Benny Rodriguez; 1962

Wendy Peffercorn

June 14th, 1962

After last night me and Jordan have been freezing all morning but the instant we stepped outside, we were already sweating. We walk to the sandlot and see everyone here other than Squints and Bertram but they're getting a new baseball.

We wait at least twenty minutes before we see Squints walking dreamily into the sandlot and Bertram looking annoyed.

"Where you guys been? We've been waiting here forever already."

'Aw, Squints was pervin' a dish."

"Shut up. I wasn't."

"Yeah-Yeah, you were. Your tongue was hangin' out of your head, and you was swoonin'. Oh, Wendy Peffercorn, my darling lover girl." We all chuckle but Squints doesn't think it's too funny.

"I said shut up! I've got a lot of things on my mind."

"This Pop isn't working Benny, I'm baking like a toasted cheeser! It's so hot here."

"It's 150 degrees out there, we can't play baseball. You've gotta call it a day."

"You would think that since it rained it wouldn't be so hot."

"Vote then, anybody who wants to be... a can't hack it pantywaist... who wears their mama's bra. Raise your hand." Everyone raises their hand and Benny looks defeated.

"Yeah, I can handle that."

"Fine, fine, fine! Be like that. So what are we gonna do?"

Yeah-Yeah laughs and looks around. I'm completely confused but apparently the boys know what he's talking about.

"Scam pool honeys!" All the boys scream and then I realize. The pool.

"Wait, wait. Who is Wendy Peffercorn?" The boys look at me with their jaws dropped.

"You don't know who she is? You'll see at the pool."

"Okay." I shrug and everyone goes home to change. Once I change into a red two piece bathing suit and he changes into a green pair, we leave. We meet up with the boys and walk to the pool. It is packed by the time we get there so we try to find a place to lay our stuff at, the boys take their stuff to the boys 'lounge' but I just sit my stuff down on the concrete, next to the gate.

All the boys jump in other than Ham who walks by the girls and I slowly walk into the pool.

"Hey, girls." He blows them a kiss and turns to look at the pool. "Cannon ball!" All the girls that ae tanning stand up and scream. They look down at a laughing Ham and move their towels.

We play around for a while and splash each other, pissing off the girls tanning but this is one of the best parts of the summer, being at a pool with a bunch of friends.

"That's Wendy." Jordan points at the blonde haired life guard who looks around at everyone.

"Oh, cool."

"Yeah-Yeah, too cool."

"She don't know what she's doing."

"She don't know what she's doing." Tommy repeats and I wonder why he does that. He doesn't talk much other than a few times.

"Yeah she does, she knows exactly what she's doing." Benny says and I look over at Sarah to see her look disappointed. She looks over at me and shakes her head like she's fine but I know that hurt.

'I've swum here every summer of my adult life. And every summer, there she is, lotioning, oiling, oiling, lotioning. I can't take this no more. Move!" Squints gets out of the pool and walks to the diving board, at the deep end. He looks hesitant and very nervous but he walks onto it.