Linda was on her way to the barbeque with her friends.
The others were already
there. Mike and David had moved their barbeque grill onto the beach; hamburgers
and hot dogs were sizzling on the grill with buns warming on the side. Shana was
setting the picnic table with a checkered tablecloth and baskets of breads.
Louise, who’d brought the salads, was busy arranging them down the center of
the table.
Linda noticed Todd
lounging on a reclining chair, reading the Wall Street Journal. He always brought with him a large selection of
wines. He never cooked or served, but observed everyone from a discreet
distance. His long legs—stretched out before him—looked tan and muscular in his
biking shorts. His expression appeared pensive and serious as he perused his newspaper.
She turned away before he noticed her gawking at him.
Once the food was cooked
and served, they sat around the picnic table. The only topic of conversation on everyone’s mind
was the mysterious party at End House. They talked about it for awhile—except for
Todd, who remained aloof and silent during the heated conversation. Linda wondered whether the owner of End House was also one of his many clients.
David had been the one to
first introduce the topic of the party during the meal. They had been eating in
silence until David spoke up. “Should we go to this party? It might not be such
a good idea. We don’t even know who’s throwing the mysterious party.”
Mike said, “You always try
to ruin everyone’s fun. If you don’t want to go, don’t go! Just don’t bring
down everyone else’s spirit of adventure.” Mike always scolded David for his inappropriate comments. However, this time Linda didn’t believe
that David had said anything inappropriate, since she felt the exact same way
about the End House party.
Shana stood and pointed a finger at Mike. “Who
are you to say what someone should or should not be feeling? If David is
hesitant about going, then he should say so.”
“That’s right,” Linda said.
“David shouldn’t be afraid
to speak his own mind in front of his friends.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m also
speaking my mind. I don’t want him putting unfounded doubts into everyone’s heads—before they’ve
even considered it! David, I understand your concern about going to End House,
but we’ll be together, and there’s nothing to fear. I hope you’ll come, or else
I won’t have anyone to hang out with.”
After a long pause, David
nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll think about it….”
After the meal Linda sat
close to the others on the beach. They gazed out at the ocean while the sun set
in the distance, casting its glittering lights on the water. Each person was
immersed in his or her own thoughts about End House and its unknown owner. Todd
didn’t offer to identify the owner or whether he even knew who it was. And no
one dared to ask.
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