Alcohol and Night Swimming. A Winning Combination.

Christmas & New Year’s came around which brought stress to everyone. Jean announced that she wanted to see Billy Joel in concert and strongly hinted that someone should get her a ticket for Christmas. I think it was meant for her mom, but when Dena mentioned it, I ran with it. Jean was still my best friend and I would’ve done anything for her. At the time, you couldn’t go online at Ticketmaster. You had to call and get the dreaded “busy signal” a million times until you got through, but all day long I tried. And tried, and tried. Dena was pretty annoyed at me. Finally I got through, got two tickets and Dena was furious.

  “So, I take it you are going to take her?” Dena complained. I planned on it, but when Dena asked the way she did, I realized that was not the answer I was to give. So I told her no and to defend my ‘no’ answer, I mentioned my lack of car and ability to take her, so it didn’t even cross my mind. Jean was happy for the tickets, but upset I wouldn’t go with her. Dan ended up taking her.

   Meanwhile, Eric was in town for the Christmas break from school and apparently had a make-out session with Stacey at a New Year’s party. Dan was hurt pretty bad over their breakup over the summer and although I heard about the incident in passing thought very little of it. Eric was a bit of a player and nothing was going to come of it so I gave it little thought. But I remember vividly going to a bowling alley from a diner one night. Dan called out “Kerry, ride with me” as I was still without a car. He then proceeds to tell me about Eric and Stacey and goes on this huge, hurt tirade and starts slamming his hands on the steering wheel talking about how it was a betrayal of friendship and such. For me, it was nothing but awkward. I felt horrible for him and for me being in the car. We were guys. We didn’t talk about feelings. Yes, I was a sympathetic ear for the girls we hung out with and helped them with problems, but us guys just tease and mock each other. That’s how we express we care. I remembering the whole time he was venting, I was wondering how to escape the car.  “Does ‘tuck and roll’ work to escape a moving car? Should I bolt when we get to a stop light? Should I be angry at Eric? Stacey? Tell Dan he’s right or to ‘get over it’? If he turns into the Hulk with all this anger, I am jumping regardless.” In the end, I calmed him down and told him I’d talk to Eric. Eric, of course was clueless they had even dated and didn’t know there was an issue.

   Among other things, being without a car put a strain on my relationship with Dena.  In the past, we were always able to go somewhere to be alone if we couldn’t be at one of our homes. At least a few times the cops caught us in various states of undress parked behind a building or in a parking lot at night. Now that there was no car between the two of us, we were forced to count on the generosity of others for rides. When we did group things, it wasn’t a problem, but to be alone was another issue all together.

  After one night, when a whole bunch of us went to a drive-in movie in Sean’s car we went to drop Dena off at her house. It was late and I walked her to her door, but because Sean was waiting I stepped inside the front door foyer while she started to give me a hand job that was starting to progress into a blow job whilst I had her shirt lifted well above her breasts when her mom came into the room making a startled “Oh.”

  This whole time she still had anti-social tendencies which made matters worse. The one bright spot was that she really seemed to get along well with George, and of all people our co-worker Rich, that had his own social awkwardness and a serious “crush” on Jean.

At parties, Rich would sit out in his Camaro and sulk. Jean would go out like she did with Dena and try to get him to come in but having Jean’s attention only encouraged this behavior and it didn’t work as well. Jean, for her part, did not like her party time monopolized like that and would leave. Dena would keep him company after that. I fully supported her socializing with more people and didn’t think twice about it. Unfortunately, things would take a turn for the worse.

  One night Dena had a curfew and had to be home, but I was hosting the gathering at my house that night and could not get away, so I asked Rich if he could drive her home and he had no problem with that. He never came back and I assumed he just went home until Dena’s mom called asking where Dena was. I told her that Dena left hours ago and became worried. It turns out that they were just parked in front of her house talking.

  According to Dena, Rich was wallowing in self pity and longing for Jean etc. Typical Rich stuff. Dena didn’t want to talk about it and I didn’t press it because Jean was still a touchy subject between her and I. I’m sure that last thing she wanted to hear was about another guy putting Jean on a pedestal. In addition to the Billy Joel ticket incident, the previous summer…

{{FLASHBACK}} Dan had asked people to go camping with him with his camper at a local state park. Most people agreed to stay until nightfall, then go home to their nice warm beds. Jean was the only one that ended up agreeing to stay the night, but then got nervous when she realized she was the only one. Fearing that things may get “awkward.” Not that Dan had any intentions. Stacey and he had broken up and he wanted to do the camping thing to clear his mind. Nonetheless, Jean begged me to “chaperone.” I had a date with Dena planned, so I had said George and I would show up late, but before everyone else left. D

ena hated the idea and didn’t make it easy for me. We got to the park after dusk, so they wouldn’t let me in with my car. So I parked outside the park and we dragged Dena all but kicking and screaming through the darkness of the park, trying to make it safely to the camp ground without getting caught by security. We made it and in the end. George, Sean and I stayed the whole night and had a blast. Dena got a ride home from someone that didn’t stay… Dan crashed early. The rest of us went for a walk and ended up skinny dipping in the ocean. “Ah, alcohol and night swimming. It’s a winning combination.” {{END FLASHBACK}}

  So yes, Dena had issues with Jean, jealousy or whatever, but something else didn’t sit right…