Sweet Summer

They were all twelve that summer, sitting every afternoon on the village’s water tank, a square,
and cemented affair, with a faucet plugged onto one side of it. They called themselves the Candy Club,
savoring macaroons, Halls honey-lemon, and Cloud 9. The older boys of the neighborhood had begun to
hove about like bees ogling them like treats but only the two creamy long-legged eclairs, not the nut-
brown fudge in a housedress melting in the sun.

One day, before the boys zoomed in, a younger boy approached with his Doberman, and
reached for the faucet.

“Think of worms, think of diarrhea,” said Camilla at once, her pink nose addressing the still air.

The boy looked up and considered the three girls, none of them looking his way. The dog
ignored them, and lapped at the water flowing into the boy’s hand. The boy splashed some on his face
and hair, then straightened, letting the water drip on his shirt.

“Frederick,” he said formally, “and Dolby.” He indicated the dog.

Camilla and Faye snorted, but they were now regarding him. Then they took charge. “That’s Sara
the Square you’re shaking hands with.”

And he nodded.

“I’ll walk with you.”

Camilla and Faye tittered. The boy shrugged. The dog loped off.

“Frederick, walk your two dogs!” Camilla ventured.

Sara slid off the tank, the edge scraping the backs of her thighs.

“Where are you going?” Faye asked.

“Away,” Sara replied. “From you!” She ran to take her place beside the boy and his dog.

The nut-brown fudge regarded herself with surprise. A boy, even though he was only around
eleven, was talking to her, walking with her! She dug inside her pockets and offered Frederick a choice
of sweets. He chose the honey-lemon, which was good, since she wanted the Cloud 9 for herself.

Sara began to bounce, smearing herself with chocolate. Her glee rubbed off on Doldy, who ran
after her and pounced. She lay face down, pinned to the sharp grass, its blades pricking through her
cotton duster. Dolby started licking. She laughed and tried to boo him away, accidentally touching his
cold nose. He tried to get at her fingers for more chocolate.
 Frederick whistled, and the weight that was Dolby left her back. Frederick offered her his hand
the second time that day, and for a while, she forgot her brown face, her pudgy hands, her squarish
body.

“Don’t walk around here at night, especially not alone,” Frederick said, not seeing that perhaps
no one might want her. “People can jump at you like Dolby did.” Frederick sprang and rolled on the
grass, demonstrating. Dolby barked twice and followed his master. Sara watches both of them, one and
then the other, and wished it had been the boy who had jumped at her and not the dog.

She offered him her hand. After all, he had given his. When he stood up, his lemony breath
spread across her face, and her heart leapt as if she had been kissed. He didn’t ler go her hand either. He
suddenly bowed and started to dance her about. It was a jerky sort of dance, with Dolby snapping at
their heels. It ended just as abruptly, with grin spreading on both their faces.

“What was that shit all about?”

They let go at once. The voice belonged to Felix. Sara recognized him as one of the many boys
who circled the water tank to look at Camilla and Faye.

“Nothing, Kuya,” Frederick replied, suddenly choking. He cleared his throat and spat out a silver
of honey-lemon. It glistened gold on the pavement before Dolby licked it off.

Felix laughed and cuffed his brother. “You’re a natural, Fred-o! I’m proud of you! Now let me
introduce you to some real yummies over there…”

The two boys went off the way Frederick and Sara had come, but forgetting Sara. Only the dog
looked back, licking his nose.