MIILKSOP Chapter 11



Company Picnic
courtesy photobucket.com

 

The coming weekend May's father's company was going to have their annual picnic and May invited Archie to attend.

He arrived at the park a little early where the picnic was held and began to introduce him around.  

May's family showed up and Archie went over and said hello to them.  With them was a large young man that was introduced as an old friend of May. 

He had enrolled in the local college as a freshman.  May told the friend named Mark that Archie was someone who had invited her to the prom at his school.  

Mark asked her, “Are you going with him? She answered yes I am planning to.”  He looked at Archie and whispered, "You take good care of my girl, you hear."

May didn't hear what Mark had said and Archie didn't say anything back to him.

What was going to be a pleasant day, all of a sudden was turning into something much different from what Archie had expected.

Apparently Mark was known by most of the big wigs, and they were friendly toward him, patting him on the back and smiling as they conversed.

Archie felt somewhat deflated by the turn of events, and went to get something to drink. He felt like taking some of the strong drink that was available but settled for an orange soda.

 

He went down to the lake and sat on a bench as he drank his soda.

Suddenly behind him May spoke up and said, “There you are. I've been looking for you.”

Archie said, “I was enjoying watching the ducks swim back and forth.”

She said, “I was hoping we could spend the afternoon together.”

Archie said, “I would like that, but I didn't want to interfere with your company.”

She laughed and said, “Oh, you mean Mark. He can just visit with the old folks, because it was my dad who invited him.”

Archie said, “He seems to think that you and he are going together.”

May said, “Doesn't he wish it were so. We have known each other since we were kids due to our parents being in partnership, but he isn't my type and I have told him so many times.”

"Mark tries to intimidate any boy he sees me with but I have no other interest in him at all.”

Having heard this Archie felt much better for even though May wasn't his girl, she wasn't Mark's either.

May said, “Let's get something to eat before it’s all gone and then we can cut out and go somewhere else.”  They got some food and sat down. 

Then Mark came over and tried to monopolize the conversation until his dad called him over to meet someone.

May said, “Let's get out of here for I have had enough of Mark.”

They walked over to Archie's school, and watched the football team who had a Saturday practice. Also there were some runners doing a few laps.

May asked him what his plans were for the future if he had made any yet.

He told her that he hoped to go to law school and then become a stock broker.  She said, “Those are some long range plans and it will take some time.”

He said, “The way I have it figured out is, if I can get several of the classes over with in the next two years it will put me ahead of the game.

After the first year of law school I will try for my broker's license, but I will see how it all plays out.”

She said, “Let's go over to your Aunt's house for a visit with her. I enjoyed talking to her the last time and afterward we could go to the movies.”

Archie said, “That sounds good to me, but won't your parents miss you and what about Mark?”

She said, “Mark will be in another world by now, because he can't concentrate on anything for longer than a few minutes.”

Archie’s Aunt was glad to see May again and he left them to talk for a while as he made some tea for them.  His aunt told him to get some of the cookies she had just baked.

After a nice visit they bid Auntie “Goodbye,” and headed to the movies.

As they arrived they saw Mark and some of his friends and May said, “Let's wait a minute for they always sit upstairs in the loge seats. We can sit downstairs and we won't run into them.”

Once again Archie kept his hands to himself while thinking,

“I have three girls who are friends, but I don't have one girlfriend.”

To be Continued