“You can’t just walk around without any clothes,” Anna May chides, her sweet voice becoming suddenly serious. “It’s not decent.”
She places her hands behind her tiny waist and leans ever so slightly out over the water as she says it. That warm breeze blows again, and it ripples her skirt. She’s lovely. And horrible.
The girls behind her break into fresh peals of laughter. Will sinks to his knees. His face is a sickly grayish green.
“I’m going to throw up.”
My mind is whirring, trying to understand it. There’s a walking trail on the far side of the creek. That must be it. They must have been out walking and come up on us while we were sleeping.
“Mind that edge if I was you, Anna May.”
I stop.
Will freezes.
Anna May goes as still as a statue.
Pete ain’t moved from his spot on the bank. He lies the same as before, hands behind his head, eyes shut. But now we all know without a doubt that he ain’t sleeping. Pete’s awake. And he’s been awake.
“It’s hard to see from where you’re standing, but your bank is crumbling,” Pete goes on, still lying there. “If it were to collapse, why, you’d fall into the creek. And then I’d have no choice but to swim over there and rescue you.”
Anna May leaps back from that bank like she’s been stung by a wasp.
Pete sits up, slow and easy like. He waves. Then, taking all the time in the world, he stands up straight and tall. Turning toward the girls, he spreads his arms wide.
The girls stare.
Frankie and me stare. Will is weeping.
“Hey, you girls care for a swim?” Pete asks, grinning. “You’re more than welcome. Except the thing is, this is a private beach. And we have only one rule: no clothes allowed.”
And there he stands, my brother Pete, naked as the day he was born, holding forth with Anna May Fenton and her friends like he’s inviting them to sit down to tea.
Anna May’s mouth opens and closes, but she don’t make any sound. Then she says in a soft voice, “No, thank you, Pete. We were only . . . taking in the sights.”
Pete’s smile widens. “That you were.” Behind Anna May, her two friends are speechless. They are all staring at my brother.
Anna May frowns and sticks out her chin. “We’re sorry to have interrupted your nap. But we will be continuing on our walk now, thank you very much.”
Pete gives a slight bow. “You are quite welcome, ladies. But consider this our standing invitation to come back anytime.”
Anna May nods her head once, then takes two steps backward until she’s joined the other girls. She nods again, and then, ever so slowly, she turns and leads them back to the trail on the far side of the creek.
It’s a long time before the girls disappear completely into the trees. They take their time going, and I wonder if they ain’t doing it on purpose.
Pete watches them go. Then, once he’s sure they’ve left, he strolls over to the log and gathers up our clothes. Walking them over to us, he tosses them in a heap. “All right, you chickens, it’s safe now.”
Slowly, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
Pete pulls on his trousers, then tosses Will’s shirt at him. “Come on, Will,” he says. “You can’t just walk around without any clothes on. It’s not decent.”
Will don’t move. He stares into the trees, his shirt crumpled in his lap.
“I can never talk to her again.”
“What are you talking about? You’ll see her Sunday,” Pete tells him in a cheerful voice.
I don’t know what ails Will, but I am so impressed at Pete, I can’t help myself.
“Holy cow, Pete!” I exclaim as I pull a sandy sock over one foot. “You chased them girls right off real quick!”
Pete runs both hands through his shaggy hair and shakes out some sand.
“I guess so.”
“You weren’t afraid or nothing!” I turn to Frankie and throw him a big wink. “I bet this’ll make a fantastic story, now, won’t it?”
Frankie gives me a dark glare and pulls his shirt over his head.
“And that wasn’t just any girl!” I go on. “That was Anna May Fenton! The prettiest girl in the whole school! Maybe the whole town!” I pull on my other sock. “Why, Anna May might even be the prettiest girl in the whole state!”
“Could be,” Pete agrees, buttoning up his shirt. Taking his shoes by the strings, he swings them over his shoulder and begins up the bank for the path home.