It was the run-up to the Summer Ball at the Green Lake Yacht Club when it started. Tony and I were in the changing room showering after our morning's water-skiing. I was shaken out of my daydream by Tony's voice.
"Going to the Summer Ball, Alec? You know the Ski club gets an allocation of tickets."
"Yeah, I know. But who to ask?"
"Yeah."
There was silence for a while, and then we both spoke at once. "Julie Trask!" More silence for a long moment as we realised we planned to ask the same girl, but Tony and I had been friends since first grade and neither of us wanted to hurt the other.
"We can't both ask her ," said Tony.
I started to agree, then had an idea. "Why not?" I said. "Let's finish off here, and go and find her. I think she does a Thursday afternoon in the gift shop during the summer. We'll go together, tell her we both want to ask her, and let her choose. I promise I won't break your neck if she chooses you."
"And if she already has a partner?"
"Plan B," I said, laughing. "We panic!"
Half an hour later, we found Julie in the gift shop. She smiled to see us. Well, that was encouraging, no immediate rejection.
"Hi, guys! Come to buy something?"
"Not exactly, Julie. We wanted to ask if you were planning on going to the Summer Ball at the Yacht Club?"
"Yes, I am," she said. "And?"
"We both wanted to ask you to be our partner. That is, if you haven't already been asked. We thought it fair if we both came, and whoever loses out asks someone else."
She gazed at us for a long moment, then frowned. "You're asking me to choose between you? That's not fair, guys. If either one of you had come and asked me, I'd have said yes. Now, you want me to hurt one of you." She shook her head, then laughed suddenly.
"I think I have a solution. You two are both powerboat types, aren't you? Water skiers?"
"Yeah, I guess," I said, and Tony nodded agreement.
"Do either of you know anything about dinghy sailing?"
We looked at each other, and then at Julie, who was smiling broadly. Uh-oh, I thought.
"No," said Tony.
"Pointy end is the front, same like a powerboat, but it needs wind instead of horsepower," I said, "and that's about my lot."
"Alec just about sums it up for me, too, Julie," said Tony. "So what's on your mind?"
"It's Thursday now. The Summer Ball is a week Sunday, but on the day before there's an open dinghy race, a fun event. It's a handicap, and most of the dinghies in the club are eligible. Borrow a dinghy, enter the open race, and whoever finishes highest, he'll be my partner. So, what do you say?"
Tony and I looked at each other. He shrugged. "Seems fair. Okay with you?"
"I guess. Okay, we'll do it!"
"Thanks, guys," said Julie. "I'm glad it's going to be one of you two. I've turned a couple of previous offers down, hoping someone nice would ask me, but I didn't expect two at once. Good luck, both of you. I suggest your next stop is the Yacht Club, get your entries in now."
Charlie Thompson, the Competition Secretary at the Yacht Club laughed long and loud when we told him why we were entering the race. He shook his head while he entered our names on the list of entries.
"Either of you got a dinghy to race?"
We shook our heads, and he nodded.
"Do you mind if I tell the guys why you're entering? I suspect one or two will be prepared to lend you a boat for the race, given the reason."
"Why not," I said, laughing. "The worst that can happen is we'll die of embarrassment."
"Tell you what," said Charlie, "one of you can borrow my Laser for the race. You'll still need to get someone to show you how to sail it, but at least you'll know what you're racing in." He took a dime from his pocket and poised it to throw. "Tony? Call it?"
"Heads!"
Charlie flipped the coin and we all watched as it fell, spun, rolled a little, and fell. Heads. Oh, well.
"Sorry, Alec. You'll need to borrow a boat from someone else." He glanced out of the window, and nodded his head towards the outside. "The answer might just be going past. Beth Allan. She has a Laser she might lend. That way, you'll both be in the same class of boat, so the race between you will be even even if you finish last and second-last."
"Okay, Charlie," I said. "Hint taken. Tony? Catch you later, okay?" and I hurried out to see if I could catch Beth.
Beth Allan. Little, mousy, Beth Allan. Honor student, a classmate since sixth grade, bright, intelligent, but self-effacing to an extreme. Everyone's friend, no-one's girlfriend, but one of the best dinghy sailors in the Club, a regular event winner. She was ambling along towards the car park, hands in her shorts pockets, head down, as usual. I felt a sudden twinge of sympathy.
"Beth?" I called, and she turned, surprised, smiling slightly when she saw it was me.
"Hi, Alec. You wanted me?" There was an undertone in her voice that I didn't recognise.
"I want to ask a favour," I said.
"Which is?"
"I've entered the open dinghy race next Saturday, but I haven't got a boat. Charlie said you might lend me your Laser. So, any chance of it?"
She stared at me for a long moment. "You, Alec? You've entered the open dinghy race? You, an avowed powerboat man? Whatever for?" There was astonishment and curiosity combined in her voice, in her look.
I shrugged. "Tony and I both asked Julie Trask to be our partner for the Summer Ball, and she said she'd go with whoever finished highest in the open race. Charlie is lending his own Laser to Tony, and he spotted you going past and suggested I ask you, because that way, we're racing the same class of boat, so the race will be fair, even if we're the last two to finish." I shrugged. "So, Beth, pretty please, may I borrow your Laser for the race?"
"Do you even know how to sail a dinghy?" said Beth.
