Chapter 11

The Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club was a huge, sprawling white mansion, reminiscent of one of those old Southern plantations they used to have in the 1800's. But instead of rows of cotton fields out back, they had several hundred acres of the finest golf course in all of Central Florida. Our car pulled up under a large, ornate archway, and an elderly black gentleman in a uniform stood stiffly and opened up the car doors for us.

"Welcome to the dance, ladies and gentlemen," he said, in a southern accent.

Jesus, I thought. The slaves are still here, 100 years later, only now they do this instead of picking cotton. I shook my head, feeling sorry for the guy. Another black man opened the huge mahogany door of the club entrance.

"I thought Lincoln freed these guys awhile back," I whispered to Sky as we walked down the ornate corridor.

Cyn giggled, but Sky shot me a look.

"Shut up, man. This is a high-class outfit!" he hissed at me. "My old man pays a fortune for us to belong here!"

The grand ballroom had a huge white and gold banner over its doorway, proclaiming "The 11th Annual Tampa Central High Christmas Dance -1968." It was jam-packed with nearly a thousand teenagers, and a local rock group tried valiantly to perform cover versions of current hit songs at the small stage in front. What they lacked in talent, they sure made up in volume, I thought.

"You guys want a couple of drinks?" shouted Sky, trying to be heard over the din.

"Yeah," I shouted back. "I'll take a Scotch on the rocks!"

Sky cracked up, but shook his head. "Coke, 7-Up, or water is about it!" he laughed.

"Coke," I replied. "Cyn, you want anything?"

Sky took our drink orders, then returned with four glasses. We toasted each other, then looked around for a place to sit down. Cynthia pointed to the glass doors to our right, on the other side of the room, and we squeezed through the crowded dance floor, out to a huge open terrace that overlooked the 18th hole.

It was a beautiful winter evening -- not too cold, and not raining, like it often did in Florida in December. Just cold enough to be "nippy," as my Mom would say, probably 50 degrees. Several other couples were already sitting on the ledge and gazing at the stars, while a few others hid in the corner, sneaking guilty puffs on cigarettes. Cyn grabbed my hand and walked me over to the side.

"Wow," she said. "This is a really neat place. Have you ever been here before?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No. Sky's dad has a membership here. I think Rick and Ronnie Lannigan's family, do, too."

Her brow furrowed. "Those dweebs?"

"Hey, they're my friends!" I said, angrily.

She looked at me, surprised. "I'm sorry, Wil," she apologized. "I thought they were... you know, just a couple of dorks. You're much cooler than they are," she said, squeezing my hand.

I laughed and nodded. "I'm sorry," I said. "You're right... they are dorks. But they're also my friends."

Cynthia laughed, and her eyes twinkled. God, she really was cute, I thought.

"You wanna dance?" she said, looking back towards the noisy hall behind us.

My face blanched. "I'm... I'm not all that great a dancer," I said, nervously. "I'm a pretty good swimmer, but I'm not so hot on the dance floor."

She smiled and leaned closer to me. "Melissa told me you were pretty cool dancing in the cafeteria the other day," she said.

I laughed. "I learned all my best moves from The Temptations," I said, smiling.

"I bet you did," she laughed.

I looked around for Sky and Melissa, who were nowhere to be found. "Where could they be?" I mused.

"Don't worry about them," she asked, putting down her glass. "Let's dance!"

She grabbed me by the hand and pulled me back inside to the dance floor. I meekly tried to protest, but then the band perked up and started playing a half-decent version of The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice." I grinned and started singing along with the music, and Cyn lifted her arms in the air and moving her feet.

 

	"Wouldn't it be nice           if we were older then we wouldn't have           to wait so long and wouldn't it be nice           to live together in the kind of world           where we belong..."

Cyn laughed as I started singing Mike Love's "bah ba-ba-bah" harmony backup vocals, which was my favorite part. When the song got to the slow part, she pulled me closer to her and wrapped her arms around me. She looked into my eyes and sang with me:

 

	"You know it seems           the more we talk about it... it only makes it worse           to live without it. But let's talk about it... Oh, wouldn't it be nice."

I grinned, and she leaned forward, wrapped her arms around me, and tenderly kissed me. God. It felt wonderful. At last, the song ended, and all of us applauded.

Sky walked over and clapped me on the shoulder. "Hey," he said. "You two look like you're having fun."

"Yeah," I said, grinning.

Sky leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Good goin', stud," he whispered, then laughed. He and Melissa waved as they walked off to the dining room.

"What'd he say?" asked Cyn.

Try as I might, I couldn't wipe the stupid grin off my face. "Sky kinda had to drag me to this thing, kicking and screaming," I confessed.

Cynthia frowned. "I thought you wanted to be here, Wil," she said, quietly.

"Oh, I did," I said, quickly. "I... I really like you, Cyn."

She brightened. "Let's grab some food, okay, Wil?"

I nodded, and we joined the rest of the teenagers in the banquet room next door.

Three hours later, I was pretty much danced out. Cyn taught me two or three new steps, and I pretty much faked the rest. After glancing at the other couples dancing, I figured I was probably not much better or worse than half the ones I could see. Of course, I couldn't see all that many of them, because I was half-blind without my glasses, but that was beside the point.

The band took a break, so the four of us decided to go back outside and look at the stars from the terrace. Florida was usually pretty cloudy in December, but this was one of those unusually clear nights. Sky and Melissa headed down to the golf course.

"I know a little place by the side-road," he said, putting his arm around Melissa.

"Give us 20 minutes, then call the police!" she quipped, then grabbed Sky by the hand and dragged him down the steps.

Cyn and I laughed, and walked down the ornate stone steps in the other direction.

"I think we could see the stars better from over here," she said, pointing out a small white bench next to a tree in the distance.

"You think we should?" I asked, nervously looking around. "I mean, maybe they'll arrest us for trespassing or something."

"C'mon," she said, grabbing my hand. "Just for a little while."

I stumbled after her, and we followed a little gravel path down a neatly manicured grass hill, which led to a white wrought-iron bench. It was next to a little babbling brook, a water hazard next to the 17th hole in front of us. We sat down on the bench, and I nervously adjusted my tie.

"I had a great time tonight, Wil," she said, quietly.

I looked back at her. She smiled, and I felt a warm throbbing between my legs. Oh, shit, I thought. Not now! There's no way I could walk around if that happened, even in pants this baggy.

I cleared my throat and looked up. "I think that's the North Star," I pointed. "The bright one to the right is Venus."

"That's the goddess of love, right?" she whispered, leaning closer to me.

"Uh, yeah... well, it's actually the planet," I stammered. "I think the ones over there are part of the Big Dipper."

"Umm-hmmmm," she said. She leaned forward, closed her eyes, and kissed me, gently.

I was a little bit in shock, but she pulled me closer to her. I put my hand on the back of her head and kissed her deeply. At last, we parted, and I caught my breath.

"So that's the Big Dipper," she said, looking at me.

I nodded.

"I hear you've got a big one, too," she murmured, putting her hand to my chest.

Oh, fuck. "Uh, Cyn, I've... we've... isn't it getting close to 11?" I said, looking desperately around for Sky.

"We don't have to be home until midnight," she said, sliding her hand down from my chest towards my pants.

My heart froze as she squeezed my inside thigh, and I immediately felt my groin throb in response. "Cyn, no, please..."

"God," she sighed. "It really is huge, isn't it?"

I nodded nervously, ready to bolt back inside at any moment.

"I've never seen one like yours before," she said, reaching for my zipper.

"Please, Cynthia, I like you and everything, but..."

She put her hand on my mouth, then giggled. "I thought it was the girl who was supposed to resist the guy," she said, smiling.

Oh, god. Sky, this is your fucking fault, I thought.

Before I could stop her, she'd zipped down my pants and reached inside my underwear. "God," she purred, "you're so big! Please, I've got to see, it Wil!"

I took a quick look in both directions. I thought I'd heard a footstep on the gravel path to our left, but the coast seemed to be clear. I nodded and pulled my pants and underwear down slightly, and my erection sprang up, as hard as I've ever seen it.

"Oh, my God, Wil!" she whispered, awe-struck. "It's beautiful. It's even more wonderful than they said it was."

I could just imagine the headlines in the school newspaper. Does everybody know about my dick, I thought? I gulped, and she gently examined me, first with a finger, then her whole hand.

"And your balls are huge, too," she said, admiringly, as she reached out to grasp one.

"OOOOOF!" I yelled, still wincing from Friday night's bruises.

She quickly pulled her hand back. "Oh, Wil, I'm so sorry!"

"I'm just... a little sensitive down there," I sighed.

"I'll be gentle, I promise." She began to rub me gently. "I know what to do."

I'm sure you do, I thought. Suddenly, she leaned over and began licking me all over, then slipped her mouth gently over the head. I moaned so loudly, I heard a squirrel to our left stop and run off in panic.

"Shhhh," she said, looking up. "This won't take long."

I nodded, and she went back to work. Oh, god. I caressed her hair, as her head bobbed up and down in my lap. My loins burned, and I felt my heart pounding until I thought it would burst right through my chest. She'd definitely done this before, I thought. She was good, but not as good as Ronnie.

Ronnie. Oh, Christ. I tried to keep his image out of my head. I could feel the pressure building, and I began to moan softly.

"Cyn!" I whispered. "I'm going to..."

She took her mouth off and began stroking me frantically. I groaned loudly and spurted five, six, seven times, all over the 17th hole green. Thankfully, none of it got on Cynthia or my suit.

I fell back on the bench, totally spent. She turned to me, and I grabbed her and kissed her, brusquely. I felt her tongue slip through my mouth, and I moaned.

"Oh, god, Cyn. That was great," I whispered.

She smiled. "I've had some experience, you know," she said, quietly. "I did it with Sky's brother Bill last year before he went to college."

My face blanched. "But he's 18!" I said, shocked.

She nodded. "I know. Don't tell Sky. He just thinks we hung out together a couple of times."

I sighed, and she kissed me on the neck.

"You're much bigger than Bill," she marveled. "You've got the biggest one I've ever seen. You're wonderful, Wil. I want to... I really want to do it with you." She continued to gently caress my deflating member, which was beginning to stir to life again.

Christ, I thought. Does it ever stop?

"B-b-but Cyn," I stammered, immediately thinking of Rick, "we can't do it here... now."

"I know," she cooed. "My parents have to drive out to Sarasota to see my relatives at 6PM tomorrow, and they won't be back until at least midnight. I'll make an excuse to stay home. You could come over, and we can... you know."

I began to panic. "Look, Cyn, I can't. I'm... busy."

"With what?" she asked, plaintively. "School's out until the 6th. You said the swimming pool's closed for the next few weeks for maintenance. You don't have anything else going on."

I thought quickly. "I've got a 1000-word History report to do," I remembered.

"You can start your homework on Thursday," she replied. Cyn looked really beautiful in the moonlight, which made her brown eyes sparkle. "You're all I want in my Christmas stocking, Wil."

I sighed. "Okay," I said. "I'll try to see you tomorrow night."

"Please come by, Wil," she said, gently caressing my groin. "I... I really want this. It's the best Christmas present you could give me."

I nodded. Just at that moment, we heard some footsteps down the gravel path. Quickly, I pushed my equipment back in my underwear, tucked in my shirt and zipped up my pants. Cynthia and I jumped off the bench and stood there, acting as innocent as possible.

"THERE you are!" yelled Sky, as he and Melissa ran up to us. "The band just started playin' a Beatles medley, and I figured you guys would wanna hear it. They sound really great!"

I nodded and walked back with them up the steps.

"I need to powder my nose, Wil," said Cyn. "Melissa and I will be right back. Wait for us on the dance floor," she called, running across the terrace.

Sky elbowed me and giggled.

"FUCK, man!" I winced, holding my side.

"Oh, shit, Wil," he whispered, apologetically. "I'm really sorry, man! That's where Scott slugged, you, right?"

I nodded as we walked back onto the dance floor, which was now only about half as crowded as it was two hours earlier. We sat down on one of the plush white chairs that lined the sides of the enormous room.

"So, did you get to make out with Cyn?" he asked, grinning.

I nodded and felt a twinge in my groin. "That was the best blow-job I've had all day," I laughed, quietly.

Sky was stunned. "You're... you're kiddin', right?"

"What," I said. "You think I'm gonna lie? Sky, she blew me, right on the 17th hole!"

Sky looked like he was going to fall out of his chair. "Jesus, Wil, you don't waste any time!" he whispered. "Most 13 year-olds wait until at least the second date before movin' to oral sex!"

I grinned. "Well, I guess I'm skipping ahead to the advanced levels in this particular course," I replied. We both laughed.

"So what'd she say?" he asked.

I sighed. "Cynthia said I had the biggest dick in the school. And you know what, Sky?" I said, turning to my best friend. "I got the strong feeling she's probably seen most of them." I sighed.

Sky rolled his eyes heavenward. "Shit! I swear, I had no idea she was a slut."

I laughed. "She's really nice for a slut. She wants me to come by tomorrow night and, you know..."

Sky's mouth fell open. "Wait a minute!" he whispered. "You're sayin' she asked you to fuck her?"

I nodded. He punched me in the arm.

"Shit," he laughed. "People think I'M the biggest stud in 9th grade. You're the only guy I know who's actually gonna DO it!"

We both laughed again. Sky thought for a minute and then said, "Wil, you know, Cyn used to have a thing for my brother. You don't think that she and Bill..."

I hesitated. "Gee, uh, I can't imagine that, Sky," I said, as seriously as I could.

"You ASSHOLE!" he hissed. "She's fucked him, too, hasn't she? Don't try to lie to me, Wil -- I know you too well."

I gave up and meekly nodded my head.

Sky let out a low whistle. "Shit. I never would've done this if I'd known."

"Don't worry, Sky," I said. "I think once Cyn gets what she wants out of me, she'll leave me alone."

Sky gave me a curious look, then put his hand on my shoulder. "Wil," he whispered, "I wanted you to... you know... find out what a good time you could have with girls. I know you, man. You're not a homo."

I nodded. "I like Cynthia -- a lot." I looked up at his face. "But I really like you, too, Sky."

Sky turned away from me and pretended to watch the band on stage. "I don't wanna talk about that," he whispered angrily.

"But it's true," I said. "Who says I can't love both of you?"

He looked up at me, with panic in his eyes. Fuck, fuck, FUCK! I screamed in my brain. Why did I have to say that?

I started to stammer out an apology, but Sky stood up suddenly and said, "Melissa! We were just talkin' about you two!"

I looked up and saw Melissa and Cyn walking towards us out of the crowd. Both of them were giggling. Cyn turned to Melissa and whispered something in her left ear, and Melissa screamed with laughter, covering her mouth. Several onlookers turned in our direction, and my face turned beet red.

"Hey, Melissa, d'ya wanna dance?" yelled Sky over the music. "C'mon, let's go!" He turned to me and said, quietly, "c'mon, Wil. You can't sit there all night."

I nodded, and Cyn took me by the hand and dragged me back to the dance floor.

The band hit the opening chords of "Ticket to Ride," a moldy oldie from three years ago, and my face brightened.

Cyn leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I think I love you, Wil."

I grinned and nodded, then I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. We started to dance, but after a few moments I winced. The song sucked -- it was missing something. They were totally blowing the harmonies, I thought.

I looked up at the long-haired lead guitarist, who was just ten feet away from us at the front of the stage area. He looked like he was only a little older than we were, maybe 17 at the most. None of the other guys in the group seemed to be singing with him at all. Before I could stop myself, I began belting out Paul McCartney's vocal harmonies as loudly as I could.

 

	"I think I'm gonna be sad, I think it's today, yeah, The girl that's driving me mad is going away, yeah. Aaaaaaa... She's got a ticket to ride, she's got a ticket to ri - hi - hide, she's got a ticket to ride, but she don't care."

The guitarist looked down and grinned at me, nodded his approval, then continued singing. I laughed and smiled back at him, singing louder. He thought for a moment, then gestured down to the stage steps, then pointed to me and waved me on up.

Cynthia turned to me and grinned. "Wil! He means you! Go up there and sing!"

Me? I pantomimed to the singer, pointing to my chest. He grinned and nodded, then waved me up to the stage again.

Cyn pushed me up the steps and I stumbled up alongside the guitarist and stood next to his mike. The moment I gazed out at the crowd, I felt a flurry of butterflies in my stomach and my knees began to shake. Jesus -- there were a lot more kids here tonight than I thought.

The singer gave me a look, as if he was daring me to actually do it. I immediately leaned over and launched into my best Paul McCartney harmony impression on the chorus.

 

	"I don't know why she's ridin' so high, She ought to think twice, She ought to do right by me... Before she gets to sayin' goodbye, She ought to think twice, She ought to do right by me."

I winced a little at his guitar solo, but I reminded myself -- you're not exactly going to find George Harrison playing in Tampa the day before Christmas.

Jesus, I thought, getting a better look at my band-mate. I couldn't see him that well from the floor, but up close I could see this guy really was good-looking enough to be a rock star. He was tall and had long dirty-blond hair, which hung down to his shoulders. From the look of his arms, I'd say he pumped weights, too.

I grinned when I looked down and saw Cyn looking up from me from the audience, smiling. By the middle of the song, the guitarist and I were singing as if we'd rehearsed it together for a week. I belted out the words with all my heart, trying desperately to remember how Paul looked on The Ed Sullivan Show a year or two earlier. I glanced over at the guitarist, who grinned at me as we reached the final verse.

 

	"She said that living with me, is bringing her down -- yeah... That she would never be free when I was around. Aaaaaaaaa... She's got a ticket to ride, she's got a ticket to ri - hi - hide, she's got a ticket to ride, but she don't care. My baby don't care my baby don't care my baby don't care."

He hit the final chord, and the band took a bow. I retreated off to the side, then laughed out loud as I caught a glimpse of Sky and Melissa. They were staring at me, open-mouthed, then broke out into cheers and whistles.

The guitarist to my right grabbed my right hand and pulled me back up to the front of the stage, then whispered, "take a bow, asshole!" I grinned and bowed low, like the Fab Four used to do on Sullivan.

Jesus, I thought. I could really get into this rock and roll thing, I thought, as I trotted down the steps back to Cynthia, who grabbed me and hugged me.

"Wil, that was great!" she gushed. "I didn't know you could sing like that!"

I laughed. "I guess I inherited that from my grandmother," I said. "She's been in the church choir for like 50 years, and we used to sing together when I was little."

Sky and Melissa pushed their way through the crowd, still applauding and whistling.

"Cut it out, you jerks!" I said, smiling sheepishly and rolling my eyes.

"You were great!" Sky said. "We should put you on the next plane to Liverpool!"

"Yeah, right," I muttered. "Make it Hollywood, and you got a deal."

"No, really, Wil! You were fantastic up there," said Melissa, who kissed me. Cyn gave her a look, and my face turned red again.

"Well, I wouldn't call it fantastic," said a voice from behind me, "but it wasn't bad for an amateur." I turned, and it was the handsome guitarist.

"Jesus, I-I'm sorry, man," I said, apologetically. "I swear, I usually don't jump up and interrupt concerts like that."

He jumped off the stage and playfully grabbed my shoulder as he almost fell, then pulled himself up. "Hi," he said, shaking my hand. "Jesus is another guy. I'm Pete."

"Pete Best?" I said, laughing, referring to the original Beatles' drummer.

"No, Pete Woods," he said, laughing. "I go to Madeira Beach High, across the Bay. You know, for a little twerp, you were pretty cool."

I grinned at the compliment. "Your Lennon's not bad, either," I said.

"You've got a great voice," he said.

My face reddened at the compliment.

"And you've got the right moves and everything," he continued. "You ever think about bein' in a band, man?"

"No, no... I'm a swimmer!" I protested. "I'm on the varsity team at Tampa Central High."

"Groovy. You a junior or senior?" he said, cocking his head to get a better look at me.

I shook my head. "Freshman."

He laughed with surprise. "You're just a 9th grader? Funny," he said, "Judging by your voice, I thought you were a lot older." He looked me up and down. "Maybe it's just your vibe," he said, softly. "Groovy."

I felt a chill as he walked around me in a complete circle. Was he checking out my... I glanced down at my groin. No -- no tell-tale stains or obvious bulges, thank God.

Pete nodded as if in approval. "You know, you might actually look pretty cool if you'd let your hair grow out."

"I can't," I said. "I'm a swimmer. It'd slow me down in the water."

"I know," he grinned. "You told me already. You know, you'd be great in our band. You play any instrument?"

"Just skin flute!" stage-whispered Sky. Pete and I laughed.

"Aside from that," said Pete.

"Well," I said, "I know a couple of chords on the piano..." I started.

"Cool!" he said. "We could really use a keyboard player! My Dad's got an old Hammond B-3 organ in the church storeroom."

His church, I thought?

Pete laughed when he saw my expression. "I'm the black sheep of the family," he admitted. "I'm not exactly what you'd call 'religious.' Just... spiritual."

I nodded, a little relieved. My family definitely wasn't what you would call Bible-belters.

"Look," he said, scribbling on a piece of paper. "Here's my number. Call me sometime if you ever wanna get in the rock and roll business. You really do great harmonies... it's Wil, right?"

"Right. Wil with one 'L,'" I said. "Thanks, Pete."

"Anytime. Well, we gotta pack up. We got another show to do tomorrow night in Bradenton. S'long, folks!"

He jumped back up on stage and started taking down the mike stand, never taking his eyes off me. Jesus, this guy was even better-looking than Sky, I thought.

"Call me," the singer mouthed, then nodded.

I nodded back, then looked down at the piece of paper in my hand. On it, he'd written:

 

	"I saw you out back tonight. You're fucking cool, man! Call me anytime.           -- Pete (813) 837-4331."

My heart skipped a beat. Did he mean...? I looked up and he was still looking at me from the stage with a sly smile. I knew that expression -- I'd seen it the other night, on Ronnie's face. I felt that same warm feeling again, deep in the pit of my stomach.

"C'mon, Wil," said Sky, putting his arm around my shoulder and walking me away. "My Dad's waitin' for us out front."

We walked down the palatial corridor and back outside to the cold night air.
 
 
   

© 2001, John Francis