Monkey Business -10- Picnic by Melanie Brown

Monkey Business Part 10

By

Melanie Brown
Copyright © 2023

Mom kissed my cheek as I was about to slide out of the car. She said, “Have a good time at the picnic. Give me a call when you’re ready for me to come pick you up.”

“Thanks, Mom. Thanks for understanding,” I said.

Mom smiled at me and ruffled my hair. “You bet. Have a good time and make some friends. Don’t worry about things. You’re beautiful.”

I grinned at Mom. “Thanks!” I slid out of the car and closed the door. I must be going insane. Not only did I decide to wear a little make-up, but I also painted my nails with a light pink polish. Dad was fit to be tired when he saw me this morning. Maybe he’s right. Maybe I should just knock it off with the girl shit. I didn’t really dress girly. I was wearing a t-shirt with the C-Z logo and shorts.

As Mom drove away, I checked the contents of my purse. Yes, I was carrying a purse. Everyone loses it if they see a boy carrying a purse. But today, I’m not a boy, so I guess it doesn’t matter. In my purse was make-up, my phone, my house keys and some money if I needed it.

I looked around the park. Not far from me, I saw a bunch of kids standing near tables and a large tent. The kids were mostly around my age give or take. That had to be the party. So I began walking in that direction.

As I neared the tent, which seemed to be where the adults were hiding, a girl came running from the group and hugged me at a dead run. “Randi! You came!”

Grinning, I hugged Becky back. “Yep. Sounded like fun.”

Becky pointed at my t-shirt and exclaimed, “My dad used to race C-Zs.”

I said, “Oh cool. Great bikes.”

Touching my arm, Becky said, “Come on, I’d like you to meet some friends.”

Actually, under the tents were tables loaded with food like fried chicken, hamburgers, sandwich meat, fries, veggies, and the ever-present potato salad. Kids were just starting to line up. We walked up to a group standing around talking.

Grinning, Becky said, “You know Kat.”

Kat chuckled. “Finally get to meet you without eating your dirt.”

Becky pointed to another girl. “This is Cindy. She’s in the band with me.”

Cindy shook her head at me. “You’re another biker chick?”

Becky said, “She’s also a fashion model.”

Cindy looked surprised. “Serious?”

Next person she introduced me to was an adult casually dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. Becky said “Randi, this is our pastor, Dr. Wilkins. He’s our youth director.”

Dr. Wilkins smiled as he shook my hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Sam. Such a lovely young lady. Isn’t racing motorcycles dangerous?”

Before I could answer, Kat said with a grin, “She was almost killed a few weeks ago!”

With a look of concern, Sam said, “Oh my. Were you frightened?”

I laughed. “I think I was unconscious at the time.”

Becky said, “It was a scary crash. Her rider rolled their side-hack on asphalt.  She was the monkey.”

Looking confused, Sam asked, “Monkey?”

I sighed. “It takes two people to race sidecars. The second person is called a monkey. It’s hard to explain.”

Sam shook his head. “Sounds extremely dangerous. I’m surprised your parents let you do this.”

I frowned at Sam. “It’s also a personal challenge. Just yesterday, Nick and I…”

Becky took my arm. “I want you to meet some of my other friends, and then we can get something to eat. Do you play volleyball?”

As we got some distance from Sam, Becky said, “Sorry about that. Dr. Wilkins gets on my case all the time about racing. I think he’s afraid of motorcycles.”

Becky introduced me to several more of her friends. I was surprised that a few recognized me from the track. There was one boy named Carson who kept looking at me. As we walked towards the food line, I saw him talking to Kat and looking my direction. Terrific.

As we took our place in line, Carson managed to work his way to stand next to me. He tapped my shoulder. “Hey. Kat was telling me you’re the monkey on sidecar races. I didn’t know they did that around here. Doesn’t that take a lot of upper body strength?” He looked at my skinny arms.

Annoyed, I said, “Actually, it requires a lot of agility. Our side hack racing is more like motocross with a sidecar. We don’t do street racing.”

Kat nodded. “Yeah, she was almost killed when they tried street racing.”

I frowned at Kat. “I think everyone knows that by now.”

Kat looked indignant. “Sorry.”

Carson smiled at me. “You must be a pretty brave chick.” Carson had very blue eyes.

I shrugged. “To be honest, I really don’t think about it.” I put a piece of chicken on my paper plate.

Prodding, Carson asked, “So, is your racing partner your boyfriend?”

I laughed. “Nick? He’s just some crazy guy I met at school before he graduated. My parents didn’t want me to race, so I kinda snuck into it by being his monkey. Now I have my own bike as well.”

Becky nodded. “And she’s good. Almost beat me yesterday. Is this true? I heard Colin is your boyfriend.”

I stiffened as I put some BBQ beans on my plate. I quickly… maybe too quickly, said, “No. He’s not. Nix that rumor.” Becky chuckled.

As he got some beans as well, Carson casually asked, “So you don’t have a boyfriend right now?”

I said, “Not right now.” Why did I say it that way? Carson has a cute smile.

Carson, Becky, Kat, and I all sat together at a table. Carson sat next to me. Sam joined us and sat across from me.

“I hope you don’t mind me joining you daredevils.” Sam quipped as he set his plate down.

Kat giggled. “Dr. Wilkins, almost anything can be dangerous. Remember Tommy Valasco lost his big toe last summer mowing his lawn? Nothing is one hundred percent safe.”

Sam shook his head. “Well, it just seems you lovely ladies are looking for danger.”

Carson said, “I’ve read motocross is the second most physically demanding sport in the world.”

Three girls came bouncing up to our table. One of them said, “We’re trying to get a volleyball game going. You girls interested in playing?”

Kat stood up, gathering her trash together. “I’m up for it. What about you guys?”

I stayed seated. “I don’t know. I’ve never been very good at volleyball.”

Becky playfully slapped my arm. “Me either. Let’s go.”

I sighed. I really didn’t want to play. Back in middle school PE, when they decided during class on cold days to play volleyball, I was always the last player picked. Because I played like a girl. Well, that would be expected now.

I said, “Okay. But I’m warning you. I suck at this.”

One of the girls that asked us to play said, “Good. I won’t be the only one, then.”

As we trotted over to the volleyball court, the six of us introduced ourselves to each other. Janet, one of the new girls, said to me, “Now I remember you. You’re in my government class. Don’t laugh. One of the guys in the glass tried to tell me you were a boy. But I knew you were a girl.” I just laughed nervously.

Since none of us truly knew which players were good or not, team selection went quickly. A boy who sat on the side to watch shouted that one team be “skins,” which, of course, meant taking our tops off. That was roundly rejected. Maybe if we were all wearing bikinis? That would leave me out. We all kicked off our shoes to play barefoot in the sand.

Lining up to begin the game, Kat looked over at me and grinned. “I think Carson likes you?”

I laughed. “Why would you say that?”

Kat smirked. “He’s sitting on the side watching you. Not us. You. When I talked to him earlier, he said he planned to play softball after lunch. But he’s watching you instead.”

I turned to look over at Carson. He smiled and waved at me. Terrific. I didn’t come to the picnic to meet boys. The game started, and I turned my attention to that. I know it’s my imagination, but I felt his eyeballs burning into my back.

The game was fun. I even managed to hit the ball over the net a few times. One time I lost my footing in the sand and fell. Carson laughed.

We played three games. My team won twice. But the day was getting hot and I think we were all beat so we all decided to quit. I’d forgotten about Carson. I looked around for him after the game broke up, but I didn’t see him. I wondered when he walked off. And why do I feel disappointed?

I wandered back to the tent to get a drink of water. I got another piece of chicken while I was there. A few minutes later, a half dozen boys entered the tent and started grabbing food. I think they had been playing softball. When they sat down, they all kept glancing over at me.

One of the boys called out to me, “Hey. You look lonely over there. Come sit with us!”

I smiled and said, “Actually, I’m done eating. Thanks, though.” I was done. I was just snacking. I wanted to sit a bit longer, but not while being stared at. I got up and walked past them.

Still wanting to sit and be alone for a bit, I walked over to the swings. Oddly, no children were playing on them. I sat in one of the swings and smiled to myself at the memory of sitting in these very swings when I was a kid. Lost in thought, I just rocked lazily in the swing, my eyes closed.

“Need a push?” The voice startled me. I looked up to see Carson standing beside me.

I smiled at him and said, “Sure.” Carson smiled back, stepped behind me, and gently pushed on my back to get me swinging.

To fill the awkward void, I asked, “Do you go to Wilson?” Wilson is the name of my high school. The other school in town is Harcourt. “I don’t remember seeing you at school.”

Carson chuckled. “I’m from out of town. We came here this summer to visit my cousins. They go to your church. That’s how I knew about the picnic.”

“Oh. It’s not my church. It’s Becky’s.” I relaxed with Carson’s gentle pushing. “Just curious, why aren’t you with your cousins?”

Laughing, Carson said, “I’ve seen them all week. Besides, one is in elementary school, and the other is in middle school. I wanted to hang out with some older kids. We go back home in a few days.”

Grinning, I said, “I can understand that.”

“Let me guess about you,” said Carson. “Since you’re athletic, you’re a cheerleader and dating the captain of the football team.”

I laughed. “Sorry. You’re wrong on all three. I’m hardly athletic, I’m not a cheerleader, and I’m not dating anyone right now.”

Carson said, “I don’t believe that. As beautiful as you are and outgoing, you’re just the type to be a cheerleader. I also find it hard to believe you’re not dating anyone. Kat said she thought you were dating someone named Colin. He’s one lucky SOB.”

I shook my head. “I’m not dating Colin. He left me alone in a bar, and I was assaulted.” Why the hell did I mention that?

“Remind me to beat the shit out of this guy,” huffed Carson. “You’re not old enough to drink, are you?”

“No,” I said quickly. “It was also a restaurant.”

“Ah. I didn’t think so,” said Carson. “But you say you’re not athletic? Motocross is very physically demanding.”

I shrugged. “I exercise. I don’t work out or anything.”

Carson said, “I like you. You’re a nice girl.”

Not sure how to react, I just said, “Thanks.”

“There’s where you guys are!” Becky called out to us.

She ran up to us. She gave me a knowing smile. “The party is going to be winding down. I think they’re taking the tent down, and some people have to leave. But Dr. Wilkins wants to have a weenie roast for those who want to stay a while longer. We’re meeting over by the fire pit.” She then ran off towards another group.

Carson asked, “Do you want to do that?” I don’t know why he’s asking me.

I said, “Sure. I’m not ready to leave just yet.”

Carson grabbed the swing’s chain and brought me to a gentle stop.

I said, “Thanks for the push.”

Carson grinned. “You’re very welcome.”

Surprising me, he took my hand and started to lead me over to where the others were gathering.

In an open, sandy area, there was a pit lined with rocks in a large circle. Sam had already gotten a fire started. I saw both Kat and Cindy sitting near the circle of rocks and a boy sat behind them, wrapping their arms around them. In fact, there were several couples sitting in that manner. Becky showed up with a boy in tow. The sun was low in the sky. Becky handed me an extra beach towel. Nobody told me I was supposed to bring one.

Sam set up a table near the fire pit, loaded with wieners, buns and condiments. Next to the table was an ice chest with sodas. I think they were trying to avoid taking much of the stuff with them.

Carson sat behind me on the beach towel and I felt him put a finger in my short’s back pocket. He sat very close and was touching me.

Sam walked up to the fire pit. He announced, “I want to thank you all for staying for our wrap-up event as we share fellowship with good friends and a meal. And thanks for making our annual picnic a success. Take all the hotdogs you want and enjoy. We’ll see most of you next Sunday.” He then sat down on the sand next to a woman I assumed was his wife.

Carson patted my shoulder. “I’ll get us some dogs. Stay here!” He grinned.

Along with several other people, Carson got up and went over to the table and wrapped some wieners and buns in a paper towel and brought it over to me. He didn’t sit and asked me, “What kind of Coke you want?”

“Dr. Pepper,” I answered. He darted off to the ice chest and a moment later returned with two cans of soda.

I picked up a wiener and looked at it. I asked, “How are we supposed to cook these?”

Carson looked at me quizzically. “Really?”  He picked up a small broken branch lying in the sand. He then poked the small branch through the wiener. “Now, just hold this over the fire for a couple of minutes.”

I looked at my hotdog with a stick poking it, I said, “That’s a stick.”

Carson laughed. “It won’t kill you.” He then leaned forward and poked his hotdog in the fire. He looked back at me and grinned. “You need to go camping more.”

I stuck the stick into the fire. Carson said, “There you go. You got it.”

After the wiener looked cooked, I slid it into a bun and squirted some mustard on it. As I took my first bite, Carson kissed the back of my neck. I froze.

He whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry.”

I turned to look at him and smiled slightly. “No. It’s okay.” He grinned and kissed my neck again.

After several minutes, as our faces showed in the light of the fire and everyone had finished eating, it grew quiet. Carson gently tugged on my shoulder to get me to lay on the towel. A moment later, I felt his soft, warm lips press against mine. Holy crap! He’s kissing me! And I loved it. I lost track of time as we embraced and kissed.

Finally, he whispered in my ear, “Sorry, babe. It’s past time for me to go. Probably you, too.”

I sat up and looked around. It was dark, and most of the folks had left. I said, “Yeah. I need to call my Mom.”

Carson nodded. “I’ll wait with you until your mom shows up.”

I nodded. “Thanks. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

I pulled my phone from my purse and called Mom. “Hey, honey. I was starting to get worried. Is everything okay?”

I said, “Everything’s great, Mom. I need you to come pick me up.”

Mom said, “Okay, honey. I’m on my way. I guess we need to set up a curfew for you.”

We disconnected, and I got up to walk to the parking lot to wait for Mom to arrive. Carson took my hand and walked with me.

As we stood there in the dark, holding hands, Carson said, “I had a great time.”

I looked up at him. I just noticed he was taller than me. I smiled at him and said, “I had a great time too. I’m glad I came.”

Carson sighed. “I only have a few days left here. I’d love to see you again. Would you like to go out?”

I should have said no, but instead, I smiled and said, “I’d love to.” We exchanged phone numbers.

With his fingers, Carson lifted my face up. He bent down and kissed me. Oh God. I just melted. At first, I thought I was seeing stars, but it was the headlights of Mom’s car as she pulled up.

I said, “Here’s my ride. I’ll talk to you later.”

Carson grinned. “I’ll call.”

I got into Mom’s car, and she drove away from the curb.

Mom looked out the windshield. She asked, “Are you going to tell me who that boy is?”

I smiled.

End of Part 10