Chapter 4: Confusion

So where was I? Oh yes...

I was slowly warming up to Scot despite my best intentions. He has that effect on me. However, I felt like we were really just tagging along with Tim and Vicki. We would talk about superficial things, but honestly I can't say we were really connecting. The next day after the waverunners, Tim asked Vicki if she would go for a walk with him on the beach. Alone.

I half expected Scot to ask me to do something, but he didn't. He went and sat in the jacuzzi alone. I was left in the condo to ponder what was going on. Was he just hanging around because Tim liked Vicki and he was just trying to be a good friend? Was he just tolerating me? I couldn't read Scot well, so I was truly puzzled. And why did I even care? After all, I really didn't want to like anyone, so why was I so put out? I couldn't make relationships work in the same town, much less long distance. However, I was really irritated! That should have been my first clue. ..

I decided not to worry about it. We were leaving the next day and we'd never see them again. I could just chalk it up to a fun vacation experience. It was here that the muffler on my car decided to fall off. I don't know why. I've always had car problems. Vicki and I looked at it to get a better idea of what we were dealing with. Did we really want to drive 9 - 10 hours back without a muffler? Tim and Scot being the gallant gentlemen that they were stepped in to help us. They rigged the muffler with wire so that it would stay in place for the drive back. I'm told by Scot that it was mostly Tim's design and that he was just the assistant. We were even more impressed. Here we are checking out their handiwork...

That night we decided to cook dinner for them. After all, they had saved us a trip to a strange mechanic to fix the muffler. We made chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. They came over and we all ate and had a really good time.

(Okay, when was this picture taken Vicki? We look awful! I know we looked better than that when they actually came over!!!)

Afterwards, we went for a walk on the beach. We took some pictures to remember our trip.

Then we decided to go swimming at Tim and Scot's condo. They had an indoor pool in their building that would be a little warmer than the one outside. Tim and Vicki immediately got into the pool, while Scot and I sat at a table on the side. This was the first time we had been together without Tim and Vicki and he started asking me more personal questions. It quickly became apparent that we were actually a lot alike. The first thing we discovered that we had in common was a love for Phil Collins (his music). We talked about our families and school; likes and dislikes. We found out that we were both pretty shy people. We had so much fun talking! We talked until late that night. That was the first time I felt we had a connection. I realized that I did not want to stop talking to him...

It was time to leave to go home the next day. We briefly went out on the beach that morning. Scot asked for my address and told me he would write me. I thought, "yeah, right. What man sits down and writes a bunch of letters?" But I wrote it down and gave it to him anyway.

We then went over to Tim and Scot's condo to say goodbye. I actually felt a little sad about this. It seemed that we had just connected and now I was leaving. I wished we had talked like that sooner. As we were about to go, Vicki went to the bathroom. She came back and said (in front of Tim and Scot), "Don't you want to go before we leave?" I said, "No". She said, "Oh yes you do! Now go!" and she pushed me towards the bathroom. I wandered down the hall thinking "what is wrong with her?" I came back and she frowned at me.

They walked us to the car and we got in and drove away. The first thing Vicki did was fuss at me because I went to the wrong bathroom. Apparently Scot had written me a goodbye note and then decided not to give it to me and he left it laying in the bathroom. She relayed some of what it said. I was speechless. We rode in silence for a while. Vicki was driving and staring straight ahead. I looked over and saw tears in her eyes. As I stared out the car window, I had this strange feeling that something really important had just happened to us on this trip; although I didn't know yet what it was.

To be continued... Chapter 5: The Letters...