The room was immaculate.
“Do you really think this is Todd's room?” she whispered.
“What's that?” Katie pointed to a peculiar box in the center of the room. Standing only a few inches up from the floor, the large, wooden-framed box was covered with a rippled sheet and had a neatly folded blanket at one end.
“It's too small to be a water bed.”
Katie poked it, and the substance under the sheet gave way. “It feels like…” She pulled back the corner of the sheet and announced, “It is. It's sand. I don't believe it!”
Christy joined in the examination and felt Todd's unique sand mattress.
Katie started to laugh. “Only Todd would sleep in a giant kitty litter box!”
“I'll bet it's really comfortable,” Christy said, quickly coming to his defense. “After sleeping out on the Hawaiian beach while he was in the surfing competition, he's probably more comfortable in the sand than on a mattress.”
Katie turned to Christy and smiled, her bright green eyes doing a merry dance. “Like I said, only Todd.”
Christy noticed a grouping of pictures and posters on the wall behind the bed. In the center was a poster of a waterfall on Maui where Todd, Christy, her friend Paula, and her Uttle brother, David, had spent a day last summer. The three other posters were surfing shots. A half-dozen photographs surrounded the posters, all stuck to the wall with thumbtacks.
“They're all of you,” Katie said. “Look at that. All these pictures are of you.”
Christy was amazed. Over the years she had sent Todd a picture here or there, but she never would have guessed he would save them or would create a place of honor for them.
“Isn't that your picture from the eighth grade?” Katie pointed to a wallet-size picture at the top.
“Oh no, look at that! It's from ninth grade. That is such a pathetic picture. I must have sent that to him right after we met. That's about the time he left Newport Beach and went to live with his mom in Florida.”
Katie took a close look at the small photo and then looked at Christy. “May I just say you've improved over the years?”
Christy laughed at the little-girl expression on her face in the picture. Her hair was long then, almost to her waist, and hung straight down in an uncomplimentary fashion.
“This one must be tenth grade,” Katie said. “That's when I met you, when you moved to Escondido. Look how different you looked with short hair! It was too short then, if you ask me. I like the way you wear your hair now.”
Christy had been growing her hair out ever since she had let her aunt talk her into whacking it all off the summer before her sophomore year. Now, at the end of her junior year, it was past her shoulders.
“I can't believe Todd has all these pictures. I don't even remember sending some of them to him,” Christy said. “I do remember this one though.” She pointed to a snapshot of the two of them at the Hawaiian waterfall in the poster.
“Listen,” Katie said. “Is that them coming?”
Christy heard the thump of heavy footsteps coming down the corridor outside the apartment. They both heard loud, male voices approaching.
“Do you think they'll go to Stephanie's first?” Christy asked.
“Why? They don't know we're here. It sounds like they're coming inside. Quick, hide!” Katie dove for Todd's closet. The minute she opened it, a mound of clothes and junk tumbled out, showering her with damp swimming trunks and a sprinkling of sand.
“Ewww!”
“Shhh,” Christy said. “They're coming in!”
Katie quickly stuffed the clothes back into the closet and whispered, “What should we do?”
“Act natural!” Christy stood perfectly still in the middle of Todd's room, her hands behind her back and a nervous grin pasted on her face.
They could hear the front door of the apartment open. One of the guys said, “Hey, it was unlocked. Is somebody here?”
“What should we say?” Katie asked under her breath. She took her place by Christy's side, looking like her mirror image, with hands behind her back and a goofy grin frozen on her face.
Christy could tell by the pounding footsteps that the three bears were about to discover them. There was no way to look anything other than stupid.
“Katie, think of something. Quick!”
heard the guys coming down the hallway toward Todd's bedroom, Katie, quick thinker that she was, shouted, “Surprise!”
Christy quickly joined in. “Surprise!”
She spotted Todd's screaming silver-blue eyes opened wide in surprise. He started to laugh, and in two giant steps, he had his arms around Christy. She hugged him back, her ear pressed against his chest where his deep laugh rumbled. She wondered if he could feel her heart about to pound out of her chest.
“You sure surprised us!” Todd said, giving Katie a quick hug. He ran his fingers through his bleached blond hair.
Doug and Rick followed with hugs for both the girls. There were lots of explanations and laughter and lots of sympathy, especially on Katie's part, when they saw the bandage around Rick's sprained wrist.
“So Stephanie knows you're here?” Doug asked. He stood a little taller than Todd, but not as tall as Rick.
Seeing the three of them all lined up, Christy realized Rick was the most striking of the three. His dark, wavy hair, deep brown eyes, and athletic build had been the obsession of many girls at her high school last year, including her. No wonder Katie couldn't get Rick out of her mind. In any room, any situation, his looks commanded full attention.
If Christy hadn't dated Rick for a short time and experienced some of the not-so-pleasant sides of his personality, she too might have been staring at him now the way Katie was.
As far as Christy was concerned, she would choose Todd or Doug over Rick any day. Katie, she knew, would have to come to her own conclusion on that, just as Christy had.
'We were supposed to be raiding your refrigerator for soda,” Katie explained, her blunt-cut copper hair swishing dramatically as she looked to Christy for support and then back at the guys. “Only we thought we would do a little room inspection first. We were pleased to find your kitty litter box so nice and clean. Only one question though. Where's the cat?”
Doug started to laugh at Katie, who was pointing to Todd's bed as though she were a game show model showing off the showcase of prizes.
Doug had a clean-cut appearance, with his sandy blond hair that always looked like he'd just had it cut. He was good-looking in a boyish way and appeared younger than his twenty years. The most outgoing of the three guys, Doug was known for his hugs, which he gave out generously.
“Try it,” Todd challenged Katie. “Lie on it and see how it feels.”
Katie, ever the good sport, lay down on the sand bed as they all watched. She wiggled her back until she had formed the perfect support.
Folding her hands over her stomach, she said, “Okay, I'm convinced. This is the perfect bed. Did you invent this, Todd?”
“Not much to invent,” he said. “A couple of boards, a couple of sandbags, and a blanket. I don't think the patent office would recognize it as a true invention.”
“You didn't go in our room, did you?” Doug asked.
Katie and Christy exchanged glances.
Christy said, “We'll never tell!”
“I told you we should have picked up,” Doug said to Rick out of the side of his mouth. “Todd had the right idea.”
“What do you mean?” Rick said. “Todd just threw everything in his closet.”
'We could have done that too,” Doug said with a smile. “Might have impressed them.”
“If I'm going to impress anyone,” Rick said confidently, “it's going to be with my other attributes. Not with my housekeeping skills.”
“Obviously,” Katie said under her breath.
“I heard that,” Rick said.
Christy watched carefully to see if anything might be starting up between the two of them.
“And
which of your fine attributes are you going to start with?” Katie teased, getting up from the sand bed. “Perhaps your wonderfully coordinated skills on the diving board?”
“No,” Rick countered quickly. “My skill at keeping girls off balance.” As he said it, he gently pushed Katie with his good hand so that she toppled back into the sand pit.
Katie gave Rick a firm look of indignation, but Christy could tell Katie was feeling honored to have been the object of Rick's teasing.
“Todd,” Katie asked from where her bottom was o planted in the sand, “may I show your roommate a handful of your bed? In his face?”
“It's up to you,” Todd said. “I'm going to see if Stephanie needs any help with that spaghetti.”
“I'll join you,” Christy said.
“I'm right behind you,” Doug echoed. “What did you need from our fridge? Drinks and what else?”
Christy and Doug followed Todd to the kitchen, leaving Katie and Rick alone. She could hear Katie's muffled voice teasing Rick and then laughter. So far, so good.
Doug opened the old gold-colored refrigerator and pulled out a couple two-liter bottles of soda. The rest of the refrigerator's contents looked like they might fit nicely into the penicillin family of molds.
“Do you guys ever clean out this thing?” Christy ventured.
“Todd did once, didn't you, Todd? Couple of weeks ago, I think,” Doug said. “We're all moving out next week. We'll dump everything then.”
Todd was standing by the card table, shaking the box of cereal and looking inside. “Did you guys find the toy yet?”
“Don't think so,” Doug said. “What is it this time?”
“Some kind of plastic gizmo that walks down windows,” Todd said, his face brightening as he stuck his hand inside.
Christy could tell by the way his one dimple appeared on his right cheek that he had found the treasure and was pretty pleased with himself.
“Check it out.” Todd tore the clear wrapper from the gizmo with his teeth and tossed the critter against the window. “It's Mr. Gizmo!”
Sure enough, Mr. Gizmo walked. The first row of tiny suction cups on its feet stuck to the smooth window for a moment and then released as the next row hung tight. It gave the appearance of “walking” down the glass.
“Cool,” Todd said, sticking the treasure in the pocket of his shorts. “You two ready to go?”
“We're ready,” Rick answered, appearing in the living room with Katie in a headlock under his good arm. With his bandaged hand he pinched her cheek.
Christy would have been furious if Rick had ever treated her like that. Katie gave every indication she was in heaven. Maybe they are good for each other.
The group filed out the door, and Christy noticed a large mayonnaise jar half filled with coins on a shelf. Doug had told her about that jar. The guys used it to collect money for a young boy they supported in Kenya. Christy had seen a letter that ten-year-old Joab had written to Doug and the guys. She also knew Doug carried a picture of Joab in his wallet and showed it around as if he were the proud big brother.
“Guess what, Doug?” Christy said as Todd locked the door and they followed Rick and his crutch, Katie, down the corridor. “I wrote to the organization that set you up as a sponsor for Joab. My family and I adopted a four-year-old girl from Brazil. Her name is Anna Maria. I never thanked you for giving me the information. So thanks.”
“Awesome!” Doug slipped his arm around Christy and gave her a quick Doug-hug. “Isn't it amazing how little it takes to feed and clothe those kids?”
“Steph,” Rick called out at the door of apartment number ten, “open up! It's the Rickster. I've come to collect your sympathy.”
“Yeah, right,” Stephanie said, opening the door and giving Rick a playfully disgusted look. “Like I'd ever give you anything, least of all sympathy.”
Rick let go of Katie and stepped into the apartment, continuing his lively flirtation with Stephanie as if Katie didn't exist.
“Aren't you going to kiss it and make it better?” Rick held out his sore paw to her with a pout on his handsome face.
“When pigs fly!” Stephanie tossed back at him.
Rick then wrapped his good arm around Stephanie's shoulders and walked into the living room, still pleading for her sympathy.
Oh no, look out, Katie! When you put your heart out there on the edge of the wall, it doesn't take much for it to do the ol' Humpty Dumpty crash.
Katie seemed fine. She went in the kitchen and stirred the pot of spaghetti sauce as if she had been asked to do so. Christy had never admired her resiliency more than she did at that moment.
“We brought some sodas,” Doug said, offering the two bottles for Stephanie to see before he placed them on the counter.
“Want me to finish making this garlic bread?” Todd picked up a knife and sliced the loaf of French bread where Stephanie had left off.
“Sure,” Stephanie said, turning her back to Rick and joining them in the kitchen. “Christy, could you help me get a salad going?”
Todd, Stephanie, Christy, and Katie all worked together in the narrow kitchen while Doug and Rick planted themselves on the sofa and turned on the TV.
'Their home away from home-in front of my TV,” Stephanie said to Christy, motioning to Rick and Doug over her shoulder. “If you ever want to make sure you have lots of attention from guys in your apartment complex, all you have to do is be the only one who gets cable.”
“I'll remember that.” Katie helped Todd wrap the pungent garlic bread in foil. Katie waved her hand above the bread to clear the strong aroma and asked sarcastically, “Are you sure you used enough garlic, Todd?”
“It's good that way. You'll see. It's my secret recipe. Butter, mayonnaise, and lots of garlic.”
“And only three thousand calories a slice,” Stephanie said with a wink as she turned on the oven and handed Katie a cookie sheet for the bread. “It's good. Trust me. Todd's made it before. That's why the kitchen wallpaper is starting to peel.”
Even though she knew Stephanie was kidding, Christy glanced at the wallpaper. There was nothing wrong with it. Every little peach heart stood in place.
Christy liked the way Stephanie used lots of hearts in decorating the kitchen. She especially liked the heart-shaped basket hanging on a nail above the sink. Peach ribbons were strung through the sides with a bunch of silk flowers attached at the bottom.
Christy liked colorful decor like that and thought how fun it would be to decorate her own apartment some day.
When they all sat down to eat a little while later, she decided one day she would have straight-back wooden chairs with padded cushions at her kitchen table, just like Stephanie's. And she would serve her guests on blue and white dishes, just like Stephanie.
Todd was right. The bread was delicious, as was the spaghetti and everything else. The conversation around the tightly packed table remained lively. Everything about this gathering made Christy feel grown-up and included in her circle of college friends. It felt completely different from being a sixteen-year-old living at home with her parents and eleven-year-old brother.
Oh no, Christy suddenly remembered. I promised I would call home as soon as we arrived!
“May I use your phone?” she quietly asked Stephanie.
“Sure. There's one in my bedroom.”
Christy slipped into Stephanie's room and closed the door. She felt awful for being so forgetful.
Mom answered, and Christy quickly explained about the guys not being there, the keys being locked in the car, meeting Stephanie, and Rick's sprained wrist. When she finished, there was an uncomfortable pause on the other end.
“Honest, Mom, that's what happened, and that's why I didn't think to call.”
“Oh, I believe you,” Christy's mother answered. “It's just that with all that has gone on during the last few hours, I'm not sure I'm ready for all the adventures you may face between now and when you come home tomorrow night.”
“Mom,??
? Christy tried her best to sound mature and responsible, “there's nothing to worry about. I'm really sorry I didn't call sooner. Everything is fine, and I'm sure the rest of our visit will be uneventful. I'll call you tomorrow before we leave to drive home. I really appreciate you and Dad letting me spend time with my friends like this.”
“Well, have a good time and remember all the things we talked about.”
“I will, Mom. Don't worry. I'll be fine.”
Christy sat for a moment on the edge of Stephanie's bed after she hung up. She couldn't help feeling a little like a baby in this group where all of them were living on their own except Katie and her. Katie's parents not only let her go on this trip, but they also gave her the car with a full tank of gas and told her to have fun. Katie didn't have to check in with them.
Christy felt fully aware of that ever-present invisible rope that connected her to her parents. The older she became, the more rope they let out and the more they encouraged her to go exploring on independent experiences like this overnight trip to San Diego. Still, that invisible rope kept her anchored to them. In situations like this, when she had to check in, the rope seemed to pull awfully tight, right around her stomach.
Then she had a thought that was even more sobering. Really soon I'm going to be eighteen. I'll be in college and living on my own like Stephanie. What will it feel like for that rope to be cut?
Christy decided to be grateful for the linkage while she had it. She felt secure, knowing that the invisible rope to her parents was intact and taut. It would be gone soon enough.
Katie doesn't seem to have any ropes attached to her, Christy thought. That must feel scary. Like you wouldn't know for sure if someone is going to be there to pull you in if you go too far.
Joining the others, Christy pitched in and helped to clear the table and dry the dishes. Doug washed and Todd put them away.
“Look how lovely my hands are after using this new dish soap!” Doug said in a high-pitched voice, holding up his bubble-covered hands.
“How's this for squeaky clean?” Doug rubbed his finger over the back of one of his plates, continuing to act out his commercial.