* * *
The high surf pounded the beach as everyone helped set up camp on
an empty stretch of sand. Colorful umbrellas and familiar blue cabanas
dotted the shoreline as vacationers and locals alike soaked up the last days
of summer. After an unusually soggy season, Mother Nature was finally
treating them to the kind of weather most northerners dream about all
year, and they were taking full advantage. Squealing children ran back and
forth with buckets of water as they dug trenches around crudely
constructed sandcastles, teenaged surfer boys happily challenged the tide
and sunbathers permeated the air with the unmistakable scent of coconut
oil and sunscreen.
Against this backdrop, Ken chatted easily and laughed along heartily
with Maddy's entire family. And as the two of them sat on beach chairs by
the water, they conversed effortlessly on a number of topics, delighted to
discover a shared outlook on everything from pro football to music to
politics. Without even realizing it, Maddy took his breath away with her
in-depth knowledge of the game, and stories about being in attendance at
Vet Stadium on that bitter cold day on January 11, 1981, when the Eagles
miraculously defeated the Cowboys 20-7 in the NFC Championship
Game.
He loved the way she gestured with her hands when she spoke and
how her voice went up a few octaves when discussing a subject she felt
passionate about. Completely enthralled, Ken couldn't get enough of her,
although he noticed how she kept her pink neon shorts and coordinating
tee shirt on over her bathing suit. In his mind, she had a great figure, but
he politely refrained from questioning her about it.
After, they played catch with a football. Maddy's long braid danced in
the wind as she ran after his passes, most of which he kept within the
realm of possibility, with an occasional overthrown lob high above her
head, made for the sole purpose of being a tease. She'd then shoot him a
look of feigned indignation before responding with a bullet of her own.
Having grown up with three brothers, Maddy was no stranger to goodnatured
teasing.
"Hey, take it easy!" Ken laughed when one of her tosses hit him in
the chest with just a little too much steam.
Around this time, Carmen, now fully recovered from her big night,
joined in the surfside fun. While Maddy went to retrieve some water,
Kenny took her aside and inquired about her date, offering a sincere
apology for the way he'd reacted.
"You just treat Maddy right," Carmen warned him, "She's a really
special girl and I don't want to see her get hurt."
"Believe me, you have nothing to worry about there," he stated with
conviction.
Back on the blanket with Maddy, he regretfully informed her that he
had to get to work.
"Oh, I'm sorry you have to leave already, Ken!" Vanessa piped up.
"Yeah, well, I had a wonderful time and I hope to see all of you
people again real soon," he responded with his trademark smile. "Thank
you for your hospitality."
Maddy walked him back to the street, still exuberant over her
unexpected weekend spent in the company of a handsome former military
man. It had been a far cry from her earlier expectations of the same-old,
same-old just 24-hours previously, when she and Carmen were speeding
down the A.C. Expressway.
"Well Kenny, it was fun. So, maybe I'll hear from you again?" she
asked hopefully.
"Oh, you'll hear from me, sweetheart," he assured her as he pulled her
into a bear hug and kissed her on the cheek.
Maddy floated back to the beach, her heart racing in anticipation of
what was to come.