Forget Me Not, Books I, II and III

Someone to Watch Over Me

By the end of the summer, Teddi's grandmother had settled into a firm but quiet disdain of Calvin's relationship with her granddaughter. Since the talk that had followed Calvin's bout with the Morgan boy had died down weeks before, the old lady had little reason to prompt her granddaughter into an argument about it. Teddi wondered if her grandmother really did hate Calvin or if she was quietly trying to talk herself into hating him because she was supposed to.

Truthfully, none of it mattered to Teddi. At this point, she was tired of living life by other people's rules. She and Calvin were happy and nothing and no one could tear them apart again. Calvin agreed. He'd stood up for her on countless occasions since that day, though she couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something from her.

"Come on, Calvin!"

Calvin chuckled and took her hand as she led him down toward the church grounds and the end of summer jamboree. Since the incident with Hugh, Calvin and Teddi spent most of their time alone at Calvin's apartment, fixing it up, planting his garden. On Sundays, the couple did become social as they would drive out to Laura's summer house to visit her and her sister. Harper, Chester and his brother Anthony were almost always along for the ride.

"Hey, Teddi! Over here," a blushing Laura called under the sparkling lights near the wooden dance floor that sat in the center of the action.

"Well, don't you look nice?" Calvin said with a whistle, earning a good natured jab in the ribs from Teddi, who knew how embarrassed it would make Laura.

"Thanks," the brown-haired girl mumbled.

Anthony Parker appeared holding a bright pink teddy bear with an ugly green bow tied around its neck. "Hey, I got you something."

Laura apparently did not mind the stuffed animal's tacky accessory because she gushed in a very un-Laura-in-public type way and threw her arms around the tall dark-haired young man. "Oh! Thank you, Anthony! That was so sweet of you." It didn't take her long to remember herself and pull away, blushing profusely as she gathered the bear close in her arms. Anthony and Laura had become rather friendly at the end of the last summer, but had parted ways and not spoken until the vacation months rolled around again.

Teddi could tell that Laura's feelings for Anthony were much deeper than the crush she'd had on his younger brother, Chester, while at school. The two of them were taking their recent courtship slowly, but Teddi could see a future for them as clearly as she could see one for her and Calvin. Of course, Laura and Anthony were different. Laura's parents adored the Parkers. The Parkers adored Laura's parents. Their union would be easy, where Teddi and Calvin's would be difficult to say the least. Teddi didn't care. She knew it was right. She knew she and Calvin were supposed to be together.

"So, where's your brother, Anthony?" Calvin asked, attempting to ease the tense moment.

Anthony chuckled and chucked his thumb over his shoulder. "Over there mooning over Harper. That Morgan character doesn't look too happy about that," he noted upon seeing the frowning Hugh leaning against a nearby tree, staring at Chester and Harper laughing softly together.

"He looks fine to me," Teddi said, as a bouncy red-head approached Hugh and tapped his shoulder to which he responded with a wide grin.

"Come on," said Calvin, not wanting to waste any more time discussing Hugh. "You wanna dance?" he asked as Chattanooga Choo Choo began to curl and tap from the horn-shaped speakers above the dance floor.

Teddi grinned and took his hand. "I'd love to. You two don't mind, do you?"

"No, go have fun. We'll catch up with you later," said Laura, giving Teddi a quick hug.