Richard's Rules -
(Beach Weekend 1955)
In his excellent series "The Proper Rules for Strip Poker" PaulSandarac mentions that some of the story participant's parents also played. Strip poker has been around for many years so THEIR parents may have played also, as seen in this story set in 1955. The 1950's weren't all 'Leave it to Beaver" or "Father Knows Best," although some may think things were a little tame by today's standards. In this chapter the girls learn about Richard's Rules and decide to put them to the test. They gather to decide his fate for the weekend, and a strip poker game gets things started. The action promises to heat up as the weekend progresses in succeeding chapters.
Chapter 1 - Friday
Richard Shepard and fraternity brothers Joel, Eddie and Frank, sat around a table in the Alpha Delta fraternity house. "Okay," Richard said "So I'll gas up the car and make sure it's ready for the trip. Joel, you check out the camping equipment from the P. E. department. Eddie and Frank, you are in charge of making sure we have food and coolers. If we run low on money we'll need something to keep us from starving before we get back. I'll maybe pick up a six-pack or two for camp, although I think we'll be spending most of our time checking out the bars. Let's meet tomorrow at about eleven. That will get you through that math quiz, won't it Frank?'
"Yeah. Professor Walters knows everyone wants to leave, so he made sure to schedule a quiz tomorrow morning."
"Typical for him. As soon as you can get here we'll leave. If you pack your stuff tonight I'll have it loaded in the trunk and you can just throw your books in your room and go. It's a shame he's like that, especially since this is the last weekend we will all be free before exams. Man, I need a break!"
"Me too!" echoed Eddie.
Frank looked up at the sunny sky. "The weather is great, too. Sometimes in early May it can get cold, but we hit it right this time. I read in the paper that at the beach it will be warm enough for swimming, but might get a little cool at night."
Joel rubbed his hands together. "Cool evenings. Just right for snuggling up to a warm girl."
Eddie playfully punched him on the shoulder and laughed "Man, that's all you think about!"
"Can you think of anything better?"
***
At five minutes to eleven on Friday morning the four gathered around Richard's red 1951 Oldsmobile convertible. Richard, standing about five-foot eight was of average build with short sandy hair. Frank was muscular and athletic, but short, standing only five-four, and sporting a crew cut in his brown hair. He was captain of the Western State University baseball team and played center field. Eddie was just shy of five-ten, built like a body builder, with bulging muscles and short blond hair neatly combed back and to the side. Joel, standing just shy of six feet, was of slender build and sported slicked back black hair with a single curl hanging down over his forehead.
Within minutes the last cooler of food and the all-important beverages were loaded into the trunk along with the camping supplies loaded in the night before. Shortly they were on their way with the top down, ready to cruise, and confident that they would easily find a campground along the beach close to the bars and nightlife where they intended to spend most of their time. A quick stop for a lunch of hot dogs washed down with root beer in frosty mugs at an A & W stand made the final two hours to the beach seem to go by faster.
In fact, they found most campgrounds near the beach were hesitant to take what they assumed to be a group of rowdy college students. Those campgrounds all tended to cater to families, and brushed the group off with "You know, we close the gates at ten. You boys will probably be more comfortable up the beach a ways." The group eventually found a spot about ten miles away from the place at the beach where they intended to spend the most time - a bustling strip with a boardwalk, bars, live music, miniature golf and, most importantly, girls.
After hastily setting up the tent and organizing the rest of the equipment and food, there were still a few hours of daylight left and they changed into bathing trunks, grabbed a couple of beers each, and headed for the beach. Since it was yet spring the water was still cold, but it felt good to whoop it up and let off some steam. After drying off they tossed their towels into the car, pulled on polo shirts, slipped into loafers (no socks), stuffed wallets into the small pockets on their bathing trunks, and headed off to the bars to drink beer and check out the music scene, and just maybe some girls, too.
The group picked up some more cold ones and strolled around. Joel, with his 'girl radar' soon spotted a group of girls heading for the parking lot to leave. The three others watched in amusement as he rushed over to try out one of his famous pickup lines, and laughed as he was obviously rebuffed.
"Well, I tried." He shrugged as he returned to the group. "One of them let it slip that they're going to come back tonight, though. They're really cute. If I see them later I'll try again."
Frank laughed "You need to change tactics, man. Those pickup lines don't work."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. They work sometimes."
"Do like Richard does."
"What? Those silly rules? No way. I want action. I don't want to play around."
Richard shook his head. "Joel, respect will get you more than pickup lines will."
"Maybe for you. I know the girls are all over you at school, but they know you there. You have a reputation. Here everyone has a clean slate. Tell you what. You do your 'respect' thing and I'll stick to my method. We'll see who scores."
"It's not about scoring, man. Jeez. Make a connection. Let the girl lead you to what she is ready for and wants to do. You'll both enjoy it more."
"It's all about what I want to do, and for me that is scoring."
Richard slowly shook his head.
As dusk settled they picked up some corn dogs, fries and more cold beer, which they consumed as they checked out the music scene at various bars. Music spilled out of the open doors of a number of the bars, and they discussed which bands they would like to go hear. Joel and Eddie liked the band playing that newest rock-and-roll stuff, Frank thought the band in another bar had a cute girl singer with a backup playing Les Paul tunes, and Richard wanted to dance to the music in another, so they decided to split up and keep an eye out for the others during the evening. If they didn't see each other before, they agreed to meet at the car at 10:00 to decide on a plan for the rest of the evening.
After they split up, Richard went to the bar with the swinging band he wanted to hear. He knew he would have to drive back to the campsite, so only ordered a couple more beers before switching to soft drinks. During the set he danced with a girl named Betty who had long black hair pulled back into a ponytail, bangs cut just above her eyebrows, a cute turned-up nose and a flawless olive skin tone that looked natural rather than a tan. The bar floor had a thin layer of sand that had been tracked in from the beach, but that only made the turns and spins of the jitterbug easier. When the band announced a thirty minute break, Betty said she was meeting some friends. "But hey, maybe we'll see each other and dance again tomorrow."
"I'd like that. You're a good dancer."
Betty tossed him a smile over her shoulder, a smile bookended by the cutest dimples he had ever seen. He then went outside and found an area out of the bright lights with some picnic tables and sat by himself to cool off and relax and enjoy the salt air along with the sights and sounds of the beach scene at night. Between the buildings he could just glimpse the ocean. Laughter from the miniature golf course nearby mixed with laughter and various types of music from the bars. The cries of gulls diminished as they settled down for the night.
