Saturday afternoon, while Grandma Toady was at her quilting bee, Aunt Jessie came over alone. Mitzi and Max were with their dad. She handed Lolly the bag she carried and said, “Here, I have something for you.”

Lolly took the bag and looked inside. It contained pale coral mohair sweater. It was soft and beautiful. “Thank you so much!” She gave Aunt Jessie a hug, and Aunt Jessie gave her a fierce hug back. When she pulled away, Aunt Jessie was biting her lip. Lolly asked, “You okay?”

“Yeah, I know Mama has already talked to you but I gotta add my two cents. Kiddo you are entering a new world with strange modes of behavior. There will be pressure and there will be fear. There will also be these amazing moments when you have never felt so happy. Stay true to yourself. And when you have no idea what self wants, then wait. Just wait. Clarity is so important with dating. It can move very quickly, very fast." Aunt Jessie paused, and her voice broke, "Like it or not, you are the one with a womb.” Lolly felt herself go scarlet with embarrassment. Her color did not deter Aunt Jessie from making her point. “You are the one that gets stuck with the bag so to speak. I’ve seen where Trevor lives. I bet his folks have big plans for him. His future is supposed to mirror theirs. So be careful.”

This little speech made Lolly angry and echoed some of her worst fears.

Aunt Jessie stroked her cheek. “I wish I could sugar coat things for you Kiddo. I wish the sugar coating was true. You need to know what your ground rules are from the get go. I wish teenage boys were saints, but their brains are full of mush, imagination and porn. If they think or even hope its okay to touch something they will. You have got to be clear. Understand?"

Dazed by this overflow of information that did not match the cotton candy world she put Trevor in, Lolly only managed to nod.

Aunt Jessie scooped her into another hug. “I love you Lolly. I wouldn’t risk scaring the crap out of you or pissing you off if I didn’t.” Lolly didn’t hug her back. Aunt Jessie released her, planted a kiss on her forehead and went out the door.

*

Inside Lisa’s gold Pinto, the eight track was blaring, “The full moon is calling, the fever is high/And the wicked wind whispers and moans...” The lyrics reminded Lolly of Aunt Jessie’s stupid talk. The music was full of energy and ache. This was not folksy John Denver. Lisa was talking so fast Lolly was having trouble keeping up. “Yeah, it was amazing. That part where I lost it in the movie last week, well I lost it again, and he just held me while I sobbed. I never had a boy do that before. I know its too soon, but I think I am falling for him hard. Harder than I have ever fallen before, what if he is the one?” Lisa didn’t wait for Lolly to answer. Lolly kept her thoughts to herself. They turned into the Putt Putt parking lot. Lisa squealed, “There is his truck!”

Leaning against the beat up green truck, were Trevor and Jake. Both were smiling when Lisa pulled her car beside them. In an instant, Lisa was out of the car and in Jake’s arms. The next instant they were locked in a kiss. A rivulet of fear spiraled inside of Lolly. She licked her dry lips and climbed out. Trevor was there waiting. He gave her a hug, but did not give her the kind of kiss, Jake and Lisa were still sharing. Could they breathe?

Trevor took her hand and said, "I like that sweater."

"Thanks."

He smiled. That smile. They headed toward the ticket window. When they were out of ear shot he said, “I guess their date last night went well.”

“It seems so.”

Trevor bought their tickets and then they sat down on a bench to wait for Jake and Lisa to get done with being reunited. From the parking lot, Lolly heard a very familiar voice shout, “Get a room!” Lolly’s eyes shot to the parking lot. With her chin jutted out, MItzi was staring up at Jake and Lisa.

Uncle Luke grabbed hold of her and swung her up into his arms. He asked, “Where did you hear that phrase?”

Mitzi shrugged and said, “On T.V.”

They were fast approaching Trevor and Lolly. Uncle Jake said. “They don’t say stuff like that on Sesame Street.”

Mitzi shook her head, “Nope they don’t, but they do on General Hospital.”

Uncle Jake sighed and asked, “Do you even know what it means?”

“Course I do. Its what you say when people are smooching for the whole world to see." Very loudly she added, "I’m too young to see stuff like that in REAL LIFE. REMEMBER THERE ARE CHILDREN PRESENT."

Lolly was throughly embarrassed, but Trevor laughed. “At least they stopped. Look at them.”

Lisa had her eyes fixed on the ground and Jake had turned deep red. They had indeed stopped. Mitzi saw Lolly and struggled out of Uncle Jake's arms. Strapped to her chest was the snuggle pouch Grandma Toady had made for Puccini. It kept him safe and not lost. His bear legs stuck straight out on the sides. A bright smile spread across Mitzi’s face. She ran up to Lolly and gave her a big hug. And then, she squirmed her way in between Trevor and Lolly on the bench. Uncle Luke asked, “Mind watching her for a second, while I buy tickets?”

“Okay.”

Mitzi leaned in close to Trevor and asked, “What are your intentions tonight? Are they honorable or wicked?”

Trevor sat very straight and said, “Honorable.”

Mitzi looked at Lolly and said, “See I told you he was a prince.”

Uncle Luke came back with the tickets. To Mitzi, he said, “Come on, lets go.”

The look came on Mitzi’s face. She whined, “But I want to play with Lolly and Trevor.”

Before Uncle Luke could say anything, Lolly said, “No. You can’t.” Mitzi glared at her. In her eyes was the beginning of turning wheels. A tantrum was winding up. Firmly, Lolly said, “Don’t you dare. I will tell your mom. You don't want to get pulled out of Munch's show again to you?"

In a hot little voice, Mitzi said, “I see you smooching him,” she jabbed her thumb at Trevor, “I will tell Grandma Toady.”

“Go ahead.”

Mitzi did not know how to respond to this. Uncle Luke scooped her up before she could say more. With Mitzi in his arms walked away.

Lolly said, “Sorry about that.”

Trevor smiled at her. “No worries.”

With tickets in hand, Jake and Lisa joined them. Jake asked, “Which course should we play?”

Lolly said, “The one on the right.” It was far, far away from Mitzi.

“Okay.”

Music blared over the speakers. The lights were bright. Lisa claimed she did not know how to play golf so, Jake was ‘helping’ her. Half way through the round, Amber and Bill showed up. Trevor groaned, “Great.” To herself, Lolly smiled. At least now, she wasn’t the only one with family there. As soon as Amber saw her, she headed straight for her. When she reached her, she gave Trevor a smirk and then hugged Lolly. “How you doin’ girl? This guy treating you right? He better be.” The look she gave Trevor was a warning. Suddenly, Lolly felt very uninitiated. Lisa, Aunt Jessie, Amber and even Grandma Toady and Mrs. Dutchendorph all knew what it was like to be in a relationship, Lolly still knew next to nothing. They all knew what it felt like to be swept away by feelings Lolly hadn’t experienced yet.

After Amber and Bill left, Lolly got really quiet. The constant touching of Lisa and Jake was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. If they were this affectionate in public what were they like in private? She stopped her brain from going there.

When they finished their round, Jake said, “I am so hungry, let’s go grab some burgers.”

Worried, Uncle Luke would see her leave, Lolly glanced back. He was helping Mitzi with a shot. In the parking lot, they all climbed into Jake’s truck. Lolly waited to get in last. She didn't like being in the middle. It made her feel claustrophobic. Lisa was glued to Jake. He had his arm around her and he was driving with one hand. Trevor had put his arm along the back of the seat. She could feel the wool of his jacket against her neck.

At Dairy Queen, she slid into the booth beside Trevor. Jake actually let go of Lisa when their food arrived.. Once the boys had plowed through their burgers, they waited for Lolly and Lisa to finish theirs. When they were done, the next part of the evening began.

Inside the truck, with a click of the radio knob, the flute from Crosseyed Mary* filled the truck. While Lolly liked the flute in the song, she was not keen on the lyrics. She saw Jake slide his hand onto Lisa’s knee. Lisa leaned in and kissed him. It was another long slobbery kiss. She wished Mitzi was there to shout, “Get a room!” Was this how the evening was going to be? She felt frozen in place. Trevor put his arm around her but she couldn’t feel it. All she felt was fear. This was beyond her league. It had only been seven days since she'd gotten her first kiss. Were they fixing to go park?

Giggling, Lisa pushed Jake away. She said, “Let’s drive to Surfside.”

“Sure.” Jake gunned the motor and they were off. She looked at Trevor’s watch. It was after 8:00. It took around twenty minutes to get to Surfside from Lake Jackson. It took about forty minutes to get from Surfside to home. All Lolly could do was pray she got home by curfew.

Trevor turned her face toward his and asked, “Are you okay?”

She whispered, “Just worried, I won’t get home on time.”

“I promise you, you will get home on time.” He squeezed her shoulder and pulled her a little closer.

At Surfside Beach, the aroma of salt water filled the cab of the truck. Jake stopped near the pier. They piled out. The wind had a slight bite to it, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Sleeping gulls were huddled along the pilings. Lisa and Jake took off down the dark shore. Trevor guided Lolly to the partially lit pier where there were other people. The sound of the water sloshing against the pilings was soothing music to Lolly. The night air helped. Hand in hand, they walked in silence. The wooden pier creaked beneath their steps. From time to time, someone would nod or speak. As for Lolly and Trevor, neither seemed to have any words. Lolly was grateful Trevor didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. She liked quiet. She liked the feel of Trevor’s hand in hers. When they reached the end of the pier, a few fishermen sat still as statues holding onto their rods. The moon was just beginning to rise. It was a sliver of light in the darkness. Trevor squeezed her hand and quietly said, “Sorry about Jake and Lisa. I had no idea they would be all over each other.”

“Me either. I think it would be better if it were just us.”

“Me too. Next time, Mitzi can be our chaperone.”

Lolly asked, "Are you serious?”

“Completely. She thinks I'm a prince.”

He let go of her hand and put his arm around her. Her drew her close. Happiness bubbled up inside of Lolly. Moonlight reflected on the waves. A fish hurled its body above the water and glistened briefly before it splashed below. The waves churned and danced. In this moment, everything was beautiful.