There were often days when Sam wished he were younger. If he had been, he would not have been sitting on the porch at 10:30 PM, looking down at all the younger people having fun. He'd have been down somewhere on the boardwalk getting into trouble. Actually at about this time, there would have been a good chance he'd have found someone cute to talk to and possibly be well into some serious progress. But here he was sipping a long neck micro brew sitting on the front porch having just sent his son to bed. Learning against a post on the front porch, he looked lazily at the boardwalk on the street below as he remembered days gone by.
He and members of his family had been renting these cottages on the lake for a long time. It started with their grandparents, then their parents and on down the line. The family has made this vacation spot a necessity every summer, at least for a few weeks each year. It has happened for generations. Sam's earliest memory of this place is a motorboat kiddie ride at one of the arcades down on the boardwalk. Sam smirked a moment thinking that the same ride had always been in the same spot, in the arcade he had been managing this summer.
The cabins overlooking that busy street, beach, and boardwalk had been made in a colonial style. They varied in size, and had littered the hillside overlooking this freshwater hotspot for over a hundred years. Old and rustic, and only rentable if one belonged to one of several organizations, they had always stood as a contrast to ever changing modern times. Because this prime real estate had overlooked such fun and beauty, various companies had been trying to buy it for decades. But the organizations had always been resilient, wanting to keep the age old heritage intact.
Sam and his long time friend use to work here in high school and summers off from college. But growing up, it was a week or two once a year of fond memories with family and friends. Sam had even taken his own family here year after year at least until his wife ran off with his co-worker a few years ago. Her partner in lust, eventually got him fired from his six figure income as well. It had happened over two years ago, and he still had bitter feelings about it. But smiling a moment, despite the hardships he knew he got the best part of the deal. He had his thirteen year old son.
This year had been different than previous ones filled with barbecues, beach volleyball, and of course his long obsession with pinball in which this place is unmatched anywhere in the world. It was now the last week of July, and Sam had been here for the whole summer so far, having to take a job managing one of the many arcades. They had given him use of this small cabin as part of his compensation. Sam took the deal because he really had no choice. He had come here to work having been only able to find a counter job at a sub shop for the past few years. It had been a means to an end until he would start a really good job in October. He nearly broke down in tears when he got the offer at almost what he was making before. So he had been seeing this job this summer as an opportunity to have some fun and spend time with his son. He had even been thinking that this would allow him chances to have some fun like he had had earlier in his life before he was married. Except here he had not had even a single date, or even a conversation with a nice lady at all this summer. He never would have thought this before, but at that moment forty one years old seemed ancient.
Sam had started to think about his age when he was in his boardwalk arcade earlier in the evening. He had always been amused at people who would play a certain horse racing video game. The people playing it actually have to ride a fake horse as if they are in a quick gallop. On his way out, he had to stop because a particularly top heavy young girl had been drawing quite a crowd playing it. He knew that in his younger years, after seeing such a scene, he would have been one of many roosters trying to get her to hang out with him. He had smiled a moment making the mental note that well endowed girls should probably not play that game if they don't want the attention.
The boardwalk being full of generations old arcades, shops, food, and other sorted summertime entertainment had always been his summer stomping ground. But what had started his mental rant earlier when he had been on his way out of the arcade, watching someone test the limits of a bra for 5 minutes it had started him thinking.
"Just a little something," Sam said out loud, "Even a friendly smile would do at this point."
Sam stood and looked down at the cabin below him as he saw his long time friend and most of his family drive up and stop. As they began pouring out of the car, Sam smiled weakly at his friend, his wife, and their son. He began to wonder where their daughter Megan was.
"Sammy!" his friend Dennis hollered up to him, "You didn't miss much. They lost the game, badly."
"Again? Ah too bad," Sam smiled, "Did you forget Megan there or something?"
"No, she met up with some friends, and that guy she likes," Dennis said, "Supposed to be back in a few hours."
"Ah ok," Sam replied.
"Are you gonna be up for a while?" Dennis asked.
"Yeah for a while. It's nice out here tonight," Sam replied.
"Keep an eye out for Megan will you? We're tired. She turns the light off when she comes in. If it's still on in a few hours or so, let me know ok?" Dennis asked.
"Honey she is twenty five now. Don't smother her," Dennis' wife said quickly, "She can take care of herself."
"Yeah but until she is on her own, she comes back by 12:30," Dennis said.
"Yeah man, I'll watch out for her," Sam said.
"She wanted out until 2 AM, but I said, not on my watch," Dennis grinned.
"No problem, but you remember Sunday night, she was up here with me playing rummy on the porch 'til three," Sam said.
"Yeah but that's with you man. You're like family," Dennis smiled, "But not as much as Megan use to wish, remember?"
"Yeah I remember. Use to piss off Julia. But Megan was just a kid when she said that," Sam smiled.
"No offense but I use to enjoy it when something would set your wife off. It was so easy to do," Dennis said as his wife and son passed him and went into the cabin.
"Megan grew up, but Julia didn't, such is life," Sam said.
"Yeah but you know, some things never change," Dennis grinned.
"Wait, you don't mean that Megan still, I mean she was ten when she had a crush on me. It was a little kid's fascination, that's all," Sam said nervously.
"Well just the other day she made some comment," Dennis started.
"No way," Sam frowned.
"You should see the look on your face right now," Dennis laughed.
"Ah you bastard," Sam grinned, "You had me going."
"Did I? Still better you than that ass hat she is out with right now," Dennis said, "It's a good thing she is with her friends too."
"Don't get any ideas," Sam said as he finished his beer, "Come up for a cold one?"
"Nah, going to bed," Dennis said, "Plus, you know I can't stomach that dark shit you drink."
"Quality, hand crafted, with an earthy tint," Sam mocked as he held the empty bottle over his arm like a waiter in a fancy restaurant.
"Believe that if you want to. Putrid, with a touch of week old coffee grounds," Dennis said as he started walking inside, "Night."
"Night," Sam said as he watched his friend go inside the cabin.
"Damn its warm tonight", Sam say as he pull his shirt off and tossed it on the chair behind him.
Grabbing another beer from the small cube fridge between the lounge chairs, he kicked it closed and sat down. Taking a large gulp of his favorite beer, he rested his head back and closed his eyes a moment.
Listening to the faint sounds of the still busy boardwalk, down over the hill he again imagined being down there in the middle of it, not as an employee in a quarter munching arcade, but as a young, ready for action superstar. His mind in a wandering state soon became tired as he dozed off. Not intending to sleep, especially for over two hours, his slumber was interrupted by a familiar sound.
"Hey Sammy," Megan said softly.
"Holy fu!...potatoes," Sam corrected.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," She grinned and came onto the porch, standing almost in front of him.
In his haze, he squinted to look at her as she approached him. He couldn't help noticing that she was not wearing the same jeans and T-shirt she had on earlier in the day. The tight black one piece skirt that covered her short and fit build, barely left anything to the imagination. The skirt stopped about halfway to her knees. Megan leaned forward, and ran her hand through her long brown hair as she smiled at him
"It's ok," he said, trying to focus on her, "What are you doing up here?"
