She was beautiful. Her name was Diana Bell.
In the rows of pictures, her image glowed and seemed to pop out from the others. She was the ultimate of his school-age fantasies. He barely knew her when he was a senior and she was only a sophomore. Despite his advantage in age, he had been too intimidated to engage in a meaningful conversation. He had tried and she seemed friendly enough, but he never got past the "Hi, how you doing?" and "I liked the sweater you wore in study hall last Friday" kind of ice-breaker.
That was almost three years ago. Now, Laird was looking at her sophomore picture in his senior yearbook. "I wonder what she looks like now," he asked himself. He was sure she would still be a goddess.
He had gone into the military directly after graduation and was now a "military man." He was proud of his progress and conduct during and after basic training. He quickly progressed to become a skilled warrior. Despite his self evaluation as a macho man, he still feared the opposite sex. He had ducked out of excursions with his buddies to bars and whorehouses. Instead, he spent his time checking out real estate opportunities, futures, commodities, and stocks. Despite his meager wages, he didn't have to worry about the expenses of food, shelter, health, etc. so he found ample funds to invest. In two short years, he had succeeded in making as much from his investments as from his pay.
Right now he found himself back in his home town with a two week leave and a promise to house sit the family residence while his parents enjoyed a well deserved South Pacific cruise. This was his first long break with no obligations and he vowed that he would use this break to end his much too long avoidance of females.
As he looked at the photo of the girl of his dreams, he was trying to get up the nerve to call her and make a date. He felt like the same timid school boy he was when he graduated. His insecurity around women resulted in his still being a virgin at 20.
He agonized as to what he would he say when he called. It had been over two years since he had seen her. Did she have a boy friend? Hell, did she even remember him? They never really knew each other when they were in school. Their relationship was no more than a few five minute "chance encounters" driven by his obvious infatuation.
As he was working up his nerve to call, he remembered the little sister of his best friend, Grant Long. Grant's little sister, Nikki, was now a senior and might know Diana. They lived just three doors away. For years as they were growing up, Nikki always seemed to be a pest when he would go over there to play. Laird and Grant would often play tricks on her or find ways to demean her in an effort to get her to go away. Despite that, many times she would join in their games, usually when other kids on the block were involved. She usually lost but that didn't deter her from trying to participate.
One notable exception to her usual losing was a game of Monopoly. Her brother, in an effort to get rid of her, declared the winner could tie up the first one who went broke. Against all odds in a fixed game, Nikki won and Grant was the first to go broke. She tied him up in their garage and then proceeded to tickle him. She hadn't tied him very well and he soon broke free, but the incident had made an impression on Laird.
So on this unseasonably hot Saturday morning Laird walked over to the Long residence and rang the bell as he had hundreds of times in the past. When Mrs. Long answered she immediately told Laird that Grant was still away at college. "Um, actually I was looking for Nikki," he responded.
"Oh," she said in surprise. "She's here." Turning in the entry, she called out "Nikki. Laird wants to see you."
Looking pleased that Laird had asked for her, Nikki positioned herself so her slender figure showed off well. This was no longer the little kid sister he knew. She was still quite short and was dwarfed by Laird's 6'2" height, but in the two years since he had seen her, she'd matured both in body and poise.
Despite that observation, Laird asked to borrow her yearbook so he could see a recent picture of Diana. He also asked if she knew if Diana had a boyfriend.
Reservedly Nikki accommodated his requests. She didn't know Diana well but did know she had recently dumped her boyfriend. Laird thanked her for her help and, oblivious to the signs that Nikki was showing signs of being miffed, he left.
He was barely at the end of her walkway that Laird started to realize what a jerk he was. Nikki had seemed to be pleased to see him but she deflated as he related his purpose for coming over. He had been thinking of her as his friend's little sister and by extension, almost family. He was slow to think of her as the young eligible woman she had become.
He turned and retraced his steps back to her door. After a brief hesitation, he knocked once again. This time Nikki answered but, by body language, she was not as warm or inviting as before.
All of a sudden his fear of the opposite sex surfaced as he faced the pretty, but sullen, girl in front of him. Regardless, he plunged forward with his decision to return. "Um... I was thinking... I mean I was wondering... well, I thought that..." He stopped and composed himself. "It's early and I haven't had lunch yet. Can I take you to lunch at the burger place? We could catch up on old times."
Nikki blinked in surprise as he spoke. She recognized his stumbling over words as an indication of being nervous and attracted to her. She had seen similar traits from several boys at school. She was surprised at the sudden transformation of her neighbor as her earlier feelings of anger and humiliation flowed away with every stuttering syllable he uttered. One thing was certain; she was no longer just a bothersome younger sister. She stood still, evaluating him for several long moments.
"Please?" Laird asked trying to break the awkward silence that followed his question.
She relaxed and her attitude softened. With a hint of a smile, she agreed. After all, despite the fact that she hated him for constant insults, slights, mean tricks, that he and her brother inflicted on her for years, she also had had a schoolgirl crush on him.
The lunch succeeded in allowing them to reminisce and get to know each other again. They had both changed and each liked the changes. They found their humor, their ethics, and their interests were similar and/or comparable. They found they liked each other and were at ease in each other's company. They were both hesitant to discuss sex as it would be awkward. Each was attracted to the other but, considering their past relationship of bully and victim, they both feared admitting it. However, they both did harbor sexual thoughts as their mutual attraction grew.
As they finished lunch, Laird didn't want to end their time together. "Remember when we used to go sailing at the lake?" he asked rhetorically. "It was a lot of fun." They lived close to a park with a small lake and often the kids on the block would rent small sailboats during the summer. There was lots of splashing as boats passed each other and it often escalated to jumping in the water, trying to capsize someone's boat, and then swimming like crazy to regain their own boat. "If I promise not to capsize any boats, would you like to go sailing this afternoon?"
Nikki smiled and her eyes sparkled as she remembered those times. She too didn't want the day to end and boating on the lake seemed like a great idea. "I'm game," she responded. "However, I want to swing by my house and get a bathing suit. Despite your promise about not capsizing, I remember you and those boats."
Laird laughed as he remembered his old antics. "Yeah, I better pick up my swimsuit as well."
