke, she passed it to him.
"Are you staying at the campground too?" Sam took a hit off the joint.
Sarah nodded. "It's our home, practically, in the summer."
As they stood and smoked the joint, she asked him about his album.
"It's been out a couple months now. We've been on the Eastern coast, promoting it. Then we'll hit a few cities in between here and California. The plan is to have enough new songs together by the time we get to L.A. to make another album."
"That's cool. I'll have to look for it in the music store."
Sam smiled. "I"ll get you one signed by all the band members. Would you like that?"
"Yeah, thanks! That would be great."
They walked back to the path, stepping aside to let other people walk into the bushes.
"It looks like we're aren't the only ones to find a secluded spot here." Sam commented, wryly.
Sarah laughed as she walked onto the beach. "This is known as the party beach. You won't find too many families here. This beach is part of the campground. It's exclusively for the campers. Dave doesn't care if we smoke, just not out in the open.
They sat back in the quilt and Sam turned to Sarah. "What college do you go to?"
"Penn State. I'm majoring in accounting. I'll be starting my last year this fall."
"Accounting? Do you like it?"
"Yeah, I do. I know it can seem boring, but I like to work with numbers. I've been doing it for so long, helping my dad keep the books at the restaurant."
Sam listened as she spoke, asking questions, answering hers, and the time passed quickly as they sat on the quilt and talked.
Sarah turned and waved when she heard her name. Sam saw a couple coming out of the trail they had been on. The guy was tall and muscular with long brown hair that he shook off his face as he squinted in their direction. He carried a cooler as he followed the small curvy blonde in a skimpy bikini. Sam held his breath and watched as she ran across the beach. He thought for sure, she was going to bounce out of her bikini top. She sat her bag down, excitedly talking to Sarah.
"We're late! I'm sorry, I made Pete stop at the office so I could see Dave." She glanced over at Sam as she sat down next to Sarah. "Hello." She slid Sarah a questioning look.
Sarah introduced her to Sam. "Midgie, this is Sam." Sarah pointed at the tall guy standing at the edge of the quilt. "That's Pete."
Sam shook the hand that Pete extended to him. "Sarah has been telling me about the three of you." He said as he took the beer Pete offered him, putting his empty in the cooler.
"Really?" Pete cocked an eyebrow at Sarah, reaching out to tweak her nose. "What has she been saying about us?"
Sarah brushed his hand away, laughing. She shook her head and leaned back on her hands, her legs stretched out next to Sam's. His eyes traveled down her body, admiringly, then he glanced up and saw Pete giving him a curious look.
"You know," Pete said thoughtfully. "You look familiar, have we met before?"
Sarah looked up at him. "Sam's in a band, Blood Brothers. Don't you have their album?"
Midgie gasped. "You're in a band? Are you playing around here?"
Pete shook his head. "No, I don't have the album, but I've heard your music before."
Sam nodded. "You should come to our concert. We're going to be in Cleveland this Sunday, at the Agora."
Midgie nodded her head. "We've been there before, it's only a few hours away." She reached over and took the cigarette from Sarah's hand, took a hit, and handed it back, looking over at Pete. "Do you think we could go there Sunday? It's Memorial weekend, I know we planned on staying here, but maybe we could take a drive to Cleveland?"
Sarah nodded, enthusiastically. "Yeah, I think it'd be cool! It's time for another road trip."
Pete looked at both girls' excited faces and chuckled. "Sounds like a plan. I think my old clunker would make the trip." They all laughed and clinked their bottles together.
Sam asked about Pete's car and they started in on a discussion about engines and car related things, while Sarah and Midgie talked quietly between themselves.
"How have you been doing?" Midgie whispered to Sarah. "Jeff hasn't called or anything, has he?"
Sarah looked sideways at Sam and Pete before she answered, also in a low whisper. "No, thank god. My mom was asking all kinds of questions about him. She was thrilled to hear we broke up. She's been going on and on about....." She tipped her head towards Pete, not wanting to draw his attention by saying his name. "She is determined that we will be engaged this summer. I don't know why she and his mom can't just stay out of our business."
Sarah's mom and Pete's mom had been best friends in high school, living next door to each other after they got married and having their babies just a week apart. They had decided, when Pete and Sarah were just children, that the two of them should get married. It had become a mission to the two mothers, and one they worked towards tirelessly. Pete and Sarah had become immune to their constant interfering, choosing to keep their personal relationship between themselves, but it still irritated them both.
"How are you and Dave getting along?" Sarah asked, changing the subject.
Midgie shook out her blonde curls and sighed, happily. "Great. We went out last night. He's busy with the campground this weekend." She grinned mischievously. "I'll be staying with him tonight here. Will you cover for me?"
Dave was Pete's cousin and the owner of the campground. He had a small cabin, near the campground office. He and Midgie had been flirting off and on for years, just now making it official this spring, when Midgie had come back from school.
Sarah nodded. "I was planning on staying in the tent tonight. I'll just say that you were with me, if anyone asks.
Pete overheard them and spoke up. "I'm staying in the tent, too."
Sam noticed Pete's eyes flicker over to Sarah's, connecting and holding for a second. He wondered what was between them, it seemed more than a casual friendship.
Pete looked around at the group. "Why don't we go back there now? We could grab some lunch, get some more beer."
They all agreed and started picking up their things. Midgie said she would go with Sarah while she drove her car through the campground to their site. They set off for the parking lot, leaving the guys to take the coolers back through the path.
Sam stood, watching Sarah as she walked away. He realized that she was the same height as the petite blond walking beside her, but Sarah's legs were much longer. He loved the way her hips wiggled as she walked, causing her braid to sway against her bottom, enticingly.
As soon as the girls got far enough away, Midgie started giggling. "Sam is so-o cute! Oh my god! Sarah, he can't keep his eyes off of you!"
Sarah laughed and felt the excitement tingle through her. "I can't stop looking at him! I can't believe it! He just came up and started talking to me! Midgie, he was so funny!" As she drove to their campsite, she told her friend about how they met.
Midgie listened, then smiled, knowingly. "Something's happening here!"
"I think so!" Sarah agreed.